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T R A V
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THROUGH THE
INTERIOR PARTS
O F
NORTH-AMERICA,
1 N T H E
Years 1766, 1767, and 1768*
" Br J. C A R V E R, Esq.
CAPTAIN OF A COMPANY OF PROVINCIAL TROOPS DURING THE LATE WAR WITH FRANCE.
ILLUSTRATED WITH COPPER PLATES.
-s
D U B L 1 Nt
Printed for S. Price, R. Cross, W. Watson, W. and tt.
Whitestone, J. Potts, J. Williams, W. Colles,
W. Wilson, R, Moncrjeffe, C. Jenkin, G.
Burnet, T. Walker, W. GiLnERT, L. L.
Flin, J.Exshaw, L. Wiiite, J. Beattt,
and B. Watson.
JVtOCCLXXIX. \
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JOSEPH BANKS, Efq- F.R.S-
SIR,
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WHEN the Public are formed that I have long had the Honour of your Acquaintance
that my Degfin in pubhfliing the
following Work has received your
Sanftlon that the Compofition of
it has flood the Teft of your Judg- ment— and that it is by your Per- miflion a Name fo defervedly emi- nent in the Literary World is prefix- ed to it, I need not be apprehenfive of its Succefs; as your Patronage will unqueftionably give them Afliirance of its Merit.
For
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DEDICATION.
For this public Teftimony of your Favour, in which i pride myfelf, ac- cept, Sir, my moft grateful Acknow- ledgments; and believe me to be, with great Refpedt, • * \
a
Your obedient
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"IS
humble Servant,
'J i f\
L.0NDOK,
June 20, 1778.
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ne Author fits out frojn Bojion on his
'" Trave/si — — -i— i c
Defcrtption of Fort MichillimackiricfCt " / 1 6
' Fort La bayi\ i^^ 19
— ' ' the Green Bayt -^— * 23
'' '- — Lake Michigan t — ^ 25
Arrives at the Town of the Winnehagofs,
^Ixcurfion of the tVinnebago^s toWarJs t£e
, Spantfh Settlements, -^ . 3,1
t)efcription of the Winnebago Lake, — - 33
ihfiance of Refolution of an LidiarilVoman^ 37
befcription of the Fox River ^ ' \-^*'^ 3?
Remarkable Story of a Rattle Snake ^ 39
The great Town of the Saukies, — - 42
Upper Town of the Ottagaumies, - — ,44
Defcription of the Ouifconfin River,, ib.
Lower Town of the Ottigaumies, gr La
\ \ Prairie Le Chien, ■ . 46
. ^n Attack by fome Indian F kinder ers, 47
b Defcription
CONTENTS.
if
Defcription of the MiJJiJippi from the Mouth of the Ouifconjin to Lake Pepin, - 50
' '. Lake Pepin ^ - 51
Remarkable Ruins of an ancient Fortifica- tion^ — — — 52
I'be River bands of the Naadowefjie Indians,
Adventure with a Party of tbefe^ and fome "^ of the Chipkvays, — ouj\c; SS
Defcription of a remarkable Cave, -^ 59 Uncommon Behaviour of the Prince of the ^ Winnebagoes at the Falls of St. Anthony,
"Defcription of the Falls, ^ — 64
Extent of the Author s Travels, — 66 Defcription of the River St, Pierre, — 69 Sources of the Four great Rivers of North
America, — r — 7^
Reflexions on their Afinity, — ,,,,x 71 The Naudowejpes of the Plains, with whom
the Author wintered in the Tear 1766,
The Author returns to the Mouth of the
River St. Pierre, — — 79
Account of a violent Thunder -form, ib.
Speech made by the Author in a Council held
Att> -.'\^-.^.. ........ . %X
♦•;
^'^ix^wuiQ
1 d
CONTENTS.
held by the NaudotveJ/ies at the great
. Cave, — -^ ' — . 8i
Adventure with a Party of Indians near
Lake Pepin, — — 89
Defcription of the Country adjacent to the
River St, Pierre, — * -^ 93
Account, of different Clays found near the
^''^"^ Marble River, — — . 95
» Defcription of the Chipeway River, 96
V Extraordinary Effects of a Hurricane, 97
^ I'he Author arrives at the Grand Portage
on the North-weji Borders of Lake Su^
perior, — — 100
■ Account of the Lakes lying farther to the
* North-weji: Lake Bourbon, Lake Win^
^^ nepeek, Lake Du Bois, Lake La Pluye^
*" Ued Lake, ^c. — — loi
^ Account of a Nation of Indians fuppofed to
have been tributary to the Mexican Kings,
■III
id
WV<^;\,,ii'?l*-Sr ' V«-*^'V -.'ic-^ciiv-V*. Vz^--
Af\'
'the Jhining Mountains, ^ 113 Afmgular Predidlion of the Chief Prieft of the Killiflinoes verified, -''^^ '~'ii6
^ Dfcription of Lake Superior, — 124 ' Stofy of the two Chipeway s landing on the ^ IJland of Mauropas, 'wr^y^ iiy
' Account of great ^amities of Copper Ore,
^.,..^-v, ' 131
b 2 Defcription
• ii'i. »it
i
■
i
1^
I
CONTEN^TSl
Defeription of the Falls of St, Marie,- ^'^134
J -...^Luke Huroriy — -^^^^ 1 36
■"' ' ' ' ' Saganaum and 'Thunder Bays,
Extraordinary Pbanomenon in the Straights ■ of MichillimackinaCy 138
'Defeription of' Lake St. Claire, -— 142 * " * '^fhe River, Town, and Fort of
Detroit^
'-.' >« > .4^ »H
Kemarkabie Rain at Detroit, -^— " ' 1 44 "Attack of Fort Detroit by Fontiae, 146
Defcriptim of Lake Erie y — ^ ^* 157
: — the River and Falls of Niagara,
— Lake Ontana, — r .' 16 1
— /he 0?iiada Lake, Lake Qham-
1^
^lain, and Lake George,
».f "^'^ v>-^
162
-^f:
Account of a Tra5i of Land granted to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, and Captain John Mafon, — ,f Vf. -«— 164
The Author s Motives for undertaking his Travels, — - , — :\ 167
"^'t - CHAP. L
The Origin of the Indians, — 171
'Sentiments of various Writers otk this Point,
■*^^ • '..'- . ■ • ■ . ' ■• ■ 172
"■ ■■ ' ■ Monfenr Charlevoix, — 182
i\^\<nv,>Cl 2: d Scntimeiits
•5
CONTENTS.
Sentiments oj James Adair, Efq-, — r 191
-*— ■ '. the Author of this JVork^ 1 97
Corroboration of the Latter by DoBor Ro- u binfon, --— \^ ^f»4ti^-^^\J 205
~!'i.
CHAP. IL
•^;i\Vi-.v^-,'
«?
w /»
Of the Perjbns, Drefs, &c. of the Indians, 207 jiu Account of thofe who have written on
AjhuSuhjeSl, — — Av.Vi.,;^^^
jDefcription of the Perfons of the Indians, 2 n
cT-: -■ -i^Jeir Drefs, ; ;— .a 213
■ — the Drefs of the Chipeways,
with a Plate, ..'--. — 217
' the Drefs of the Naudowejpes,
r.y with Ditto, . -^ A.v.iiis^-\VJc'w^ 218
. Hhe Manner in which th^ build their 'Tents
' and Huts, -T^.A.i'ilp— i-^w v:—- ' 21Q
Their domejlic XItenJi(s^\' \iiL\ isi>»^ 221
^ L L ' . t . _
'}\k»J
•, » M ^ a J.
-^t 1
C HA P. III.
Cff the Manners, Salifications, tic, of the
^.Indians, , — ,— 223
Peculiar Cuftoms of tbfi Women, — 224
The circumfpe6i and fioical Difpoj4i{ f of the
Men, — — -» 225
xft Their
CONTENTS.
Their amazing Sagacity, ' — 22^9
Remarkable Story of one of the Naudowejie
- Women, — - — 235
The Liberality of the Indians, and their
Opinion refpe5ling Money, — 234
% : "
C H A P. IV. / ,, ^
Their Method of reckoning Time, &c. "^ 2X7 The Names by which they dijiinguijh the ^ Months, — ^ ib.
Their Idea of the Ufe of Figures, •^'" '235
CHAP. V. I ii u.U.r
Of their Government, &c. ^-^ *r*». \v. .242
Their Divifim into Tribes, ? \. .-rr. . . ib.
The Chiefs of their Bands, • ,-^.il \v 243
:Xhe Members that comfofe their Councils, 245
Ors:
.CHAP. VI.
..Ivf
>j:^if*>^«a— — W
. Qf their, Feafs, „ -, i^...-- ,,•..,.. -^^ 'ji^:. 2^48
. Their ufual Food, -^- -^ ^ .^.u-ii:. ,249
7fe> Manner of dreeing and eating .their
^,,yi^Uals,:,.,.j^ , ^ ' _ .^ _. 2CO
CHAP.
!;
CONTENTS.
I :^,>
^ .'.ts^
C H A P. VIL
Of their Dancest — -— "^ ^S^
^he Manner in which they dance t 252
ne Pipe or Calumate Dance ^ — 253 T!be War Dance ^ — — 254.
l^he Pawwaw Dance, — 256
A^ uncommon Admijion into a Society ^ among
the Naudoweffiesi — '257
^he Dance of the Indians on the Banks of
the MiJ/iJippif referred to in the Journal, ..-.^ ,^ 263
ne Dance of the Sacrifice, — z6y.
m^
\
^ \\\ VT'
C H A P. VIII.
Of their Hunting, ' — — ^ Their Preparation before theyfet out, < Their Manner of hunting the Bear,
ti^^.
%W*I
267 269 270
- Buffalo, Deer,
— Beaver,, 273
>^^'
CHAP.
'I A Hi
p Q r? T E K T S.
.C H.A p. IX.
Of4heir Mxtnner of -making Wary Cjc\ ^yy ^hi Indian W6apoHs\ \iitb a PJcite^ • -^ 1279 fpbiir Motives for makiti^ Waf, — • ^280 J^reparathms beforr^hey take the Fi^ld, 284 3^ Manner-in which they folicit otheh^Na-' \ytions f^ b^mn » their- Aumliariesi^ '-^^'j' '■ 28^ ^h^ir Manner of declaring W^rf^ '*'^- ^-^ 8 9 U'^hdtr Method of engaging their Erremfei} 2:^2 ]^n Inji^rtce of the Efficacy of< it in tf/e Defeat ; of General Braddocky ' — ' 293 A Detail of the Maffacre at Fori- William
- Henry in the Tear ij^'j, -r-? 295
Acuienefs and Alacrity of the Indians in pur-
' fuing their Enemies ^ — 308
T^heir manner offcalping^ ^M " -.^^ '3^9
'Tke Manner in which they retreat and carry
0^' their FrifonerSf . ,v> J,;a •'^-^-w'' ,;< . .v>p • 3 ^ ^
-■^ remarkable Inflance ofHe.rqiJk iua. Emak
Frifaner^ — 1 — ."312
treatment of their Frifgneri,^ _rT..._ 315
the Origin of their fellifig Slaves, 325
,1 /. n n
CHAP.
C O M T E N T S.
y 'T
• (i H A P: X.
* • T •
f *^ . * '
Off/jeir Manner of making' Peace, &c, 329 jiccGunt of an- Bingage^tjk between the ^ c Iroquois and the Ottagaumiss and Saukies, oc\ «• ,- V; . < - 330
Manner in which they.condu^.a Treaty of
^. Peace, , . — \. '^h'vF^'^-H.'"^^^^ -33^ Defcription of the Pipe of Peace, jb.
> Belts of Wampum ^^^ —
^0:^ ^.C H A.P.. X^../ l-tl^^V^vP
Of their Games, — ^ — .-" ,,, * j^^^ T!he Game of the Ball,^ ., -— . . ?ij —the Bowl or Plai'fer, * -.
34^
4 "■'
V*A >.
-\:;J, -uv^A Q n A p. Xfl.
^ iheir M^arrkge Qermmip^ ' -r- ./j^.^
!r^^ Manner in which t^jeTriks near Qanada
celebrate their Marriages, — 346
The Form of Marriage among the Naudowejics,
• ■ " 349
'J'heir Manner of carrying on an Intrigue, 352
Of the Indian Names, """^'^ * — 354-
^^' ' CHAP,
;. 1
C O' N: T E NTS.
CHAP. XIII.
Of their Reiigicin, • ■ . -r- 1 . „ , — 356
T^eir Ideas of a Supreme Being, 357
' ■ ajul^re State, — 359
Of their Priefis, — — 360 The Sentiments of ^0/ hers on the religious
Principles of the Indians oppofedf ' 362
\ <. -^
CHAP. XIV.
Of their Difeafes^, fifr, -' *" < — 3^5
The Complaints to which they are chiefly Jub-
7te Manner in which they xonflru^ their
Sweating Stoves , — — 366
The Methods in which they treat their Dif"
eafeSf — — , "*" 3^^
j^ extraordinary In/lance of the judgment of • an Indian Woman in a deJperaieCafe, 371
Tte Manner tn *which they treat their Dead^
2. 1: ^ K a e ^ ^s^^-
o-r^-
C H A P. XV.
,1
***—
CONTENTS.
A Specimen of Heir Funeral 'Harangues , 374 T^heir Metfo^id. of burying {be -P^ad, ;,^\ 376 ji^ngular Ir^ance of parental AffeBian in H .;\J^imdoweff^^s}f^oMan, ^-uj T~j .• 3Z?
^.C H A P,.„XVI. .,., ' ,.K^.\
A concife Chara^er of the Indians, ^''^A'jV ;^^^ ^beir perfonal and mental i^ualijicdthnsi 383 1! heir public ChardtTeir as Members of a Com-'
. ► ■ . •••■- ~ < A\' .>.\U #»i.
muntty, — — 305
^^>, - c Kk^r^W''^'^''-^
Of their Language, TlierogJyphickf, &c^ 387 Of the Chipeway U^onguer-^- t^i-^v:^'^ 3^ Psfcriptive- Speciftten of their Hie^Qgfyphicks^
.tjrX -- is-i'"'^'^ • " ;*iA- 39®
Vocabulary of the Chipeway Language, 393
— — ^^^ N<^udoweffie luangu/tge, 40 j
^^^ ■■'CH A P. xviir.^^^'^^'^ "^
"t
•^ ,^
^-■V'^'A
Of the Beaftsy Birds, Fijhes'r^l^eptiks, and ?'::InfeBs^ which are fouid h' tht Jp^^ q ;, Parts of North America, '-u r -ȴ.^ c ' . 4 it
''^'' V BEASTS,
•t I. '.^
4'5
Tie
4'7 *5.
.CONTENTS.
^L-^f .\v.«. "K.-.".t J! JS ^. <$ T S.y^.v\wci^i,\^ Tie Tyger. the Bear, ^ ' " ^^^
ntWolf. The Fox, —
ii^s. The Cat of the Mountain
Buffalo. —
The Deer, •»'''•■_
.420
424 ^426
4«7 433
iTi^^ Carrabou. The Carcajou^ the Skunk, — _ '_
W^ Porcupine, — — .'
7'he Woodchuck* T!he Racoon, ^be Martin. The Mujquajh, —
lS^t4irreb,''ivJ. ^^ .«. ./I v:
?*/&<? Beaver, — — . ««
Ti^^ M//y^,
t'i'^tt^ifo
"" "" — ... 434
xi»«i
BIRDS.
"t&e Eagle. The Night Hawk, _ - ™^ The Fijh Hawk, '^ — 4^^
TheWhipperwill^ . . — Jb,
^f O-raiS. 51$^ Chi/?^ '. '/: . r-.^ -;• 437
^Jk Loon^ The Pdrtrtdget ■ -,--• 439
«^
CONTENTS.
^be Woodpecker, The Blue Jay, 440
ne Wakon Bird. T!he Blackbird^ 441
The Redbird.,: . ^ — — 44*
The Whetjaw. The King Bird. The
Humming Birdy — — 443
^•M" • FISHES, :^'J^^'>^il'
The Sturgeon, — ' — **^^ 44^1.
The Cat Fi/b. The Carp, The Chtd, 44^
A
\i>:^ -^
S E Jl P E NT S. The Rattle Snake, — — 446
THe Long Black Snake. The Striped or Gar* • ter Snake. The Water Snake, ^ « 453 The Hijjing Snake. The Green Snake. The Thorn-tail Snake. The Speckled Snake. ^ The Ring Snake, — 4t;4
The Two- headed Snake > The Tortoifi or Lana \^ Turtle^ — — 455
c LIZARD S. , -^
The Swift Lizard, The Slow Lizard, 456 The Three Toad, — — 4^7
7' I N s E c r >$"..> _
3j5^ Lightning Bug or Fire Fly, — 45$ The Water Bug. The Horned' Bug, 460 The Locuflp — — Aj^i
■'T
CHAP.
-C Q N T. n N: X; 9^
O/'^/jc Trees, Shrubs, Roots, Herh\ F/oii'srs,
The Oak,
46
W^ P/«^ Tree. The Maple, ^,, — ^ ^ 463
The Ajh, -_ . .s ---^.^ ;; ;:^ 464
The Hemlock Tree, .^ 46 c
Sn^^ 5^ or White Wood, The Wickotick or Suckivick, The Button Wood, ^ 46(5
NUT TR E ES. ^^ " The Butter or Oil Nut, — . -^ ^^ 467
The Beech Nuf. The Pecan Nut, . .^■^^„\-^i^6S The Hickory, . : 469
F R U IT T R B E S.
The Crab Apple Tree. The^ Plumb tree,\6() The Cherry Tree, — "^ si- 470
^^ ■■> « -r, -r^ -rr -,> ' 'r^' ^-^^^ "^'ii ^^^^ ■^* ^^
U IJ
SHRUB S.,
... . . ., ■ , '
TheWilloWy / — / ~- *^^^ 471 31&^ Shin Wood. The Sa/lafrasi . An 2.
%he Prickly AJh. The Moofe Wood. The
Spoon Wood. ' An/y
Sra^ Alder, i. ^ 474
The
luiijiiiimmwiiii
CONTENTS.
ne Shrub Oak, — 474
The Witch Haz^eV Thi' l!^yrke[' ^js
Winter Green^ The Fever Bujb^ ^^.^ 476 The Cranberry Bujb. TheChoakBerr^^^yj
.^QK ; R OOTS and PL.ANTS. vX?
Spikenard. ISdrjafarilla, . "— 47°
Gtnjang, '^ — ^ — ^y^
Gold Thread. Solomon* s Seal DeyiFs
Bit, ^' — Blood Root, —
-^•'4^
481
' • • . •!►• ..1 ■
^..^:^'M ^ ^ "^ *•'
..Tl
Sanicle, Rattle Snake Plantain, — 482 Poor Robin's Plantain, Toad Plantain. ;, i?0£:^ Liverwort. Gar git or Skoke, 483 Skunk Cabbage or Poke. Wake Robin, 484
Wild Indico. Cat Mint, —
485
FLOWERS, ,. , 486
FARIB ACEOUS and LEGU- MINOUS ROOTS, &c.t'SY
Maize or Indian Corn. Wild Rice, " ' 4S7 Beans, — •— 490
The Squajh, — _ ^ '491
APPEN-
i
C O N T B N! T> a
•^;i'
' .-.V ', r •, T'-«
AP.P E N D I X.
?Xe Probability of the mtenof Parts of North
• JImericdbtcomwgcominerctaWolomef, 493
jT^e meawj ^^ wbiSi^is mighi be^ijff^^led^ 495
Trails of Land pointed out, on which Colonies
jnay be ejlablijhed with the greatefi 4d^
. : vantage, ^ ., . • -:. ,., ., .-^ v , 49;^
D^ertation on the Difco^iery of a ^rth-
vjejl Paffage^ ~ — ., ; ^o^
2l&i? mq^ certain Way of attaining ity 505
Plan propofed by Richatd trhitworth, Efq^
' for making an .4ttempi: fftm a garter
^^x hitherto unexplored^ — — . S^
5% Reafofi of iti being pojiponeit ^rr. J^oy
*-Xr
V ■, \ v..
<>x<^'
i^>
'. ^ A /\
iNtRQ-
■ I 1,1 .millBllHHiUUPJJ
*
INTRODUCTIO
■5 •
NO fooner was the late War with France concluded, and Peace efta- blifhcd by the Treaty of VerfailJes in the Year 1763, than I began to confider (hav- ing rendered my country fome fervices dur- ing the war) how I might continue ftill fer- viceable, and contribute, as much as lay in my power, to make that vaft acquifition of territory, gained by Great Britain, in North America advantageous to it. It ap- peared to me indifpenfably needful, that Go- vernment Ihould be acquainted in the firft place with the true flate of the dominions they were now become poffelTed of. To this purpofe, I determined, as ♦he next proof of my zeal, to explore the moft unknown parts of them, and to fpare no trouble or expence in acquiring a knowledge that promifed to be fo ufeful to my countrymen. I knew that many obflrudions would arife to my fcheme
B . frpm
r I
1^
t
i I
- [ ii J
from the want of new Maps and Charts ; for the French, whilft they retained their power in North America, had taken every art-^ ful method to keep all other nations, particu- larly the Englifh, in ignorance of the con». cerns of the interior parts of it : and to ac- complifh this defign with the greater certain-^ ty, they had publifhed inaccurate maps and falfc accounts -, calling the different nations of the Indians, by nicknames they had given them, and not by thofc really appertaining to them. Whether the intention of the French in doing this, was to prevent thefe nations from being difcovered and traded with, or to conceal their difcourfe, when they talked to each other of the Indian concerns, in theit prefence, I will not determine ; but whatfo- ever was the caufe from which it arofe, it tended to miflead, i
As a proof that the Englifh had been greatly deceived by thefe accounts, and that their knowledge relative to Canada had ufu- ally been very confined, before the conqucft of Crown-point in 1759, it had been e- ftceimed an impregnable fortrefs : but no fooner was it taken, than we were convinc- ed that it had acquired its greateft fecurity
from
vTI
[ iii ]
'yt'^t' nir>''\.
from felfe reports, given out by its poITef- fors, and might have been battered down with a few four pounders. Even its fitua- tion, which was reprefented to be fo very advantageous, was found to owe its advan- tages to the fame fource. It cannot be de- nied but that fome maps of thefe countries have been publifhed by the French with an appearance of accuracy ; but thefe are of fo fmall a fizc and drawn on fo minute a fcale, . that they are nearly inexplicable. The four- ccftof the MilTiffippi, I can aifert from my own experience, are greatly mifplaced; for when I had explored them, and compared their iituation with the French Charts, I found them very erroneoufly reprefented, and am fatisfied that thefe were only copied from the rude iketches of the Indians. Of Even fo lately as their evacuation of Ca- nada they continued their fchemes to de- ceive; leaving no traces by which any know- ledge might accrue to their conquerors : foi^ though they were well acquainted with all the I>akes, particttlarly with Lake Superior,' hav- ing conftantly a veffel of confiderable biir- then thereon, yet their plans of them ar^ very incorrcv'Lt. I difcovered many errors in
B 2 the
ll
[ iv ]
the defer! ption given therein of its lll^nds and Bays, during a progrefs of eleven hun- dred miles that I coafted it in canoes. They likewife, on giving up the pofTeflion of them, took care to leave the places they had occupied in^e fame uncultivated ftate they had found them ; at the fame time dc- flroying all their naval force. I obferved myfelf part of the hulk of a very large vef- fel burnt to the water's edge, jufl at the opening from the Straits of St. Marie's into the Lake. v;jii4 „^44,
^/ Thefe difficulties, however, were not fufr ficient to deter me from the undertaking, and I made preparations for fetting out. What I chiefly had in view, after gaining a knowledge of the Manners, Cuftoms, Lan- guages, Soil, and natural Produdions of the different nations that inhabit thfe back of the Mifliirippi, was to afoertain the Breadth of that vail continent, which extends fron^ 'ihe Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, in its broidefi: part between 43 and 46 Degrees Northern Latitude. Had I been able Jta ac- compliflithis, I intended to have propofedto Oovernrfieftt to eft-abhfh a Poft . i^i fon^e x)f thofe parts about the Straits of Annian^
which
a
u
■ [ V ]
v?hich having been firft difcovered by Sir Francis Drake, of courfe Ix'long to the Eng- lifh. This I am convinced would greatly fa- cilitate the difcovery of a North- Well Paf- fage, or a communication between Hudfon'a Bay and the Pacific Ocean. An event fo de- firaWe, and which has been fo often fought for, but without fuccefs. Befides this im- portant end, a fettlement on that extremity of America would anfwer many good pur- pofes, and repay every expence the eftablifh- ment of it might occafion. For it would not only difclofe new fources of trade, and promote many ufeful difcoveries, but would open a paiTage for conveying intelligence to China, and the Englifti fettlemenls in the Eaft Indies, with greater expedition than a tedious voyage by the Cape of Good Hope, or the Straits of Magellan will allow of
How far the advantages arifing from fueh ^n enterprize may extend, can only be af- certained by the favourable concurrence of future events. But that the completion of the fcheme, I have had the honour of finft planning and attempting, will fome time ot other be effeded, I make no doubt. From the unhappy divifions that at prefent fubfift
i.,ii,.
,i,i.
:.!j
B 3
'Out. .:i'
between
I
. 1
. [ vi ]
between Great Britain and America, it will probably be fome years before the attempt is repeated; but whenever it is, and the exe- cution of it carried on with propriety, thofe who arc fo fortunate as to fucceed, will reap, cxclulive of the national advantages that muft enfue, emoluments beyond their moft fanguine expedlations. And whilft their fpi- rits are elated by their fuccefs, perhaps they may beftow fome commendations and blef- lings on the perfon that firft pointed out to, them the way. Thefe, though but a fha- dowy recompence for all my toil, I fhall re- ceive with pleafure.
To what power or authority tbis new world will become dependent, after it has arifen from its prefent uncultivated Hate, time alone can difcover. But as the feat of Empire, from time immemorial has been gra- dually progrelfive towards the Weft, there is no doubt but that at fome future period, mighty kingdoms will emerge from thefe wil- derneifes, and ftately palaces and folemn temples, with gilded fpires reaching the {kies, fupplant the Indian huts, vdiofe only decorations are the barbarous trophies of their vanquvilied enemies. .. ...
' ■/ :. ■ As
mmm
" f vli ]
As fome of the preceding paUages have already informed the Reader that the plan I had laid down for penetrating to the Pacific Ocean, proved abortive, it is neceflary to add, that this proceeded not from its im- pradicability {for the farther I went the more Convinced I was that it could certainly be ac- compliflied) but from Unforefeen difappoint- ments. However, 1 proceeded fo far, that I was able to make fuch difcoveries as will be ufeful in any future attempt, and prove a good foundation for fome more fortunate SuccefTor to build upon. Thefe I fhall now lay before the Public in the following pages; and am fatisfied that the greateft part of them have never been publifhed by any per- fon tnat has hitherto treated of the interior Nations of the Indians j particularly, the account I give of the Naudowefies, and the fituation of the Heads of the fout great ri- vers that take their rife within a few leagues of each other, nearly about the center of tliii great continent ; viz. The River Bour- bort, which empties itfelf into Hudfoii's Bay J the.Waters of St. Lawrence j the Mif- fidippi, and the River Oregon, or the River
B4 of
•,l
L>,!
1^
[ viii ]
of the Well, that falls into the Pacific Ocean at the ftraits of Annian.
The impediments that occ^fioned my re- turning, before I had accomplifhed my pur-^ pofes, were thefe. On my arrival at Mi- chillimackinac, the remoteft Enghfh poft, in September 1766, I applied to Mr. Rogers, who was then governor of it, to furnllh me yvith a proper affortment of goods, as pre- fents for the Indians, who inhabit the track I intended to purfue. He did this only in part ; but promifed to fupply me with fuch as were necelTary, when I reached the Falls of Saint A nthon y. I afterwards learned, that the governor fulfilled his promife in ordering the goods to be delivered to me; but thofe to whofe care he intruded them, inftead of conforming to his orders, difpofed of them clfe where.
Difappointed in my expedations from this quarter, I thought it necefl^ry to return to La Praiic Le Chien ; for it was impoffible to proceed any further without prefents to en- furemea favourable reception. This I did in the, beginning of the year 1767, and find- ing my progrefs to the Weftward thus retard- ed, I determined to di^edi my courfe North-
ward.
ik
..kU,
wwww-fT-ssrsBra
ward. I took this flep with a view of find- ing a communication from the Heads, of the Mifliffippi into Lake Superior, in order ta meet, at the grand Portage on the North-> weft fide of that lake, the traders that ufually <;ome, about this feafon, from Michillimac-. kinac. Of thcfe I intended to purchafe goods^ and then to purfue my journey from that quarter by way of the lakes Le Fluye, Dur bois, and Ouinipique to the Heads of the ri^ yer of the Weft, which, as I have faid be* fore, falls into the ftraits of Annian, the ter^r min^tion of my intended progrefs,
I accomplifhed the former part of my de- fign, and reached Lake Superior in proper time 5 but unluckily the traders I met there acquainted roe, that they had no goods to fpare ; thofe they had with them being bare-i ly fufficient to anfwer their own demands ia thefe remote parts. Thus difappointed a fe- cond time, 1 found niyfelf obliged to return to the place from whence I began my expedin tion,. which I did after continuing fomo months on the North and Eaft borders of Lake Superior, and exploring the Bays an4 Rivers that empty themfelvcs into this large body of water. >
: ...^ . • " As
i.
if
to
As it may be expeded that 1 fhduld lay before the Public the reafons that thefe difco- Veries, of fo much importance to every one that has any connedions with America, have not been imparted to them before, notwith- flanding they were made Upwards of ten years ago, I will give them to the w^orld in a plain and Candid manner, and without ming- ' liiig with them arty complaints on account of the ilUtreatment I have received*
On my arrival in England, I prelented a" petition to his Majefty in coTincil, praying for a reimburfement of thofe fums I had ejt-' pendcd in the fervice of government. This' w^B referred to the Lords CommiHioners of Trade and Plantations. Their Lordfhips' from the tenof of it thought the intelligence' I could give of fo much importance to the/^ nation that they ordered me to appear before '^ the Board. This mcffage I obeyed, and tinder- went a long examination j much I believe iS thd fatisfaaion of every Lord prefent. When '. It \^ds feiifhed, I rcquefted ''to know what I' ; ^ flioiiicf do with my papers; without hefitati^; on tHe firft Lord replied, that I might publifll thenfwh^never I pleafed. In confequcnce of this permiflion, I difpofed of them to a book- '
^iW'^Kk
feller:
[ xi ]
feller: but when they were nearly ready for the prefs, an order was iffued from tlie coun- cil board, requiring me to deliver, without delay, into the Plantation Office all my charts, and journals, with every paper rela- tive to the difcoveries I had made. In order to obey this command, I was obliged to re- purchafe them from the bookfeller, at a very great expence, and deliver them up* This frefh difburfement I endeavoured to get an- nexed to the account I had already delivered but the requeft was denied me, notwith-
m
(landing I had only aded, in the difpofal of my papers, conformably to the permiflion I had received from the Board of Trade. This lofs, which amounted to a very conliderable fum, I was obliged to bear, and to reft fatis- fied with an indemnification for my other ex- pences.
Thus fituated, my only expedations are from the favour of a generous Public; to whom I fhall now communicate my pkns, journals, and obfervations, of which I lucki- ly kept copies, when I delivered the origi- , nals into the Plantation Office. And. this l" do the more readily, as I hear they are-mifi-:* Iai<}| and there is no probability pf their cvfjr.. ' . being
T
■1
hi"
t xii ]
being publiflied. To thofe who are intereft- cd in the concerns of the interior parts of North America, from ine contiguity of their pofTeflions, or commercial engagements, they "will be extremely ufeful, and fully repay the fym at which they are purchafed. To thofe, who, from a laudable curiofity, wifh to be acquainted with the manners and cuiloms of every inhabitant of this globe, the accounts here given of the various nations that inhabit fo vaft a track of it, a country hitherto al- moft unexplored, will furnifh an ample fund of amufement, and gratify their moft curious Qxpe(ftaition9. And I flatter myfelf they will be as favourably received by the Public, a^ defcriptions of iflaiads, whi^h afford no other entertainment than what arifcs from their novelty j and difcoveries, th^t feem to pro- mife very few advantages to this country, though acquired at an immenft expcnce. c; To make the fpllowing Work as comprc- henfible and entertaining as poflible, I fhall firftgive my Readers an account of the routa I purfued over this immeufc continent Ctbrough which they will be ab^ to attend ihe "by referring to the plan prefixed) and as I pafs on, defcribe the number of Inhabitants,
the
[
Xlll
]
the fifuation. of the Rivers and Lakes, and the produdions of the country. Having done this, I (hall treat, in diftindl Chapters, of the Manners, Cuftoms, and Languages of the Indians, and to complete the whole, add a Vocabulary of the Words moflly in ufe a- jmong them.
And here it is neceflary to befpeak the candour of the learned part of my Readers in the perufal of it, as it is the production of a perfon unufed, from oppofite avocations, to literary purfuits. He therefore begs they would not examine it with too critical an eye ; efpecially when he aflures them that his at- tention has been more employed on giving a juft defcription of a country that promifes, in fome future period, to be an inexhauftible fource of riches to that people who (hall be fo fortunate as to poiTefs it, than on the ftilc or compofition j and more careful to render his lansuage intelligible and explicit, than
■v.» i)f.'J i
fmooth and florid.
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• ■ •
JOURNAL OF THE TRAVELS,
W I T H A
DESCRIPTION
O F T H E
COUNTRY, LAKES, &c.
IN June 1766, I fet out from Bofton, and proceeded by way of Albany and Niagara, to Michillimackinac ; a Fort fituated between the Lakes Huron and Michigan, and diftant from Bofton 1 300 miles. This being the ut- termoft of our fadories towards the north- weft, 1 confidered it as the moft convenient place from whence I could begin my intend- ed progrefs, and enter at once into the Re- gion., I (lefigned to explore.
Referring my Readers to the publications already extant for an Account of thofe Parts of North America, that, from lying adjacent to the Back-Settlements, have been frequcHt-
ly
' ■ )
( i6 )
ly defcribed, I fhall confine myfelf to a Dc- fcript'on of the more interior parts of it, which having been but feldom vifited, arc confequcntly but little knovrn. In doing this, I fhall in no inftance exceed the bounds of truth, or hav6 recourfe to thofe ufelefs and extravagant exaggerations too often made ufe bf by travellers, to excite the cu~ riofity of the public, or to increafe their own importance. Nor fhall I infert any obferva- tions, but fuch as I have made myfelf, or, from the credibility of thofe by whom the\ were related, am enabled to vouch for their authenticity. |
Michillimackinac, from whence I began my travels, is a For^ cottipofed of a llrong itockade, and is ufually defended by a gar- rifon of one hundred men. It contains a- bout thirty houfcs, one of which belcags to the governor, and another to the commiffary. Several traders alfo dwell within its fortifi- cations, who find it a convenient fituation to traffic with the neighbouring nations. Mi- chillimackinac, in the language of the Chi- peway Indians, fignifies a Tortoife ; and the place is fuppofed to receive its name from arilfland, lyi g abotrt fix or feven miles to
the
> a Dc-
of it, ed, arc I doing bounds ufelefs
> often he cu- sir own ►bferva- felf, or, m the^y
Dr their
'. ^
began ftrong ^ gar- :^iM a- cags to niffary. fortif!- ition to Mi- le Chi- and the e from liles to the
.^'?
( 17 )
the north-eaft, within light Qf the Fort, whiq^i has the appearance of that animal.
During the Indian war that followed foo^ after the Conqueft of Canada in the year ^7^3* &nd which was carried on by an ariny of confederate i^ations compofed of the Hurons, Miamies, Chipeways, Qttoways, Pontowattimies, Mifliflauges, and fome ei- ther tribes, under the dire<f^ion cf Pontiac, a celebrated Indian warrior, who had always been in the French intereft, it was taken by furprize in the following manner. The In- dians having fettled their plan, drew near the Fort and began a game at Bail, a paflime much ufed among them, and not unlii^e ten- nis. In the height of their game, at which fome of the Englifh officers, not fufpeding any deceit, Hood looking on, they ftruck the ball, as if by accident, over the ftockadej this they repeated two or three times, to make the deception more complete, till at length, having by this means lulled every fufpicion of the centry at the fouth gate, a paiL^ rufhed by himj and the reft foon fol- lowing, they took pofleffion of the Fort, without meeting with any oppofition. Hav- ing accomplilhed their defig-n. the Indians
ing
'g'
had
1 I
( i8 )
had the humanity to fpare the lives of the greateft part of the garrifon and traders, but they made them all prifoners, and carried them off. However fome time after they took them to Montreal, where they were re- deemed at a good price. The Fort alfo was given up again to the Englifh at the peace made with Pontine by the commander of Detroit the year following. . ji/tiJ viito i
Having here made the neceflary difpofi- tions foi uing my travels, and obtained
a credit from Mr. Rogers, the governor, on fome Englifh and Canadian traders who were going to trade on the MiflilTippi, and receiv- ed alfo from him a promife of a frefh fupply of goods when I reached the Falls of Saint Anthony, I left the Fort on the 3d of Sep- tember, in company with thefe traders. It was agreed, that they fhould furnifli me with fuch goods as I might want, for prefents to the Indian chiefs, during my continuance with them, agreeable to the governor's or- / der. But when I arrived at the extent of their route, I was to find other guides, and to depend on the goods the governor had
promifed to fupply me with.
Wc
■M
( 19 ) We accordingly fet out together, and on the 1 8th arrived at Fort La Bay. This Fort is fituated on the fouthern extremity of a Bay in Lake Michigan, termed by the French the Bay of Puants ; but which (ince the Eng- lifh have gained poffeflion of all the fettle- ments on this part of the Continent, is called by them the Green Bay. The reafon of its being thus denominated, is from its appear- ance ; for on leaving Michillimackinac in the fpring feafon, though the trees there have not even put forth their buds, yet you find the country around La Bay, notwith- llanding the paflage has not exceeded four- teen days, covered with the fineft verdure, and vegetation as forward as it could be were it fummer.
This Fort, alfo, is only furrounded by a ftockade, and being much decayed is fcarcely defenfible againft fmall arms. It was built by the French for the protedion of their trade, ibme time before they were forced to relinquish it; and when Canada and its de- pendencies were furrendered to the Englifh, it was immediately garrifoned with an officer and thirty men. Thefe were made prifoners by the Menomonies foon after the furprife
C 2 of
I"
( 20 )
of Michlllimafckinac, and the Fort has nei- ther been garrifoned or kept in repair fince.
The Bay is about ninety miles long, but differs much in its breadth j being in foihe places only fifteen miles, in others from twenty to thirty. It lies nearly from north- eaft to fouth-weft. At the entrance of it from the Lake aire a ftring of iflands, extend- ing from north to fbuth, called the Grand Traverfe. Thefeare abbut thirty miles in length, and ferve to facilitate the paffagfe of canoes, as they fhelter them frorti the winds, which fometimes come with violence acrofs the Lake. On the fide that lies to the fouth-eaft is the neareft and beft naviga- tion.
The ifiands of the Grand Traverfe are mofily fmall and rocky. Many of the rocks are of an amazing fize, and appear as if they had been fafliioned by the hands of artifts. On the largeft and beft of thefe iflands ftands a town of the Ottowaws, at which 1 found one of the moft confiderable clliefs of that nation, who received me with every honour hie could pofiibly fhow to a 'ftranger. But what appeared extremely fingular to me at the time, and muft do fo to every perfoh
unac-
^L.M
■■MNMI
IS nei- fince. g, but i fotive I frbm north- ; of it xtend- Grand lies in paffagfe irti tht ioletice 1 to the laviga-
rfe are
e rocks
if fhey
artifts.
ftands
fouild
)f that
lonoiir
But
me at
perfon
unac-
( 21 )
unacquaipted with the cuftoins of the In- dians, was the reception I met with on land- ing. As our canoes approached the fhore, and had reached within about threefcore rods of it, the Indians began a feu-de-joy -, in which they tired their pieces loaded with balls ; but at the fame time they took care to difcharge them in fuch a manner, as to fly a few yards above our heads : during this they ran from one tree or flump to another, (houting and behaving as if they were in the heat of battle. At firft I was greatly furprif- ed, and was on the point of ordering my attendants to return their fire, concluding that their intentions were hoflile ; but being undeceived by fame of the traders, who in- formed me that this was their ufual method of receiving the chiefs of other nations, I Gonfidered it in its true light, and was pleaf- c4 with the refped thus paid me.
I remained here one night. Among the prefents I made the chiefs, were fome fpiri- tuous liquors ; with which they made them- felves merry, and all joined in a dance, that lafled the greateft part of the night. In the morning when I departed, the chief attend- ed me to the fhore, and, as foon as I had
embarked,
I
( 22 )
embarked, ofFered up, in an audible voice, and with great folemnity, a fervent prayer in my behalf. He prayed " that the Great Spirit would favour me with a profperous voyage ; that he would give me an uncloud- ed iky, and fmooth waters, by day, and that I jnight lie down by night, on a beaver blan- ket, enjoying uninterrupted deep, and plea- fant dreams : and alfo, that I might find con- tinual protection under the great pipe of peace." In this manner he continued his pe- titions till I could no longer hear them.
I mull here obferve, that notwithftanding the inhabitants of Europe are apt to entertain horrid ideas of the ferocity of thefe favages, as they are termed, I received from every tribe of them in the interior parts, the moft hofpitable and courteous treatment ; and am convinced, that till they are contaminated by the example and fpirituOus liquors of their more refined neighbours, they retain this friendly and inofFenfive conduct towards flrangers. Their inveteracy and cruelty to their enemies I acknowledge to be a great abatement of the favourable opinion I would wifh to entertain of them -, but this failing is hereditary, and having received the fanc-
tion
•!-'^iit»it'i.i'"i'i.MBii^
nn't TrTiir i" •- r -''i "':* '
voice, prayer Great perous :loud- dthat blan- plea- dcon- ipe of [lis pe- 1. '' inding tertain ivagps, every
moft nd am ted by
their 1;his )wards ;lty to
great would failing ; fanc- tion
( 23 )
lion of immemorial cuftom, has taken too deep root in their minds to be ever extir- pated.
Among this people I eat of a very uncom- mon kind of bread. The Indians, in general, ufe but little of this nutritious food : whilft their corn is in the milk, as they term it, that is, juft before it begins to ripen, they dice off the kernels from the cob to which they grow, and knead them into pafte. This they are enabled to do without the addition of any liquid, by the milk that flows from them J and when it is efFeded, they parcel it out mto cakes, and inclofing them in leaves of the baffwood tree, place them in hot em- bers, where they are foon baked. And bet- ter flavoured bread I never eat in any country, .-j^^j,.
vrr This place is only a fmall village, contain- ing about twenty-five houies anri fixty or feventy warriors. I found nothing there worthy of further remark. . The land on the fouth-eaft fide of the Gn^en Bay is but very inc^'fFerent, being oveifpread with a heavy growth of hemlock, pine, fpruce and fir trees. The communis cation betwper* Lake Michigan, and the
Green
.; ( 44 )
Gfe^ri Bay has been reported by fomc td be impra6!icablc for the paflfage of any vefTels larger than canoes or boats, on account of the fhoals that lie between the iflands in the Grand Traverfe ; but on founding it, I found fufficient depth for a veflej of fixty tons, and the breadth proportionable.
The land adjoining to the bottom of this Bay is Very fertile, the country in general level, and the perfpedive view of it pleafing and extenfive. *
A fevir families live in the Fort, which lies on the wefl*fide of the Fox river, and op- pofite to it, on the eaft-fide of its entrance, are fome French fettlers who cultivate the hnd, afid appear to live very comfortably.
The Green Bay or Bay of Puants is one of thofe places to which the French (as I ftientioned in the introdudion) have given flick-names. It is termed by the inhabitants of its cordis, the Menomonie Bay, but why the French have denominated it the Pu^nt or Stinking Bay I kribw not. The reafon thfey themfelves give for it is, that it was hot with a view td miflead ftrangers, but that by adopting this method they could converfe with each other, concernins the Indians, in
their
I lies op-
( *5 ) their prefcnce, without being underftood by them. For it was remarked by the perfons who firft traded among them, that when they were fpeaking to each other about them, and mentioned their proper name, they in- ftantly grew fufpicious, and concluded that their vifiters were either fpeaking ill of them, or plotting their deftrudion. To remedy this they gave them fome other name. The only bad confequences arifing from the prac- tice then introduced is, that Englifh and French geographers, in their ()lans of the interior parts of America give different names to the fame people, and thereby perplex thofe who have occafion to refer to them.
Lake Michigan, of which the Green Bay is a part, is divided on the north-eaft from Lake Huron by the Straits of Michillimac- kinae ; and is fituated between forty-two and forty-fix degrees of latitude, and between eighty-four and eighty-ieven degrees of weft longitude. Its greateft length is two hun- dred and eighty miles, its breadth about forty, and its circumference nearly fix hundred. There is a remarkable ftring of fmall iflands beginning over againft Aikins's farm, and running about thirty miles ibuth-weft
into
-
M
( 26 )
into the Lake. Thefe are called the Beaver Iflands. Their fituation is very pleafant, but the foil is bare. How^evcr they afford a beautiful profpe(!l. '
On the north-wcfl parts of this Lake the waters branch out into two Bays. That which lies towards the north is the Bay of Noquets, and the other the Green Bay juft defcribed. ^
The waters of this as well as the other great Lakes are clear and w'holefome, and of fuf- ficient depth for the navigation of large ihips. Half the fpace of the country that lies to the eaft, and extends to Lake Huron, belongs to the Ottowaw Indians. The line that divides their territories from the Chi- peways, runs nearly north and fouth, and reaches almofl from the fouthern extremity of this Lake, acrofs the high lands, to Mi- -chillimackinac, through the center of which it palTes. So that when thefe two tribes hap- pen to meet at the faciory, they each encamp on their own dominions., at a few yards dif-* tance from the ftockade.
The country adjacent either to the eafl or weft iide of this Lake is compofed but of an indifferent foil, except where fmall brooks or
I rivers
I .''
y
I
* ^-Mt-W-rtrf" -iiO *»
^S!SS!mM^^^*o-*^e^-*--'^''^"'-'^
( 27 ;
rivers empty thenifclvcs into it ; on the banks of thcfe it is extremely fertile. Near the borders of the Lake grow a great number of fand cherries, which are not lefs remarkable for their manner of growth, than for their exquifite flavour. They grow upon a fmall flirub not more than four feet high, the boughs of which are fo loaded that they lie in chUters on the fand. As they grow only on the fand, the warmth of which probably contributes to bring them to fuch perfedion, they are called by the French cerifes de fa- ble, or fand cherries. The (ize of them does not exceed that of a fmall nufket ball, but they are reckoned fuperior to any other fort for the purpofe of fteeping in fpirits. There alfo grow around the Lake goofeberries, black <:urrants, and an abundance of juniper, bearing great quantities of berries of the fineft fort.
Sumack likewife grows here in great plenty •, the leaf of which, gathered at Mi- chaelmas when it turns red, is muchefteera- ed by the natives. They mix about an equal quantity of it with their tobacco, which cau- fes it to fmoke pleafantly. Near this Lake, and indeed all the great lakes, is found a
kind
I 28 )
kind of v.'illow, termed by the French, bois rouge, in Englifh red wood. Its bark, when only one year's growth, is of a fine fcarlet colour, and appears very beautiful ; but as it grows older, it changes into a mixture of grey and red. The ftalks of this (hrub grow many of them together, and rife to the height of fix or eight feet, the lirgeft not exceed- inf^ an inch di;?iieter. The bark being. fcrap- cd from the flicks, and dried and powdered, is alfo mixed by the Indians with their to- bacco, and is held by them in the higheft eftimation for their winter fmoaking. A weed that grows near the great lakes, in rocky places, they ufe in the^ fummer fea- fon. It is called by the Indians, Segockimac, and creeps like a vine on the gyound, fome- times extending to eight or ten feet, and bearing a leaf about thefize of a filver penny, nearly round; it is of the fubftance and colour of the laurel, and is, like the tree it refembles, an evergreen. Thefe leaves, dried and powdered, they like wife mix with their tobacco j and, as faid before, fmoak it only during the fummer. By thefe three fucccdancums the pipes of the Indians are well fupplicd through every feafon of the
ycarj
( 29 ) year; and as they are great fmoakers, they are very careful in properly gathering and ^preparing them.
On the 20th of September I left the Green Bay, and proceeded up Fox river, ftill in •company with the traders and fome Indians. On the 25th I arrived at the great town of the Winnebagoes, lituated on a fmall illand jiift as you enter the eafl end of Lake Win- nebagoe. Here the queen who prefided over this tribe inftead of a Sachem, received mf, with great civility, and entertained me in a very diftinguifhed manner, during the four days I continued with her.
The day after my arrival I held a council •w4th the chiefs, of whrtm I afked permiffion to pafs through their country, in my way to more remote nations on bufmefs of import- ance. This was readily granted me, the requeft being efteemed by them as a great compliment paid to their tribe. The Qiieen iat in the council, but only afked a few qudftions, or gave fome trifling diredions in matters relative to the flate; for women are never allowed to fit in their councils, except they happen to be invefted with the fupreme authority, and then it is not cuftomary for
them
( 30 )
tfiem fo make any formal fpeeches as the chiefs do. She was a very ancient woman, fmall in ftature, and not much diftinguifhed by her drefs from feveral young women that attended her. Thefe her attendants feemed, greatly pleafed whenever I fhowed any tokens of refpedl to their queen, particularly when I faluted her, which I frequently did to ac- quire her favour. On thefe occafions the good old lady endeavoured to affume a juve- nile gaiety, and by her fmiles fhowed (he was equally pleafed with the attention I paid her. ^ri^ ^''■
The time I tarried here, I employed in making the beft obfervations poflible on the country, and in colleifling the moft certain intelligence I could of the origin, language, and cuftoms of this people. From thefe en- quiries I have reafon to conclude, that the Winnebagoes originally refided in fome of the provinces belonging to New Mexico; and being driven from their native country, cither by intefline divifions, or by the exten- lion of the Spanifli conquefts, they took re- fuge in thefe more northern parts about a cen- tury ago.
My
( 31 )
My reafons for adopting this fuppofition, are, firft from their unalienable attachment to the Naudoweflie Indians (who, they fay, gave them the earlieft fuccour during their emigration) notwithftanding their prefent re- fidence is more than fix hundred miles diftant from that people.
Secondly, that their dialed totally differs from every other Indian nation yet difcover- edj it being a very uncouth guttural jargon, which none of their neighbours will attempt to learn. They converfe with other nations in the Chipeway tongue, which is the pre- vailing language throughout all the tribes, from the Mohawks of Canada to thofe who inhabit the borders of tJie Mifliflippi, and from the Hurons and Illinois to fuch as dwell near Hudfon's Bay.
Thirdly, from their invetc^rntr hatred to the Spaniards. Some of them informed me that they had made many excurfions to the fouth-weft, which took up feveral moon . An elderly chief more particularly acquainted me, that about forty-fix winters ago, he marched, at the head of fifty warriors, towards the fouth-weft, for three moons. That dur- ing this expedition, whilft they were croffmg
a plain.
1 1
U
( 32 )
a plain, they difcovered a body of men on horfeback, who belonged to the Black Peo- ple ; for fo they call the Spaniards. As foon as they perceived them, they proceeded with xaution, and concealed themfelves till night came on ; when they drew fo near as to be able to difcern the number and fituation of their enemies. Finding they were not able to cope with fo great a fuperiority by day- light, they waited till they had retired to reft^ when they rufhed upon them, and after hav- ing killed the greatefl part of the men, took eighty horfes loaded with what they termed white ftone. This I fuppofe to have been filver, as he told me the horfes were fhod with it, and that their bridles were orna- mented with the f'lme. When they had fa- tiated their revenge, they carried off their fpoil, and being got fo far as to be out of the rcach-of the Spaniards that had efcaped their fury, they left the ufelefs and ponderous bur- then, with which the horfes were loaded, in ;the woods, and mountinii themfel\^e5, In this manner returned to their friends. The party they had thus defeated, I conclude to be the caravan that annually conveys to Mexico, the filver which the Spaniards findin s;reat quan- tities
• » ■
a
\'.!::;-4^-».nu,ijiiiiii i i.i wmii llMf^iL
( 33 ) titles on the mountains lying near the heads of the Coloredo River: and the plains where the attack was made, probably, fome they were obliged to pafs over in their way to the heads of the River St. Fee, or Rio del Nord, which falls into the gulph of Mexico to the weft of the Miffiflippi.
The Winnebagoes can raife about two huadred warriors. Their town contains a- bout fifty houfes, which arc ftrongly built with palifadoes, and the ifland on which it is fituated nearly fifty acres. It lies thirty-five miles, reckoning according to the courfe of the river, from the Green Bay.
The River, for about four or five miles from the Bay, has a gentle current ^ after that fpace, till you. arrive at the Winnebago Lake, it is full of rocks and very rapid. At many places we were obliged to land our ca- noes, and carry them a confiderable way. Its breadth, in general, from the Green Bay to the Winnebago Lake, is between feventy and a hundred yards : the land on its borders very good, and thinly wooded v\ith hickery, oak, and* hazel.
The Winnebago Lake is about fifteen miles long from eaft to wef^, and fix miles
D wide.
^
'I:-!
l\
( 3+ ) wide. At its fouth-'vveft corner a river falls- into it that takes its rife near fome of the^^ northern branches of the Illinois River. This I called the Crocodile River, in confequence of a ftory that prevails among the Indians, of their having deftroyed, in fome part of it, an animal, which from their defcription muft be a crocodile or an alligator. ' '
The land adjacent to the Lake is Very fer- tile, abounding with grapes, plumbs, and other fruits, which grow fpontaneoufly. The Winriebagoes raife on it a great quantity of Indian corn, beans, pumpkins, fquafh, and water melons, with fome tobacco. The Lake itfelf abounds with filli, and in the fall of the year, with geefe, ducks, and teal. The lat- ter, which refort to it in great numbers, are remarkably good and extremely fat, and arc much better flavoured than thofe that are found near the fea, as they acquire their ex- celFive fatnefs by feeding on the wild rice, which grow fo plentifully in thefe parts. *
Having made fome acceptable prefents to the good old queen, and received her bleffing, I left the town of the Winnebagcfes on the .29th of September, and about twelve miles from it arrived at the place where the Fox
River
( 35 ) River enters the Lake on the north fide of It. We proceeded up this river, and on the 7th of Odtober reached the great carrying Place, which divides it from the Ouifconfin.
The Fox River, from the Green Bay to the Carrying Place, is about one hundred and eighty miles. From the Winnebago Lake to the Carrying Place the current is gentle, and the depth of it confiderable ; notwithftand- ing which, in fome places it is with difficulty that canoes can pafs, through theobftrudlons they meet with from the rice ftalks, which are very large and thick, and grow here in great abundance. The countrv around it is very fertile and proper in the higheft degree for cultivation, excepting in fome places near the River, where it is rather too low. It is in no part very woody, and yet can fiipply fufHcient to anfwer the demands of any num- ber of inhabitants. This river is the greateft refort for wild fowl of every kind that 1 met with in the whole covjrfe of my travels ; fre- quently the fun w^ould be obfcured by them for fome minutes together.
About forty miles up this river, from the great town of the Winnebagoes, ftands a frnaller town belonging to that nation.
Da Deer
<• » II
i 36 )
Dcet and bears are very'nijttierous m thefe parts, and a great many beavers and other furs are taken on the ftreams that empty tbemfelves into this river.
The River I am treating of, is remarkable for having been, about eighty years ago, the refidence of the united bands of the Ottigau- mies and the Saukies, whom the French had nicknamed, according to their wonted cuf- tom, Des Sacs and Des Reynards, the Sacks and the Foxes, of whom the following anec- dote was related to me by an Indian. ,j
About fixty years ago, the French miflion- aries and traders having received many in- fults from thefe people, a party of French and Indians under the command of Captain Morand marched to revenge their wrongs. The captain fet out from the G^een Bay in the winter, when they were unfufpicious of a vifit of this kind, and purfuing his route over the fnow to their villages, which lay about fifty miles up the Fox River, came up- on them by furprize Unprepared as they were, he found them an eafy conqueft, and confequently killed or took prifoners the greateft part of them. On the returh of the French to the Green Bay, one of the Indian
( 37 ) chiefs in alliance with them, who had a con- (iderable band of the prifoners under hio care, flopped to drink at a brook j in the mean time his companions went on : which being obferved by one of the women whom they had made captive, fhe fuddenly feized him with both her hands, whilH he Hooped to •drink, by an exquifitely fufceptible part, and held him faft till he expired on the fpot. As the chief, from the extreme torture he fufFer- ed, was unable to call out to his friends, or to give any alarm, they pafTed on without knowing what had happened ; and the wo- man having cut the bands of thofe of her fel- *"low-prifoners who were in the rear, with ^them made her efcape. This heroine was -ever after treated by her nation as their de- ^ liverer, and made a chiefefs in her own right, with liberty to entail the fame honour on her defcendants : an unufual diftindion, and per- tnittedonly on extraordinary occafions. About twelve miles before I reached the , Carrying Place, I obferved feveral fmall ^, mountains which extended quite to it. Thefe g J indeed would only be efteemed as mplehills jj^when compared with thofe on the back of ^ytbc colonies, but as they were the firll I had
feen
( 38 )
Teen fincc my leaving Niagara, a track of nearly eleven hundred miles, I could not leave them unnoticed.
The Fox River, where it enters the Win- nebago Lake, is about fifty yards wide, but it gradually dccreafes to the Carrying Place, where it is no more than five yards over, ex- cept in a few places where it widens into fmall lakes, though flill of a confiderable depth. I cannot recoiled any thing elfe that is remarkable in this River, except that it fo Terpentines for five miles, as only to gain in that place one quarter or a mile.
The Carrying Place between the Fox and Ouifconfin Rivers is in breadth not more than a mile and three quarters, though in fome maps it is fo delineated as to appear to be ten miles. And here I cannot help remarking, that all the maps of thefe parts, I have ever ■ feen, are very erroneous. The rivers in ge- neral are defcribed as running in different di- redions from what they really do ; and ma- ny branches of them, particularly of the "MiiTiffippi, omitted. The diftances of places, likewife, are greatly mifreprefented. Whe- ther this is done by the French geographers (for the Englifh maps are all copied from
theirs)
^Bommmmmmi^ n wiiiwiiiiimwiiiiiyiiiiiiij
( 39 )
theirs) through defign, or for want of a juft knowledge of the country, I cannot fay j but I am fatisfied that travellers who depend up- on them in the parts I vifited, will find them- felves much at a lofs. Having furveyed with the greateft care, every country through which 1 pafTed, I can affert that the plan prefixed to this work is drawn with much greater precifion than any extant. ^^
Near one half of the way, between the ri- vers is a morafs, over-grown with a kind of long grafs, the reft of it a plain, with fbme few oak and pine trees growing thereon. I obferved here a great number of rattle-fnakes. Monf. Pinnifance, a French trader, told me a remarkable ftory concerning one of thefe reptiles, of which he faid he was an eye-wit- nefs. An Indian, belonging to the Menomo- nie nation, having taken one of them, found means to tame it ; and when he had done this, treated it as a Deity ; calling it his Great Father, and carrying it with him in a box wherever he went. This the Indian had done for feveral fummers, when Monf Pin- nifance accidentally met with him at this Car- rying Place, juft as he was fetting off for a winter*s hunt. The French gentleman was
furprized,
fi
!■
( 40 )
fuyprized, one day, to fee the Indian place the box which contained his god on the ground, and opening the door give him his liberty i telling him, whilft he did it, to "be fure and return by the time he himfelf fhoUld come back, which was to be in the month ox May following. As this was but October, Monfieur told the Indian, whofe fimplicity aftoni filed him, that he fancied he might wait long enough when May arrived, for the arrival of his great father. The Indian "was fo confident of his creature's obedience, that he offered to lay the Frenchman a wa- ger of two gallons of rum, that at the time appointed he would come and crawl into his box. This was agreed on, and the fecond w^eek in May following fixed for the deter- mination of the wager. At that period they both met there again -, when the Indian fet down his box, and called for his great father, Thefnake heard him not j and the time be- ing now expired, he acknowledged that he had loft. However, without feeming to be -difcouragcd, he offered to double the tett if "his gr^at father came not within two days mbrei This was further agreed on 5 when behold on the fecond day, about one o'clock,
the
.J..^MIlWi!lliJ.WJ.t|li....i!i.i a '-Ij ■ i. IM^U^ik
( 41 )
the fnake arrived, of his own accofd, crawl- ed into the box, which was placed ready for him. The French gentleman vouched for the truth of this ftory, and from the accounts I have often received of the docility of thofe creatures, I fee no reafon to doubt his ve- racity.
I obferved that the main body of the Fox River came from the fouth-weft, that of the Ouifconfin from the north-eafl; and alfo that fome of the fmall branches of thefe two rivers, in defcending into them, doubled within a few feet of each other, a little to the fouth of the Carrying Place. That two fuch Rivers fhould take their rife fo near each other, and after running fuch different courfes, empty themfelves into the fea at a diilance fo amazing (for the former having pafTed through feveral great lakes, and run upwards of two thoufand miles, falls into the gulph of St. Lawrence, and the other, after joining the Miffiflippi, and running an equal number of miles, difembogues itfelf into the ' Gulph of Mexico) is an inftance fcarcely to be met in the extenfive continent of North rAmerica. I had an opportunity the year following, of making the fame obfervations
on
( 42 )
on the affinity of various head branches of the waters of the St. Lawrence and the MiiTifflppi to each other j and now bring them as a proof, that the opinion of thofe geographers, who aflert, that rivers taking their rife fo near each other, mult fpring from the fame ^ource, is erroneous. For I perceived a. vifibly diftinf^ feparation in all of them, nctwithftanding, in fome places, they approached fo near, that I could have fiepped from one to the other.
On the Sth of Odober we got our canoes into the Ouifconfm Rive, which at this place is more than an hundred yards wide; and the next day arrived at the Great Town of the Saukies. This is the largeft and beft built Indian town 1 ever faw. It contains a- bout ninety houfes, each large enough for feveral famiHes. Thefe are built of hewn plank neatly jointed, anJ covered with bark fo compadtly as to keep out the moll pene- trating rains. Before the doors are placed comfortabie flieds, in which the inhabitants fit, whc.i the weather vvill permit, and fmoak thdr pipes. The ftreels are regular and fpa- cious", fo that it appears more like a civilized town than the abode of favages. The land
.■t\ It
near
( 43 )
nt?x the town is very good. In their plan- tations, which lie adjacent to their houfes, and which are neatly laid out, they raife great quantities of Indian corn, beans, me- lons, &c. fo that this place is efteemed the beft market for traders to furnifh themfelves with provifions, of any within eight hun- dred miles of it.
The Saukies can raife about three hundred warriors, who are generally employed every fummer in making incurfions into the terri- tories of the Illinois and Pawnee nations, from whence they return with a gieat num- ber of flaves. But thofe people frequently retaliate, and, in their turn, deftrby many of the Saukies, which I judge to be th6 reafon that they increafe no fafter.
Whilfl I ftaid here, I took a view of fome mountains that lie about fifteen miles to the fouthward, and abound in lead ore. I af- cended one of the higheft of thefe, and had an extenfive view of the country. For many miles nothing was to be feen but Icficr mountains, which appeared at a diftance like haycocks, they being free from trees. Only a few groves of hickery, and iluntcd oaks, covered fome of the vallies. So plentiful is
lead
( 44 )
^Cad.heixf, that I faw brge quantities of it lying about the ftreets in the town belonging to the Saukies, and it feemed to be as good -as the produce of other countries.
On the loth of Odober we proceeded down the river, and the next day reached -the firfl town of the Ottigaumies. This town contained about fifty houfcs, but we ■found moft of them deferted, on account of an epidemical diforder that had lately raged -among them, and carried off more than one half of the inhabitants. The greater part -of thofe who furvived had retired into woods to avoid the contagion. '^ On the 15th we entered that extenfivc river the Mifliflippi. The Ouifconfin, from the Carrying Place to the part where it falls into the MifTifTippi, flows with a fmooth L v a flrong current ; the water of it is exceed- ingly clear, and through it you may pe'r- iceive a fine and fandy bottom, tolerably free from rocks. In it are isL few iflands, the ^ibil of which appeared to be good, though '.fomewhat woody. The land near the river alfo feemed to be, in general, excellent; "but that at a diftance is very full of moun- tains, where it is faid there are many lead mines. q awoi i^
A ■
^ About
p}ai,ip»jiiM,miwiii^,w»iii
■•^.■K•^l|lm
( 45 )
About five miles from the jun<^ion of the rivers, I obferved the ruins of a large town in a very pleafing fituation. Gn enquiring of the neighbouring Indians why it was thus deferted, I was informed that about thirty years ago, the Great Spirit had appear- ed on the top of a pyramid of rocks, which lay at a little diftance from it, towards the v^eft, and warned them to quit their habita- tions; for the land on which they' were built belonged to him, and he h^d occafion for it. As a proof that he, who gave them thefc orders, was really the Great Spirit, he further told them, tha): the grafs fhould imipediately fpring up on thofe very rocks from whence he now addrelTed them, which they knew to b? bare and barren. The In- dians obeyed, and foon after diftqvered that this miraqylous alteration had taken place. They fhewed me the fpot, but the growth of the grafs appeared to be no ways fuper- i^tural. I apprehended this to have been a itratagem of the French or Spaniards to an-
fwer fome felfifh view, but in what manner they effe(51ed their purpofes I know not. This people, foon after their removal, built
a town on the bank of the Mifliffippi, near
the
( 46 )
the mouth of the Ouifconfin, at a place called by the French La Prairies les Chiens, which fignifies the Dog Plains ; it is a large town, and contains about three hundred fa- milies, the houfes are well built after the Indian manner, and pleafantly iituated on a very rich foil, from which they raife every necelTary of life in great abundance. I faW here many horfes of a good lize and fhape. This town is the great mart, where all the^ adjacent tribes, and even thofe who inhabit^ the moft remote branches of the Miffiflippi, annually affemble about the latter end of M ay^ bringing with them their furs to difpofe of to the traders. But it is not always that they conclude their fale here •, this is determined by a general council of the chiefs, who con- fult whether it would be more conducive to their intereft, to fell their goods at this place, or carry them on to Louifiana, or Mi- chillimackinac. According to the decifion of this council they either proceed further, or return to their different homes.
The Miffiflippi at the entrance of the Ouifconfin, near which flands a mountain of confiderable height, is about half a mile o- ver J but oppofite to the laft mentioned town
it
•.impjAjuJf
Pi
( 4^ ) it appears to be more than a mile wide, and full of iflands, the foil of which is extra- ordinarily rich, and but thinly wooded.
A little farther to the well, on the contra- ry fide, a fmall river falls into the MiiFif- fippi, which the French call Le Jaun Ri- viere, or the Yellow River. Here the tra- ders who had accompanied me hitherto, took "up their refidence for the winter. I then bought a canoe, and with two fervants, one a French Canadian and the other a Mohawk of Canada, on the 1 9th proceeded up the Miffiffippi.
