ovements loosening himself by
tearing out the flesh. The young man's dance was accompanied by a
chant by those who were standing around, assisted by the thumping
of a hideous drum, to keep the time. The young brave who was
undergoing this self-torture finally succeeded in tearing himself
loose, and the rope relaxed from its sudden tightness and fell back
toward the centre pole with a piece of the flesh to which it was
tied. The victim, who, up to this point, did not move a muscle of
his face, fell down on the ground, exhausted from the pain, which
human weakness could not further conceal. A squaw then rushed in
and bore the young brave away. He had undergone the terrible
ordeal, and amid the congratulations of the old men, would be
complimented as a warrior of undoubted pluck and acknowledged
prowess.

"Another of the young men, named Charles, was cut in two places
under the shoulder blade; the flesh was raised with pincers, and
thongs tied around the flesh and muscles thus raised. The thongs
reached down below the knees and were tied to buffalo skulls. With
these heavy weights dangling at the ends of the thongs, the young
man was required to dance around the circle, to the sound of the
drum and chants of the bystanders, until the skulls became detached
by tearing out the flesh. They continued the performance until one
of the skulls broke loose, but the other remained. The mother of
the young man then rushed into the ring, leading a pony, and tied
one end of the lariat which was around the pony's neck to the
skull, which was still fastened to the young Indian. The latter
then followed the pony round the ring, until nearly exhausted he
fell on his face, and the skull was thereby torn out of the flesh.
The sufferer's voice grew husky from joining in the chant; he
groveled on the ground in violent contortions for a few minutes,
and was then removed to the outside of the lodge.

"A third man had the lariat of the pony hitched to the raised
muscles of his back, and was dragged in this way several times
round the ring; but the force not being sufficient to tear loose
from the flesh, the pony was backed up, and a slack being thus
taken on the lariat, the pony was urged swiftly forward, and the
sudden jerk tore the lariat out of the flesh."

Our informant having seen enough of these