The history of Virginia, in four parts (1855) (14597569757)

Identifier: historyofvirgini00beve (find matches)
Title: The history of Virginia, in four parts
Year: 1855 (1850s)
Authors: Beverley, Robert, ca. 1673-1722 Campbell, Charles, 1807-1876
Subjects: Indians of North America
Publisher: Richmond, J. W. Randolph
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation



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, supposing Powhatan with all hispower was coming to surprise them. But presently Poca-hontas came, willing him to kill her, if any hurt were in-tended ; and the beholders, which were men, women andchildren, satisfied the captain that there was no such matter.Then presently they were presented with this antic 5 thirtyyoung women came naked out of the woods, only coveredbehind and before with a few green leaves, their bodies allpainted, some of one color, some of another, but all differ-ing ; their leader had a fair pair of bucks horns on herhead, an otters skin at her girdle, another at her arm, aquiver of arrows at her back, and a bow and arrows in her*hand. The next had in her hand a sword, another a club,another a potstick ; all of them being horned alike : therest were all set out with their several devices. Thesefiends, with most hellish shouts and cries, rushing fromamong the trees, cast themselves in a ring about the fire,singing and dancing with most excellent ill variety, oft
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SPORTS AND PASTIMES OF THE INDIANS. 177 falling into their infernal passions, and then solemnly be-taking themselves again to sing and dance ; having spent anhour in this mascarado, as they entered, in like mannerthey departed. They have a fire made constantly every night, at a con-venient place in the town, whither all that have a mind tobe merry, at the public dance or music, resort in the eve-ning. Their musical instruments are chiefly drums and rattles :their drums are made of a skin, stretched over an earthenpot half full of water. Their rattles are the shell of asmall gourd, or macock of the creeping kind, and not ofthose called callibaches, which grow upon trees ; of whichthe Brazilians make their maraka, or tamaraka, a sort ofrattle also, as Clusius seems to intimate. 23 CHAPTER XI. OF THE LAWS, AND AUTHORITY OF THE INDIANS AMONGONE ANOTHER. §44. The Indians having no sort of letters amongthem, as has been before observed, they can have no writ-ten laws ; nor did the constitu