About ten days after I had parted from the traders, I landed as I ufually di,il every evening, and having pitched my tent, 1 or- dered my men, when night came on, to lay themfelves down to lleep. By a light that I kept burning I then fat down to copy the minutes I had taken in the courfe of the pre- ceding day. About ten o'clock having juft finifhed my memorandums, I ftepped out of my tent to fee what weather it wras. As I • caft my eyes towards the bank of the river, I thought I faw by the light of the ftars
which fhone bright, fomething that had the appearance of a herd of beaJfts coming down
■** a defccnt
!i
( 48 )
a defcent at fome diflance; whilft I was wondering what they could be, one of the number fuddenly fprung up and difcovered' to me the form of a man. In an inflant they were all on their legs, and I could count a- bout ten or twelve of them running towards me. I immediately re-entered the tent, and awaking my men, ordered them to take their arms, and follow me. As my firft ap- prehenfions were for my canoe, I ran to the water's fide, and found a party of Indians (for fuch I now difcovered them to be) on the point of plundering it. Before I reached them I commanded my men not to fire till I had given the word, being unwilling to be- gin hoftilities unlefs occafion abfolutely re- quired. I a cordingly advanced with refo- lution, clofe to the points of their fpears, they had no other weapons, and brandifhing my hanger, ^ ^ed them with a ftern voice, what they wanted. They were daggered at this, and perceiving they were like to meet a warm reception, turned about and preci- pitately retreated. We purfued them to an adjacent wood, which they entered, and we faw no more of them. However, for fear of their return, we watched alternately dnr*
ing
( 49 )
ing the remainder of the night. The next day my fervants were under great appre- henfions, and earneftly entreated me to re- turn to the traders we had lately left. But I told them, that if they would not be ef- teemed old women (a term of the greateft reproach among the Indians) they muft follow me J. for I was determined to purfue my intended route, as an Englifhman, when onpe engaged in an adventure, never re- treated. On this they got into the canoe, and I walked on the (hore to guard them from any further attack. The party of Indians who had thus intended to plunder me, I af- terwards found to be fome of thofe Itraggling bands, that having been driven from among the different tribes to which they belonged for various crimes, now affociated themfelves together and living by plunder, prove very troublefome to travellers who pafs this way ; nor are even Indians of every tribe fpared by them. The traders had before cautioned ^ me to be upon my guard againft them, and I would repeat the fame caution to thofe whofe bufinefs might call them into thefe parts. . ,^ . ,.
. E On
I;fif I
u
( 50 )
On the firft of November, I arrived at Lake Pepin, which is rather an extended part of the River Miinffippi, that the French have thus denominated, about two hundred miles from the Ouifconfin. The MifTilfippi below this lake flows with a gentle current, but the breadth of it is very uncertain, in fome places it being upwards of a mile, in others not more than a quarter. This Ri» ver has a range of mountains on each i\d6 throughout the whole of the way*, which in particular parts approach near to it, in others lie at a greater diftance. The land betwixt the mountains, and on their fides, is gene* rally covered with grafs with a few groves of trees interfperfed, near which large droves of deer and c!k are frequently feen feeding. In many places pyramids of rocks appear, re fembling old ruinous towers i at others a- mazing precipices: and what is very remark- able, whilit this fcene prefented itfelf on One fide, the oppofite fide of the fame moun- tain was covered with the fineft herbage, which gradually afcended to its fummit. From thence the mott beautiful and extenfive profpedl that imagination can form opens flo your view. Verdant plains, fruitful meadows, numerous iflands, and all thefe abolind-
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( 5' ) «ng with a variety of trees that yield amazing tjuantitics of fruit, without care or cultiva-* tion, fuch as the nut-tree, the maple which produces fugar, vines loaded with ricl) grapes, and plumb-trees bending under their bloom- ing burdens, but above all, the fine River Howing gently beneath and reaching as far as the eye can extend, by turns attrad your admiration and excite your wonder.
The Lake is about twenty miles long and near fix in breadth ; in fome places it is very deep, and abounds with various kinds of fifli. Great numbers of fowl frequent alfo this Lake and rivers adjacent) fuch as Horks, fwans, geefe, brants, and ducks : and in the groves are found great plentjT of turkeys and partridges. On the plains are the largeft buffaloes of any in America. Here I obferv- cd the ruins of a French fadory, where it is faid Captain St. Pierre refided, and carried on a very great trade with the Naudowef- fies, before the redudion of Canada.
About fixty miles below this Lake is a mountain remarkably (ituated ^ for it ilands by itfelf exadly in the middle of the River, and looks as if it had Hidden from the adja- cent fhore into the ftream. It cannot be
E 2 termed
• ( 52 ) termed an ifland, as it rifes immediately from the brink of the water to a confiderable height. Both the Indians and the Frfcnch call it the Moijntain in the river. • '■ One day having landed on the fhore of the Miffillippi, fome miles below Lake Pepin, wliilfl my attendants were preparing my dinner, f walked out to take a view of the adjacent country. I had not proceeded far, before I came to a fine, level, open plain, on which I perceived, at a little diftance, a par- tial elevation that had the appearance of an intrenchment. On a nearer infpedlion I had greater reafon to fuppofe that it had really been intended for this many centuries ago. Notwilhftanding it was now covered with grafs, I could plainly difccrn that it had once been a breaft-work of about four feet in height, extending the bell part of a mile, and fuiiiciently capacious to cover five thou-^ fand men. Its form was fbmewhat circulafj and its flanks reached to the RiVcr. Though much defaced by time, every angle was di- ftinguifhable, and appeared as regular, and fafbioned with as much military {kill, as if planned by Vauban himfelf. The ditch was not vifible, but 1 thought on examining more
curioufly,
( 53 )
curioufly, that I could perceive there certain- ly had been one. From its fituation al fo, I am convinced that it muft Imve been dc/i^;n- cd for this purpole. It fronted the country, and the rear was covered with the river -, nor was there any rifing ground for a comiderable way that commanded it; a few flr:u^L;ling oaks were alone to be feen near it. In many places fmall tracks were worn acrofs it by the feet of the elks and deer, and from the depth of the bed of earth by which it was co- verpd, I was able to draw certain conclufions of its great antiquity. I examined all the angles and every part with great attention, and have often blamed myfelf fmce, for not encamping on the fpot, and drawing an ex- ad plan of it. To fhew that this dcfcrip- tion is not the offspring of a heated imagina- tion, or the chimerical tale of a miftaken tra- veller, I find on enquiry fince my return, that Monf. St. Pierre, and fevcral traders have, at different times, taken notice of fimilar appearances, on which they have formed the fame conjectures, but without r examining them fo minutely as I did. How Bf . woik of this I^iind could exill in a country t)iat has hitherto (according to the general
received
( S4 ) rccciVecl opirtlon) been the ft^at of war to untutcred Indians alone, whofe whole Itock of military knowledge has only, till v/ithin two centuries, amounted to drawing the bow, and whofe only breaft-work even at prefent is the thicket, I know not. I have given as exad an account as pofliblc of this fingular appearance, and leave to future ex- plorers of thefe diftant regions to difcover whether it is a produdion of nature or art. Perhaps the hints I have here given might lead to a more perfed inveftigation of it, and give us very different ideas of the an- cient ftate of realms th it we at prefent be- lieve to have been from the earlieft period only the habitations of favages.
The MifliiTippi, as far as the entrance of the river St. Croix, thirty miles above Lake Pepin, is very full of iflands j fome of which are of a confiderable length. On thefe, alfo, grow great numbers of the ma- ple of fugar tree, and around them vines loaded with grapes creeping to their very tops. From the Lake upwards few moun- tains are to be feen, and thofe but fmalL
Near the Rivei* St. Croix refide three bands
* .■
,.A of
y-ifygyy
-
( 55 ) "
of the NawdowelTie Indians, called the Ri- ver Bands.
This nation is compofed, at prefent, df eleven bands. They were originally twelve ; but the AfTinipoils Tome years ago revolting, and feparating themfelves from the others, there remained only at this time eleven : Thofe I met here are termed the River Bands 5 becaufe they chiefly dw^ell near the banks of this River : the uher eight are ge- nerally diftinguilhed by the title of the NaudowcjTies of the Plains, and inhabit a country that lies more to the weftward. The names of the former are the Nchogatawo- nahs, the Mawtawbauntowahs, and the Shahfweentow^ahs, and confift of about four hundred warriors.
A little before I met with thefe three bands I fell in with a party of the Mawtaw- bauntowahs, amounting to forty warriors and their families. With thefe I refided a day or tw^o, during which time five or fix of their number, who had been out on an cxcurfion, returned in great hafte, and ac- quainted their companions that a large party of the Chipeway warriors, " enough," as they cXpreiTed tliemlclves, " to fwallow them ' all
( 56 ) all up," were clofe at their heels, and on the point of attacking their little camp. The chiefs applied to me, and defired I would put myfelf at their head, and lead them out to oppofe their enemies. As I was a firanger, and unwilling to excite the anger of cither nation, I knew not how to ad; and never found myfelf in a greater dilemma. Had 1 refufed to alTift the Naudoweffies I 1 fhould hrive drawn on myfelf their difplea- fure, or had I met the Chipeways with hof- tile intentions, I flioiild have made that peo- ple my foes, and had I been fortunate enough to have cfcaped their arrows at this time, on fome future occafion I fhould probably have experienced the fevcrity of their re- venge. In this extremity I chofe the middle courfe, and delired that the Naudoweffies would fuffcr me to meet them, that I might endeavour to avert their fury. To this they reludantly alfcnted, being perfuaded, from the inveteracy which had long prevailed be- tween them, that my remonflrances would be vain.
Taking my Frenchman with me, who could fpeak their language, I haflencd to- wards the place where the Chipeways were
fuppo fed.
I
ll
•( 57 ) fuppofed to be. The Namio we flies during this kept at a diilance behind. As I ap- proached them with the pipe of peace, a fmall party of their chiefs, coniifting of a- bout eight or ten, came in a friendly man- ner towards me ; with whom, by means of my interpreter, I held a lon^ converfatlon ; the refult of which was, that their rancour being by my perfualions in foire meafurc mollified, they agreed to return back with- out accomplifliing their favage piKpofes. Dur- ing our difcourfe I could perceive as they lay fcattered about, that the party was very nu- merous, and many of them armed with muf- kets.
Having happily fucceeded in my under- takhig, I returned without delay to the Nau- doweiries, and defired they would inftantly remove their camp to fo;ne other part of the country, left iheir enemies fhould repent of thepromife they had given, and put their intentions into execution. They according- ly followed my advice, and immediately pre- pared to ftrike their tents. Whilft they were doing this they loaded me with thanks , and when I had feen them on board their canoes I purfued my route.
To
f
f 58 )
To this adventure I was chiefly indebted for the friendly reception I afterwards met -with from the NaudoweflTies of the Plains, and for the refped and honours I received during my abode among them. And when I arrived many months after at the Chip6- way village, near the Ottowaw lakes, I found that my fame had reached that place before me. The chiefs received me with great cort- diality, and the elder part of them thanked me for the mifchief I had prevented* They informed me, that the war between their na- Xix^a and the NaudowefTies had continued without interruption for more than forty winters. That they had long wiflied to put an end to it, but this was generally prevent- ed by the young warriors of cither nation, who could not reftrain their ardour when they met. They faid, they (hould be happy if fome chief of the fame pacific difpofition as myfelf, and who poffeflfed an equal de- gree of refolution and coolnefs, would fettle in the country between the two nations ; for by the. interference of fuch a perfon an ac- commodation, which on their parts they fin- cerely defired, might be brought about. As I did not meet any of the Naudoweffies af* .jfiirfuri terwards,
( 59 ;
tcrwards, I had not an opportunity of for. warding fo good a work.
About thirty milea below the Falls of St Anthony, at which I arrived the tenth day after I left Lake Pepin, is a remarkable cave of an amazing depth. The Indians term it Wakon-tecbe, that is, the Dwelling of the Great Spirit. The entrance into it is about ten feet wide, the height of it five feet. The arch within is near fifteen feet high and a- bo«t thirty feet broad. The bottom of it confifts of fine clear fand. About twenty feet from the entrance begins a lake, the water of which is tranfparent, and extends, to an tinfearcnable diftance ^ for the darknefs of the cave prevents all attempts to acquire a knowledge of it. I threw a fmall pebble towards the interior parts of it with my ut* moft ftrength : I could hear that it fell into the water, and notwithftanding it was of fo fmall a fize, it caufed an aftonifhing and hor- rible noife that reverberated through all thofe glnomy regions. I found in this cave many Indian hieroglyphicks, which appeared very ancient, far time had nearly covered then» with moi's, fo ihat it was with difEculty I could trace them. They were cut in a rude
manner
'
( 6o )
manner upon the infide of the walls, which were compofed of a ftone fo extremely foft that it might be eafily penetrated witJi a knife : a ftone every where to be found near the Miffiflippi. The cave is only acceflible by afcending a narrow, fteep pafTage that lies near the brink of the river. --^
At a little diftance from this dreary cavern IS the burying-place of feveral bands of the Naudoweffie Indians: though thefe people have no fixed refidence, living in tents, and abiding but a few months on one fpot, yet they always bring the bones of their dead to this place ; which they take the opportunity of doing when the chiefs meet to hold their councils, and to fettle ::11 public affairs for theenfuing fummer. *"
Ten miles below the Falls of St. Anthony the River St. Pierre, called by the natives the Wadapawmenefotor, falls into the Mifllf- lipi from the weft. It is not mentioned by Father Hennipin, although a large fair river : this omilHon, I conclude, muft have pro- ceeded from a fmall ifland that is (ituated ex- a(ftly at its entrance, by which the light of it is intercepted. I ftiould not have difcover- cd this river rnyfelf, had F not taken a view,
when
0^f!f^!^^^^-
( 6i )
when I was fearching for it, from the high lands oppoiite, which rife to a great height. . Nearly over-againftthis river I was obliged to leave my canoe, on account of the ice, and travel by land to the Falls of St. Antho- ny, where I arrived on the 17th of Novem- ber. The Miffiflippi from the St. Pierre to this place is rather more rapid than I had hitherto found it, and without iflands of any confideration.
j), Before I left my canoe I overtook a, young prince of the Winnebago Indians, who was going on an embafTy to fome of the bands of the Naudoweflies. Finding that I intended to take a view of the Falls, he agreed to accompany me, his curiofity having been of- ten excited by the accounts he had received from fome of his chiefs: he accordingly left his family (for the Indians never travel without their houfliolds) at this place, under the care of my Moha^vk fervant, and v;e proceeded together by land, attended only by my Frenchman, to this celebrated place.
We could diftincfily hear the noile of the water full fittccn miles before we reached the falls; and I was greatly pleafed and furprized. w^hen I approached this aflonilhing work of
nature:
( 62 )
nature: but I was fit t long at liberty to in- dulge thefe emotions, my attention being called off by the behaviour of my compa- nion.
The prince had no iboner gained the point that overlooks this wonderful cafcade, than he began with an audible voice to addrefs the Great Spirit, one of whofe places of refidence he imagined this to be. He told him that he had come a long way to pay his adoratioft to him, and now would make him the bed offerings in his power. He accordingly firft threw his pipe into the ftream ; then the roll that contained his tobacco ; after thefe, the bracelets he wore on his arms and wrifts; next an ornament that encircled his neck, compofed of beads and wires ; and at laft the ear-rings from his ears j in ihort, he prefent- ed to his god every part of his drefs that was valuable ; during this he frequently fmote his breaft with great violence, threw his armd about, and appeared to be much agitated.
All this while he continued his adoratiofi^g, and at length concluded them with fervent petitions that the Great Spirit would con- liantly afford us his protedion on our travels, giving us a bright fun, a blue flcy, and clear * ' ' untroubled
(. 63 )
untroubled waters ; nor would he leave the place till we had fmoaked together with my pipe in honour of the Great Spirit.
I was greatly furprized at beholding an in- ftance of fuch elevated devotion in fo young an Indian, and inttead of ridiculing the ce- remonies attending it, as 1 obferved my ca- tholic fervant tacitly did, 1 looked on the prince with a greater degree of refped for thcfe {incere proofs he gave of his piety ; and I doubt not but that his offerings and prayers .were as acceptable to the univerfal Parent of mankind, as if they had been made with greater pomp, or in a confecrated place.
Indeed the whole condud of this young prince at once amazed and charmed me. During the few days we were together his at- tention feemed totally to be employed in yielding me every alfiftance in his power ; and even in fo Ihort a time he gave me in- numerable proofs of the moft generous and diiinterefted friendfliipi fo that on our re- turn I parted from him with great reluctance. Whilft I beheld the artlefs, yet engaging manners of this unpolifhed favage, 1 could not help drawing a comparifon between him and fomc of the more refined inhabitancs of ci- vil izeel
I !
I
I \
( 64 )
vilized countries, not much, I own, in fa- vour of the latter.
The Falls of St. Anthony received their name from Father Louis Hennipin, a French milTionary, who travelled into thofe parts about the year 1 680, and was the firft Eu- ropean ever feen by the natives. This amaz- ing body of waters, which are above 250 yards over, form a moft pleafing catarad;' they fall perpendicularly about thirty feet, and the rapids below, in the fpace of 300 yards more, rendered the dcfcent confidera-, bly greater; fo that when viewed at a diftance they appear to be much higher than they really are. The above-mentioned traveller has laid them down at about fixty feet ; but he has made a greater error in calculating the height of the Falls of Niagara; which he afferts to be 600 feet •, whereas from lat- ter obfervations accurately made, it is well known that it does .not exceed ^40 feet. Bi?t tlie .good father I fear too often had no ot]]_ej:, foundation for Ws accounts than re- pOjL't^ qr^-at beft, a flight- infpedion.
^Ijc^vjt^ljienfiiddlQ oiih^ Falk ftands a fmall ifland,, about forty feet ba*oad and; feinewhat longer, J on which grow- a- few cr^ged henW;'? ..v^^-^. ^ lock
■''WWif'WW''
( 65 ) lock and fpriice trees; and about half way between this ifland and the eaftern fhorc, is a rock, lying at the very edge of the fall, in an oblique pofition, that appeared to be a- bout five or fix feet broad, and thirty or forty long. Thefe falls vary much from all the others I have feen, as you may approacli clofe to them without finding the leaft ob- ftrudion from any intervening hill or pre- cipice.
The country around them is extremely beautiful. It is not an uninterrupted plain where the eye finds no relief, but compofed of many gentle afcents, which in the fummer are covered with the fineft verdure, and in- terfpcrfcd with little groves, that give a pleaf- ing variety to the profpejSt. On the whole, when the Falls are included, which may be feen at the diftancc of four miles, a more pleafing and pidlurefque view cannot, I be- lieve, be found throughout the univerfe. I could have wifhed that I had happened to enjoy this glorious fight at a more feafona- ble time of the year, whilft the trees and hillixks were clad in nature's gayeft livery, as this mt ft hive greatly added to the plea- furc I received •, however, even then it ex- t F cecded
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( 66 )
cccdcd my warmeft expedations. I have en- deavoured to give the reader as yaH an idea of this enchanting fpot as poflible, in the plan annexed ; but all defcription, whether of the pencil or the pen, muft fall infinitely fhort of the original. /„ .... ^,i. ,
At a little diftance belov^r the falls flands a fmall ifland, of about an acre and half, on wrhich grov^ a great number of oak trees, every branch of which, able to fupport the weight, was full of eagles nefts. The rea- fon that this kind of birds refort in fuch numbers to this fpot, is that they are here fecure from the attacks either of man orbeaft, , their retreat being guarded by the Rapids, which the Indians never attempt to pafs. Another reafon is, that they find a conllant fupplyof food forthemielvesand their young, from the animals and fifh which are daflied to pieces by the falls, and driven on the ad- jacent fliore. '
Having latisfied my curiofity, as far as the eye of man can be fatisfied, 1 proceeded on, flill accompanied by my young friend, till I had reached the River St. Francis, near fixty miles above the Falls. To this River father Hennipin gave the name of St. Francis, and
this
.;
•-*■-*
( 67 )
this was the extent of his travels, as well as mine, towards the north- weft. As the fea- fon was fo advanced, and the weather ex- tremely cold, I was not able to make fo many obfervations on thefe parts as I otherwifc fhould have done.
It might however, perhaps, be neceffary to obferve, that in a little tour I made about the Falls, after travelling fourteen miles, by the fide of the Miffiflippi, I came to a river nearly twenty yards wide, which ran from the north-eaft, called Rum River. And on the 20th of November came to another termed Goofe River, about twelve yards wide. On the 2ift I arrived at the St. Francis, which is about thirty yards wide. Here the Mifiiflippi itfelf grows narrow, being not more than ninety yards overj and appears to be chiefly compofed of fmall branches. The ice prevented me from noticing the depth of any of thefe three rivers.
The country in fome places is hilly, but without large mountains; and the land is tolerably good. • I obferved here many deer, and carraboes, fome elk, with abundance of beavers, otters, and other furs. A little above this, to the north-eaft, are a number
Fa «^
' di
'4. ■I
■ '«
'
(. ^8 ) of fmall lakes, called the Thoufand lakes ; the parts about which, though but little fre- quented, are the beft within many miles for hunting, as the hunter never fails of return- ing loaded beyond his expedtations. j /
The MifTilTippi has never been explored higher up than the River St. Francis, and only by Father Hennipin and myfelf thus far. So that we are obliged folely to the In- dians, for all the intelligence we are able to give relative to the more northern parts. As this River is not navigable from the fea for velTels of any confiderable burthen, much higher up than the Forks of the Ohio, and even that is accomplifhed with great difficul- ty, owing to the rapidity of the current, and the winding of the river, thofe fettle- ments that may be made on the interior ' branches of it, muft be indifputably fecure from the attacks of any maritime power. But at the fame time the fet tiers will have the advantage of being able to convey their produce to the fea-ports with great facility, the current of the river, from its fource to • its entrance into the Gulph of Mexico, be- ing extremely favourable for doing this in f.nall craft. This might alfo in time be facili-
' tated
( 69 )
tated by canals or fhorter cuts ; and a com- munication opened by water with New- York, Canada, &c. by way of the lakes. The Forks of the Ohio are about nine hundred miles from the moi.rh of the Mifliffippi, fol- lowinj? the courfe of the river -, and the Mefforie two hundred miles above thefc.
r From the latter it is about twenty miles to the Illinois river, and from that to the Ou- jfconlin, which I have given an account of, jibout eight hundred moi'e. y, - i^-
. On the 25th I returned to my canoe, which I had left at the mouth of the Rivi^r St.
I Pierre ; and here 1 parted with regret from my young friend the prince of the Winneba- goes. This river being clear of ice by reafori of it«fouthcrn fituation, 1 found nothing to obftru£l my pafTage. On the 28th, being advanced about forty miles, I arrived at a fmall branch that fell into it from the north ; to which, as it had no name that I could diftinguifli it by, I gave my own ; and the Reader will find it in the plan of my travels
''denominated Carver's River. About forty miles higher up I came to the Forks of Verd and Red Marble Rivers, which joir. At fome little diftance before they enter the St. Pierre.
The
Vi
■■f A
m
'i .
il'
%
h Mil
( 7° )
The River St. Pierre, at its jundion with the Miflilfippi, is about a hundred yards broad, and continues that breadth nearly all the way I failed upon it. It has a great depth of water, and in fome places runs very brifk- ly» About fifty miles from its mouth are fome rapids, and much higher up there are many others. ,, ,^
I proceeded up this river about two hun- dred miles to the country of the Naudowef- fies of the Plains, which lies a little above the Forks formed by the Verd and Red Marble Rivers, juft mentioned, where a branch from the fouth nearly joins the Mef- forie River. By the accounts I received from the Indians, I have reafon to believe that the River St. Pierre and the Mefforie, though they enter the MiiTilTippi twelve hundred miles from each other, take their rife in the fame neighbourhood j and this within the fpace of a mile. The River St. Pierre's northern branch rifes from a number of lakes near the Ihining mountains; and it is from fome of thefe, alfo, that a capital branch of the River Bourbon, which runs into Hud-^ fon's Bay, has its fources. i"?-f;i . ;^t>,.
. ( 71 ) ■
From the intelligence I gained from the Naudoweflie Indians, among whom I arrived the 7th of December, and whofe language I perfectly acquired dunng a refidence of feven months ; and alfo from the accounts T after- wards obtained from the Affmipoils, who fpeak the fame tongue, being a revolted band of the Naudoweffies ; and from the Killiftinoes, neighbours of the Aifinipoils, who fpeak the Chipeway language, and inhabit the heads of the River Bourbon •, I fay, from* thefe nations, together with my own obfervations, I have learned that the four moft capital rivers on the Continent of North America, viz. the St. Lawrence, the Miirifli"ppi, the River Bourbon, and the Ore- ' gon or the River of the Weft (as I hinted in my Introdudlion) have their fources in the fame neighbourhood. The waters of the three formrr are within thirty miles of each other; the latter, however, is rather farther weft. ,'fi^ini
This fhows that thefe parts arc the higheft lands in Nurth America i and it is an in- ftance not to be paralleled on the other three quarters of the globe, that four li vers of fuch magnitude (hould take their rife together, "•*'* ■ and
'■m
'' m
: ' S ■ . •r
'•f
. ( 72 )
and each, after running feparate courfes,
difcharge their waters into different oceans
at the diftance of two thoufand miles from
'^ their fources. For in their pafTage from this
fpot to the bay of St. Lawrence, eaft, to the
bay of Mexico, fouth, to Hudfon's Bay,
•north, and to the bay at the freights of An-
i nian, weft, each of thefe traverfe upwards
of two thoufand miles. ' • t '•" : i I fhall here give my Readers fuch reflec- tions as occurred to me when I had received / this interefting information, and had, by ^ numberlefs inquiries, afcertained the truth ^/ of it; that is, as far as it was pofilble to ar- '*, rive at a certainty without a perfonal invef- . tigation. ■'
fa J h is well known that the Colonies, parti- pularly thofe of New England and Canada, •^ are greatly afFeded, about the time their win- •/ ter lets in, by a north-weft wind, which con* tinu^s for feveral months, and renders the 'V cold much more intenfe there- than it is in i the interior parts of America. This I can, ..- from my own knowledge, aftert, as I found • -the winter, that I pafTed to the weft ward of -the Miftilfippi, far from fevere 5 and the ' noxth-weft wind blowing on thofe countries ^ ^*;t ,i;i fc confiderably
•V
( 73 )
conliderably more temperate than I have often experienced it to be nearer the coaft. And that this did not arife from any uncer- tainty of the feafons, but was annually the cafe, I concluded, both from the fmall quan- tity of fnow that then fell, and a total dif- ufe of fnow fhoes by thefe Indians, without which none of the more eaftern nations can poffibly travel during the winter. •» - - < ♦ * As nat^ralifts obferve, that air refembles water in many refpeds, particularly by of- . ten flowing in a compad body j and that this is generally remarked to be with the current of large ftreams, and feldom acrofs them, may not the winds that fet violently into the Bay of Mexico about the latter end of the year, take their courfe over the continent in
• the fame diredion as the Mifliffippi does ; till meeting with the north winds (that from a iimilar caufe blow up the Bourboti from Hudfon's Bay) they are forced acrofs the great lakes, down the current of the waters of the St. Lawrence, and united, commit thofe rava-
^ ges, and occafion thofe fevere winters, expe-
' rienced in the before mentioned countries ?
' During their progrefs over the lakes they
become expanded, apd confequently affed
^1 >n'^nnr>o, a greater
! 'Mi
f[>
■ ■■ "M
Ill
( 74 )
a greater tradl of land than they othervvifd ' would do.
According to my fcanty knowledge of na- tural philofophy this does not appear impro- bable. Whether it is agreeable to the laws eftabliflied by naturalifts to account for the operations of that element, I know not. However, the defcription here given of the fituation of thefe vaft bodies of water, and their near approach to each other, with my own undigefted fuppofitions of their effe^ on the winds, may prove perhaps, in abler ' hands, the means of leading to many ufeful difcoveries.
' On the 7 th of December, I arrived (as I faid before) at the utmoft extent of my tra- vels towards the weft j where I met with a ' large party of the Nandowefiie Indians, a- mong whom I refided feven months. Thefe conftitiited a part of the eight bands of the Naudoweffies of the Plains-, and are termed the Wawpeentow^ahs, the Tintons, the Af- rahcootans, the Mawhaws, and the Schians. The other three bands, whofe names are the Schianefe, the Chongonfceton, and the Wad- -^ dapawjeftin, dwell higher up, to the weft of*' tlie River St. Pierre, on plains that, accord- *
f 75 ) ing to their account, are unbounded; and pro- bably terminate on the coaft of the Pacific Ocean. The Naudoweflie nation, when unit- ed, confiftsof more than twothoufand war- riors. The Aflinipoils, who revolted from them, amount to about three hundred ; and leagued with the Killiflinoes, live in a con- tinual ftate of enmity with the other eleven bands. ^ . r . ;1 . .* » ,;.; i *
As I proceeded up the River St. Pierre, and had nearly reached the place where thefe pro-' pie were encamped, I ubferved two or three canoes coming down the flream ; but no fooner had the Indians that were on board them difcovered us, than they rowed toward the land, and leaping afhore with precipita- tion, left their canoes to float as the cur- rent drove them. In a few minutes I per- ceived fome others; who, as foon as they came in fight, followed, with equal fpeed, the example of their countrymen.
I now thought it neceflary to proceed with caution ; and therefore kept on the fide of the river oppofite to that on which theln^ dians had landed. However, I ftill continued my courfe, fatisfied that the pipe of peace which was fixed at the head of my canoe,
and
il'l
'tH:!
' " t
fir'
M
« V
. 1
i
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( 76 )
^ and the Englifli colours that were flying at the flern, would prove my fecurity. After rowing about half a mile farther, in turning a point, I difcovereda great number of tents, and more than a thoufand Indians, at a Httle diilance from the fliore. Being now nearly oppoiite to them, I ordered my men to pull dircdly over, as I was willing to convince the Indians by fuch a flep, that I placed fome confidence in them. ■n'Ti' '^rr-
As foon as I had reached the land, two of the chiefs prefented their hands to me, and led me, amidfl the aftonifhed multitude, who had mofl of them never feen a white man be- fore, to a tent. Into this we entered, and according to the cuftom that univerfally pre- vails among every Indian nation, began to fmoke the pipe of Peace. We had not fat long before the crowd became fo great, both around, and upon the tent, that We were in danger of being cruihed by its fall. On this
.we returned to the plain, where having gra- tified the curioljty of the common people, their wotider abated, and ever after they treated me with great refped. . „
;, J, From the chiefs I met with the moft friend- !y and hofpitable reception; which induced
t-t
me,
•J:'^:ii"
( 77 ) XTie, as the feafon was fo far advanced, to take up my refidence among them during the winter. To render my flay as comfortable as poflible, 1 firft endeavoured to learn their language. This I foon did fo as to make my- felf ^erfedlly intelligible, having before ac- quired fome (light knowledge of the language of thofe Indians that live on the back of the fettlements; and in confequence met with every accommodation their manner of living would afford. Nor did I want for fuch a- mufements as tended to make fo long a period pafs chearfuUy away. I frequently hunted with them; and at other times beheld with pleafure their recreations andpaftimes, which I (hall defcribe hereafter.
Sometimes I fat with the chiefs, and w^hilfl we fmoked the friendly pipe, entertained them, in return for the accounts they gave me of their wars and excurfions, with a nar- rative of my own adventures, and a defcrip- tion of all the battles fought between the Engliih and the French in America, in many of which I had a perfonal fhare. Thejr al- ways paid great attention to my details, and aiked many pertinent queftions relative to the European methods of making war. , '. .. > 1 held
m
Ill
( 78 )
I held thefe converfations with them in a "great ineafure to procure from them fbme in- formation relative to th'e chief point I had conftantly in view, that of gaining a know- ledge cf the fituation and produce, both of their own country, and thofe that lay to the weflward of them. Nor was I difappointed in my defignsj for I procured from them much ufeful intelligence. They likewife drew for me plans of all the countries with which they were acquainted 5 but as I enter- tained no great opinion of their geographical knowledge, I placed not much dependence on them, and therefore think it unneceiTary to give them to the public. Such as I after- wards found confirmed, by other accounts, or by my ow^n obfervations, make a part of the map prefixed to this work. They draw with a piece of burnt coal, taken from the hearth, upon the infide bark of the birch tree ; which is as fmooth as paper, and anfwers the fame purpofes, notwithflanding it is of a yel- low cafl. Their fleet ches are made in a rude manner, but they feem to give as jufl an idea of a country, although the plan is not fo ex- ad, as more experienced draughtfmen could
4o.
., .►n.) ' I left
/
( 79 )
I left the habitations of thefe hofpitabic Indians the latter end of April 1767 j but did not part from them for feveral days, as I ^\as accompanied on my journey by near three hundred of them, among whom were many chiefs, to the mouth of the River St. Pierre. At this feafon, thefe bands annually go to the great cave, before mentioned, to hold a grand council with all the other bands j wherein they fettle their operations for the enfuing year. At the fame time they carry with them their dead for interment bound up in buffaloes fkins. Befides thofe that accompa- nied me, others were gone before, and the reft were to follow. ifv^ " '. > h »j
Never did I travel with fo cheerful and happy a company. But their mirth met with a fudden and a temporary allay from a vio- lent ftorm that overtook us one day on our pafTage. We had juft landed, and were pre- paring to fet up our tents for the night, when a heavy cloud overfpread the heavens, and themoft dreadful thunder, lightning, and rain " ifTued from it, that ever I beheld.
The Indians were greatly terrified, and ran to fuch fhelter as they could find ; for only a few tents were as yet ere6led, Appre- . , henfivc
i\
'i
Mi
i I
I
1^'
I ,
^
( 8b ) •
henfive of the danger that might enfue frbm ftanding near any thing which could ferve for a condudlor, as the cloud appeared to con- tain fuchan uncommon quantity of the elec- trical fluid, I took my ftand as far as poflible from any covering; chufing rather to be ex- pofed to the peltings of the ftorm tlian to re- ceive a fatal ftroke. At this the Indians were greatly furprized, and drew conclufions from it not unfavourable to the opinion they alrea- dy entertained of my refolution. Yet I ac- knowledge that I was never more aifeded in my life ; for nothing fcarcely could exceed the terrific fcene. The peals of thunder were fo loud that they fhook the earth ; and the lightning flaflied along the ground in ftreams of fulphur J fo that the Indian chiefs them- felves, although their courage in war is ufually invincible, could not help trembling at the horrid combuftion. As foon as the ftorm was over, they flocked around me, and informed me that it was a proof of the anger of the evil fpirits, whom they were apprehen- iive that they had highly offended. ' -
When we arrived at the Great Cave, and the Indians had depofited the remains of their deccafed friends in the burial-place that
%.
'>rf'^*^.
flands
( 81 )
ftands adjacent to it, they held their great council, into which I was admitted, and at the fame time had the honour to be inllalled or adopted a chief of their bands. On this occalion I made the following fpeech, which I infert to give my readers a fpecimen of the language and manner in which it is necefTary to addrefs the Indians, fo as to engage their attention, and to render the fpeaker's ex- prefiions confonant to their ideas. It was delivered on the firftday of May 1767. t / " My brothers, chiefs of the numerous and " powerful NaudowefTies ! I rejoice that " through my long abode with you, I can " now fpeak to you (though after an imper- " fed manner) in your own tongue, like one "of your own children. I rejoice alfo that " I have had an opportunity fo frequently to " inform you of the glory and power of the " Great King that reigns over the Englifh *' and other nations; who is defcended from '* a very ancient race of fovereigns, as old as '* the earth and waters ; whofe feet ftand on " two great iflands, larger than any you have ' " ever feen, amidft the greateft waters in the " world; whofe head reaches to the fun, 3nd " whofe arms encircle the whole earth.. Thq *» nx-i) Q " number
fit
( 82 ) .•* number of whofe warriors arc equal to the ** trees in the vallies, the ftalks of rice in "yonder mar&es, oi; the blades of grafs on " your great- plains. Who has hundreds of canoes of his own, of fuch amazing big- nefs, that all the waters in your country *' would notfuflice for one of them to fwim each of which have guns, not fmall
<c
«
m
" like mine which you fee before you, but *' of fuch magnitude, that a hundred of your " jftouteft young men would with difficulty '^ be able to carry one. And thefe are equal- " ly furprizing in their operation againft the '' great king*s enemies when engagea in bat- *' tie J the terror they carry with them your *' language wants words to exprefs. You " may remember the other day when we were " encamping at Wadawpawmenefoter, the *' black clouds, the wind, the fire, the ftu- " pendous noife, the horrible cracks, and the *^ trembling of the earth which then alarmed " you, and gave you reafon to think your " gods were angry with you ; not unli*i **' thefe are the warlike implements of the " Englifh when they are fighting the battles *' of their great king. '•H)')05 ^^' ^'
.•5*tB^frtar*f:*^'^ : ; .;.•,- ^ •; - -.-f te* " Several-
( 83 )
" Several of the chiefs of your bands have " often told me, in times paft, vv'hen I dwelt " with you in your tents, that they much " wifhed to be counted among the children " and allies of the great king my matter. You ** may remember how often you have defired " me, when I return again to my own coun- " try, to acquaint the great king oLyour good " difpofition towards hiin and his fubjedts, " and that you wifhed for traders from the " Englifh to come among you. Being now " about to take my leave of you, and to re- " turn to my own country, a long way to- " wards the rifing fun, I again afk you to tell " me whether you continue of the fame mind ** as when I fpoke to you in council laft win- " ter ; and as there are now feveral of your " chiefs here, who came from the great plains " towards the fetting of the fun, whom I " have never fpoke with in council before, I " afk you to let me know if you are all Willing " to acknowledge yourfelves the children of *' my great mafler the king of the Englifh " and other nations, as I fhall take the firfl " opportunity to acquaint him of your de- *' fires and good intentions, I charge you not " to give heed to bad reports 5 for there are . .' •' Q 2 " wicked
''■■■ m
\l
IW
If
ft
( 84 )
" wicked birds flying about among the neigh- " bouring nations, who may whifper evil " things in your ears againft the Englifh, con- " trary to what I have told you ; you muft *' not believe them, for I have told you the " truth.
*' And as to the chiefs who are about to go " to Michillimackinac, I fhall take care to *' make for them and their fuite, a ftraight " road, fmooth waters, and a clear llcy -, that *■' they may go there, and fmoke the pipe of " peace, and reft fecure on a beaver blanket '' under the fhade of the great tree of peace. *' Farewell." . ,
« 'To this fpeech I received the following anfwer, from the mouth of the principal chief.
^ . *' Good brother! I am now about to ^* fpeak to you with the mouths of thefe my " brothers, chiefs of the eight bands of the '' powerful nation of the Naudoweffies. We " believe and are- well fatisfied in the truth of "every thing you have told us -about your " great nation, and the Great King our
greateft father ; for whom we fpread this " beaver blanket, that his fatherly prote6tion
may ever reft eafy and fafe among us . • . . "his
(C
u
1 1
n'A- ytfikf '-•'"' '^.
<c
l(
( 85 )
" his children : your colours and your arms ** agree with the accounts you have given us *' about your great nation. We defire that when you return, you will acquaint the Great King hew much the Naudoweflies " wifh to be counted among his good children. " You may believe us when we tell you that " we will not open our ears to any who may " dare to f*peak evil of our Great Father the " king of the Englilh and other nations. >i
" We thank you for what you have done " for us in making peace between the Nau- *^ dowefTies and the Chipeways, and hope " when you return to us again, that you will " complete this good work ; and quite difpel- " ling the, clouds that intervene, open the " blue iky of peace, and caufe the bloody " hatchet to be deep buried under the roots " of the great tree of peace. ,., ^*' We wifh you to remember to reprefent " to our Great Father, how much we deli re " that traders may be fent to abide among us, */ w;ith' fuch things as we need, that the *' hearts of our young men, our wives, and " children may be made glad. And may .'' peace fubfift between us, fo long as the fun.
'■m
■•''1
M
m.
^■ :'lHf7r!t« vi.;- i\.'<. yij^. Mri »'7;
'* the
If: '-'
( 86 )
*' the moon, the earth, and the waters fhall *' endure. Farewell."
I thought it necelTary to caution the In- dians againft giving heed to any bad reports that may reach tbem from the neighbouring nations to the difadvantage of the Enghfh, as I had heard, at different places through which 1 paffed, that emiifaries were ftill employed by the French to detach thofe who werie friendly to the Englifh from their intereft. And I faw, myfelf, feveral belts of Wampum that had been delivered for this purpofe tQ fome of the tribes 1 was among. On the de- livery of each of thefe a Talk was held, wlierein the Indians were told that the Eng- lifh, who were but a petty people, had ftolen that country from their Great Father the king of France whllfl he was afleep ; but that he would foon awake, and take them again un- der his protedion. Thefe I found were fent from Canada by perfons who appeared to be Well afTected towards the government under v\hich they li ved. '^^^^ 4 ^ '' *^'" '* '-*^- • ^'^^^' " ^ Whilfl I tarried at the mouth of the 'River St. Pierre with thefe friendly Indians, I en- deavoured to gain intelligence whether any goods had been fent towards the Falls of St. ■6h^h\ bhd I p-'.r::-^_^^:'i:. , . ■ Anthony '
I
( 87 )
Anthony for my ufe, agreeable to the pro- mife I had received from the governor when I left Michillimackinac. But finding from fome Indians, who paffed by in their return from thofe parts, that this agreement had not been fulfilled, I was obliged to give up all thoughts of proceeding farther to the north- weft by this route, according to my original plan. I therefore returned to La Prairie le Chien, where I procured as many goods from the tra- ders I left there the preceding year as they could fpare. :
As thefe however were notfufEcient to en- able me to renew my firft defign, I determin- ed to endeavour to make my way acrofs the country of the Chipeways to Lake Superior j in hopes of meeting at the Grand Portage on the north fide of it, the traders that annually go from Michillimackinac to the north-weft j of whom 1 doubted not but that Lfhould be able to procure goods enough to anfwer my purpofe, and alfo to penetrate through thofe more northern parts to the Streights of An-
nian.
,Sftfi;Dn?
QIT
And I the more readily returned to La
Prairie le Chien, as I could by that means
the better fulfil the engagement I had made
' to
I
I
I I
I
( 88 )
to the party of Naudoweffies mentioned at the conclufion of my fpeech. During my abode with this people, wifhing to fecure them entirely in the intereft of the Englifh, I had advifed fome of the chiefs to go to Michillimackinac, where they would have an opportunity of trading, and of hearing the accounts that I had entertained them with of my countrymen confirmed. At the fame time I had furnifhed them with a re- commendation to the governor, and given them every diredion necefTary for their voyage. ' ,...,^ , ,,.,
In confequence of this one of the principal chiefs, and twenty-five of an inferior rank, agreed to go the enfuing fummer. This they took an opportunity of doing when they came with the refl of their band to attend the grand council at the mouth of the River St. Pierre. Being obliged, on account of the difappointment I hadjufl been informed of, to return fo far down the Miffiffippi, I dould from thence the more eafily fet them on their journey. - y v^ ?; -
-As the intermediate parts of this river are much frequented by the Chipeways, with whom the Naudpweffies are continually at
war.
( 89 )
war, they thought it more prudent, being but a fmall party, to take the advantage of the night, than to travel with me by day j accord- ingly no fooner was the grand council broke up, than I took a friendly leave of thefe people, from whom I had received innume- rable civilities, and purfued once more my voyage. - ...^ --. ; - -.
I reached the eaftern fide of Lake Pepin the fame night, where I went alhore and encamped as ufual. The next mofning, when I had proceeded fomc miles farther, I per- ceived at adiftance before me a fmoke, which denoted that fome Indians were near ; and in a fhort time difcovered ten or twelve tents not far from the bank of the river. As I was apprehenfive that this was a party of the Rovers I had before met with, I knew not what courfe to purfue. My attendants per- fuaded me to endeavour to pafs by them on the oppofite fide of the river -, but as I had hitherto found that the beft way to enfure a friendly reception from the Indians is to meet them boldly, and without fiiewing any tokens of fear, I would by no means confent to their propofal. Infiead of this i croiTed diredly over, and landed in the midft of them, for
\ I
m m
"sm
-mK
^
.( 90 )
by this time the greateft part of them were ftanding on the (here.
The firfl 1 accofted were Chip^ways inha- biting near the Ottowaw lakes ; who receiv- ed me with great cordiality, and fhook me by the hand in token of friendship. At fome little diftance behind thefe ftood a chief re- markably tall and well made, but of fo flern an afped that the moft undaunted perfon could not behold him without feeling fomc degree of terror. He feemed to have palTed the meridian of hfc, and by the mode in which he was painted and tatowcd, I difco- vered that he was of high rank. However^ I approached him in a courteous manner, and expeded to have met with the fame reception I had done from the others : but to my great furprize he with-held his hand, and looking fiercely at me, faid in the Chi pe way tongue,' " Cawin nifhifhin faganofh," that is, " Tha Englifh are no good." As he had his toma- 3iav/k in his hand, I ej^pejifjed th^it this la« conick fentence would have been followeid byr a blow ; to prevent which I drew a piftot from my belt, and, holding it in a careleiff pdfition, pafTed clofe by him,^ to let hini'
fee I was not afraid of him. ♦*
\ / I learned
( 9' >
I learned foon after from the other Indians that ihis was a chief, called by the French the Grand Sautor, or the Great Chipeway Chief, for they denominate the Chipcways Sautors. They likewife told me that he had been always a Heady friend to that people, and when they delivered up Michillimac- kinac to the Englifh on their evacuation of Canada, the Grand Sautor had fworn that he would ever remain the avowed enemy of its new poffelTors, as the territories on which the fort is built belonged to him.
Finding him thus difpofed, I took care to be conftantly upon my guard whilft I ftaid j but that he might not fuppofe I was driven away by his frowns,! took up my abode there for the night. I pitched my tent at fome diA tance from the Indians, and had no fooner laid n^yfelf down to reft, than I was awaked by my French fervant. Having been alarm- ed by the found of Indian mufic, he had run to the outfide of the tent, where he behel4 a party of the young favages dancing to- wards us in an extraordinary ii?ianner, each : carrying in his hand a torch fixed on the, top of a long pole. But I fhall defer any further account of thi^ uncomip^ion entertain-r , I ment,
I:
' mcnt, which at once furprized and alarrtied me, till I treat of the Indian dances. ' The next morning I continued my voyage, and before night reached La Prairie leChien -, at which place the party of Naudoweflies foon overtook me. Not long after the Grand ^autor alfo arrived, and before the Naudo- weflies left that place to continue their jour* ney to Mich ill imackinac, he found means, in conjundion with fome French traders from Louifiana, to draw from me about ten of the NaudowxiTie chiefs, whom he prevail- ed upon to go towards thofe parts. > i^ifini) <-' The remainder proceeded according to my directions, to the Englifh fort ; from whence I afterwards heard that they returned to their own country without any unfortunate acci- dent befalling them, and greatly pleafedwitH the reception *hey had met with. Whilft not more than half of thofe who went to the fouthward, through the difference of that fouthern climate from their own, lived to reach their abode. And (ince I came to Eng- land I have been informed, that the Grand Sautor h ving rendered himfelf more and more difguftful to the Englifh by his invete- rate enmity towards them, was at length : ' flabbed
^( 93 V dabbed in his tent, as he encamped near Mi- chillimackinac, by a trader to whom I had related the foregoing ftory.
I fhould have remarked, that whatever In- dians happen to meet at La Prairie leChien, the great mart to which all who inhabit the t^djacent countries refor*", ihough the nations to which they belong are at war with each other, yet they are obliged to reflrain their enmity, and to forbear all hoftile ads during their ftay there. This regulation has been long eftablifhed among them for their mutual convenience, as w^ithout it no trade coiild be carried on. The fame rule is ob- ferved alfo at the Red Mountain (afterwards defcribed) from whence they get the ftone of which they make their pipes: thefe being indifpenfable to the accommodation of every neighbouring tribe, a fimilar redridion be- comes needful, and is of public utility.
The River St, Pierre, which runs through the territories of the NaudowefTies, flows through amoift delightful country, abounding with all the neceffaries of life, that grow -fpontaneoufly ; and with a little cultivation it might be made to produce even the lux- uries of life. Wild rice grows here in great DAcat;^ abundance i
' 1^
( 94 )
abundahcfc; and every part is filled with trees bending under their loads of fruits, fuch as plums, grapes, and apples j the mea- dows are covered v\^ith hops, and many- forts of vegetables ; whilft the ground is ftored with ufeful roots, with angelica, fpike- nard, and ground-nuts as large as hens eggs. At a little diftance from the fides of the river are eminences, from which you have views that cannot be exceeded even by the mofl .beautiful of thofe I have already defcribed ; amidfl thefe are delightful groves, and fuch amazing quantities of maples, that they would produce fugar fufficient for any num- ber of inhabitants. i"^ A little way from the mouth of this river,' on the north fide of it, flands a hill, one part of which, that towards the MifTiffippi, is compofed entirely of white ftone, of the fame foft nature as that I have before def- cribed j for fuch, indeed, is all the flone in this country. But what appears remarkable is, that the colour of it is as white as thcf driven fnow. The outward part of it was crumbled by the wind and weather into heaps of fand, of which a beautiful compo- fition might bo made 5 or, I am of opinion' . • - that
( 95 ) that when properly treated the ftone itfelf would grow harder by time, and have a very noble efFed in arch i tenure.
Near that branch which is termed the Mar- ble River, is a mountain, from whence the Indians get a fort of red ftone, out of which they hew the bowls of their pipes. In fome of thefe parts is found a black hard clay, or rather llone, of which the Naudo wellies makd their family utenfils. This country likewife abounds with a milk white clay, of which China ware might be made equal in good- nefs to the Afiaticj and alfo with a blue clay that ferves the Indians for paint ; with this laft they contrive, by mixing it with the red ftone powder, to paint themfelves of dif- ferent colours. Thofe that can get the blue clay here mentioned, paint themfelves very, mueh with it ; particularly when they arc about to begin their fports and paftimes. It is alfo efteemed by them a mark of peace, as it has a refemblance of the blue iky, which with them is a fymbol of it, and made ufe of in their fpeeches as a figurative expreiTion to denote peace. When they wifh to fhcw that their inclinations are pacific towards other • »•' / tribes.
I #((
4
( 96 )
tribes, they greatly ornament both them- felves and their belts with it.
■^ Having concluded my bufinefs at La Prairie
le Chien, I proceeded once more up the Mif-
filfippi, as far as the place where the Chi-
p6way River enters it a little below Lake
Pepin. Here, having engaged an Indian
pilot, I direded him to lleer towards the
Ottow^aw Lakes which lie near the head of
this river. This he did, and I arrrived at
them the beginning of July. ,;
The Chipeway River, at its jundion with
the Miififlippi, is about eighty yards wnde,
but it is much wider as you advance into
it. Near thirty miles up it feparates into
two branches, and T took my courfe through
that which lies to the eallward.
The country adjoining to the river, for a- bout fixty miles, is very level, and on its banks lie fine meadows, where larger droves of buffaloes and elks wxre feeding, than I had obfervcd in any other part of my tra^ vels. The track between the two branches of this river is termed the Road of War be- tween the Chipeway and NaudoweiTie la-
'/f.
dians.
j"*.t,u c'iiJ Ji>
ilii i'
■ ' ( 97 ) ' '
The country to the Falls marked in the plan at the extent of the traders travels, is almoft without any timber, and above that very uneven and rugged, and clofely wood- ed with pines, beach, maple, and birch. Here a moft remarkable and aftonifhing fight prefented itfelf to my view. In a wood^ on the caft of the river, which was about thee quarters of a mile in length, and in depth farther than my eye could reach, I obferved that every tree, many of which were more than fix feet in circumference, was lying flat on the ground torn up by the roots. This appeared to have been done by fome ' extraordinary hurricane that came from the wefl fome years ago, but how many I could not learn, as I found no inhabitants near it, of whom I could gain information. The country on the weft fide of the river, from being lefs woody, had efcaped in a great mea- fure this havock, as only a few trees were blown down.
Near the heads of this river is a town of the Chip6ways, from whence it takes its name. It is fituated on each fide of the river (which at this place is of no confiderable breadth) and lies adjacent to the banks of a
H foiajl
lit
!
*•
r :,
I
'■
'(..98 )
fmall lake. This town contains about forty houfcs, and can fend out upwards of one hundred warriors, many of whom were fine flout young men. The houfes of it are built after the Indian manner, and have neat plantations behind them; but the inhabi- tants, in general, feemcd to be the nafliell people I had ever been among. I obferved that the women and children indulged them- felves in a cuftom, which though common, in fome degree, throughout every Indian na- tion, appears to be, according to our ideas, of the moft naufeous and indelicate nature; that of fcarching each other's head, and eating the prey caught therein.
In July I left this town, and having crof- fed a number of fmall lakes and carrying pla- ces that intervened, came to a head branch of the River St. Croix. This branch I dcf- cended to a fork, and then afcended ano- ther to its fource. On both thefe rivers I difcovered feveral mines of virgin copper, which was as pure as that found in any other country.. ,-i.i . v**
;• Here I came to a fmall brook, which my guide thought might be joined at fome di- fiance by ftreams that would at length render
Zilit'tmiiik
l \
it
( 99 )
it navigable. The water at firfl was fo fcanty, that my canoe would by no means fwim in it ; but having flopped up feveral old beaver dams which had been broke down by the hunters, I was enabled to proceed for fome miles, till by the conjundion of a few brooks, thefe aids became no longer necef- fary. In a fhort time the v.ater increafed to a moft rapid river, which we defcended till it entered into Lake Superior. This ri- ver I named after a ffcntleman that defired to accompany me from the town of the Ot- tagaumies to the Carrying Place on Lake Superior, Goddard's river. t^Au
' To the weft of this is another fmall river, which alfo empties itfelf into the Lake. This I termed Strawberry River, from the great number of ftrav/berries of a good fvzQ and •fine flavour that grew on its banks. •■'^'
The country from the OttowaA/v Lakes to Lake Superior is in general very uneven and thickly covered with w^oods. The foil in fome places tolerably good, in others but indifferent. In the beads of the St. Croix, .. and the Chipeway Rivers, are exceeding fine ■fturgeon. All the wildcrnefs between the MiiTifTippi. and Lake Superior is called by the
H 2 Indians
111
IH
( 100 )
Indians the Mofchettoe country, and I thought it moft juftly named ; for, it being then their feafon, I never faw or felt fo many of thofe infeds in my Hfe.
The latter end of July I arrived, after having coafted through Weft Bay, at the Grand Portage, which lies on the north-weft borders of Lake Superior. Here thofe who go on the north-weft trade, to the Lakes De Pluye, Dubois, &c. carry over their canoes and baggage about nine miles, till they come to a number of fmall lakes, the waters of fome of which defcend into Lake Superior, and others into the River Bourbon. Lake Superior from Weft Bay to this place is bounded by rocks, except towards the fouth- weft part of the Bay where I firft entered it, there it was tolerably level.
At the Grand Portage is a fmall bay, be- fore the entrance of which lies an ifland that intercepts the dreary and uninterrupted view over the Lake which otherwife would have prefented itfelf, and makes the bay ferene and pleafant. Here I met a large party of Killiftinoe and Affinipoil Indians, with their refpedive kings and thefr families. They were come to this place in order to meet the
traders
H* ..
( lOI ) . ,
traders from Michillimackinac, who make this their road to the north-weft. From them I received the following account of the Lakes that lie to the north-weft of Lake Superior.
Lake Bourbon, the moft northern of thofe yet difcovered, received its name from fome French traders who accompanied a party of Indians to Hudfon's Bay fome years ago: and was thus denomir-ated by them in ho- nour of the royal family of France. It is compofed of the waters of the Bourbon Ri- ver, which, as I have before obferved, rifcs a great way to the fouthward, not far from the northern heads of the Milliffippi. . This Lake is about eighty miles in length, north and fouth, and is nearly circular. It has no very large iflands on it. The land on the eaftern lide is very good 5 and to the fouth-weft there are fome mountains: In many other parts there are barren plains, bogs, and moraftes. Its latitude is between fifty-two and fifty-four degrees north, and it lies nearly fouth-weft from Hudfon's Bay. As through its northern fituation the weather there is extremely cold, only a few animals are to be found in the country that borders
'(■■■ :i
on
( 102 )
on it. They gave me but an indifFerent ac- count either of the beafls, birds, or fiflies. There are indeed fome buffaloes of a fmall fize, which are fat and good about the latter end of the fummer, with a few moofe and carriboo deer; however this deficiency is made up by the furs of every fort that are to be met with in great plenty around the Lake. The timber growing here is chiefly fir, cedar, fpruce, and fome maple.
Lake Winncpeek, or as the French write it Lac Ouinipique, v/liich lies neareft to the foregoing, is compofed of the fame waters. It is in length about two hundred miles north and fouth ; its breadth has never been pro- perly afcertained, but is luppofed to be a- bout one hundred miles in its wideft part. This Lake is very full of illands ^ thefe are, however, of no great magnitude. Many confiderable rivers empty ihemfelves into it, which, as yet, arc not diftinguiflied by any names. The waters are ftored with fifli, fuch as trout and fturgeon, and alfo with others of a fmaller kind peculiar to thefe kikes. , ,i . , • .{jrH K
_, The land on the fouth-wcft part of it is very good, efpccially about the entrance of
a large
;^j*
/
( 103 ) . -
a large branch of the River Bourbon which flows from the fouth-weft. On this River there is a fadory that was built by the French called Fort La Reine, to which the traders from Michillimackinac refort to trade with the Afllnipoils and Killiftinoes. To this place the Mahahs, who inhabit a country- two hundred and fifty miles fouth-weft, come alfo to trade with them ; and bring great quantities of Indian corn to exchange for knives, tomahawks, and other articles. Thefe people are fuppofed to dwell on fome of the branc es of the river of the weft, r Lake Winncpeek has on the north-eaft fome mountains, and on the eaft many bar- ren plains. The maple or fugar tree grows here in great plenty, and there is like.vife gathered an amazing quantity of rice, which proves that grain will flourifh in thefe north- ern climates as well as in warmer. Buffaloes, carraboo, and moofe deer, are numerous in thefe parts. The buffaloes of this country difter from thofe that are found more to the fouth only in fiZvij the former being much fmaller : juft as the black cattle of the nor- thern parts of Great Britain differ from Eng- lifhoxen. ^o^^^rv
^ ^ Oa
y^'M
Iff
'I ;
! I
ii
( 104 )
On the waters that fall into this Lake, tlic neighbouring nations take great num- bers of exc, ilcnt furs. Some of thefe they carry to the factories and fcttlements belong- ing to Hudfon's Bay Company, fituated a- ^ bout the entrance of the Bourbon River: but this they do with reludance on feveral ac- counts ; for fome of the Aflinipoils and Kil- liftinoes, who ufually traded with the Com- pany's fervants, told me, that if they could be fure of a conflant fupply of goods from Michiilimackinac, they would not trade any w^here elfc. They Ihewed me fome cloth and other articles tliat they had purchafed at Hudfon's Bay, with which they were much diffatisfied, thinking they had been greatly impofed upon in the barter. ii,
s Allowing that their accounts were true, I could not help joining in their opinion. But this diffatisfiidion might probably proceed, in a great meafiare, from the intrigues of the Canadian traders: for whililthe French were in pofTe'lion of Pvlichillimackinac, having ac- quired a thorough knowledge of the trade of the north-weft countries, they were employ- ed on that account, after the redudion of Ca- nada, by the Englifli traders there, in the -,---' ' eftablifhment
ers.
f ^/"V
( '05 ) eftablifhment of this trade with which they were thcmfclves quite unacquainted. One of the methods they took to withdraw thefe Indians from their attachment to the Hud- fon's Bay Company, and to engage their good opinion in behalf of their new employ- ers, was by depreciating on all occafions the Company's goods, and magnifying the advan- tages that would arife to them from traffick- ing entirely with the Canadian traders. In this they too well fuccceded, and from this, doubtlefs, did the diilatisfadion the Affini- poils and Killiftinoes expreffed to me, partly proceed. But another reafon augmented it J and this was the length of their journey to the Hudfon's Bay fa6lories, which, they informed me, took them up three months during the fummer heats to go and return, ^ and from the fmallnefs of their canoes they could not carry more than a third of the beavers they killed. So that it is not to be wondered at, that thefe Indians fhould wifh to have traders come to refide among them. It is true that the parts they inhabit are with- in the limits of the Hudfon's Bay territories, but the Company muft be under the necef- fity of winking at an encroachment of this ., kind,
Il!i
■'
I
U
II '
:
i i°6 )
kind, as the Indians would without doubt protcdl the traders when among them. Be- fides, the pailports granted to the traders that go from MichilHmackinac give them liberty to trade to the north-weft about Lake Supe- rior •, by which is meant Fort La Reine, Lake Winnepeek, or any other parts of the waters of the Bourbon River, where the Couriers de Bois, or Traders may make it moft convenient to refide. '
Lac du Bois, as it is commonly termed by the French in their maps, or in Englifh the Lake of the Wood, is To called from the mul- tiplicity of wood growing on its banks; fuch as oaks, pines, firs, fpruce, &. This Lake lies ftill higher up a branch of the River Bourbon, and nenrl^^ "if!: from the fouth end of the Lalii Winnepeek. It is of great depth in feme places. Its length from eall to weft about feventy miles, and its greateft breadth about forty miles. It has but few iflands, and thefc of no great magnitude. The fifties, fowls, and quadrupeds that are found near it, vary but little from thofc of the other tv/o lakes. A few of the Killiftinoe Indians fome- times encamp on the borders of it to fifti and
hunt.. '*'*'''' " Z**:^'' ^! i.i4.;; ly ,Uu»
'■'•: This
( 107 ) This Lake lies in the communication be- tween Lake Superior, and the Lakes Win- nepeek and Bourbon. Its waters are not efteemed quite fo pure as thofc of the other lakes, it having, in many places, a muddy bottom.
Lac La Pluye, {q calkd by the French, in Englifh the Rainy Lake, is fuppofed to have acquired this name from the firft travellers, that pafTed over it, meeting with an uncom- mon deal of rain J or, as fome have affirmed, from a mid like rain occ^ifioned by a perpen- dicular water-fall that empties itfelf into a ri- ver which lies to the fouth-weft.
This Lake appears to be divided by an Ifth- mus, near the middle, into two parts : the weft part is called the Great Rainy Lake, the eaft, the Little Rainy Lake, ?.s being the leaft divifion. It lies a few miles farther to the eaftward, on the fame branch of the Bourbon, than the lall-mentioned lake. It is in genei-al very ftiallow in its depth. The broadeft part of it is not more than twenty miles, its length, including both, about three hundred miles. In the weft part the water is very clear anr" good ; and fome excellent fifli are taken in it. A great many fowl re-
Ibrt
i I
i-:
If
i
I' I
( loS )
fort here at the fall of the year. Moofe deer are to be found in great plenty, and likewife the carrabooj whofe fkin for breeches or gloves exceeds by far any other to be met with in North-America. The land on the borders of this Lake is efleemed in fome places very good, but rather too thickly co- vered with wood. Here refide a confiderable band of the Chipeways.
Eaftward from this Lake lie feveral fmall ones, which extend in a firing to the great carrying place, and from thence into Lake Superior. Between thefe little ^-^k ' are fe- veral carrying places, which render ttie trade to the north-weft difficult to accomplifh, and exceedingly tedious, as it takes two years to make one voyage from Michillimackinac to
thefe parts. . .-► , . ^ .,
Red Lake is a comparatively fmall lake at the head of a branch of th-^ Bourbon River, which is called by fome Red River. Its fcym is nearly round, and about fixty miles in i • - cumference. On one fide of it is a tolerable large ifland, clofe by which a fmall river en- ters. It bears almofl fouth-eafl both from Lake Winncpeek and i.om Lake du Bois. The parts adjacent are very little knjvn,
.>-'i.
or
ii '»
( 109 )
or frequented, even by the favages them* felves.
Not far from this Lake, a little to the fouth-weft, is another called White Bear Lake, which is nearly about the fize of the laft mentioned. The waters that compofe this Lake are the moft northern of any tlat fupply the Mifliffippi, and may be called with propriety ils moft remote fource. It is fed by two or three fmall rivers, or rather lar2;e brooks.
A few miles from it, to the foiith-eaft, arc a great number of fmall lakes, none of which are more than ten miles in circumference, that are called the Thoufand Lakes. In the adjacent country is reckoned the lineft hunt- ing for furs of any on this continent; the Indians who hunt here feldom rcturnino^ without having their canoes loaded as deep as they can fwim. r . ^, > - Having juft before obfervcd tliat this Lake is the utmoft northern fource of the Milfiflip- pi, I Ihall here further remark, that before this river enters the Gulph of Mexico, it has notrunlefs, through all its meanderings, than three thoufand miles; or, in a ftrait line from north to fouth, about twenty degrees, * which
if
!i
. ■ ( no )
which is nearly fourteen hundred Englifli miles.
Thefe Indians informed me, that to the north-well of Lake Winnepeek lies another whofe circumference vaftly exceeded any they had given me an account of They defcribe it as much larger than Lake Superior. But as it appears to be fo far to the north-weft, I ihould imagine that it was not a lake, but rather the Archipelago or broken waters that ^orm the communication between Hudfon's 3ay and the northern parts of the Pacific
Ocean. K^nrfl >..rl.
There are an infinite number of fmall lakes, on the more wcftern parts of the weft- ern head-branches of the MilTilfippi, as well as between thefe and Lake Winnepeek, but none of them are large enough to fuppofe ei- ther of them to be the lake or waters meant by the Indians. ' ' ''^^
; They likewife informed me, that fome of the northern branches of the MefTorie and the fouthern branches of the St. Pierre have a communication with each other, except for a mile; over which they carry their canoes. And by what I could learn from them, this is the road they take when their war parties u jj - make
( ni ) .
. make their excurfions upon the Pawnees and Pawnawnees, nations inhabiting fome branches of the Mefforie River. In the coun-
' try belonging to thefe people it is faid, that Mandrakes are frequently found, a fpecies of root refembling human beings of both fexes ; and that thefe are more perfed than fuch as are difcovered about the Nile in Nether- Ethiopia. '
A little to the north- weft of the heads of the Mefforie and the St. Pierre, the Indians further told me, that there w^as a nation ra- ther fmaller and whiter than the neighbour- ing tribes, who cultivate the ground, and (as far as I could gather from their expreflionsj in fome meafure, the arts. To this account they added that fome of the nations, who in- habit thofe parts that lie to the weft of the Shining Mountains, have gold fo plenty a- mong them that they make their moft com- mon utenlils of it. Thefe mountains (which I fhall defcribe more particularly hereafter) divide the waters that fall into the South Sea from thofe that run into the Atlantic. . The people dwelling near them are/fup- pofed to be fome of the different trib'es that were tributary to the Mexican kings, and
who
m
. ■ ( 112 )
who fled from their native country to feek an afylum in thefe parts, about the time of the conqueft of Mexico by the Spaniards, more than two centuries ago.
As fome confirmation of this fuppofition it is remarked, that they have chofen the moft interior parts for their retreat, being liill pre- poflefTed with a notion that the fea coafts have been infefted ever iince with monfters vomiting fire, and hurling about thunder and lightning; from whofe bowels ifTued men, who, with unfeen inflruments, or by the power of magic, killed the hai mlefs Indians at an aftonifhing diflance. From fuch as thefe, their fore-fathers (according to a tradi- tion among them that flill remains unim- paired) fled to the retired abodes they now inhabit. For as they found that the floating monfters which had thus terrified them could not approach the land, and that thofe who had defcended from their fides did not care to make excurfions to any confiderable dif- tance from them, they formed a refolution to betake themfelves to fome country, that lay far from the fea-coafts, where only they could be fecurc from fuch diabohcal enemies. They accordingly fet out with their families,
and
«>
( 113 )
and after a long peregrination, fettled thciri- felves near thefe mountains, where they con- cluded they had found a place of pcrfed fe- curity.
The Winnebagoes, dwelling on the Fox River (whom I have already treated of) are like wife fuppofed to be fome ftrolling band from the Mexicaaa countries. But they are able to give only an imperfect account of their original refidence. They fay they for- merly came a great way from the weftward, and were driven by wars to take refuge a- mong the Naudoweffies ; but as they are en- tirely ignorant of the arts, or of the value of gold, it is rather to be fuppofed, that they were driven from their ancient fettlements by the above-mentioned emigrants, as they paffedon towards their prefent habitation.
