Elderly Women & down to Girls about 10 years
of age- these forming a Circle were Dancing (or
shuffling) round sideways with a slow & solemn
motion, & Heads uniformly reclining to the
sound of Musick performd by a Man in one
corner of the Room. this was done by beating
slowly on a Drum made by a Dried Deer or
some other Kind of Skin dressd a little in the
manner of Parchment & tightly strechd over
the Top of a Churn. or sometimes we were
told an Iron Pot- they said he bent with
two sticks & the sound of one of them put me
in mind of tinkling symbols, being, either hol
low & enclosing something of the trikling kind
or else havg some small bells attachd to
it. but it was so dark where he sat that I
could not see- this sound he accompa
nied with a vocal Time or perhaps a song,
but if the latter his articulation was very
indistinct - it however appeard to be in
stanza at the end of which the female
circle would cease their Dancing & walk
round with a quicker motion & some ap
pearance of Hilarity till after a circle or
two, another Stanza began. this Dance & music
continued for abt 2 Hours after we were there
& the Dancers would step out occasionally drip
ping with Perspiration (apparently to cool & get
air) & then return again- they were much in
then usual Dress except the Children several
of whom lookd clean & Dressed for the occasion
one in white Cloth- another Green a third
Blue &c.- and there had each a bunch of