paddled to an adjacent [145] island, waiting the event of a circumstance which threatened death to their masters.
Mr. Ramsay being tied to the stump of a tree, and his son narrowly watched, the Indians rummaged the canoe, and brought up as much rum as they thought they could drink; they then began to sing their war songs; and making a large fire near the stump to which Mr. Ramsay was tied, they sat down on the ground, and began to insult him, telling him he was an old woman, and obliged his brother to join in the derision.
The usual mode of execution among the Savages, is as follows:
When a warrior is taken, he is brought into a hut, and tied with small cords made of the bark of trees, about the size of a cod-line: he is then fastened to a stump, and a small rattle put into his hand, called chessaquoy, which he shakes while he sings the dead war song:
"Wabindan payshik shemagonish kitchee mannitoo; nee wee waybenan nee yoe Matchee Mannitoo."
"Master of Life, view me well as a warrior; I have thrown away my body against the bad spirit."
When the song is finished, the prisoner is untied, and made to run the gauntlet through two ranks of women, who are provided with small sticks to beat him. After this punishment a dog-feast is prepared with bear's grease and huckleberries, of which he is obliged to eat. He {146} is then brought again to the stake, when wood is placed round him. He now sings his war-song, and the women set fire to the pile, the prisoner singing as it burns. The bones are then collected and fixed to the war-standard, which is a high pole painted with vermillion.
It is said that the nation of the Followens, or Wild
