Morning journal and courier., 1885-07-27
F1REPRooF MEANS.

Pfcturesoue Acts or Legerdemain Among The Southern Redskins.
 MT. John B. Sweet, who has recently been travelling in New Mexico and Arizona, gave an interesting and graphic sketch to Den yer Tribune reporter of the "Hashkawn Dance," which he had witnessed at one of the Navajo agencies. It took place in large corral or inclosure of an irregular circular form, about 40 paces in diameter. Its fence, about eight feet high, was constructed of fresh juniper and pinon boughs, in the cen ter was conical pile of dry wood, about IS feet high, which was to make the great cep- tral fire. Around this. few feet from the fence, a dozen smaller fires were burning for the comfort and convenience of the specta- tors, who numbered about 800 men, women and children, gathered here from the various parts of the Navajo country. The fire dance was the most picturesque and startling of all Some time before the dancers entered heard strange sounds, mingled with the blowing of the buffalo horn. The sounds were much like the call of the sandhill crane, and may, perhaps, be properly called ''trumpeting," {" and were made by the dancers constantly during the exercises The noise continued to grow louder and come nearer, until we heard them at the opening in the east, and moment later men naVlub uO hOTo clothes than a breechclout entered. Every man bore a long, thick bundle of shredded cedar bark in each hand, except the leader, who carried four small fagots Of the same material Four times they all danced around the fire, waving their bundles of bark toward the flame; then they halted ln the east; the leader advanced toward the central fire, lit one of his little fagots, and, trumpeting loud ly. threw it over the fence ot the corral in the east He performed similar act at the south, the west, and the north, but before the northern brand was thrown he lit with it the fagots of his comrads. As each brand disappeared over the fence, some of the spec tators blew into their hands, and made motion ss if tossing some substance after the departing flame When the fagots were ali lit, the whole band began wild race around the fire. At first they kept close together and spat upon one another some substance of supposed medicinal virtue. Soon they scat tered and ran apparently without concert, the rapid racing causing the brands to throw out long brilliant streams of flames over the naked hands and arms of the dancers. They then proceeded to apply the brands to their own nude bodies, and the bodies of the1r comrades in front of them-no man ever once turning round. At times the dancers struck the victim vigorous blows with his flaming wand; again he seized the flame as if it were a sponge, and, creeping close to the one pursued, rubbed the back of the latter for several moments as if he were bathing him. In the meantime the sufferer would catch up with some one in front of him and, in turn bathe him in f1ame At times when a dancer found no one in front of him, he proceeded to 'tsponge" his own back, and might keep this up while making two or three circuits around the fire, or until he overlook some one else. At each application of the blaze the loud trumpeting was heard, and it often seemed as if flock of a hundred cranes were winging their way overhead, southward through the darkness If a brand became extinguished, it was lit again in the central fire, but when it was so far consumed as to be no longer held conveniently in the hand, the dancer dropped it and rushed trumpeting out of the corral. Thus one by one they all departed, and the spectators stepped into the arena, picked up the fascicles of the fal- len fragments of bark, lit them and bathed their hands in the flames charm against the evil effects of fire.
 "Were they not blistered" asked the. re- porter.
 ''They were not hurt in the least, was the answer. "I believe they were protected by a coating of earth or clay paint. That, however, did not make the effect any less strange. I have beheld many fire scenes on the stage. many acts of fire eating and fire handling by civilized jugglers, and many fire dances by other Indian tribes, but nothing quite comparable to this. The scenic access sories were unique. Demons scourging lost souls with the eternal fire could scarcely be pictured to look more awful"