Page:Economic History of Virginia Vol 1.djvu/174

148 they did not in sleeping restrict themselves to their hurdles of reeds, but in winter lay down on bear skins, spread on the floor of the wigwam, or on the floor itself if it were summer, with a mat alone to support the head. Besides the bed, the only substitute for a chair was the mat. In every town there were scaffolds, constructed either of reeds or dry willows, and it was here that the Indians most frequently sat and conversed. At the top of these scaffolds, a loft made of hurdles was built, and on it the women placed maize and fish to dry.

The Indian town in some instances was encircled with a palisade, but in general this was confined to the rude palace of the king. The royal dwelling was constructed of the same material as the ordinary wigwam, but it differed from the ordinary wigwam in being longer and broader; one had to pass through many windings and turnings before the room in which the king spent his time was reached. The partitions were composed of mats and small poles. No architectural skill was shown by the Indians even in the construction of their temples, upon which the greatest labor was expended. These buildings were about twenty feet in breadth and one hundred in length, with the door confronting the eastern horizon so as to catch the first beams of the rising sun. There was a chancel at the western end, approached by a labyrinthine passage, and here were placed many black images with their faces turned towards the east. At Uttamussack, on the modern Pamunkey, the principal temple was situated, and on either side of it stood buildings sixty feet in length, containing effigies of devils and kings, and also the royal