Thefe fuppofitions, however, may want confirmation ; for the fmaller tribes of Indians are fubjed to fuch various alterations in Lheir places of abode, from the wars they are con- tinually engaged in, that it is almoft impoifi- ble to afcertain, after half a century, the original fituation of any of them. ' That range? of mountains, of which the Shining Mountains area part, begin at Mex-
I
( IH )
ico, and continuing northward on the back, or to the eaft of California, feparate the wa- . ters of thofe numerous rivers that fall cither into the Gulph of Mexico, or the Gulph of California. From thence continuing their courfe ftill northward, between the fources of the MilTiflippi and the rivers that run into the South Sea, they appear to end in about forty-feven or forty-height degrees of north latitude; where a number of rivers arife, and empty themfelves either into the South Sea, into Hudfon's Bay, or into the waters that communicate between thefe two feas. i^^ -,n Among thefe mountains, thofe that lie to the weft of the River St. Pierre, are called the Shining Mountains, from an infinite number of chryftal ftones, of an amazing fize, with which they are covered, and w^hich, when the fun fhines full upon them, fparkle fo as to be feen at a very great dif- tance.
This extraordinary range of mountains is calculated to be more than three thoufand miles in length, without any very confider-' able intervals, which I believe furpafles ^ny thing of the kind in the other quarters of the globe. Probably in future agesthey may • ':< ': . " be '
( 115 )
* ...
be fouiid to contain more riches in theif bowels, than thofe of Indoftan and Malabar, or that are produced on the Golden Coaft of Guinea -, nor will I except even the Peru- vian Mines. To the weft of thefe mountains, when explored by future Columbufes or Ra- leighs, may be found other lakes, rivers, and countries, full fraught with all the necefia- ries or luxuries of life ; and where future ge- nerations may find an afylum, whether driven from their country by the ravages of lawlefs tyrants, or by religious perfecutions, or reludantly leaving it to remedy the incon- veniencies arifing from a fuperabundant in- creafe of inhabitants; whether, I fay, im- pelled by thefe, or allured by hopes of com- mercial advantages, there is little doubt but their expedations will be fully gratified in thefe rich and unexhaufted climes. .• ,
But to return to the Aflinipoils and Killifli- noes, whom I left at t le Grand Portage, and from whom I received the foregoing account of the lakes that lie to the north- weft of this place. ^ ^
The traders we expeded being later this feafon than ufual, and our numbers very con- fidejatle, for there were more than thfee
I 2, hundred
r i
1: :
ill:
'!
M
1 'i
„;
( i'6 )
hundred of us, the flock of provifions we had brought with us was nearly exhauftcd, and we waited with impatience for their arrival. • One day, whilft we were all exprefTing our wifhes for this defirable event, and looking from an eminence in hopes of feeing them come over the Lake, the chief prieft belong- ing to the band of the Killiftinoes told us, that he would endeavcfur to obtain a confer- ence with the Great Spiiit, and know from him when the traders would arrive. I paid little attention to this declaration, fuppofing that it would be produdive of fome juggling trick, juft fufiiciently covered to deceive the Ignorant Indians. But the king of that tribe telling me that it was chiefly undertaken by the priell to alleviate my anxiety, and at the fame time to convince me how much intereft he had with the Great Spirit, I thought i|: neceiTary to reftrain my animadverfions on his delign.
The following evening was fixed upon for this fpiritual conference. When every thing had been properly prepared, the king came to ine and led me to a capacious tent, the cover- ing of which was drawn up, fo as to render what was tranfacling within vifible to thofe
who
I
( "7 ) who ftood without. Wc found the tent fur- rounded by a great number of the Indians, but we readily gained admiffion, and feated ourfelves on ll<ins laid on the ground for that purpofe. :
In the centre I obferved that there was a place of an obtong lliape, which was cora- pofed offtakes ftuck in- the ground, with in- tervals between, fo as to form a kind of chcft or coffins krge enough to contain the body • of a man. Thefe were of a middle fize, and placed at fuch a dii'lance from each other, that whatever lay within them was readily- to be difcerned. The tent was perfedly illuminated by a great number of torches mtid'c of fptinters cut from the pine or birch tree, which the Indians held in their hands.
In a few minutes the prieft entered j when an amazing large elk's fkin being fpread on the ground, juft at my feet, he laid himfelf down upon it, after having ftripped himfelf of every garment except that which he wore clofe about his middle. Being now proftrate on his back, he firft laid hold of one fide of the fkin, and folded it over him, and then the other; leaving only his head uncovered. Thi§ w^as no fooner done, than two of the
young
I
m^
( n8 )
young men who flood by took about forty yards of ftrong cord, made alfo of an elk's hide, and rolled it tight round his body, fo that he was completely fwathed within the ikin. Being thus bound up like an Egyptian Mummy, one took him by the heels, and the other by the head, and lifted him over the pales into* the inclofure. I could now alfo- difcern him as plain as I had hitherto done, and I took care not to turn my eyes a moment from the objed before me, that I might the more readily dete*^ the artifice, for fuch I doubted not but th^t it would tyr^
out to b!?. - ^■' f^- 'rfri^ ^
The prieft bad not Iain in t^ fituation more than a few feconds, when n^. began to mutter. . This he continued to do fqr fome tipe, and then by degrees grew louder and louder, till at length he fpoke articulately 5 however what he uttered was in fuch a mix- ed jargon of the Chipeway, Qttawayv, and iJ^illillinoe languages,, that I could pnder- ftand but.yerylitUeof it. . Having continued in -this tone for a cqnfiderable while, he at laft exerted his voice to it;s utraoftpitch, fome- timea raving and fometimes praying,, till he ■ .g Aw ;?iTi fi^ ^^,i,-; ....V Vh^qaiQS s»iil fed >,
f 119 )
had worker! himfclf into fuch an agitation, that he foamed at his mouth. -^ ^^tt ^
After having remained near three quarters of an hour in the place, and continued his vociferation with unabated vigour, he Teem- ed to be quite exhaufted, and remained fpeechlefs. But in an inftant he fprung upon his feet, notwithftanding at the time he was put in, it appeared impoflible for him to move cither his legs or arms, and (baking off his covering, as quick as if the bands with which it had been bound were burned afunder, he' began to addrefs thofe who flood around in . a firm and auc^bie voice. "My Brothers "^ faid he, *' the Great Spirit has deigned to *' hold a Talk with his fervant at my earned ' " requeft. He has not, indeed, told me when " the pcrfons we exped will be here, but to-i- " morrow, foon after the fun has reached his ' " highefl point in the heavens, a canoe will ' " arrive, and th^ people in that will inform " ** us when the traders will come.'' Having ^i faid this, he ftepped gut of the inclofure, and '^ after he had put on his robes, difmilTed the ■ aflembly. I own I was greatly aftonifhed at 1 what I had feen, but as I obferved that every * eye in the company was fixed on me with a
view
r
I
I :
( I20 )
view to difcovcr my fentiments, I carefully concealed every emotion.
The next day the fun flione bright, ard long before noon all the Indians were gather- ed together on the eminence that overlooked the lake. The old king came to me and afk- ed me, whether I had fo much conhience in what the priefl had foretold, as to join his prople on the hill, and wait for the com- pletion of it ? I told him that I was at a lofs what opinion to form of the prediction, but that I would readily attend him. On this we walked together to the place whf »'e the others were affembled. Every eye was again fixed by turns on me and on the lake ; when juft as the fun had rcac' ed his zenith, agree- able to what the prieft had foretold, a canoe came lound a point of land about a league diilant. The Indians no fooner beheld it, than they fent up an univerfal fhout, and by their looks feemed to triumph in the intereft their prieft thus evidently had with the Great Spirit.
In lefs than an hour the canoe reached the fhore, when I attended the king and chiefs to receive thofe who were on board. As foon as the men were landed, we walked all
together
^ BS-r r
( 121 )
together to the king's tent, where accordliig to their invariable cuftoni we began to fmoke; and this we did, notwithftanding our impa- tience to knovvT the tidings thry brought, without afking any queftions j for the In- dians are the moil deliberate people in the world. However, after fome trivial conver- fstion, the king enquired of them whether they had feen any thing of the traders ? the men replied, that they had parted from them a few days before, and that they pro- pofed being here the fecond day from the prefent. They accordingly arrived at that time greatly to our fatisfadion, but more particularly fo to that of the Indians, who found by this event the importance both of their prieft and of their nation, greatly aug- mented in the fight of a ftranger.
This ftory I acknowledge appears to carry with it marks of great credulity in the rela- tor. But no one is lefs tindured with that w^eaknefs than myfelf. The circumftances of it I own are of a very extraordinary na- ture ; however., as I can vouch for their be- ing free from either exaggeration or mifrepre- fentation, being myfelf a cool and difpafli- pnate obferver of them all, I thought it ne-
ccfTary
( 122 ) .
cefTaiy to give them to the public. And this I i}o without wifhing to miflead the judg- ment of my readers, or to make any fuper- ftitious impreflions on their minds, but leav- ing them to draw frojii it what concluiions they pleafe, "
J have already obferved that the Affini- poils, with a party of whom I met here, are a revolted band of the Naudoweflies ; who on account of fome real or imagined grievances, for the Indians in general are very tenacious of their liberty, had feparated themfelves from their countrymen, and fought for free- doin at the expence of their eafe. For the country they now inhabit about the borders of Lake Winnepeek, being much farther norrh, is not near fo fertile or agreeable as that they have relinquilhed. They ftill re-^
tain the language and manners of their for^^ mer afTocjates.
The Killiftinoes, now the neighbours and allies of the Affinipoils, for they alfo dwell near the fame Lake and on the waters of the River Bourbon, appear to have been origin nally a tribe of the Chip^ways, as.they fpeak their language, though in a different diale^l. Their nation confifls of about three or four
hundred
- . ( 123 ;
hundred warriors, and they feem to be a har- dy brave people. I have already given an account of their country when I treated of Lake Winnepeek. As they refide within the limits of Hudfon's Bay, they generally trade at the fadories which belong to that Company, but, for the reafons mentioned before, they frequently come to the place where I happened to join them, in order to meet the traders from Michillimackinac.
The anxiety I had felt on account of the traders dejay, was not much alleviated by their arrival. I again found my expedations difappojnted, for I was not able to procure the goods I wanted from any of them. I w^s therefore obliged to give over my de- jfigns, and return to the place from whence • I firfl began my extcnfive circuit, I accord- ingly took lea^ '^ of the old king of the Kil- liilinoes, with tlie chiefs of both bands, and ' departed. This princ^ was upwards of lixty years of age, tall and flightly made, but he carried himfeff very ered. He was of a " courteous, affable difpofitioii, and treated 1 me, as did all the chiefs, with ^reat civi-
Vfil
•*"l
I obferved
l*M
.15'
m
V
II
!^:
lit
( 124 ) 1 obierved that this people ftill conttnrred a cuftom, that appeared to have been uni- verfal before any of them became acquaint- ed with the Manners of the Enropeans, that of complimenting llrangers with the com- pany of their wives ; and this is not only pra£tffed by the lower ranks, but by the chiefs thcmfelves, who efteem it the great- eft proof of courtefy they can give a ftran-
The beginning of Odober, after having coafted round the north and eaft borders of Lake Superior, I arrived at Cadot's Fort, which adjoins to the Falls of St. Marie, and is fituated near the fouth-weft corner of it.
Lake Superior, formerly termed the Upper Lake from its northern iituation, is fo called on account of it& being fuperior in magni- tude to any of the lakes on that vail conti- nent. It might juftly be termed the Cafpian of America, and is fuppofcd to be the largeft ** body o£ frefh water on the globe. Its cir- * cumftrencc, according to the French charts, is about fifteen hundred miles ; but I believe, that if it was coafted round, and the ut- moft extent of every bay taken, it wouM exceed iixteen hundred. . •
After
( 125 )
After I firft entered it from Goddard's Kiver on tlie welt bay, I coafted near twelve iiundred miles of the north and eaft (bores of it, and obferved that the greatell part of that extend ve track was bounded by rocks and uneven ground. The water in general appeared to lie on a bed of of rocks. Wlieu it was calm, and the fun fho.nc bright, I could fit in my canoe, where the depth was upwards of fix fathoms, and plainly fee huge piles of ftone at the bottom, of different fhapes, Ibme of which appeared as if they w'ere hewn. The water at this time was as pure and tranfparent as air ; and my canoe feeraed as if it hung fifpended in that ele* ment. It was impoflible to look attentively through this limpid medium at the rocks be- low, without finding, before many minutes were elapfed, your head fwim, and your eyes no longer able to behold the dazzling fcene.
I difcovered alfo by accident another ex- traordinary property in the waters of this lake. Though it was in the month of July that I paffed over it, and the furface of the water, from the heat of the fuper-ambient air, impregnated with no fmall degree of
warmth.
ii
'8' ' 11'
s<
n
("126 )
waFmth, yrt on letting down a cup to the depth of about a fathom, the water drawn from thericd was fo exceflively cold, that it had the fame efFed when received into the mouth as ice. ♦
The fituation of this lake is varioufly laid down ; but from the moft exad obfervations I could make, it lies between forty-fix and fifty degrees of north latitude, and between eighty-four and ninety-three degrees of weft longitude from the meridian of London.
There are many iflands in this lake, two of which are very large ; and if the land of them is proper for cultivation, there appears to be fufficient to form on each a confidera- ble province ; efpecially on Ifle Royal, which cannot be lefs than an hundred miles long, and in many places forty broad. But there is no way at prefent of afcertaining the ex- ad length or breadth of either. Even the .. French, who always kept a fmall fchooner on this lake whilft they were in pofi^efilon of , Caiiada, by vvhich they could have made this difcovery, have only acquired a flight know;- . ledge of the external parts of thefe iflands ; .^ at leafithey have never publiflied any account
•-'■'• -"-- ' ' ■ *'^ : ' . ■;■ ■ "of'
( r27 )
of the internal parts of them, that I could get intelligence of. ^ njiT'^t
Nor was I able to difcover from any of the converfations which I held with the neigh- bouring Indians, that they had ever made any fettlements on them, or even landed there in their hunting excurfions. From what I could gather by their difcourfe, they fuppofe them to have been, from their firft informa- tion, the refidence of the Great Spirit j and relate many ridiculous fiories of enchant- ment and magical tricks that had been expe- rienced by fuch as were obliged through ftrefs )f wfeather to take fhelter on them.
One of the Ch-pdway chiefs told me, that fome of their people being once driven on the ifland of Maurepas, which lies towards the nofth-eaft part of the lake, found on it large quantities of a heavy fhining yellow fand, that from their defcription muft have been gold dull. Being ftruck with the beau- tiful appearance of it, in the morning, when they re-entered their canoe, they attempted > to bring fome away j but a fpirit of an amaz- ^ ing fize, according to their account lixty feet i in height, ftrode into the water after them, . and commanded them to deliver back what - . .» ^ they
I i«.
i
!■
I
I
'( 12^ )
they had tal^en away. Terrified at his gi- gantic flature, and feeing that he had nearly overtaken them, they were glad to reftore their lliining treafure; on which they were fufFered to depart without further molefta- tion. Since this incident, no Indian that has ever heard of it, will venture near the fame haunted coaft. Befides this, they recounted to me many other ftories of thefe iflands, equally fabulous.
The country on the north and eaft parts of Lake Superior is very mountainous and barren. The weather being intenfely cold in the winter, and the fun having but little pow* er in the fummer, vegetation there is very (lowj and confequently but little fruit is to be found on its fhore. It however produces fbme few fpecies in great abundance. Whir- tle-berries of an uncommon frze, and fine flavour, grow on the mountains near the lake in amazing quantities j as do black currants and goofberries in the fame luxuriant man- ner.
But the fruit which exceeds all the others,
is a berry refemblinga rafberry in its manner
of growth, but of a lighter red, and much
larger ; its taftc is far mor^ delicious than the
"•-- • ' - fruit
( 129 )
fruit I have compared it to, riotwithflanding that is fo highly efteemeJ in Europe : it grows on a fhrub of the nature of a vine, with leaves fimilar to tliofc of the grape ; and I am perfuaded that wi's it tranfplanted into a warmer and more kindly climate, it would prove a moft rare und delicious fruit.
Two very large rivers empty themfelves into this lake, on the north and north-raft fide ; one is called the Nipegon River, or, as the French pronounce it, the AUanipegon, which leads to a hand of the Chipdways, in- habiting a lake of the fame name, and the other is termed the Michipicooton River, the fource of which is fituated towards Jameses Bay, from whence there is but a fhort car- riage to another river, which empties itfelf into that bay, at a fort belonging to the Company. It was by this palTage that a parly of French from Michillimackinac invaded the fettlements of that Society in the reign of queen Anne. Having taken and deftroyed their forts, they brought the can- non which they found in them to the fortrcfs from whence they had iffued : thefe were fmall brafs pieces, and remain there to this prefent time; having, through the ufual re-
K volutions
It
1
( 130 )
Tolutions of fortune, returned to the poflif- fions of their former matters.
Not far from the Nipegon is a fmall river, that, juft before it enters the lake, has a perpendicular fall from the top of a moun- tain, of more than fix hundred feet. Being very narrow, it appears at a diftance like a white garter fufpended in the air,
A few Indians inhabit round the eaftern borders of this lake, fuppofcd to be the re- mains of the Algonkins, who formerly pof- feiTed this country, but who have been near- ly extirpated by the Iroquois of Canada. Lake Superior has *iear forty rivers that fall into it, fome of which are of a confiderable fize. On the fouth fide of it is a remark- able point or cape, of about fixty miles in length, called Point Che^omegan. It might as properly be termed a peninfula, as it is nearly feparated from the continent, on the eaft fide, by a narrow bay that extends from eaft to weft. Canoes have but a fiiort portage acrofs the ifthmus, whereas if they coaft it round, the voyage is more than an hundred miles. '
About that diftance to the weft of the cape juft defcribed, a confiderable river falls
into
( '3' ) into the lake, the head of which is compof- ed of a great afTemblage of fmall ftreams. This river is remarkable for the abundance of virgin copper that is found on and near its banks. A metal which is met with alfo in feveral other places on this coaft. I obferved that many of the fmall iflands, particularly thofe on the eaftern fhores, were covered with copper ore. They appeared like beds of copperas, of which many tuns lay in a fmall fpace.
A company of adven^.urers from England began, foon after the conqueft of Cana- da, to bring away fome of this metal, but the diftraded fituation of affairs in America has obliged them to relinquifh their fcheme. It might in future times be made a very ad- vantageous trade, as the metal which cofts nothing on the fpot, and requires but little expence to get it on board, could be con- veyed in boats or canoes through the Falls of St. Marie to the Ifle of St. Jofeph, which lies at jhe bottom of the Straights near the en- trance into Lake Huron j from thence it might be put on board larger veffels, and in them tranfported acrofs that lake to the Falls of Niagara 5 there being carried by land a-
' K a crofs
' ' ( 132 ) .
crofs the Portage, it might be conveyed with- out much obftrudion to 0)iebec. The cheap- nefs and eafe with which any quantity of it may be procured, will make up for the length of \A ay that it is necefTary to tranf- port it before it reaches the fea-coaft, and enable the proprietors to fend it to foreign markets on as good terms as it can be ex« ported from other countries.
Lake Superior abounds tvitli variety of fifh, the principal and beft are the trout and ftur- geon, which may be caught at almoll any fcafcn in the greatefl abundance. The trouts in general weigh about twelve pounds, but fome are caught that exceed fifty. Befides thefe, a fpecies of white fifh is taken in great quantities here, that refemble a fhad in tneir fhape, but they arc rather thicker, and lefs bony ; they weigh about four pounds each, and are of a delicious tafte. The beft way of catching thefe fifh is with a net j but the trout might be taken at all times with the hook. There are likewife many forts of fmaller fifh in great plenty here, and which may be taken with eafe j among thefe is a fort r^fembling a herring, that are generally made vife of as a bait for the trout. Very
fmall
|J33 ) fmall crabs, not larger than half a crown piece-, arc found both in this and Lake Mi- chegan.
This lake is as much affcdcd by ftorms as the Atlantic Ocean ; the waves run as high, and are equally as dangerous to (hips. It difcharg- es its waters from the fouth-eaft corner, through the Straights of St. Marie. At the upper end of thefe Straights ftands a fort that receives its name from them, commanded by Monf. Cadot, a French Canadian, who be- ing proprietor of the foil, is flill permitted to keep polTeflion of it. Near this fort is a very ftrong rapid, againft which, though it is impoffible for canoes to afcend, yet when conducted by careful pilots, they might pafs down without danger.
Though Lake Superior, as I have before obferved, is fupplied by near forty rivers, many of which are confiderable ones, yet it does not appear that one-tenth part of the waters which are conveyed into it by thefe rivers are carried off at this evacuation. Ho'W fuch a fuperabundance of water can be dif- pofed of, as it muft certainly be by fome means or other, without which the circum- ference of the lake would be continually en- : . . larging,
lit;
PPVMHPV"
C ^34 ) largmg, I know not : that it docs not empty itfelf, as the Mediterranean Sea is fuppofed to do, b; an under current, which perpetu- ally countera6ls that near the furface, is cer- tain J for the flreirn which falls over the rock is not more than five or fix feet in depth, and the whole of it paffes on through the Straights into the adjacent lake ; nor is it probable that fo great a quantity can be ab- forbed by exhalations ; confcquently they muft find a pafTage through fome fubterra- nean cavities, deep, unfathomable, and never to be explored.
, The Falls of St. Marie do not defcend per- pendicularly as thofe of Niagara or St. An- thony do, but confifl of a Rapid which con- tinues near three quarters of a mile, over which canoes well piloted might pafs.
At the bottom of thefe Falls, nature has formed a moil commodious flation for catch- ing the fifh which are to be found there in immenfe quantities. Perfons Handing on the rocks that lie adjacent to it, may take with dipping nets, about the months of Septem- ber and Odober, the white fifh before-men- tioned ; at that feafon, together with feveral other fpecies, they croud up to this fpot in
fuch
( 135 ) fuch amazing fhoals, that enough may be taken to fupply, when properly cured, thou- fands of inhabitants throu.^hout the year. .: The Straights of St. Mirie are about forty miles long, bearing fouth-eaft, but varying much in their breadth. The current between the Falls and Lake Huron is not fo rapid as might be expeded, nor do they prevent the navigation of fhips of burden as far up as the ifland of St. Jofeph.
It has been obferved by travellers that the entrance into Lake Superior, from thefe Straights, affords one of the moft plead ng profpeds in the world. The place in which this might be viewed to the greateft advan- tage, is juft at the opening of the lake, from v/hence may be feen on the left, many beau- tiful little iflands that extend a confiderablc way before you; and on the right, an agree- able fuccefTion of fmall points of land, that projed a little way into the water, and con- tribute, with the iflands, to render this de- lightful bafon (as it might be termed) calm and fecure from the ravages of thofe tcm- peftuous winds by which the adjoining lake
is frequently troubled.
Lake
I
!
( 136 ) .
Lake Huron, into which you now enter from tlie Straightsr of St. Marie, is the next in magnitude to Lake Superior. It hes be- tween forty-two and forty-fix degrees of north latitude, and feventy-nine and eighty- five degrees of weft longitude. Its fhape is nearly triangular, and its circumference about one thoufand miles. . ;
On the north fide of it lies an illand that is remarkable for being; near a hundred miles in length, and no more than eight miles broad. This ifland is known by the name of Manataulin, which fignilies a Place of Spirits, and is confidered by the Indians as facred as thofe already mentioned in Lake Superior.
About the middle of the fouth-weft fide of this lake is Saganaum x y. The capes that feparate this bay from the lake, are a- bout eighteen raiies diftant from each other j near the middle of the intf^rmediate fpace ftand two iflands, which greatly tend to fa- cilitate the pafTage of canoes and fmall vefTels, by affording them fhelter, as without this fecurity it would not be prudent to venture acrofs fo wide a fea; and the coafling round the bay would make the voyage long and
tedious.
' C 137 )
tedious. This bay is about eiglity miles in length, and in general about eighteen or twenty miles broud.
Nearly half way between Saganaum Bay and the north- weft corner of the lake lies a- nother, which is termed Thunder Bay. The Indians, who have frequented thefe parts from time immemorial, and every European traveller that has paffed through it, have unanimoufly agreed to call it by this name, on account of the continual thunder they have always obferved here. The bay is about nine miles broad, and the fame in length, and whilft I was pafling over it, which took me up near twenty-four hours, it thundered and lightened during the greateft part of the time to an exceffive degree.
There appeared to be no vifible reafon for this that I could difcover, nor is the country in general fubjed to thunder ; the hills that ftood around were not ofa remarkable height, neither did the external parts of them (eem to be covered with any fulphureous fubftance; But as this phaenomenon muft originate from fome natural caufe, I conjeflure that the fhores of the bay, or the adjacent mountains, are either impregnated with an uncommon
quantity
!
I
1.1
.1
( 138 )
quantity of fulphureous matter, or contain fome me||^tal or mineral apt to attrad in a great degree the elcdrical particles that arc hourly borne over them by the paflant clouds. But the folution of this, and thofe other philofophical remarks which cafually occur throughout thefe pages, I leave to the difcuf- fion of abler beads.
The fifh in Lake Huron are much the fame as thofe in Lake Superior. Some of the land on its banks is very fertile, and proper for cultivation, but in other parts it is fandy and barren. The promontory that fcparates this lake from Lake Michegan, is compofcd of a vail plain, upwards of one hundred miles long, but varying in its breadth, being from ten to fifteen miles broad. This track, as I have before obferved, is divided into almoft an equal portion between the Ot- towaw and Chip6way Indians. At the north- call corner this lake has a communication with Lake Michegan, by the Straights of Michillimackinac already defcribed.
I had like to have omitted a very extra- ordinary circumftance relative to thefc Straights. According to obfervations made by the French, whilft they were in polTeffion
of
( 139 ) of the fort, although there is no diurnal floocl or ebb to be perceived in thefe waters, yet from an exad attention to their ftate, a periodical alteration in them has been difco- vered. It was obferved that they arofe by gradual, but almoft imperceptible degrees till they had reached the height of about three feet. This was accompli fhed in feven years and a half; and in the fame fpace they as gently decreafed, till they had reached their former fituation ; fo that in fifteen years they had completed this inexplicable revolution. At the time I was there the truth of thefe ob- fervations could not be confirmed by the Englifh, as they had then been only a few years in pofTeffion of the fort ; but they all agreed that fome alteration in the limits of the Straights was apparent. All thefe lakes are fo affeded by the winds, as fometimes to have the appearance of a tide, according as they happen to blow, but this is only tempo- rary and partial.
A, great number of the Chip^v/ay Indians- live fcattered around this lake, particularly near Saganaum Bay. On its banks are found ^n amazing quantity of the fand cherries, and in the adjacent country nearly the fame
fruits
( 140 )
fruits as thofe that grow about the othef lakes.
. From the Falls of St. Marie I leifurely pro* ceeded back to Michillimackinac, and arriv- ed there the beginning of November 1767, having been fourteen months on this extenfive tour, travelled near four thoufand miles, and vifited twelve nations of Indians lying to the weft and north of this place. The winter fetting in foon after my arrival, I was oblig- ed to tarry there till the June following, the navigation over Lake Huron for large veffels not being open, on account of the ice, till that time. Meeting here with fociable com- pany, I paffed thefe months very agreeably, and without finding the hours tedious.
One of my chief amufements was that of fifhing for trouts. Though the Straights were covered with ice, we found means to make holes thro' it, and letting down ftrong lines of fifteen yards in length, to which were fixed three or four hooks baited w^ith the fmall fi(h before defcribed, we frequently caught two at a time of forty pounds weight each-, but the common fize is from ten to twenty pounds. Thefe are moft delicious' food. The method of prefcrving them dur-i
\
■( 141 )
ing the three months the winter generally lafts, is by hanging them up in the air; and in one night they will be frozen lb hard, that they will keep as well as if they were cured with fait.
" I have only pointed out in the plan of my travels the circuit I made from my leaving Michillimackinac till I arrived again at that fort. Thofe countries that lie nearer to the colonies have been fo often and fo minutely defcribed, that any further account of them would be ufelefs. 1 fhall therefore only give my readers in the remainder of my journal, as I at firft propofed, a defcription of the other great lakes of Canada, many of which I have navigated over, and relate at the fame time a few particular incidents that I truft will not be found inapplicable or unentertain-^ ing.
In June 1768 I left Michillimackinac, and returned in the Gladwyn Schooner, a vefTel of about eighty tons burthen, over Lake Huron to Lake St. Claire, where we left the fhip, and proceeded in boats to Detroit. This lake is about ninety miles in circumfer- ence, and by the way of Huron River, which runs from the fouth corner of Lake Huron, * , receives
I
1'
• ( H2 )
receives the waters of the three great lakes; Superior, Miehegan, and Huron. lis form is rather round, and in fomc places it is deep enough for the navigation of large veffels, but towards the middle of it there is a bar of fand, which prevents thofe that arc loaded from pafling over it. Such as are in ballall only may find water fufEcient to carry them quite through ; the cargoes, however, of fuch as are freighted mud be taken out, and after being tranfported acrofs the bar in boats, re- ftipped again.
The river that runs from Lake St. Claire to Lake Erie (or rather the Streight, for thus it might be termed from its name) is called Detroit, which is in French, the Streight. It runs nearly fouth, has a gentle current, and jdepth of water fufEcient for fhips of confider- able burthen. The town of Detroit is fitu- ated on the weftern banks of this river, about nine miles below Lake St. Claire.
Almofl oppofite, on the eaitern fhore, is the village of the ancient Hurons : a tribe of Indians which has been treated of by fo many writers, that adhering to the reftridions I have laid myfelf under of only defcribing places and people little known, or incidents that have
pafTed
1R
( 143 )
paffed unnoticed by others, I fhall omit giv- ing a defcription of them. A miflionary of the order of Carthufian Friars, by permifli- on of the bifhop of Canada, refides amo.ig them.
The banks of the River Detroit, both above and below thefe towns, are covered with fet- tlements that extend more than twenty miles; the country being exceedingly fruitful, and proper for the cultivation of wheat, Indian corn, oats, and peas. It has alfomany fpots of fine pafturage i but as the inhabitants, who are chiefly French that fubmitted to the En- gl ifh government after the conqueft of thefe parts by General Amherft, are more attentive to the Indian trade than to farming, it is but badly cultivated.
The town of Detroit contains upwards of one hundred houfes. The ftreets are fome^ what regular, and have a range of very con- venient and handfome barracks, with a fpaci-» ous parade at the fouth end. On the weft fide lies the king's garden belonging to the governor, which is very well laid out and kept in good order. The fortifications of the town confift of a firong ftockade made of round piles, fixed firmly in the ground, and lined
with
nr:'
'"( 144 ) ,
with palifades. Thefc are defended by fomc fmall baftions, on which arc mounted a few indilFerent cannon of an inconfidcrable fize, juft fufficient for its defence againft the In- dians, or an enemy not provided with ar- tillery.
The garrifon, in time of peace, confifts of two hundred men commanded by a field officer, who ads as chief magiftrate under the governor of Canada. Mr. Turnbull, cap- tain of the 6oth regiment or Royal Ameri- cans, was commandant when I happened to be there. This gentleman was defervedly efteemed and refpedted both by the inhabi- tants and traa^rs for the propriety of his con- dud ; and I am happy to have an opportuni- ty of thus publickly making my acknowledg- ments to him, for the civilities I received from him during my ftay.
In the year 1762, in the month of July, it rained on this town and the parts adjacent, a fulphureous water of the colour and con- fiftence of ink -, fome of which being colled- ed into bottles, and Wrote with, appeared perfedly intelligible on the paper, and an- fwered every purpofe of that ufeful liquid. Soon after, the Indian wars already fpoken .V ./ of.
( H5 ) of^ broke out in tbefc parts. I mean not to iay that this incident was ominous of them, notwithftanding it is well known that innu- merable well attefted inftances of extraordi- nary phsenomena happening before extraor- dinary events, have been recorded in almoft every age by hiftoi ians of veracity \ I only re- late the circumftance as a fad of whi^h I was informed by many perfons of undoubted pro- bity, and leave my readers, as 1 have hither- to done, to draw their own conclufions from it.
Pontiac, under whom the party that fur- prifed Fort Michillimackinac, as related in the former part of tliis work, aded, was an enterprifing chief or head-warrior of the Mi- ames. Durina; the late war between the En- glifh and the French he had been a fleady friend to the latter, and continued his inve- teracy to the former even after peace had been concluded between thcfe two nations. Unwilling to put an end to the depredations he had been fo long engaged in, he colleded an army of confederate Indians, confifting of the nations before enumerated, with an inten- tion to renew" the war. However, inllead of openly attacking the Englifh fettlements,
L he
( 146 )
he laid a fcheme for taking by furprize thofe forts on the extremities which they had lately gained pofTeflion of.
How well the party he detached to take Fort Michillimackinac fucceedcd, the reader already knows. To get into his hands De- troit, a place of greater confequence, and much better guarded, required greater refo- lution, and more confummate art. He of courfe took the management of this expediti- on on himfelf, and drew near it with the principal body of his troops. He was how- ever prevented from c:*rrying his defigns into execution by an apparently trivial and unfore- feen circumftance. On fuch does the fate of mighty Empires frequently depend!
The town of Detroit, when Pontiac form- ed his plan, was garrilbned by about three hundred men commanded by Major Gladwyn, a gallant ofiicer. As at that time every ap- pearance of war was at an end, and the In- dia ns feemed to be on a friendly footing, Pon- tiac approached the Fort without exciting any fufpicions in the breafl of the governor or the inhabitants. He encamped at a little diftance from it, and fent to let the com- mandant know that he was come to trade ;
and
Is
e
( H7 ) and being defirous of brightening the chain of peace between the Englifli and his nation, defircd that he and his chiefs might be admit- ted to hold a council with him. The gover- nor ftill unfufpicious, and not in the lead doubting the fincerity of the Indians, grant- ed their general's requeft, and fixed on the next morning for their reception.
The evening of that day, an Indian wo- man, who had been employed by Major Glad- wyn to make him a pair of Indian ihoes, out of curious elk-{kin, brought them home. The Major was fo pleafcd with them, that, in- tending thefe as a prefent for a friend, he or- dered her to take the remainder back, and make it into others for himfelf. He then direded his fervant to pay her for thofe fhe had done, and difmiffed her. The woman went to the door that led to the ftreet, but no further; (he there loitered about as if (he had not finifhed the bufinefs on which fhe came. A fervant at length obferved her, and afked her why fhe flaid there-, fhe gave him, however, no anfvver.
Some fhort time after, the governor him- felf faw her; and enquired of his fervant what occafioned be^ Itay. Not being able
L 2 to
. I
( 148 )
to get a fatisfadory anfwer, he ordered the woman to be called in. Wher file came in- to his prefence he dclired to know what was the reafon of her loitering about, and not haftening home before the gates were fhut, that fhe might complete in due timc'the work he had given her to do. She told him, after much hefitation, that as he had always be- haved with great goodnefs towards her, file was unwilling to take away tlie renuiindtr of the fkin, becaufe he put fo great a value up- on it; and yet had not been able to prevail upon herfelf to tell him fo. He then aiked her, why (he was more reluctant to do i'o now, than fhe had been when flie made the former pair. With increafed reludance fhe anfwer- cd, that file never fliould be able to bring them back.
His curiofity being now excited, he infilled en her difcloling to him the fecret that fcem- ed to be flruggling in her bofom for utterance. At laft, on receiving a prornife that the intel- ligence file was about to give him fliould not turn to her prejudice, and that if it appeared lu he benelln'a! file Tnould be rewarded for it, llic informtd [iim, tiiat at the council to be lu Id with the ludi.ms vlie follow in'j; day, Pon-
tiac
"Ill
( H9 ) liac and his chiefs intended to miinlcr him •, and after having maifacrcd the garrlfon and inhabitants, to phinderthe town. That for this piirpofc all the chiefs who were to be ad- mitted into the council-room had cut their guns fhort, fo that they could conceal them under their blankets j with which, at a fig- nal given by their general on delivering; the belt, they were all to rife up, and inftantly to fire on \\m and his attendants. Having cfFeded this they were immediately to rufli into the town, where they would find tliem- felves fupported by a great number of their warriors, tliat were to come into it duiinn; the fitting of the council, under pretence of trading, but privately armed in the fame manner! Having caincd from the woman every neccfiTary particular relative to the plot, and alfo the means by which flie acquired a knowledge of them, he difmifiTed her with injundions of fecrccy, and a promifc of ful- filling on his part with punctuality the cn- gagcmtnts he had entered into.
The intelligence the governor had juft re- ceived, gave him great uneafincfs; and he immediately confujtcd the ofiiccr wiio was next to him in command on the fubjed. But . that
I- WPJimHBPiiM™""
*m^mmm
( 150 )
that gentleman confidering the information as a ftory invented for fonie artful purpofes, ad- vifed him to pay no attention to it. This conclufion however had happily no weight with him. He thought it prudent to con- clude it to be true, till he was convinced that it was not foj and therefore, without revealing his fufpicions to any oth&r perfon, he took every needful precaution that the time would admit of. He walked round the fort during the whole night, and faw him- felf that every centinel was on duty, and every weapon of defence in proper order.
As he traverfed the ramparts which lay neareft to the Indian camp, he heard them in high feftivity, and, little imagining that their plot was difcovered, probably pleafing them- felves with the anticipation of their fuccefs. As foon as the morning dawned, he ordered all the garrifon under armsj and then im- parting his apprehenfions to a few of the principal officers, gave them fuch diredions as he thought neceffary. At the fame time he fent round to all the traders, to inform them, that as it was expeded a great number of Indians would enter the town that day, who might be inclined to plunder, he defired
they
( '5' )
they would have their arms ready, and repel every attempt of that kind.
About ten o'clock, Pontiac and his chiefs arrived ; and were conduded to the council- chamber where the governor and his principal officers, each with piftols in their belts, await- ed his arrival. As the Indians pafTed on, they could not help obferving that a greater num- ber of troops than ufual were drawn up on the parade, or marching about. No fooner were they entered, and ieated on the fkins prepared for them, than Pontiac afked the governor on what occafion his young men, meaning the foldiers, were thus drawn up, and parading the Itreets. He received for anfwer, that it was only intended to keep them perfed in their exercife.
The Indian chief-warrior now began his fpeech, which contained the ftrongeft profef- Cions of friendfhip and good-will towards the Engliih; and when he came to the delivery of the belt of wampum, the particular mode of which, according to the woman's information, was to be the fignal for his chiefs to fire, the governor and all his attendants drew their fwords half-way out of their fcabbards; and the foldiers at the fame inftant made a clatter- ing
( i;2 ).
ing with their arrrs before the doors, which had been purpofcly left open. Fontiac, though one of the boldeft of men, imaiediately turn- ed pale, and trembled; and inflead of giving the belt in the manner propofed, delivered it according to the ufual way. His chiefs, who had impatiently expelled the lignal, looked at each other with aftonilhment, but conti- nued quiet, waiting the refult.
The governor in his turn made a fpeech ; but inftead of thanking the great warrior for the profeifions of friendfhip he had juft utter- ed, he accufed him of being a traitor. He told him that the Englifh, who knew every thing, wxre convinced of his treachery and villainous dellgns; and as a proof that they were wxll acquainted with his moft fecret thoughts and intentions, he ftepped towards the Indian chief that fat nearefl to him, and drawing afidehis blanket difcovered the fliort- encd fiiclcck. This entirely difconcerted the Indians, and fruflratcd their dcfign.
He then continued to tell them, that as he had given his \vord at the time tiiey defirejl an audience, that their pcrfons fhould be fafc, he would hold his promife inviolable, tVongh they fj little defer ved it. However he ad-
vifcu
( 153 ) vifed them to make the beft of their way out of the fort, lell his voung; men, on bein^ ac- quainted with their treacherous purpofes, fhould cut every one of them to pieces. Pontiac endeavoured to contradict the accu- fation, and to makecxcufes for his fufpiclous condu6t ; but the governor, fatisfied of the falfity of his proteftations, would not liflen to him. The Indians immediately left the fort, but inftead of being; fenfiblc of the governor's generous behaviour, they threw off the mafk, and the next day made a re- gular attack upon it.
Major Gladwyn has not efcaped cenfure for this miftaken lenity; for probably had he kept a few of the principal chiefs prifoners, w^hilft he had them in his power, he might have been able to have brought the whole confederacy to terms, and have prevented a war. But he atoned for this overfight, by the gallant defence he made for more than a year, amidft a variety of difcouraf^ements.
During that period fome very fmart ll<ir- mifhcs happened between the befiegers and the garrifon, of which the follovvii!'!; was the principal and moft bloody. Captain Dclzel, a brave officer, prev^ailedon the governor to
give
( '54 )
give him the command of about two hun- dred men, and to permit him to attack the enemy's camp. This being complied wiih, he fallied from the town before day-break ; but Pontiac, receiving fromfome of his fwift- footed warriors, who wereconftantly employ- ed in watching the motions of the garrifon, timely intelligence of their defign, he col- ledcd together the choiceft of his troops, and met the detachment at fome diflance from his camp, near a place fince called Bloody- Bridge. As the Indians were vaftly fuperior in numbers to captain Delzel's party, he was foon overpowered and driven back. Being now nearly furrounded, he made a vigorous effort to regain the bridge he had juft crofTed, by which alone he could find a retreat ; but jn doing this he loft his life, and many of his men fell with him. However, Major Ro- gers, the fecond in command, aflifted by Lieu- tenant Breham, found means to draw off the fhattered remains of their littlq army, and conduded them into the fort.
Thus confiderably reduced, it was with difficulty the major could defend the town ; notwithftanding which, h^ held out againft the Indians till he was relieved, as after this
they
( 155 ;
they made but few attacks on the place, and only continued to blockade it.
The Gladwyn Schooner (that in which I afterwards took my pafTage from Michillimac- kinac to Detroit, and which I fmce learn was loft with all her crew on the Lake Erie, through the obftinacy of the commander, ^ho could not be prevailed upon to take in fufficient ballaft) arrived about this time near the town with a re-inforcement and necefTarjr fupplies. But before this veiTel could reach the place of its deftination, it was moft vi- goroufly attacked by a detachment from Pon- tiac*s army. The Indians furrounded it in their canoes, and made great havock among the crew. At length the captain of the fchconer with a confiderable number of his men being killed, and the favages beginning to climb up its fides from every quarter, the lieutenant (Mr. Jacobs, who afterwards com- manded, and was loft in it) being determin- ed that the ftores fhould not fall into the enemy's hands, and feeing no other alterna- tive, ordered the gunner to fet fire to the powder room, and blow the ftiip up. This order was on the. point of being executed, when a chief of the Hurons, who underftood
the
'
&
( 156 )
the Englifh language, gave out to his friends the intention of the commander. On receiv- ing this intelligence the Indians hurried down the fides of the fhip with the greateft preci- pitation, and got as far from it as pofTible; whilll the commander immediately took ad- vantage of their confternation, and arrived without any further obftrud^ion at the town.
This feafonable fupply gave the garrifon frefh fpiritsj and Pontiac being now con- vinced that it would not be in his power to reduce the place, propofed an accommoda- tion •, the governor wifhing as much to get rid of fuch troublefome enemies, who obftrud- ed the intercourfe of the traders with the neighbouring nations, liftened to h'*s propo- fals, and having procured advantageous terms, agreed to a peace. The Indians foon after feparatcd, and returned to their diffe- rent provinces ; nor have they fince thought proper to difturb, at leafl in any great degree, the tranquillity of thefe parts.
Pontiac henceforward feemed to have laid afide the animofity he had hitherto borne to- wards the Englifh, and apparently became their zealous friend. To rewarrt this new attachment, and to infufe a continuance of
it,
(157 ) it, government allowed him a handfome pen- fion. But his reftlcfs and intriguing fpirit would not fufFer him to be grateful for this allowance, and his condud at length grew fufpicious ; fothat going, in the year 176':, to hold a council in the country of the Illi- nois, a faithful Indian, who was either com- miflioned by one of the Englifli goveinors,or inftigated.by the love he bore the Englifh nation, attended him as a fpy; and being convinced from the fpeech Pontiac made in the council that he flill retained his former prejudices againft thofe for whom he now profefTed a friendfhip, he plunged his knife into his heart, as foon as he had done fpcak- ing, and laid him dead on the fpot. But to return from this digreflion. ' Lake Erie receives the waters by which it isfupplied from the three great lakes, through the Straights of Detroit, that lie at its north- weft corner. This lake is (ituatcd between forty-one and forty-three degrees of north latitude, and between feventy-elght and eighty-three degrees of weft longitude. It is near three hundred miles long from caft to weft, and about forty in its broadeft part : and a remarkable long narrow point lies on
its
II
( >58 )
its north fide, that projeds for feveral miles into the lake towards the fouth-eaft.
There are feveral iflands near the weft end of it fo infefted with rattle- fnakes, that it is very dangerous to land on them. It is im- poffible that any place can produce a greater number of all kinds of thefe reptiles than this does, particularly of the water-fnake^ The lake is covered near the banks of the iflands with the large pond-lily-, the leaves of which lie on the furface of the water fo thick, as to cover it entirely for many acres toge- ther } and on each of thefe lay, when I paf- fed over it, wreaths of water-fnakes balking in the fun, which amounted to mvriads.
The moft remarkable of the different fpc- cies that infeft this lake, is the hiffing- fnake, which is of the fmall fpeckled kind, and about eighteen inches long. When any thing approaches it, it flattens itfelf in a mo- ment, and its fpots, which are of various dyes, become vifibly brighter through rage; at the fame time it blows from its mouth with great force a fubtile wind, that is reported to be of a naufeous fmell; and if drawn in with the breath of the unwary traveller, will infallibly bring on a decline, that in a few
months
( 159 ) months muft prove mortal, there being no lemedy yet difcovered which can counteract its baneful influence.
The ftones and pebbles on the (hores of this lake are moftofthem tinged, in a greater or lefs degree, with fpotsthat refcmble brafs in their colour, but which are of a fulphu- Teous nature. Small pieces, about the llze of hazle-nuts,of the fame kind of ore are found on the fands that lie on its banks, and under the water.
The navigation of this lake is efteemed more dangerous than any of the others on account of many high lands that lie on the borders of it, and projed into the water in a perpendicular diredlion for many miles toge- ther ; fo that whenever fudden ftorms arife, canoes and boats are frequently loft, as there is no place for them to find a fhelter.
This lake difcharges its waters at the north-eaft end, into the River Niagara, which runs north and fouth, and is about thirty- fix miles in length; from whence it falls into Lake Ontario. At the entrance of this river, on its eaftern fhore, lies fort Niagara ; and, about eighteen miles further up, thofe re- markable
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markable Falls which are efteemed one of the moft extraordinary produdions of nature at prefenc known. :
As thefe have been vifited by fo many travellers, and fo frequently defcribed, I fhall omit giving a particular defcription of them, and only obferve, that the waters by which they are fuppHed, after taking their rife near two thoufand miles to the north-weft, and pailing through the Lakes Superior, Miche- gan, Huron, and Erie, during which thejr^ have been receiving conftant accumulations,* at length rufh down a ftupendous precipice of one hundred and forty feet perpendicular;-^ and in a ftrong rapid, that extends to the dif-^ tance of eight or nine miles below, fall nearly as much more : this lliver foon after empties itfelf into Lake Ontario.
The noife of thefe Falls might be heard an amazing way. I could plainly difdnguifh them in a calm morning more than twenty milf s. Others have faid that at a particular time, and when the wind fits fair, the found of them reaches, fifteen leagues.
The land about the Falls is exceedingly billy and uneven, but the greateft part of
tlut
( i6i )
that on the Niagara River is very good, efpe- cially for grafs and pafturage.
Fort Niagara ftands nearly at the entrance of the weft end of Lake Ontario, and on the eaft part of the Straights of Niagara. It was taken from the French in the year 1759 by the forces under the command of Sir William Johnfon, and at prefent is defended by a confiderable garrifon.
Lake Ontario is the next, and leaft of the five great lakes of Canada. Its (ituation is between forty-three and forty-five degrees of latitude, and between feventy-fix and feventy-nine degrees of weft longitude. The form of it is nearly oval, its greateft length beins: from north- eaft to fouth-weft, and in circumfeFcnce about fix hundred miles. Near the fouth*eaft part it receives the waters of the Ofwego River, and on the north-eaft dif- charges itfelf into the River Cataraquit. Not far from the place where it ifTues, Fort Fron- tenac formerly ftood, which was taken from the French during the laft war, in the year 1758, by a fmall army of Provincials under Colonel Bradftreet.
At the entrance of Ofwego River ftands a fort of the fame name, garrifoned only at
M prefent
(V i62 )
* ,
prefent by an inconfiderable party. This fort was taken in Xhc >ear 1756 by the French,
• when a great part of the garrifon, which con- fided of the late Shirley's and Pepperil's re- giments^ were mafiacred in cold blood by the favages.
In Lake Ontario are taken many forts of fifh, among which is the Ofwego Bafs, of an excellent flavour, and weighing about three or four pounds. 1 here is alfo a fort called the Cat -head or Pout, which are in general very • large, fome of them weighing eight or ten pounds J and they are efteemed a rare difh when properly drelTed. . ^ . .,
.. On the north-welt parts of this lake, and to the fouth-eaft of Lake Huron, is a tribe of Indians called the MifTifauges, whofe town is denominated Toronto, from the lake on which it lies, but they are not very nume- rous. The country about Lake Ontario, ef- pecially the more north and eaftern parts, is compofed of good land, and' in time may make very flourifhing fettlements.
The Oniada Lake, fituated near the head
- of the River Ofwego, receives the waters of
Wood-Creek, which takes its rife not far.
t
from the Mohawks River. Thefe two lie fo ^ adjacent to each other, that a jundion is ef-
feded
K
<
H xi
r 163 )
feded by fluices at Fort Slanwix, about twelve miles from the mouth of the former. This lake is about thirty miles long from eail to weft, and near fifteen broad. The co^^ntry around it belongs to the Oniada Indians. .
Lake Champlain, the next in fize to Lake Ontario, and which lies nearly eaft from it, is about eighty miles in length, north and fouth, and in its broadeft part fourteen. It is well ftored with fifli, and the lands that He on dl the borders of it, or about its rivers,^ very good. Imuov^
Lake George, formerly called by the French Lake St. Sacrament, lies to the fouth- w^eft of the laft-mentioned Lake, and is a- bout thirty-five miles long from north-eaft to fouth-weft, but of no great breadth. The country around it is very mountainous, but in the vallies the land is tolerably good.
When thefe two lakes were firft difcover- ed, they were known by no other name than that of the Iroquois Lakes j and I believe in the firft plans taken of thofe parts were fo denominated. The Indians alfo that were then called the Iroquois, are fmce known by the name of the Five Mohawk Nations, and the Mohawks of Canada. In the late war,
M 2 , the
:n\1 \d.,h.jai: ( 164 )
the former, which confift of the Onondagoes, the Oniadas, the Senecas, the Tufcarories, and the Iroondocks, fought on the fide of the Englifh: the latter, which are called the Cohnawahgans,and St. Francis Indians, join- ed the French.
A vaft trad of land that lies between the two laft-rnentiond lakes and Lake Ontario, was granted in the year 1629 by the Ply- niouth Company, under a patent they had received from King James I. to Sir Ferdi- nando Gorges, and to Captain John Mafon, the head of that family, afterwards diflin- guifhed from others of the fame name by the Mafons of Connedticut. The countries fpe- cified in this grant are faid to begin ten miles from the heads of the rivers that run from the eaft and fouth into Lake George and Lake Champlain j and continuing from thefe in a dired line weftward, extend to the mid- dle of Lake Ontario j from thence, being bounded by the Cataraqui, or the river of the Iroquois, they take their courfe through Montreal, as far as Fort Sorell, which lies at the jundion of this river with the Rich- lieu ; and from that point are inclofed by the laft-mentioned river till it returns back to the
two lakes.
This
( 165 )
This immenfe fpace was granted, by the name of the. Province of LacDnia, to the a- forefaid gentlemen, on fpecified conditions, and under certain penalties ; but none of thefe amounted, in cafe of omilfion in the fulfilment of any part of them to forfeiture, a fine only could be exaded. V On account of the continual wars to which thefe parts have been fubjed, from their fitu- ation between the fettlements of the Englifh, the French, and the Indians, this grant has . been fufFered to lie dormant by the real pro- prietors. Notwithftanding which, feveral towns have been fettled fince the late war, on the borders of Lake Champlain, and grants made to different people by the governor of New York of part of thefe territories, whicl^ are now become annexed to that province. i.. There are a great number of lakes on the north of Canada, between Labrador, Lake Superior, and Hudfon's Bay, but thefe are comparatively fmall. As they lie out of the track that I purfued, I fhall only give a fum- ^ mary account of them. The moft wefterly ^ of thefe are the Lakes Nipifmg and Tamif- caming. The firil lies at the head of the French river, and runs into Lake Huron j
the
9
( 166 )
tHe otfier on tlie Ottawaw River, wliicli emp- ties itftlf into the Catarnqiij, at Montreal. Thefe lakes are each about one hundred miles in circumference.
The next is Lake MiftafTin, on the head of Rupert's River, that fiills into James's Bay. This lake is fo irregular from the large points of land by which it is intcrfeiled on every fide, that it is difficult either to defcribe its fhape, or to afcertain its fize. It hov^ever appears on the whole to be more than two hundred miles in circumference. 4"-".-4- , , Lake St. John, which is about eighty miles round, and of a circular form, lies on the Saguenay River, diredly north of Quebec, and falls into the St. Lawrence, fomewhat north-eaft of that city. Lake Manikouagone lies near the head of the Black River, which empties itfclf into the St. Lawrence to the eaflwardof the laft-mentioned river, near the t:oaft o£ Labradc and is about fixty miles in circuniference. Lake Pertibi, Lake Winck- tagan, Lake Etchelaugon, and Lake Pape- nouagane, with a number of other fmall lakes, lie near the heads of the Buftard River to the north of the St. Lawrence. Many others, which it is unneceflary to particularize here,
-fi
are
( i67 )
are alfo found between the Lakes Huron and Ontario.
The whole of thofe I have enumerated, amounting to upwards of twenty, are within the limits of Canada ; and from this account it might be deduced, that the northern parts of North America, through thefe numerous inland feas, contain a greater quant i'y of water than any other quarter of the globe. *
V- c , .-J '.
In Odober 1768 I arrived at Bofton, hiv- ing been abfeut froa. it on this expedition two years and five months, and during that time travelled near feven thoufand miles. From thence, as foon as I had properly di- gefted my journal and charts, I fet out for England, to communicate the difcoveries I had made, and to render them beneficial to the kingdom. But the profecution of my plans for reaping thefe advantpgcs have hi- therto been obftruded by the unhappy divi- fions that have been fomented between Great Britain and the Colonies by their mutual enemies. Should peace once m.ore be reftor- ed, I doubt not but that the countries I have defcribed wnll prove a more abundant fourcc of riches to this nation than either its Eaftor Weft Indian fettlements ; and I fliall not only
pride
pride myfelf, but fincerely rejoice in being the means of pointing out to it fo valuable an acquifition.
I cannot conclude the account of my ex- tend ve travels, without expreffing my grati- tude to that beneficent Being who invifibly protedled me through thofe perils which un- avoidably attend fo long a tour among fierce and untutored favages.
At the fame time let me not be accufed of vanity or prefumption, if I declare that the motives alledged in the Jntrodudtion of this work, were not the only ones that induced me to engage in this arduous undertaking. My views vere not folely confined to the advanl - that might accrue, either to my- {e\£, or the community to which I belonged ; but nobler purpofes contributed principally to urge me on.
The confined fiate, both with regard to civil and religious improvements, in which fo many of my fellow creatures remained, a- roufed within my bofom an irrefiftible incli- nation to explore the almoft unknown regions \yhich they inhabited; and, as a preparatory Itep towards the introdudion of more polifh- ed manners, and more humane fent-iments,
to
( 1^9 ) to gain a knowledge of their language, cuf- toms, and principles. "^
I confefs that the little benefit too many of the Indian nations have hitherto received from their intercourfe with thofe who deno- minate themfelves chriftians, did not tend to encourage my charitable purpofcs ; yet, as many, though not the generality, might re- ceive fome benefit from the introdudion a- mong them of the polity and religion of the Europeans, without retaining only the er- rors or vices that from the depravity and perverfion of their profefibrs are unhappily attendant on thefe, I determined to perfe- vere.j j^..,
?. Nor could I flatter myfelf that I fliould be able to accomplifh alone this great defign ; however, I was willing to contribute as much as lay in my power towards it. In all public undertakings would every one do this and furnifh with alacrity his particular fhare to- wards it, what llupendous works might not be completed !
It is true that the Indians are not without fome fenfe of religion, and fuch as proves that they worfhip the Great Creator with a degrcQ of purity unknown to nations who
have
' ( 170 ) have greater opportunities of improvement; but their religious prineiples are far from be- ing fo faultlefs as defcribed by a learned wri- ter, or unmixed with opinions and ceremo- nies that greatly lefTen their excellency in this point. So that could ihe dodrines of genu-^ ine and vital chriftianity be introduced among them, pure and untainted as it flowed from the lips of its Divine Inftitutor, it would certainly tend to clear away that fuperfti- tious or idolatrous drofs by which the rati- onality of their religious tenets are obfcured. Its mild and beneficent precepts would like- wife conduce to foften their implacable dif- pofitions, and to refine their favage manners; an event moft defirable ; and happy fhall I efteem myfclf if this publication fhall prove the means of pointing out the path by which falutary inftrudions may be conveyed to them, and the converfion, though but of a few, be the confequence. '/.
Conclufion of the J O U R N A L, &c.
6f.
OF
;. lie; J tor
OF THE
ORIGIN, MANNERS, CUSTOMS, RELIGION, AND LANGUAGE
O F T H E
INDIANS.
Vtib'-oiij fi-
Ijr.Idi;. CHAPTER L Of fheir Origin.
TFIE means by v^hich America received its firft inhabitants, have, fince the the time of its difcovery by the Europeans, been the fubje<St of nutnberlefs difquifitions. Was I to endeavour to colled the different opinions and reafonings of ^ the various wri- ters that have taken up the pen in defence of their conjedures, the enumeration would much exceed the bounds I have prefcribed myfelf, and oblige me to be lefs explicit oQ points of greater moment.
i
From
( 172 )
From the obfcurity in which this debate Js enveloped, through the total difufe of let- ters among every nation of Indians on this cxtenfive continent, and the uncertainty of bral tradition at the diftance of fo many ages, I fear, that even after the mod minute inveftigation we (hall not be able to fettle it with any great degree of certainty. And this apprehenfion will receive additional force, when it is confidered that the diverfity of language which is apparently diftindl be- tween moft of the Indians, tends to afcertain that this population was not efFeded from one particular country, but from feveral neighbouring ones, and completed at diffe- rent periods.
Moft of the hiftorians or travellers that have treated on the American Aborigines dif- agree in their fentiments relative to them. Many of the ancients are fuppofed to have known that this quarter of the globe not only exifted, but alfo that it was inhabited. Plato in his Timseus has afferted, that be- yond the ifland which he calls Atalantis, and which according to his defcription was fitu- ated in the weftern Ocean, ther^ were a great
. ijumber.
rv
''Vi^f
.V,
,.v/'T
( 173 )
number of other iflands, and behind thofe. a
vafl continent. omr. -r)?"
Oviedo, a celebrated Spanifh author of a
much later date, has made no fcruple to
affirm that the Antilles are the famous Hef-
perides fo often mentioned by the poets ;
which are at length reftored to the kings
of Spain, defcendents of King Hcfperus,
who lived upwards of three thoufand years,
ago, and from whom thefe iflands received
their name.
Two other Spaniards, the one Father Gre- gorio Garcia, a Dominican, the other Father Jofeph De Acofta, a Jefuit, have written on the origin of the Americans.
The former, who had been employed in the miflions of Mexico and Peru, endeavoured to prove from the traditions of the Mexicans, Peruvians, and others, which he received on the fpot, and from the variety of characters, cuftoms, languages, and religion obfervable in the different countries of the new world, that different nations had contributed to the peopling of it. 'hf^^o;>r H'^rHvr
The latter. Father De Acofta, in his exav- mination of the means hy which the firft Indians of America might have found a paf-
I
( 174 )
fage to that continent, difcredits the conclu- fions of thofe who have fuppofed it to be by fea, becaufe no ancient author has made mention of the compafs: and concludes, that it muft be either by the north of Afia and Europe, which adjoin to each other, or by thofe regions that lie to the fouthward of the Straights of Magellan. He alfo rejeds the affertions of fuch as have advanced that it- was peopled by the Hebrews. ' ' Vv>2'
John De Laet, a Flemifh writer, has con- troverted the opinions of thefe Spanifh fa- thers, and of many others who have writ- » ten on the fame fubjed. The hypothefis he endeavours to eftablifh, is, that America was certainly peopled by the Scythians or Tar- tars; and that the tranfmieration of thefe people happened foon after the difperfion of Noah's grandfons. He undertakes to fhow, that the moft northern Americans have a greater refemblance, not only in the features ' of their countenances, but alfo in their com-^ plexion and manner of living, to the Scy- thians, Tartars, and Samoides, than to any* other nations. v
: In anfwer to Grotius, who had aflerted that fome of the Norwegians paffed into
America
c 175 )
America by way of Greenland, and over a vaft continent, he fays, that it is well known that Greenland v/as not difcovered till the year 964, and both Gomera and Herrera in- form us that the Chichimeques were fettled on the lake of Mexico in 721. He adds, that thefe favages, according to the uniform tra- dition of the Mexicans who difpoffefTed them, came from the country fince called New Mexico, and from the neighbourhood of Ca- lifornia-, confequently North America muft have been inhabited many ages before it could receive any inhabitants from Norway by way of Greenland.
It is no lefs certain, he obferves, that the real Mexicans founded their empire in 902, after having fubdued the Chichimeques, the Otomias, and other barbarous nations, who had taken pofTeflion of the country round the Lake of Mexico, and each of whom fpokc a language peculiar to themfelves. The real Mexicans arelikewife luppofed to come from fome of the countries that he near California^ and that they performed their journey for the moft part by land 5 of courfe they could not come from Norway,
ijti.>.» i-
Dc
( 176 )
•' De Laet further adds, that though fbmc of the inhabitants of North America may have entered it from the north-weft, yet, as it is related by Pliny and fome other writers, that on many of the iflands near the weftern coaft of Africa, particularly on the Canaries, fome Ancient edifices were feen, it is highly pro- bable from their being nowdeferted, that the inhabitants may have pafled over to Ameri- ca j the pafTage being neither long nor diffi- cult. This migration, according to the cal- culation of thofe authors, muft have happen- ed more than two thoufand years ago, at a time when the Spaniards were much troubled by the Carthaginians; from whom having obtained a knowledge of Navigation, and the conftrudion of fhips, they might have retired to the Antilles, by the way of the weftern ifles, which were exadly half way on their voyage.
He thinks alfo that Great Britain, Ireland, and the Orcades were extremely proper to admit of a limilar conjedurc. As a proof, he inferts the following paftage from the hiftory of Wales, written by Dr. David Powel in the^ year 1170.
:0
a
This
( 177 ) This hiilorian fays, that Madoc, one of the fons of Prince Owen Gvvynnith, being difgufled at the civil wars which [broke puf between bis brothers, after the death of their father, litted out feveral vefTcls, and having provided them with every thing neceffary for a long voyage, went in queft of new lands to, the weftward of Ireland ; there he difcoyered very fertile countries, but deftitute of inha- bitants; when landing part of his people, he returned to Britain, where he raifed new Le- vies, and afterwards tranfported them to hi^
colony. .^ „ji^
The Flemifh author then returns to thp Scythians, between whom and the Ameri- cans he draws a parallel. He obferves that feveral nations of them to the north of the Cafpian Sea led a wandering life -, which, as well asrrjany other of their cufloms, and way of living, agrees in many circumflances with the Indians of America. And though the refemblances are not abfolutely perfed, yet the emigrants even before they left their own country, differed from each other, and v/ent not by the fame name. Their change of a.- bode aifcded what remained.
-/■
m i
I
1 •■
(
, ( 178 )
He further fliys, that a fimilar likenefs exifts between feveral American nations, and the Samoeides who are fettled, according to the Rullian accounts, on the great River Oby. And it is more natural, continues he, to fup- pofc that Colonies of thefe nations pafled over to America by croffing the icy Tea on theiy fledges, than for the Norwegians to tra- vel all the way Grotius has marked out for them.
This writer makes many other remarks that are equally fenfible, and which appear to bejuil J but he intermixes with thefe fome that are not fo wxll-founded. •
Emanuel de Moraez, a Portugueze, in his hidory of Brazil, alTcrts that America has been wholly peopled by the Carthaginians and Ifraelitcs. He brings as a proof of this alTcrtion the difcoveries the former are known to have made at a g;reat diftance beyond the coaft of Africa. The progrefs of which be- ing put a flop to by the fehate of Carthage, thofc who happened to be then in the newly difcovered countries, being cut off from all communication with their countrymen, and jdeftitute of many neceiTaries of life, fell into a Hate of barbarifm. As to the Ifraelites,
this
II
(:■
i
■ff.
[|
9.
i.i'
( 179 )
this author thinks that nothing but circum- cifion is wanted in order to conflitute a per- fed refemblance between them and the Bra- zilians.
George De Hornn, a learned Dutchman, has likewife WTitten on this fubjed. He fets out with declaring, that he does not believe it poflible America could have been peopled before the flood, conlidering the ihort fpace of time which elapfed between the creation of the world and that memorable event. In the next place he lays it down as a principle, that after the deluge, men and other terreftri- al animals penetrated into that country both byfea and by land; fome through accident, and fome from a formed deilgn. That birds got thither by flight ; which they were en- abled to do by refting on the rocks and iflands that are fcattered about in the ocean.: He further obferves, that wild beads may have found a free paffage by land ; and that if we do not meet with horfes or cattle (to which he might have added elephants, ca- mels, rhinoceros, and beafts of many other kinds) it is becaufe thofe nations that paflTcd thither, were either not agquainted with • N 2 their
I \ I
I
Ml
i I
(- i8o )
their ufc, or had no convenience to tranfport them.
Having totally excluded many nations that others have admitted as the probable firll fet- tlers of America, for which he gives fubftan- tial reafons, he fuppofts that it began to be peopled by the north ; and maintains that the primitive colonies fpread themfelves by means of the ifthmus of Panama through the whole extent of the continent. '-
il He believes that the firft founders of the Indian Colonies w^ere Scythians. That the Phoenicians and Carthaginians afterwards got footing in America acrofs the Atlantic Ocean, and the Chinefe by way of the Pacific. And that ot 'ler nations might from time to time have landed there bv one or other of thefe ways, or might polllbly have been thrown on the coafl by tempefls: fince, through the whole extent of that Continent, both in its northern and fouthern parts, we meet wMth undoubted marks of a mixture of the northern nations with thofe who have come from other places. And laftly, that fome Jews and Chriftians might have been carried there by fuch hke evejUs, but that this muft have hap- pened
^■^ .-
by
( i8i ) pened at a time when the whole of the new world was already peopled.
After all, he acknowledges that great difli- culties attend the determination of the quefti- on. Thefe, he fays, are occafioned in the firft place by the imperfeiS knowledge we have of the extremities of the globe, towards the north and fouth pole ; and in the next place to thehavock which the Spaniards, the firft difcoverers of the new world, made a- mong its moft ancient monuments j as wit- nefs the great double road betwixt Quito and Cuzco, an undertaking fo ftupendous, that even the moft magnificent of thofe execut- .ed by the Romans cannot be compared to it.
He fuppofes alfo another migration of the Phoenicians, than thofe already mentioned, to have taken place •, and this was during a three years voyage made by the Tyrian fieet in the fervice of King Solomon. He alTerts on the authority of Jofephus, that the port at which this embarkation was made lay in the Mediterranean. The fleet, he adds, went in queft of elephants teeth and pea- cocks, to the weftern Coaft of Afric«;i, which is Tarfifhj then to Ophir for gold, which
is
II
r i
)
'
( 1S2 )
is Haite, or the ifland of Hlfpaniola -, and in the latter opinion he is fupported by Co- lumbus, who, when he difcovered that illand, thought he could trace the furnaces in which the gold was refined.
