Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/401

 the North American' Indians. 389

the known world, I fhall relate the circumftances, fo far as to convey proper information thereof to the reader. When the company return from war, and come in view of their own town, they follow the leader one by one, in a direct line, each a few yards behind the other, to magnify their triumph. If they have not fucceeded, or any of their warriors are loft, they return quite filent ; but if they are all fafe, and have fucceeded, they fire off the Indian platoon, by one, two, and three at a time, whooping and infulting their prifoners. They camp near their town all night, in a large fquare plot of ground, marked for the purpofe, with a high war-pole fixed in the middle of it, to which they fecure their prifoners. Next day they go to the leader's houfe in a very folemn procefllon, but ftay without, round his red-painted war- pole, till they have determined concerning the fate of their prifoners. If any one of the captives mould be fortunate enough to get loofe, and run into the houfe of the archi-magus, or to a town of refuge, he by ancient cuftom, is faved from the fiery torture thefe places being a fure afylum to them if they were invaded, and taken, but not to invaders, becaufe they came to Ihed blood.

Thofe captives who are pretty far advanced in life, as well as in war-gra dations, always atone for the blood they fpilt, by the tortures of fire. They readily know the latter, by the blue marks over their breafts and arms ; they being as legible as our alphabetical characters are to us. Their ink is made of the foot of pitch-pine, which flicks to the infide of a greafed earthen pot ; then delineating the parts, like the ancient Picls of Britain, with their wild hieroglyphics, they break through the fkin with gair-fim-teeth, and rub over them that dark compofition, to regifter them among the brave, and the imprefiion is lading. I have been told by the Chikkafah, that they formerly crazed any falfe marks their warriors proudly and privately gave themfelves in order to engage them to give real proofs cf their martial virtue, being furrounded by the French and their red allies ; and that they degraded them in a public manner, by ftretching the marked parts, and rubbing them with the juice of green corn, which in a great degree took out the imprefiion.

The young prifoners are faved, if not devoted while the company were fanclifying themfelves for their expedition j but if the latter be the cafe,

they

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