called hominy, to which it is little inferior. Of all these luxuries
which were placed before us in platters with horn spoons, we took the
pemitigon and the potatoe, which we found good, but we could as yet
partake but sparingly of the dog. We eat and smoked for an hour, when it
became dark: every thing was then cleared away for the dance, a large
fire being made in the centre of the house, giving at once light and
warmth to the ballroom. The orchestra was composed of about ten men, who
played on a sort of tambourin, formed of skin stretched across a hoop;
and made a jingling noise with a long stick to which the hoofs of deer
and goats were hung; the third instrument was a small skin bag with
pebbles in it: these, with five or six young men for the vocal part,
made up the band. The women then came forward highly decorated; some
with poles in their hands, on which were hung the scalps of their
enemies; others with guns, spears or different trophies, taken in war by
their husbands, brothers, or connexions. Having arranged themselves in
two columns, one on each side of the fire, as soon as the music began
they danced towards each other till they met in the centre, when the
rattles were shaken, and they all shouted and returned back to their
places. They have no step, but shuffle along the ground; nor does the
music appear to be any thing more than a confusion of noises,
distinguished only by hard or gentle blows upon the buffaloe skin: the
song is perfectly extemporaneous. In the pauses of the dance, any man of
the company comes forward and recites, in a sort of low guttural tone,
some little story or incident, which is either martial or ludicrous; or,
as was the case this evening, voluptuous and indecent; this is taken up
by the orchestra and the dancers, who repeat it in a higher strain and
dance to it. Sometimes they alternate; the orchestra first performing,
and when it ceases, the women raise their voices and make a music more
agreeable, that is, less intolerable than that of the musicians. The
dances of the men, which are always separate from those of the women,