few feet of his own door, in the little
courtyard that surrounds each dwelling. Funeral dances are then kept up
in memory of the dead for several weeks, at the expiration of which time
the body, being sufficiently decomposed, is exhumed.

The bones are cleaned and are deposited in an earthenware jar, and
carried to a spot near the town which is regarded as the cemetery.

There is little difficulty in describing the toilette of the native,
that of the men being limited to the one covering of the head, the body
being entirely nude. It is curious to observe among these wild savages
the consummate vanity displayed in their head-dresses. Every tribe has a
distinct and unchanging fashion for dressing the hair, and so elaborate
is the coiffure that hair-dressing is reduced to a science. European
ladies would be startled at the fact that to perfect the coiffure of a
man requires a period of from eight to ten years! However tedious the
operation, the result is extraordinary. The Latookas wear most exquisite
helmets, all of which are formed of their own hair, and are, of course,
fixtures. At first sight it appears incredible; but a minute examination
shows the wonderful perseverance of years in producing what must be
highly inconvenient. The thick, crisp wool is woven with fine twine,
formed from the bark of a tree, until it presents a thick network of
felt. As the hair grows through this matted substance it is subjected to
the same process, until, in the course of years, a compact substance is
formed like a strong felt, about an inch and a half thick, that has been
trained into the shape of a helmet. A strong rim about two inches deep
is formed by sewing it together with thread, and the front part of the
helmet is protected by a piece of polished copper, while a piece of the
same metal, shaped like the half of a bishop's mitre and about a foot
in length, forms the crest. The framework of the helmet being at length
completed, it must be perfected by an arrangement of beads, should
the owner of the bead be sufficiently rich to indulge in the coveted
distinction. The beads most in fashion are the red and the blue
porcelain, about the size of small peas. These are sewn on the surface
of the felt, and so beautifully arranged in sections of blue and red
that the entire helmet appears to be formed of beads; and the handsome
crest of polished copper surmounted by ostrich plumes gives a most
dignified and martial appearance to this elabo