Page:Speeches, correspondence and political papers of Carl Schurz, Volume 1.djvu/44

10 on both sides with gay feathers which make their legs resemble those of chickens with feathers extending down to their feet. They wrap themselves in blankets, generally blue. The most distinguished wear the skin of some wild animal, edged with red and trimmed with all sorts of metal balls, dangling down their back, so that at every step a sound like that of sleigh-bells, only not so loud, is produced. Their necks are encircled by strings of coral beads, but principally by necklaces of long, white bear claws which look somewhat gruesome. Their ears are decorated, wherever they can find a space, with great earrings and a quantity of little glistening bits of metal and glass beads, as if they were edged with a shining fringe. Into their hair they plait all sorts of eagle and falcon feathers, arranged so that they partly stand erect and partly project on the side of the head. Their faces are gorgeously painted, mostly with bright red, particularly the part between the cheek bone and the ear. Some of them had added a fine, wide, bright-green stripe which encircled the whole face like whiskers. The two most prominent Indians had put an extra touch on the left side of their faces; it looked a little as if someone had dipped his hand in blacking and had then slapped their cheek. I need not add that they wore no “kid gloves.” They are not of an imposingly vigorous stature, but they are well built. Their features are hard and deeply cut, the brow low and the skin a dirty reddish brown. Their speech consists, as far as I could hear it, of loud inarticulate sounds, and their conversation is accompanied by rapid gesticulation, almost like the conversation of deaf-mutes. So much for the wild Americans, now for the tame.

Yesterday I had bad luck in making calls, owing to the simple reason that the houses are not numbered and one has to spend much time in looking for them—often in vain. Yesterday I found only one of the persons to whom