Page:Joutel's journal of La Salle's last voyage, 1684-7 (IA joutelsjournalof00jout).pdf/175

 that Ceremony, which after having been perform'd in the Cottages of the Chief Men, was repeated in ours.

In the first Place, the Cottage was made very clean, adorn'd, and abundant of Mats laid on the Floor, on which the Elders, and the most considerable Persons sate; after which, one of them, who is in the Nature of an Orator, or Master of the Ceremonies stood up and made a Speech, of which we understood not a Word. Soon after that Discourse was ended, the Warriors arriv'd, who had slain any in Battle, marching in their proper Order, each of them carrying a Bow and two Arrows, and before every one of them went his Wife, carrying the Enemies Head of Hair. Two little Boys, whose Lives they had spar'd, as has been said before, one of them who was wounded being a Horseback, clos'd the procession; at the Head whereof, was a Woman carrying a large Reed, or Cane in her Hand.

As they came up to the Orator, the Warrior took the Head of Hair his Wife had brought, and presented it to him, which the said Orator receiv'd with both his Hands, and after having held it out towards the four Quarters of the World, he laid it down on the Ground, and then took the next, performing the same Ceremony, till he had gone over them all.

When the Ceremony was ended, they serv'd up the Sagamite, in the Nature of Hasty Pudding, which those Women had provided, and before any one touch'd it, the Master of the Ceremonies took some in a Vessel, which he carry'd as an Offering to those Heads of Hair. Then he lighted a Pipe of Tabacco, and blow'd the Smoke upon them. That being perform'd, they all fell to the Meat, ''Bits of the Woman that had been sacrific'd were served up to the two Boys of her Nation''. They also serv'd up dry'd Tongues of their Enemies, and the whole concluded with Dancing and Singing after their Manner: After which, they went to other Cottages to repeat the same Ceremony.

There was no talk of our Design till those Rejoycings were over, and I began to conceive good Hopes of our