To thefe migrations, which preceded the Chriftian aera, he adds many others of a later date from different nations, but thefe I have not time to enumerate. For the fame rea- fon I am obliged to pafs over numberlefs wri-r ters on this fubjed; and fhall content my-r felf with only giving the fentiments of two or three more,
- The firft of thefe is Pierre De Charlevoix, a Frenchman, who in his journal of a voyage to North America, made fo lately as the year 1720, has recapitulated the opinions of a variety of authors on this head, to ^-hich he has fubjoined his own conjedures. But the latter cannot without fome difficulty be cxtradied, as they are fo interwoven with the paffages he has quoted, that it requires much attention to difcriminate them. 'i.!"^^
a J He fecms to allow that America might have received its firfl inhabitants from Tar- tary and Hyrcania. This he confirms, by ob- ferving that the lions and tigers which are -l^rovt ' found
( i83 ) found In the former, mnft have come from thofe countries, and whofe paflage ferves for a proof that the two hemifphcres join to the northward of Ada. He then draws a corro- boration of this argument, from a ftory he fays he has often heard related by Father Grollon, a French jefuit, as an undoubted matter of fad.
This Father, after having laboured fome time in the miffions of New France, pafTed over to thofe of China. One day as he v/as traveHing in Tartary, he met a Huron wo- man whom he had formerly known in Ca- nada. He afl<ed her by what adventure f])e had been carried into a country fo diftant from her own. She made anfwer, that hav- ing been taken in war, Ihe had been con- duced from nation to nation, till (he had reached the place at which fhe then was.
Monfieur Charlevoix fays further, that he had been afTured, another Jefuit, paiTmg through Nantz in his return from China, had related much fuch another affair of a Spanifh woman from Florida. She alfo had been taken by certain Indians, and given to thofe of a more diftant country ; and by thefe a- gain.to another nation, till having thus been ^'"^'"^ fuccef.
"'11 'I I!
I
( 184 ) • fucccflivcly pafTed from country to country, and travelled through regions extremely cold, fhe at lafl found herfelf in Tartary. Here fhe had married a Tartar, who had attended the conquerors into China, where fhe was then fettled.
He acknowledges as an allay to the proba- bility of thefc ftorics, that thofe who had failed fartheft to the eaOward of Alia, by pur- fuing the Coaft of Jeilo or Kamtfchatka, have pretended that they had perceived the extremity of this Continent 5 and from thence have concluded that there could not polfibly be any communication by land. But he adds that Francis Guclla, a Spaniard, is faid to have afferted, that this feparation is no more than a llraip;ht, about one hundred -miles over, and that fome late voyages of the Ja- ponefe give grounds to think that this ftraight is only a bay, above which there is a paffage over land.
r... He goes on to obferve, that though there are few wild beafts to be met with ih North •-America, except a kind of tygers without :fpots, which are found in the country of the Iroquoife, yet towards the tropics there are ' lions and real tygers, which, notwrthftahdihg,
might
( 1.85 ) .
might h:ive come from Hyrcania and Tar- tary; for as by advancing graduully fouth- ward ihcy met with climates more agreeable to their natures, they have in tmie abandon- ed the northern countries.
He quotes both Sohnus and Phny to prove that the Scythian Anthropophagi once depo- pulated a great extent of country, as far as the promontory Tabin ^ and alfo an author of later date, Mark Pol, a Venetian, who, he fays, tells us, that to the north eaft of China and Tartary, there are vaft uninhabit- ed countries, which might be fufficient to confirm any conjedures concerning the re- treat of a great number of Scythians into America.
To this he adds, that we find in tlie an- tients the names of fome of thefe nations. Pliny fpeaks of the Tabians ; Solinus men- tions the Apuleans, who had for neighbours the Maffagetes, whom Pliny lince afTures us to have entirely difappeared. Ammianus Marcellinus exprefsly tells us, that the fear of the Anthropophagi obliged feveral of the inhabitants of thofe countries to take refuge elfewhere. From all thefe authorities MonC Charlevoix concludes, that there is at leaft
room
I
! i
( 186 )
room to conjedurethat more than one nation in America had a Scythian or Tartarian ori- ginal.
He finifhes his remarks on the authors he has quoted, by the following obfervation : It appears to me that this controverfy may be reduced to the two following articles ; firft, how the new world might have been peo- pled, and fecondly, by v^^hom, and by what means it has been peopled. -^^ ^^i>iw>
'^''Nothing, he afTerts, may be more ealily anfwered than the firfl. America might have been peopled as the three other parts of the world have been. Many difficulties have been formed on this fubjed, which have been deemed infolvable, but which are far from being To. The inhabitants of both hemif- pheres are certainly the defcendents of the fame father; the common parent of mankind received an exprefs command from heaven to people the whole world, and accordingly it has been peopled, ^-^^i^-
To bring this about it was necefTary to •vercome all difficulties thp.t lay in the way, and they have been got over. Were thefe difficulties greater with refped to peopling the extremities of Afia, Africa, and Europe,
f rt '., I ' »
or
;'■
L_
( 187 )
or the tranfporting men into the iflands which lie at a confiderable diftance from thofe continents, than to pafs over into Ame- rica? certainly not.
Navigation, which has arrived at fo great perfedion within thefe three or four centuries, might pofTibly have been rriuiie perfed in thofe early ages than at this day. Who can believe that Noah and his imme- diate defcendents knew lefs of this art than we do ? That the builder and pilot of the largeft fhip that ever was, a fhip that was formed to traverfe an unbounded ocean, and had fo many fhoals and quick- fands to guard againft, ihould be ignorant of, or fhould not have communicated to thofe of his def- cendents who furvived him, and by whofe means he was to execute the order of the Great Creator j I fay, who can believe he fhould not have communicated to them the art of failing upon the ocean, which was not only more calm and pacific, but at the fame time confined within its ancient limits ?
Admitting this, how eafy is it to pafs, ex^ clufive of the paffagc already defcribed, by land from the coaft of Africa to Brazil, from the Canaries to the weftern Iflands, and from
them
k
l\- '
( i88 )
them to the Antilles ? From the Britifh ifles^ or the coaft of France, to Newfoundland, the pafTage is neither long nor difficult j I might fay as much of that from China to Japan ; from Japan, or the Philippines, to the ifles Mariannes; and from thence to Mexico.
There are iflands at a confiderable diftance from the continent of Ada, where w^e have not been fuf prized to find inhabitants, why- then fhould we wonder to meet with people in America ? Nor can it be imagined that the grandfons of Noah, when they were obliged to feparate and fpread themfelves, in con- formity to the defigns of God, over the whole earth, fhould find it abfolutely impoffible to people almoft one half of it. . I have been more copious in my extrids from this author than I intended, as his rea- fons appear to be folid, and many of' his ob* fervations juft. From this encomium, how- ever, I muft exclude the flories he has intro- duced of the Huron and Floridan women, which I think I might venture to pronounce fabulous.
I fhall only add, to give my readers a more comprchenfive view of Monf. Charlevoix's
difler-
( i89 ) diflertation, the method he propofes to come at the truth of what we are in fearch of.
The only means by which this can be done, he fays, is by comparing the langua- ges of the Americans with the different na- tions, from whence we might fuppofe they have peregrinated. If we compare the for- mer with thofe words that are confidered as primitives it might poitibly fet us upon fome happy difeovery. And this way of af- cending to the original of nations, which is by far the leaft equivocal, is not fo difficult as might be imagined. We have had and ftill have, travellers and miffionaries who have attained the languages that ai« fpoken in all the provinces of the new world; it would only be neceffary to make a colledion of their grammars and vocabularies, and to collate them with the dead and living lan- guages of the old world, that p^fs for origi- nals, and the fimilarity might eafily be traced. Even the different diabdfe, in fpite of the alterations they have undergone, ftill retaiji enough of the mother tjongue tp fqriiifh con- fiderable 4ight«.
;/.fAny enquiry into ;tlie manners, cuftoms, leligiQiii, .or tr,^ditipn^ pf ti}^ Amm(;ms, in
. order
t>
w
k
( 190 )
order to difcover by that means their "origin, he thinks would prove fallacious. Adifqui- fition of that kind he obferves is only capable of producing a falfe light, more likely to daz- zle, and to make us wander from the right path, than to lead us with certainty to the point propofed. '»*
Ancient traditions are effaced from the minds of fuch as either have not, or for fe- veral.ages have been without, thofe helps that are neceflhry to preferve them. And in this fituation is full one half of the world. New events and new arrangement of things, give rife to new traditions, which efface the former, and are themfelves effaced in return. After one or two centuries have pafTed, there no longer remain any traces of the firft tra- ditions ; and thus we are involved in a flate of uncertainty.
He concludes with the following remarks, among many others. Unforefeen accidents, tempef^s, and (hipwrecks, have certainly con- tributed to people every habitable part of the world: and ought we to wonder, after this, at perceiving certain refemblances, both of perfons and manners, between nations that are moit remote from each other, when we
find
m
( 19' )
find fuch a difference between thofe that bor- der on one another? As we are deftitnte of hiftorical monuments, there is nothing, I re- peat it, but a knowledge of the primitive languages that is capable of throwing any- light upon thefe clouds of impenetrable dark- nefs.
By this enquiry we fhould at leafl be fa- tisfied, among that prodigious number of va- rious nations inhabiting America, and differ- ing fo much in languages from each other, which are thofe who make ufe of words to- tally and entirely different from thofe of the old world, and who confequently muft be reckoned to have paifed over to America in the earlieft ages, and thofe, who from the analogy of their language with fuch as are at prefent ufed in the three other parts of the globe, leave room to judge that their migra- tion has been more recent, and which ought to be attributed to fhipwrecks, or to fome ac- cident fimilar to thofe which have been, fpoken of in the courfe of this treatife.
1 fhall only add the opinion of one author more before I give my own fentiments on the fubjed, and that is of James Adair, Efq; who refided forty years among the Indians,
and
11
> !
( ^92 )
and publiihcd the hillory of them in the year 1772. In his learned and fyftematical hiflory of thofe nations, inhabiting the weftern parts of the moft fouthern of the i^merican colo- nies, this gentleman without hefitation pro- nounces that the American Aborigines are delcended from the Ifraelites, either whilft they were a maritime power, or foon ^fter their general captivity. ' '
This defcent he endeavours to prove from their religious rites, their civil and martial cuftoms, their marriages, their funeral cere- monies, their manners, language, traditions, and from a variety of other particulars. And fo complete is his convidion on this head, th^t he fancies he finds a perfed and indif- putable fimilitude in each. Through all thefc I have not time to follow him, and ihay therefore only give a few extrads to (how oa what foundation he builds his conjedur^s, ^nd what degree f>£ credit he is entitled to on this point.
He begins with obferving, that though fome have fuppofed the Americans to be defcended from theChinefe, yet neither their religion, laws, or cuftoms agree in the leaft "■■ *th thofe of the diinefe -, which fafiiciently
prove*
( 193 )
proves that they are not of this line. Be-» fides, as our bell (hips are now almoft half a year in failing for China (our author does not here recoiled that this is from a high northern latitude, acrofs the Line, and then back again greatly to the northward of it, and not diredly athwart the Pacific Ocean for only one hundred and eleven degrees) or from thence to Europe, it is very unlikely they fhould attempt fuch dangerous difcoveries, with their fuppofed fmall veffels, againft rapid currents, and in dark and fickly Mon- foons. *
He further remarks, that this is more par- ticularly improbable, as there is reafon to believe that this nation was unacquainted with the ufe of the loadftone to diredt their courfe. China, he fays, is about eight thou- fand miles diftLut from the American conti-^ nent, which is twice as far as acrofs the At- lantic Ocean. And we are not informed by any ancient writer of their maritime fldll, or fo much as any inclination that way, befides fmall coafting voyages. The winds bloW-- likewife, with little variation from eaft to weft within the latitudes thirtv and odd, north and fouth ; and therefore thefe could
:i\
o
not
;
11
ill '
ijii'l
V'.
*' ' !'
iiii
( 194 )
not drive them on the American coaft, it ly- ing diredly contrary to fucb a courfe.
Neither could perfons, according to this writer's account, fail to America from the north by the way of Tartary or Ancient Scythia ; that from its fituation never hav- ing been or can be a maritime power: and it is utterly impradlicable, he fays, for any to come to America by fea from that quarter. Befides, the remaining traces of their religi- ous ceremonies and civil and martial cuftoms are quite oppofite to the like veftiges of the Old Scythians. Even in the moderate north- ern climates there is not to be feen the leaft trace of any ancient iiately buildings, or of any thick fettlements, as are faid to remain in the lefs healthy regions of Peru and Mexi- co. Andfeveral of the Indian nations aiTurc us, that they croiTed the MiiTilfippi before they made their prefent northern feitlements ; which, conneded with the former argu- ments, he concludes will fufficiently explode that weak opinion of the American Abori- gines being lineally defcended from ihe Tar- tars or ancient Scythians.
Mr. Adair's reafons for fuppofing that the Americans derive their origin from the Jews
are.
Firft,
m
w*Wa* <in<.ilg»>WHi>«MWIi
( 195 ) Fiift, hccaufc tlicy are divided into tribes, and have chiefs over them as the Ifraelites had.
Secondly, becaufe, ns by a flrid permanent divine precept, the Hebrew nation were or- dered to worfhip, at Jerufalem, Jehovah the true and living God, {o do the Indians, ftil- ing him Yohewah. The ancient Heathens, he adds, it is well known worfhipped a plu- rality of Gods, but the Indians pay their reli- gious devoirs to the Great beneficent fupreme holy Spirit of Fire., who refides, as they think, above the clouds, and on earth alfo with unpolluted people. They pay no ado- ration to images, or to dead perfons, neither to the celeftial luminaries, to evil fpirits, nor to any created beings w^hatever.
Thirdly, becaufe, agreeable to the theo- cracy or divine government of Ifrael, the In- dians think the deity to be the immedinte head of their flate.
Fourthly; becaufe, as the Jews believe in the minillration of angels, the Indians ahb believe that the higher regions are inhabited by good fpirits.
Fifthly, becaufe the Indian language and dialeds appear to have the very idiom and
O 2 senius
T
II : !
( 196 )
genius of the Hebrew. Their words and fentences being exprcflive, concife, empha- tical, fonorous, and bold; and often, both in letters, and fignification, are fynonimous with the Hebrew language.
Sixthly, becaufe they count their time af- ter the manner of the Hebrews.
Seventhly, becaufe in conformity to, or after the manner of the Jews, they have their prophets, high-priefts, and other religious orders.
Eighthly, becaufe their feftivals, fafts, and religious rites have a great refemblance to thofe of the Hebrews.
Ninthly, becaufe the Indians, before they go to war, have many preparatory ceremo- nies of purification and failing, like what is recorded of the Ifraelites.
Tenthly, becaufe the fame tafte for orna- ments, and the fame kind are made ufe of by the Indians, as by the Hebrews.
Thefe and many other arguments of afimi- lar nature, Mr. Adair brings in fupport of his favourite fyftem ; but I fhould imagine, that if the Indians are really derived from the Hebrews, air.ong their religious ceremo- nies, on which he chiefly feems to build his v-jr hypothelis,.
is and ;mpha- 30th in us with
me af-
|
to, or |
M| |
|
^e their |
'^ |
|
iligious |
• J |
|
[Is, and |
■1 |
|
jnce to |
■ J |
|
•e they |
Si> 'i^^B |
|
;remo- |
|
|
/hat is ' t |
|
|
9 ' orna- |
|
|
; of by |
|
|
afimi- |
|
|
ort of |
|
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agine, from |
|
|
remo- |
|
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ild his |
1 |
|
:heiis, |
.■J yJW |
( 197 )
hvpothefis, the principal, that of circumci- fion, would never have been laid afide, and its very remembrance obliterated.
Thus numerous and diverfe are the opini- ons of thofe who have hitherto written on this fubjed! I (hall not, however, either en- deavour to reconcile them, or to point out the errors of each, but proceed to give my own fentiments on the origin of the Ameri- cans j which are founded on conclufions draw^n from the moft rational arguments of the writers I have mentioned, and from my own obfervations : the confiftency of thefe I (hall leave to the judgment of my Rea- ders.
The better to introduce my conjedures on this head, it is neceffary firft to afcertain the diftances between America and thofe parts of the habitable globe that approach neareft to it.
The Continent of America, as far as we can judge from all the refearches that have been made near the Poles, appears to be en- tirely feparated from the other quarters of the world. That part of Europe which ap- proaches neareft to it, is the coaft of Green- land, lying in about feventy degrees of north
latitude;
r
!i:
i
I,
ii ' i
( 19S )
latitude i and which reaches within twelve degrees of the coaft of Labrador, lituated on the north-caft borders of ih continent. This coalt of Guinea is the neareft part of Africa ; which lies about eighteen hundred and fixty miles north-eaft from the Brazils. The moft caftern coaft of Alia, which extends to the Korean Sea on the north of China, projeds north-eaft through eaftern Tartary and Kam- fchatka and Siberia, in about fixty degrees of north latitude. Towards which the weflern coafts of America, from California to the ftraights of Aunian, extend nearly north- weft, and lie in about forty fix degrees of the fame latitude.
"Whether the continent of America ftretches any farther north than thcfe ftraights, and joins to the eaftern parts of Afia, agreeable to what has been alTcrted by fome of the writers I have quoted, or whether the lands that have been difcovered in the intermediate parts are only an archipel,ir;o of iflands verg- ing towards the oppolite continent, is not yet afcertained.
It being, however, certain that there are piany confiderable iflands which lie between the ej^tremities of Afia and America, viz.
Japon,
( 199 ) Japoti, Ycfo or Jedfo, Gama's Land, Bch- ring's lile, wiih many others difcovercd by Tfcliirikow, and befidcs thcfe, from fifty de- grees north there appearing to be a cluftcr of iilands that reach as far as Siberia, it is pro- bable from their proximity to America, that it received its firfl inhabitants from them.
This conclufion is the moft rational I am able to draw, fuppofmg that lince the Abo- rigines got footing on this continent, no ex- traordinary or fudden change in the pofition or furfacc of it has taken place, from inunda- tions, earthquakes, or any revolutions of the earth that we are at prefent unacquainted with.
To me it appears highly improbable that it fbould have been peopled from different quar- ters, acrofs the Ocean, as others have afferted. From the fize of the (liips made ufe of in thofe early ages, and the want of the compafs, it cannot be fuppofed that any maritime na- tion would by choice venture over the un- fathomable Ocean in fearch of diflant conti- nents. Had this however been attempted, or had America been firft accidentally peo- pled from fhips freighted with paffengers of both fexes which were driven by ftrongeafter-
I
i
I )i
'Hi.:
( 200 )
ly winds acrofs the Atlantic, thefe fetJers muft have retained fome traces of the lan- guage of the country from whence they mi- grated ; and this fince the difcovery of it by the Europeans muft have been made out. It alfo appears extraordinary that feveral of thefe accidental migrations, as allowed by fome, and the fe from different parts, fhould have taken place.
Upon th^ whole, after the moft critical enquiries, and the rnaturelt deliberation, 1 am of opinion, that America received its firft inhabitants from the north-eaft, by way of the great Archipelago juft mentioned, and from thefe alone. But this might have been effeded at different times, and from various parts; from Tartary, China, Japon, or Kamf- chatka, the inhabitants of thefe places refem- bling each other in colour, features, and fhape ; and who, before fome of them acquir- ed a knowledge of the arts and fciences, might have likewifc refembled each other in their manners, cuftoms, religion, and language. •
The only difference between the Chinefe nation and the Tartars lies in the cultivated ftate of the one, and the unpolifhed fitua- tion of the others. The former have be- come
f 201 )
come a commercial people, a^nd dwell in houfes formed into regular towns and cities-, the latter live chiefly in tents, and rove about in different hords, without any fixed abode. Nor can the long and bloody wars thefe two nations have been engaged in, exterminate their hereditary fimilitude. The prefent fa- mily of the Chinefe emperors is of Tartarian extradion ; and if they were not fenfible of fome claim befides that of conqueft, fo nu- merous a people would fcarcely fit quiet under the dominion of Grangers.
It is very'evident that fome of the manners and cuftoms of I'ae American Indians refem." ble thofe of the Tartars ; and I make no doubt but that in fome future aera, and this not a very diflant one, it will be reduced to a certainty, that during fome of the wars be- tween the Tjrtars and the Chinefe, a part of the inhabitants of the northern provinces were driven from their native country, and took refuore in fome of the ifles before-men- tioned, and from thence found their way into America. At different periods each nation might prove vidorious, and the con- quered by turns fly before their ccaquerors; and from hence might arife the fimilitude of
the
( 202 )
the Indians to all thefe people, and that ani- molity which exilis between fo many of their
tribes.
It appears plainly to me that a great fimi- larity between the Indian and Chinefe is confpicuous in that particular cuilom of ihaving or plucking off the hair, and leav- ing only a fmall tuft on the crown of the head. This mode is faid to have been en- joined by the Tartarian emperors on their accellion to the throne of China, and confe- nuenlly is a further proof that this cuftom was in uCc among the Tartars ; to whom, as well as the Chinefe, the Americans might be indebted for it.
Many words alfo are ufed both by the Chinefe and Indians, which have a refem- blance to each other, not only in their found, but their fiimilication. The Chinefe call a flave, {hunt!;o ; and the Naudowcflie Indians, whofc language from their little intercourfe with the Europeans is the leafc corrupted, term a dog, fhungufh. The former deno- minate one fpccies of their tea, flioufong ; the latter call their tobacco, flioufaffa Many other of the words ufcd bv the Indians con-r ./ tain
i. f
r
it ani' f their
efe is pm of
leav- of the n en^ I their confe- cuftom om, as ghtbq
by the re fern- found,
call a idians, courfe upted,
deno-
jfong ;
Many
5 con-'
tain
't:
hi
( 203 )
tain the fyllables che, chaw, and chu, after the diuledl of the Chinefe.
There probably might be found a fimllar connexion between the language of the Tar- tars and the American Aborigines, were we as well acquainted with it as we are, from a commercial intercou.fe, with that of the Chinefe.
I am confirmed in thefc conjectures, by the accounts of Kamfchatka publiflied a few years ago by order of the emprefs of Ruliia, The author of which fays, that the fea which divides the peninfula from America is full of iflandsj and that the diilance between Tfchu- kotflioi-Nofs, a promontory which lies at the eaitern extremity of that country, and the coafl of America, is not more than two de- grees and a half of a great circle. He iurther fays, that there is the greatefi reafon to fup- pofe that Aim and America once joined at ^ bis place, as the coafts of both continents appear to have been broken into capes and bays, which an fwer each other j more efpe- ciallv as the inhabitants of this part of both refemble each other in their perfons, habits, cufioms, and food. Their language, indeed, )i(S pbferves, does not appear to be the fame,
but
;t|f
f i
4
t' I
( 204 )
but then the inhabitants of each diftrid in Kamfchatka fpeak a language as different from each other, as from that fpoken on the oppolite coaft. Thefc obfervations, to which he adds, the (imilarity of the boats of the in- habitants of each coaft, and a remark that the natives of this part of America are wholly Grangers to wine and tobacco, which he looks upon as a proof that they have as yet had no communication with the natives of Europe, he fays amount to little lefs than a demon- llration tl ' " merica was peopled from this part of Aiia. .».
The limits of my prefent undertaking will not permit me to dwell any longer on this fubjed, or to enumerate any other proofs in fovour of my hypothefis. I am however fo thoroughly convinced of the certainty of it, and fo delirous have I been to obtain every teftimony which can be procured in its fup- port, that I once made an offer to a private fociety of gentlemen, who were curious in fuch refcarches, and to whom I had commu- nicated my fcntiments on this point, that I would undertake a journey, on receiving fuch fupplics as were needful, through the north-call parts of Europe and Afia to the
interior
rJ
ftrid in iifFerent 1 on the ) which
the in- that the
wholly le looks ^et had Europe, demon- om this
ing will an this oofs in ever fo J of it, every ts fup- private iOus in )mmu- that I :eiving ^h the to the iterior
( 205 )
interior parts of America, and from thence to En2;land j making, as I proceeded, fuch ob- fervations both on the language and manners of the people with whom I fhould be con- verfant, as might tend to illuftrate the doc- trine 1 have here laid down, and to fatisfy tile curiofity of the learned or inquifitivc; but as this propofal was judged rather to re- quire a national than a private fupport, it was not carried into execution.
I am happy to find, lince I formed the fore- going conclufions, that they correfpond with the fentiments of that aireat and learned hiftorian Dodor Robertfon; and though, with him, I acknowledge that the inveftigation, from its nature, is fo obfcure and intricate that the conjedures I have made can only be confidered as conjedures, and not indifputa- ble conclufions, yet they carry with them a greater degree of probability than the fup- pofitions of thofe who afifert that this con- tinent was peopled from another quarter.
One of the Dodor's quotations from the Journals of Behring and Tfchirikowwho fail- ed from Kamfchatka about the year 1741 In queft of the New World, appears to carry great weight with it, and to afford our con- clufions
( 2C6 )
clufions firm fupport. " Thefe commandefS " having fhaped their courfe towards the eaft, " difcovcred land, which to them appeared " to be part of the American continent; and, " according to their obfervations, it fecms to " be fituated w^ithin a few degrees of the " north-weft coaft of Cahfornia. They had " there fome intercourfe with the inhabi- " tants, who feemed to them to refemblc the *' North Americans j as they prefented to the " Ruffians the Calumet or Pipe of Peace, " which is a fymbol of friendfliip univerfal " among the people of North America, and " an ufage of arbitrary inftitution peculiar to '' them."
One of this incomparable writer's own ar- guments in fupport of his hypothefis is alfo urged with great judgment, and appears to be nearly concluiive. He fays, " We may lay *' it down as a certain principle in this en- " quiry, that America was not peopled by " any nation of the ancient continent, which " had made confiderable progrefs in ciriliza- " tion. The inhabitants of the New World " were in a ftate of focietv fo extremely rude, " as to be unacquainted with thofe arts
which are the firft effays of human inge-
" nuity
f
K
207
^
** nulty in its advance towards improvement. *^ Even the moft cultivated nations of Anie- '* rica were {lran8;ers to many of thofe fimple " inventions, which were almofi: coeval with *' fociety in other parts of the world, and " were known in the earlieft periods of civil " life. From this it is manifefl that the " tribes which originally migrated to Ame- *' rica, came off from nations which mufl: " have been no lefs barbarous than their " pofterity, at the time w^lien they were firft " difcovered by the Europeans. \i ever the " ufe of iron had been know^n to the fiva- *' ges of America, or to their progenitors, if " ever they had employed a plough, a loom, " or a forge, the utility of thefe inventions " would have preferved them, and it is im- " poff »-le that they fliould have been aban- *' doned or forgotten."
CHAP. 11.
. Of ihetr Persons, Dress, ^c,
FPvOM the firft fettlement of the French in Canada, to the conqueft of it by the Englilh in 1760, feveral of that nation,
who.
|
1 |
i |
|
\ |
■M
i \il^
■^\.i
( 4,03 )
who had travelled into the interior parts of North America, either to trade with the In^ dians, or to endeavour to make converts of them, have publifhed accounts of their cuf- toms, manners, &c.
The principal of thefe are Father Louis Hennipin, Monf. Charlevoix, and the Baron Le Hontan. The firft, many years ago, publifhed fome very judicious remarks, which ■ he was the better enabled to do by the affiii- ance he received from the maps and diaries' of ., the unfortunate Monf. De la Salle, who. was affaflinated whilft he was on his travels^ ' by fome of his own party. That gentleman's journals falling into Father Kennipin'shandsi j he was enabled by them to publifli many in- ? terefting particulars relative to the Indians. | But in fome refpeds he fell very fhort of that t knowledge which it was in his power to havcr^ attained from his long refidence among them.i Nor was he always (as has been already* ob-:'i: fea^yed) exa£l in his calculations, or juft inj the intelligence he has given us. . .^a^iuni
The accounts publifhed by the other two,-r parti^larly thofe of Charlevoix, are very crroQeoUs in the geographical parts, and many *l
f 209 )
of the ftorica told by the Baron are mere de-
lufions.
Come of the Jefuits, who heretofore travel- led into thefe parts, have alfo written on this fubjed i but as few, if any, of their works have been tranflated into the Englifh lan- guage, the generality of readers are not be- nefitted by them; and, indeed, had this been done, they would have reaped but few ad- vantages from them, as they have chiefly con- fined their obfervations to the religious prin- ciples of the favages, and the fteps taken for their converfion.
Since the conqueft of Canada, fome of our own countrymen, who have lived among the Indians, and learned their language, have pubhfhed their obfervations ; however as their travels have not extended to any of the interior parts I treat of, but have only been made among the nations that border on our fettlements, a knowledge of the genuin** and uncontaminated cuftoms and manners of the Indians could not have been acquired by them. ,
The fouthern tribes, and tho's that have held a oonftant intercourft with the French or Englifh J cannot have preferved their man-*
P ners
i
ncrs or their cuftoms in their original purity. They could not avoid acquiring the vices with the language of thofe they converfed with J and the frequent intoxications they experienced through the baneful juices in- troduced among them by the Europeans, have completed a total alteration in their charaders. • •. .: -
In fuch as thefe, a confufed medley of 'principles or ufages are only to be obferved ; l^heir real and unpolluted cuftoms could be *'feeri among thofe nations alone that have ^held but little communications with the pro- Virices. Thefe I found in the north-weft par'ts/and therefore flatter myfelf that I am able to give a more juft account of the cuf- toms and manners of the Indians, in their ancient purity, than any that has been hi- therto publilhed. 1 have made obfervations on thirty nations, and though moft of thefe ; have YiiSfiered in their languages, there has "appeared a great irmilarity in their manners, and from thefe have I endeavoured to extrad the "folldwmg remarks. ^^ 'As I do hot propdfe to give a regular and .'conrieded fyftem oflndian concerns, but oniT toVelate fuch particulars of their "xtidititi&tS^ ^'- cuftoms,
iropeans, in their
ediey of ibferved ; could be lat have the pro- rth-weft lat I am the cuf- in their been hi- Tvations of thefe lerc has nanners, D extrad
liar and but only ria^flfieTS, cuftoms,
I '-1
( 211 )
cufloms, &c. as I thought moft worthy of motice, and which interfere as little as pof- fible with the accounts given by other wri* ters, I muft beg my readers to excufe their not being arranged fyftematically, or treated of in a more copious manner.
The Indian nations do not appear to me to difTer fo widely in their make, colour, oj- con- ftitution from each other, as rcprefented by fome writers. They are in general flight ,made, rather tall and ftrait, and you feldom fee any among them deformed j their fkin is of a reddifh or copper colour j their eyps arc large and black, and their hair of the fame hue, but very rarely is it curled j they have good teeth, and their breath is as fweet as the air they draw inj their cheek-bones rather raifed, but more fp in the women than the men; the former are not quite fo tall as the .European women, hpvyever you frequently meet with good faces and agreeabl.^ perfons among them, although they are more inclined
to be fat than the other fex* , .-...•, 11.
* - . • ■ ■■■.)(
I fhall not enter into, a particular enquiry
whether the Indians are indebted to nature,
^rt., or the temperature of the climate for the
.^9^c^iir^9f ^l^eir fkin, nor (hall I quote any of
:crvoJ
s
tr
I
. ( 212 )
the contradictory accounts I have read on this fubjcd ; I (hall only fay, that it appears to me to be the tindure they received origi* nally from the hands of their Creator ^ but at what period the variation which is at pre*- fent vifible both in the complexion and fea- tures of many nations took place, at what time the European whitenefs, the jetty hue of the African, or the copper caft of the Ame,- jican were given them, which was the origi- nal colour of the firft inhabitants of the earth, or which might be efteemed the moft perfed, I will not pretend to determine. * o\ ^^r*
-s Many writers have aflerted, that the In- dians, even at the matured period of their exiftence, are only furnifhed with hair on their heads j and that notwithftanding the profufion with which that part is covered, thofe parts which among the inhabitants of other climates are ufually the feat of this excrefcence, remain entirely free from it. Even Do(3or Robert fon,- through their mifre- prefcntations, has contributed to propagate the error J and fuppofing the remark juftly founded, has drawn feveral conclufions from it relative to the habit and temperature of their bodies, which are confequently invalid.
But
.Ia •
<tlSimaiii»Btrf">fi>n I f ■»'
( 213 )
But from minute enquiries and a curious in- fpcdlion, I am able to declare (however re- fpedable I may hold the authority of thefe hiftorians in other points) that their aiTerti- ons are erroneous, and proceeding from the want of a thorough knowledge of the cuftoms of the Indians.
After the age of puberty, their bodies, in their natural ftate, are covered in the fame manner as thofe of the Europeans. The men, indeed, efteem a beard very unbecom- ing, and take great pains to get rid of it, nor is there any ever to be perceived on their faces, except when they grow old, and be- come inattentive to their appearance. Every crinous efflorefcence on the other parts of the
«
body is held unfeemly by them, and both fexes employ much time in their extirpa- tion.
The Nawdoweffies, and the remote nati- ons, pluck them out with bent pieces of hard wood, formed into a kind of nippers ; whilft thofe who have communication with Euro- peans procure from them wire, which they . twift into $ fcrew or worm ; applying this ' tp^tJie part, they prefs the rings together,
and
k..i^
m
vu
( 214 )
and with a fudden twitch draw out all hairs that are inclofcd between them.
The men of every nation differ in their drefs very little from each other, except thofe Vvho trade with the Europeans ; thefe ex- change their furs for blankets, fhirts, and other apparel, which they wear as much foi* ornament ?.s ne:efrity. The latter fafteii by a girdle around their waifls about halfayaW of broadcloth, which covers the middle p^t^ of their bodies. Thofe who w ear fhirtd tle- yer make them fu.ft either at the wrift or col-'' lar; this would he a moft infufferable cott-^ fincment to them. They throw theit blatii^ kel loofe upon their fhoulders, and holdings the upper fide of it by the two corners,' "With' a knife in one hand, and a tobacco-pouch, pipe, &c. in the other, thtis accoutred they walk about in their villages or camps : • biit in th^ir dances th^v feldbrn w0ar this coYCr^
'""iiioife amorigih^ fell v(rho wifh to aj^picaf eayer than the reft, pluck from their hezltls all the ^ air except from a fpot dti the top of it abbut the fize or a crown-piece, \vh^re it is permitted to grow to a confiderabld lengtli'i on this arc faftened plumes of feathef s of va» I rioys
( «i5 ) rious colours with filver or ivory quills. The iRcnner or cutting and ornamenting this part of the head diftinguiflies different nations from each other.
They paint their faces red and black, which they efteem as g'-eatly ornamental. They alfo paint themfelves when they go to war; but the method they make ufe of on this oc- cafioa differs from that wherein they ufe it
merely ais a decoration. _ '^hs^r^^y-
The young Indians, who are defirous of excelling their companions in finery, flit the outward rim of both their ears 5 at the. fame time they take care not to feparate them en- tirely, but leave the flefh thus cut flill un- touched at both extremities: around this fpongy fubflance, from the upper to the low- er part, they twifl brafs wire, till the weight draws the amputated rim into a bow of five or fix inches diameter, and drags it almpfl down to the fhoulder. This decoration is efleemed to be excefllv^ly gay and becom-
^ It is alfo a common cuflom among therii to bore, their nofes, and wear in them pen- dants of different forts. I obiferved that fea fhells^werc much worn by ihofe of the inte-
.►^ . nor
; '
( ai& )
riof parts, and reckoned very ornamental ; but how they procured them I could not Jearn : probably by their traffick with other nations nearer the fea.
They go without any covering for the thigh, except that before fpoken of, round the middle, which reaches down half way the thighs i but they make for their legs a fort of flocking either of ikins or cloth : thefe are fewed as near to the ftjape of the leg as pofli* ble, fo as to admit of being drawn on and off. The edges of the fluff of which they are compofed are left annexed to the fcam, and hang loofe for about the breadth of a hand : and this part, which is placed on the outfide of the leg, is generally ornamented by thofe who have any communication with Europeans, if of cloth, with ribands or lace, if of leather, with embroidery or porcupine quills curioufly coloured. Strangers who hunt among the Indians in the parts where there is a great deal of fnow, find thefe flockings much more convenient than any others.
Their fhoes are made of the ikin of the deer, elk, or buffalo : thefe, after being {(Jtae" times drcffed according to the European man-.
ner,
( 217 ) titti at others with the hair remai ing on them, are cut into Ihoes, and fafhioned o as to be eafy to the feet, and convenient for walking. The edges round "he ankle are de- corated with pieces of brafs or tin fixed a- round leather ftrings, about an inch long, which being placed very thick make a cheer- ful tinkling noife either when they walk or
dance.
. The women wear a covering of fome kind
or other from the neck to the knees. Thofe who trade with the Europeans wear a linen garment the fame as that ufed by the men j the flaps of which hang over the petticoat. Such as drefs after the ancient manner make a kind of fhift with leather, which covers the body but not the arms. Their petticoats are made either of leather or cloth, and reach from the waifl to the knee. On their legs they wear ftockings and (hoes, made iiid or- namented as thofe of the men. ^^^^i . They differ from each other in the mode of dreffing their heads, and each follow the cuflom of the nation or band to which they belong, and adhering to the form made ufe of by their ancellors from time iramemo- rial.
A-
'•D c:>
S^a
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ml
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|
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■1 |
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( 2l8 )
I icm''»'ked that moft of the females, who dwell on the eaft fide of the MiflilTippi, de- corate their heads by inclofing their hair ei^ ther in ribbands, or in plates of filver : the lat- ter is only made ufe of by the higher ranks, as it is a coftly ornament. The filver they ufe on this occafion is formed into thin plates of about four inches broad, in feveral of which they confine their hair. That plate which is nearefl the head i? of a condderablt width ; the next narrower, and made fo as to pafs a little way under the other j and in this manner they fallen into each other, and, gradually tapering, defcend to the waift. The hair of the Indian women being in ge- neral very long, this proves an expeufive method.
But the women that live to the weft of the MifTiflippi, viz. the Naudoweflies, the AfRnipoils, &c. divide their hair in the mid- dle of the head, and form it into two roll's, one againft each ear. Thefe rolls are ab(3Ut three inches long, and as large at: their wrifts. They hang in a perpendicular attitude at the front of each ear, and defcend as far as the lower part of it,
' The
lie.
,t
( 219 )
The women of every nation generally place a fpot of paint, about the fize of a crown piece, againlt each earj feme of them put paint on their hair, and fometimes a fmall fpot in the middle of their forehead.
The Indians, in general, pay a greater at- tention to their drefs and to the ornaments with which they decorate their perfons, than to th ? accommodations of their huts or tents. They conftrud the latter in the following iimple, and expeditious manner.
Being provided with poles of a proper length, they faften two of them acroff, near their ends, with bands made of bark. Hav- ing done this, they raife them up, and ex- tend the bottom of each as wide as they pur- pofe to make the area of the tent : they then credl others of an equal height, and fix them fo as to fupport the two principal ones. On the whole they lay fkins of the elk or deer, fewed together, in quantity fufEcient to co- ver the poles, and by lapping over to form the door. A great number of fkins are fome- times required for this purpofe, as fome of their tents are very capacious. That of the
chief
( a20 )
cliief warrior of the Naudoweffies was at leaft forty feet in circumference, and very commodious.
They obferve no regularity in fixing their tents when they encamp, but place them juft as it fuits their conveniency.
The huts alfo, which thofe who ufe not tents, ered when they travel, for very few tribes haves fixed abodes or regular towns or villages, are equally fimple, and almoft as foon conftruded. '
They fix fmall pliable poles in the ground, and bending them till they meet at the top and form a femircircle, then la(h them toge- ther. Thefe they cover with mats made of nifhes platted, or with birch bark, which they carry with them in their canoes for this purpofe. ~;f)
Thefe cabins have neither chimnies nor windows ; there is only a fmall aperture Je£t in the middle of the roof, through which the fmoke is difcharged, but as this is obliged to be flopped up when it rains or fnows vio- lently, the fmoke then proves exceedingly troublefome.
They lie on lldns, generally thofe of th« bear, which are placed in rows on the ground ;
and
C 221 )
and if the floor is hot large enough to con- tain beds fufficient for the accommodation of the whole family, a frame is e reded about four or five feet from the ground, in which the younger part of it deep. . .: i
As the habitations of the Indians are thus rude, their domeftic utenfils are few in num- ber, and plain in their formation. The tools wherewith they fafhion them are fo aukward and defedive, that it is not only impoffiblc to form them with any degree of neatnefs or elegance, but the time required in the execu- tion is fo confiderable, as to deter them from engaging in the manu.adurc of fuch as arc. not abfolutely neceflary.
The Naudoweflles make the pots in which they boil their victuals of the black clay or ftone mentioned in my Journal ; which refifta the efieds of the fire nearly as well as iron* When they roaft, if it is a large joint or a whole animal, fuch as a beaver, they fix it as Europeans do, on a fpit made of a hard wood, and placing the ends on two forked props, now and then turn it. If the piece is (mailer they fpit it as before, and fixing the fpit in an ered but flanting pofition, with the meat inclining towards the fire, frequent-
I'dl
( .. ii^2 ) ly change the fides, till every part is fuffi- ciently roafled.
They make their difhes in which they ferve up their meat, and their bowls and pans, out of the knotty excrefcences of the maple tree, or any other wood. They fafhi- on their fpoons, with a tolerable degree of neatnefs (as thefe require much lefs troitble than larger utenfils) from a wood that is term* ed in America Spoon Wood, and which great- ly refcmbles Box Wood. n j «
Every tribe are now pofTefTed of knives, and Heels to ftrike fire with. Thefe being fo e^i^ntially needful for the common ufcs of life, thofe who have not an immediate com- munication with the European traders, pur- chafe them of fuch of their neighbours as arc fituated nearer the fettlem'^nts, and generally give in, exchange for them flaves.
'^riB aoojr n?)ibiifb '^i'>ii
C HA P.
J'^Ox
■r>,,A
viij:.v/
^iui
n
^oiWii..
.t'w
ob
-m
'"''M
( 223 )
rt is fuffi.
hich they 30 wis and ces of the hey fafhi- <legrec of fs tifoUblc at is term- lich great-
of knives, leie being on ufcs of iiate com- ders, pur- 3urs as are I generally
HA P.
i'jl.
M
-iitia ci. ii'^<^l
CHAP. III.
Of their Manners, Qjuali ficati- ons, ^c,
WHEN the Indian wonr.jn fit down, they place themfelves in a decent at- titude, with their knees cldfe together J but from being accuftomed to this pofture, they walk b-idly, and appear to be lame.
*rhey have no midwives amongft them, their climate, or fome peculiar happiriefs in 'their conftitutions, rendering any alfiftance at that time unnecefTary. On thefe occafions they are confined but a few hours from their \ifual employments, which are commonly ve- ry laborious, as the men, who are remark- ably indolent, leave to them every kind of drudgery ; even in their hunting parties the former will not deign to bring home the game, but fend their wives for it, though it lies at a very confiderable diftance. "The women place their children foon aftcf they are born on boards fluffed with ibft mofs, fuch as is found in moraffes or mea- dows.
( 224 )
dows. The child is laid on its back in one of thefe kind of cradles, and being wrapped in fkins or cloth to keep it warm, is fecured in it by fmall bent pieces of timber.
To thefe machines they faflen ftrings, by which they hang them to branches of trees j or if they find not trees at hand, faften them to a flump or flone, whilft they tranfadJ any needful bufinefs. In this pofition are the children kept for fome months. When they are taken out, the boys are fufFered to go naked, and the girls are covered from the neck to the knees with a fhift and a fhort petticoat^ i.—j -t
The Indian women are remarkably decent during their menflrual illnefs. Thofe nati- ons that are mofl remote from the European fettlements, as the Naudoweflies, &c. are more particularly attentive to this point ; though they all without exception adhere in fome degree to the fame cuflom.
In every camp or town there is an apart- ment appropriated for their retirement at this time, to which both fingle and married re- treat, and feclude themfelves with the utmofl flridnefs during this period from all fociety. Afterwards they purify themfelves in run- V> ning
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C 225 )
tiing ftreams, and return to their diflercnt employments.
The men on thefe occafions moft care- fully avoid holding any communication with them; and the NaudowefTies are fo rigid in this obfervance, tliat they will not fufFer any belonging to them to fetch fuch things as are ncceflarv, even lire, from thefe female lunar retreats, though the want of tht m is attend- ed with the greateft inconvenience. They are alfo fo fuperftitious as to think, if a pipe ftem cracks, which among them is made of wood, that the pofTefTor has either lighted it at one of thefe polluted fires, or held fome cbnverfe with a woman during her retire- ment, which is efteemed by them mod dif- graceful and wicked.
The Indians are extremely circumfped and deliberate in every word and apion j there is nothing that hurries them into any intem- perate warmth, but that inveteracy to their enemies which is rooted in every Indian heart, and never can be eradicated. In all other inftaiices they are cool, and remarkably cautious, taking care not to betray on any account whatever their emotions. If an In-' dian has difcovered that a friend is in danger i -i . Q^ of
( 226 )
of being intercepted and cut ofF by one to whom he has rendered himfelf obnoxious, he does not inform him in plain and explicit terms of the hazard he runs by purfuingthe track near which his enemy lies in wait for him, but he firft coolly a{l« him which way he is going that day ; and having received his anfwer, with the fame indifference tells him that he has been informed that a dog lies near the fpot, which might probably do him a mifchief. This hint proves fufficiemt ; and his friend avoids the danger with as much caution as if every defign and motion of his enemy had been pointed out to him.
This apathy often fhewsitfelfon occafions that would call forth all the fervour of a fuf- ceptible heart. If an Indian has been abfent from his family and friends many months, either on a war or hunting party, when his wife and children meet him at fome diftance from his habitation, inftead of the affedi- onate fenfations thaf would naturally arife in the breafl of more refined beings, and be produdive of mutual congratulations, he con- tinues his courfe without paying the leall attention to thofe who furround him, till he arrives at his home.
He
ftW
Qccafions
of a fuf-
n abfent
months,
;vhen his
diftance
afFeai-
illy arife
, and be
, he con-
the leafl
till he
-^%
1.
J
( 227 )
He there fits down, and with the fame un- concern as if he had not been abfent a day, fmokcs his pipe -, thofe of his acquaintance who have followed him, do the famej and perhaps it is feveral hours before he relates to them the incidents vhich have befallen him during his abfence, though, perhaps he has left a father, brother, or fon on the field, whofe lofs he ought to have lamented, or has been unfuccefsful in the undertaking that called him from home.
Has an Indian been engaged for feveral days in the chace, or any other laborious expedition, and by accident continued thus long without food, when he arrives at the hut or tent of a friend where he knows his wants may be immediately fupplied, he takes care not to fhow the leafl fymptoms of im- patience, or to betray the extreme hunger by which he is tortured •, but on being in- vited in, fits contentedly down, and fmokes his pipe with as much compofure as if every appetite was allayed, and he was perfedly at eafe ; he does the fame if among ftrangers. This cuftom is ftridly adhered to by every tribe, as they efteem it a proof of fortitude,
Cy 2 and'
He
\h
I
( 2:l8 )
and think the reverfe would entitle them to the appellation of old women.
If you tell an Indian that his children have
i
greatly fignalized themfelves againft an ene- my, have taken many fcalps, and brought home many pri Toners, ho does not appear to feel any extraordinary pleafure on the occa- lion; hi: anfwer generally is, 'Mt is well," and he makes very little further enquiry a- bout it. On the contrary, if you inform him that his children are flain or taken pri- foners, he makes no complaints, he only re- plies, " It dots not fignifyj" and probably, for fome time at leaft, ail<.s not how it hap- pened.
This feeming indifferoncc, however, does not proceed from an entire fuppreinon of the natural afFedions ; for notwithstanding they are efteemed favages, I never faw among any other people greater proofs of parental or filial tendernefs; and although they meet their wives after a long abfence with the Stoical indifference juft mentioned, they are not in general void of conjugal affe^^tion.
Another peculiarity is obfervable in their manner of paying their vifits. If an Injjian gpcs tQ vifit a particular perfon in a family,
he
jldibji-'i
■i
m to •Jiu • . have 1 ene- ought ear to occa- well," liry a- nform n pri- ly re- >bably, t hap-
■j'' "'■'■ , does of the I they ig any tal or
meet ;h the
y are |>n. their
njjian amily, he
( 229 )
he mentions to whom his vifit is intended, and the reft of the family immediately re- tiring to the other end of the hut or tent, are careful not to come near enough to interrupt them during the whole of the converfation* The fame method is purfued if a man goes to pay his refpeds to one of the other fcx ; but then he muft be careful not to let love be the fubjed of his dilbourfe whilft the day- light remains.
The Indians difcover an amazing fagacity, and acquire with the greateft readinefs any thing that depends upon the attention of the mind. By experience and acute obfervation, they attain many perfedions to which Euro- peans arc ftrangers. For inftance, they will crofs a foreft or a plain which is two hundred miles in breadth, ami reach with great exad- nefs the point at which they intend to ar- rive, keeping during the whole of that fpace m a diredt line, without any material devia- tions ; and this they will do with the fame eafe, whether the weather be fair or cloudy.
With equal acutenefs will they point to that part of the heavens the fun is in though it be intercepted by clouds or fogs. Befides this, they are able to purfue with incredible
facility
ri
i
^
1
( 230 )
facility the traces of man or beaft, either on leaves or grafs ^ and on th s account it is with great difficulty a flying enemy efcapes difcovery.
They are indebted for thefe talents not only to nature, but to an extraordinary com- mand of the intelledual faculties, which can only be acquired by an unremitted attention, and by long experience. " They are in general very happy in a re- tentive memory j they can recapitulate every particular that has been treated of in council, and remember the exad time when thefe were held. Their belts of wampum preferve the fubftance of the treaties they have con- cluded with the neigbouring tribes fo- nges back, to which they will appeal, and^xxfer with as much perfpicuity and readinefs as Europeans can to their written records.
Every nation pays great refped to old age. The advice of a father will feldom meet with an extraordinary attention from the young Indians, probably they receive it with only a bare affent ; but they will tremble before a grandfather, and fubmit to his injundions with the utmoft alacrity. The words of the ancient part of their community are elleemed
by
( 231 )
by the young as oracles. If they take during their hunting parties any game that is rec- koned by them uncommonly delicious, it is immediately prefentcd to the oldeft of their relations.
"They never fufFer themfelves to be over- burdened w^ith care, but live in a ftate of per- fe6l tranquility and contentment. Being na- turally indolent, if provifion juft fufficiqnt for their fubfiftence can be procured with little trouble, and near at hand, they will not go far, or take any extraordinary pains for it, though by fo doing they might acquire greater plenty, and of a more eflimable kind.
Having much leifure time they indulge this indolence to which they are fo prone, by eating, drinking, or fleeping, and rambling about in their towns or camps. But when necefiity obliges them to take the field, either to oppofe an enemy, or to procure themfelves food, they are alert and indefatigable. Many inftanccs of their activity on thefe occafions will be given when I treat of their wars.
The infatuating fpirit of gaming is not confined to Europe; the Indians alfo feel the bewitching impulfe, and often lofe their arms, their apparel, and every thing they are
pofTefrtd
I ,'1
vi
^^
f
( 232 )
polTefled of. In this cafe, however, they do not follow the example of more refined gamefters, for they neither murmur nor re- pine 5 not a fretful word efcapes them, but they bear the frowns of fortune with a phir lofophic compofure.
The greateft blemifh in their charader is that favage difpofition which impels them to treat their enemies with a feverity every pthpr nation fhydders at. But if they are thus barbarous to thofe with whom they are ^t war, they are friendly, hofpitable, and hu- mane to thofe with whom they are at peace. It may with truth be faid of them, that they ^re the worft enemies, and the beft friends, of any people in the whole world. ^
The Indians in general are Grangers to the pnfTions of jealouly ; and brand a man with folly that is diftruftful of his wife. Among fome bands the very idea is not known ; as the moll abandoned of their young men very rarely attempt the virtue of married women? nor do thefe olten put themfelves in the way of folicitation. Yet the Indian women in ge- neral are of an amorous temperature, and be- fore they are married are not the lefs efteem- pd for the indulgence of their paflions. .
Whim
viiUlJV.
/
( 233 ) Whilft I was among the Naudowcffies I obferved that they paid uncommon refped to one of their women, and fonnd on en- quiry that {he was intitled to it on account of a tranfadion, that in Europe would have rendered her infamous.
They told me that when fhe was a young woman, for at the time I faw her file was far g.dvanced in life, fhe had given what they had termed a rice feafl. According to an aijcient butalmofl obfolete cufiom (which; as Hamlet fays, would have been honoured in the breach, than the obfervance) fhe in- vited forty of the principal warriors to her tent, where having feafled them with rice and venifon, fhe by turns regaled each of them with a private deffert, behind a fcrene fixed for this purpofe in the inner part of the tent.
She had the happinefs to obtain by this profufion of courtefy, the favour of her guelb, and the approbation of the whole band. So fenfible were the young Indians of her ex- traordinary merit, that they vied with each other for her hand, and in a very fhort time one of the principal chiefs took her to wife, pyer whom fhe acquired great fway, and from
whom
(9 t
i:!
,
m
I !
lb
( 234 )
whom fhe received ever after inceiTant to- kens of r^fped and love.
It is however fcarccly once in an age that any of their females are hardy enough to make this feaft, notwithftanding a hiifband of the firfl rank awaits as a fure reward the fuccefsful giver of it ; and the cuftom, I lince find, is peculiar to the Naudoweffies.
The Indians in their common ftate are Grangers to all diftindion of property, except in the articles of domeftick ufe, which every
• one confiders as his own, and increafes as circumftances admit. They are extremely liberal to each other, and fupply the defici- ency of their friends with any fuperfluity of their own*
In dar :;ers they readily give afliftance to
• thofe of their band who ftand in need of it, without any expedation of return, except of thofe jul> rewards that are always conferred by the Indians on merit. Governed by the plain and equitable laws of nature, every one is rewarded folely according to his deferts ; and their equality of condition, manners, and privileges, with that conftant and fociable familiarity which prevails throughout every Indian nation, animates" them with a pure
' and
/ •
'11
l!: 11 1 tip'
( 235 ) and truly patriotic fpirit, that tends to the general good of the fociety to which they belong.
If any of their neighbours are bereaved by death or by an enemy of their children, thofe who are poffelTed of the greateft number of flaves, fupply the deficiency ; and thefe are adopted by them and treated in every refpedt as if they really were the children of the per- fon to whom they are prefented.
The Indians, except thofe who live adjoin- ing to the European colonies, can form to themfelves no idea of the value of money; they confider it when they are made ac- quainted with the ufes to which it is applied •by other nations, as the fource of innume- rable evils. To it they attribute all themif- chiefs that are prevalent among Europeans, fuch as treachery, plundering, devaftations, and murder.
They efteem it irrational that one man fhould be poffefTed of a greater quantity than another, and are amazed that any honour Ihould be annexed to the poiTeffion of it. But that the want of this ufelefs metal fhould be the caufe of depriving perfons of their li- berty, and that or account of this partial
diftribution
i f
■ \ '
Hi:
( 236 )
diftribution of of it, great numbers fliould be immured within the dreary walls of a prifon, cut off from that fociety of which they con- ftitute a p;irt, exceeds their belief. Nor do they fail, on hearing this part of the Euro- pean fyftem of government related, to charge the inftitutors of it with a total want of hu- manity, and to brand them with the names of favages and brutes.
They (hew almoQ an equal degree of indif- ference for the produdions of art. When any of thefe are (hewn to them, they fay, '' It is pretty, I like to look at it," but are not inquilitive about the conftrudion of it, nei- ther can they form proper conceptions of its life. But if you tell them of a perfon who is able to run with great agility, that is well ikilled in hunting, can dired with unerring aim a gun, or bend with eafe a bow, that can dexteroully w^ork a canoe, underftands the art of war, is acquainted with the fituation of a country, and can make his way without a guide, through an immenfe foreft, fubfifting during this on a fmall quantity of provifions, they are in x-aptures ; they liften with great attention to the pleafing tale, and beftow the higheft commendations on the hero of it.
CHAP.
237
CHAP. IV.
Their Meihod of reckoning Tim e, ^c.
CONSIDERING their ignorance of aftronomy, time is very rationally di- vided by the Indians. Thofe in the interior parts (and of thofe I would generally be iin- derftood to fpeak) count their years by win- ters; or, as they exprefs themfelvcs, by fnows.
Some nations among them reckon their years by moons, and make them confift of twelve fy nodical or lunar months, obferving \/^hen thirty moons have waned, to add a fupernumerary one, which they term the loft moon J and then begin to count as before. They pay a great regard to the firft appear- ance of every moon, and on the occafion al- ways repeat fome joyful founds, ftretching at the fame time their hands towards it.
Every Month has with them a name ex- preflive of its feafon ; for inltance, they call the month of March (in which their year generally begins at the firft New Moon after the vernal equinox) the Worm Month or
Moon ;
( 238 ) Moon ; bccaufe at this time the worms quit their retreats in the bark of the trees, wood, &c. where they have (heltered themfelves during the winer.
The month of April is termed by them the Month of Plants. May, the Month of Flowers. June, the Hot Moon. July, the Buck Moon. Their reafon for thus deno- minating thefe is obvious.
Augull, the Sturgeon Moon ; becaufe in this month they catch great numbers of that fifh.
September, the Corn Moon ; becaufe in that month they gather i^ their Indian corn.
Odober, the Travelling Moon; as they leave at this time their villages, and travel towards the place where they intend to hunt during the winter. '
November, the Beaver Moon j for in this month the beavers begin to take fhelter in their houfes, having laid up a fufficient ftore of provifions for the winter feafon.
December, the Hunting Moon, becaufe they employ this month in purfuit of their game.
January, the Cold Moon, as it generally freezes harder, and the cold is more intenfe in this than in any other month.
February
( 239 )
February they call the Snow Moon, bc- caufe more fnow commonly falls during this month, than any other in the winter.
When the moon docs not fliine they fay the moon is dead j and fome call the three lafl days of it the naked days. The moon's firfl appc arance they term its coming to life again.
They make no divifion of weeks, but days they count byfleeps; half days by pointing to the fun at noon ; and quarters by the rifmg and fetting of the fun : to exprefs which in their traditions they make ufe of very fignificant hieroglyph icks.
The Indians are totally unfkilled in geo- graphy as well as all the other fciences, and yet as I have before hinted, they diaw on their birch-bark very exadl charts or maps of the countries with which they are acquainted. The latitude and longitude is only wanting to make them tolerably complete.
Their fole knowledge in aftronomy con- fifts in being able to point out the pole-ftar ; by which they regulate their courfc when they travel in the night.
They reckon the diilance of places, 'not by miles or leagues, but by a day's journey,
. which.
) !
;i' ^
( ^4C2> ) which, according to the bed calculations t could make, appears to be about twenty E;n:rlilli miles. Thefe they alfo divide into halves and quarters, and will demonftrate them in their maps with great exadlnefs, by the hieroglyphicks juft mentioned, when they regulate in council their war parties, or their moft diftant hunting excurfions.
They have no idea of arithmetic ; and though they are able to count to any number, figures as well as letters appear myfterious to them, and above their comprehenfion.
During my abode with the Naudoweflies, fome of the chiefs obferving one day a draft of an eclipfe of the moon, in a book of af- tronomy which I held in my hand, they de- fired I would permit them to look at it. Hap- pening to give them the book fhut, they began to count the leaves till they came to the place in which the plate was. After they had viewed it, and afl<ed many quef- tions relative to it, I told them they needed not to have taken fo much pains to find the leaf on which it w^as drawn, for I could not only tell in an inftant the place, without counting the leaves, but alfo how many pre- ceded it.
They
( 241 )
They fcemed greatly amazed at my afTer- tion, and begged that I would demonftrate to them the poflibility of doing it. To this" purpofe I defired the chief that held the book, to open it in any particular place, and juft (bowing me the page, carefully to con- ceal the edges of the leaves, fo that I might not be able to count them.
This he did with the greateft caution; notwithftanding which, by looking at the folio, I told him to his great furprize the number of leaves. He counted them regular- ly over, and difcovered that I was exa6t. And when, after repeated trials, the Indians found I could do it with great readinefs, and without ever erring in my calculation, they all feemed as much aftonifhed as if I had raif- ed the dead. The only way they could ac- count for my knowledge, was by concluding that the book was a fpirit, and whifpered me anfwers to whatever I demanded of it.
This circumftance, trifling as it might ap- pear to thofe who are lefs illiterate, contri- buted to increafe my confequence, and to augment the favourable opinion they already entertained of me.
R
CHAP.
ji.'.'"',!
( 242 )
li! ';■'!!!
CHAP. V. .
Of //)^/r Government, ^c.
EVERY feparate body of Indians is di- vided into bands or tribes 5 which band or tribe forms a little community within the nation to which it belongs. As the nation has fome particular fymbol by which it is diftinguifhed from others, fo each tribe hac a badge from which it is denominated : as that of the Eagle, the Panther, the Tiger, the Buffalo, &c. &c. One band of the Naudo- weflie is reprefented by a Snake, another a Tortoife, a third a Squirrel, a fourth a Wolf, and a fifth a Buffalo. Throughout every nation they particularize themfelves in the fame manner, and the meaneft perfon among them will remember his lineal defeent, and diflinguifh himfdf by his refpedive family.
Did not mtiny circumftances tend to con- fute the fuppofilion, I fhould be almofl in- duced to conclude from this diftindion of tribes, and the particular attachment of the Indians to them, that thev derive their origin as fome have afTerted, from the Ifraelites.
Befides
( 243 )
Befidcs this, every nation diftinguifhthem- felves by the manner of conftruding their tents or huts. And fo well verfed arc all the Indians in this diftindion, that though there appears to be no difference on the niceft obfervation made by an European, yet they will immediately difcover, from the pofition of a pole left in the ground, what nation has encamped on the fpot many months before. Every band has a chie^ vho is termed the Great Chief or the Chief Warrior ; and who is chofen in confideration of his experience in war and of his approved valour, to diredl iheir military operations, and to regulate all concerns belonging to that department. But this chief is not confidered as the head of the ftate ; befides the great warrior who is eled- ed for his warlike qualifications, there is an- other who enjoys a pre-eminence as his he- reditary right, and has the more immediate management of their civil affairs. This chief might with greater propriety be denominat- ed the Sachem j whofe afTent is nccefTary in all conveyances and treaties, to which he af- fixes the mark of the tribe or nation
Though thefe two are confidered as the heads of the band, and the latter is ufually denominated their king, yet the Indians are
R a fenfiblc
( 244 )
fenfible of neither civil or military fubordina- tion. As every one of them entertains a high opinion of his confequence, and is ex- tremely tenacious of his liberty, all injuncti- ons that carry with them the appearance of a pofitive command, are inftantly rejeded with fcorn.
On this account, it is feldom that theii* leaders are fo indifcreet as to give out any of their orders in a peremptory ftile ; a bare hint from a chief that he thinks fuch a thing ne- ceffary to be done, inftantly aroufes an emu- lation among the inferior ranks, and it is im- mediately executed with great alacrity. By this method the difguftful part of the com- mand is evaded, and an authority that falls little fnort of abfolute fway inftituted in its room.
Among the Indians no vifible form of go- vernment is eftahlifhed j they allow of no fuch diftindlion as magiftrate and fubjcdt, every one appearing to enjoy an independence that cannot be controlled. The objed of govern- ment among them is rather foreign than do- meftick, for their attention feems more tO be employed in prcferving fuch an union among the members of their tribe as will enable them to watcli the motions of their enemies, and
to
^ 245 ) to ad againft them with concert and vigour, than to maintain interior order by any pub- lic regulations. If a fcheme that appears to be of fervice to the community is propofed by the chief, every one is at liberty to chufe whether he will airill in carrying it onj for they have no compulfory laws that lay them under any reftridion*^ If violence is com- mitted, or blood is fhed, the right of reveng- ing thefe mifdemeanonrs are left to the fa- mily of the injured j the chiefs airume nei- ther the power of infliding cr moderating the punifhment.
Some nations where the dignity is heredi- tary, limit the fuccefiion to the female line. On the death of a chief, his fifter's fan fome- tiraes fucceeds him in preference to his own fon ; and if he happens to have no fifter, the nearefl female relation affumes the dignity. This accounts for a woman being at the head of the Winnebagoe nation, which, before I was acquainted with their laws, appeared ftrange to me.
Each family has a right to appoint one of its chiefs to be an alfiilant to the principal chief, who watches over the intcreil of his fa- mily, and without whofe confent nothing of a public nature can be carried into execution.
Thefe
( 246 )
Thefe are generally cliofen for their ability in fpeaking ; and fuch only are permitted f.o make oratipns in their councils and general alTemblies.
In this body, with the hereditary chief at its head, the fupreme authority appears to be, lodged j as by its determination every tranfadion relative tq their hunting, to their making war or peace, and to all their public concerns are regulated. Next to thefe, the body of warriors, which comprehends all that are able to bear arms, hold their rank, This divifion has fometimes at its head the chief of the nation, if he has fignalized himfelf by any renowned adlion, if not, fome chief that has rendered himfelf famous.
In their councils vv'hich are held by. the foregoing members, every affair of confe- quence is debated; and no enterprize of the leall moment undertaken, unlefs it there meets the general approbation of the chiefs. They commonly aflemble in a hut or tent appropriated to this purpofc, and being feat- ed in a circle on the ground, the eldeft chief rifes and makes a fpeech; when he has con- cluded, another gets up ; and thus they all fpcak, if neceifary, by turns.
"On
( 247 )
On this occafion their language is nervous, and their manner of expreffion emphatical. Their ftile is adorned with images, compari- fons, and ftrong metaphors, and is equal in alle2;ories to that of any of the eaftern nati- ons. In all their fet fpeeches they exprefs themfelves with much vehemence, but in common difcourfe, according to our ufual method of fpeech.
. The young men are fufFered to be prefent at the councils, though they are not allowed to make a fpeech till they are regularly ad- mitted: they however liften with great atten- tion, and to fhew that they both underftand, and approve of the refolutions taken by the afTcmbled chiefs, they frequently exclaim, " That is right." " That is good.".
The cuftomary mode among all the ranks of exprefling their alTent, and which they repeat at the end of almoft every period, is by uttering a kind of forcible afpiration, which founds like an union of the letters OAH.
C H A F
.fl.to V''
( 848 )
' 1
CHAP. VI.
i'i'Z
Of thetr Feasts.
MA N Y of the Indian nations neither make ufe of bread, fait, or fpices; and fome of them have never feen or tailed of either. The Naudoweffies in particular have no bread, nor any fubftitute for it. They eat the wild rice which grows in great quantities in different parts of their territo- ries ; but they boil it and eat it alone. They alfo eat the flefh of the beafts they kill, with- out having recourfc to any farinaceous fub- ftance to abforb the grofler particles of it. And even when they con fume the fugar which they have extracted from the maple tree, they ufe it not to render fome other food palatable, but generally eat it by itfelf. Neither have they any idea of the ufe of milk, although they might colled great quan- tities from the buffalo or the elk ; they only confider it as proper for the nutriment of the young of thefe beal^s, during their tender date. I could not perceive that any incon- veniency attended the total difufe of articles
efleemed
( 249 ) cftccmed fo neceffary and nutritious by other nations, on the contrary, they are in general healthy and vigorous.
One difli however, which anfwers nearly the fame purpofe as bread, is in ufe among the Ottagaumies, the Saukie«, and the more eaflern nations, where Indian corn grows, which is not only much efleemed by them, but it is leckoned extremely palatable by all the Europeans who enter their dominions. This is corapofed of their unripe corn as be- fore defcribed, and beans in the fame ftate, boiled together with bears flefh, the fat of which moittens the pulfe, and renders it be- yond comparifon delicious. They call this food Succatofh.
