Page:On the border with Crook - Bourke - 1892.djvu/507

 calico, and partially filled with water. The beat of this rounded stick was a peculiar rubbing thump, the blows being sliding. Near this principal drummer was planted a sprig of cedar. The other musicians beat with long switches upon a thin raw-hide, lying on the ground, just as the Sioux did at their sun dance. There were no women present at this time. I did see three old hags on the ground, watching the whole proceedings with curious eyes, but they kept at a respectful distance, and were Apache-Yumas and not Apaches.

The orchestra thumped and drummed furiously, and the leader began to intone, in a gradually increasing loudness of voice and with much vehemence, a "medicine" song, of which I could distinguish enough to satisfy me that part of it was words, which at times seemed to rudely rhyme, and the rest of it the gibberish of "medicine" incantation which I had heard so often while on the Sierra Madre campaign in 1883. The chorus seconded this song with all their powers, and whenever the refrain was chanted sang their parts with violent gesticulations. Three dancers, in full disguise, jumped into the centre of the great circle, running around the fire, shrieking and muttering, encouraged by the shouts and singing of the on-lookers, and by the drumming and incantation of the chorus which now swelled forth at full lung-power. Each of these dancers was beautifully decorated; they were naked to the waist, wore kilts of fringed buckskin, bound on with sashes, and moccasins reaching to the knees. Their identity was concealed by head-dresses, part of which was a mask of buckskin, which enveloped the head as well as the face, and was secured around the neck by a "draw-string" to prevent its slipping out of place. Above this extended to a height of two feet a framework of slats of the amole stalk, each differing slightly from that of the others, but giving to the wearer an imposing, although somewhat grotesque appearance. Each "medicine man's" back, arms, and shoulders were painted with emblems of the lightning, arrow, snake, or other powers appealed to by the Apaches. I succeeded in obtaining drawings of all these, and also secured one of these head-dresses of the "Cha-ja-la," as they are called, but a more detailed description does not seem to be called for just now. Each of the dancers was provided with two long wands or sticks, one in each hand, with which they would point in every direction, principally