There was now a long council of talk, and then a great feast was served; it consisted largely of dog meat, this being a favorite dish among the Sioux and used in all festivals. There was also a preparation of buffalo meat and potatoes of which the captains partook, but they say that as yet they could eat only sparingly of the dog.
Thus the day was passed until twilight, when everything was cleared away for the dance. A large fire had been made in the center of the house, giving at once light and warmth to the ballroom. The orchestra was composed chiefly of ten men who played on a sort of drum or tambourine formed of skin stretched across a hoop, and made a jingling noise with a stick to which the hoofs of deer and goats were hung. A third musical instrument was a small skin bag with pebbles in it. Five or six young men also sang.
The women came forward highly decorated, some with poles in their hands on which were hung the scalps of their enemies, others with guns, spears, or other trophies taken in war by their husbands, brothers, or other relations. Having arranged themselves in two columns, one on each side of the fire, as soon as the music began they danced toward each other till they met in the center, when the rattles were shaken, they all shouted, and then returned to their places. In the pauses of the dance some man would come forward and recite in a low guttural tone a little story or incident, either martial or ludicrous. This was taken up by the orchestra, who repeated it in a higher strain, while the women danced to it. The dances of the men were always separate from those of