The Indians are far from being canibals as they are faid to be. All their viduals are ei- ther roafted or boiled ; and this in the ex- treme. Their drink is generally the broth in which it has been boiled. . Their foodconfiftsof the flefh of the bear, the buffalo, the elk, the deer, the beaver, and the racoon ; which they prepare in the manner juft mentioned. They ufually eat the flefh of the deer which is naturally dry, with that of the bear which is fat and juicy;
and
( 250 )
and thoir];li tl ^ latJer is extremely rich and lufcious, it is never known to cloy.
ii- the fpring oi the year, the Naudoweflies Cfit the infide bark of a (hrub, that they ga- ther in foine part of their country; but I could neither learn the name of it, or difco- ver from whence they got it. It was of a brittle nature and eafily mafticated. The tafte of it was very agreeable, and they faid it was extremely nourifhing. In flavour it was not unlike the turnip, and when received in- to the mouth refembled that root both in its- pulpous and frangible nature.
The lower ranks of the Indians are exceed- ingly nafty in drefling their viduals, but fome of the chiefs are very neat and cleanly in the'r apparel, tents, and food.
They commonly eat in large parties, fo that their meals may properly be termed feafts : and this they do without being re- flri^3ed to any fixed or regular hours, but juft as iheir appetites require, and convenience fuits.
They ufually dance either before or after every meal: and by this chcerfulnefs, pro- bably, render the Great Spirit, to whom they' conlider themfclves as indebted for every' good, a more acceptable facrifice than a for-*
mat
( 2.^1 ;
itiaT and vinanimated thankfgiving. The men and women feaft apart : and each fex invite by tnrns their companions to partake with them of the food they happen to have, but in their domcftic wav of livino; the men nnd women eat together.
No people are more hofpi table, kind, and free than the Indians. They will readily fhare with any of their own tribe the laft part of their provifions, and even with thofe of a difi^rent nation, if they chance to come in when they are eating. Though they do not keep one common flock, yet that com- munity of goods which is fo prevalent among them, and their generous difpofition, render it nearly of the fame effed.
When the chiefs are convened on any pub- lic bufinefs, they always conclude with afeaft, at which their feftivity and cheerfulnefs know |io limits.
CHAP. VII.
Of their Dances.
DANCING is a favourite exercife among the Indians; they never meet on any public occafion, but this makes a part
of
■; .
«!■■ '1
li'lll:! J'i
•ll
11
jl
•1
*( 252 )
of the entertainment. And when they arc not engaged in war or hunting, the youth of both fcxes amufc themfclves in this man- ner every evening. ,,
They always dance, as I have juft obfcrv- ed, at their fealls. In thcfe as well as all their other dances, every man rifes in his turn, and moves about with great freedom and boldncfs; finging, as he does £0, the ex- ploits of his anceflors. During this the com- pany, who are feated on the ground in a cir- cle, around the dancer, join with him in marking the cadence, by an odd tone, which they utter all together, and which founds *' Heh, hch, hch." Thefe notes, if they might be fo termed, are articulated with a harfh accent, and ftrained out with the ut- mofl force of iheir lungs; fo that one would iinagine their llrength mufl be foon exhaufled by it y inflcad of \\ hich, they repeat it with the fame violence during the whole of their entertainment.
The women particularly thofe of the wefl- ern nations, dance very gracefully. They carry themfclves ered, and with their arms hanging down clofe to their fides, .move firil a few yards to the right, and then back again to the left. This movement they perform
without
( 253 ) without taking any ftcps as an European would do, but with their feet conjoined, moving by turns their toes and heels. In this manner they glide with great agility to a certain diftance, and then return ; and let thofe who join in the dance be ever fo nu- merous, they keep time fo exadUy with each other that no interruption cnfues. During this, at Itated periods they mingle their flirill voices with the hoarfer ones of the men who fit around (for it is to be obferved that the fexes never intermix in the fame dance) which, with the mulic of the drums and chi- chicoues, make an agreeable harmony.
The Indians have feveral kinds of dances which they ufe on different occafions, as the Pipe or Calumate Dance, the War Dance, the Marriage Dance, and the Dance of the Sacrifice. The movements in every one of thefe are diffimilar, but it is almoft impoffi- ble to convey any idea of the points in which they are unlike.
Different nations likewife vary in their manner of dancing. The Chipcways throw themfelves into a greater variety of attitudes than any other people; fometimes they hold their h ^acb ered, at others they bend them almoft to the ground; then recline on one
fide.
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( 25+ ) fide, and immediately after on the other. The Naudowell-es carry themfclves more up- right, ftep firmer, and move more gracefully, Eut they all accompany their dances with the difagreeable noifc jufl mentioned. ...;.,.. The Pipe Dance is the principal, and the moft pleafmg to the fpedators of any of them, being the lead frantic, and the movements of it the mofl graceful. It is but on particular occafions that it is ufcdj as when ambafTadors from an enemy arrive to treat of peace, or when Grangers of eminence pafs through . their territories. »^^
The War Dance, which they ufe both be- fore they fet out on their war parties, and on their return from them, ftrikes terror into Grangers. It is performed, as the others, a- midft a circle of the warriors ; a chief gene- rally begins it^ who moves from the right to the left, fm^iino; at the fame time uoth his own exploits, and thofe of his anceftors. When he has concluded his account of any memorable adion, lie gives a violent blow with his war- club againft a pofl that is fixed in the ground, near the centre of the afTem- bly for this purpofe.
Every one dances in his turn, and recapi- tulates the wondrous deeds of his familv, till ^' they
.■t-255 ) they all at laft join in the dance. Then it becomes truly alanyiing to any llran^er that happens to be among ihcm, as they throw themfelves into every horrible and terrilying poflure that can be imagined, rehearfmg at the fame time the parts they exped to aCl a- gainfl their enemies in the llJd. During this they hold t'leir fliarp knives in their hands, u'ith which, as they wlurl about, tliey are every moment in danger of cutting each others throats ; and did they not ihuu the threatened mifchief with inconceivable dexterity, it could not be avoided. By thefe motions they intend to reprtfent the manner in which they kill, fcalp, and take their pri- foners. To heighten the fcene, they fet up the fame hideous yells, cries, and war-hoops they ufe in time of adion: fo that it is im- polTiblc to confider them in any other light than as an alTembly of demons.
I have frequently joined in this dance with them, but it foon ceafed to be an arnufement to me, as I could not lay afide my apprehen- (ions of receiving fome dreadful wound, that from the violence of their geflures muft liave proved mortal.
I found that the nations to tlie wc fhvard of the MifTiliippi, and on the borders of Lake
Superior,
III
3 »
> 'i
RSI.
^Hi
m
Jfii ■ 'tlj
|
f |
1, ; ^ 1 |
!i; J
{ 256 )
Superior, ftill continue to make ufe of the Pawwaw or Black Dance. The people of the colonies tell a thoufand ridiculous ftories of the devil being raifcd in this dance by the Indians. But they allow that this was in former times, and is now nearly extind a- mong thofe who live adjacent to the Euro- pean fettlements. However I difcovered that it was itill ufed in the interior parts j and though I did not adually fee the devil raifed by it, I was witnefs to fome fcenes that could only be performed by fuch as dealt with him, or were very expert and dexterous jugglers. • '
Whilft I v/as among the Naudoweflies, a dance, which they thus termed, was per- formed. Before the dance began, one of the Indians was admitted into a fociety which they denominated Wakon-Kitchewah, that is, the Friendly Society of the Spirit. This fociety is compofed of perfons of both fexes, but fuch only can be admitted into it as are of unexceptionable charader, and who re- ceive the approbation of the whole body. To this admilTion fucceeded the Pawwaw dance (in which I few nothing that could give rife to the reports I had heard) and the whole, ^.- .... _ according
( 457 )
according to their uTuat cuftom concluded with a grand feaft.
The initiation being attended with foiftd very fingular circumftances, which, as I hav6 before obferved, muft be either the tikOi of magick, or of amazing dexterity, I (hall giv6 a particular account of the whole procedure- It was performed at the tim^ of the neW moon, in a place appropriated to the purpofd near the centre of their camp, that would con*, tain about two hundred people. Being d ftrai.ger, and on all occafions treated by them with great civility, I was invited to feo th^ ceremony, and placed clofe to the raik of the inclolure. - ^ ^^
About twelve o'clock they began to afTem- ble; when the fun fhone bright, which they confidered as a good omen, for they never by choiceholdany of their public meetings unlefs the Hey be clear and unclouded A gr^at num- ber of chiefs firft appeared, who were dreiTed in their beft apparel j and after them came the head-warrior, clad in a long robe of rich furs that trailed to the ground, attended by a reti* nue of fifteen or twenty perfons, painted and dreiTed in the gayelt manner. Nett follow- ed the wives of fuch as had been already ad-
S mitted
m »■'
m ii'4
( 258 )
mitted into the focietyj and in the rear a confufiid heap of the lower ranks, all contri- buting as much as lay in their power to make the appearance grand and fhowy. ^ ■
When the afTembly was reated,and filence proclaimed, one of the principal chiefs arofe, and in a fhort but mafterly fpeech in- formed his audience of the occ:ilion of their meeting. He acquainted them that one of their young men wifhed to be admitted into their fociety -, and taking him by the hand prefented him to their view, alking them, at the fame time, whether they had any ob- jedion to his becoming one of their com-
muniiy. ,. •■ « 'i^ji-j ci.\:, sipji? '> ^nt ^ »,fM->.iv.*vi^*t*t'- No objedion being made, the young can- didate was placed in the centre, and four of the chiefs took their flations clofe to him ; after exhorting him, by turns, not to faint under the operation he was about to go through, but to behave like an Indian and a man, two of them took hold of his arms, and caufed him to kneel 5 another placed himfelf behind him fo as to receive him w hen he fell, and the laft of the four re- tired to the diftance of about twelve feet irom him exadly in front. 4 l^^i^:^^\:ik ^
'■■t^HViiu . :. ■* Diiin; QJ b€i. 'cnii 'M dwi This ^
( 259 )
This difpofition being completed, thecliief^ that ftood before the kneelina: candidate be- gan to fpeak to him with an audible voice. He told him that he himfelf was now agitated by the fame fpirit which he fliould in a few moments communicate to him ; that it would flrike him dead, but that he would inftantly be reftorcd again to life ; to this he added, that the communication, however ter- rifying, was a necefTary introduction to the advantages enjoyed by the community into which he was on the point of being ad- mitted. • :-,f V ' ^ -
„ As he fpoke this, he appeared to be great- ly agitated ; till at laft his emotions became fo violent, that his countenance was diftort- ed, and his whole frame convulfed. At this jundure he threw fomething that appeared both in (hape and colour like ? fmall bean, at the young man, which feemed to enter his mouth, and he inftantly fell as motionlefs as if he had been fhot. The chief that was placed behind him received him in his arms, and, by the affiftance of the other two, laid him on the ground to all appearance bereft of life.
' Having done this, they immediately be- gan to rub his limbs, and to flrike him on the ; • S 2 back,
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( 260 )
back, giving him fuch blows, as feemed more calculated to ftill the quick, than to raife the dead. During thefe extraordinary applica- tions, the fpeaker continued his harangue, defiring the fpedators not to be furprized, or to defpair of the young man's recovery, as his prefent inanimate fituation proceeded only from the forcible operation of the fpirit, on faculties that had hitherto beenunufed to infpirations of this kind. •"" '"*'"' '^'^^
. • The candidate lay feveral minutes without fenfe or motion •, but at length, after rece'v- ing many violent blows, he began to difco- ver fymptoms of returning life. Thefe, how- ever, were attended with ftrong convulfions, and an apparent Gbftru<flion in his throat, but they were foon at an end ; for having difcharged from his mouth the bean, or what- ever it was that the chief had thrown at him, k ; which on tho clofeft infpedion I had not perceived to enter it, he foon after appeared to be toleriibly recovered. :> a ij ^ant:. This part of the ceremony being happily cfFeded, the officiating chiefs difrobed him of the cloaths he had ufually wornt, and put on him a fet of apparel entirely new. When he was dreffed, the fpeaker oncie more took him by the hand, and pr^fcntQd Vxm to the
^fiitoiq
fociety
( 26l )
fociety as a regular and thoroughly initiated member, exhorting them, at the fame time, to give him fuch necefTary alTiftance, as be- ing a young member, he might ftand in need of. He then alfo charged the newly eleded brother to receive with humility, and to fol- low with pundluality the advice of his elder brethren. /h,. ' n ;^;
All thofe who had been admitted within the rails, now formed a circle aroi^nd this new brother, and the mufic flrikinr up, the great chief fung a fong, celebrating as ufual their martial exploits.
The only mufic they make ufe of is a drum, which is compofed of a piece of a hol- low tree curioufly wrought, and over one end of which is ftrained a fkin, this they beat with a (ingle flick, and it gives a found that is far from harmonious, but itjuftferves to beat time with. To this they fometimes add the chichicoe, and in their war dances they likew^ife ufe a kind of fife, formed of a reed, which makes a fhrill harfh noife. , The whole affembly were by this time united, and the dance began 5 feveral fingers alTifted the mufic with their voices, and the women joining in the chorus at certain in- tervals, they produced togetlier a not un- '<" ' pleafing
fill'''; ■
'.■t;^.
•1%
i\
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( 262 )
plcafing but favage harmony. This was one of the molt agreeable entertainments 1 faw whilft I was among them. , ; p
I could not help laughing at a fingular childifh cuftom I obferved they introduced in- to this dance, and which was the only one that had the 1 afl appearance of conjuration. Moft of the members carried in their hands an otter or martin's flcin, which being taken whole from the body, and filled with wind, on being comprefTed, made a fqueaking noifc through a fmall piece of wood organically formed and fixed in its mouth. When this inftrument was prefented to the face of any of the company, and the Ibund emitted, the
rfon receiving it inftantly fell down to ap^ pearance dead. Sometimes two or three, both men and women, wxre on the ground toge- ther ; but immediately recovering, they rofe up and joined again in the dance, Thig feemed to afford, even the chiefs themfelves, infinite diverfion, I afterwards learned that thefe were thoir Dii Penates or Houfholcj Gods. , - , ,, . . . •.--v.f) ^'- -
After fome hours fpent in this manner the feafl began i the difhes being brought near me, I perceived that they confifted of dog's fliefhj and 1 was informed that at all their
public
ff '■»>
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■}'J.
( 263 )
public grand feafts they never made life of any other kind of food. For this pnrpofe, at the feafl I am nowTpcaking of, the new candidate provides fat dogs, if they can be procured at any price.
'^ In thiscuftom of eating dog's flefh on par- ticular occafions, they refemble the inhabi- tants of fome of the countries that lie on the north-eafl borders of Afia. The au- thor of thp account of Kamfchatka, piiblifh- ed by order of the Emprefs of RufTia (before referred to) informs us, that the people inha- biting Koreka, a country north of Kamf- chatka, who wander about in hords like the Arabs, when they pay their worfhip to fhc evil beings, kill a rein-deer or a dog, the flefh of which they eat, and leave the head and tongue flicking on a pole with the front towards the eaft. Alfo that when they are afraid of any infedious diftemper, they kill a dog, and winding the guts about two poles, pafs between them. Thefe cuftoms, in which they are nearly imitated by the Indians, feem to add ftrength to my fuppofition, that Ame- rica was firft peopled from this quarter. -*' 1 know not under what clafs of dances to rank that performed by the Indians who came to my tent when I landed near Lake Pepin,
' rftf""""'*-!
on
•'■*?' It?
Ml .('■- K,H;
'^ 'dl IIS:
f: ■
( 264 )
on the banks of the MifTiffippi, as related in my Journals. When i looked out, as I there mentioned, I faw about twenty naked young Indians, the moft perfect in their fliape, and by far the handfomeft of any I had ever feen, comijig towards me, and dancing as they ap- proached, to the mufic of their drums. At every ten or twelve yards they halted, and fet up their yells and cries. .,,t.v^ i,.... .
./»i When they reached my tent, I aflced them to come in; which without deigning to make me any anfwer, they did. As I obferved that they were painted red and black, as they aifually are when they go againft an enemy, and perceived that fome parts of the war- dance were intermixed with their other move-* ments, I doubted not but they w^ere fet on }3y the inimical chief who had refufed my fa- lutation : I therefore determined to fell my life as dpar as pofllble. To this purpofe, I re- ceived them fitting on my cheft, with my gun and piftols befide me, and ordered my men te keep a watchful eye on them, and to be alfo upon their guard.
- The Indians being entered, they continu- ed their dance alternately, finging at the fame time of their heroic exploits, and the filperiority of their ^-ace over eyery other peo- ple*
( 2^5 ) pie. To enforce their language, thougli it was uncommonly nervous and exprcfTive, and fuch as would of itfelf have carried ter- ror to the firmeft heart, at the end of every period they ftruck their war-clubs againft the poles of my tent, with fuch violence, that 1 expe(f^ed every moment it would have tum- bled upon us.' As each of them, in dancing round, paiTed by me, they placed their right hands over their eyes, and coming clofe to me, looked me fteadily in the face, wi»'ch I could not conftrue into a token of friendfhip. My men gave themfelves up for loft, and 1 ac- knowledge for my own part, that I never found my apprehcnfions more tumultuous on any occafion. ^'^ ir>rair -u •• v r^iva- '• When they had nearly ended their dance, I prefented to them the pipe of peace, but they woi^ld not receive it. I then, as my laft refource, thought 1 would try what pre- fents would do ; accordingly i took from my cheft fome ribands and trinkets, which I laid before them. Thefe feemed to ftagger their rcfoiutions, and to avert in fome degree their anger j for after holding a confultation together.they fat down on the ground, which I considered as a favourable omen.
Hi J
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( 266 )
Thus it proved, as in' a fhort time they received the pipe of peace, and lighting it, firii prelented it to me, and then fmoakevl with ]! themfelves. Soon after they took up the prefents, which had hitherto lain ne- gleded, and appearing to be greatly pleafed with them, departed in a friendly manner. And never did I receive greater pleafure than at getting rid of fuch formidable guefts. -.1 It was not ever in my power to gain a tho- rough knowledge of the deiigns of my vifiters. I had fufficlent reafon to conclude that they were hoftile, and that their vilit, at folate an hour, was made through the iniiigation of the Grand Sautor ; but I was afterwards in- formed that it might be intended as a com- pliment which they ufually pay to the chiefs of every other nation who happen to fall in with them, and that the circumflances in their condud v/hich had appeared fo fufpi- dous to me, were merely the effeds of their vanity, and dcfigned to imprefs on the minds of thofe whom they thus vifited an elevated opinion of their valour and prowefs. In the morning before I continued m.y route, feve- ral of their wives brought me a prefent of fome fug-^.r, for whom I found a few more ribands.' ...-- ,...^^..^ . ;- .^^. .---^
^=' . The
f 267 )
The Dance of the facrifice is not fo deno- minated from their offering up at the fame time a facrifice to any good or evil fpirit, but is a dance to which the Naudowelfies give that title from being ufed when any public fortunate clrcumftance befalls them. Whilljt I redded among them, a fine large deer acci- dentally ftrayed into the middle of their en- campment, which they fopn deitroyrd. As this happened jufl at the new moon, theyef- teemed it a lucky omen ; and havmg roafled it whole, every one in the camp partook of it. After their feaft, they all joined in a dance, which they termed from its being fomewhat of a religious nature, a Dance of the facrifice. ,. i > v' -, 1 i : .■ • •
/ Mi^jf
•Cf
>i:>>nf CHAP. VIII. >ai ,!t»?f
m
;tqif/i o'
VIII.
•*io-) ^vnfM
«orl tlo ^f ^^^^ Hunting. ?.oo^
•fi-v
HUNTING is the principal occupation of the Indians 3 they are trained to it from their earliefl youth, and it is an exer- cife which is efleemed no lefs honourable than necefTary towards their fubliflence. A dextrous and refolutc hunter is held nearly
i«i
f ( 268 )
in as great eftimation by them as a diftin- gui(hed warrior. Scarcely any device which the ingenuity of man has difcovcred for en- fnaring or dcftroying thofc animals that fup- ply them with food, or whofe fkins are valu- able to Europeans, is unknown to them.
Whilft they are engaged in this exercife, they fhake off the indolence peculiar to their nature, and become adive, perfevering, and indefatigable. They are equally fagacious in finding their prey, and in the means they ufe to deftroy it. They difcern the footfteps of the beafts they are in purfuit of, although they are imperceptible to every other eye, and can follow them with certainty through the pathlefs foreft.
The beafls that the Indians hunt, both for their flefli on which they fubfift, and for their fkins, of which they either make their appa- rel, or barter with the Europeans for necef- faries, are the buffalo, the elk, the deer, the raoofe, the caraboe, the bear, the beaver, the otter, the martin, &c. I fhall defer giv- ing a defcription of thefe creatures, and fhall only at prefent treat of their manner of hunt.^ ing them.
The route they fhall take for this purpofe, and the parties that fliall go on the different ^^' ' expeditions
( 2^9 )
expeditions are fixed in their general councils jpirhich are held fome time in the fummer, when all the operations for the endiing win- ter are concluded on. The chief-warrior, whofe province it is to regulate their proceed- ings on this occ^lion, with great folemnity iffues out an invitation to thofe who chufe to attend him ; for the Indians, as before ob- ferved, acknov^rkdge no fuperiority, nor have they any idea of compullion; and every one that accepts it prepares himfelf by fafting during feveral days. s
The Indians do not fail as fome other na- tions do, on the richeft and moft luxurious food, but they totally abftain from every kind either of viduals or drink ; and fuch is their patience and refolution, that the moft ex- treme tbirft could not oblige them to tafte a drop of water; yet amidlt this fevere abfti- nence they appear cheerful and happyi * < :yr The reafon they give for thus fafting, are, that it enables them freely to dream, in which dreams they are informed where they fhall find the greateft plenty of game; and alfo that it averts the difpleafure of the evil fpi- rits, and induces them to be propitious. -They alfo on thefe occafions blacken thofe parts of their bodies that are uncovered.
eitOfjiboqx^ ^^^
'f.
\i
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I
C 270 )
'The faft being ended, and the place of hunting made known, the chief who is to condud them, gives a grand fcaft to thofc who are to form the different parties; of which none of them dare to partake till they have bathed themfelves. At this feaft, not- withftanding they have fafted fo long, they eat with great moderation -, and the chief that prefides employs himfelf in rehearfing the feats of thofe who have been moft fuc- cefsful in the bufinefs they are about to en- ter upon. They foon after fet out on the march towards the place appointed, painted or rather bedaubed with black, amidfl the? acclamations of all the people. l
It is impoflible to dcfcribe their agility or perfeverance, whilft they are in purfuit of their prey; neither thickets, ditches, torrents, poo's, or rivers ftop ihem ; they always go ftrait forward in the moft dired line they pofTibly can, and there are few of the favage inhabitants of the woods that they cannot overtake.^ ^'
When they hunt for bears, they endea- vour to find out their retreats; for, during the winter, thefe animals conceal themfelves in the hollow trunks of trees, or make them- felves holes in the ground, where they con-;
veijr
tmue
( 271 ) tinue without food, whilft the feverc weather lafts. fijiji.i
When the Indians think they have arrived at a place where thefe creatures ufually haunt, they form themfelves into a circle ac^ ' cording to their number, and moving on-.i ward, endeavour, as they advance towards the centre, to difcover the retreats of their prey. By this means, if any lie in the inter- mediate fpace, they are fure of roufingthcm,' * and bringing them down either with their, bows or their guns. The bears will take to flight at fight of a man or a dog, and will only make refiftance when they are extremely hungry, or after they arew^oundcd.
%.i\:tH :iti'
The Indian method of hunting the buffalo is by forming a circle or a fquare, nearly in the fame manner as when they fearch for the bear. Having taken their different Na- tions, they fet the grafs, which at this time is rank and drv, on fire, and thefe animals, who are extremely fearful of that element, flying with precipitation before it, great numbers are hemmed in afmall compafs, and fcarcely a fingle one efcapes.
They have different ways of hunting the elk, the deer, and the caraboe. Sometimes they ieek them out in the woods, to w^hich
they
yS
,1 i
i
4
;■" '
( 272 )
they retire during the fcverity of the cold, where they are eafily fhot from behind the trees. In the more northern chmates they take the advantage of the weather to deftroy the elk J when the fun has juft ftrength enough to melt the fnow, and the froft in the night forms a kind of cruft on the furface, this creature being heavy, breaks it with his forked hoofs, and with difficulty extricates himfelf from it ; at this time therefore he is foon overtaken and deftroyed.
Some nations have a method of hunting thefe animals, which is more eafily executed, and free from danger. The hunting party^ divide themfelves into two bands, and choof- ing a fpot near the borders of foine river, one party embarks on board their canoes, whilft the other forming themfelves into a femi-cir- cle on the land, the flanks of which reach the fhore, let loofe their dogs, and by this means roufe all the game that lies within thefe bounds •, they then drive them towards the river, into which they no fooner enter, than the greateft part of them are immediate- ly difpatched by thofe who remain in the canoes.
Both the elk and the buffalo are very fu- rious when they are. wounded, and will re- ' ^ * turn
( 273 ) ;
turn fiercely on their purfuers, and trample them under their feet, if the hunter finds not means to complete their deftrudion, or feeks for fecurity in flight to fome adjacent tree; by this method they are frequently a /oided, and fo tired with the purfuit, that they volun- ' tarily give it over.
MBut the hunting in which the Indians, par- ticularly thofe who inhabit the northern parts, chiefly employ themfelves, and from which they reap the greateft advantage, is the bea- ver hunting. The feafon for this is through- out the whole of the winter, from November to April ; during which time the fur of thefe creatures is in the greateft perfedion. A de- fcription of this extraordinary animal, the conflrudtion of their huts, and the regulati- ons of their almoft rational community, I fhall give in another place.
.'The hunters make ufe of feveral methods to deftroy them. Thofe generally pradifed, are either that of taking them in fnares, cut- ting through the ice, or opening their caufe- ways.
*, Asthe eyes of thefe animals are very quick,
and their hearing exceedingly acute, great
precaution is necefTary in approaching their
abodes j for as they feldom go far from the
^ T water,
S !l
4
*■'■'
f. '■:0
M
C »74 ) water, and their houfes are always built clofc to the fide of feme large river or liake, or dams of their own conftruding, upon the Icaft alarm they h^ften to the deepeft part of the water, and dive immediately to the bot- tom J as they do this they make a great noife by beating the water with their tails, an purpofe to put the wholb fraternity on their guard. ' ^
,,(They take them witl^fnares in the follow- ing manner : though the beavers ufuaHy lay up a fufficient ftore of providons to ierve for their fubfillence during the winter, they make from time to time excurfions to the neigh- bouring woods to procure further fupplies of food. The hunters having found out their haunts, place a trap in their way, baited with fmall pieces of bark, or young (hoots of trees, which the beaver has no fooner laid hold of, than a large log ©f wood falls upon him, and breaks his back j his enemies, who ar« upon the watch, foon appear, and inflantly dis- patch the helplefs animal.
At other times, when the ice on the rivers and lakes is about half a foot thick, they make an opening through it wit-h their hatchets, to which the beavera will foon haften, on being difturbed at their houfes, fbr
afupply
or
i 275 )
a fiipply o£ frefh air. As their breath occa- lions a confide rable oaotion in the uatep, \}ie hunter has fufficieut notice of their approach, and) methodB are ea-fily taken for knocking them on tbe head the moment they appear above the furfacc* ^, ,,.,.:^
When the hjoufes of the beavers happen to be near a rivulet, they are more eaiily deftroyed : the hunters then cut the- ice, and Spreading a net under it, break down the cabins of the beavets, who never fail to make towards the deepeft part, where they arc entangled and taken. But they mud nut be fufFered to remain there long, as they would foon extricate themfelves with their teetli, which are well known to be exceHivCi- ly £barp and ftrong.
The Indians take great care to hinder theif dogs'ffom touching the bones of the beavers. The reafons they give for thefe precautions are, firft, that the bones are fo exceliively hardj that they fpoil the teeth of the d^gs j and^ feeondly, that they are apprehenfivc they ihal!^ fo exafperate the fpirits of the bea- vers by this permfffion, as to render the next hunting fca^n unfuccefsful.
The iftins of theie animals the hunters ex- change with the Europeans for lieceifaries.
A^r
r 2
and
W'
,H:
U.Am
■ I
■ ( 276 )
and as they are more valued by the lattei than any other kind of furs, they pay the greateft attention to this fpecies of hunting.
When the Indians deftroy bufFalos, elks, deer, &c. they generally divide the flefh of fuch as they have taken, among the tribe to which they belong. But in hunting the bea- ver a few families ufually unit0 and divide the fpoil between them. Indeed, in the firft inftance, they generally pay fome atten- tion in the divifion to their own families; but no jealoufies or murmurings are ever known to arife on account of any apparent partiality. 'Hpynr^'r*^'
Among the Naudoweffies, if a perfon fhoots a deer, buffalo, &c. and it runs to a confiderable diftance before it drops, where a perfon belonging to another tribe, being nearer, firft fticks a knife into it, the game is confidered as the property of the latter, notwithftanding it had been mortally wound- ed by the former. Though this cuftom ap- pears to be arbitrary and unjufl, yet that peo- ple cheerfully fubmit to it. This decifion is, however, very different from that pradifed by the Indians on the back of the colonies, where the firft perfon that hits it is entitled to the beft fhare.
CHAP.
( 277 )
CHAP. IX.
Of their Manner of making War, ^c.
TH E Indians begin to bear arms at the age of fifteen, and lay them afide when they arrive at the age of fixty. Some nations to the fouthward, I have been in- formed, do not continue their military exer- cifes after they are fifty. ""^ In every band or nation there is a feled number who are ftiled the Warriors, and who are always ready to ad either ofFenfively or defenfively, as occafion requires. Thefe are well armed, bearing the weapons com- monly in ufe among them, which vary ac- cording to the fituation of their countries. Such as have an intercourfe with the Euro- peans make ufe of tomahawks, knives, and fire-arms 5 but thofe whofe dwellings are fituated to the wcflward of the MifTiflippi, and who have not an opportunity of pur- chafing thefe kinds of weapons, ufe bows and arrows, and alfo the CafK Tete or war. club.
I 0
The
Mm
viiV.!^ tbd ^fi'
H , . <■■■ w
U '^ nu
1 'Jm
1 ill
( 27-8 )
The Indians that inhabit ftill farther to the
wcftward, a country whidi extends to the
South Sea, life in fight a warlike inftrument
that is very lancommon. Having great plenty
of horfes, they always attack their enemies
on horfebackj and encumber themfelves with
no other weapon, than a Hone of a middling
fize, curioufly wrought, which they faften
by a itring, about a yard and half long, to
their right arms, a little above the elbow.
Thefe flones they conveniently carry in tbeir
hands till they reach their enemies, and then
fwinging them with great dexterity, as they
ride full fpeed, never fail of doing execution.
The country which thefe tribes poiTefs, a^
bounding with large extenfive plains, thofe
who attack them feldom return j as the fwift-
nefs of the horfes on which they are mounts
cd, enables them to overtake even the fleet-r
eft of their invaders.
The Naudoweflies, who had been at war with this people, informed me, that unlcfs they found morafles or thickets to which they could retire, they were fure of being cut off: to prevent this they, always took care when-, ever they made an onfet, to do it near fuch retreats as were impafTable for cavalry, they then having a great advantage oVer their ene- mies,
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( «79 ) mics, whofc weapons would not there reach throtn. •
Some nations make ufe of a javelin jpoinfted with bofte worked i-nto different forms ; hut their Indian weajpons in general ai^ bows and arrows, and the (hort club already mention- ed. The latter is made of a very »hard wood^ and the head of it fafliioned round like a bai'l, about three inches and a half diameter:; in this ^cfiund part is fixed an edge re-fembling that of a tomahawk, cither of 4loel or fiiiit^ whichever they can procure ; fimilar to that r^refented in Plate No. IV.
'^he dagger placed near it in the fame plat6^ is peculiar to the Naudowdlie nation, and of ancient conflrudion, but they can give no atcofUiit how long it has been in ufe a- mong them. It was originally made of flint or bone, but fiuce they have had coimnttrti- cation with the European traders, they hav^ formed it of fled. The length of it is about ten inches, and that part clofe to the handle fi?6ariy thr^e iiKjhes broad. Its edges are keen, and it gradually tapers towards a poiiit: They wear it in a (heath made of deer's leatherv tieatly otnamentcd with porcupines quills 5 «ind it is ufually hvng by a firing, decorated ki the fame manner) which reaches as low
only
B'Fl
1
I
( 28o )
only as the breaft. This curious weapon is Ivorn by a few of the principal chiefs alone, and confidered both as a ufeful inflrument, and an ornamental badge of fuperiority.
I obferved among the Naudowellies a few targets or fhields made of raw buffalo hides, and in the form of thofe ufed by the ancients. But as the number of thefe was fmall, and 'I could gain no intelligence of the aera in which they firft were introduced among them, I fuppofe thofe I favv had defcended from fa- ther to fon for many generations.
The reafons the Indians give for making war againft one another, are much the fame as thofe urged by more civilized nations for ' difturbing the tranquillity of their neighbours. The pleas of the former are however in gene- ral more rational and juft, than fuch as are brought by Europeans in vindication of theif proceedings.
The extcnfion of empire is feldom a mor tiv^ with thefe people to invade, and to comr mit depredations on the territories of thofe who happen to dwell near them. To feciire the rights of hunting within particular li*- mits, to maintain the'liberty of pafling through their accuflomed tracks, and to guard thofe lands which they contider from a long tenilre
C aSi )
as their own, againft any infringement, arc the general caufes of thofe diflfenfions that f« often break out between the Indian nations, and which are carried on with fo much ani- niofity. Though ftrangers to the idea of fepa- rate property, yet the moft uncuhivated a- mong them are well acquainted with the rights of their community to the domains they poflefs, and oppofe with vigour every en* croachment on them.
- Notwithftanding it is generally fuppofed that from their territories being fo extenfive, the boundaries of them cannot be afcertained, yet I am well affured that the limits of each nation in the interior parts are laid down in their rude plans with great precifion. By theirs, as I have before obferved, was I ena- bled to regulate my own j and after the moft exadl obfervations and enquiries found very few inftances in which they erred. , But intercft is not either the moft frequent or moft powerful incentive to their making war on each other. The paflion of revenge, which is the diftinguiijiing charaderiftic of tliefe people, is the moft general motive. In- juries are felt by them with exquifite fenfibi- lity, and vengeance purfued with unremitted firdpun To this may be added, that natural
excitation
i I
f
m
f 282 )
excitation wbich every Indian becomes fenfi- re of as foon as he approaches the age of manhood, to give proofs of his valour and prowefs.
As they are early pofTefTed with a notion that war ought to be the chief bufinefs of their lives, that there is nothing more defi* rous than the Testation of bein[g a great warrior, and that the icalps of their enemies or a number of prifoners are alone to be ef^ teemed valuable, it is not to be wondered at that the younger Indians are continually reft* lefs and uneafy if their ardour is rcprefied, and they are kept in a ftate of inadivity. Esther of thefe propenfities, the defire-ef re* venge, or the gratification of an irapulfe that by degrees becomes habitual to them» is fuf*
ficient, frequently, to induce them to cotn^' mit hoftilities on fome of th* iitighboQlilig nations. auixi n
When the chiefs find any occa^ofa for rtia* king war, they endeavbut to aroul€ thefe ha- bitudes, and by that means foon excite their warriors to take arms. To this purpofe they make ufe of their martial eloquence nearly in the following words, which never fails of proving effectual. " The bones of <mT de- " ceafcd countrymen lie uncovered, th6y call --* • " out
•' oQt to US to revenge their wrongs, and wc *' muft fatisfy their Teqiiell. Their fpirits *' cry out agairift us, they muft he appcrifed. ** The genii, who are the guardians of our " honour, infpirc us with arefolution to fcek •^ the enennics of our murdered brothers. Let " us go and devour thofe by whom they were ** flain. Sit therefore no lonqer inadive, give •* way to the impulfe of your natural valour, ** anoint your hair, paint your faces, fiil your *♦ quivers, caufe the forefts to refound with " your fongs, confole the fpirits of the dead, ** and tell them they fhall be revenged."
Animated by thefe exhortations the war- riors fnatch their arms in a tranfport of fury ,^ fing the fong of war, and bum with impati- ence to imbrue their hands in the blood of their enemies.
Sometimes private chiefs aflemble fmall par- tics, and make excurlions ag-iinfl thofe with whom they are at war, or fuch as have injured them. A fingle warrior, prompted by re- venge or a defire to (how his prowefs, will march unattended for feveral hundred miles, to furprize and cut off a llraggling party.
Thefe irregular fallies, however, are not al- ways approved of by the elder chiefs, though they are often obliged to connive at them ; as
m
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m
Am
I
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■- ( 284 )
in the inftance before given of the Naudow- cffie and Chip^way nations.
But when a war is national, and underta- ken by the community, their deliberations are formal and (low. The elders aflemble in council, to which all the head warriors and young men are admitted, where they deliver their opinions in folemn fpeeches, weighing with maturity the nature of the enterprize they are about to engage in, and balancing with great fagacity the advantages or incon- veniencies that will arife from it.
Their priefts are alfo confulted on the fub- je6l, and even, fometimes, the advice of the nioft intelligent of their women is aiked.
If the determination be for war, they pre- pare for it with much ceremony.
The chief warrior of a nation does not on all occafions head the war party himfelf, he frequently deputes a warrior of whofe valour and prudence he has a good opinion. The perfon thus fixed on being firft bedawbed with black, obferves a faft of feveral days, (Juring which he invokes the Great Spirit, or deprecates the anger of the evil ones, hold- ing whilft it lafts no converfe with any of his tribe.
He
■*,-> »»<ftjiJi,'
p
( 2S5 )
He is particularly careful at the fame time to obferve his dreams, for on theie do they fuppofe their fuccefs will in a great meafure depend ; and from the firm perfuailon, every Indian aduated by his own prefumptuous thoughts is imprefied with, that he fhall march forth to certain vidlory, thefe are ge- nerally favourable to his wifhes.
After he has fafted as long as cuttom pre- fcribes, he alTembles the warriors, and hold- ing a belt of wampum in his hand thus ad- dreiTes them: .
" Brothers ! by the infpiration of the Great Spirit I now fpeak unto you, and by him am I prompted to carry into execution the *' intentions which I am about to difclofe to " you. The blood of our deceafed brothers *' is not yet wiped away ; their bodies arc " not yet co\ ered, and I am going to perform ' " this duty to them.*'
. Having then made known to them all the motives that induce him to take up arms againft the nation with whom they are to en- gage, he thus proceeds : " I have therefore refolved to march through the war-path to furprize them. We will eat their fleih " and drink their blood j we will take fcalps, and make prifoners ; and fhould we perifh
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( 286 )
•* m this glorious enterprizvi, we fllall not be " for ever hid in the duft, for this belt fha-ll •' be a recompence to him who buries the " dead." Having faid this, he lays the belt on the ground, and he who takes it up de^ clares himfelf his lieutenant^ and is eonfider- ed as the fecond in command ; this, however, is only done by fbme diftinguiihed warrior who has a right, by the number of his fcalps, to the poi^»
Though the Indians thus aflert that they will eat the flefh and drink the blood of their enemies, the threat is only to be confidered as a figurative exprefiion. Notwithftanding they fometimes devour the hearts of thofe they flay, and drink their blood, by way of bravado, or to gratify in a more complete manner their revenge, yet they are not na- turally anthropophagi, nor ever feed on the flefh of men.
The chief is now wafhed from his fable covering, anointed with bears fat, and paint- ed, with their red paint, in fuch figures as will make him appear mofl terrible to his enemies. He then fings the war-fong, and enumerates his warlike adhons. Hf,ving done ■ this he fixes his eyes on the fun, and pays his t>H^ adorations
( 2S7 )
adorations to the Great Spirit, in which he is accompanied by all the warriors.
This ceremony is followed with dances, fuch as I have before defcribed ; and the whole concludes with a feaft which ufually confifts of dogs flefh.
This feaft is held in the hut or tent of the chief warrior, to which all thofe who intend to accompany him in his expedition fend their difhes to be filled j and during the feaft-, notwithftanding he has fafted fo long, he fits compofedly with his pipe in his mouth, and recounts the valorous deeds of his fa- mily.
As the hopes of having their wounds, fhould they receive any, properly treated, and ex*- peditioufly cured, muft be fome additional in*- ducement to the warriors to expofe them- felves more freely to danger, the priefts, who alfo arc their dodlors, prepare fuch medicines- as will prove efficacious. With great cere- mony they colled various roots and plants,, and pretend that they impart to them thc.^ power of healing. .*
• Notwithftanding this fuperftitious method ^ of proceeding, it is very certain that they s have acquired a knowledge of many plants j
and
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( 288 )
and herbs that are of a medicinal quality, and which they know how to ufe with great fkill.
From the time the refolution of engaging in a war is taken, to the departure of the warriors, the nights are fpent in fcfiivity, and their days in making the needful pre- parations.
»,; If it is thought neceflary by the nation go- ing to war, to folicit the alliance of any neighbouring tribe, they fix upon one of their chiefs who fpeaks the language of that people well, and who is a good orator, and fend to them by him a belt of wampum, on which is fpecified the purport of the embaffy in figures that every nation is well acquaint- ed with. At the fame time he carries with him a hatchet painted red.
As foon as he reaches the camp or village to which, he is deflined, he acquaints the chief of the tribe with the general tenor of his commiflion, who immediately affembles a council, to which the ambafTddor is invited. There having laid the hatchet on the ground, he holds the belt in his hand, and enters more minutely into the occafion of his cm- bafTy. In his fpeech he invites them to tak^ irp the hatchet, and as foon as he hasfinifh- cd. fpeaking delivers the belt. ? tQ Jf,{ioju^ §
1{,u If
( 289 ) I
I, y •
If his hearers are inclined to biecbme anxT- Ifaries to his nation, a chief fteps forward and takes up the hatchet, and they immedi- ately efpoufe with fpirit the caufe they have thus engaged to fupport. But if on this ap- pircation neither the belt or hatchet are ac- cepted, the emifTary concludes that the peo- ple whofe aiTiftance he folicits have already entered into an alliance with the foes of his nation, and returns with fpccd to inform his countrymen of his ill-fuccefs. " the manner in which the Indians declare w^ar agairift each other, is by fending a flave with a hatchet, the handle of which is paint- ed red, to the nation which they intend to break with; and themcflenger, notwithftand- ing the danger to which he is expofed from the fudden fury of thofe whcm he thus fcts at defiance, executes his commilTion with great fidelity.
Sometimes this token of defiance has fuch an inftantaneous efFed on thofe to whom it is prefented, that in the firft tranfports of their fury a fmall party will iffue forth with- out waiting for the permifiion of the felder chiefs, and flaying the firft of the oftendirig natibn they meet, cut open the body and flick a hatchet of the" fame kind'as that they have V- U . juft
'Ai
^ >
( 290 )
juft received, into the heart of their flaugh- tered foe. Among the more remote tribes this is done with an arrow or fpear, the end of which is painted red. And the more to cx- afperate, they difmember the body, to fliow that they efttem them not as men but as old women.
The Indians feldom take the field in large bodies, as fuch numbers would require a greater degree of induftry to provide for their fubfittence, during their tedious marches through dreary forefts, or long voyages over lakes and rivers, than they would care to beftow.
Their armies are never encumbered with baggage or military ftores. Each warrior, be- fides his weapons, carries with him only a mat, and whilft at a diftance from the fron- tiers of the enemy fupports himfelf with the game he kills or the fifh he catches. .to,rT.
When they pafs through a country where they have no apprchrafions of meeting with an enemy, they ufe very little precaution :; fometimes there are fcarcely a dozen vvarriors left together, the reft being difperfed in pur- fuit of their game-, but though they fhould have roved to a very confiderable diftance from the war-path, they are fiire to arrive at
the
; ; n '
i-'ir
¥
!*/i*
^-rU
( 291 )
the pTabe of rendezvous by the hour appolnt-
They always pitch their tents long before fun-fet 5 and being naturally prefumptuons take very littlecare to guard agiinft a furprize. They plate great confidence in their Mani- tous, or houfhold gods, which they always carry with them; and being perfuaded that they take upon them the office of centinels, they deep very fecurely under their pro- teftion.
Thefe Manltous, as they are called by fome nations, but which are termed Wakon, that is, fpirits, by the NaudowcfTies, are no- thing more than the otter and martins fkins I ; have already defcribed, for which, however, they have a ereat venerat-'o'f. . , ./v ' After they have entered the enemies coun- . try, no people can be more cautious and cir- cumfped : fires are no longer lighted, no more fhouting is heard, nor the game any longer • purfued. They are not even permitted to fpeak 5 but muft convey whatever they have to impart to each other by (igns and motions. ■ They now proceed wholly by ftratagem and'ambufcade. Having^difcovercd their ene-. mieSj they fend to reconnoitre them j and a council is immediately held, during which
U 2 they
I ' ,
ii
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,V*'.v
1
( 292 )
they fpeak only in whifpers, to confidcr of the intelligence imparted by thole who were fent out. r '-^t /'•
The attack is generally made jufl before day-break, at which period they fuppofe their foes to be in the foundell ileep. Through- out the whole of the preceding, night; they will lie flat upon their faces, without ilir- ring ; and make their approaches in the f^me. poftnre, creeping upon their luads^nd feet till they are got within bow-fhot 'of thofe* they have deftined to deftrudion- On a llg- nal given by the chief warrior, to which the whole body makes anfwer by the moft hide- ous yells, they all ftart up, and difcharging their arrows in the fame inftant, without giving their adverfaries time to recover from the confufion into which they are, thrQwn, pour in upon them with their war-clubs qr tomahawks. ;* - '^'
The Indians think there is little glory to be acquired from attacking thei • enemies, o- penly in the field -, their greateil pride is to furprize and deftroy. They feldom engage without a manifeft appearance of advantage. If they find the enemy on their guar<i, too ftrongiy entrenched, or fuperior in numbers, they retire, provided there is an, opportunity
of doing fo. And they efteem it the" great- eft qualification of a chief warrior, to be able to manage an attack, fo as to dcftroy as many of the enemy as poflibk, at the ex- pence of a few men.
Sometimes they fecure themfelves behind trees, hillocks, or ftones, and having given one or two rounds retire before they are dif- covered. Europeans who are unacquainted with this method of fighting too often find to their coft the deftrndive efficacy of it.
General Braddock was one of this unhap- py number.' Marching in the Year 1755, to attack Fort Dj Quefne., he was intercepted by a party of confederate Indians in the inte- reftof the French, who by this infidious me- thod of engaging found means to defeat his army, which confifted of about three thou- fand brave and well difciplined troops. So fecurely were the Indians pofted, that the Englilh fcarcely knew from whence or by whom they were thus annoyed. During the w^hole of the engagement the latter had fcarcely a fight of an enemy 5 and were ob- liged to retreat without the fatisfadion of be- ing able to take the leaft degree of revenge for the havock made among them. The general paid for his temerity with his life, IQ ' ' , and
t>^, I
fi
i^rn
( 294 ) and was accompanied in his fall by a great number of brave fellows j whilft his invifiblq eneir>ies had only two or three of their num-- ber wounded.
' , , ! i»-f '. rr»- - 1 *»■«* ' "+''?
When the Indians fucceed in their £lent approaches, and are able to force the camp which they attack, a fcene of horror, that exceeds defcription, enfues. Tljp favage fiercenefs of the conquerors, who well know what they have to exped fhould they fall alive into the hands of their aflailants, oc- cafion the moft extraordinary exertions on both fides. The figure of the combatant all befmeared with black and red paint, and covered with the blood of the flain, their horrid yells, and ungovernable fury, are not to be conceived by thofa who have never croffed the Atlantic. \_ > r .
-'^' I have frequently been a fpedator of them, and once bore a part in a fimiiar fcenf , But what added to the horror of it, was, that I had not the confolatjon of being able to op- pofe their favage attacks. Every circum- ftance of the adventure ftiU dwells on my remembrance, and enables me to defcribq with greater perfpicuity the bru al fierce- nefs of the Indians when they have furprized or overpowered an enemy.
( 295 )
• As a detail of the maffacre at Fort William Henry in the year 1757, the fcene to which I refer, cannot appear foreign to the defign of this publication, but will fervetogive my . readers a juft idea of the ferocity of this peo- ple, I fhall take the liberty to infert it, apo- logizing ^t the fame time for the length of the digrelTion, and thofe egotifms which the relation renders unavoidable. ' General Webb, who commanded the Eng- lifh army in North America, which was then encamped at Fort Edward, having intelligence that the French troops under Monf. Montcalm were^ making fome movements towards Fort William Henry, he detached a corps of about fifteen hundred men, confifting of Englifhs and Provincials, to ftrengthen the garrifon. In this party I went as a volunteer among the latter.
' The apprehenfions of the Englifh general were not without foundation ^ for the day dt^er our arrival we faw Lake George (for- merly Lal^e Sacrament) to which it lies con- tiguous, covered with an immenfe number of boats; and in a few hours we found our lines attacked by the French general, who had juft landed with eleven thoufand regulars and Canadians, and two thoufand Indians. Co- lonel
' ^1
T'.l
lonel Monro, a bfayej pgiqer, commanded in the fort, and h^d no more than two thoufand tliree hundred mcnvy^thhim, our detachment
included.
;-:? h n* t-fi] K! <i! ^y.tUry ?»•-** ^^
^^Wijth thefe he n>^(W. ^ gaUant defence, and palpably would have been able at l^ft to pre-? feiye the Fort, had h^ been properly fupport- Qd, ^n,d,pcnnitted 19 coatinue his efforts.. On every fummons to furrender fent by the French general, who offered the moft honourable tjerm§,/' 'y anfwer repeatedly was, That he yet found hui f in a condition to repel the nioft vigorous attacks his beliegers were able to make; and if he th( ught his pre fent force infufEcient, he could foon be fupplied with a greater number from the adjacent army. />^*v But the colonel having acquainted Getic^r ral Webb with his fituation, and defired he would fend him fome frclli troops, the gene- ral difpatcheda raeiTepgcr to, him with a let- ter, wherein he inforn^ed him that it was not ii^ his povver to alTift him, and therefore gave hini orders to furrender up the fort on the beft terms he could procure. This packet fell Iht^o the hands of tie French general, who iinmcdii^tcly fent a flag of truce, defifr-^ •^RS f^ 9-^^^^J'c/l'^? with the goyornor.. -, ^5^-'» tiw'jj-ib^ia,v7v i ;aa.o^/]'^4>i^.3^^^'^^ 'They
( «97 ) -*'*Fhey accordingly met, attended only by i fmail guard, in the centre between the lines; when Monf. Montcahii told the colonel, thaf he was come in perfon to demand polTeflioa of the fort, as it belonged to the king his maficn The colonel replied, that he knew not how that could be, nor fhould he furren- der it up whilft it was in his power to defend
It.
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'? The French general rejoined, at the fame time delivering the packet into the colonel's hand, " By this authority do I make the re- *^ quifition.'' The brave governor had no fooner read the contents of it, and was con- vinced that fueh were the orders of the com- mander in chief, and nottobedifobeyed, than' he hung his head in filence, and reluctantly entered into a negociation. • ^
In confiderat^on of the gallant defence tlie garrifon had made, they were to be permit- ted to march out with all the honours of war^ to he allowed covered waggons to tranfport their baggage to Fort Edward, and a guard to proted them from the fury of the favages. ;.
The morning after the capitulation wai ijgned, as foon as day broke, the whole gar- rifon, now confifting of about two thoufand fnen, befides women and children, were drawn
up
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T 298 )
up within the lines, and on the point of march- ing ofF^ when great numbers of the Indians gathered about, and began to plunder. We were at firft m hopes that this was their only view, and fufFered them to proceed without oppofition. Indeed it was not in our power
, to make any, had we been fo inclined ; for though we were permitted to carry off our arms, yet we were not allowed a (ingle round of ammunition. In thefe hopes however we were difappointed; for prefently fome of them began to attack the iick and wounded, when fuch as were not able to crawl into the ranks, notwithflanding they endeavoured to avert the fury of their enemies by their (hrieks or groans, were foon difpatched. '±nui^p.
Here we were fully in expedation that the diflurbance would have concluded ; and our little army began to move; but in afhorttime we faw the front divifion driven back, and difcovered that we were entirely encircled by the favages. We expeded every moment that the guard, which the French, by the ar- tides of capitulation, had agreed to allow us, would have arrived, and put an end to our apprehenfions ; but none appeared. The In-
• jfiians now began to ftrip every one without exception, of their arms and cloaths, and thofe igfuji who
( 299 ) who made the leaft refiftance felt the weight of their tomahawks. . ''
I happened to be in the rear divifion, but it was not long before I fhared the fate of my companions. Three or fonr of the favages laid hold of me, and whilft fome held their weapons over my head, the others foon dif- robcd me of my coat, waiflcoat,- hat, and buckles, omitting not to take from me what money I had in my pocket. As this was tran- faded clofe by the pafTage that led from the lines on to the plain, near which a French centinel was polled, I ran to him and claimed his protection $ but he only called mean Eng- li(h dog, and thruft me with violence back again into the midft of the Indians. -^'^ -^ I now endeavoured to join a body of our troops that were crowded together at fome diftancci but innumerable were the blows that were made at me with different weapons as I paffedr^qn ; luckily however the favages were fo clofe together, that they could not Itrike at me without endangering each other. Notwithftanding which one of them found means to make a thruft at me with a fpear, which grazed my fide, and from another I re- ceived a wound, with the fame kind of wea- pon, in my ankle. At length I gained the
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fpot where my coiantrymen flood, and forced myfelf into the midft of them. But before I got thus far out of the hands of the Iriidians, the collar and wriftbands of my fhirt were all that remained of it, and my flelh was fcratched and torn in many places by their favage gripes. ^:v'nii-.h\fr ' »F
By this time the war-hoon was given, ktid the Indians began to murder thofc that were neareft to them without diftincfiion. It is not in the power of words to give any tolerable idea of the horrid fcene that now cnfued ; jnen, women, and children were difpatched in the moll wanton and cruel manner, and im- mediately fcalpcd. Many of thefe favages drank the blood of their vi6tims, as it flowed warm from the fatal v^ovtnap'^"^'^^- ^^^ ^^^^^^ -- We now perceived, though toolaf^to dvail us, that wc were to exped no relief from the French ; and that, contrary to the agreement they had fo lately figned to allov^ us a fuffi- cient force to proted us from thefe infults, they tacitly permitted them ; for I could plain- ly perceive the French officers walking about at fome diftance, difcourfing together with apparent uTiconcern. For the honour of hu- man nature i would hope that this flagrant breach of every facred law, proceeded rather ^ from
j^
• «,0'-''
' (( 5CI ) ■
ixAca the fi^vage difpofitioa of tl><3 Iridians whieh 1 ^cknov\ ledge it is fomctiaics almoft im^^olTible to controul, and which might now unexpctSVedly have arrived to a pitch not cafily to. be .reii rained, than to any prcpxdi.t.-.tcd de- fign in the French coBnniaiKicr. An unpre- judiced ohferver would, however, be apt to conciuJe, that a body of, ten thoul^jwd Ghrif- tian. troops, raoft Chriftiap Uoops, had it ii> their power to prevent the maifacre fr^om be- corning (6 general. But whatever was tlie c^ufe froqoi^ which it arofe, the confequences of it were dreadful, and not to be paralleled ia modern hip.ory», .»^ -,•;,,.,,,. ,1^ ,,^ ^ ...%.. *.^-; . J., As thC; circle in which I flood inclofcd by tjiis time was much thinntKl, ai^d death feenv- cdto be approaching witl^haftyftrides, it wa& pfapofedt^- ibi;iaie of the m&^ tcfolwte tp j^ake Qoe vijgorous etfort, and.enxieavour to force our way thiough the fa^ages, the only proy bable ipethprt. of preijbyv^ our li"e». t;h«it; npw reniaine^. .This^ .however defpcrate,, w^, re(bLv,ed qn, and. about, twenty of u& fp^ung, at qncc into the cfiidjft of them. . t m - In a moment wf yve^rc aH ieparated,;ap4> what was the fat^ of my companions I could, not learn till fome months^after, when I found; that only fix or feven of them cfl'cded their
1!
h 1'
,H1
.n-fno ^vj i
'i}~'.\
( 302 )
dcdgn. Intent only on my own hazardmis fituation, I endeavoured to make my way through my favage enemies in the beft man-^ ' ner poflible. And 1 have often been aftonifhed fince, when I have recolleded with what compofure I took, as I did, every necefTary ftep for my prefervation. Some I overturned, being at that time young and athletic, and others I pafTed by, dexteroufly avoiding their weapons ; till at laft two very ftout chiefs, of the moft favage tribes, as I could diftinguifh by their drefs, whofe ftrength I Could not refift, laid hold of me by each arm, arid be- gan to force me through the crowd. ' ^^H*:.
I now refigned my felf to my fate, not doubting but that they intended to difpatch me, and then to fatiate their vengeance with my blood, as I found they were hurrying me towards a retired fwamp that lay at fome di- ftaace. But before we had got many yards,'*' an Englifh gentleman of fome diftirididn, as I could difcovcr by his breeches, the only cover-^ ing he had on, which were of fine fcarlet vel- vet, rulhed clofe by us. One of the Indians in-' ftantly relinquifhed his hold, and fpringing on this new objetl, endeavoured to feize hin^ as his prey ; but the gentleman being
r/ciii t ftrong,
\ i
( 303 ) ftrong, threw him on the ground, and would' probably have got away, had not he who held my other arm, quitted me Jto aflift his brother. I feized the opportunity, and haf- tened away to join another party of Englifh troops that were yet unbroken, andftood.in a body at fome diftance. But before I had, taken many fteps,,,! haftily caft my eyes to*^ wards the gentleman, and faw the Indian's tomahawk ga(h into his back, and heard him utter his laft groan *, this added both to my. fpeed and defperation. ^.. n ir!
I had left this fhocking fcene but a few yards, when a fine boy about twelve years of age, that had hitherto efcaped, came up to me, and begged that I would let him lay hold of me, fo that he might ftand fome chance of getting out of the hands of the favages. I told him that I would give him every affiftance in my power, and to this^ purpofe bid him lay hold j but in a few mo- ments he was torn from my fide, and by his fhrieks, Ir judge was foon demolifhed. I could not help forgetting my own cares for a minute, to lament the fate of fo young a fufferer j but it was utterly impoflible for me to take any methods to prevent it. *
:s>-wl ^.. I now
^ 3-
■■i • I
iim
? \-h
.' .4
( 3^4 - )
*• I now got once more into the midff of friends, bnt we were unable to afford each other any fiiccour. As thfs was the dlvifion that had advanced the furthcfifrom the fort, I thought there might be a poiTibility (thouo^h but a very bai^e one) of my forcing a way through the outer ranks of the Indians, and getting to a neighbouring wood, which' I per- ceived at fome diftanc*. I was ftill encon- raged to hope by the almoft miraculous pite- fervation I had already experienced.
Nor were my hopes vain, or the e'ffortB^I made ineffectual. SulHc© k to fay that I reached the wood, but by the time I had pe- netrated a little way into it, my breath-; fo cxhaufted that I threw myfelf into a brake^ and lay for fome minutes apparently at th« laftgafp. At length I recovered the poWer of refpiration, but my apprieheniions re^ turned with all their former force^ wlien I law feveral favaiges pa^ by, prtjbably in puFi- fuit of me, at no: vei*y great diftance. Jn this fitualioti I khev/ not whether it was better to proceed, or endeavour to conceal myfelf where I lay, till night came on •, fearing, how- ever, that tfeey would ri^turri the iame way, I thought it' mod prudent to get- farther from the dreadful fcene of my pafl diftrelTes. Ac- ^i^y§ .- cordingly,
ij
( 305 ) cordingly, linking into another part of the . wood, I haftencd on as fait as the briars and the lofs of one of my {hoes would permit me j and after a flow progrefs of fomc hours, gained a hill that overlooked the plain which " I had jult left, from whence I could difccrn that the bloody ftorm ftili raged with un- abated fury. V !i.. ' Mn But not to tire my readers, I fhall only add, that after piffmg three days without fubfiftence, and enduring the feverity of the cold dews for three nights, I at length reach- ed Fort Edward ; where with proper care my body foon recovered its wontc. ftrength,and my mind, as far as the rccolledion of the late melancholy events would permit, its ufual compofure. *^*..ih.t
It was computed that fifteen hundred per- fons were killed or made prifoners by thefc favages during this fatal day. Many of the latter were carried oft by thcQi and nevtr re- turned. A few, through favourable accidents, found their way back to their native country, after having experienced a long and fevere captivity.
The brave Colonel Monro had haflened a- way, foon after the confulion began, to the French camp to endeavour to procure the
guard
Jr^
1 tin
^1i
i "' Nil
* ' ' , )
( 3o6 )
guard agreed by the llipulation ; but his ap- plication proving inefFedual, lie remained there till General Webb fcnt a party of troops to demand and proted him back to Fort Edward. But thefe unhappy occurren- ces, which would probably have been pre- vented, had he been left to purfue his own plans, toi;c.:her with the lofs of fo many brave fellows, murdered in cold blood, to whofe valour he had been fo lately a wit- nefs, made fuch an imprelTion on his mind, that he dia .^ot long furvive. He died in about three montlis of a broken heart, and with truth might it be faid, that he was an honour to his country. i ih\i. *'*
- I mean not to point out the following cir- cumilances as the immediate judgment of heaven, and intended as an atonement for this daughter, but 1 cannot omit that very few of thofr. different tribes of Indians that fhared in it ever lived to return borne. The fmall pox, by means of their communication with the Europeans, found its way among them, and made an equal havock to what they themfelves had done. The 'methods they purfued on the tirft attack of that malignant diforder, to abate the fever attending it, ren- dered it fatal. Whilfl their blood was in a
i>j:i»jj.li
•^
ftatc
( '307 ) ftate of fermentation, and nature was ft: iving lb throw out the peccant matter, they check-^ ' ed her operations Dy plunging into the water: the confequence was, that they died by hun- dredSi The few that furvived were tranf- formed by it into iiideous objeds, and bore with them to the grave deep indented marks of this mucb-dreaded diicafe.
Monfieur Montcalm fell foon after on the plains of Ouebec.
That the unprovoked cruelty of this com- mander was not approved of by the generality of his coun'.rymen, I have fince been con-* Vinced of by many proofs. One only how- ever, which I received from a perfon who was *^: witnefs to it, fliall I at prefent give. A Ca- nadian merchant, of fome confidcration, hav- ing heard of the furrendcr of the Englifli Fort, celebrated the fortunate event with great rejoicings and hofpitality, according to the cuftom of that country; but no fooner did the news of the mailacre which cnl'"ned reach his ears, than he put an immediate flop to the feftivity, and exclaimed in the fevered terms againft the inhuman pcrmiffion ; de- claring at the fame time that tbofc who had connived at it, had thereby drawn down on that pait of their king's dominions the ven-
X 2 gcancc
( 3o8 )
ixi lid
geance of hei: ven. To this he added, that he much feared the total lofs of them would defervedly be the confequence. How truly this predidion has been verified we all
know.
But to return: though the Indians arc negligent in guarding againft furprizes, they are alert and dextrous in furprizing their ene- mies. To their caution and perfeverance in ftealing on the party they defign to attack, they add that admirable talent, or rather in- flindive qualification, I have already def- cribed, of tracing out thofe they are in pur- «fuitof. On the fmootheft grafs, on the hardeft earth, and even on the very flones, will they difcover the traces of an enemy, and by the fhape of the footfteps, and the diftance be- tween the prints, dillinguilh not only whe- ther it is a man or a woman who has paffed that way, but even the ngtion to which they belong. However incredible this might ap- pear, yet from the many proofs I received whilfl among them of their amazing fagacity in this point, I fee no reafon to difcredit even thefe extraordinary exertions of it.
When they have overcome an enemy and vidory is no longer doubtful, the conquerors firll difpatch all fuch as they think they Ihall V • -* not
( 3^9 )
not be able to carry off without great trouble, and then endeavour to take as many pri- foners as poffiblej after this they return to fcalp thofe who are either dead, or too much wounded to be taken with them.
At this hulinels they are exceedingly ex- pert. They feize the head of the difablcd or dead enemy, and placing one of their feet on the neck, twift their left hand in the hair 5 by this means, havjng extended the fkin that covers the top of the head, they draw out their fcalping knives, which are always kept in good brder for this cruel purpofe, and with a few dextrous Ikokes take off the part that is termed the fcalp. They are fo expe- ditious in doing this, that the whole time re- quired fcarcely exceeds a minute. Thefe they preferveas monuments of their prowefs, and at the fame time as pr Ts of the ven- geance they have inflided on their enemies. ^- If two Indians feize in the fame iaftant a prifoner, and feem to have an equal claim, the conteft between them is foon decided i for to put a fpeedy end to any difpute that might arife, the peifau that is anprehenlive he fhall lofe his expeded revv^ard, immediate- ly has recourfe to his tomahawk or war
iliiti) 7'jii.r • , ; . ,
-club, and
f
'
i'Wfi
( 310 ) &nd knocks on the head the unhappy caufe of their contention. • -r^--" rr
Having completed their purpofes, and made as much havock as poflible, they imme- diately retire towards their own country, with the fpoil they have acquired, for fear of being purfued.
Should this be the cafe, they make ufe of many flratagems to elude the fearches of their purfuers. They fometimes fcatter leaves- fai;id, or duft over the prinvs of their feet ; fometimes tread in eacn others footfteps;; and fometimes lift their feet fo high, and tread fo lightly, as not to make any impref-i fion on the ground. But if they find all thefe precautions unavailing, and that they are near being overtaken, they firft difpatch and fcalp their prifoners, and then dividing, each endeavours to regain his native country by a different route. This prevents all farther purfuitj for their purfuers now defpairing, either of gratifying their revenge, or of re- leafins; thofe of their friends wiio were made captives, return home.
If the fuceefsful party is fo lucky as to' make good their retreat unmolefted, they ha- ften with the greateft expedition to reach a pountry where they may be pcrfedly fecure-,
an.d
( 311 ) and that their wounded companions may not retard their flight, they carry them by turns in litters, or if it is in the winter feafondraw them on (ledges.
