mily welcomed them, by asking: "Is it
thou?" "Yes," answered the other ancient. "Sit down," continued the
other. Immediately all were seated, and a profound silence for many
minutes ensued. Then the eldest man of the party bid the groom and
bride to stand up, when he addressed them in a speech in which he
recapitulated all the duties of man and wife; informed them of the
obligations they were assuming, and then concluded with a lecture of
advice as to their future lives.

When this ceremony was concluded, the father of the bridegroom handed
to his son the present he was to make to the family of the bride. Then
the father of bride stepped up to the side of his daughter, when the
groom said to the bride: "Wilt thou have me for thy husband?" The bride
answered: "With all my heart; love me as I will love thee; for thou art
my only love for all my life." Then holding the gift above her head,
the groom said: "I love thee; therefore I take thee for my wife, and
this is the present with which I buy thee," and then he handed the
present to her parents. Upon his head he wore a tuft of feathers, and
in his hand a bow, emblematic of authority and protection. The bride
held in one hand a green twig of the laurel-tree, and in the other an
ear of corn--the twig indicated she would preserve her fame ever fair
and sweet as the laurel leaf; the corn was to represent her capacity to
grow it and prepare it for his food, and to fulfil all the duties of a
faithful wife. These ceremonies completed, the bride dropped the ear of
corn which she held in her right hand, and tendered that hand to the
bridegroom, who took it and said: "I am thy husband." She replied: "I
am thy wife." The bridegroom then went round and gave his hand to every
member of the family of his wife. He then took his bride by the arm and
led her around and she took the right hand of all the family of the
bridegroom. This done, he walked with her to his bed, and said: "This
is our bed, keep it undefiled."

There obtained among these primitive beings a most curious and most
disgusting custom. The young marriageable females were permitted to
prostitute themselves for gain, in order to provide a marriage portion;
and she who could thus enrich herself was the most distinguished and
the most sought. But after marriage, she was compelled to purity, both
by their laws and by public sentiment; and in all the intercourse of
the French with them, no instance of infidelity was ever know