The San Francisco call., 1897-04-21

who. by the way, were all en- masque,
marched to the opposite sides OF the room
and then retired in single file behind the
stage, leaving the ballroom free. Inc
ladies and gentlemen OF the court took
their places on the floor, and with no
sound save the string music ana ,;nh,s unuer
the changing colors of two calcium hghts,
The other lights being extinguished, went
through the figures of the minuet. itwas
a very beautiful and fascinating perform
ance.
During the dance the floor com mittee
formed the masKers on each side OF the
hall, to the right and lett OF the queen,
under the balconies, and as the ladies and
gentlemen of the ninuer retired all was
in readiness for the ball 20 begin.
"Let the merry dance proceed; lay
aside all care and let freedom and Joy
reign until the break of day." was the
edict from the throne, and the grand
march began, the maskers flling past the
, throne and then winding ABOUT the Dig
hall. their varied costumes forming a
spectacle that called out the applause of
the onlookers as the shifting colors of the
calcium lights played upon them with
eird effects. The guard had previously
taken its position on The floor again, as at
the reception of the @ ieen, and the mask
ers marched down the line, Saluting the
Queen as they arrived in front OF the
throne. The guard. when all had passed,
marched up the hall behind them and
took positions about the throne. The
band struck up waltz and the ball was
in full swing
At little before midnight the Queen
called upon the dancers to remove their
masks. The trumpeters had another
turn, the guards took their position on
the floor, the maskers marched down the
line and coming before the Queen each
couple removed their masks, saluting,
and with that the dance went on and on.
Out at the tribunes another number of
the programme was also performed TO.
night. The performers were band of
Mission Indians. The promoters of the
fiesta introduced something OF a novelty
into the pro remme when they per-
suaded, not without considerable diff
Guilty, over a hundred of the braves of the
missions 10 visit Los Angeles and exem-
plify their ceremonial observances Tor the
benefit of the merry makers.
The visitors are not altogether I'M
unfamiliar with civilized habits, mas
much as Po- Pa Chunk, ex-captaln of the
Coahuilas pacidly smoked a cigar this
evening and manipulated a broomstick
while participating In the ensemble of a
scalp dance.
The tribe is accompanied by large
chorus OF squaws, who chant in minor
key while the dances are in progress.
pressive. A large fire cast iurid glow
upon the halt-nude bodies of the braves.
whose skins Were almost hidden beneath
fantastic covering Of pigment. Their
heads were ornamented with feathers and
their faces streaked with war paint. Their
loin cloths reproduced the fiesta colors.
Viewed when reused TO fierce pitch of
frenzy, as they stamped, grunted and
laughed with feroeious energy and unan-
unity during the mystic evolutions of the
drouth or the rain dance, they presented a
terrifying appearance. which was proba-
bly, their cherished obiect.
The las; and most interesting feature of
tie program me was the fire dance by thirty
male and female Indians. Though the
performers did not actually comply with
the terms of the announcement, that they
would literally extinguish weli-devel-
oped fire by dancing upon it with their
naked feet and rolling over ii with their
almost nude bodies, they displayed suf-
ticiently wonderful capacity for enduring g
heat 10 make the event exciting, and the
fire eventually burned itself out.