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is very certain to come to a close at an early hour; and even while it lasts there is a want of the usual animation and energy.

At dark, a keen, shrill, yelling or whooping is heard in all directions contiguous to the place of dancing, which indicates that the people are collecting; for as I have already mentioned, it is customary with the Cherokees to scream or whoop on approaching a house: they also frequently do so on receding from a place.

An hour, or sometimes two hours, after nightfall, the people have mostly located themselves in the house, and await in silence the signal for dancing. Presently a man steps forward voluntarily, or by solicitation, as a leader. He walks around the fire in the centre of the house, a time or two, and invites the others to join him. Sometimes a keg with a skin stretched over it, is struck a few times, as a signal. The leader now commences singing and stamping in quick time, and in this manner prances around the fire, followed by some others, who imitate his movements, and answer in a short chorus, which causes the vocal performance to resemble a boat-song: this is the