Their litters are made in a rude manner of the branches of trees. Their fledges condft of two fmall thin boards about a foot wide when joined, and near fix feet long. The fore part is turned up, ai:d the fides are bor- dere ! with fmall bands. The Indians draw thefe carriages with great eafebe they ever fo much loaded, by means of a firing which paf- fes round the breafl. This collar is called a Metump, and is in ufe throughout America, both in the fettlements and the internal parts, Thofe ufed in the latter are made of leather and very curioufly wrought. ' The prifoners during their march are guarded with the greatelt care. During the day, if the journey is over land, they are al-. ways held by fome of the vidorious party ; if by water, they are faftened to the canoe. In the night-time they are flretched along the ground quite naked, with their legs, arms, and neck failened to hooks fixed in the ground. Bcfides this, cords are tied to their arms or legs, which are held by an In-
.,_ , ;^,v dian,
mmm
i
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-f. >,"
.'♦4
• ( 3T2 )
dian, who initantly awakes at the leaft mo* tion of them. * •
* ' Notwithftanding fuch precautions are nfually taken by the Indians, it is recorded in the annals of New England, that one of the weaker fex, almoft alone, and iinafTifted, found means to elude the vigilance of a party of warriors, and not only to make her es- cape from them, but to revenge the caufe of her countrymen. . u jUi: j>
' Some years ago, a fmall band of Canadian Indians, confiftmg of ten warriors attended by two of their wives, made an irruption into the back fettlements of New England. ' They lurked for fome time in the vicinity of one of the moft extericr towns, and at length after having killed and fcalped feveral peo- ple, found means to take prifoner a woman who had with her afon of about twelve years of age. Being fatisfied with the execution they had done, they retreated towards theif native country, which lay at three hundred miles diftance, and carried off with thcm^ their two captives. ; . . >>^
The fccond night of their retre^, the woman^ whofe name if I miilake not w^' Rowe, formed a refolution worthy of the' moft intrepid hero. She thought (he (hould
( 313 )
be abie to get from her bands the manacles by which they were confined, and determin- ed if (he did fo to make a defperate effort for the recovery of her freedom. To this pur- pofe, when fhe concluded that her conque- rors were in their foundeft fleep, flie ftrove to flip the cords from her hands. In this Ihc fucceededj and cautioning her fon, whom they had fufKred to go unbound, in a whif- per, againft being furprized at what fhe was about to do, fhe removed to a diftance with great warinefs the defenfive weapons of the Indians, which lay by their fides. ' Having done this, ihe put one of the to- mahawks into the hands of the boy, bidding him to follow her example-, and taking ano- ther herfelf, fell upon the fleeping Indians, feveral of wliom fhe inftantly difpatched. But her attempt was nearly fruftrated by the imbecility of her fon, who wanting both ftrength and refolution, made a feeble flroke at one of them which only ferved to awaken him ; fhe however fprung at the rifing war- rior, and before he cculd recover his arms, made him fink under the weight of her to- mahawk; and this fhe alternately did to all the refl, except one of the women, who a- woke m time, and made her efcape.
the
m
■IE- * i''^\
1 It ■"» In--^- H
( 3H )
The heroine then took off the fcalps of her vanquiflicd enemies, and feizing alfo thofe they were carrying away with them as proofs of their fuccefs, ihe returned in triumph to the town from whence flie had fo lately be n dragged, to the great aitonifhment of her neighbours, who could fcarcely credit their fenfes, or the teflimonics (he bore of her Amazonian intrepidity. -^
During their march they oblige their pri- foners to iing their death-fong, which gene- rally confifts of thefe or fimilar fentences.? " I am going to die, 1 am about to fuffer j but '' I will bear the fevereft tortures my ene- " mies can inflid with becoming fortitude. I " will die like a brave man, and I (hall then ** go to join the chiefs that have fuffexed on ** the fame account.'* Thef" fongs^^re con- tinued, with neceffary intervals, until they reach the village or camp to which they ere
When the Vv'arriors are arrived within hearing, they fct up different cries, which communicates to their friends a general hif- tory of the fuccefs of the expedition. The number of the death-cries they give, declares how many of their own party are loft^ the
number.
■ a
■u»
. . • ( 3>5 )
number of war-hoops, the number of pri- fcners they have taken. '
It is difficult to defcribe thefe cries, but the beft idea I can convey of them, is that the former confiils of the found Whoo, Whoo, Whoop, which is continued in a long iThrill tone, nearly till the breath is e^inufted, and then broken off with a fudden elevation oF the voice. The latter of a loud cry, of much the fame kind, which is modulated into notes by the hand being placed before the mouth. Both of them might be heard to a very con-, fiderable diftan^e.
Whilft thefe are uttering, the perfons to whom they are deligned to convey the intel- ligence, continue motionlefs arid all atten- tion. When this ceremony is performed, the whole village iflue out to learn the particu- lars of the relation they have juft heard in ' general terms, and according as the news^ proves mournfal or the contrary, they an- fwer by fo many acclamations or cries of la* mentation. -
Being by this time arrived at the village or camp, the women and children arm them-' felves with flicks and bludgeons, and form ' themfelves into two ranks, through which the prifoners are obliged to pafs. The treatment '
they
(316)
they undergo before they reach the extremity of the line, is very fevere. Sometimes they arc fo beaten over the head and face, as to have fcarcely any remains of life ; and happy would it be for them if by this ufage an end was put to their wretched beings. But their tormentors take care that none of the blows they give prove mortal, as they wifli to re- fer ve the miferable fufFerers for more fevere inilidlions.
After having undergone this introductory difcipline, they are bound hand and foot, whilft the chiefs hold a council in which their fate is determined. Thofe who are decreed to be put to death by the ufual torments, are delivered to the chief of the warriors j fuch as are to be fpared, are given into the hands of the chief of the nation : fo that in a fhort time all the prifoners mjiy be affured of their fate, as the fentence now pronounced is irre- vocable. The former they term being con- figned to the houfe of death, the latter to the houfe of grace.
"' Such captives as are pretty far advanced in life, and have acquired great honour by their warlike deeds, always atone for the blood they have fpilt by the tortures of fire. Their fuccefs in v^^ar is readily knovsrn by the
)..
( 3n ) blue marks upon their breafts and arms, which are as legible to the Indians as letters are to Europeans.
The manner in wliich thefe hieroglyphicks are made, is by breaking the fkin with the teeth of fi(h, or (harpened flints, dipped in a kind of ink made of the foot of pitch pine. Like thofe of the ancient Pidls of Britain thefe are efteemed ornamental-, and at the fame time they ferve as rcgifters of the herok adions of the warrior, who thus bears about him indelible marks of his valour.
The prifoners deftined to death are foon led to the place of execution, which is gene- rally in the centre of the camp or village j where, being ftript, and every part of their bodies blackened, the ikm of a crow or ra- ven is fixed on their heads. They are then bound to a flake, with faggots heaped around them, and obliged, for the lafl time, lo ling their death-fong.
The warriors, for it is fuch only who commonly fuffcr this puniihment, now per- form in a more prolix manner this fad folem- nity. They recount with an audible voice all the brave adions they have performed, and pride themfelves in the number of ene- mies they have killed. In this rehearfal they
fpare
< ^(
mm
km
■ (i
( 3'8 )
fpare not even their tormentors, but ftriVc by every provoking talc they can invent, to irritate and infult them. Sometimes this has the defired efFe^fl, and the fufFerers are dif- patclied fooncr than they otherwife would have been.
There are many other methods which the Indians make ufe of to put their prifoners to death, but thcfe are only occafional; that of burning is mofl generally ufed.
Whilft I was at the chief town of the Otta- gaumies, an Illinois Indian was brought in, who had been made prifoner by one of tht ir war parties. I had then an opportunity of feeing the cudomary cruelties infli^^cd by thefe people on their captivCvS, through the minuteft part of their procefs. After the previous fteps ncceffary to his condemnation, he was carried, early in the morning, to a httle diftance from the town, where he was
bound to a tree. a •..fiji^ioi lO itomn
This being done, all the boys, wh.a amount- ed to a great number, as the place was po- ' pulous, were permitted to amufe themfelves with fhooting their arrows at the unhappy i vidim. As they were none of them more than twelve years 'old, and were placed at a coniiderable diflance, they had not Ib'ength i
to
( 31.9 ) to penetrate to the vit;il parts, To that thti poor wretch ftood pierced with arrows, and futFcring the confequcnt agonies, for more than two days.
During this time ht Tung his warhke ex- ploits. He recapitulated every ftratagem he had made ufe of to fur{)iize his enemies-, he boalled of the quantity of fcalps he poflefTed, and enumerated the prifoners he had taken. He then defcribed the different barbarous methods by which he had put the latter to death, and feemed even then to receive in- conceivable pleafure from the recital of the horrid tale.
But he dwelt more particularly on the cru- elties he had pradifed on fuch of the kindred of his prefent tormentors as had fallen into his hands; endeavouring by thefe aggravat- ed infuits to induce them to incrcafe his tor- tures, that he might be able to give greater proofs of fortitude. Even in the laft ftmg- gles of life, when he was no longer able to vent in words the indignant provocation his' tongue would have uttered, a fmile of ming- , led fcorn and triumph fat on his counte- nance. ''^'''^''
This method of tormenting their enemies
is conlidered by the Indians as produdive of
' • ' " more
n*
'( 320 )
nior^* 'llian one beneficial confequ^nce. It fatiatcs, in a greater degree, that diabolical Iviil of revenge, which is the predominant paffion in the breaft of every individual of every tribe, and it gives the growing warriors an early propcniity to that cruelty and thirft for blood, which is fo neceffary a qualifica- tion for iuch as would be thoroughly Ikillcd in their favage art of war,
I have been informed, that an Indian who was under the hands of his tormentors, had the audacity to tell thtm, that they were ig- . ijorant old vv^omen, and did not know how to put brave pnfoners to death. He acquaint- ed them that he had heretofore taken fome of their warriors, and inflead of the trivial punifhments they inflicted on him, he had devifed for them the moft excruciating tor- ments: that having bound them to a ftake, he had lluck their boHies full of (harp fplin-*» ters of turpentine ^vood, to which he then f^^t fire, and dancing around them enjoyed the agonizing pangs of the Haming vidims.
This bravado, which carried with it a de- gree of infult that even the accuftomed ear of an Indian could not liften to unmovedv'^ threw his' tormentors off their guard, and Shortened the duration of his torments; for-
one
( 321 )
one of the chiefs ran to him, and ripping one his heart, ftoppv^d with it the moutli from which had ifTued fuch provoking lan- guage.
Innumerable are the ftories that may be told of the courage and refolutlon of the In- dians, who happen to be made prifoners by their adverfaries. Many that I have heard are fo aftonifhinp;, that they feem to exceed the utmoft limits of credibility j it is, how- ever, certain that thefe favages are poiTeffed with many heroic qualities, and bear every fpecies of misfortune with a degree of forti- tude which has not been outdone by any of the ancient heroes of either Greece or Rome.
Notwithftanding thefe ads of feverityex- ercifed by the Indians towards thofe of their own fpecies who fall into their hands, fome tribes of them have been remarked for their moderation to fuch female prifoners belong- ing to the Englifli colonies as have happened to be taken by them. Women of great beau->i ty have frequently been carried off by them,'* and during a march of three or four hundred miles throupfh their retired forcits, have lain by their fides without receiving any infult, and their chaftity has remained inviolate.-: Inflances hav^ happened where female cap- .,
Y tivcs,
li^ I'' '
■■*»:*™ "«-*t:'J 4i
' if-'H\
( 322 )
lives, wh6 have been pregnant at the time of their being taken, have found the pangs of child-birth come upon them in the midft of fohtary woods, and favages their only companions; yet from thefe, favages as they were, have they received every affiftance their fituation would admit of, and been treated with a degree of delicacy and humanity they little expeded. aim., :>/i;qj^
This forbearance, it muft be acknowledg- ed, does not proceed altogether from their difpofitions, but is only inherent in thofe who have held fome communication with the French milfionaries. Without intending that their natural enemies the Englifh fl^ould enjoy the benefit of their laboursv thefe fa- thers have taken great pains to incu'. ueon the minds of the Indians the general princi- ples of humanity, which has diffufed itfelf through their manners, and has proved of public utility. ■ ^lOornnl ^ '^' |M>f';;
^,;Thoie prifoners; that are configned to the houfe of grace, and thefe are commonly the young men, women, and children^ await the difpofal of the chiefs, who after the execu- tion of fuch as are condemned to die, hold a council for this purpofc. jnr // '• ■ ^\
.cuiUii. A herald
( 323 )
^p A herald is fent round the village or catTlp^ to give notice that fuch as have loft any rela- tion in the late expedition are defired to at- tend the difttibution which is about to take place. Thofe women who have loft their fons or hufbands are generally fatisHed in the firft place; after thefe, fuch as hive been deprived of friends of a more remote degree of confangninity, or who chofe to adopt fome of the youth. :jr The divifion being made.« which is done, as in other cafes, without the Icaft d.fpute, thofe who have received any (hare lead them to their tents or huts-, and having unbound them, Wafh and drefs their wounds if they happen to have received atiy-, they then cloath them, and give them the moft com- fortable and refrefhing food their ftore will afibrd. t.[ ^ -'un^
Whilft their new domefticks are feeding, they endeavour to adminifter confolation to them; they tell them that as they are re- vdeemed from deaths they muft now be cheeN ful and happy J and if they ferve them well, without murmuring or repining, nothing fhall be w-anting to make them fuch atone- ment for the lofs of their counti*}' and friends, as circumilances will allow of.
Y 2 If
Ik't H '
i;A 'I :?; i
i
> M'.ll
( 324 )
If any men are fpared, they are common- ly given to the widows that have loft their hufbands by the hand of the enemy, fhould there be any fuch, to whom if they happen to prove agreeable, they are foon married. But fhpuld the dame be otherwife engaged, the life of him who falls to her lot is in great danger; efpecially if fhe fancies that her late hufband wants a Have in the country of fpi- rits to which he is gone.
When this is the cafe, a number of young men take the devoted captive to fome difl- ance, and difpatch him without any ceremo- ny : after he has been fpared by the council, they confider him of too little confequence to be intitled to the torments allotted to thofe who have been judged worthy of them.
The women are ufually diftributed to the men, from whom they do not fail of meet- ing w ith a favourable reception. The boys and girls are taken into the families of fuch as hav^ need of them, and are confidered as flavcs; and it is not uncommon that they are fold in the fame capacity to the European traders who come among them.
The Indians have no idea of moderating the ravages of war, by fparing their prifoners,
and
i^Aii*
( 325 )
and entering into a negotiation v/iih the band from whom they have been taken, for an exchange. All that are captivated by both parties, are either put to death, adopted, or made Haves of. And fo particular are every nation in this refped, that if any of their tribe, even a warrior, fhould be taken prifoner, and by chance be received into the houfe of grace, either as an adopted perfon or a flave, and fhould afterwards make his efcape, they will by no means receive him, or acknowledge him as one of their band.
The condition of fuch as are adopted dif- fers not in any one inftance from the chil- dren of the nation to which they now belong. They afTume all the rights of thofe whofe places they fupply, and frequently make no difficulty of going in the w^ar- parties agninfl their own countrymen. Should, hov/ever, any of thefe by chance make their efcape, and be afterwards retaken, they are cfteem- ed as unnatural children and ungrateful per- fons, who have deferted and made w^ar upon their parents and benefadors, and are treat- ed with uncommon feveritv.
0
That part of the prifoners which are con- fidered as flaves, arc generally diftributcd among the chiefs ; w^ho frequently make pre-
fents
m
^:\
Silk
l*:i
'k
i» it'lSi
fm.
W I'
( 326 )
fents of fome of them to the European gover- ncYS of the out-poftg, or to the fuperintcn^ dants or commiffaries of Indian affairs. I have been informed that it was the Jefuits, and French miflionaries that firft occafioned the introdudion of thefe unhappy captives into the fettlements, and who by fo doing taught the Indians that they were valuable. .^ Their views indeed were laudablcj as they imagined that by this method they ihould not only prevent much barbarity and bloodfhed, but find the opportunities of fpreading their religion among them increafed. Tfl ,this pur- pofe they encouraged the traders to purchafe fiich flaves as they met with, r.^yt-'r,^, ,.\^,.^Ursi The good effeds of this mode of proceed- ing was not, however, equal to the expeda^ tions of tnefe pious fathers. Inftead of be-r ing the means of preventing cruelty and bloodfhed, it only caufed the diffenfions be^ tween thv Indian nations to be carried on with a greater degree of violence, and with unremitted ardour. The prize they fought for being no longer revenge or fame, but the acquirement of fpirituous liquors, for whicl^ their captives wei:e to be cKchanged, and of which almoft every nation is immoderately fond, they fought for their enemies with un- wonted
■^p
hh
( 327 )
wonted alacrity, and were conflantly on the watch to furprize and carry them ofF.
It might ftill be faid that fewer of the cap- tives are tormented, and put to death, fince thefe expedations of receiving fo valuable a conlideration for them have been excited, than there ufu ally had been; but it does not appear that their accuftomed cruelty to the warriors they take, is in the leaft abated ; their natural delire of vengeance muft be gratified ; they are now only become more afliduous in fecuring a greater number pf young prifoners, whilft thofe who are made
captive in their defence are tormented and put to death as before.
The mifTionaries finding that contrary to their wifhes their zeal had only ferved to en- creafe the fale of the noxious juices, .applied to the governor of Canada in the year 1693, for a prohibition of this baneful trade. An order was iflued accordingly, but it could not put a total ftop to it ; the French Couriers de BoTs were hardy enough to carry it on clandeftincly, notwithftanding the penalty annexed to a breach of the prohibition was a confiderable fine and imprifonment.
Some who were deteded intheprofecution i)f it withdrew into the Indian countries, r . where
I w-
-i-Y .1
}W
( 328 )
where they intermarried with the natives and . underwent a voluntary banishment. Thefe, however, being an abandoned and debauched fet, their condud contributed very little ei- tiier towards reforming the manners of their new relations, or engaging them to entertain a favourable opinion of the religion they pro-^ feficd, Thus did thefe indefatigable religious men fee their deHgns in fome meafure once more fruftrated.
However, the emigration was produdivc t)f an effed which turned out to be beneficial to their nation. By the connexion of thefe refugees with the Iroquois, MiffifTagues, Hu- rons, Miamies, Powtowottomies, Puants, Menomonies, Algonkins, &c. and the con- flant reprefentations thefe various nations re- ceived from them of the power and grandeur of the French, to the aggrandizement of whofe monarch, notwithftanding their banifhment, they flill retained their habitual inclination, the Indians became infenfibly prejudiced in favour of that people, and I am perfuaded will take every opportunity of fhewing their attachment to them.
And this, even in defpite of the difgraceful eftimation they mult be held by them, fince they have been driven out of Canada; for the
Indians
( 329 ) Indians confider ^very conquered people as in a ftate of vaffalage to their conquerors. Af-» ter one nation has finally fubdued another, and a conditional fubmifljon is agreed on, it is cuftomary for the chiefs of the conquered, when they lit in council with their fubduers, to wear petticoats, as an acknowledgment that they are in a ftate of fubjedion, and ought to be ranked among the women. Their partiality to the French has however taken too deep root, for time itfelf to eradicate it
<E!;><) ;n"}r! ^td
?i
CHAR X.
i:-- > ■*i
. , Of /heir manner of making Peace, £s?r,
TH E wars that are carried on between the Indian nations are in general he- reditary, and continue from age to age with a few interruptions. If a peace becomes ne^ cefTary, the principal care of both parties is to avoid the appearance of making the firft advances.
When they treat with an enemy, relative to a fufpenfion of hoftilities, the chief who is commiflioned to undertake the negotiation, if it is not brought about by the mediation of
fome
i^
t: •';
i 1 "■ ii
m Pi
Urn
( 330 )
ibmc neighbouring band, abates nothing of his natural haughtinefs : even when the pf- fairs of his country are in the worft lituation, he makes no conceflions, but endeavours to perfuade his adverfaries that it is their intereft to put an end to the war.
Accidents fometimcs contribute to bring about a peace, between nations, that other- wife could not be prevailed on to liften to terms of accommodation. An inftanceof this, which I heard of in almoft every nation I paiTed through, I (hall relate.
About eighty years a?o, the Iroquois and Chipeways, two powen..! nations, were at war with, the Ottagaumies and Saukies, who were much inferior to their adverfaries both in numbers and ftrength. One winter near a thoufand of the former made an excurfion from Lake Ontario, by way of Toronto, to- wards the territories of their enemies. They coafted Lake Huron on its eafl and northern borders, till they arrived at the ifland of St. Jofeph, which is (ituated in the ftraights of St. Marie. There they croffed thefe ftraights upon the ice about fifteen miles below the falls, an'd continued their route ftill weft- ward. As the ground was covered with fnow, to prevent a difcovery of their numbers, they
marched
f*M Ml
( 331 )
marched in a fingle file, treading in each others footfteps.
Four Chipfiway Indians, palFing that way, obfervcd this army, and readily gnefled from the diredion of their march and the precau- tions they took, both the country to which they were haftening, and their defigns.
Notwithftanding the nation to which they belonged was at war with the Ottagaumies, and in alliance with their invaders, yet from a principle which cannot be accounted for, they took an inftant refolution to apprize the former of their danger. To this purpofe tliey haftened away with their ufual celerity, and, taking a circuit to avoid difcovery, arrived at the hunting grounds of the Ottagaumies, be- fore fo large a body, moving in fo cautious a manner, could do. There they found a party of about four hundred warriors, fome of which were Saukies, whom th^y informed of the approach of their enemies.: ; >.^
The chiefs immediately coUeded their whole force, and held a council on the fteps that were to be taken for their defence. As they were encumbered with their families, it was impoffible that they could retreat in time-, they therefore determined to chufe the moft
advantageous
.i 'i
r> M
i'
f 332 )
advantageous fpot, and to give the Iroquois the bcft reception in their power.
Not far from the place where they then happened to be, ilood two fmall lakes, be- tween which ran a narrow neck of land about a mile in length, and only from twenty to forty yards in breadth. Concluding that the Iroquois intended to pafs through this defile, the united bands divided their little party in- to two bodies of two hundred each. One of thefe took poft at the extremity of the pafs that lay neareft to their huntinp; grounds, which they immediately fortified with a breaft-work formed of palifades; whilft the other body took a compafs round one of the lakes, with a defign to hem their enemies m when they had entered the defile.
Their ftratagem fuccceded; for no fooner had the whole of the Iroquois entered the pafs, than being provided with wood for the pur- pofe, they formed a fimilaf breaft-work on the extremity, and thus enclofed their ene- mies.
The Ircquois foon perceived their fituation, and immediately held a council on the mea- furcs that were necefTary to be purfued to extricate themfelves. Unluckily for them, a thaw had juft taken place, which had fo far
diflblved
( 333 ) diflblved the ice as to render it impaffablc, and yet there ftill remained fufHcicnt lo pre- vent them from either palFing over the 1 'kes on rafts, or from fvvimmino; acrofs. Jn this dilemma it was agreed th it they fhould en- deavour to force one of the breaft-works ; but they foon found tiicm too well defended to effedt their purpofe.
Notwithftanding this difappointment, with the ufual compofure and unapprchenfivenefs of Indians, they amufed themfelves three or four days in fifhing. By this time the ice be- ing quite difTolved, they made themfelves rafts, which they were enabled to do by fome trees that fortunately grew on the fpot, and attempted to crofs one of the lakes.
They accordingly fet off before day-break, but the Ottagaumies, who had been watch- ful of their motions perceiving their defign, detached one hundred and fifty men from each of their parties, to oppofc their landing. Thefe three hundred marched fo expediti- oully to the other fide of the lake, that they reached it before their opponents h:;d gained the fhore, they bemg retarded by their poles nicking in the mud.
As foon as the confederates arrived, they
poured in a very heavy fire, both from their
^ bows
1 I ■
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t, |
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'i '334 ) ■
,...♦., i>,f, .wpf' bows and mufquetry, on the Iroquois, wlilch
greatly difconcerted them j till the latter find- ing their fituation defperate, leaped into the water, and fought their way through their enemies. This however they could not do without lofing more than half their men.
After the Iroquois had landed, they made good their retreat, but were obliged to leave their enemies maftersof the field, and in pof- fcfllon of all the furs they had taken during their winter's hunt. Thus dearly did they pay for an unprovoked excurfion to fuch dif- tance from the : oute they ought to have pur* fued, and to which they were only impelled by a fudden defire of cutting off fome of their ancient enemies. ,^.^ ^^^,^, ^^^^
But had they known their ftrength they might have deftroyed every man of the par- ty that oppofed them ; which even at the firfl onfet was only inconfiderable, and, when di- rninifhed by the adlion, totally unable to make any flan J againft them.
The victorious bands rewarded the Chip6- ways who had been the means of their fuc- cefs with a (hare of the fpoils. They preiTed them to take any quantity they chofe of the richeft of the furs, and fent them, under an efcort of fifty men, to theit own country.
. si The
( 335 )
The difinterefted Chipt' ways, as the Indians in general are feldom adluated by mercenary motives, for a confidcrable time refufed thefe prefents, but were at length perfuaded to ac- cept of them.
The brave and well-concerted redftance here made by the Ottagaumics and Saukies, aided by the mediation of the Chipeways, who laying afide on this occalion the animo- fity they had fo long boir j thofe people, ap- proved of the generous condud of their four chiefs, were together the means of efleding a reconciliation between thefe nations ; and in procefs of time united them all in the bands of amity. ^
And I believe that all the Indians inhabit- ing that extcnfive country, which lies be- tween Qjaebec, the banks of the Miffiffippi north of the Ouifconfin, and the fcttlemcnts belonging to the Hudfon's Bay Company, are at prefent in a ftate of profound peace. When their reftlefs difpofitions will not fuffer them to remain inadive, thefe northern In- dians feldom commit hollilities on each other, but make excurfions to the fouthw^ard, againft the Cherokees, Chodahs, Chickafaws or Illi- nois,
Sometimes
( 336 )
Sometiiiies the Indians grow tired of a war, which they have carried on againft feme neighbouring nation for many years without much fuccefs, and in this cafe they feek for mediators to begin a negotiation. Thefe be- ing obtained, the treaty is thus conducted.
A number of their own chiefs, joined by thofe who have accepted the friendly office, fct out together for the country of their enemies ; fnch as are chofen for this purpofe, are chiefs of the moft extenfive abilities and of the greateft integrity. They bear before them the pipe of peace, which I need not in- form my readers is of the ftime nature as a Flag of Truce among the Europeans, and is treated with the greateft refpe^l and venera- tion, even by the moft barbarous nations. I never heard of an inftance wherein the bear- ers of this facrcd l)adge of friendfliip were ever treated difrcfpedifully, or its rights vio- lated. The Indians believe that the Great Spirit never fuifcrs an infraction of this kind to go unpunifhed.
The pipe of peace, which is termed by the French, the Calumet, for what rcafon I could never learn, is about four feet long. The bowl of it is made of red marble, and the ftcm of it of a light wood, curioufly painted
witji
■M:
( 337 ) with hieroglyphicks in various colours, and adorned with the feathers of the moft beau- tiful birds. 1 have endeavoured to give as exad a reprefentation of it as poffible in Plate N°. IV, but it is not in my power to convey an idea of the various tints, and pleaf- ing ornaments of this much efteemed In- dian implement.
Every nation has a different method of decorating thefe pipes, and they can tell at firft fight to what band it belongs. It is ufed as an introdudion to all treaties, and great ceremony attends the ufe of it on thefe occafions.
. The afliftant or aid-du camp of the great warrior, when the chiefs are afiembled and feated, fills it with tobacco mixed with the herbs before mentioned, taking care at the fame time that no part of it touches the ground. When it is filled, he takes a coal that is thoroughly kindled from a fire which is generally kept burning in the midti of the afiTembly, and places it on the tobacco.
As foon as it is lufficiently lighted, he throws off the coal. He then turns the fteni vi it towards the heavens, after this towards the earth, and now holding it horizontally moves himfelf round till he has completed a
Z circle:
:i '
■ ■•: •< 'lil [i
?j ft Hi
■ '■ ■'■■ ( H ti < 1 I f fl
mi mi
il'if
^1
|
- |
M ft |
|
1 |
I 1 |
( 338 ) circle: by the iirfl action he is fuppofed to prefent it to the Great Spirit, whofe a'd is thereby fupplicated, by the ftxond, to avert any malicious intcrpofilion of the evil fpirits, and by the third to gain the prolcciion of the Spirits inhabiting the a^r, the earth, and tlie waters. Havin'j; thus fec^ired the favour of thofe invifiblc agents, in whofe power they fuppoie it is either to forward or obftrnd the ifTue of their prefent deliberations, he pre- fents it to the hereditary chief, who having taken two or three whifTs, blows the fmoak from his month firft towards heaven, and around him upon the ground.
It is afterwards put in tlie fame manner into the mouths of the ambaffaciors or ftran- gers, who obferve the fame ceremony, then to the chief of the V\'arriors, and to all the other chiefs in turn accord" n^ to their grada- tion. Ijurlng this time the pcrfon who cx- •ccutes this honourable ollice holds the pipe (lightly in his liand, as if he feared to prefsthc facrcd inf^rument; nor does any one pre- fumc to truc'i it but with his bus.
When the cliiefs who are intrufled will]
•nroach
ing pe;
i I'
the low.i or camp to Vvhich they arc going, they begin to fin^ ::nd dance the fongs and
v.» dancer
dances n time the arrival, wonted peace, ii Great C convenie
A C01 fpcechei tions ari painted 1 memoria contendi taken plj as have peans, a (lead of
A belt cccadon, peace, ar the hier arc form ti -ity.
Thefe coalis of are fdwe( about a c like othc
♦ - 1
'iiiy'lil-
( 339 ) dances appropriated to tliis occafion. By this time the adverfe party arc apprized of their arrival, and divefting thcrnfclvcs of their wonted enmity at the fight of the pipe of peace, invite them to the habitation of the Great Chief, and furnifh them with every convenieney during the negociation.
A council is then held; and wlicn the fpceches and debates are ended, if no obftruc- tions arifc to put a flop to the treaty, the paintnd hatchet is buried in the ground as a memorial that all animofitics between the contending nations have ceafed, and a peace taken place. Among the ruder bands, fuch as have no communication with the Euro- peans, a war-club painted red is buried in- flead of the hatclict.
A belt of wampum is alfo given on this occaHon, which fervcs as a ratification of the peace, and records to the latcfl poflerity, by the hieroj^lyphicks into v/hich the beds arc formed, every ihpulatcd ariiclc in the ti . ity. >
Thefe belts aVe made of fliclls found on the coaih of New England and Viri!;inia, which are fiwed out into beads of an oblong form, about a quarter of an inch long, and round like other beads. Being ilruiig on 1 nther
Z 2 firings,
;i :•''♦
littfeJI
•i i
::.i^
( 340 )
firings, and feveral of them fewed neatly to- gether with fine finewy threads, they then compote what is termed a Belt of Wampum.
The fhells^are generally of two colours, fome white and others violet ♦, but the latter are more highly efleemed than tiie former. They are held in as much eftimation by the Indians, as gold, filver, or precious flortes are by the Europeans.
The belts are compofed of ten, twelve, or a greater number offerings, according to the importance of the affair in agitation or the dignity of the perfon to whom it is prefent- ed. On more trifling occafions, firings of thefe beads are prefented by the chiefs to each other, and frequently worn by them a- bout their necks, as a valuable ornament.
n-jh*j Hi
C II A P. XI.
'■'■#! ' ,
ijt
Of their Games.
AS I have before obferved, the Indians are greatly addicted to gaming, and will even flake, and lofe with compofure, all the valuables they arc pofTcfTcd of They amufe thcmfclves at feveral forts of games,
but
"i
< 341 )
but the principal and moft efteemed among them is that of the ball, which is not unlike the European game of tennis.
The balls they ufe are rather larger than thofe made ufe of at tennis, and are formed of a piece of deer-fkin ; which being moif- tened to render it fupple, is (luffed hard with the hair of tne fame creature, and fewed with its finews. The ball-fticks are about three feet long, at the end of which there is fixed a kind of racket, refembling the palm of the hand, and falhoned of thongs cut from a deer-flcin. In thefe they catch the ball, and throw it to a great diftance, if they are not prevented by fome of the oppofite party, who fly to intercept it.
This game is generally played by large companies, that fometimes confift of more than three hundred j and it is not uncom- mon for different bands to play againft each other.
They begin by fixing two poles in the ground at about fix hundred yards apart, and one of thefe goals belong to each party of the combatants. The ball is thrown up high in the centre of the ground, and in a diredt line between the goals; towards v^hich each party endeavours to flrike it, and which ever fide
firfl
ii ;
l'"|
( 3+2 )
lirft caufes it o reach their own goal, reckons towards the game.
They are fo exceeding dextrous in thiji manly exercife, that the hall is iifnally kept flyini^ in different diredions by the force of the rackets, without touching tlie ground during the whole contention; for they are not allowed to catch it with their hands. They run with amazing velocity in purfuit of each other, and when one is on the point of hurling it to a great diftance, an antago- nill overtakes him, and by a fudden ftroke dafhes down the ball.
They play with {o much vehemence that they frequently wound each other, and fome- times a bone is broken; but notwithftanding thefe accidents there never appears to be any fpite or wanton exertions of llrength to ef- fetft them, nor do any difputes ever happen between the parties.
There is another game alfo in ufe amon<i^ them worthy of remark, and this is the game of the Bowl or Platter. This game is played between two peifons only. Each perfon has lix or eight little bones not unlike a peachflonc either in {vac or Ihape, except that they are (|uadrangular; two of the fides of which arc coloured black, and the others white. Thefe
' . thcv
( 343 ) ' they throw up in the air, from whence they fall into a bowl or platter placed underneath, and made to fpin round.
According asthefe bones prefent the white or black fide upwards tiiey reckon the game : he that happens ti have the grcatclt num- ber turn up of a fimilar colour, counts five points; and forty is the game.
The winning party keeps his place, and the lofer yields his to another who is ap- pointed by one of the umpires ; for a whole village is fometimes concerned in the party, and at times one band plays agamfl another.
During this play the Indians appear to be greatly agitated, and at every decifive throw fet up a hideous fhout. They make a thou- fand contortions, addrcfling themfclves at the fame time to the bones, and loading with imprecations the evil fpirits that alRfl their fuccefsful antagonifts. At this game fome will iofe their apparel, all the moveable^ of their cabins, and fometimes even their li- berty, notwithftanding there are no people in the univerfe more jealous of the latter than the Indians are.
ifn
I ;
CHAP.
(' 344 )
)V1 «•
/t»
CHAP. XII.
Of their Marriage Ceremonies, ^c.
THE Indians allow of polygamy, and perfons of every rank indulge them- felves in this point. The chiefs in particular have a feraglio which confifts of an uncer- tain number, ufually from fix to twelve or fourteen. The lower ranks are permitted to take as many as there is a probability of their being able, with the children they may bear, to maintain. It is not uncommon for an Indian to marry two fifters ; fometimes, if there happen to be more, the whole num- ber ; and notwithftanding this (as it appears to civilized nations) unnatural union, they all live in the greatefl harmony.
The younger wives are fubmiflive to the elder j and thofe who have no children, do fuch menial offices for thofe who are fertile, and caufes their fituation to differ but little from a ftate of fcrvitude. However they perform every injundion with the greateft cheerfulnefs, in hopes of gaining thereby the affedion of their hufband, that they in
their
( 345 ) their turns may have the happinefs of becom- ing mothers, and be intillcd to the refped attending on that ftate.
It is not uncommon for an Indian., al- though he takes to himfclf fo many wives, to hvein a ftatc of continence with many of them for feveral years. Such as arc fo fortu- nate as to g'in the favour of tlieir hufband by their fubmifTive and prudent behaviour, and by that means to (hare in his embraces, continue in their virgin ftate during the whole of their lives, except they happen to be pre- fented by him to fome ftranger chief, whofc abode among them will not admit of his en- tering into a more lafling connexion. In this cafe they fubmit to the injundion of their hufband without murmuring, and are not difpleafed at the temporary union. But if at any time it is known that they take this liberty without firfl receiving his confent, they are punifned in the fame manner as if they had been guilty of adultery.
This cuftom is more prevalent among the nations which lie in the interior parts, than amone thofe that are nearer the fcttlements, as the manners of the latter are rendered conforinabic in fome points to thofe of the
Europ'.^ans,
■in
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ill AM
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' «-'^* f *S
IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3)
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1.0
1.1
lA^IM |2.5 ■ 50 "^^ M^s
2.0
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1.6
Hiotographic
Sciences
Corporation
23 WEST MAIN STREET
WEbCTER.N.Y. MSM
(716) 872-4503
l\
1
•1?
\
:\
C/u
X
^
( 346 )
Europeans, by the inter courfc they hold with them.
The Indian nations difFcr but little from each other in their marriage ceremonies, and lefs in the manner of their divorces. The tribes that inhabit the borders of Canada, make ufe of the following cuflom.
When a young Indian has fixed his incli- nations on one of the otl^.er fex, he endea- vours to c!;ain her confent, and if he fucceeds, it is never known that her parents ever ob- ftrud their union. When every preliminary is agreed on, and the day appomted, the friends and acquaintance of both parties af- femble at the houfe or tent of the oldeft re- lation of the bridegroom, where a feaft is prepared on the occafion.
The company who meet to afTfl at the
fefiival are fomeiimcs very numerous j they
dance, they fing, and enter into e\ory other
diverfion ufually made ufe of on any of their
public rejoicings. When thefe are finifhed,
all thofc w^ho attend merely out of ceremony
depart, and the bride ^room and bride are left
alone with three or four of ihe neareft and
oldeft relations of either fide j thofe of the
bridegroom being men, thole of the bride,
women.
Prefently
'( 1
n
47 ;
t* Prefently the bride, attcneed by thefc few friends, having withdrawn h.eiTelf for the purpofe, appears at one of the doors of the houfe, and is led to the bridegroom, who ftands ready to receive her. Having now taken their ftation on a mat placed in the centre of the room, they lay hold of the ex- tremities of a wand about four feet long, by which they continue feparated, whilfl: the old men pronounce fome fhort harangues fuitable to the occafion. *i.
The married couple after this make a pub- lie declaration of tlie love and regard they entertain for each other, and flill holding the rod between them, dance and fing;. When they have finifhed this part of the ceremony, they break the rod into as many pieces as there are witneffes prefcnt, who each take a piece, and preferve it with great care.
The bride is then re-conduded out of the door at which (lie entered, where her young companions wait to attend her to her fa- ther's houfe J there the bridegroom is oblig- ed to feek her, and the marriage is confum- mated. Very often tl^e wife remains at lier father's houfe till ihe has a child, when {l:e ^acks up her apparel which is all the fortune
fl:e
l.M Ills Ji
! IS
n
( 34B ) ,
/he IS p;enerally pofTcfTed of, and accompanies her huiband to his habitation.
When from any diflike a feparation takes place, for they are feldom known to quarrel, they generally give their friends a few days notice of their intentions, andfometimes offer reafons to juftify their condud. The wit- neffes who were prefent at the marriage, meet on the day requefted at the houfe of the cou- ple that are about to feparate, and bringing wdth them the pieces of rod which they had received at their nuptials, throw them into the fire in the prefence of all the parties.
This is the whole of the ceremony requir- ed, and the feparation is carried on without any murmurings or ill-will between the cou- ple or their relations, and after a few months they are at liberty to marry again.
When a marriage is thus difTolved, the children which have been produced from it, are equally divided bfctw^een them ; and as children are efteemed a treafure by the In- dians, if the number happens to be odd, the woman is allowed to take the better
,■ ; ( 1 : I i j V - , ; -
half p / \
Though this cuflom feems to encourage ficklenefs and frequent feparations, yet there are many of the Indians who have but one
wife,
m
y.>«=* . 11 C i. < .-CI
( 349 ) / >
wife, and enjoy with her a ftatc of connu- bial happinefs not to be exceeded in more refined focieties. There are alfo not a few inftances of women preferving an inviola- ble attachment to their hufbands, :^xcept in the cafes before-mentioned, which are not confidered as either a violation of their chafli- ty or fidelity.
Although I have faid that the Indian na- tions differ very little from each other in their marriage ceremonies, there are fome ex- ceptions. The Naudo wellies have a fingu- lar method of celebrating their marriages, which feems to bear no refemblance to thofe made ufe of by any other nation I pafiTed through. When one of their young men has fixed on a young woman he approves of, he difcovers his pafiion to her parents, who give him an invitation to come and live with them in their tent.
He accordingly accepts the offer, and by fo doing engages to refide in it for a whole year, in the character of a menial fervant. During this time he hunts, and brings all the game he kil'S to the family ; by Vvhich means the father has an opportunity of feeing whe- ther he is able to provide for the fupport of his daughter and the children that might be
the
t'^ <
■;i^;!(;:'> 'P?'?;:! f
li
' '•
' ( 350 )
the confcqncncc of their union. Tins liow- €ver is only done wliilfi they are youn^; men, and for their firfl wife, and not repeated hke Jacob's fervitudcs.
When this period is expired, the marriaGje is folemnized after the eullom of the conn- trv, in the followin? manner. Three or four of the oldeft male relations of the bride- groom, an! as many of the bride's, accom- pany the young couple from their refpedlive tents to an open part in the centre of the camp.
The chiefs and warriors being here afTem- bled to receive them, a party of the latter are drawn up in two ranks on each fide of the bride and bridegroom immediately oa their arrival. The principal chief then ac- quaints the whole aifembly with the defign of their meeting, and tells them that the couple before them, mentioning at tlie fai7:ie time their names, arc come to avow publicly their intentions of living; together as man and wife. He then afks the two young peo- ple alternately, whether they defire that the union might take place. Having declared with an audible voice that they do fo, the warriors fix their arrows, and difcharge them --H over
( 35' ) over the heads of the married pair \ this done, the chief pronounces them man and wife.
The bridegroom then turns round, and bending his body, takes his wife on his back, in which manner he carries her amidft the ac- clamations of the fpedlators to his tent. This ceremony is lucceeded by the moil plentiful feaft the new married man can afford, and fongs and dances, according to the ufual cuf- tom, conclude tlie feftival. ,
Divorces happen fo feldom among the NaudoweiTies, that I h ;d not an opportunity of learning how they are nccomphflied.
Adultery is eftccmed by them a heinous crime, and punifhed with the greatefl rigour. The huiband in tliefc cafes bites off the wife's nofe, and a feparation iAftantly enfucs. I faw an inftance wherein this mode of punifh- ment was infiided, whi'ft I remained among them. The children, when this happens, are diftributed according to the ufual cufiom obferved by other iiations, that is, tiiey are equally divided. i
Among the Indian as well as European nations, there are many that devote thcm- felves to plcafure, and notwithftanding the
accounts given by fome modern writers of
*
^he frigidity of an Indian conflitution, bc-
^ • come
r-i
m bi
t' r'i
1 U
t¥r.\ i:>
( 35^ ) come the zealous votaries of Venus. The young warriors that are thus difpofcd, fel- dom want opportunities for gratifying their paflionsi and as the mode ufu ally followed on tliefe occafions is rather fmgular, I fhall defcribe it.
When one of thefe young debauchees ima- magines from the behaviour of the perfon he has chofen for his miftrefs, that he fhall not meet with any great obflrudion to his fuit from her, he purfues the following plan. ., . ^ ...;..
It has been already ob'erved, that the In- dians acknowledge no fuperiority, nor have they any ideas of fubordination, except in the necefTary regulations of their war or hunting parties j they confequcntly live near- ly in a Hate of equality purfuant to the firft principles of nature. The lover therefore is not apprehenfive of any check or controiil in the accomplifhment of his purpofes if he can find a convenient opportunity for com- pleating them. "JoiJ >(■ io*iifKj e*. u-j^jih
As the Indians are alfo under no appre- hcnfion of robbers, or fecret enemies, they leave the doors of their tenls or hutsunfaflen- cd during the night, as well as in the day. Tvv'o or three hours after fun-fet, the flavcs
.fvVi ■«*,..;. I V
«y ^-^
or
( 353 ) • or old peop^'j cover over the fire, that is gene- rally burniagin the midft of their apartment, with aihes, and retire to their repofe.
Whilft darknefs thus prevails, and all is quiet, one of their:- fons of pleafure, wrap- ped up clofely in ! i? blanket to prevent his being known, will fometimes enter the apart- ment of his inteniicd miftr? fs. Having tlrfl lighted at the fmothercd fire a fmall fplinter of wood, which anfwers the purpofe of a match, he approaches the place where fhe repofes, and gently pulling away the cover- ing from her head, jogs her till (be wakes. If (he then rifes up, and blows out the light, he needs no further confirmation that his company is notdifagreeablej but if, after he has difcovered himfelf (he hides her head, and takes no notice of him, he might reft aftured that any fun her folicitations will prove vain, and that it is neceffary for him immediately to retire.
During his ftay he conceals the light as much as pofTible in the hollow of his hands, and as the tents or rooms of the Indians are ufually large and capacious, he efcapes with- out detedion. It is faid that the young wo- men who admit their lovers on thefe occa- (ions, take great care, by an immediate ap-
A a plicatior^
■:i '.f
^ iit
I I-.
m„Y'
i'.f
( 354 ) . plication to herbs, with the potent efficacy ^of which they are well acquainted, to pre- vent the efFedls of thefe illicit amours from becoming viliblej for fhould the natural con- fequences enfue, they muft for ever remain ^unmarried. :'\
-*i3;The children of the Indians are always dif- i tinguiftied by the name of the mother ; and • * if a woman marries feveral hufbands, and has ^ iffue by each of them, they are all called af- ter her. The reafon they give for this is, that as their offspring are indebted to the iL father for their fouls, the invifible part of r their eifence, and to the mother for their ' corporeal and apparent part, it is more rati- , onal that they fhould be diflinguifhed by the * name of the latter, from whom they indubi- tably derive their being, than by that of the father, to which a doubt might fometimes arife whether they are juflly intitled.
There are fome ceremonies made ufe of
by the Indians at the impofltidn of the name,
and it is confidered by them as a matter of
great importance; but what thefe are I could
never learn, through the ft crecy obferved on
. the occafion. I only know that it is ufually
: given when the children haye pafTed the flate
of infancy.
^«L- u ' ' Nothing:
C 355 ) . . .:* •'. Nothing can exceed the tendernefs (hown by them to their offspring j and a perfon can- not recommend himfelf to their favour by any method more certain, than by paying fome attention to the younger branches of their families. I can impute in fome tnea- fure, to the prefents I made to the children of the chiefs of the Naudoweflies, the hof- pltable reception I met with when among them.
There is fome difficulty attends an expla- nation of the manner in which the Indians diflinguiih themfelves from each other. Bc- fides the name of the animal by which every nation and tribe is denominated, there arc others that are perfonal, and which the chil- dren receive from their mother. ^
The chiefs are alfo diflinguifhed by a name that has either fome reference to their abili- ties, or to the hieroglyphick of their fami- lies;' and thefe are acquired after they arrive at the age of manhood. Such as have fig- nalized themfelves either in their war or hunting parties, or are pofTefTed of fome emir nent qualification, receive aname thatferves to perpetuate the fame of thefe adions, or to make their abilities confpicuous.
A a 2 Thug
»■-
li!!' 1 *■; ti
ft
1)^
■I
Mr
■ft * I ill
1 ' I" !
T '. *<
KwThus the great warrior of the Naudo- wcffics was named Ottahtongoomliihcah, that is, the Great Father of Snakes ; ottah be- ing in Englifli father, t'^ngoom great, and lifhcah a fnake. Another chief was called Honahpawj Jtin, which means a fwjft runner over the mountains. And when they adopt- ed me a chief among them, they named me Shebaygo, which Ognifies a writer, or a per- fon that is curious in mailing hieroglyphicks, as they faw me often writing. qsiBrtj ^.aoii
^^J d CHAP. XIII.^^ ■m!m^v^ m*r«-. Of /heir R E L I G x'6"if."'^r «■"'*■
> i *T i
IT is very difficult to attain a pcrfedl knowledge of the religious principles of the Indians. Their ceremonies and dodrines have been fo often ridiculed by the Europe- ans, that they endeavour to conceal them ; and if, after the greateft intimacy, you de- fire any of them to explain to you their fyftem of religion, to prevent your ridicule they intermix with it many of the tenets they have received from the French miffionaries, fo that it is at laft rendered an unintelligible
jargon, and not to be depended upon.
/ Such
1W
T
.•«.*.
C 357 )
Such as I could difcover among the Nau- doweffies, for they alfo were very refervcd in this point, 1 (liall give my readers, with- out paying any attention to the accounts of others. As the religion of that people from their lituation appears to be totally unadul- terated with the fuperftitions of the church of Rome, we fhall be able to gain from their religious cuftoms a more perfed idea of the original tenets and ceremonies of the Indi- ans in general, than from £^ ofe of any na- tions that approach nearer to the fettlements.
It is certain that they acknowledge one Supreme Being or Giver of Life, who pre- lides over all things. The Chipeways call this being Manitou or Kitchi-Manitou ; the Naudoweflies, Wakon or Tongo-Wakon, that is, the Great Spirit ; and they look up to him as the fource of good, from whom no evil can proceed. They alfo believe in a bad fpirit, to whom they afcribe great power, and fuppofe that through his means all the €vils which befall mankind are inflict- ed. To him therefore do they pray in their diftrelTes, begging that he would either avert their troubles, or moderate them when they are no longer avoidable. -*vy>..*3
viJit;:'ii;?j|iul LJ.'i'K TllCV
ihniji
t !■ si
4 n
i.
I
■ \'\
nil
Air
li-'-i*! I
-i-1 ^i
;!■,»
' ( 358 )
They fay that the Great Spirit, who is in- finitely good, neither wifhes or is able to do any mifchief to mankind, but on the contra- ry, that he Ihowers down on them all the bleffings they dcfervej whereas the evil fpi- rit is continually employed in contriving how he may punifh the human raccj and to do which he is not only poiTefTed of the will, but of the power.
They hold alfo that there are good fpirits of a leffer degree, who have ther particular departments, in which they are conftantly contributing to the happinefs of mortals. Thefe they fuppofe to prelide over all the extraordinary produdions of nature, fuch as thofe lakes, rivers or mountains that are of an uncommon magnitude; and like wife the bicafls, birds, fiilies, and even vegefables or ftones that exceed the reft of their fpepies in fiae or fingularity. To all of thefe they pay fomp kind of adoration. Thus whea they arrive on the borders of Lake Superior, pn the banks of the MiffifTippi, or any other great body of water, they prefent to the Spi- rit who refides there fonie kind of offcripgas the prince of the Winnebagpes did when he attended pie to the Falls pf St. Anthony. ^
Bui
( 359 ) ^ ,,^^*
But at the fame time I fancy that the ideas they annex to the word fpirit, is very different from the conceptions more enligh- tened nations entertain of it. They appear to fafhion to themfelves corporeal reprefen- tations of their gods, and believe them to be of a human form, though of a nature ihore excellent than man.
Of the fame kind are their fentiments re- lative to a futurity. They doubt not but they fhall exift in fome future ftate, they however fancy that their employments there "v^ill be fimilar to thofe they are engaged in here, without the labour and difficulty an- nexed to them in this period of their exift- ence.
^,. They confequently exped to be tranflated to a delightful country, where they fhall al- ways have a clear unclouded fky, and enjoy a perpetual fpring j where the forefts will abound with game, and the lakes with fifh, \vhich might be taken without requiring a painful exertion of {kill, or a laborious pur- fnit; in fhort, that they fhall live for ever in regions of plenty, and enjoy every gra- tificati(>fi,they delight in here, in a greater degree.
To
t-i
;h I
( 36o )•
,To intellectual pleafures they are flran- gers ; nor are thefe included in their fcheme of happinefs. But they expedl that even thefe animal pleafures will be proportioned and diftributed according to their merit; the fkilful hunter, the bold and fuccefsful war- rior will be entitled to a greater fhare than thofe who through indolence or want of lliill cannot boafl of any Superiority over the common herd. ^aon:
The priefts of the Indians are at the fame time their phyficians, and their conjurors ; wbilft they heal their wounds or cure their difeafes, they mterpret their dreams, give them protective charms, and fatisfy that de-, fire which is prevalc^nt among them of fearch- ing into fu'urity. /..oi... ..^.^ ;-
How well they execute the latter part of their profeifional engagements, and the me- thods they make life of on fome of thefe occafions, I have already fhewn in the exer- tions of the prieil of the Killiftinoes, who \yas fortunate enough to fucceed in his ex- traordinary attempt near Lake Superior. They free] u en tly are fuccefsful likewife in adminiflering the falubrious herbs they have acquired a knowledge of; but that the cere- monies they make ufe of during the admi-
niftration
uiir
( 36^ ) niftration of them contribute to their fuc- cefs, I (hall not take upon me to afTert. ^ When any of the people are ill, the perfoa who is invefted with this triple charader of dodor, prieft, and magician, fits by the pa- tient day and night, rattling in his ears a goad-ftiell filled with dry beans, called a Chi-^ chicou^, and making a^ difagreeable noife that cannot well be defcribed. -xi>V;2
This uncouth harmony one would im'a-* gine fiiould difturb the fick perfon, and pre- vent the good efFeds of the dodor'is pre- fcription ; but on the contrary they believe that the method made ufe of contributes to hi:J recovery, by diverting from his malig- nant purpofes the evil fpirit who has inflid- ed the diforder ; or at leafl that it will take off his attention, fo that he ftiall not increafe the malady. This they are credulous enough to imagine he is conftantly on the watch to dp, and would carry his inveteracy to a fa- tal length, if they did not thus charm him.',t
'J could not difcover that they make ufe of any other religious; ceremonies than thofe I have defcribed; indeed, on the appearance of the new moon they dance and fi ng, but it is not evident that they pay that planet ^ny adorations ; they only feem to rejoice at
' - . :.K; , the
-U-m
■fw
:m
■ '•■i>-
f,'J
UM
■ X ^362 )
the return of a luminary that makes the night cheerful, and which ferves to light them ori their way when they travel during the ab-
fence of the fun.
Notwithflanding Mr, Adair has afferted that the nations among whorti he refided, obferve with very little Variation all the rites appointed by the Mofaic Law, I own I could never Sifcover among thofe tribes that lie but a few degrees to the north- weft, the leaft traces of the Jewiih religion, except it be admitted that one particular female cuf- tom and their divifion into tribes^ carry with them proof fufEcient to eftablifh this affer
*;-The Jefuits and French miflionai*ies Have' alfo pretended that the Indians had, when they firft travelled into America, fome no- tions, though thefe were dark and confufed, of the chriftian inftitution ; that they have been greatly agitated at the fight of a crofs, and given proofs by the impreflions made on thetfi that they were not entirely un^ acquainted with the facred myfteries of chrif- tianity. I need not fay that thefe are too glaring abfurdities to be credited, and could only receive their exiftence from the zeal of thofe fathers, who endcavpured at once to
i>.ii> givQ
•4 -363 )
give the public a better opinion of the facr cefs of their milTions, and to add fupport to the caufe they were engaged in. ,j
The Indians appear to be in their religious principles rude and uninftrucled. The doc- trines they hold are few and fimple, and fuch as have been generally imprefled on the hu- man mind, by fome means or other, in the moft ignorant ages. They however have not deviated, as many other uncivilized na- tions, and too many civilized ones have done, i|ito idolatrous modes of worfliip ; they ve- nerate indeed and make offerings to the wonderful parts of the creation, as I have before obferved, but whether thefe rites arc performed on account of the impreffion fuch extraordinary appearances make on them, ot whether they confider them as the peculiar charge, or the ufual places of refidence ©f the invifible fpirits they acknowledge, I caot not pofitively determine, ,.v(
* The human mind in its uncultivated ftate is apt toafcribe the extraordir^ary occurrences of nature, fuch as earthquakes, ihunder, or hurricanes, to the interpofition of unfeen beings; the troubles and difafters alfo that are annexed to a favage life, the appreben- f^^^^ J".^?^?P^ °^ ^ precarious fMbfiftence,
^nd
TriS
. 4 ■
'Hs:
m '
! '^ \
( 364 )
and thofe numberlefs inconveniencies which man in his improved Hate has found means to remedy, are fuppofed to proceed from the interpofition of evil fpirits -, the favage confequently lives in continual apprehenfi- ons.of their unkind attacks, and to avert them has recourfe to diarms, to the fantaf- tic ceremonies of his prieft, or to the pow- erful influence of his Manitous. Fear has of courfe a greater fhare in his devotions than gratitude, and he pays more attention to deprecating the wrath of the evil than to fecuring the favour of the good beings.
The Indians, however, entertain thefe ah- furdities in common with thofe of every part of the globe who have not been illumined by that religion which only can difperfe the clouds of fuperftition and ignorance, and they are as free from error as a people can be, that has not been favoured with its in^ ftrudive dodrines,^,,;.^*^; ^
• 9
' 1
r4 ,- 1 r •»
CHAP.
,^i\.
t *
( 365 )
;t
CHAR XJV.
Of their Diseases, ^c,
TFIE Indians in general are healthy, and fubjed but to few difeafes, many of thofe that afflid civilized nations, and are the immediate confequences of luxury or floth, being not known among them; how- ever the hardlhips and fatigues which they endure in hunting or war, the inclemency of the feafons to which they are continually expofed, but above all the extremes of hun- ger, and that voracioufnefs their long ex- ciirfions confequently fui:j''d them to, can- not fail of impairing the conftitution, and bringing on diforders.
Pains and weaknelTes in the flomach and breaft are fometimes the refult of their long fafting, and confumptions of the excelTive fatigue and violent exercifes they expofe themfelves to from their infancy, before they have flrength fufficient to fupport them. But the diforder to which they are moft fubjed, is the pleurify \ for the removal of which, they apply their grand remedy and preferva-
tive
n i:^'
{ 366 ) tive againft the generality of their complaints, fweating. The manner in which they conftrud their ftoves for this purpofe is as follows : They fix feveral fmall poles in the ground, the tops of which they twift together to form a rotunda : this frame they cover with fkins or blankets ; and they lay them on with fo much nicety, that the air is kept from enter- ing through any crevice ; a fmall fpace being only left fufficient to creep in at, which is immediately after clofed. In the middle of this confined building they place red hot ftones, on which they pour water till a fteam arifes that produces a great degree of heat.
This caufes an inftantaneous perfpiration, which they increafe as they pleafe. Having continued in it for fome time, they imme- diately haften to the neareft ftream, and plunge into the water; and after bathing therein for about half a minute, they put on their cloaths, fit down and fmoak with great compofure, thoroughly perfuaded that the remedy will prove efficacious. They often make ufe of this fudoriferous method to refrefli themfelves, or to prepare their mind* for the management of any bufinefs
./;,
■ T •
that
( 367 )
that requires uncommon deliberation and fagacity. yy.
They are lil^ewife afflided with the dropfy and paralytic complaints 5 which however are but very feldom known among them. As a remedy for thefe as well as for fevers they make ufe of lotions and decodions, compof- ed of herbs, which the phyficians know per- fedly well how to compound and apply. But they never truft to medicines alone ; they al- ways have recourfe likcwife to fome fuperfti- tious ceremonies, without which their patients would not think the phyfical preparations •fulficiently powerful.
With equal judgment they make ufe of (imples for the cure of wounds, fradures, or bruifes; and are able to extrad by thcfe^ without incifion, fplinters, iron, or any fort of matter by which the wound iscaufed. In cures of this kind they are extremely dex- trous, and complete them in much lefs time than might be expeded from their mode of proceeding.
' With the Ikin of a fnake, which thofc reptiles annually fhed, they will alfo extrad fplinters. It is amazmg to fee the fudden ef- ficacy of this application, notwi.thflanding
there
■1. X\
( 368 ) there does not appear to be the leafl moiflure
remaining in it.
It has long been a fubjed of dlfputc, on what continent the venereal difeafe firft re- ceived its defirudive power. This dreadful malady is fuppofed to have originated in Ame- rica, but the litery contefl ftill lema^ns un- decided ; to give fome elucidation to it I fhall remark, that as I could not difcover the leaft traces among the NaudowefTies with whom I refided fo long, and was alfo infcrmed that it was yet unknown among the more weilern nations, I think I may venture to pronounce that it had not its origin in North America. Thofe nations that have any communication with the Europeans or the fouthern tribes are greatly alflided v/ith itj but they have all of them acquired a knowledge of fuch certain and expeditious remedies, that the communi- cation is not attended with any dangerous confequences.
Soon after I fet out on my travels, one of the traders whom I accompanied, complained of a violent gonorrhoea with all its alarming fymptoms : this increafed to fuch a degree, that by the time we had reached the town of the Winnebagoes, he was unable to travel, Having made his complaint known to one of
, the
( 369 ) the chiefs of that tribe, he |old him not to he uneafy, for he would engage that by follow- ing his advice, he fliould be able in a few days to purfue his journey, and in a httle longer time be entirely free from his diforder.
..The chief had no fooner faid this than he prepared for him a deeodion of the bark of the roots of the prickly aih, a tree fcarccly known in England, but which grows in great plenty throughout North America; by the ufe of which, in a few days he was greatly recovered, and havins; received dircdions how to prepare it, in a fortnight after his depar- ture from this place perceived that he was radically cured.
If from exceiTive excrcifc, or the extremes of heat or cold, they are aiTcded with pains in their limbs or joints, they fcarify the parts affeded. Tbofe nations who have no com- merce with Europeans do this Vvith a fliarp flint , and it is furprizing to fee to how fine a point they have the dexterity to bring them ; a lancet can fcareely exceed in fnarpnefs the inflruments they make of this unmalleabls ,
fubflancc. ,"^n*rrr^^
They never can be convinced a perfon is _. ill, whilft he has an appetite ; but when he rejeds all kind of nourifnment, they conlidetl-t'
B b tlie
1/ ■ t ■
e::;'|
III'
4 I.
:■/■
( 370 ) the difeafc as dangerous, and pay great atten- tion to it. And during the continuance of the diforder, the phyfician refufes his patient no fort of fond that he is defirous of.
Their do£lors are not only fuppoftd to be {l<illcd in the phyfical treatment ofdifeafes, but the common people believe that by the ceremony of the chichicoue ufually made ufe of, as before defcribed, they are able to gain intelligence from the fpirits of the caufe of the complaints with which they are afflided, and are thereby the better enabled to find remedies for theiq. They difcover fomething fupernatural in all their difeafes, and the pnyfic adminiftered mufl invariably be aided by thefe fuperflitions.
Sometimes a (ick perfon fancies that his diforder arifes from witchcraft i in this cafe the phyfician or juggler is coiifulted, who af- ter the ufual preparations gives his opinion on the llate of the difeafe, and frequently finds fome means for his cure. But notwith- llanding the Indian phyficians always annex thefe fuperftitiovis ceremonies to their pre- fcriptions, it is very certain, as I have alrea- dy obferved, that they exercife their art by principles which are founded oa the know- ledge of fimples, and on experience which
they
VlS'^t
^ 1> c
^
i(
i 371 )
tKcy acquire by an indefatigable attention to their operations.
The following ftory, which I received from a perfon of undoubted credit, proves that the Indians are not only able to rcafon with great acutenefs on the caufes and fymptoms of many of the diforders which are atten- dant on human nature, but to apply with equal judgment proper remedies.
In Penobfcot, a fettlement in the province of Main, in the north-caft parts of New England, the wife of a foldier was taken in labour, and notwithftanding every necclHiry afliftance was given her, could not be deliver- ed. In this fituation fhe remained for two or three days, the perfons around her ex- peding that the next pang would put an end to her exiflence.
"^ An Indian woman, who accidentally palTcd by, heard the groans of ♦ihe unhappy fufferer, and enquired from whence they proceeded. Being made acquainted with the defpePA'tc circumflances attending the cafe, flie told the informant, that if fhe might be permitted to fee the perfon, {he did not doubt but that fte could be of great fcrvice to her. ""• The furgeon that attended, and the mid- wife who v/as then prefent, having giv<^n up ^ "*" B b 2 every
t'
,ii
( 372 )
every hope of preferving their patient, the Indian woman was allowed to make ufe of any methods (he thought proper. She ac- cordingly took a handkerchief, and bound it tight over the nofe and mouth of the wo- man: this immediately brought on a fufFo- cationj and from the llruggles that confe- quently enfued (he was in a few feconds de- livered. The moment this was atchieved^ and time enough to prevent any fatal efFed, the handkerchief was taken off. The long fuiTering patient thus happily relieved from her pains, foon after perfedly recovered, to the aftonifhment of all thofe who had been witnefs to her defperate fituation.
The reafon given by the Indian for this hazardous method of proceeding was, that defperate diforders r<.quire defperate reme- dies ; that as fhe obferved the exertions of nature were not fufliciently forcible to efFcd the defircd ronfequence, fhe thought it ne- cciTary to augment their force, which could only be done by fome mode that was violent in the extreme.
CHAP.
( 373 )
i! I ^1 <i I
C FI A P. XV.
Of the Manner in which they treat their
Dead.
AN Indian meets death when it ap- proaches him in his hut, with the fame refolution he has often faced him in the field. His indifference relative to this important article, which is the fource of fo many apprehenfions to almofl every other nation, is truly admirable. When his fate is pronounced by the phyfician, and it re- mains no longer uncertain, he harangues thoft. about him with the greateft compo- fure.
If he is a chief and has a family, he makes a kind of funeral oration, which he con- cludes by giving to his children fuch advice for the regulation of their conduct as he thinks ncceifary. He then takes leave of his friends, and iffues out orders for the prepara- tion of a feafl, which is defigncd to regale thofe of his tribe that come to pronounce his eulogium.
After
;:i^
i 1
( 374 )
" After the breath is departed, the body is dreffed in the fame attire it ufaally wore whilft living, his face is painted, and he is feated in an erecSt poftnre on a mat or ikin placed in the middle of the hut,' with his weapons by his fide. His relations being feated round, each harangues in turn the de- ceafed ; and if he has been a great warrior recounts his heroic adions nearly to the fol- lowing purport, which in the Indian language is extremely poetical and pleafing.
" You ftill fit among us, Brother, your " perfon retains its ufual lefemblance, and " continues fimilar to ours, without any vi- *' fible deficiency, except that it has loft the " power of adion. But whither is that " breath flown, which a few ho'Trs ago fent " up fmoke to the Great Spirit? Why are " thofe lips fllent, that lately delivered to us " expreflive and pleafing language ? why are *' thofe feet motionlefs, that a fiiort time ago " were fleeter than the deer on yonder moun- " tains ? why ufelefs hang thofe arms that " could climb the talleft tree, or draw the '* tougheft bow? Alas! every part of that " frame which we lately beheld with admira- *' tion and wonder, is now become as inani- ■' mate as it was three hundred wi^nters ago.
" We
( 37S )
** We will not, however, bemoan thee as if
" thou waft for ever loft to us, or that thy
" name would be buried in oblivion; thy
" foul yet lives in the great Country of Spi-
*' rits, with thofe of thy nation that are gone
" before thee ; though vye are left behind to
" perpetuate thy fame, we fhall one day join
" thee. Aduated by the refped we bore
" thee whilft living, we now come to tender
" to thee the laft ad of kindnefs it is in our
" power to beftow : that thy body might not
" lie negleded on the plain, and become a
" prey to the beafts of the field, or the fowls
"of the air, we will take care to lay it with
*' thofe of thy predecefTors who are gone
*•• before thee ; hoping at the fame time, that
"thy fpirit will feed with their fpirits, and
" be ready to receive ours, when we alfo flwll
" arrive at the great Country of Souls."
In {hort fpeeches fomewhat fimilar to this does every chief fpeak the praifes of his de- parted friend. When they have fo done, if they happen to be at a great diftance from the place of interment appropriated to their tribe, and the perfon dies during the winter feafon, they wrap the body in fldns, and lay it on a high ftage built for this purpofe, or on the branches of a large tree, till th^ fpring
arrives.
: i::, I
ii
!■■ .i.
i ) I (■.
( 376 )
arrives. They then, after the manner dcf- cribed in my Journal, carry it, together with all thofc belonging to the fame nation, to the general burial-place, where it is interred w'ith fome other ceremonies that I could not difcover.
When the Naudoweflies brought their dead for interment to the great cave-, I at- tempted to get an infight into the remaning burial rites ; but whether it was on account of the ftench which arofe from fo many bo- dies, the w^eather being then hot, or whe- ther they chofe to keep this part of their cuftoms fccret from me, I could not difco- ver ; I found, however, that they confidered my curiofity as ill-timed, and therefore I w^ithdrew.
After the interment, the band to which the perfon belongs, take care to fix near the place fuch hieroglyphicks as fhall fhew to future anjes his merit and accomplifhments. If any of thefe people die in the fummer at a diilance fi'om the burying-ground, arid they find it impoffible to remove the body before it putrefies, they burn the flefh from the bones, and preferving the latter, bury them in the manner defcribed.
As
(.". ■ m
C 377 )
As the Indians believe that the fouls of the deceafed employ tlieir.fcives in the fame manner in the country of fplrits, as they did on earth, that they acquire their food by hunting, aiid have there, alfo, enemies to contend with, they take care that they do not enter thefe regions defencelefs and un- provided : they coiifequcntly bury with them theii bows, their arrows, and all the other weapons ufed either in hunting or v^^ar. As thev doubt not but they will hkewife have occai]on both for the nece(Iciries of life and thofe t!iir.T^s thev eileem as ornaments, they ufuallv dcnolit in their tombs fuch Ikins or fluffs as they commonly made their garments of, domeftic utcnfiiSj and paint for ornament- ing their pe^^ons.
