Yet This Revenge
Is Not So Infallible, But It May Be Bought Off With Beads, Tobacco,
And Such Like Commodities That Are Useful Amongst Them,
Though It Were The Most Sable Villany That Could Be Acted By Mankind.
Some that attended the King, presented me with an odoriferous, balsamick Root,
of a fragrant Smell and Taste, the
Name I know not; they chew it in the Mouth,
and by that simple Application, heal desperate Wounds both green and old;
that small Quantity I had, was given inwardly to those troubl'd
with the Belly-ach, which Remedy fail'd not to give present Help,
the Pain leaving the Patient soon after they had taken the Root.
Near to these Cabins are several Tombs made after the manner
of these Indians; the largest and the chiefest of them
was the Sepulchre of the late Indian King of the Santees,
a Man of great Power, not only amongst his own Subjects,
but dreaded by the neighbouring Nations for his great Valour and Conduct,
having as large a Prerogative in his Way of Ruling, as the present King
I now spoke of.
The manner of their Interment, is thus: A Mole or Pyramid of Earth
is rais'd, the Mould thereof being work'd very smooth and even,
sometimes higher or lower, according to the Dignity of the Person
whose Monument it is. On the Top thereof is an Umbrella, made Ridge-ways,
like the Roof of an House; this is supported by nine Stakes, or small Posts,
the Grave being about six or eight Foot in Length, and four Foot in Breadth;
about it is hung Gourds, Feathers, and other such like Trophies,
plac'd there by the dead Man's Relations, in Respect to him in the Grave.
The other Part of the Funeral-Rites are thus, As soon as the Party is dead,
they lay the Corps upon a Piece of Bark in the Sun, seasoning or embalming it
with a small Root beaten to Powder, which looks as red as Vermilion;
the same is mix'd with Bear's Oil, to beautify the Hair,
and preserve their Heads from being lousy, it growing plentifully
in these Parts of America. After the Carcass has laid a Day or two
in the Sun, they remove and lay it upon Crotches cut on purpose
for the Support thereof from the Earth; then they anoint it all over
with the fore-mention'd Ingredients of the Powder of this Root,
and Bear's Oil. When it is so done, they cover it very exactly over
with Bark of the Pine or Cyprus Tree, to prevent any Rain to fall upon it,
sweeping the Ground very clean all about it. Some of his nearest of Kin
brings all the temporal Estate he was possess'd of at his Death,
as Guns, Bows, and Arrows, Beads, Feathers, Match-coat, &c. This Relation
is the chief Mourner, being clad in Moss, and a Stick in his Hand,
keeping a mournful Ditty for three or four Days, his Face being black
with the Smoak of Pitch, Pine, mingl'd with Bear's Oil. All the while
he tells the dead Man's Relations, and the rest of the Spectators,
who that dead Person was, and of the great Feats perform'd in his Life-time;
all what he speaks, tending to the Praise of the Defunct.
As soon as the Flesh grows mellow, and will cleave from the Bone,
they get it off, and burn it, making all the Bones very clean,
then anoint them with the Ingredients aforesaid, wrapping up the Skull
(very carefully) in a Cloath artificially woven of Possums Hair.
(These Indians make Girdles, Sashes, Garters, &c. after the same Manner.)
The Bones they carefully preserve in a wooden Box, every Year
oiling and cleansing them: By these Means preserve them for many Ages,
that you may see an Indian in Possession of the Bones of his Grand-father,
or some of his Relations of a larger Antiquity. They have other
Sorts of Tombs; as where an Indian is slain, in that very Place
they make a Heap of Stones, (or Sticks, where Stones are not to be found;)
to this Memorial, every Indian that passes by, adds a Stone,
to augment the Heap, in Respect to the deceas'd Hero.
We had a very large Swamp to pass over near the House, and would have hir'd
our Landlord to have been our Guide, but he seem'd unwilling;
so we press'd him no farther about it. He was the tallest Indian
I ever saw, being seven Foot high, and a very strait compleat Person,
esteem'd on by the King for his great Art in Hunting, always carrying with him
an artificial Head to hunt withal: They are made of the Head of a Buck,
the back Part of the Horns being scrapt and hollow, for Lightness of Carriage.
The Skin is left to the setting on of the Shoulders, which is lin'd all round
with small Hoops, and flat Sort of Laths, to hold it open
for the Arm to go in. They have a Way to preserve the Eyes, as if living.
The Hunter puts on a Match-coat made of Deer's Skin, with the Hair on,
and a Piece of the white Part of a Deer's Skin, that grows on the Breast,
which is fasten'd to the Neck-End of this stalking Head, so hangs down.
In these Habiliments an Indian will go as near a Deer as he pleases,
the exact Motions and Behaviour of a Deer being so well counterfeited by 'em,
that several Times it hath been known for two Hunters to come up
with a stalking Head together, and unknown to each other,
so that they have kill'd an Indian instead of a Deer,
which hath happen'd sometimes to be a Brother, or some dear Friend;
for which Reason they allow not of that Sort of Practice,
where the Nation is populous.
Within half a Mile of the House, we pass'd over a prodigious
wide and deep Swamp, being forc'd to strip stark-naked,
and much a-do to save our selves from drowning in this Fatiegue.
We, with much a-do, got thro', going that Day about five Miles farther,
and came to three more Indian Cabins, call'd in the Indian Tongue,
Hickerau, by the English Traders, the black House, being pleasantly
seated on a high Bank, by a Branch of Santee-River.
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