many
of these as one of the players might find convenient were curiously
rolled up in dry grass, and, according to the judgment of his
antagonist, respecting their number and marks, he lost or won."

(3) _Songs and Dances._--p. 147.

Dancing is the favourite amusement of the savage, and one of his
methods of propitiating the Deity. Does he feel cheerful, he dances;
has he received benefits from a fellow-creature, he makes a dance to
his honour; if from the Supreme Being, he gathers his tribe to his
cabin, and gives thanks in a dance. When he has reason to fear his God
is offended, or when an occurrence takes place, from which he draws an
inference of his displeasure, he begins a solemn dance. Thus we have
seen, that when the Dutch first landed on New York Island, the
inhabitants, who believed them to be celestial beings, began a dance
in order to propitiate them.

The dances of the savages are the common dance, and the dances which
are held upon particular occasions, and the manner of dancing, varies
somewhat. In dancing the _common dance_, they form a circle, and
always have a leader, whom the whole company attend to. The men go
before, and the women close the circle. The latter dance with great
decency, as if engaged in the most serious business; they never speak
a word to the men, much less joke with them, which would injure their
character. They neither jump nor skip, but move lightly forward, and
then backward, yet so as to advance gradually, till they reach a
certain spot, and then retire in the same manner. They keep their
bodies straight, and their arms hanging down close to their bodies.
But the men shout, leap, and stamp, with such violence, that the
ground trembles under their feet. Their extreme agility and lightness
of foot is never displayed to more advantage than in dancing.

Of the dances held on particular occasions, there are many, and,
unlike the last, these are frequent. "Of these," says Loskiel, "the
chief is the _dance of peace_, called also the calumet or pipe dance,
because the calumet or pipe of peace is handed about during the dance.
This is the most pleasing to strangers who attend as spectators. The
dancers join hands, and leap in a ring for some time. Suddenly the
leader lets go the hand of one of his partners, keeping hold of the
other. He then springs forward and turns round several times, by which
he draws the whole company around, so as to be enclosed by them, when
they stand clos