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Show 48 TilE LILY AND TilE 'fOTEM. tion of one Pierre Renaud, a young fellow, who, perceiving the captain's strong desire to seck out the mystery, and anxious to in~ gratiatc himself with that person, boldly laughed at the fears of the objectors, and volunteered, himself, to defy the danger, in his own person, in order to gratify his chief. This silenced the controversy. Albert readily availed himself of the offer, and Pierro Renaud was commanded to try his fortune. This be did, and, notwithstanding the surveillance maintained over them by AuJusta and his nttendauts, " he made such shift, that, by subtle mcancs, be gotto out of tho house of Audusta, and secretly went and hid bimsclfo bchindc a very thick bush, ,vhcrc, at his pleasure, he might easily descry the ceremonies of the fc!Uitc." We will leave Renaud thus busy in his espionage, while were· hearse the manner in which the vc~crable Audusta. proceeded 00 treat his company. A substa.ntial 'feast was provided for them, consisting of venison, wild fowl, and fruits. Their breadstuffs were maize, batiltas, nnd certnin roota sodden first in water, and then prepared in the sun. A. drink was prep:1.red from certain other roota, which, though bitter, wns refreshing and slightly stimulant. Our Frenchmen, in tho absence of the beverages of Italy nnd France, did not find it unpalatable. They ate and drank with a hearty relish, which grati.fi.cd the rcd·mcn, who lav· isbed on them a. thousand caresses. Tho feast was followed by the dance. In o. spacious nrea, surrounded by great ranks of oaks, cedars, pines, and other trees, they assembled, men and women, in their gayest cnparison. Tho men were tatoocd and painted, from head to foot, and not inartistically, in tho most glowing colors. Birds and beasts were figured upon their breasts, and huge, strange reptiles were made to coil up and nround their legs and nrms. From their waists depended light ga.rmcnts of T ilE t.f.GE~D OF Gta:nNACitE. 49 wJ,j L~ cotton, the :-kids being trimmed with a. thick fringe of red or scarlet. Some of them wore head.dresses consist ing of the skins of snakes, or eagles, the panther or tile wild cat, which, aluff.Jd iug~niou«ly, were made to sit erect above the forehead, and to look :lhro~d, fi'Dm thrir no\·~1 place of perch, in a. manner equally natural and fri.~h tfu l. Th.., womr"n were ltabitct! in a simi· IJ., ly wiiJ buL h•ss olT •n<:i1·:• tu ~umm·. 'l'h~ t:ts t -. which prcsid ·d in t], •ir d ·coration'l, was of a. purer and a g·"'ntl ~r filshion. Their ch ::~~ks \'I'J I'C painted rl.ld, th"ir arm ~, oceasionally but slightly tat. tooJd, anJ som ;tim"s th ~ fi_;ttrtl of a bird, n flow~r or :l stn.r, mi_;;11t bo seen cn;rnitud upon th:l breast. A 1-nth~r scanty robCl of whit2 cotton concJnl ·d, in aonn d J_;rc:l, tin bosom, and cxtJndcd aomewl,tlt b.:low thJ knns. Around tho nooks of SClVCral, were hun,; thick st:antl.i of nativJ p'lad.i, partially di~colorcd by tho action of fi•o 1vltich had bJJn cmployJd to cxt ricat:l thJm f1·om the sh •lis. Pca:ls wJrc also nJin::;l Jd in ;~niou :iy with tlu long tresses of th •ir straig!Jt, black hai1· ; h·nilin.; with it, in not unfrequ"nt instnnc"s, even to th" ground. Oth~rs, in placo of this more nlluabl ~ Ornament, wot·c n"cklnccs, nnkl"ts and tinrns, fonncd wholly of OliCl O:' oth •r of tlu nu u )rOu'l v:L i }ti •s of littb ae:~ ah·ll ~, by 1vhiclt1 aft •r Jt -.:wy stot·ms, th~ I owan~! !'mtllly ~hvrr"S of th • county wJr(' l it~: ally M\'Jrcd. Stt in1S of thJ s:un ~ sh ... JI 0 11• ci.cl 'll tin h.;~, which W'rC som-.ti II 'S of a shap1 to gmtify the nic•st r"xactious of the eiviliz·d standard. The forms of our In· di:tn dams::!ls w.::rc gcn ·rally symmet rical nnd £'rcet, th"ir move. Ill ~n ts at onc1 a ~il l an I g ·ac •ful - tiJ"ir fo~ch •ad~ hi~l11 th ... ir lips thin, an.!,•vith a :o;oft, pc.·.-:u Ll iv ~ r":rp:'f'S.Sbn inclining to m ~lnncholy; whil ' th i · c,rcs, bbek and bri ~ht, always Bhon) with a p•culiur for~st fi:c tlu t s~am •d happily to con>;O:t ~l'ith th •ir d:u·k, but not unpl.Ja:;inz compb xions. Wdl, iudJcd, with a. pardonable vanity, 3 |
