.MTA0OA.Njk5MTU

                                                                                                                                                                                                         99

Indian style, decorated with a sort of plume formed of the under side of a deer'a tail, with the white hair on. ___ They swept the interior of the National Heptagon in every part. They removed the old ashes. They repaired the altar, renewing the earth upon its rounded top, and bringing it up to its due height, which was about a foot from the ground. The three white ottomans, and the upright wide planks backing them, as well as the other ottomans; ___ the bench by the altar, sustaining the seven dipping gourds; ___ and the sacred purifying caldrons, ___ were all newly whitened; ___ as, last of all, were the seven unknown and the seven joists which linked them together. For this particular occasion, the white ottomans were covered with dressed buck-skins, whitened with clay; ___ buckskins similarly prepared were spread before them on the ground; and seven raw deer skins brought in by the hunters, and draperied on poles, ___ hung over head as a canopy.

     All these arrangements were required to be completed before sunrise. The seven cleansers, or exorcisers, who expected them, took the new fire which had been lighted by the fire makers: They kindled it upon the altar: They placed the sacred caldron there.  They then walked round the fire four times, now and then exclaiming "you, you," (as u long) and then raising a whoop. From the bench they next took the seven white dipping gourds, and went to a stream of running (some say living) water, ___ filled their gourds, ___ returned, ___ walked once 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       round