“Not
long after, early in a morning a great fire was made in a
long house, and a mat spread on the one side, as on the other,
on the one they caused him to sit, and all the guard went
out of the house, and presently came skipping in a great grim
fellow, all painted over with coale, mingled with oyle; and
many Snakes and Wesels skins stuffed with mosse, and all their
tayles tyed together, so as they met on the crowne of his
head in a tassell; and round about the tassell was as a Coronet
of feathers, the skins hanging round about his head, backe,
and shoulders, and in a manner covered his face; with a hellish
voyce and a rattle in his hand. With most strange gestures
and passions he began his invocation, and environed the fire
with a circle of meale; which done, three more such like devils
came rushing in with the like antique tricks, painted halfe
blacke, halfe red: but all their eyes were painted white,
and some red stroakes like Mutchato's, along their cheekes:
round about him those fiends daunced a pretty while, and then
came in three more as ugly as the rest; with red eyes, and
white stroakes over their blacke faces, at last they all sat
downe right against him; three of them on the one hand of
the chiefe Priest, and three on the other. Then all with their
rattles began a song, which ended, the chiefe Priest layd
downe five wheat cornes: then strayning his armes and hands
with such violence that he sweat, and his veynes swelled,
he began a short Oration: at the conclusion they all gave
a short groane; and then layd down three graines more. After
that, began their song againe, and then another Oration, ever
laying downe so many cornes as before, till they had twice
incirculed the fire; that done, they tooke a bunch of little
stickes prepared for that purpose, continuing still their
devotion, and at the end of every song and Oration, they layd
downe a sticke betwixt the divisions of Corne. Till night,
neither he nor they did either eate or drinke, and then they
feasted merrily, with the best provisions they could make.
Three dayes they used this Ceremony; the meaning whereof they
told him, was to know if he intended them well or no. The
circle of meale signified their Country, the circles of corne
the bounds of the Sea, and the stickes his Country. They imagined
the world to be flat and round, like a trencher, and they
in the middest.” (Smith 1986:149). |