Old Indian Days | Page 6

the great camp were
seen to be mov- ing in one direction. All wore their best attire and
finest ornaments, and even the parti-col- ored steeds were decorated to
the satisfaction of their beauty-loving riders.
"Ugh, Taluta is making a maidens' feast! She, the prettiest of all the
Unkpapa maid- ens!" exclaimed one of the young braves.

"She, the handsomest of all our young women!" repeated another.
Taluta was indeed a handsome maid in the height and bloom of
womanhood, with all that wonderful freshness and magnetism which
was developed and preserved by the life of the wil- derness. She had
already given five maidens' feasts, beginning with her fifteenth year,
and her shy and diffident purity was held sacred by her people.
The maidens' circle was now complete. Be- hind it the outer circle of
old women was equally picturesque and even more dignified. The
grandmother, not the mother, was regarded as the natural protector of
the young maiden, and the dowagers derived much honor from their
position, especially upon public occasions, tak- ing to themselves no
small amount of credit for the good reputations of their charges.
Weshawee, whose protege had many suitors and was a decided
coquette, fidgeted nervously and frequently adjusted her robe or
fingered her necklace to ease her mind, for she dreaded lest, in spite of
watchfulness, some mishap might have befallen her charge. Her anxiety
was apparently shared by several other chap- erons who stole
occasional suspicious glances in the direction of certain of the young
braves. It had been known to happen that a girl un- worthy to join in the
sacred feast was publicly disgraced.
A special police force was appointed to keep order on this occasion,
each member of which was gorgeously painted and bedecked with
eagle feathers, and carried in his hand a long switch with which to
threaten the encroaching throng. Their horses wore head-skins of fierce
animals to add to their awe-inspiring appear- ance.
The wild youths formed the outer circle of the gathering, attired like the
woods in au- tumn, their long locks glossy with oil and per- fumed with
scented grass and leaves. Many pulled their blankets over their heads as
if to avoid recognition, and loitered shyly at a dis- tance.
Among these last were Antelope and his cousin, Red Eagle. They stood
in the angle formed by the bodies of their steeds, whose noses were
together. The young hero was com- pletely enveloped in his handsome

robe with a rainbow of bead-work acros the middle, and his small
moccasined feet projected from be- neath the lower border. Red Eagle
held up an eagle-wing fan, partially concealing his face, and both gazed
intently toward the center of the maidens' circle.
"Woo! woo!" was the sonorous exclama- tion of the police, announcing
the beginning of the ceremonies. In the midst of the ring of girls stood
the traditional heart-shaped red stone, with its bristling hedge of arrows.
In this case there were five arrows, indicating that Taluta had already
made as many maidens' feasts. Each of the maidens must lay her hand
upon the stone in token of her purity and chas- tity, touching also as
many arrows as she her- self has attended maidens' feasts.
Taluta advanced first to the center. As she stood for a moment beside
the sacred stone, she appeared to the gazing bystanders the embodi-
ment of grace and modesty. Her gown, adorned with long fringes at the
seams, was beaded in blue and white across the shoulders and half way
to her waist. Her shining black hair was arranged in two thick plaits
which hung down upon her bosom. There was a native dignity in her
gestures and in her utterance of the maidens' oath, and as she turned to
face the circle, all the other virgins followed her.
When the feast was ended and the gay con- course had dispersed,
Antelope and his cousin were among the last to withdraw. The young
man's eyes had followed every movement of Taluta as long as she
remained in sight, and it was only when she vanished in the gathering
shadows that he was willing to retire.
In savage courtship, it was the custom to introduce one's self boldly to
the young lady, although sometimes it was convenient to have a sister
introduce her brother. But Antelope had no sister to perform this office
for him, and if he had had one, he would not have made the request. He
did not choose to admit any one to his secret, for he had no confidence
in himself or in the outcome of the affair. If it had been anything like
trailing the doe, or scouting the Ojibway, he would have ridiculed the
very notion of missing the object sought. But this was a