These Indians Are A Small People, Having Lost Much Of Their Former Numbers,
By Intestine Broils; But Most By The Small-Pox, Which Hath Often Visited Them,
Sweeping Away Whole Towns; Occasion'd By The Immoderate
Government Of Themselves In Their Sickness; As I Have Mention'd Before,
Treating Of The Sewees.
Neither do I know any Savages that have traded
with the English, but what have been great Losers by this Distemper.
We found here good Store of Chinkapin-Nuts, which they gather in Winter
great Quantities of, drying them; so keep these Nuts in great Baskets
for their Use; likewise Hickerie-Nuts, which they beat betwixt
two great Stones, then sift them, so thicken their Venison-Broath therewith;
the small Shells precipitating to the Bottom of the Pot,
whilst the Kernel in Form of Flower, mixes it with the Liquor.
Both these Nuts made into Meal, makes a curious Soop, either with clear Water,
or in any Meat-Broth.
From the Nation of Indians, until such Time as you come to the Turkeiruros
in North Carolina, you will see no long Moss upon the Trees;
which Space of Ground contains above five hundred Miles.
This seeming Miracle in Nature, is occasion'd by the Highness of the Land,
it being dry and healthful; for tho' this Moss bears a Seed
in a Sort of a small Cod, yet it is generated in or near low swampy Grounds.
The Congerees are kind and affable to the English, the Queen being
very kind, giving us what Rarities her Cabin afforded, as Loblolly made
with Indian Corn, and dry'd Peaches. These Congerees have
abundance of Storks and Cranes in their Savannas. They take them
before they can fly, and breed 'em as tame and familiar
as a Dung-hill Fowl. They had a tame Crane at one of these Cabins,
that was scarce less than six Foot in Height, his Head being round,
with a shining natural Crimson Hue, which they all have.
These are a very comely Sort of Indians, there being
a strange Difference in the Proportion and Beauty of these Heathens.
Altho' their Tribes or Nations border one upon another, yet you may discern
as great an Alteration in their Features and Dispositions,
as you can in their Speech, which generally proves quite different
from each other, though their Nations be not above 10 or 20 Miles in Distance.
The Women here being as handsome as most I have met withal,
being several fine-finger'd Brounetto's amongst them. These Lasses
stick not upon Hand long, for they marry when very young,
as at 12 or 14 Years of Age. The English Traders are seldom without
an Indian Female for his Bed-fellow, alledging these Reasons
as sufficient to allow of such a Familiarity. First, They being remote
from any white People, that it preserves their Friendship with the Heathens,
they esteeming a white Man's Child much above one of their getting,
the Indian Mistress ever securing her white Friend Provisions whilst
he stays amongst them. And lastly, This Correspondence makes them learn
the Indian Tongue much the sooner, they being of the French-man's Opinion,
how that an English Wife teaches her Husband more English in one Night,
than a School-master can in a Week.
We saw at the Cassetta's Cabin the strangest Spectacle of Antiquity
I ever knew, it being an old Indian Squah, that, had I been to have guess'd
at her Age by her Aspect, old Parr's Head (the Welch Methusalem)
was a Face in Swadling-Clouts to hers. Her Skin hung in Reaves
like a Bag of Tripe. By a fair Computation, one might have justly thought
it would have contain'd three such Carcasses as hers then was.
She had one of her Hands contracted by some Accident in the Fire,
they sleeping always by it, and often fall into sad Disasters,
especially in their drunken Moods. I made the strictest Enquiry
that was possible, and by what I could gather, she was considerably above
100 Years old, notwithstanding she smoak'd Tobacco, and eat her Victuals,
to all Appearance, as heartily as one of 18. One of our Company
spoke some of their Language, and having not quite forgotten
his former Intrigues with the Indian Lasses, would fain have been dealing
with some of the young Female Fry; but they refus'd him,
he having nothing that these Girls esteem'd. At Night we were laid
in the King's Cabin, where the Queen and the old Squah pig'd in with us:
The former was very much disfigur'd with Tettars, and very reserv'd,
which disappointed our fellow Traveller in his Intrigues.
The Women smoak much Tobacco, (as most Indians do.) They have Pipes,
whose Heads are cut out of Stone, and will hold an Ounce of Tobacco,
and some much less. They have large wooden Spoons, as big as small Ladles,
which they make little Use of, lading the Meat out of the Bowls
with their Fingers.
{Thursday.}
In the Morning we rose before Day, having hir'd a Guide over Night
to conduct us on our Way; but it was too soon for him to stir out,
the Indians never setting forward 'till the Sun is an Hour or two high,
and hath exhall'd the Dew from the Earth. The Queen got us a good Breakfast
before we left her; she had a young Child, which was much afflicted
with the Cholick; for which Distemper she infus'd a Root in Water,
which was held in a Goard; this she took into her Mouth,
and spurted it into the Infant's, which gave it ease. After we had eaten,
we set out (with our new Guide) for the Wateree Indians.
We went over a great deal of indifferent Land this Day. Here begins to appear
very good Marble, which continues more and less for the Space of 500 Miles.
We lay all Night by a Run of Water, as we always do, (if possible)
for the Convenience of it. The Weather was very cold.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 12 of 106
Words from 11632 to 12634
of 110081
