Telegram-herald., 1890-03-02

must yet endure before he sreaks looss
from ths thongs-
-As hs Increases lis sffo<Ls his SHOUTS
ineTs>ss. huge drops II psEspszaxioa pour
down hls greasy palrs<d skin saa every
ma-cls stands out On bis body Ia tor
ra0ns ridges. bis s~sying frams. IS
be throws bis whole weight wildly
against the fearful fetteEs. being coz
valssd with sh1dders. All the - hile the
beating of ths tontons and the wild,
~ssrd chanting Of the singers near him
continue The wonderful strength and
sxE~assbi1ty of the human ssin l. most
forclbiy and fearfully displayed Ia the
strong struggles ot the quiysEiay yiotiEas.
! have seen these bloody pieces OF bons
stretched % such . length from thedevo-
tee that his oatsErssched arms ia trout Of
him would barely allow bis fingers 70
touch them.
know t y not pleasant 20 dwell
long upon this cruel spectacle. Gener-
ally, Ii two or three hours the victim Is
fse. bat there are many cases where
double and even triple that time Is re-
quired- OfterItinnas thers are half a
dozen swinging wildly from the pole.
running towards IL and then moving
backwards with the swiftness Of a war
horse and the ferceness OF lion in their
attempts 20 tear the accursed skewers
from their wounded flesh Occasionally
some over ambitious youth viii erect
tour stakes within the arena, and fasten-
Ing ske~ers TO both breasts and TO both
shoulders viii throw himself backwards
and forwards against the four ropes that
bold the skewsrs 70 the stakes.
Paintings are not uncommon even
among these sturdy savages, but no for
ten, opprobrium, censure or loss OF re-
specf in any way seems 70 follow. The
vtctira u cut loose and placed on the
floor OF some lodge near by and left in
charge Of his nurses. The only attempt
! saw 70 break loose from double skewers
IN front and behind terminated in this
manner. Whether the men ever after
wards enter the cruel contest after hav-
ing thus failed I do not know. It NAV
De possible that some exceedingly arnbi.
tfous warrior may enter the lists year
after year - show his prowess, but
understand that il is supposed to be done
but once in a lifetime. IL is not obliga-
tory, and by far the greater number
grow up sensibly abstaining from such
savage Injuries. When the day is almost
over. and the solar deity is nearly down
in the west. the self tortured warriors
file from the inclosed arena, one BY one,
and Just outside the doors. deeply COW
cred with handsomely painted buffalo
robes, they kneel, and with arms crossed
over their bloody breasts and with bowed
heads face the setting sun. and rise only
when il has disappeared.
Many other horrible variations have
been reported 70 me, such as tying sad.
die or buffalo's skull 10 the end of the
long rope fastened TO the skewer and
running over the prairie and through the
timber, the saddle or skull bounding
after the victim until he hberates him
self; or, when fainting, to draw the tor.
tured man clear OF the ground by the
ropes until bis weight overcame the
strength Of the distended skin. Ny in
formants told me that no two Of the GER
emonies were alike, the self torture in
some form being the one common link
in all. The conservation Of the sun pole,
much Of the dancing and singing, the
double efforts Of ambitious youths and
other ceremonies might be left out entire
ly or others substituted. 1 describe it
only as / saw it."