He observed, that when their war-parties returned from an expedition, and had arrived near their village, they followed their file leader, in what is called Indian file, one by one, each a few yards behind the other, to give the procession an appearance of greater length and dignity.  If the expedition had been unsuccessful, and they had lost any of their warriors, they returned without ceremony and in noiseless sadness.  But if they had been successful, they fired their guns in platoons, yelling, whooping, and insulting their prisoners, if they had made any.  Near their town was a large square area, with a war-pole in the centre, expressly prepared for such purposes.  To this they fasten their prisoners.  They then advance to the house of their leader, remaining without, and standing round his red war-pole, until they determine concerning the fate of their prisoner.  If any prisoner should be fortunate enough to break from his pinions, and escape into the house of the chief medicine man, or conductor of the powow, it is an inviolable asylum, and by immemorial usage, the refugee is saved from the fire.

Captives far advanced in life, or such as had been known to have shed the blood of their tribe, were sure to atone for their decrepitude, or past activity in shedding blood, by being burnt to death.  They readily know those Indians who have killed many, by the blue marks on their breasts and arms, which indicate the number they have slain.  These hieroglyphics are to them as significant as our alphabetical characters.  The ink with which these characters are impressed, is a sort of lampblack, prepared from the soot of burning pine, which they catch by causing it to pass through a sort of greased funnel.  Having prepared this lampblack, they tattoo it into the skin, by punctures made with thorns or the teeth of fish.  The young prisoners, if they seem capable of activity and service, and if they preserve an intrepid and unmoved countenance, are generally spared, unless condemned to death by the party, while undergoing the purification specified above.  As soon as their case is so decided, they are tied to the stake, one at a time.  A pair of bear-skin moccasins, with the hair outwards, are put on their feet.  They are stripped naked to the loins, and are pinioned firmly to the stake.

Their subsequent punishment, in addition to the suffering of slow fire, is left to the women.  Such are the influences of their training, that although the female nature, in all races of men, is generally found to be more susceptible of pity than the male, in this case they appear to surpass the men in the fury of their merciless rage, and the industrious ingenuity of their torments.  Each is prepared with a bundle of long, dry, reed cane, or other poles, to which are attached splinters of burning pine.  As the victim is led to the stake, the women and children begin their sufferings by beating them with switches and clubs; and as they reel and recoil from the blows, these fiendish imps show their gratification by unremitting peals of laughter; too happy, if their tortures ended here, or if the merciful tomahawk brought them to an immediate close.