The near relations of the deceafed lament his lofs with an appearance of great forrow and anguifli ; they weep and howl and make ufe of many contortions, as they fit in the hut or lent around the body, when the in- tervals between the praifes of the chiefs will permit.
One formality in mourn' ng for the dead among the NaudowelTics is very different from any mode I obferved in the other na- tions through which I paffcd. The men, to
fhow
' »%
( 378 ) fhow how great their forrow is, pierce the flefh of their arms, above the elbows, with arrows ; the fears of which I conld perceive on thofe of every rank, in a greater or lefs degree ; and the women cut and galh their legs with fliarp broken flints, till the blood flows very plentifully. ; A Whilft I remained among them, a couple whofe tent was adjaeent to mine, loft a fon of about four years of age. The parents were fo much aifeded at the death of their favourite child, that they purfued the ufual teftimonies of grief with fuch uncommon ri* gour, as through the weight of forrow and lofs of blood, to occafion the death of the father. The woman, who had hitherto been inconfolable, no fooner faw her hufband ex- pire., than fhe dried up her tears, and ap- peared cheerful and refigned. • .; ^^As I knew not how to account for fo ex- traordinary a tranlition, I took an opportu- nity to aik her the reafon of it; telling her at the fame time, that I fhould have imag-ined the lofs of her hufband would rather have occafioned an increafe of grief, than fuch a fudden diminution of it.
She informed me, that as the child was fo young when it died, and unable to fupport
itfelf
( '379 ) itfelf in the country of fpirits, both flie and her hufband had been apprehenfive that its fituation would be far from happy ; but no fooncr did (he behold its father depart for the fame place, who not only loved the child with the tendered aftcdion, but was a good hunter, and would be able to provide plen- tifully for its fupport, than fhe ceafed to mourn. She added, that (he now faw no reafon to continue her tears-, as the child on whom fhe doated was happy under the care and protedion of a fond father, and that (he had only one wifli that remained ungra- tified, which was that of being herfelf with them. > (jin^h '
Expreflions fo replete with unaffeded ten- dernefs, and fentiments that would have done honour to a Roman matron, made an im- preffion on my mind greatly in favour of the people to which fhe belonged, and tended not a little to counteract the prejudices I had hitherto entertained, in common with every other traveller, of Indian infenfibility and want of parental tendernefs.
Her fubfequent condud confirmed the fa- vourable opinion I had juft imbibed; and convinced me, that notwithftanding this ap- parent fufpenfion of her grief, fome parti- cles
' ji
■yii.
I'll; 4 ii'..:!
'k\:'i
¥ '■'■■■ I
( 38o ) cles of that reluflance to be feparated from a beloved relation which is implanted either by nature or cuftom in every human heart, ftill lurked in hers. I obferved that fhe went almoft every evening to the foot of the tree, on a branch of which the bodies of her hufband and child were laid, and after cutting off a lock of her hair, and throwing it on the ground, in a plaintive melancholy fong bemoaned its fate. A recapitulation of the adt ons he might have performed, had his life been fj:)a red appeared to be her favourite theme ; and whilft (he foretold the fame that would have attended an imitation of his fa- ther's virtues, her grief feemed to be fuf- pended: —
? "If thou hadfi continued with us, my dear " Son, would llie cry, how well would the *' bow have become thy hand, and how fa- " tal would thy arrows have proved to the *' enemies of our bands ! Thou wouldft often " have drank their blood, and eaten their " flelh, and numerous Haves would have re- *' warded thy toils. With a nervous arm *' wouldfl thou have feized the wounded *' buffalo, or have combated the fury of the " enra2;ed bear. Thou wouldft have over- " taken the flying elk, and have kept pace
a
on
( 38i )
" on the mountain's brow with the flcctefl " deer. What feats mie^htcft thou not liave *' performed, liadft thou ftaid among us till " age had given thcc ftrength, and thy fatlier ** had inftruvQed thee in every Indian accom- " plifhment !" In terms hke thefe did this untutored favage bewail the lofs of her fon, and frequently would (he pafs the greatcfl part of the night in the afledionate employ. The Indians in general are very ftrid in the obfcrvance of their laws relative to mourning for their dead. In fome nations they cut off their hair, blacken their faces, and fit in an ered pollure with their heads clofely covered, and depriving themfelvcs of every pleafure. This feverity is continued for feveral months, and with fome relaxati- ons the appearance is fometimes kept up for feveral years. I was told that when the Naudoweffies recolleded any incidents of the lives of their deccafed relations, even after an interval of ten years, they would liow! fo as to be heard at a great dillance. They would fometimes continue this proof of re- fpe6l and affedion for feveral hours j and^ if it happened that the thought occurred and the noife was begun towards the even- in^
■ £-''X
.t' i;^'m
Hi:
m
i?: '■':n
<( ^383 ) ing, thofe of their tribe who were at hand would join with them.
:t
c H A P. xvr. ^
j4 cone fe Character of the Indians.
TH E character of the Indians, like that of other uncivihzed nations, is com- pofed of a mixture of ferocity and gentle- nefs. They .are at once guided by pafTions and appetites, which they hold in common with the fiercefl beafts that inhabit their woods, and are poffeffed of virtues that do honour to human nature iroriji.
In the following eflimate I fhall endea- vour to forget on the one hand the preju- dices of Europeans, who ufually annex to the word Indian epithets that are difgrace- ful to human nature, and who view them in no other light than as favages and canni- bals ; whilft with equal care I avoid any partiality towards them, as fome muft natu- rally arife from the favourable reception T met with during my ftay among them.
At the fame time I fhall confine my re- * marks to the nations inhabiting only the
■ -!• ■• '*• ^^Weftern "^
{ 383 )
»
Weftern regions, fuch as the Naudoweffies, the Ottagaumies, theChip6ways, the Wiri- nebagoes, and the Saukies : for as through- out that diverfity of climates the extcnfive continent of America is compofed of, there are people of different difpofitions and vari- ous charaders, it would be incompatible with my prefent undertaking to treat of all thefe, and to give a general view of them as a con- jundive body.
,:.. That the Indians are of a cruel, revenge- ful, inexorable difpofition, that they will watch whole days unmindful of the calls of nature, and make their way through pathlcfs, and almoft unbounded woods, fubfifting only on the fcanty produce of them, to purfue and revenge themfelves of an enemy, that they hear unmoved the piercing cries of fuch as unhappily fall into their hands, and receive a diabolical pleafure from the tortures they inflid on their prifoners, I readily grant \ but let us look on the reverfe of, this terrifying j)idure, and we (liall find them temperate both in their diet and potations (it muft be remembered, that I fpeak of thofe tribes who have little communication with Europeans) that they withftand, with unexampled pa- tience, the attacks of hunger, or the incle- mency
iii'f
. \
( 3^4 ) mcncy of the fcafons, and cflccm the gratifi- cation of their appcMtes, but as a fccondary confidcration.
Wc fliall like wife fee them fociable and humane to thofc whom they confider as their friends, and even to their adopted enemies; and ready to partake with them of the laft inorfel, or to riili thei^^livcs in their defence.
Incontradidion to the report of many other travellers, all of whieh have been tindurcd with prejudice, I can afiert, that notwith- flandingthe apparent indifFerenee with vvhieh an Indian meets his wife and children iifter a long abfence, an inditFerence proceeding ra- ther from cuflom than infenfibiltty, he is not unmindful of the claims cither of connubial or parental tendernefs; the little flory I have introduced in the preceding chapter of the Naudowefiie woman lamentin? her child, ■and the immature death of the father, will elucidate this point, and enforce the aiTcrtion much better t\wn the moil fludied arguments I can make ufe of.
Aceufiomed from their youth to innumera- ble hardihips, they foon become fu peri or to a fenfe of danger or the dread of death; and their fortitude, implanted by nature and nur-
:,.^*A tured
*pr»
C 385 )
tured by example, by precept, and accident, never experiences a moment's allay.
Though llothful and inadive whilft their ftore of provifion remains unexhaufted, and their foes are at a diftance, they are indefati- gable and perfevering in purfuit of their game, or in circumventing their enemies.
If they are artful anA defigning, and ready to take every advantage, if they are cool and deliberate in their councils, and cautious in the extreme either of difcovering their fen- timents, or of revealing a fecret, they might at the fame time boafl of pofTeffing qualifica- tions of a more animated nature, of the fa- gacity of the hound, the penetrating figlii: of a lynx, the cunning of a fox, the agility of a bounding roe, and the unconquerable fierce- nefs of the tyger.
In their public oharaders, as forming part of a community, they pofTefs an attachment for that band to which they belong, unknown to the inhabitants of any other country. They combine, as if they were actuated only by one foul, againft the enemies of their nation, and banifh from their minds every confidera- tion oppofed to this.
They confult without unneceflary oppofi- tion, or without giving way to the excite-
C c ments
«, , I. .
U
( 386 )
ments of envy or ambition, on the meafures necefTary to be purfued for the deftrudion of thofe who have drawn on themfelves their difpleafure. No felfifh views ever influence their advice, or obftrud their confultations. Nor is it in the power of bribes or threats to diminifh the love they bear their country.
The honour of their tribe, and the wel- fare of their nation, is the firf^ and moft pre- dominant emotion of their hearts ; and from hence proceed in a great meafure all their virtues and vices. Aduated by this, they brave every danger, endure the moil exqui- lite torments, and expire truimphing in their fortitude, not as a perfonal qualitication, but as a national charaderiflic.
From thence al fo flow that infatiable re- venge towards thofe with v hom they are at war, and all the confequent horrors that dif- grace their name. Their uncultivated minds being incapable of judging of the propriety of an adion, in oppofitioji to their palTions vrhich are totally infenfible to the controuls of reafon or humanity, they know not how to keep their fury within any bounds, and confeqiiently that courage and refolution which would otherwife do them honour, de- generates into a favagc ferocity.
But
( 387 ) '
But this fhort difTertatiori mufl fufHce ; the limits of my work will not permit me to treat the fubje6l more copioufly, or to purfue it with a logical regularity. The obferva- tions already made by my readers on the preceding pages, will, I truft, render it un- neceffary ; as by them they will be enabled to form a tolerably jufl idea of the people I have been defcrib'ng. Experience teaches, that anecdotes, and relations of particular events, however trifling they may appear, enable us to form a truer judgment of the manners and cufloms of a people, and are much more declaratory of their real iftate, than the moft ftudied and elaborate difquifi- tion without thefe aids.
* •Milt
CHAP. XVII.
Of their Language, Hierogly- ph i c k s, ^c.
.11
THE principal languages of the natives of North America may be divided into four claffes, as they confift of fuch as are made ufe of by the nations of the Iro- quois towards the eaftcrn parts of it, the
Co 2 Chip^-
m '. i
..' ( 388 )
Chip 6 ways or Algonkins to the north- weft, the Naudowefiies to the weft, and the Chero- kces, Chickafaws, &c. to the fouth. One or other of thefe four arc ufed by all the Indians who inhabit the parts that lie between ihe coaft of Labradore north, the Floridas fouth, tile Atlantic Ocean eaft, and, as far as we can judge from the difcoveries hitherto made, the Pacific Ocean on the weft. ** But of all thefe, the Chipeway tongue appears to be the moft prevailing ; it being held in fuch efteem, that the chiefs of e/'^r tribe, dwelling about the great lakes, oi to the wefiward of thefe on the banks of the Miffiifippi, with thofe as far fouth as the Ohio, and as far north as Hudfon's Bay, con- lifting of more than thirty different tribes, fpeak this language alone in their councils, notwithftanding each has a peculi'.r one of their own.
It will probably in time become Univetfal among all the Indian nations, as none of them attempt to make excurfions to any great dif- tance, or are confidered as qualified to carry on any negociation with a difta..t band, un- lefs they have acq aired the Chip6way tongue.
At present, bcfides the Chip6 ways, to whom it is natural, the Ottawaws, the Sa. ikies, the
Ottagau-
( 389 )
pttagaumies, the Killiftinoes, the Nipegons, the bands about Lake Le Pleuve, and the re- mains of the Algonkins or Gens de Terre, all converfc in it, with fome Ijttle variation of dialed : but whether it be natural to thefe nations, or acquired, I was not able to difco- ver. I ^m however of opinion that the bar- barous and uncouth dialed of the Winne- bagoes, the Mpnomonies, and many other tribes will become in time totally extind, and this be adopted in its ftead.
The Chi p^ way tongue is not incumbered with any unnecefTary tones or accents, nei- ther are there any words in it that are fuper- fluous; it is alfo eafy to pronounce, and much more copious th^ any other Indian lan- guage."
As the Indians are unacquainted with the polite arts, or with the fciences, and as they are alfpftrangers to ceremony or compliment, they neither have nor need an infinity of words wherewith to embellifli their difcourfe. plain and un,poli(hed in their manners, they only make ufe of fuch as ferve to denominate the neceilkries or conveniences of life, and to exprefs their wants, whidhinaflateof nature
can be but few.
I have
».». V
>i
/t U Si'.
iSl:!
^'■M
Ul
( 390 )
I have annexed hereto a (hort vocabulary of the Chipeway language, and another of the Naudoweiues, but am not able to reduce them to the rules of grammar.
The latter is fpoken in a foft accent, with- out any guttural founds, fo that it may be learnt with facility, and is not difficult either to be pronounced or written. It is nearly as copious and expreiTive as the Chipeway ton- gue, and is the moft prevailing language of any r ' ue w.llern banks of the Miffilfippi ; being is ufe, according to their account, a- mong all the nations that lie to the north cf the Melforie, and extend as far weft as tlie Ihores of the Pacific Ocean.
As the Indi.ins aie not acquainted with let- ters, it is very difficult to convey with pre- cifion the exact found of their words ; I have however endeavoured to write them as near to the manner in which they are expreffed, as fuch an uncertain mode will admit of. • Although the Indians cannot communicate their ideas by writing, yet they form certain hieroglyph icks, vvhich, in fome meafure, ferve to perpetuate any extrao dinary tranfadion, or uncommon event. Thus when they are en. their cxcurfions, and either intend to proceed, or have been, on any remarkable
, enterprize,
,,l^
A 391 )
enterprize, they psel the bark from the trees which lie in their way, to give intelligence to thoi'e parties that happen to be at a dif- tancc, of the path they muft purfue to over- ake them.
The following inftance will convey a more perfed idea of the methods they make ufe of on this occafion, than any exprcllions I can frame.
When I left the MilTifTippi, and proceed- ed up the Chipeway River in my way to Lake Superior, as related in my Journal, my guide, who was a chief of the Chipeways that dwell on the Ottawaw Lake, near the heads of the river we had juft entered, fearing that fome parties of the Naudowef- fies, with whom his nation are perpetually at war, might accidentally fall in with us, and before they were apprized of being in com- pany, do us fome mifchief, he took the fol- lowing fteps. "^^^ ' ^'^
He peeled the bark from a large tree near the entrance of the river, and with wood- coal mixed with bears-greafe, their ufual fubftitute for ink, made in an uncouth but exprelfive manner, the figure of the town of the Ottagaumies. He then formed 'to the left, a man dreffed in fliins, by which he
intended
li
I ill
r'i-rri
1' !■
:ri
&«
^Pt
If
:i li
(392 )
intended to reprefent a Naudoweflk, with a line drawn from his mouth to that of a deer, fhe fymbol of the Chip6ways. After this he depidured flill farther to the left, a ca- noe as proceeding up the river, in which he placed a man fitting with a hat on •, this fi- gure was defigned to reprefent an Englilh- •man, or myfelf, and my Frenchman was drawn with a handkerchief tied round his head, and rowing the canoe j to thefe he added feveral other fignificant emblems, a- mong which the pipe of peace appeared painted on the prow of the canoe.
The meaning he intended to convey to the Naudowefiles, and which I doubt not ap- peared perfedly intelligible to them, was, that one of the Ghippway chiefs had receiv- ed a fpeech from fome Naudowefile chiefs at the town of the Ottagaumies, defiring him to condud the Englifhman who had lately been a aong them, up the Chipeway river ; and that they thereby require, that the Chipeway notwithftanding he was an a- vowed enemy, fhould not be molefted by them on his pafifage, as he had the care of a perfoji whom they efteemed as one of their
nation.
Some
( 393 )
Some authors have pretended that the In- dians have armorial bearings, which they blazon with great exadnefs, and which dif* tinguifh one nation from another ; but I ne- ver could obferve any other arms among them, than the fymbois already defcribed.
A fhort Vocabulary of the Chipeway
Language.
N. B. This people do not make ufe either of the confonants F or V,
|
t-^iflsr*. |
||
|
'■ •■ |
A |
-■ |
|
Englijh. A BOVE Xjl Abandori |
Chipewqy, Spimink Packiton |
|
|
Admirable |
Pilawah |
|
|
Afterwards All |
Mipidach Kokinum |
y |
|
Always Amifs Arrive |
Kokali Napitch Takouchin |
|
|
Ax |
Agacwet |
■t' |
|
Afhes AlTift |
Pingoe Mawincwah |
:V |
Ball
■1- «! t'
xwm
\ I
^ m
■f i;
\ 394 )
B
EngliJJj, Chipeway.
Ball Alewin
Bag, or tobacco-pouch Cafpetawgan
|
Barrel! |
Owentawgan |
|
Beat |
Pakkite |
|
Bear, a |
Mackwah |
|
Bear, a young one |
Makon |
|
Beaver |
Amik |
|
Beaver's {kin |
Apiminiquc |
|
Be, or to be |
Tapaie |
|
Beard |
Mifchiton |
|
Becaufe |
Mewinch |
|
Believe |
Tilerimah |
|
Belly |
Mifhemout |
|
Black |
Markautc |
|
Blood |
Mifkow |
|
Body |
Yoe |
|
Bottle |
Shifhego |
|
Brother |
Neconnis |
|
Brandy, or Rum |
Scuttawawbah |
|
Bread |
Paboufhigan |
|
Breech |
Mifcoufab |
|
Breeches |
Kipokitie Koufab |
|
Buck |
Wafketch |
Canoe
( 395 ) C
|
EngUJh. |
Chiphoay, |
I:jG. |
|
Canoe |
Che man |
'• -' |
|
Call |
Tefhenckaw |
■ * 4 |
|
Chief, a |
Okemaw |
. . |
|
Carry- |
Petou |
|
|
Child, or Children |
Bobelofhin |
|
|
Coat |
Capotewian |
|
|
Cold, I am |
Kekatcb |
|
|
Come on |
Moppa |
|
|
Come to |
Pemotcha |
|
|
Comrade |
'Nechee |
|
|
Concerned |
Tallemifli |
|
|
Corn |
Melomin |
Covering, or a Blanket Wawbewion Country Endawlawkeen
Courage Tagwawmiffii
Cup Olawgan
111 ■,. ■
1
■'•|
m%
D
|
Dance |
Nemeh |
|
|
Dart |
Shelhikwee |
|
|
Die, to |
Nip |
|
|
Difli |
, |
Mackoan |
|
Dog |
Alim |
|
|
Dead |
Neepoo |
|
|
Devil, or |
evil Spirit |
Matcho-Manitou |
|
Dog, a little one |
Alemon |
Done,
( 396 )
|
Englf/h. |
Cbipewqy, |
|
Done, it is dpnc |
Shiah |
|
Do |
Tofhiton |
|
Doubtlefs |
Ontclatoubah |
|
Drefs the kettle |
Poutwah |
|
Drink |
j Minikwah |
|
Drunken |
Ouifquiba |
|
Duck |
Chickhip |
|
P |
|
|
Earth |
Auk win |
|
Eat |
Owifrin6 |
|
Each |
Pap gik |
|
Englih |
Sagaunofh |
|
Enough |
Mimilic |
|
Equal, or alike |
Tawbifcouch |
|
Efteem |
NawpetelimaW |
|
Eyes |
Wifkinkhie |
|
F |
|
|
Fall |
Waliebic |
|
Fall |
Ponkifin |
|
FarofF |
Watfaw |
|
Fat |
Pimmitee |
|
Friend |
Niconnis |
|
Father |
^Noofah |
|
Few, or litjtlp |
Maungis |
|
Futigued |
Tauk\yifli |
H
,s^ 1
Field
|
\ |
( 397 ) |
|
|
Engltjh, |
Chipiway. |
|
|
Field fown |
Kittegaumic |
. |
|
Fire |
Scutta |
|
|
Fire, to ftrike |
Scutecke |
• |
|
Find |
Nantounawaw |
|
|
Fifh |
Kickon |
- <. |
|
Fork :* |
iff -*^ NafTawokwot |
% |
|
Formerly ; |
Pirwego |
■ ■• it |
|
Fort |
Wakaigon |
|
|
1 Forward |
Nopawink |
' |
|
French |
Neehtegoolh |
■ r 1 |
|
Freeze, to |
Kiffin |
■ t |
|
Freezes hard |
KifTin Magat |
•I |
|
Full |
Moulkinet |
|
|
Fuzee or Gun |
PalkefTigan |
|
|
i.-—^ |
p 6 |
«4 |
|
God,ortheGre, |
at Spirit Kitchi Manitou |
■^ |
Go by water timmifcaw
Girl
Give
Glafs, a mirror
Good
Good for nothing
Govern
Jeckwaflin
Millaw
Wawbemo
Cawlatch
Malatal
Tibarimaw
General, or Cora- 1 K itchi Oki maw
mander in Chief jSmauganifh Grapes Shoamin
Great Manatou
■ i\
<i • 1 i]
«--
' ' i
Greedy
|
( 398 ) |
|
|
Engli/h. -^'• Greedy c i |
Chipeway. Sawiliivkiin |
|
Guts |
Olawbifh |
|
H |
|
|
Hare Heart |
Wawpoos Michewah |
|
Hate Half |
Shingaurimaw Nawbal |
|
H.iir, human |
LifTis |
|
Hair of beafts |
Pewal |
|
Handfome |
Canogininne |
|
Have . |
Tandaulaw |
|
Head |
Ouftecouan |
|
Heaven Herb Here |
Speminkakwin Mejafk . Aconda |
|
Hidden |
Kemouch |
|
Home |
Entayent |
|
Honour |
Mackawalaw |
|
Hot rm3- How |
Akefhotta Tawn6 |
|
How many |
Tawnemilik |
|
JIunt |
KewafTa |
|
Hut, or Houfe |
Wig-Waum |
|
Indians |
I Idiinawbah |
|
Iron |
Pewawbick |
54^j
Ifland
( 399 )
EngliJJj Ifland
Immediately Indian Corn Jntirtly Impoilor It might be fo
Kettle
King, or Chief
Keep
Knife
Knife that is crooked
Know
Lake
Laugh
Lazy
Lame
Leave
Letter
Life Love
Long fince Land Carriage Lofe
ChipCwqy, Minis Wchatch Mittavvmin Nawpltch MavlawtilFie Tawneendo
K
Ackikons
Okemaw
Ganwerimaw
Mockoman
Coc'iwgon
Thickeremaw
Kitchigawmink
Pawpi
Kittimi
Kikekate
Pockiton
Mawfignaugon
Nouchimowin
Saukie
Shawfliia
Cappatawgon
Packilaugud
*
X
.1
I I"!
,' ( i/ I,
1
' "I rl
;' t
ft ■i
Li
le
( 400 )
Engt{/h. Lie dowix Little
Meat
Much
Man
March, to go
Marry
Medicine
Merchandise
Moon
\-yr}'^r^^:
Weepcmaw .im'*"!
Waubefheeft^^^*^^ '
Weas ^ Nibbilaw m^uo Alliffinape Pimmouffie Wee win Mafkikic Alokochigon Debicot
!n
'?ii:0
ilA.
-p,rV'^4
Mortar to potind in Poutawgon Male Nape
Miftrefs Neremoufin
Ci'/r-^
^
i'iki.i I'
Needle
Near
Nation
Never
Night
No
Nofe
Nothing
Not yet
Not at all
^^"^^^'"Shawbonkin Pewitch Irinee -^***<^^^ Cawikkaw pebicot Kaw Yoch Kakego Kawmifchi Kagutch
-Mir
Nought,
( 401 )
Englijh. ' Chipeway.
Nought, good for 7 ^^^^^^ nothing 3
|
0 |
|
|
Old |
Kauwefliinc |
|
Otter |
Nikkik |
|
Other |
Coutack |
Pipe Poagaa
Part, what Part Tawnapee
Play Packeigo
Powder, gun, or dyft Pingo
Peace, to make
Pray
Proper
Prefently
Peninfula
Qpick
Regard
Red
Refolve
Relation
Refpedl
Pecacotiche
Tawlaimia
Sawfega
Webatch
Minniffin
Kcgotch
n' K
Wawbemo
Mifcow
Tibelindon
Tav/wemaw
Tawbawmica
Dd
A
m
Rain
( 402 )
|
Englijh. |
Chipeway. |
||
|
Rain |
.■■j:?:M' |
Rimmewaij |
^ |
|
Robe |
Ockoiaw ^ |
||
|
River |
,Sippim |
||
|
Run, tp |
Pitchebot |
i < » |
|
|
Sad |
-^^l |
S Talimiffie |
|
|
Sail |
pemilcaw |
||
|
Sack, or Bag |
Malkimot |
||
|
Sea, or large Lake |
Agankitcbigawminl| |
||
|
Shoes |
Maukiflin |
||
|
Ship or large ' |
Canoe |
Kitchi Cheman |
|
|
Sorry- |
NifcottilTie , |
||
|
Spirit |
Manitou |
. |
|
|
Spoon |
Mick won ^ffij.; |
Vtx^V |
|
|
Star |
■ |
Aknk |
|
|
Steal |
Kemautin ^o/ . |
AJ. Vii V |
|
|
Stocking? |
• |
Mittaus |
|
|
Strong |
■ ■ h \ i I |
IMaihkauwah |
■'T* |
|
Sturgeon |
' i i.( V. |
Lawmack |
. ■' |
|
Sun |
KilTis |
||
|
Sword |
Simaugan |
||
|
Surprizing |
■'<Cf^*^07 '^' |
'• Etwah, Etwah |
. ff |
|
See |
Wawbemo |
. ', |
|
|
Since |
Mapedoh |
■/;. |
|
|
Shirt |
:-..;::-? |
Papaw^kwean |
|
|
Slave ■ -^^ |
Wackan |
\\'>M4- |
|
|
ii. |
* |
Sleep |
( 403 )
|
Englijh. |
Chipeway. |
•\^.!l |
|
Sleep ''' |
Nippee |
... |
|
Sit down |
Mihtepin ' 'I'll' |
|
|
T |
V' |
|
|
Take |
Emaundah |
|
|
Teeth |
■ Tibbit |
;e |
|
That |
"^^H^^ Mawbah |
|
|
There |
^ '"^ Watfaudebi |
'^'H |
|
This |
n,i^. ;l Maundah k- |
,,,-li^ >■'»'•* |
|
Truly ^^^^'^ |
^ -'^^ Kikit |
|
|
Together |
Mawmawwee |
bfT(^ |
|
Tobacc6 ' |
Semau |
'■ |
|
Tongue |
Outon |
|
|
Tired |
Tawkonfie |
■ |
|
Too little |
Ofaummangis |
. y |
|
Too much |
OfTaune |
|
|
Thank you |
Ml ^tch |
- |
|
To-morrow |
Wawounk |
|
|
To-morrow, |
^ > Oufwawbunk • |
|
|
after ' |
||
|
/ |
m'A |
|
|
W |
•". |
|
|
Warriors .j |
Semauganaufh |
*» |
|
Water |
Nebbi |
|
|
War |
Nantaubaulaw |
|
|
Way |
Mickon |
|
|
Weil then ! |
Tauneei\dahl |
*'^^.♦•i<1 |
|
^M: |
Dda |
What |
;i^- ' --III
■ <
'Kll
"J:
1 1' I
i'- jJ
|
( 404 ) |
|
|
Engli/h, . |
Chipeway. |
|
What is that ? |
Wawwewin ? |
|
What now ? |
Qjiagonie ? |
|
« Whence |
Taunippi |
|
Where |
Tah |
|
White |
Waube |
|
Who is there? |
Qjiagonie Maubahl |
|
Wind |
Loutin V . |
|
Winter |
Pepoun |
|
Woman |
Ickwee • |
|
Wood |
Mittic • -^Tv^.v^ |
|
Wolf |
Mawhingon |
|
Y |
|
|
Yefterday |
Petchilawgo |
|
Yet |
Minnewatch |
|
Young |
Wifconekiffi t| |
|
Yellow |
Wazzo. |
|
The Numerical Terms of the Chipheads, |
|
|
One |
Pafhik iV^oV ai</»i4^ A |
|
Two |
Ninch |
|
Three |
NifTou |
|
Four |
, , g Neau |
|
Five |
Naran |
|
Six |
Nin2;outwafrou |
|
Sever; |
Ninchowaflbu |
|
Eight T |
NiliowafTou ^ Nine |
Englijh. Nine Ten Eleven Twenty
Thirty
Forty
Fifty
xty
Seventy
Eighty
Ninety
Hundred
iv
cy-
ii»Jt>V'.
SiiJ^
•>^^
Thoufand
( 405 )
Chipinuay, • Shongaflbu Mittauffou Mittauffou Pafhik Ninchtawnaw NifTou Mittawnaw Neau Mittawnaw Naran Mittawnaw Nigoutwaffou Mit- tawnaw ' ' ^ ^ '^ Ninchowaffou Mit- ' tawnaw i '
f Niffowaffou Mit- 1^ tawnaw
{ShongalTou Mittaw- naw Mittauffou Mittaw- naw Mittauffou Mittauf- fou Mittawnaw.
t--^t
A Short VocABUtARY of the Naudowefl»^
Language.
A Englijh, NaiidavoeJJie,
Axe Aihpaw
Beaver Chawbah ^
Buffalo
■!'■ i.-
|
( Enghjl. |
406 ) '' NaudoweJ/te:\ |
- |
1 En, |
|
Buffalo |
Tawtongo i// |
A |
I trails € |
|
Bad |
Shejah h |
■ inn't |
I f^rienc |
|
Broach |
Muzahootoo |
1 |
|
|
Bear, a |
Wahkonfhejah |
I |
|
|
. » |
I ■ ' t ' ' |
,, ^ |
1 Good |
|
G |
■■ ■ •■) |
1 Give |
|
|
Canoe |
Waahtoh |
r;M'U |
H Go aw |
|
Cold |
Mechuetah |
/ ^U |
I God, |
|
Child, a Male |
Wechoakfeh |
> |
■ Spi^ |
|
Child, af Female |
Wahcheekfeh |
•^ |
■ Gun |
|
Come here |
Accooyouiyare |
I Great |
|
|
• |
•, |
,. . ...a |
I Gold |
|
D |
■ |
||
|
Dead |
Negufh |
I |
|
|
Deer |
Tohinjoh |
'ivtufi |
I Hear |
|
Dog |
Shungufh |
•Si |
1 Horfe |
|
• --mob tr |
■ '-ViT |
I Home, |
|
|
. ^ |
E |
i y^ |
I Iloufe |
|
Eat V |
Echawmenaw |
iJiii^M |
Heaver |
|
Ears |
Nookah |
||
|
Eyes |
Efhtike |
"1 |
|
|
Evil |
n^i. Shejah |
r:0-| |
Iron |
|
.■ '-' '] |
I, orm |
||
|
• |
F |
7 |
|
|
Fire |
Paahtah |
. |
|
|
Father |
Otah |
King, < Kill |
|
|
Frenchman |
Neehteegufli |
■MM « « |
FalU
ir t
'^
Engiijh, Falls of Water t'riend
( 407 )
liaudamffie, Owah Menah Kitchiwah
ij
Good Give Go away
God, or the Great J ^^j^^^ Spirit d-r'i^lfci/j; .^>\
G
Wofhtah Accooyeh lAccoowah
Gun
Great
Gold
^ Muzah Wakott Tongo Muzaham
r\ ,
Hear
Horfe
Home, or domeftjc
Iloufe
Heaven
Iron I, or me
King, or Chief Kill
Nodkifhon Shuetongo Shuah Teebee Wofhta Teebee
I
Muzah Meoh
K
Otah Neguftitaugaw
I * U •
.. T K^
: 'J
Little
II
|
( 408 ) |
|
|
Englijh. Little |
^' Naudmdijk. M '^ Jeftin l^r -^ |
|
Long Lake r Love r |
Tongoom Tongo Meneh •''^Ehwahmcah ''^^ |
|
1 f^ |
Willi-. f^ rr, ...^' |
|
Much |
' ''^Kjtah t^-^e |
|
More |
Otenaw |
|
Moon |
••■■''■%weeh ^-5^ |
|
Mouth |
^Eeh ^'^-^ |
|
1 'T Medal |
MuzahOtah ^^"^^' |
|
Mine |
Mewah |
|
Milk |
; i ... Etfawhoh |
|
■'■w |
N |
|
No Near . ^, .1 -. ^ » |
"^^^^^Jeeftinaw 3^<«f" |
|
v^iJil iJQ |
|
|
Oh! |
*!»4.(T iHopiniyahie! |
|
^ ^* |
|
|
Pipe Pipe of Peace |
^^ Shanuapaw Shanuapaw Wakon |
|
. R ' ".I' |
|
|
Rilla |
Owah Meneh |
Ring
|
( |
409 ) |
|
Englijh, |
Naudcfmeffie, |
|
Ring |
Muzamchupah 0^%;;^ |
|
Round |
Chupah |
|
x\:^\vy- ' |
S |
|
Smoke : |
Shaweah |
|
Saltwater |
Menis ^eah |
|
See, to |
E(htaw |
|
Sleep |
'lEfhteemo |
|
Snake |
Omlifhcaw |
|
Suia |
Paahtah |
|
Spirit |
Wakon |
|
Spirituous Liquors |
Meneh Wakon |
|
Snow |
Sinnee |
|
Surprizing |
Hopiniayare |
|
Silver |
Muzaham |
|
T |
|
|
Tobacco y,, |
Shawfaflaw |
|
Talk |
Owehchin |
|
Tree |
fDchaw |
|
There =- |
; Dache |
|
• |
W |
|
Woman |
Winnokejah |
|
Wonderful |
tlopiniyare |
|
Water |
Meneh |
|
What . |
Tawgo ■ |
|
don^lC |
L) ■ .W |
|
-^-Ji |
1^-
:i,:
;;M
'mm
*>
(
Who is there ? Wicked
You Young
You are good
You are a Spirit
4to )
I^audowe/ftfj
Tawgodache ^ Heyahachta
Y
Chee Hawpawnaw
\f.j .Waflitah Chee
Wakon Chee You are my good7Wafhtah Kitchiwab
Friend y Chee
No Good . Heyah Wafhtah.
The Numerical Terms of the NaudcnaeJJies,
%
One
Two
Three
Four
Five Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
:i\.
Wonchaw
Noompaw
Yawmonee
Toboh
Sawbuttee Shawco
Shawcopee
Shahindohin
Nebochunganong
Wegochu nganong
{Wegochnnganong Wonchaw
> 1 i,
H^
fu
Twenty
. Englijh, Twenty
Thirty
Forty
Fifty
«
( 4" )
CWegochunganong $. \ Noompaw ,\j
WegocI iUnganong Yaumonee ( Wegochunganong I Toboh
' -5^i^V. ■
Sixty Seventy
Eighty
Ninety
Hundred Thoufand
^4
J Wegochunganong 'X Sawbuttee »^-fii*!^^'-'^V Wegochunganong [ Shawco
{Wegochunganong Shawcopee Wegoclmnganong indohin
C WegocI 1 ( Shahii
{Wegocljunganong Nebochunganong
Opohng
{
Wegocb unganon g Opohng
To this (hort vocabulary of the Naudo- weflie language, I fhall adjoin a fpecimen of- the manner in which they unite their words. Ihave chofen for this purpofe a fhort fong, which they fing, with fome kind of melody,'^ though not with any appearance of poetical meafure, when they fet out on their hunting
expe-
■ Hi
! li i
' !,'f
;.- ::;it
( 412 )
expeditions : and have given as near a tran- (lation as the difference of the idioms will permit.
Afeoh accoawah e/htaw paatah negti/htawgaw Jhejah menah, Tongo Wakon meoh wq/}jla^ paa- tah acboawah, Ihpiniyah'e aweeh accoqyee meoh^ wo/hfa pat ah of oh tohinj h meoh feebee, ^
I will arifc before the fun, and afcend yo'n- der hill, to fee the new light chafe away the vapours, and difperfe the clouds. Great Spi- rit give me fuccefs. And when the fun is gone, lend me, oh moon, light fufHcient to guide nic with fafety back to my te^t loaden with deer !
S-4A
^\'
C H A P,
-'f.'fnT'ihTVnr.'j ?j
XVIII.
.\ ' 'J-
J ju ui aq a3
Of the Beasts, Birds, Fishes, Reptiles,*
and Insects, luhich are Jbimd in the inter ibr
' ' Parts of North America, . %
OF thefe I fhalli in the firft place, give a catalogue, and afterwards a defcription of fuch only as are either peculiar to this country, or which differ in fome material point from thofe that are to be met with in other
realms. - '^'^<^-i\^%
,7iv.dijei» ON
( 413 )
man ■
• «.tl UliH^^ ^
OF THE BEASTS, w ft
The Tygcr, the Bear, Wolves, Foxes, Dogs, the Cat of the Mounlain, the Wild Cat, the Buffalo, the Deer, the Elk, the Moofe, the Carrabou, the Carcajo\j, the Skunk, the Por- cupine, the Hedge-hog, the Wood-chuck, the Racoon, the Martin, the Fifher, the Mufk- quafh, Squirrels, Hares, Rabbits, the Mole, the Weazle, the Moufe, the Dormoufe, the Beaver, the Otter, the Mink, and Bats.
m
The TYGER. The Tyger of America re- fembles in fhape thofe of Africa and Ada, bi^t is confiderably fmaller. Nor docs it appear to be fo fierce and ravenous as they are. The colour of it is a darkifh fallow, and it is in- tirely free from fpots. I {aw one on an ifland in the Chipeway River, of which I had a very good view, as it was at no great diftance from me. It fat up on its hinder parts like a dog j and did not fecm either to be apprehcnfivc of our approach, or to difcover any ravenous in-i clinat ions. It is however very fcldom to bq met with in this part of the world, nuiuijj
The BEAR. Bears are very numerous on this pontinent, but more particularly fo in the ^ ' ' northern
F'i 1,
^i 414 )
northern parts of it, and contribute to fur- Tiifh both food and beds for almoft every In* dian nation. Thufe of. America differ in many reipeds from thofe cither of Greenland or Ruffia, they being not only fo me what fmaller, but timorous and inoffenfiVe, unlefs they are pinched by hunger, or fmarting from a wound. The fight of a man tetnnes them : and a dog wiU put feveral to flight. They are extremely fond of grapes, and will climb to t'he top of the higheft trees in queft of them. This kind of food renders their flefh exceflively rich and finely flavoured ; audit is confequently preferred by the Indians and traders to that of any oiher animal. The fat IS very v/hite, and befides being fweet and wholcfome, is poiTefred of one valuable qua- lity, \7l1ich is, thut it never cloys. The in- habitants of thefe parts conftantly anoint themfelves wnth it, and to its efficacy they in a great meafure owe their agility. The fea- ion for hunting the: bear is during the win- ter ; when they take up their abode in hallow trees, or make themfelves dens in the roots of thofe that arc blown down, the entrance of which they flop up with branches of fir that lie fcattered about. From thefe retreats it is (aid vhev flir not whilfl the weather continues
fevere,
(415 ) >evere, and as it is well known . that they do not provide themfelves with food, they are fupppfed to be enabled by nature to fqbfift for fome months without, and during this time to continue of the fame bulk.
The WOLF. The wolves of North Ame^ rica are much lefs than thofe which are met with in other parts of the world. They have however, in common with the reft of their fpecies, a v.Iidnefs in their looks, and a fierce- nefs in their eyes; notwithftanding which they are far from being fo ravenous as the European wolves, nor will they ever attack a man, except they have accidentally fed on the flefh of thofe llain in battle. Wnen they Jierd together, as they often do in the winter, they make a hideous and terrible noife. In thefe parts there are two kinds ; one of which is of a fallow colour, the other of a dun, in- clining to black.
The FOX. There are two forts of foxes in North America, which differ only in their co- lour, one being of a reddilh brown, the other of a grey -, thofe of the latter kind that are found near the river Miffiflippi, are extreme- ly beautiful, their hair being of a fine filver
grey.
^ DOGS.
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DOGS. The dogs employed by the Indi- ans in hunting appear to be all of the fame fpccies ; they carry their ears ered, and great- ly refcmble a wolf about the head. They are exceedingly ufeful to them in their hunt- ing excurfions^ and will attack the fierceft of the game they are in purfuit gf. They are alfo remarkable for their fidelity to their malters, but being ill fed by them are very troublefome in their huts or tents.
The CAT of the mountain. This crea^ ture is in ih«pe like a cat, only much larger. The hair or lur refembles alfo the flcin of that domeliic animal ; the colour however differs, for the former is of a reddifh or Or range caft, but grows lighter near the belly. The whole fkin is beautified with W«' ' fpots of different figures, of which thofe ^n the back are long, and thofe on the lower parts round. On the ears there are black llripc^. This creature is nearly as fierce as a leopard, but will feldom attack a man.
The BUFFALO. This beaft, of which there are amazing tiumbers in thefe parts, i? larger than an ox, has fhort black horns, with a large beard under his chin, and his head is fo full of hair, that it falls over his eyes, and gives him a frightful look. There
is
*( 4^7 )
k a bunch on his back which begins at the haunches, and incrcafing gradually to the (houlders, reaches on to the neck. Both this cxcrefcence and its whole body are co- vered with long hair, or rather wool, of a dun or moufe colour, which is exceedingly valuable, efpecially that on the fore part of the body. Its head is larger than a bull's, with a very fhort neck j the breaft is brdad, and the body decreafes towards the buttocks.- Thcfe Creatures will run away at the fight of a maU) and a whole herd will make ofF when they perceive a fingle dog. The flefh of the bufFalo is excellent food, its hide ex- ceedingly ufeful, and the hair very proper for the manufadlure of various articles. ' The DEER. There is but one fpecies of deer in North America, and thefc are higher and of a dimmer make than thofe in Europe. Their (hape is nearly the fame as the Euro- pean, their colour of a deep fallow, and their horns very large and branching, This beaft is the fwifteft on the American plains, and they herd together as they do in other coun- tries.
The ELK greatly exceeds the deer in fize, being in bulk equal to a horfe. Its body is (liaped like that of a deer, only its
E e tail
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tail is reinarkably (hort, being not more than three inches long. The colour of its hair, which is grey, and not unlike that of a camel, but of a more rcddifh caft, is nearly three inches in length, and as coarfe as that of a horfe. The horns of this creature grow to a prodigious fize, extending fo wide that two or three perfons might (it between them at the fame time. They are not forked like that of a deer, but have all their teeth or branches on the outer edge. Nor does the form of thofe of the elk refemble a deer's, the former being flat, and eight or ten inches broad, whereas the latter are round, and con-» fiderably narrower. They fhed their horns every year in the month of February, and by Auguft the new ones are nearly arrived at their full growth. Notwithftanding their fize, and the means of defence nature has furnifhed them with, they are as timorous as a deer. Their fkin is very ufeful, and will drefs as well as that of a buck. They feed on grafs in the fummer, and on mofs or buds in the winter.
The MOOSE is nearly about the fize of the elk, and the horns of it are almoft as en- ormous as that animal's ; the ftem of them however are not quite fo wide, and they
branch
( 4^9 ) branch on both fides like thbfe of a deer. This creature alfo fheds them every year. Though its hinder parts ^re very broad, its tail is not above an inch long,. It has ftet and legs like a camel, its head is about two feet long, its upper lip much larger than the under, and the noftrils of it are To wide that a man might thruft his hand into them a con- fiderable way. The hair of the moofe is light grey, mixed with a blackifh red. It is very elaftic, for though it be beaten ever fo long, it will retain its original (hape. The flefli is. exceeding igood food, eafy of digeftion, and very nourifliing. The nofe, or upper lip, which is large and loofe from the gums, is efteemed a great delicacy, being of a firm confiftencc, between marrow and griftle, and when properly drefiTed, affords a rich and luf- cious difh. Its hide is very proper for leather, being thick and llrong, yet foft and pliable. The pace of this creature i5 always a trot, which is (b expeditious, that it is exceeded in fwiftnefs but by few of its fellow inhabitants of thefe woods. It is generally found in the forefts, where it feeds on mofs and buds. Though this creature is of the deer kind, it never herds as thofc do. Moft authors con- found it with the elk, deer, or carrabou, but ii^iU,id E e 2 it
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it is a fpecics totally different, as might be difcovered by attending to the defcription I have given of each.
The CARRABOU. This beaft is not near fo tall as the moofe, however it is fotne- thing like it in fhape, only rather more hea- vy, and indining to the form of the afs. The horns of it are not flat as thofe of the elk are, but round like thofe of the deer j they alfo meet nearer together at the extremities, and bend more over the face, than either thofe of the elk or moofe. It partakes of the fwiftnefs of the deer, and is with diffi- culty overtaken by its purfuers. The flefli of it likewife is equally good, the tongue par- ticularly is in high efleem. The fkin being fmooth and free from veins, is as valuable as fhamoy.
The CARCAJOU. This creature, which is of the cat kind, is a terrible enemy to the preceding four fpecies of beafls. He ei- ther comes upon them from fome conceal- ment unperceived, or climbs up into a tree, and taking his llation on fome of the branches, waits till one of them, driven by an extreme of heat or cold, takes fhelter under it j when he faftens upon his neck, and opening the jugular vein, foon brings his prey to the
ground,
( 421 )
ground. This he is enabled to do by his long tail, with which he encircles the body of his adverfary j and the only means they have* to fhun their fate, is by flying immediately to the water, by this method, as the carcajou has a great diflike to that element, he is fome- times got rid of before he can effed his pur- pofc. 1
The SKUNK. This is the moft extraor- dinary animal that the American woods pro- duce. It is rather lefs than a pole-cat, and of the fame fpeciesj it is therefore often miftaken for that creature, but is very dif- ferent from it in many points. Its fkin or fur is long and fhining, of a dirty white mix- ed in fome places with black, fo that it ap- pears to be fhaded in particular parts with black, without being either fpotted or ftrip- ed. Its tail is long and very bufhy like that of a fox, and it lives chiefly in the woods and hedges. But its extraordinary powers are only fliewn when it is purfued. As foon as he finds himfelf in danger he ejed^s to a great diftahce from behind a fmall dream of water, of fo fubtilc a nature, and at the fame time of fo powerful a fmell, that the air is tainted with it for half a mile in circumfe- aud his purfuers, whether men or
dogs,
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( 422 )
dog^; being almoft fufFocated with the ftench, are obliged to give over the purfuit. On this account he is called by the French, En- fant du Diable, the Child of the Devil j or Bete Puante, the Stinking Beaft. It is al- moft impolTible to defcribethe noifortie efFedls of the liquid with which this creature is fup- plied by nature for its defence. If a drop of it falls on your cloaths, they are rendered fo difagreeable that it is impoflible ever after to wear them ; or if any of it enters your eye- lids, the pain becomes intolerable for a long time, and perhaps at laft you lofe your fight. The fmell of the fkunk, though thus to be: dreaded, is not like that of a putrid carcafe, but a ftrong foetid effluvia of muik, which difpleafes rather from its penetrating power than from its naufeoufnefs. It is notwith- ftanding confidered as conducive to clear the head and to raife the fpirits. This water is fuppofed by naturalifts to be its urine j but I have difleded many of them that I have fiiot, and have found within their bellies, near the urinal velTels, a fmall receptacle of water, totally diftind from the bladder which contained the urine, and from which alone I am fatisfied the horrid ftench proceeds. Af- ter having taken out with great care the bag
wherein
( 4^3 ) wherein this water is lodged, I have fre- quently fed on them, and have found them very fweet and good ; but one drop emitted taints not only the carcafe, but the whole houfe, and renders every kind of provifions that are in it unfit for ufe. With great juf- tice therefore do the French give it fuch a
diabolical name. ,,]>,,,., „ vd h.riq
, The PORCUPINE. The body of an Ame- rican porcupine is in bulk about the (ize of a fmall dog, but it is both ihorter in length, and not fo high from the ground. It varies very much from thofe of other countries both: in its fliape and the length of its quills. The former is like that of a fox, except the head, which is not fo (harp and long, but refem- bles more that of a rabbit. Its body is co- vered with hair of a dark brown, about four inches long, great part of which are the thicknefs of a draw, and are termed its quills. Thefe are white, with black points, hollow and very flrong, efpecially thofe that grow on the back. The quills ferve this creature for ofFenfive and defenfive weapons, which he darts at his enemies, and if they pierce the flefh in the leaft degree, they will fink quite into it, and are not to be extrad- ed without incifion. The Indians ufe them ,
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M 424 ') for boring their ears and nofcs to infcrt their pendants, and alfo by way of ornament to their ftockings, hair, &c. befides which they greatly cftecm the flcfh.
The WOOD-CHUCK is a ground animal of the fur kind, about the fize of a martin, being nearly fifteen inches longj its body however is rounder, and his legs fhorter; the fore paws of it are broad, and conflruded for the purpofe of digging holes in the ground, where it burrows like a rabbit ; its fur is of a grey colour on the reddifli call, and its flefh tolerable food.
The RACOON is '')mewhat lefs in fize than a beaver, and its feet and legs are like thofe of that creature, but fhort in proper* tion to its body, which refembles that of the badger. The fhape of its head is much like a fox's, only the ears are fhorter, more round and naked, and its hair is alfo fimilar to that animal's, being thick,, long, foft, and black at the ends. On its face there is a broad flripc that runs acrofs it, and includes the eyes, which are large. Its muzzle is black, and at the end roundifh like that of a dog; the teeth are alfo fimilar to thofe of a dog in number and iliapc; the tail is long and round, with annular ftripes on it like thofe of a cat ;
the
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( 425 )
the feet have five long (lender toes armed with (harp chiws, by which it is enabled to dimb up trees like a monkey, and to run to the very extremities of the boughs. It makes life of its fore feet in the manner of hands, and feeds itfelf with them. ^ The flcfli of this ereature is very good in the months of September and Odober, when fruit and nuts, on which it hkes to feed, are plenty. ^ " '''^^'*' The MARTIN is rather larger than a fquirrel, and fomewhat of the fame make ; its legs and claws however are confiderably fhor- ter. Its ears are fhort, broad and roundifh, and its eyes fhine in the night like thofe of a cat. The whole body is covered with fur of a bfownifh colour, and there are ^ome in the more northern parts which are black; the iTiins of the latter are of much greater value than the others. The tail is covered with long hair, which makes it appear thicker than' it really is. Its flefh is fometimes eaten, but is not in any great efleem. i, The MUSQJJASH, or MUSK-RAT, is fo termed for the exqulfite mufli which it af- fords. It appears to be a diminutive of the beaver, being endowed with all the proper- ties of that fagacious animal, and wants no- thing but fize and llrcnglh, being not much
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bigger than a large rat of the Norway breed, to rival the creature it fo much refembles. Was it not for its tail, which is exa^Iy the fame as that of the European rat, the ftrudure of their bodies is fo much alike, efpecially the head, th:it it might be taken for a finall bea- ver. Like that creature it builds itfelf a cab- bin, but of a lefs perfed conftrudion, and takes up its abode near the fide of fome piece of water. In the fpring they leave their re- treats, and in pairs fubfift on leaves and roots till the fummcr comes on, when they feed on ftrawberries, rafberries, and fuch other fruits, as they can reach. At the approach of win- ter they feparate, when each takes up its lodging apart by itfelf in fome hollow of a tree, where they remain quite unprovided with food, and there is the greateft reafon to believe, fubfift without any till the return of fpring. t
SQJJIRRELS. There are five forts of fquirrels in America; the red, the grey, the black, the variegated, and the flying. The two former are exadly the fame as thofe of Europe ; the black are fome what larger, and differ from them only in colour ; the variegat- ed a!fo refemble them in fhape and figure, but are very beautiful, being finely ftriped
with
( 427 )
with white or grey, and fometimcs with red and black. The American flying fquirrel is much lefs than the European, being not above five inches long, and of a rufTet grey or a(h- colour on the back, and white on the under parts. It has black prominent eyes like thofe of the moufc, with a long flat broad tail. By a membrane on each fide which reaches from its fore to its hind legs, this creature is ena- bled to leap from one tree to another, even if they Hand a confiderable diftance apart ; this loofe fkin, which it is enabled to ftretch out like a fail, and by which it is buoyed up, is about two inches broad, and is covered with a fine hair or down. It feeds upon the fame provifions as the others, and is eafily tamed.
The BEAVER. This creature has been fo often treated of, and his uncommon abi- lities fo minutely defcribed, that any further account of it will appear unneceflTary 5 how- ever for the benefit of thofe of my readers who are not fo well acquainted with the form and properties of this fagacious and ufeful animal, I fhall give a concife defcription of it. The beaver is an amphibious quadruped, which cannot live for any long time in the water, and it is faid is even able to exift en- tirely
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( 42S )
'irely without it, provided it has the conve- nience of fometimes bathing itfelf. The larg- efl beavers are nearly four feet in length, and about fourteen or fifteen inches in breadth over the haunches; they weigh about fixty pounds. Its head is like that of the otter, but larger; its fnout-is pretty long, the eyes frndl, the ears ihort, round, hairy on the outfide, and fmooth within, and its teeth very long ', the under teeth ftand out of their mouths about the breadth of three fingeio', ami the upper half a finger, all of which are broad, crooked, ftrong, and fharp; befidcs thofe teeth called the incifors, which grow double, are fet very deep in their jaws, and bend like the edge of aii axe, they have fix- teen grinders, eight on each fide, four above and four below diredly oppofite to each other. With the former they are able to cut down trees of a confiderable fize, with the latter ' to break the hardcft fubftance. Its legs arc ihort, particularly the fore legs, w^hich are' only four or five inches long,, and not unlike thofe of a badger-, the toes of the fore feet arc feparate, the nails placed obliquely, and arc hollow like quills ; but the hind feet arc' quite ditferent, and fu-niflicd with mem- brands between the toes. Bv this means it
f'dn
( 429 ) can walk, though but ilowly, and is able to fwim with as much eafe as any other aqtiatie animal. The tail has fomewhat in it that re- fembles a fifh, and feems to have no manner of relation to the reft of the body, except the hind feet, all the other parts being fimilar to thofe of land animals. The tail is covered with a Ikin furnifhed with fcalcs, that arc joined together by a pellicle ; thefe fcales arc about the thicknefs if parchment, nearly a line and half in length, and generally of a hexagonical figure, having fix corners; it is about eleven or twelve inches in lengtli, and broader in the middle, where it is four inches over, than either at the root or the extremity. It is about two inches thick near the body where it is almoft round, and grows ejradu- ally thinner and flatter to the end. The co- lour of the beaver is different according to the different climates in which it is found In the moft northern parts, they are generally quite black i in more temperate, brown ; their colour becoming lighter and lighter as they approach towards the fouth. The fur is of two forts all over the body, except at the feet, where it is very Ihort ; that which is the longeft is generally in length about an inch, but on the back it foa-cumes extends to two inches,
gradually
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( 430 ) gradually diminiflling towards the head and tail. This part of the fur is harfh, coarfe, and fhining, and of little ufe; the other part confifts of a very thick and fine down, fo foft that it feels almoft like filk, about three quar- ters of an inch in length, and is what is com- monly manufa<5lured. Caftor, which is ufe- ful in medicine, is produced from the body of this creature ; it was formerly believed to be its tefticles, but later difcoveries have fhown that it is contained in four bags fituated in the lower belly. Two of which, that are called the fuperior from their being more ele- vated than the others, are filled wnth a foft refinous adhefive matter, mixed with fmall fibres, greyifli without, and yellow within, of a ftrong difagreeable and penetrating fccnt, and very inflammable. This is the true caftoreum ; it hardens in the air, and becomes brown, brit- tle and friable. The inferior ba2;s contain an unduous liquor like honey ; the colour of which is a pale yellow, and its odour fome- what different from the other, being rather weaker and more difagreeable; it however thickens as it grows older, and at lengtn be- comes about the confidence of tallow. This has alfo its particular ufe in medicine, but it is • not fo valuable as the true cufiorcum.
The
( 431 ) ^ The ingenuity of thefe creatures in build- ing their cabbins, and in providing, for their fubfiflence is truly wonderful. When they are about to chufe themfelves a habitation, they afTemble in companies fometimes of two or three hundred, and after mature delibera- tion fix on a place where plenty of provifi- ons, and all neceflaries are to be found. 1 heir houfes are always (ituated in the water, and when they can find neither lake nor pond adjacent, they endeavour to fupply the de- fed by flopping the current of fome brook or fmall river, by means of a caufeway or dam. For this purpofe they fet about felling of trees,' and they take care to chufe out thofe that grow above the place w^here they intend to build, that they might fwim down with the current. Having fixed on thofe that arc proper, three or four beavers placing them- felves round a large one, find means with their ftrong teeth to bring it down. They' alfo prudently contrive that it fliall fall to-' wards the water, that they may have the lefs way to carry it. After they have by a con-' tinuance of the fame labour and induflry, cut it into proper lengths, they roll thefe in- to the water, and navigate them towards I ho place where they are to he employed. With- out
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out entering more minutely into the me^fut-es they purfue in the conftru(Stion of their dams, I (hall only remark, that having prepared a kind of mortar with their feet, and laid it on "with their tails, which they had before made ufe of to tranfport it to the place where it is requifite, they conftrud them with as much folidity and regularity as the moft experienced workmen could do. The formation of their cabbins is no lefs amazing. Thefe are either built on piles in the middle of the fmall lakes they have thus formed, on the bank of a river, or at the extremity of fome point of land that advances into a lake. The figure of them is round or oval, and they are fa- shioned with an ingenuity equal to their dams. Two thirds of the edifice Hand a- bove the water, and this part is fufiiciently capacious to contain eight or ten inhabitants. Each beaver has his place afligned him, the Hoor of which he curioully ftrews with leaves, or fmall branches of the pine tree, fo as to render it clean and comfortable j and their cabbins are all fituated fo contiguous to each other, as to allow of an eafy communication. The winter never furprizes thefc animals be- fore their bufinefs is completed, for by the latter end of September their houfes are H^ *■ • : nilhcd,
( 433 ) ■ nifhcd, and their ftock of provifions arc ge- nerally laid in. Thefe confift of ftDall pieces of wood whofe texture is foft, fuch as the poplar, the afpin, or willow, &c. which they lay up in piles, and difpofe of in fuch in ai- ner as to preferve their moiflnre. Was I to enumerate every inltance of fagacity that is to be difcovered in thefe animals, they would fill a volume, and prove not only entertaining but inflrudive. .v. i. .^ni..,
<;. The OTTER. This creature alfo is am- phibious, and greatly refcinblcs a beaver, i)iit is very different from it in many refpe<lis. lis body is nearly as long as a beaver's, but con- fiderably lefs in all its parts. The muzzlcj eyes, and the form of the head are nearly thd fame, but the teeth are very unlike, for thcJ otter wants the large incifo s or nippers that a beaver has ; inftead of thefe, all his tct^chj without any dittindion, are (haped like thofe of a do? or wolf. The hair alfo of the for- mer 's not half fo long as that belonging to the latter, nor is the colour of it exadi/ the fame, for the hair of an o'ter under the neck, ftomach, anJ U^llv, is more grcyiih th-nthat of a beaver, and in many other refpeds it likewifc varies. This anim i!, which is met with in moft parts of the WOild, bat in much
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greater numbers in North America, is very mifchievous, and when he is clofely purfued, will not only attack dogs but men. It gene- rally feeds upon fifh, efpecially in the fum- mer, but in the winter is contented with the bark of trees, or the produce of the fields. Its flefh both taftes and fmclls of fi(h, and is not wholefome food, though it is fometimes eaten through neccflity. . .
« The MINK is of the otter kind, and fub- fifts in the fame manner. In fhape and fize it refembles a pole-cat, being equally long and (lender. Its flcin is blacker than that of an otter, or almofl any other creature, " as " black as a mink," being a proverbial expref- fion in America; it is not however fo valua- ble, though this greatly depends ort the fear fon in which it is taken. Its tail is round like that of a fnake, but growing flattifh to- wards the end, and is entirely without hair. An agreeable mufky fcent exhales from its
body; and it is met with near the fburces of rivers on whofe banks it chiefly lives.
OF THE BIRDS.
The Eagle, the Hawk, the Night Hawk, the Fifh Hawk, the Whipperwill, the Ra- ven, the Crow, the Owl, Parrots, the Feli-
. , . can,
( 435 ) can, the Crane, the Stork, the Cormorant, the Heron, the Swan, the Goofe, Ducks, Teal, the Loon, the Water-Hen, the Tur- key, the Heath-cock, the Partridge, the Qjiail, Pigeons, ♦he Snipe, Larks, the Wood- pecker, the Cuckoo, the Blue Jay, the Swal- low, the Wakon Bird, the Blackbird, the Redbird, the Thrufh;^ the Whetfaw, the Nightingale, the King Bird, the Robin, the Wren, and the Humming Bird. j i; ui ri*;^^
The EAGLE. There are only two forts of eagles in thefe parts, the bald and the grey, which are much of the fame fize, and iimilar in fhape to thofe of other countries.
^Jhe NIGHT HAWK. This Bird is of the hawk fpecies, its bill bein^ crooked, its' wings formed forfwiftnefs, and its fhape near- ly like that of the common hawk ; but in (izc it is coniiderably lefsj and in colour rather darker. It is fcarcely ever feen but in the evening, when at the approach of twilight, it flies about, and darts itfelf into wanton gambols at the head of the belated traveller. Before a thunder-fhower thefe birds are feen at an amazing height in the air, affembled to- gether in great nuitibers, as fwallows are oh-r
ferVed to do on the fame occafion.
y£z , The
( 436 ) The FISH HAWK greatly refembfes the latter in itsfhape, and receives his name froni his food, which is generally fi{h; it Ikims over the lakes and rivers, and fometimes feems to lie expanded on the water, as he ho- vers fo clofe to it, and having by fome attrac- tive power drawn the fi(h within its reach, darts fuddenly upon them. The charm it makes ufe of is fuppofed to be an oil con- tained in a fmall bag in the body, and which nature has by fome means or other fupplied him w^ith the power of ufing for this pur- pofe; it is however very certain that any bait touched with a drop of the oil colleded from this bird is an irrefiflible lure for all forts of filh, and infures the angler great fuccefs.
The WHIPPERWILL, or as it is termed by the Indians, the Muckawifs. This extra- ordinary bird is fomewhat like the laft-men- tioned in its fhape and colour, only it has fome whitjfb jftripes acrofs the wings, and like that is feldom ever feen till after fun-fet. It alfo is never met w^ith but during the fpring » and fummer months. As foon as the Indians are inforfned by its notes of its return, they conclude that the froft is entirely gan«, in which they are feldom deceived ; and on re- telving this aliurancc of milder weather, be- ' . ein
( 437 )
gin to fow their corn. It acquires its name by the noife it makes, which to the people of the colonies founds like the name they give it Whipper-will j to an Indian ear Muck-a-wifs. The words, it is true, are not alike, but in this manner they ftrike the imagination of each; and the circumftance is a proof that the fame founds, if they are not rendered cer- tain by being reduced to the rules of ortho- graphy, might convey different ideas to dif- ferent people. As foon as night comes on, ^ thefe birds will place themfelves on the fen- ces, ftumps, or fto'aes that lie near fome houfe, and repeat their melancholy notes without any variation till midnight. The Indians, and fome of the inhabitants of the back fet- tlements, think if this bird perches on any houfe, that it betokens fome mifhap to the inhabitants of it.
The OWL. The only fort of owls that is found on the banks of the MiiTiflippi, is ex- tremely beautiful in its plumage, being of a £ne deep yellow or gold colour, pleafingly fhaded and fpotted.
The CRANE. There is a kind of crane in thefe parts, which is called by Father Hennepin a pelican, that is about the fizc of the Eu- ropean crane, of a greyifh colour, and with
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long legs; but this fpecies differs from all others in its bill, which is about twelve inches long, and one inch and half broad, of which breadth it continues to the end, where it is blunted, and round like a paddle ^ its tongue is of the fame length.
DUCKS. Among a variety of wild ducks, the different fpecies of which amount to up- wards of twenty, I (hall confine my defcrip- tion to one fort, that is, the wood duck, or as the French term it. Canard branchus. This fowl receives its name from its frequenting the Woods, and perching on the branches of trees which no other kind of water fowl (a charadleriflic that this.ftill preferves) is known to do. It is nearly of a fize with other ducks, its plumage is beautifully variegated, and ve- ry brilliant. The lle(h of it alfo, a$ it feeds but little ori fifh, is finely flavoured, apd much fuperior to any other fort.
The TEAL. 1 have already remarked in my Journal, that the teal found on the Fox tivef, and the head branches of the Mifliffip- pi, are perhaps not to be equalled for the fatr nefs and delicacy of their flefh by any other in the world. In colourv fhape, and fize they are very little different from thpfp fonrld ii^ other countries.
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( 439 ) The LOON is a water fowl, fomewhat lefs than a teal, and is a ipecies of the dabchick. Its wings are (hort, and its legs and feet large in proportion to the body j the colour of it is a dark brown, nearly approaching to black, and as it feeds only on filh, the fleih of it is very ill-flavoured. Thefe birds are exceed- ingly nimble and expert at diving, fo th^t it is almoft impofllble for one perfon to flioot them, as they will dextroully avoid the (hot by diving before they reach them; fo that it requires three perfons to kill one of them, and this can only be done the moment it raifes his head out of the water as it returns to the furface after diving. It however only repays the trouble taken to obtain it, by the excel- lent fport it affords. j,-,ft
The PARTRIDGE;. There arc three forts of partridges here, the brown, the red, and the black, thefirft of which are mofl cf- teemed. They are all much larger than the European partridges, being nearly the lize of a hen pheafant ; their head and eyes are alfo like that bird, and they have all long tails, which they fpread like a fan, but not ereft; but contrary to the cuftom of thofe in other coun\.ri(^i, they will perch on the branch of the poplar and black birch, on the buds of
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which they feed early in tlie morniiig and in the twihght of tlie evening during the win-, ter months, when they are eafiiy (hot, ^ '^' Tiie VVOOOP. ClvE-<. This is a very teauliful birdj there is one fort v;hofe fea- thers are a mixture of various colours-, and cinothcr that is bjovvn all over the body, except the head and neck, which arc of a -fine red. As this bird is funpofed to make a greater noife than ordinary at particular times, it is conjedured his cries then denote rain. - .,r^^,y.y -3^**. *>■.., j,
The BLUE JAY. This bird is fhaped nearly like the European jay, only that its tail is longer. On the top of its head i? a creft of blue feathers, which is raifed or let down at pleafure. The lower part of the neck behind, and the back, are of a purplifh colour, and the upper iides of the wings and tail, as v/ell as the lower part of the back
' and rump, are of a fine blue ; the extremities of the Wings are blackifb, faintly tindlured with dark blue on the edges, whilft the other
- parts of the wing are barred acrofs with black in an elegant manner. Upon the whole this bird cnn fcarccly be exceeded in beauty by ar]y of the winged inhabitants of this or other climates. It has the fame jetting motion that
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( H\ )
jays generally have, and its cry is far more pleafing. ■ u^;/^ . i . .. ->* .
