The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1914-01-03

tllled by waiting reVelerS, and
the dance goes on.
On the edge of the circle of
dancers the women line up and
add to the grotesqueness of the
scenes by dance which has no
variation. It consists of a meas
ured up-and-down hopping step,
and jingle of their ornaments
mingling with their piercing
chant and lending an effective
background to the contortions
of the male dancers. The older
women maintain a respectful
distance, their attentions being
centered upon the big kettle
which contains the banquet.
Louder and louder shrill the
manipulators of the drums ;loud-
er and louder wall the dancers,
and faster and faster they whirl
in their uncouth measures until
the onlooker is fairly bewildered
by the shifting kaleidoscope
scene. Dancers succumb to ia
tigue, fall out of the circle prone
and exhausted upon the earth,
only to rejoin the mad whirl
later on. More and more demo-
MAC become the orgies, until one
scarce realizes that it is but a
band of pacific blanket nomads
before him instead of paint be-
daubed redskins working them
selves to a killing pitch of frenzy
before taking the warpath.
At last the dance comes to a
close, and the tired Indians sink
to recumbent positions on the
ground, with tongues lolling
from their mouths like wounded
animals, but their exhaustion
dims their appetite not a whit,
and they cast longing eyes upon
the food kettles, the contents of
which they are presently to dis
cuSs.
A huge iron soap kettle was
suspended from a rustic tripod
over a camp fire, in charge of a
half dozen or more squaws. Into
the kettle were dumped 30 or 40
pounds of beef cut into pieces
about the size of a mans fist.
Then followed several cans of to-
matoes, a like number of cans of
corn, several dismembered chick
ems, bologna sausage, a number
of what appeared carcasses of
some small animals, and several
other articles which could not
be identified.
The kettle was filled with wat
er and allowed to simmer over
the fire all day, the supply of
water being replenished as fast
os it boiled out. All during the
progress of the dance a coterie
of squaws saw to it that the con-
tents of the kettle were kept to
an almost boiling point until the
hour for the feast arrived.
At a we'll understood signal
the erstwhile jewellers sprang
from their positions on the
ground and made a rush for the
banquet board. No one paused
for the arrival of the soup, and
no one hesitated to learn wheth-
er the finger bowls were in their
proper places, but every man
who could secure a position
alongside the kettle, thrust
a sharpened stick, clasp knife OF
failing in the possession of any
other article, their bare hands,
into the contents Of the kettle
and fished out a piece of the
scalding hot meat which they
proceeded to at once place where
| it would do the most good. How.
ever, having secured a bit from
the kettle, the front rank of din.
ers considerably fell back and
IalloWed those in the rear an op-
portunity of spearing a tidbit.
Not a knife, fork or spoon OF
table utensil known to the white
man appeared in use during the
meal, but Lo was supremely con.
tent. Food there was, piping
hot, and in a quantity sufficient
to satisfy an appetite whetteo
during a long wait by exertions
which could not be surpassed al
the most arduous labor.
Tin cups, old tin cans and even
cupped-up hands were brought
into requisition after the solids
disappeared, and the last vestige
Iof the contents of the kettle dis