The WAKON BIRD, as it is termed by the Indians, appears to be of the fame fpecies as the birds of p iradife. The name they have given it is expicifive of its fiiperior excellence, and the veneration they h.ve for it j the wakon bird being in th."ir language the bird of the Great Spirit. It is nearly the fize of a fwallow, of a brown colour, fliaded about the neck with a bright green, the wings are of a darker brown than the body ; its tail is com- pofed of four or five feathers, which are three times as long as its body, and which are beau- tifully fhaded with green and purple. It car- ries this fine length of plumage in the fame manner as a peacock does, but it is not known whether it ever raifes it into the ere6l pofiti- on that bird fometimes does. I never faw any of thefe birds in the colonies, but the Naudoweiile Indians caught feveral of them when I was in their country, and feemed to treat them as if they w^erc of a fuperior rank to any other of the feathered race.
?f. The BLACKBIRD. There are three forts of birds in North- America that bear this name; the firft is the common, or as it is there termed, the crow blackbird-, which is
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quite black, and of the fame fize and fhape of thofe in Europe, but it has not that melody in its notes which they have. In the month of September this fort fly in large flights, and do great mifchief to the Indian corn which is at that time juft ripe. The fecond fort is the red-.wing, which is rather fmaller than thefirft fpecies, but like that it is black all over its body, except on the lower rim of the wings, where it is of a fine bright full fcarlet. It ' builds its neft, and chiefly reforts among the fmall buihes that grow in meadows and low fwampy places. It whiftles a few notes, but is not equal in its fong to the European blacks bird. The third fort is of the fame fize as the latter, and is jet black like that, but all the upper part of the wing, juft below the back, is of a fine clear w^hite; as if nature intended to diverfify the fpecies, and to atone for the want of a melodious pipe by the beauty of its plumage J for this alfo is deficient in itsmufical powers. The beaks of every fort are of a full yellow, and the females of each of a ruf- ty black like the European. '■^^''- ^>n^^^^¥{ The RED BIRD is about the fize of a fparrow, but with a longer tail, and is all over a bright vermillion colour. I faw many of them about the Gttaw^aw Laki^^, but t-
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( 443 ) could nat learn that they fung. I al fo ob- ferved in fome other part, a bird of much the fame make, that was entirely of a fine yellow, rFf
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The WHETSz\W is of the cucko\r kind, being like that a folitary bird, and fcarcely ever feen. In the fummer months it is beard in the groves, where it makes a noife like the filing of a faw ; from which it re- ceives its name, isi,' H*i' :^f^^1,>^ii ,f n vinx'
The KING BIRD is like a fwallow, and feemsto be of the fame fpecies as the black martin or fwift. It is called the King Bird becaufe it is able to mafter almoft every bird that flies. I have often feen it bring down
• a hawk,j.j-^^ ,iv^i **-'■' i- -i-- * " ■ ■• • •• •- - ' ' ' " The HUMMING BIRD. This beautiful
bird, which is the fmalleft of the feathered inhabitants of the air, is about the third part the fize of a wren, and is fhaped ex- tremely like it. Its legs, which are about an inch long, appear like two fmall needles, and its body i§ proportionable to them. But its plumage exceeds defcription. On its head it has a fmall tuft of a jetty fhining black ; tljebreaftof it is red» the belly white, the backs, wings, and tiil of the fineft pale green J and fmall fpecks of gold are fcattered
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( 444 ) with InexprefTible grace over the whole : be- (ides this an almoil imperceptible down fof- tens the colours, and produces the moft pleaf- ing Ih ides. With its bill, which is of the fame diminutive fize as the other parts of its body, it extrads from the ilowers a moiftnre which is its nourifhment \ over thefe it ho- vers ''ke a bee, but never lights on them, moving at the fame time its wings with fuch velocity that the motion of them is imper- ceptible; notwithftanding which they make a humming noife, from whence it receives ita
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Of the FISHES which are found in th^
Waters of the Miffijftppi,
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'^ I have already given a defcription of thofe that are taken in the great lakes. ■^^>^oiui%^ '^ The Sturgeon, the Pout or Cat Fifh, the Pike, the Carp, and the Chub. ' ^q«f^ ^^^tJ /The STURGEON. The frefh water ftur- geon is fhaped in no other refpe(fl like thofe taken near the fea, except in the formation of its head and tail ^ which are fafliioned ifl the fame manner, but the body is not fo an-
'gulated,
( 445 ;
giilated, nor are there fo miny hoi'ny fcalcs about it as on the latter. Its length is ge-* nerally about two feet and an half or three feet long, but in circumference not proportionable, being a flcnder fiih. The flelh is exceedingly delicate and finely fla- voured; I caught fome in the he:id walers of the River St. Croix-, that fnr exceeded trout. The manner of taking tliem is by watching them as they lie under the banks, in a clear flream, and darting at them with a fifh-fpear j for they will not take a bait. There is alfo in the MiQiiTippi, and there only, another fort than the fpecies I have defcribed, which is fimilar to it in every ref^ ped, except that the upper jaw extends fourteen or fifteen inches beyond the under; this extenfive jaw which is of a grifly fubflance is three inches and half broad, and continues of that breadth, fomewhat in the fhape of an oar, to the end, which is flat. The flefh of this fifh, however, is not to be compared with the other fort, and is not fo much efteemed even by the In- distns.
.. The CAT FISH. This fifh is about eigh- teen inches long ; of a brownilli colour and
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.( 4+6 ) without fcales. It has a large rotind head,, from whence it receives its name, on diffe- . rent parts of which grow three or four (harp horns about two inches long. Its fins are alfo very bony andftrong, and without great care will pierce the hands of thofe who take them. It weighs commonly about five or fix pounds ; the flefh of it is excelTively fat and lufcious, and greatly refembles that of an^ eel in its flavour. ' < . > . .f„ c . The CARP and CHUB are much the fame as thofe in England, and nearly about the fame fize. ,
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' - OF SERPENTS.
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The Rattle Snake, the Long Blapk Snake, the Wall or Houfe Adder, the Striped or;, Garter Sna^ 3, the Water Snake, the Hif-. fing Snake, the Green Snake, the Thorn-tail Snake, the Speckled Snake, the Ring Snake^-r-. the Two-headed Snake. ^/ ^^ ^^||^-
The RATTLE SNAKE. There appear to be two fpecies of this reptile; one of which is commonly termed the Black, and the other the Yellow j and of thefe the latter is generally confidered as the largeft. At
their
• C 447 )
their full growth they are upwards of five feet long, and the middle part of the body at which it is of the greateft bulk, meafures about nine inches round. From that part it gradually decreafes back towards the head and the tail. The neck is proportionably very fmall, and the head broad and deprefled Thefe are of a light brown colour, tht, iris of the eye red, and all the upper part of the body brown, mixed with a ruddy yellow,. and chequered wivh many regular lines of a deep black, gradually (hading towards a gold colour. In fhort, the whole of this danger- ous reptile ?s very beautiful, and could it be viewed with lefs terror, fuch a variegated arrangement of colours would be extremely pleafing. But thefe are only to be feen in their highefl perfedion at the time this crea- ture is animated by refentment ; then every tint rufhes from its fubcutaneous recefs, and gives the furface of the {kin a deeper ftain. The belly is of a palifh blue, which grows fuller as it approaches the fides, and is at length intermixed with the colour of the up- per part. The rattle at its tail, from which it receives its name, is compofed of a firm, dry, callous, or horny fubflance of a light
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( 448 ) brown, and confifts of a number of cells Nvhich articulate one with another like joints } and which incrcafe every year and make known the age of the creature. Thefe ar- ticulations being very loofe, the included points ftrike agiiiiiil the inner furface of the concave part or rings into which they arc admitted, and as the fnake vibrates or fhakcs its tail, makes a r:iU' n;:^ noife. This alarm it always gives when it is apprehenfive of danger; and in an inflant after forms itfelfinto a fpiral wreath, in the centre of which appears the head ered, and breathing forth vengeance againft either m.an or beaft *^'^ fhall dare to come near it. In this at- titc.de he awaits the approach of his ene- mies, rattling his tail as he fees or hears them coming on. By this timely intima- tion, which heaven feems to have provided as a means to counterad the mifchief this venemous reptile would otherwife be the perpetrator of, the unwary traveller is ap- prized of his danger, and has an oppor- tunity of avoiding it. It is however to be obferved, that it never ads ofFenfively •, it neither purfues or flies from any thing that approaches it, but lies in the pofition ' v" , defcribed,
[ 449 ]
defcribed, rattling his tail as if reludant to hurt. The teeth with which this ferpcnt ef- feds his poifonous purpofes arc not thofe he makes ufe of on ordinary occafions, they are only two in number, very fmall and fharp pointed, and fixed in a finewy fubftance that liesnear the extremity of the tipper jaw, rc- fembling the claws of a cat ; at the root of each of thefe, which might be extended^ contra61:ed, or entirely hidden, as need re- quires, are two fmall bladders which nature has fo conftrudled, that at the fame inftant an incifion is made by thd teeth, a drop of a greenifh poifcnoua liquid enters the wound, and taints with itsdeflrudive quality the whole mafsof blood. In a moment the unfortunate vi6tim of its wrath feels a chilly tremor runs through all his frame j a fwellingimmediately begins on the fpot. where the teqthhad entered, which fpreads by degrees over the whole body, and produces (m every part of the fkin the varie- gated hue of thefnake. Thebjte of this reptile; is more or lefs venomous according tothefea- fonof the year in which it is given. In the dog- days, it often proves inftantly mortal, and ef*- pecially if the wound is made axong the t, J A I G 2 fnievvs
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frnews fituated in the back part of the legabove the heelj but in the fpring, in autumn, or du- ring a cool day which might happen in fum- mer, its bad efFedts are to be prevented b3^thc immediate application of proper remedies; and thefe Providence has bounteoufly fuppli- ed, by caufmg the Rattle Snake Plantain, an approved antidote to the poifbn of this crea- ture, to grow in great profufion where- ever they are to be met with. There are likewifc feveral other remedies befides this, for the ve- nom of its bite. A deco(5lion made of the buds or bark of the white afh taken internal- ly prevents its pernicious efFedts. Salt is a newly difcovered remedy, and if applied immediately to the part, or the wound be wafhed with brine, a cure might be aflured. The fat of the reptile alfo rubbed on it is fre- quently found to be very efficacious. But though the lives of the perfons who have been bitten might bepreferved by thefe, and their health in fome degree reftored,yet they annu- ally experience a flight return of the dreadful fymptoms about thetime they received the in- jftillation. However remarkable it may ap- pear it is certain, that though the venom
of
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[ 45' J
of this creature affcds in a greater or lefs de- gree all animated nature, the hog is an excep- tion to the rule, as that animal will readily deftroy them without '^reading their poifon- ous fangs, and fatten on their flefli. It has been often obferved, and I can confirm the obfervation, that the Rattle Snake is charmed with any harmonious founds, whether vocal or inftrumental; I have many times feen them even when they have been enr^^ed, place themfelves ina liftening pofture, andcontinuc immovably attentive and fufceptible of de- light all the time the mufick has lafled. I Ihould have remarked, that when the Rat- tle Snake bites, it drops its under jaw, and holding the upper jaw erec^, throws itfelf in a curved line, with great force, and as quick as lightning, on the objed of its re- fentment. In a moment after, it returns again to its defenfive poflure, having difen- gaged its teeth from the wound with great celerity, by means of the pofition in which it had placed its head when it made the attack. It never extends itfelf to a greater diftancc than half its length will reach, and though it fometimes re- peats the blow tw^o or three times, it as
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often returns with a fudden rebound to its former (late. The Black Rattle Snake dif- fers in no other refped from the yeliow, than in being father fmalier, and in the variega- tion of its colours, which are exadly reverf- ed : one is black where the other is yellow, and vice verfa. They are equally , vcnonious. It is not known how thefe creatures engen- der ; 1 have often found the eggs of feveral other fpecies of the fnake, but notwithftand- ing no one has tak^n n>OTe pains to acquire a perfe(^ knowledge of every property of thefe reptiles than myfelf, I never could difcover the manner in which they bring forth their young. I once killed a female that had feventy young ones in its belly, but thefe ^vere perfectly formed, and I faw them juft be- fore retire to the mouth of their mother, as a place of fecurity, on my approach. The gall of this ferpent, mixed with chalk, are formed into little balls, and exported from America for medicinal purpofes. They are of the nature of Gafcoign's powders, and are an excellent remedy for complaints incident to children. The fleih of the fnake alfo dried, arid made into broth, is mucli
more
[ 453 ]
more nutritive than that of vipers, and very efficacious ^igainft confumptions. '^
The LONG BLACK SNAKE.
Thefe are alfo of two forts, both of which are exadlly fimilar in fliape and fize, only the belly of one is a light red, the other a faint blue 5 all the upper parts of their bodies are black and fcaly. They are in general from fix to eight feet in length, and carry their heads, as they crawl along, about a foot and half from the ground. They eafily climb the higheft trees in purfuit of birds and fquirrels, which are their chief food j and ihefe, it is faid, they charm by their looks, and render incapable of elcaping from them. Their ap- pearance carries terror with it to thofe who are unacquainted with their inability to hurt, but they are pcrfedly inoffenfive and free from venom. The STRIPED or GARTER SNAKE, is cxadly the fame as that fpecics found in other climates.
The WATER SNA K E h much like the Rattle Snake in /liapc and fjz,e, but is not endowed with the fame venomous powers, being quite harmlefs,
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The HISSING SNAKEI have already particularly defcribed, when I treat- ed, in my Journal, of Lake Erie.
The G R E E N S N A K E is about a foot and half long, and in colour fo near to grafs and herbs, that it cannot be difcovered as it lies on the ground ; happily however it is free from venom, otherwife it would do an infi- nite deal of mifchief, as thofe who pafs through the meadows, not being able to per- ceive it, are deprived of the power of avoid* ing it.
The T H O R N-T A I L S N A K E, This reptile is found in many parts of Ame- rica, but is very feldom to be feen. It is of 4 middle-fize, and receives its name from a thorn-like dart in its tail, with which it is faid to inflidt a mortal wound. ^ -
TheSPECKLEDSNAKEisan aqueous reptile about two feet and half in length, but without vepom. Its fkin, which is brown and white with Ibme fpots of yel- low in it, is ufed by the Americans as a cover for the handles of whips, and it ren- ders then^ very pleading to the fight.
The RING SNAKE is about twelve ^f^ches long j the body of it is entirely
Ijlack,
^
[ 455 ] ^ • •'
black, except a yellow ring which it has about its neck, and which appears like a narrow piece of riband tied around it. This odd reptile is frequently found in the bark of trees, and among old logs.
The TWO-HEADED SNAKE.
' The only fnake of this kind that was ever feen in America, was found about the year
' T762, near Lake Cham plain, by Mr. Park, a gentleman of New England, and made a prefent to Lord Amherft. It was about a
• foot long, and in fhape like the common fnake, but it was furnifhed with two heads cxadly (imilar, which united at the neck.
• Whether this was a diftind fpecies of fnakes, and was able to propagate its like- nefs, or whether it was an accidental forma- tion, I know not.
The TORTOISE or LAND TUR. TLE. The fhape of this creature is fo well known that it is unnecefTary to de- fcribe it. There are feven or eight forts of them in America, fome of which are beautifully variegated, even beyond de- fcription. The (hells of many have fpots of red, green, alld yellow in them, and the chequer work is compofed of fmall fquares,
curioufly
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• ' ' [ 456 ]
curioufty difpofed. The mod beautiful fort of thefe creatures are the fmalleft, and tlic bite of them is faid to be venomous.
LIZARDS, &c.
Though there are numerous kinds of this
clafs of the animal creation in thecouritry I
treat of, I Ihall only take notice of two of
them; which are termed the Swift and
^ Slow Lissard.
'I The SWIFT LIZARD is about fix- 'r
inches long, and has four legs and a tail. Its body, which isblue,isprettily ftriped with dark lines fhaded with yellow j but the end of the tail is totally blue. It is fo remarkably agile that in an inftant it is out of fight, nor can its movement be perceived by the quickefl .eye: fo that it might more juflly be faid to vanifh, than to run away. This fpecies are fuppofed to poifbn thofe they bite, but are not dangerous, as they never attack per- fons that approach them, chufing rather to get fuddenly out of their reach.
TheSLOW LI 2 A RD is of the fame ihape as the Swift, but its colour is brown ;
■ "it
I 457 ]
it is moreover of an oppofite difpofition, being altogether as flow in its movements as the other is fwift. It is remarkable that thefe lizards are extremely brittle, and will break off near the tail as eafiiy as an icicle. Among the reptiles of North America thereis afpeciesof thetoad termed the TREE TOAD, which is nearly of -the fame ftiapc as the common fort, but fmallcr aiid with longer claws. It is ufually found on trees, flicking clofe to the bark, or tying in the crevices of it ; and fo nearly does it rcfem- ble the colour of the trees to which it cleaves, that it can with difiiculty be diftinguiflied from it. Thefe creatures are only heard during the twilight of the morning and evening, or juft before and after a fliower of rain, when they make a croaking noifo fomewhat flifiller thanthat of a frog, which might be heard to a great diftance. They infeft the woods in fuch nurhbers, that their refponfive notes at thefe times make th^ air refound. It is o;ily a fummer animal, never to be. found during the winter.
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C 458 ]
INSECTS.
^ The interior parts of North America abound with nearly the fame infers as are met with in the fame parallels of latitude j and the fpecies of them are fo numerous and diverfified, that even a fuccind defcription of the whole of them would fill a volume ; I ihall therefore confine myfelf to three forts, which I believe are almoft peculiar to this country j the Lightning Bug, the Water Bug, and the Horned Bug.
The LIGHTNING BUG or FIRE FLY 18 about the fize of a bee, but it is of the beetle kind, having like that infed two pair of wings, the upper of which^are of a nrmtexturc,to defend itfrom danger. When it flies, and the wings are expanded, there is under thefe a kind of coat, conftru£led alfo like wings, which is luminous ; and as the infed palTes on, caufes all the hinder part of >1ts body to appear like a bright fiery coal. Having placed one of them on your hand, the under part only fhines, and throws the light on the fpace beneath j but as foon as
-,-.- .- ; -. -...---.. - , - ■ it
I 459 I
it fpreads its upper wings to fly away, the ivhole body which lies behind them ap- pears illuminated all around. The light it gives is i)ot conftantly of the fame mag- nitude, even when it flies j but fcems to depend on the expanfion or contraction of the luminous coat or wings ; and is very different from that emitted in a dark night by dry wood or fome kinds of fifh, it having much more the appearance of real fire. They feem to be fenfiblc of the power they are poiTelTed of, and to know the moft fuitable time for exerting it, as in a very dark night they are much more numerous than at any other time. They are only feen during the fummer months, June, July, and Auguft, and then at no other time but in the night. Whether from their colour, which is a duflcy brown, they are not then difcernablej or from their retiring to holes and crevices, 1 know not, but they arc never to be difcovered in the day. They chiefly are feen in low fwampy land,' and appear like innumerable tranfient gleams of light. In dark nights when there is much lightning, without rain, they feem as if they wifhed cither to imitate or aflift
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the flaflics -, for during the intervals, they are uncommonly agile and endeavour to throw out every ray they can colledl. Not- withl^anding this effulgent appearance, thefe infedts are perfedly harmlefs; you may permit them to crawl upon your hand, when five or fix, if they freely exhibit their glow together, wili enable you to read al- moft the fmalleft print.
The WATER BUG is of a brown colour, about the fize of a pea, and in fhape nearly oval : it has many legs, by means of which it pafifes over the furface of the water with fuch incredible fwiftnefs, that it fcems to Aide or dart itfelf along.
The HORNED BUG, or as it is fometimes termed the STAG BEETLE, is of a dulky brown colour nearly approach- ing to black, about an inch and half long, and half an inch broad. It has two large horns, which grow on each fide of the head, and meet horizontally, and with thefc it pinches very hard 5 they are branched like thofe of a ftag, from whence it receives its name. They fly about in the evening, and prove very troublefome to thofe who are in the fields at that timp, *
1 muft
[ 46i ]
I muft not omit that the LOCUST is a. fcptenniai infed, as they are only.feen^ a fmall number of flragglers excepted, every feven years^ when they infcft thefe parts^ and the interior colonies in large fwarms, and do a great deal of mifchief. The years when they thus arrive are denominated the locuil years. . ^
.iii.i
CHAP. XIX.
Of the Trees, Shrubs, Roots, Herbs,
Flowers, ^c.
' f
! !
w
!
H m
I SHALL here obferve the fame method that I have purfued in the preceding chapter, and having given a lift of the frees, &c. which are natives of the interior parts of North America, particu- larize fuch only as differ from the produce of other countries, or being little knowny have not been defcribed.
OF TREES.
The Oak, the Pine Tree, the Maple, the A(b, the Hemlock, the Bafs or White
Wood,
i
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'f,
I
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|t
[ 4^^ ]
Wood, the Cedar, the Elm, the Birch, tha Fir, the Locuft Tree, the Poplar, the Wickopic or Suckwic, the Spruce, the Hornbeam, and the Button Wopd Tree. '5'•^
The OAK. There are feveral forts o£
oaks in thcfe parts -, the black, the white,
the red, the yellow, the grey, the fwamp
oak, and the chefnut oak : the five former
vary but little in their external appearance,
the (hape of the leaves and the colour of the
bark being fo much alike, that they arc
fcarcely diflinguifhable j but the body of the '
tree when fawed difcovers the variation,
which chiefly confifts in the colour of the
wood, they being all very hard and proper
for building. The fwamp oak differs ma-
terially from the others both in the fhape
of the leaf, which is fmaller, and in the
bark, which is fmoother j and likewife as
it grows only in a mojft gravelly foil. It is
efteemed the tougheft of all woods, being '
fo ftrong yet pliable, that it is often made •
ufe of inftead of whalebone, and is equally •
ferviceable. The chefnut oak alfo is great- '
ly different from the others, particularly in ;
the (hape of the leaf, which much refembles
}iai>iai*3H
that
( 463 )
that of the chefnut tree, and for this reafon it is fo denominated. It is neither fo ftrong as the former fpecies, or fo tough as the latter, but is of a nature proper to be fplit into rails for fences, in which ftate it will endure a confi- derable time, i
c The PINE TREE. That fpecies of the pine tree peculiar to this part of the con- tinent is the white, the quality of which I need not defcribe, as the timber of it is fo well known under the name of deals. It grows here in great plenty, to an amazing height and fize, and yields an excellent tur- pentine, though not in fuch quantities as thofe in the northern parts of Europe.
THE MAPLE. Of this tree there are two* forts, the hard and the foft, both of which yield a lufcious juice, from which the Indians by boiling make very good fugar. The fap of the former is much richer and fweeter than the latter, but the foft produces a greater quantity. The wood of the hard maple is very beautifully veined and curled, and when wrought into cabinets, tables, gunftocks, &c. is greatly valued. That of the foft fort differs in its texture, wanting the * ^ variegated
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I 464 J
'variegated grain of the haifd j it alio grows more (Irait and free from branches, and in more eafily fplit. It likewife may be diftin* gnifhed from the hard, as this grows in meadows and low-lands, thai on the hill and up-lands. The leaves are (haped alike, but thofe of the foft maple arc much the fargcft, and of a deeper greem &f
The ASH. There are fevcral forts of
' this tree, in thcfe parts, but that to which I Ihall confine my defcription, is the yellow a{h, which is only foond near the heacj branches of the Miffiflippi. This tree grows to an amazing height, and the body of it is fo firm and found, that the French traders who go into that country from Louisiana to piir- chafe furs make of them periaguays ; this they do by excavating them wit ti fire, and when they are completed, convey in theni the produce of their trade to New Orleans, where they find a good market both for their vefTels and cargoes. The wood of
this tree greatly refembles that of the com^ mon afl>, but it might be diftinguifhed from
any
((>
* * 1
{ 465 )
any other tree by its bark ; the rofs or outfidc bark bcine near cidit inches thick, and in- dented with furrows more than fix inches deep, which make thofc that are arrived to a great bulk appear uncommonly rough j and by this pecLiHarity they may be readily known. The rind or infide bark is of the fanie thick- nefs as that of other trees, bul its colour is a fine bright yellow; imomuch that if it is but (lightly handled, it will leave a ftain on the fingers, which cannot eafily be waHied away ; and if in the fpring you peel off the bark, and touch the fap, which then rifes between that and the body of the tree, it will leave fo deep a tindure that it will require three or four days to wear it off. Many ufeful qua- lities belonging to this tree I doubt not will be difcovered in time, befides its proving a valuable acqulfition to the dyer.
The HEMLOCK TREE grows in every part of America in a greater or lefs degree. It is an ever-green of a very large growth, and has leaves fomewhat like that of the yew -, it is however quite ufelefs, and only an in- cumbrance to the ground, the wood being of a very coarfe grain, and full of wind-fliakes or cracks. • . - v ,
nil ' ■ The
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( 466 )
The BASS or WHITE WOOD is a tree of a middling fize, and the whiteft and fofu eft wood that grows , when quite dry it fwims on the water like a cork ; in the fettle- ments the turners make of it bowls, trenchers and difhes, and will laft a long timej but when applied to any other purpofe it is far from durable.
The WICKOPICK or SUCK WICK ap- pears to be a fpecies of the white wood, and is diftinguifhed from it by a peculiar quality in the bark, which when pounded and moif- tened with a little water^ inftantly becomes a matter of the conliftence and nature of lize. With this the Indians pay their canoes, and it greatly exceeds pitch or any other material ufually appropriated to that purpofe ; for be- fides its adhefive quality, it isoffo oily a nature, that the water cannot penetrate througli it, and its repelling power abates not for a confiderable time. *■
The BUTTON WOOD is a tree of the largcft fize, and might be diftinguilTied by its bark, which is quite fmooth and prettily mottled. The wood is very proper for the ufe of cabinet-makers. It is covered with fmall hard burs which fpring from the branch-
'■ es,
( 46? ) cs, that appear not unlike buttons, and from thefe I believe it receives its name.
NUT TREES.
The Butter or Oilnut, the Walnut, the Hazlenut, the Beechnut, the Pecannut^ the Chefnut, the Hickory. •.
The BUTTER or OILNUT. As no mention has been made by any authors of this nut, I fhall be the more particular in my account of it. The tree grows in mea- dows, where the foil is rich and warm. The body of it feldom exceeds a yard in circum- ference, is full of branches, the twigs of which are fhort and blunt, and its leaves re- femble thofe of the walnut. The nut has a fhell like that fruit, which when ripe is more furrowed, and more eafily cracked ; it is alfo much longer and larger than a walnut, and contains a greater quantity of kernel, which; i? very oily, and of a rich agreeable flavour. I am perfuaded that a much purer oil than that of olives, might be extraded from this' nut. The infide bark of this tree dyes a good purple ; and it is faid, varies in its jdyt H h 2 (hade,
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( 468 )
fhade, being either darker or lighter accord- ing to the month in which it is gathered.
The BEECH NUT. Though this tree grows exadly like that of the fame name in Europe, yet it produces nuts equally as good as chefnuts ; on which bears, martins, fquir- rels,' partridges, turkies, and many other beafts and birds feed. The nut is contained, whilil growing, in an outfide cafe like that of a chefnut, but not fo prickly; and the coat of the iniide fhell is alfo fmooth like that ; only its form is nearly triangular. Vafl quantities of them lie fcattered about in the woods, and fupply with food great numbers of the creatures juft mentioned. The leaves, w^hich are white, continue on the trees during the whole winter. A de- codion made of them is a certain and expe- ditious cure for wounds which arife from burning or fcalding, as well as a reftorative for thofe members that are nipped by the frcft.
The PECANNUT Is fomewhat of the walnut kind, but rather fmaller than a wal- nut, being about the fize of a middling acorn, and of an oval form^ the Ihell is eafily cracked, and the kernel /h^vped like that of a
walnut.
( 469 )
Walnut. This tree grows chiefly near the Il- linois river.
The HICKORY is alfo of the walnut kind, and bears a fruit nearly like that tree. There are feveral forts of them, which vary only in the colour of the wood. Being of a very tough nature, the wood is generally ufed for the handles of axes, &c. It is alfo very good fire wood, and as it burns an ex- cellent fugar diftills from it.
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FRUIT TREES.
'* " 1 need not obferve that thefe are all the Spontaneous produdions of nature, which have never received the advantages of in- grafting, tranfplanting, or manuring. "' The crab apple-tree, the plum-tree, and ' the cherry-tree.
The CRAB APPLE TREE bears a fruit
that is much larger and better flavoured than
' thofe of Europe. '"' " •
The PLUM-TREE. There are two
forts of plums in this country, one a large
fort of a purple caft on one fuie, and red on
the reverfe, the fecond totally green, and
\ much fmaller. Both thefe are of a good
•■ . . flavour,
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f{
' C 470 ) '
flavour, and are gfeatly efteemed by the In- dians, whofe talle is not refined, but who are fatisfied with the produdions of nature in their unimproved Itate.
The CHERRY-TREE. There are three forts of cherries in this country, the black, the red, and the fand cherry ; the two latter may with fome propriety be ranked among the fhrubs, as the buih that bears the fand cherries almoll creeps along the ground, and the other rifes not above eight or ten feet in height j however I ihall give an account of them all in this place. The black cherries are about the fize of a currant, and hang in clutters like grapes ; the trees which bear them being very fruitful, they are generally loaded, but the fruit is not good to eat, however they give an agree- able flavour to brandy, and turn it to the colour of claret. The red cherries grow in the greateft profufion, and hang in bunches like the black fort juft defcribed; fo that the buflies which bear them appear at a dif- tance like folid bodies of red matter. Some people admire this fruit, but rhey partake of the nature and tafle of allum, leaving a dif- agreeable roughnefs in the throat, and being ;•■-- V- . very
( 47' ) ^ very aftringent. As I have already defcribed the fand cherries, which greatly exceed the two other forts both in flavour and lize, I fhall give no further defcription of them. The wood of the black cherry-tree is very ufeful, and works well into cabinet-ware.
SHRUBS.
» f
•T ?■'*'•■■:'* ^ ''•'■' ") }{*Y^
The Willow, Shin Wood, Shumack, Saf- fafras, the Prickly Afti, Moofe Wood, Spoon Wood, Large Elder, Dwarf Elder, Poifonous Elder, Juniper, Shrub Oak, Sweet Fern, the Laurel, the Witch Hazle, the Myrtle, Win- ter Green, the Fever Bufh, the Cranberry Bufh, theGoofberry Bulh, the Currant Bufh, the Whirtle Berry, the Rafberry, the Black Berry, and the Choak Berry. T The WILLOW. There are feveral fpe- cics of the willow, the moft remarkable of which is a fmall fort that grows on the banks of the MiiTiflippi, and fome other places ad- jacent. The bark of this fhrub fupplies the beaver with its winter food •, and where the water has wafhed the foil from its roots, they appear to confiit of fibres interwoven together like thread, the colour of which is of an in-
^ expreflibly
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■ C 472 )
cxprefTibly fine fcarlet ; with this the Indi- ans tinge many of the ornamental parts of their drefs.
SHIN WOOD. This extraordinary (hrub grows in the forefts, and rifing like a vine, runs near the ground for fix or eight feet, and then takes root again ; in the fame manner taking root, and fpringing up fucceflively, one ftalk covers a large fpace-, this proves very troublefonic to the hafty traveller, by ftrikmg againft his (bins, and entangling his legs ; from which it has acquired its name.
The SASSAFRAS is a wood well known for its medicinal qualities. It might with equal propriety be termed a tree as a flirub,
. as it fometimes grows thirty feet high j but in general it dpes not reach higher than thofe of the Ihrub kind. Tlx leaves, which yield an agreeable fragance, are large and nearly
' feparated into three divifions. It hears a reddilh brown berry of the fize and fhape of Pimento, and which is fometimes ufed in the colonies as a fubfiitute for that fpice. The bark or roots of this tree is infinitely fupe- rior to the wood for its ufe in medicine, and I am furprized it is fo feldom to be met with, as its efiicacy is fo much greater.
The
( 473 )
' The PRICKLY ASH is a fhrub that fome- times grows to the height of ten or fifteen feet, and has a leaf exadly refembling that ofanafh, but it receives the epithet to its name from the abundance of fliort thorns with which every branch is covered, and which renders it very troublefome to thofe who pafs through the fpot where they grow thick. It alfo bears a fcarlct berry, which when ripe, has a fiery tafte like peppel*. The bark of this tree, particularly the bark of the roots, is highly efleemed by the na- tives for its medicinal qualities. I have al- ready mentioned one inftance of its efiicacy, and there is no doubt but that the decodlion of it will expeditioufly and radically remove all impurities of the blood.
The MOOSE WOOD grows about four feet high, and is very full of branches ; but what renders it worth notice is its bark, which is of fo ftrong and pliable a texture, that being peeled off any feafon, and twilled, makes equally as good cordage as hemp. - The SPOON WOOD is a fpecies of the laurel, and the WQod when fa wed refem- bles box wood.
:' -^ ' 'A-': The
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( 474 )
The ALDER or ELDER, termed the poifonous elder, nearly refembles the othef forts in its leaves and branches, but it grows much ftraiter, and is only found in fwamps and moift foils. Th"s fhrub is endowed with a very extraordinary quality, that renders it poifonous to fbme conftitutions, which it ef- fects if the perfon only approaches within a few yards of it, whilft others may even chew the leaves or the rind without receiving the leaft detriment from them : the poifon how- ever is not mortal, though it operates very violently on the infeded perfon, whofe body and head fwell to an amazing fize, and are Covered with eruptions, that at their height refemble the confluent fmall-pox. As it grows alfo in many of the provinces, the inhabitants cure its venom by drinking fafFron tea, and anointing the external parts with a mixture compofed of cream and marfh mallows.
The SHRUB OAK is exadly fimilar to the oak tree, both in its wood and leaves, and- like that it bears an acorn, but it never rifes from the ground above four or five feet, growing crooked and knotty. It is found chiefly on a dry gravelly foil. t*,.
>;-fl /.:^
The
7
( 475 )
The WITCH HAZLE grows very buihy, about ten feet high, and is covered early in May with numerous white bloiroms. When this fhrub is in bloom, the Indians eftecm it a further indication I hat the froft is entirely gone, and that -they might fow their corn. It has been faid, that it is pcirefTed of the power of attrading gold or lilver, and that twigs of it are made ufe of to difcover where the veins of thefe metals lie hid ; but 1 am ' apprehenfive that this is only a fallacious * ftory, and not to be depended on ; however that fuppofition has given it the name of witch hazle.
The MYRTLE is a fhrub about four or ^ five feet high, the leaves of which are larger than thofe of the common myrtle, but they^ fmell exadtly alike. It bears fmall berries, "* which are generally called Bay Berries, and thefe are full of a gluey fubftance, which being boiled in water, fwims on the fur- face of it, and becomes a kind of green wax; this is not fo valuable as bees-wax, beins: of a more brittle nature, but mixed with it makes a good candle, which as it burns fends forth an agreeable fcent.
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WINTER
( 476 )
WINTER GREEN. This is an ever-green of the fpecies of the myrtle, and is found on dry heaths; the flowers of it are white, and in the form of a rofe, but not larger than a filver penny -, in the winter it is full of red berries about the fize of a floe, which are fmooth and round ; thefe are preferred dur- ing the fevere feafon by the fnow, and are at that time in the higheft perfedion. The Indians eat thefe berries, efleemingthem very balfamic, and invigorating to the ftomach. The people inhabiting the interior colonies fteep both the fpringsand berries in beer, and ufe it as a diet-drink for cleanfing the blood (.from fcorbutick difprders, y'' The FEVER BUSH grows abopt five or ' fix feet high; its leaf is like that of a lilach, ) and it bears a reddilh berry of a fpicy flavour, i The ftalks of it are excefllvely brittle. A « decodion of the buds or wood is an excellent febrifuge, and from this valuable property it * receives its name. It is an ancient Indian remedy for all inflammatory complaints, and likewife much efleemed on the fame account by the inhabitants of the interior parts of the colonies.
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The CRANBERRY BUSH. Though the fruit of this bufh greatly refcmbles in fize and appearance that of the common fort, which grows on a fmall vine in morafTes and bogs, yet the bufh runs to the height of ten or twelve feet j but it is very rarely to be met with. As the meadow cranberry, being of a local growth, and flourifhing only in morafles, cannot be tranfplanted or cultivated, the former, if removed at a proper feafon, would be a valuable acquifition to the garden, and with proper nurture prove equally as good, jf not better.
The CHOAK BERRY. The fhrub thus termed by the natives grows about five or fix feet high, and bears a berry about the fize of a floe, of a jet black, which contains feveral fmall feeds jvithin the pulp. The juice of this fruit, though not of a difagreeable flavour, is extremely tart, and leaves a roughnefs in , the mouth and throat when eaten, that has gained it the name of choak berry.
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ROOTS and PLANTS.
Elecampane, Spikenard, Angelica, Sarfapa- j-filla, Ginfang, Ground Nuts, wild Potatoes,
Liquorice,
( 478 ) Liqurice, Snake Root, Gold Thread, Solo- mon's Seal, Devil's Bit, Blood Root, Onions, Garlick, Wild Parfnips, Mandrakes, Helle- bore While and Black.
SPIKENARD, vulgarly called in the colo- nies Petty-Morrell. This plant appears to be cxadly the fame as the Afiatick fpikenard, fo much valued by the ancients. It grows near the (ides of biooks in rocky places, and its ftem, which is about the fize of a goofe quill, fprings up like that of angelica, reach- ing about a foot and a half from the ground. It bears bunches of berries in all refpedts like thofe of the elder, only rather larger. Thefe are of fuch a balfamic nature, that when in* fufed in fpirits, they make a moll palatable and reviving cordial.
SARSAPARILL A. The root of this plant, which is the moft cftimable part of it, is a- bout the fizs of a goofe quill, and runs in different diredions, twined and crooked, to . a great length in the ground j from the prin^- cipal ftem of it fpring many fmaller fibres, all of which are tough and flexible. From . the root immediately (hoots a ftalk about a \ foot and a half long, which at the top branches
into three llems; each of thefe has three ,
leaves,
tj
( 479 ) leaves, much of the fliape and (ize of a wal- nut leaf, and from the fork of each of the three flems grows a bunch of bluilh white flowers, refcmbling thofe of the fpikenard. The bark of the roots, which alone fhouldbe ufed in medicine, is of a bittcrifh flavour, but aromatic. It is defervedly efteemed for its medicinal virtues, being a gentle fudorific, and very powerful in attenuating the blood when impeded by grofs humours.
GINSANG is a root that was once fuppof- ed to grow only in Korea, from whence it was ufually exported to Japan, and by that means found its way to Europe; but it hag lately been difcovered to be alfo a native of North America, where it grows to as great perfedion and is equally valuable. Its root is like a fmall carrot, but not fo taper at the end; it is fometimes divided into two or more branches, in all other refpedls it refembles farfaparilla in its growth. The tafte of the root is bitterifli. In the eaftern parts of Afia it bears a great price, being there confidered as a panacea, and is the laft refuge of the in- habita; ts in all diforders. When chewed it certainly is a great ftrengthener of the fto- piach.
GOLD
. 1
( 48o )
a GOLD THREAD. This is a plant of the fmall vine kind, which grows in fwampy places, and lies on the ground. I'he foots fpread themfelves juft under the furface of the morafs, and are eafily drawn up by hand- fuls. They refemble a large entangled Ikain of thread of a fine bright gold colour ; and I am perfuaded would yield a beautifnl and permanent yellow dye. It is alfo greatly ef- teemed both by the Indians and colcnifts as a remedy for any forenefs in the mouth, but the tafte of it is exquifitely bitter. ^ io . SOLOMON'S SEAL is a plant that grows on the fides of rivers, and in rich meadow land. It rifes in the whole to about threb feet high, the flalks being two feet, whert the leaves begin to fpread themfelves and reach a foot further. Every fibre of the root has animprelTion upon it about the fise of a fixpence, which appears as if it was made by a feal, ;ind from thefe it receives its name* It is greatly valued on account of its being a fine purifier of the blood. . devil's BIT is another wild plant, which grows in the fields, and receives its name from a print that fecms to be made by teeth in the roolb. The Indians fay that this was {iivlJi /,,-'• once
fl
( 481 )
once art univerfal remedy for every diforder that human nature is incident toj but fome of the evil fpirits envying mankind the pof- fefllon of fo efficacious a medicine, gave the root a bite, which deprived it of a great part of its virtues.
BLOOD ROOT. A fort of plantain that fprings out of the ground in fix or feven long rough leaves^ the veins of which are red i the root of it is like a fmall carrot both in colour and appearance ; when broken, the infide of it is a deeper colour than the out- fide, and diftils feveral drops of juice that look like blood. This is a Itrong emetic, but a very dangerous one. .
y HERBS.
; Balm, Nf;ttles, Cinque Foil, Eyebright, Sanicle, Plantain, Poor Robin's Plantain, Maiden Hair, Wild Dock, Rock Liverwort, Noble Liverwort, Bloodwort, Wild Beans, Ground Ivy, Water Crefifes, Yarrow, May Weed, Gargit, Skunk Cabbage or Poke, Wake Robin, Betony, Scabious, Mullen, Wild Peafe, Moufe Ear, Wild Indigo, and Cat Mint.
li SANICLE
»,%;•
( 482 )
SANICLE has a root which is thick to- wards the upper part, and full of fmall fibres below ; the leaves of it are broad, roundifh, hard, fmooth, and of a fine (hining green j a ftalk rifes from thefe to the height of a foot, which is quite fmooth and free from knots, and on the top of it are feveral fmall flowers of a reddifh white, (haped like a wild rofe. A tea made of the root i^ vulnerary and baHk-
mick.
RATTLE SNAKE PLANTAIN. This ufeful herb is of the pla|itain kind, and its leavts, which fpread tbemfelves on the ground, are about one inch and half wide, and five inches long ; from the centre of theie arifes a fmall flalk nearly fix inches lon^, which bears a little white fipwer; t\e root is about the fizeof a goofe quill, and much bent and divid- ed into feveral brajoj^bea. The leaver of this herb are more efficacious than any other part of it for the bite of t,he reptile from which it receives its name; and being chewed and ap- plied i^imediatcly to the wound, and fome of th0 juice fvvaUo wed, feldom fa^ls of averting every d^ng^ifous fyrnptom. So coavir ed are th^ Indians of the. power of tki*. ii^ifaUiole an-» tidote, that for a trifling bribe of fpiiituous. lU
>v-
( 483 )
quor, thcjr will at any time permit a rattle fnake to drive his fangs into their flefh. It is to be remarked that during thofe months in which the bite of thefe creatures is moft venomous, that this rem*idy for it is in its grcatefl perfections and moft luxuriant in its growth. ^^'^' ''S-^Kon- 5;^?fe tt m q\- n<^ ')$us^
POOR ROBIN'S PLANTAIN is of the fame fpecies as the laft, but more diminutive in every refpeCl;. it receives its name from its fize, and the poor land on which it grows. It is a good medicinal herb, and often admmif- tered with fuccefs in fevers and internal weak- nefles.'^ ^^
TOAD PLANTAIN refembles the coml mon plantain, only it grows much ranker, and is thus denominated bccaufe toads love toharboiirunder it. iw^.l
' ROCK LlVERWOR^'isafoVt of iiverl wort that grows on rocks, and is of the na- ture of kelp or mofs. It is efteemed as an excellent rcftiiedy againfl declines. ' GARGIT or SKOK£ is a large kind of weed, the leaves of which are about i\± inches Fong, and two inches and half broad ; they refemble thofe of fpinage in their colour and texture, but not in fhtipe. The root
H
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IS
*, % .' r*^ f
;,
( 4^4 )'
is very large, from which fpring different ftalks that run eight or ten feet high, and are full of red berries; thefe hang in cluf- ters in the month of September, and are generally called pigeon berries, as thofe birds then feed on them. When the leaves firft fpring from the ground, after being boiled, they are a nutritiotis and whole- fome vegetable, but when they are grown nearly to their full fize, they acquire a poi- fonous q '^Hty. The roots applied to the hands and i of a perfon afflided with a fever, prove a very powerful abforbent.
SKUNK CABBAGE or POKE is an herb that grows in moill and fwampy places. The leaves of it are about a foot long^ and ^\% inches broad, nearly oval, but rather pointed. The roots are compofed of great numbers of fibres, a lotion of which is made ufe of by the people in the colonies for the cure of the itch. There iffues a flrong,muflcy fmell from this herb, fomething like the animal of the fame name before defcribed, and on that account it is fo termed.
* WAKE ROBIN is an herb that growls in fwampy lands ; its root refembles a fmall tur- nip, and if tailed will greatly inflame the fei ' ■ ; . tongue,
?;
/ 485 )
tongue, and immediately convert it from its natural fhape, into a round hard fubftance; in which ftate it will continue for fome time, and during this no other part of the mouth will be afFeded. But when dried, it lofes its .ftringent quahty, and becomes beneficial to mankind, for if grated into cold water, and taken internally, it is very good for all com* plaints of the bowels. "
WILD INDIGO is an herb of the fame fpecies as that from whence Indigo is made in the fouthern colonies. It grows in one ftalk to the height of five or fix inches from the ground, when it divides into many branches, from which ifiTue a great number of fmall hard bluifh leaves, that fpread to a great breadth, and among thefe it bears a yellow flower ; the juice of it has a very difagreeable icent. -, / . , T •
CAT MINT has a woody root, divided into fcveral branches, and it fends forth a ftalk about three feet high ; the leaves arc like thofe of the iiettle or betony, and they have a ftrong fmell of mint, with a biting acrid tafte ; the flowers grow on the tops of the branches, and are of a faint purple or whitifh eolour. It is called cat mint, becaufe
i
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( 486 ). '
it is iaki, thai cats have an antipathy to it, and will not let it grow. It has nearly the virtues of common mint. n ,chv
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iS-'N'^' —
FLOWERS.
■ ^ i.ll }'.f.''t
i: Heart's Eafe, Lilies red and yellow. Pond Liiics, Cowilips, May Fiower«, JefTamine, Honeyfuckles, Rock Hpneyfuckles, Rofe« red and white, Wild Hollyhock, Wild Pinks, Golden Rod, ■■'■..
I fhall not enter into a minute defcription of the flowers above-recited, but only juil obferve, that they much refemble thofe of the fame name which grow in Europe, and are as beautiful in colour, and as perfedt in odour, as they can be fuppofed to he iji their wild uncultivatee ftatc^.^^^^^^^i ^iv^i^A.UinB
FARINACEOUS and LEGUMINOUS
Maize or Indian Corn, Wild Rice, Beans, ,
( 4^ ) •' MAIZE Of INDIAN CORN grows to the height of about five or fix feet, on a ftalk full of joints, which is ftifFand folid, and when green, abounding with ^ fweet juice. The leaves are like thofe of the reed, about two feet iri length, and three or four inches broad. The flowers which are prdduiced at ibmc dif- tance frorti the fruit oh the farrte plant, groW like the eari of oats, arid are fometiities White, yellow, or of a purple colour. The feeds are as large as peas, and like them qiiite naked and fmooth, but of a roundifh fuffacc, rathe i" corilprefled. One fpike generally cdnfifts of about fix hundred grains, Which are placed clofbly tbgether in rows to the number of eight or ten, and fometimes twelve. This corn is very wholefome, eafy of digeftionj artd yields as good nouriihment as any other fort. After the Indians have reduced it into meal by pounding it, they make cakes of it dhd bake £hcm before the fife. I have alrea- dy mentioned that forhe nations eat it in cakes before it is ripe, in which ftatc it is very agree-
'aable to the palate atid exti-etnely nutritive. ■ WILD PICE. This grain, which grows ' in the greateft plenty throughout the inte- rior parts of North America, is the mofl va- ' d luable .
A
( 488 )
luable of all the fpontaneous produdions of that country. Exclufive of its utility, as a fupply of food for thofe of the human fpecies who inhabit this part of the continent, and obtained without any other trouble than that of gathering it in, the fweetnefs and nutriti*? ous quality of it attracts an infinite number of wild fowl of every kind, which flpck from diilant climes to enjoy this rare repaft ; and by it become inexpreflibly fat and delicious, In future periods it will be of great fervice tq the infant colonies, as it will afford them a prefent fupport, until in the courfe of culti- vation other fupplies may be produced j whereas in thofe realms which are not fur-r nifhed with this bounteous gift of nature, even if the climate is temperate and the foil good, the firft fettlers are often expofed to great hardfliips from the want of an immedi- ate refource for necefTary food. This ufeful grain grows in the water where it is about two feet deep, aild wbere it finds a rich mud- dy foil. The ftalks of it, and the branches or ears that bear the fe^d, refemble oats both in their ajipearance and manner of growing. Thefltalks are full of joints, and rife more than eight feci above the water. The natives ^ M gathe^;
( 489 )
gather the grain in the following manner: nearly about the time that it begins to turn from its milky ftate and to ripen, they run their canoes into the midft of it, and tying bunches of it together juft below the ears with bark, leave it in this fituation three or four weeks longer, till it is perfedtly ripe. About the latter end of September they return to the river, when each family having its fepa- rate allotment, and being able to diftinguifh their own property by the manner of faften- ing the fheayes, gather in the portion that belongs to them. This they do by placing their canoes clofe to thp bunches of rice, in fuch pofition as to receive the grain when it falls, and then beat it out, with pieces of wood formed for that purpofe. Having done this, they dry it with fmoke, and afterwards tread or rub off the -outfide huik j when it is fit for ufe they put it into the fkins of ^ fawns or young buffalos taken off nearly ^ whole for this purpofe and fewet^ into a fort -j.pf fack, wherein they preferve it till the re- turn of their haryeft. It has been the fubje(ft rof much fpeculation why this fpontaneous cj^vrain is not found in any other regions of iimenca, or in thofe countries iituated in the
; - " ■ .' • f
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{ 490 )
iame parallels of latitude, where the waters are as apparently adapted for its growth as in the climates I treat of. As for inliance, fione of the countries that lie to the fouth and eaft of the great lakes, even fVom the provinces north of the Carolinas to the extremities of Labradore, produce any of this grain. It ii thie I found great quantities of it Iti the water- ed lands near Detroit, between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, but on enquiry I learned that it never arrived nearer to maturity than juft to bloffom 5 after which it appeared blighted, and died away. This convinces me that the northweft wind, as I have before hinted, is much more powerful in thefe than in the in- terior parts; and that it is more inimical to the fruits of the earth, after it has pafTed over the lakes and become united with the wind which joins it from the frozen regions of the north, than it is farther to the weft ward. ^^ ^' '^'
BEANS. Thefe are nearly of the famc.^^ ' fhape as the European beans, but are not*^^ much larger than the fmalleft fize of them. '^ They are boiled by the Indians, and eaten cliicfly with beards fiefh. ^
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( 49^ ) \i%ti SQUASH. They have alfo fcvrral fpcciesof tlic MELON or PUMPKIN, which by fome arc called Squafncs, and which fcrve many nations partly as a fubftitute for brfcad. Of thefe there is the round, the crane-neck, the fmall flat, and the large oblong Squafh. The fmallcr forts being boiled are eaten du- ring the fummer as vegetables; and are all of a plcafing flavour. The crane-neck, which, greatly excels all the others, are ufually hung up for a winter's ftore, and in this manner might be preferved for feveral months.
I am fcnlible that I have not treated the foregoing Account of the natural produdions of the interior parts of North America with the precifion of a naturalift. I have neither enumerated the whole of the trees, flirubs, plants, herbs, &c. that it produces, nor have I divided them into claflTes according to their different genera after the Linnaean method : the limits of my Work, in its prefent ftate, would not permit me to purfue the Subject more copioufly. However, if the favour of the Public fliould render a future edition ne- ceflTary, as I truft, from the number of Sub- fcribers who have already favoured me with their Names, will be the cafe, I then propofe
IfA
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( 492 ) to enlarge it confiderably, and to infert many interefling particulars and defcriptions, which the fize of the prefent Edition obliges me to curtail or entirely to omit.
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APPENDIX.
TH E countries that lie between the great lakes and River Milfiffippi, and from thence fouthward to Well Florida, although in the niidft of a large continent, and at a great diftance from the fea, are fo- fituated, that a communication between them and other realms might conveniently be opened; by which means thofe empires or colonies that may hereafter be founded or planted therein, will be rendered commercial ones. The great River Miflilllppi, which runs through the whole of them, will enable their inhabitants to eftablifh an intercourfe with foreign climes, equally as well as the Euphrates, the Nile, the Danube, or the Wolga do thofe people who dwell on their banks, and who have no other convenience for exporting the produce of their own country, or for importing thofe of others, than boats and vefTels of light bur- den: notwithftanding which they have be- come powerful and opulent Hates.
The
t. .-
' f 444 )
"*" TWe MI<^.ffippi, as I have before obferved, ^ runs from north to fouth, and pafles through the moft fertile and temperate part of North . America, excluding only the extremities of it, which verge both on the torrid and frigid zones. Thus favourably fituated, v^hen once fe banks are covered with inhabitants, they netd not longj be at a lofs for means to eft&- blifn an extei>fi\3 and profitable commctoe* They will find the country towards the fouth aJmoft fpontaneoufly producing fiik, cotton^ indigo, and tobacco; and the more northern parts, wine, oil, beef, tallow, fkins, buffalo* wool, and furs ; with lead, copper, iron, coa.U, lumber, corn, rice, and fruits, bciides earth and barks for dyeing. '^^"^^ ^^''^
Thefc articles, with which it abbufl-ds teveft to profufion, may be tranfported to the Ocean' through this rivtT without greater difficult3r than that which attends the conveyance of merchandize down fome of thofe I have juft mentioned. It is true that the MifFiflippi be-^ ing tlie boundary between the Englifh and"' Spanifh fettlements, and the Spaniards in pofl ' fefliofi of the mouth of it, they may obftru£l- the paflage of it, and greatly difhearten thofe^ ' who make the firil attempts; yet when the
advantages
( 495 ) adyaijti^^^S that will certainly arifc to fettlers are knQw;A,ipultitudes of adventurers, aUured by tbcprpfpedl of fuch abundant riches, wiU flock to it, ^nd etlablifli theralelves, thoug^^ at the expence of rivers of blood.
But ihould the nation that happens to be in pofTeiTion of New Orleans prove unfriend- ly to the internal fettlers, they may fin4 a way into the Gulph of Mexico by the River Iberville, ivhich empties itfelf from the Mil^ fiflippi, after paffmg through Lake Maurepas, into Lake Ponchartrainj \yhich has a cpnu- iRuniQation with the fea within the borders of Weft I lorida The River Iberville branches ofi from the MiiTiffippi about eighty miles a-t bove New Orleans, and though it is. at pre^ fent cboaked up in fome parts, it might at an inconfiderable e.%pence he made navigable fq as to anfwer aU the purpofes propofed.
Although the Englilh h:ive acquired fince tbe laft peace a more exteniive knowledge o^ the. interior parts than were ever obtained bcrv fore^even by the French, yet many of their ptTodudions ftiU rem^n unknown* And- though I was not deficient either in afliduity or attention during the fhort time I remaine<^^ ii^ thejp^^^.yet I muft acknowicflge that the in- a*v. ' tclligence
f I
( 496 )
telfigen6e I gained was not fo ^perfed as f • could wifh, and tl at it requires^ further re^ fearches to make uie world thorooghly ac^^ quainted with the real value of thefe long-^ hidden realms. sKi • i Kit
' The parts of the Mifliflippi of which no furvey has hitherto been taken, amount to up- wards of eight hundred miles, following thd courfe ofthcftream, that is, from the Illinois^ to the Ouifconfin rivers. Thofe which lie to the north of the latter are included in the mapi , of my travels. Plans of fuch as reach from the former to the Gulpkof Mexico, have been ' dehneated by fcveral hands; one of the belt of thefe, according to its fize, now extant, in which is included the whole continent of A- > merica, is annexed to this work. And I havej the pleafure to find that an ^dlual furvey of the intermediate parts of the Mifliflippi, be- tween the Illinois river and the fea, with the Ohio, Cherokee, and Ouabache rivers, takenf on the fpot by a very ingenious Gctftleman*, is in the prefs and will be foon publiflied. T
flatter myfclf that the obfervations thereiili;
• ■ '. -a
* Thomas Hutchins, Efq; captain in his Majefty's 6oth, or Royal American Regiment of Foot. ^ ^.
contained.
( 497 )
- • - ' ' . . . f
contained, which have been made by one whofe knowledge of the parts therein defcrib- cd was acquired by a perfonal inveftigation, aided by a folid judgment, will confirm the remarks I have made, and promote the plan I am here recommending.
In the map of North America adjoined, I have partitioned the country which lies adja- cent to the eaftern borders of the Miffifllppi into plantations or fubordinate colonies ; chu- fing fuch lands o^ly for this purppfe as by be- ing contiguous to fome river, might enjoy all the advantages I have before pointed out. Thefe I have divided by dotted lines, and numbered j that future adventurers may rea- dily, by referring to the map, chufe a com- modious and advantageous (ituation. I fhall alfo here give a concife defcription of each, beginning according to the lule pf ejeogra- phers, with that which lies moft to the aorth. H;.
It is however neceffary to obferve, that before thefe fettlements can be eftablifbed, ^ grants muft be procured in the manner cuf- , tomary on fuch occafions, and the lands be purchafed of thofe who have acquired aright to them by a long poffeffion : but no greater difficvilty will attend the completion of this
J'
Kk
pomt,
( 498 ) point, than the original founders of every colony on the continent met with to obftrud their intentions; and the number of Indians who inhabit thefe trads being greatly inade- quate to their extent, it is not to be doubted but they will readily give up for a reafonable confideration, territories that are of little ufe to them ; or remove for the accommoda- tion of their new neighbours to lands at a greater diftance from the MifljlTippi, the na- vigation of which is not effential to the wel- iare of their communities.
No I, The country within thefe lines, from its fituation is colder than any of the others ; yet I am convinced that the air is much more temperate than in thofe provinces that lie in the fame degree of latitude to the eaft of it. The foil is excellent, and there is a great deal of land that is free from woods iii the parts adjoining to the MifTiffippi ; whilft on the contrary the north-eaftern borders' of it are well wooded. Towards the heads of the River Saint Croix, rice j^rows in great plen- ty, and there is abundance of copper. Though the falls of Sa,int Anthony are fitu- ated at the fouth-eafl corner of this divifion, yet that impediment will not totally obftrud the navigation, as the River Saint Croix,
which
«•
( 499 ) which runs through a great part of the fou- thern fide of it, enters the MifTiffippi juft below the Falls, and flows with fo gentle a current, that it affords a convenient naviga- tion for boats. This trad is about one hun- dred miles from north- weft to fouth-eaft, and one hundred and twenty miles from north-eaft to fouth-vieft.
No. 11. This trad, as I have already de- fcribed it in my Journals, exceeds the higheft encomiums I can give itj notwithftanding ■which it is entirely uninhabited, and the pro- fufion of bleflings that nature har> fhowered on this heavenly fpot return unenjoyedto the lap from whence they fprung. Lake Pepin, as I have termed it after the French, lies with- in thefe bounds j but the lake to which that name properly belongs is a little above in the river St. Croix j however, as all the traders call
the lower lake by that name, I have fo deno- ininated it, contrary to the information I re- . eeived from the Indians. This colony lying in unequal angles, the dimenfions of it can- not be exadl^ given, but it appears to be on an average about one hundred and ten miles long, and eighty broad. -
■ Kk 2 No.
*■■■■'
t fe"
^%,
V ''I
No. III. The greateft part of this divillon is fituated on the River Ouifconfin, which is navigable for boats about one hundred and eighty miles, till it reaches the Carrying- place that divides it from the Fox river. The land which is contained within its limits, ia in fome parts mountainous, and in others con^ lifts of fertile meadows, and fine pafturage. It is furnifhed alfo with a great deal of good timber, and, as is generally the cafe on the banks of the Mifliffippi and its branches, has much fine, open, clear land, proper for cultif vation. Tothefe are added, an inexhaufti- ble fund of riches, in a number of lead mines which lie at a little diftance from the Ouif- confin towards the fbuth, and appear to be uncommonly full of ore. Although the Saur kies and Ottagaumics inhabit a part of this track, the whole of the laiids under their cultivation does not exceed three hundred acres. It is in length from eaft to weft about one hundred and fifty miles, and about eighty from north to fouth. r '
No. IV. The colony here marked out con- fifts of lands of various denominations, fome of which are very good, and others very bad^ The beft is fituated on the borders of the
(jree?\
( 50I ) Gi-cdh Bay and the Fox River, where there are innumerable acres covered with fine grafs, moft part df which grows to an aftonifhing height. This river will afford a good navi- gation for boats throughout the whole of its Gourfe, which is about one hundred and eighty miles, except between the Winnebago Lake, and the Green Bay j where there are feveral Carrying- places in the fpace of thirty mileSi The Fox River is rendered remarka- ble by the abundance of rice that grows on its fhores, and the almofl infinite numbers of wild fowl that frequent its banks. The land which lies near it appears to be very fertile, and promifes to produce a fufficient fupply of all the neceffaries of life for any number of inhabitants. A communication might be opened by thofe who (hall fettle here, either through the Green Bay, Lake Michi-* gan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake On- tario with Canada, or by way of the:Ouifcon- fin into the Miiriirippi. This divifion is about one hundred and iixty miles long from north to fouth, and one hundred and forty broad^fMi3')^»7fijii •i'tan vrro; • ./i
No. V. This is an excellent track of land, and confidering its interior fituation has great-
3ilj iO eiSDior:
Ux- er
( S02 )
cr advantages than could be expeded 5 for having the Miffifllppi on its weftern bordersf, and the Illinois on its fouth-eaft, it has as free a navigation as moft of the others. The northern parts of it are fomewhat mountai- nous, but it contains a great deal of clear land, the foil of which is excellent, with many fine fertile meadows, and not a few rich mines. It is upwards of two hundred miles from north to fouth, and one hundred and fifty from call to weft. -1
No. VI. This colony being fituated tipbn the heads of the rivers Illinois andOuabache, the former of which empties itfelf immediate- ly into the MiiTilfippi, and the latter into the fame river by means of the Ohio, will readily find a communication with the fea through thefe. Having alfo the River Miamis paffing through it, which runs into Lake Erie, an in- tercourfe might be eftablifhed with Canada alfo by way of the lakes, as before pointed out. It contains a great deal of rich fertile 'land, and though more inland than any of the others, will be as valuable an acquifition as the beft of them. From north to fouth it is about one hundred and fixty miles, from caft to weft one hundred and eighty.
No.
( 503 ) * No. VII. This divifion is not inferior to any of the foregoing. Its northern borders lying adjacent to the Illinois river, and its weftern to the Mifliffippi, the fituation of it for eftablifliing a commercial intercourfe with foreign nations is very commodious. It a- bounds with all the necefTaries of life, and is about one hundred and fix'ty miles from north to fouth, and fixty miles from call to weft 5 but the confines of it being- more irre- gular than the others, I cannot exadly af- certain the dimenfions of it.
No. VIII. This colony having the River
Ouabache running through the centre of it,
and the Ohio for its fouthern boundary, will
enjoy the advantages of a free navigation. It
extends about one hundred and forty miles
from north to fouth, and one hundred and
thirty from eaft to weft.
it No. IX, X. and XI. being fimilar in fttua-
tion, and furnilhed with nearly the fame
conveniencies as all the others, I (hall only
give their dimenfions. No. IX. is about
eighty miles each way, but not exadly fquare.
No. X. is nearly in the fame form, and about
the fame extent. No. XL la much larger
being at leaft one hundred and fifty miles from
north
I V.1
<! "1
■•■
'^r
( 50+ )
north to fouth, and one hundred and forty from eaft to weft, as nearly as from its irre- gularity it is poffible to calculate.
After the defcription of this delightful country I have already given, I need not re- peat that allthefpots I have thus pointed out as proper for colonization, abound not only with the necefTaries of life, being well ftored with rice, deer, buffaloes, bears. Sec, but produce in equal abundance fuch as may be termed luxuries, or at leaft thofe articles of commerce before recited, which the inhabi- tants of it will have an opportunity of ex- changing for the needful productions of other countries.
' The difcovery of a north-weft paftage to India has been the fubjed of innumerable difquifitions. Many efforts likewife have been made by way of Hudfon's Bay to pene- trate into the Pacific Ocean, though withfmt liiccefe.' I fhall not therefore trouble myfelf to enumerate the advantages that would re- fult from this much wiftied-for difcovery, its utility being already too well known to the commercial world to need any elucidation 5 I ihall only confine myfelf to the methods that appear moft probable to infure fuccefs to fu- ture adventurers.-
The
f.nr
( 50s )
The many attempts that have hitherto been made for this purpole, but which have all been rendered abortive, feem to have turned the fpirit of making ufeful refearches into another channel, and this moft intereft- ingonehas almoft been given up as imprac- ticable 5 but in my opinion, their failure ra- ther proceeds from their ,l)eing begun at an improper place, than from their impra^ica-
All navigators that have hitherto gone in fearch of this pafTage, have firft entered Hud- fon*s Bay^ the confequence of which has been, that having fpent the feafon during ■yvhich only thofe feas are navigable, in gx^ ploring many of the numerous inlets lying therein, and this without difcovering any 0^ pening, terrified at the approach of winter, they have haftened back for fear of being frozen up, and confequently of being obliged to continue till the return of fummer in thofe bleak and dreary realms. Even fuch as have perceived the coafts to unfold themfelves, and who have of courfe entertained hopes of fuc-* ceeding, have been deterred from profecuting their voyage, left the winter fhould fet in before they could reach a more temperate dtmate.
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( 50^ ) Thcle apprehcnfions have difcouraged the boldeft adventurers from compleating the ex- peditions in which they have engaged, and fruft rated every attempt. But as it has been difcovered by fuch as liave failed into the northern parts of the Pacific Ocean, that there are many inlets which verge towards Hudfon's Bay, it is not to be donated but that a pafTage might be made qyt from that quarter, if it be fought for at a proper fea- fon. And fhould thefe expe^Stations be difap- pointed, the explorers would not be in the fame hazardous litu^lion with thofe who fet put from Hudfon's Bay, for they will always be fure of a fafe retreat, through an open fea^ to warmer regions, even after repeated dif^ appointments. Atid this confidence will ena- ble them to proceed with greater refolution, and probably be the means of efFe«3ing vvhat too linuch circumfpedion or timidity has pte^ vented.' '-^'^ n J o t; h ' mi'.xiKh- nv'^ mdo rijiuv £rtj 03 ^' Thefe reafons for altering the plan of en- qu iry after this convenient; paffagCj carry with them fti eh. con vi'dionv that in the year 1774 Richard Whitwtoth, Efq. membe^M parliament f6r Stafford,' a g^ntl^man of an extcnfive - knowledge in geography, of an "■-'' adive
( 507 ) adlive entcrprizing difpofition, and whofe be- nevolent mind is ever ready to promote the happinefs of 'fncfividuals, or the v^'elfarc of thc^'public; froAi the reprcfentations made to hinvof the expediency of it by myfclf and others, intended to travel acrofs the continent of Artieriea, that!he n^ight attempt to ca^Vry a fcheme' of this kind into execution. "^^*
Hedefigncd to have purfuel nearly the fame route that r did ; and after liaving built ' a fort at Like l^epin, to have proceeded up the River St. Pierre, and from thence up a branch of the River Meflbrie, till having dif- covered the fource of the Oregan or River of the Weft, on the other fide the fummit of the lands that divide the waters which run into the Gulph of Mexico from thofe that fall into the Pacific Ocean, he would have failed down that river to the place where it is faid to empty itfelf near the Straights of Annian. Having there eftablifhed another fettlemcnt on fome fpot that' appeared beft calculated for the fupport of his people, in the neigh- bourhood of fome of the inlets which tend towards the north-eaft, he would from thence have begun his refearches. This gentleman was to have been attended in the expedition
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by Colon/'l {Rogers, myfelf, and others, and to have taken out with him ?. f^ifficient num- ber of artificers and mariners for building the forts and veffels neceflary on the occaiion, and fbr navigating the latter ; in all not lefs than fifty or fixty men. The grants, and o- tbcr requifites for this purpofc, were even nearly completed, when the prefent troubles in America began, which put a (top to an enlerprizc that ppmifed to be of inconceiv- able advantage to the Britifh dominions.
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