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S'' THREE YEARS T R A V ELS THROUGH THB INTERIOR PAPTS ?w^^' NORTH- AMERICA, FOR MORE THAN FIVE THOUSAND MILES ; CONTAINING All iccouNT of the great Lakes, and all the Lakes, IstANos^' and Rivers, Cataracts, Mountains, Minerals, Soil, and Vegetable Productions of the North-West * Regions of that vaft Continent; W I T H A DESCRIPTIOlSf OF THE BIRDS, BEASTS, , REPTILES, INSECTS, and FISHES PECULIAR TO THE COUNTRY. ^ together, with a concise HISTORY of the genius, MANNERS, and CUSTOMS bF the INDIANS inhabiting the lands that lib adjacent to THE HEADS, AND TO THE WESTWARD OF THE GREAT RIVER MISSISSIPPI ; ^ A N D A N A P P E N D I X, ; Describing the uncultivated parts of AMERICA that ARE the most proper FOR FORMING SETTLEMENTS. By Captain JONATHAN CARVER, OF TH« PROVINCIAL TROOPS IN AMERICA. EDINBURGH: Published by JAMES KEY.— .1798. • TQ JOSEPH BANKS, Efq; Vi ■ijf'^f PRESIDENT. OF THE ROTAL SOjCIETT. SIR, - \/V^HEN the Public are inform- ed that I have long had the Honour of your Acquaintance — that my defign in publifliing the following Work has • received your San<5lion — that the Cciil* pofition of it has (lood the Teft of your Judgment — and that it is by your Per- miflion, a Name fo defervedly eminent in the Literary World is prefixed to it, ^ Ill ; I >v DEDICATION. I need not be appreheniive of its Suc- cefs; as your Patronage will unques- tionably give them AfTurance of its Merit. For this Public Teftimony of your Fa- vour, in which I pride inyfelf, accept. Sir, my mod grateful Acknowledgments ; and believe me to be, with great Refpedly Your obedient, Humble Servant, ( J. CARVER. ■ -■* V 1 I AN Address. T O TH E PUBLIC JL HE favourable reception this Work has met with, claims the Author's mod grateful acknow- ledgmems. A large edition having run off in a few months, and the fale appearing to be flill unabated, a new impreffion is become neceflary. On this oc- cafion, was he to conceal his feelings, and pafs over in filence a diilindion fo beneficial and flattering, he would juftly incur the imputation of ingratitude. That he might not do this, he takes the opportunity, which now prefents itfelf, of conveying to the Pub- lic (though in terms inadequate to the warm emo- tions of his heart,) the fenfe he entertains of their favour ; and thus tranfmits to hem his thanks. In this new edition, care has been taken to re6k\fy thofe errors which have unavoidably proceeded from the hurry of the prefs, and likewife any in- corre£lnefs in the language that has found its way into it. The credibility of fome of the incidents related ia the following pages, and fome of the ftories iatro* VI ADDRESS. duced therein, having been ^ueflioned, particulavlj^^ the prognoflication of the Indian pried on the banks of Lake Superior, and the (lory of the Indian and his rattle fnnke, the author thinks it neceifary to avail himfclf of the fame opportunity, to endeavour to eradicate any impreiTions that might have been macie on the minds of his readers, by the apparent improbability of thefe relations. As to the former, he has related it juPi as it hap- pened. Being- an eye-witnefs to the whole tranf- a£tion, (and, he flatters himfelf, at the time, free from every tr^ce of fceptical obftinacy or enthufiaftic credulity,) he was confequenily able to defcribe every circumftance minutely and impartially. This he has done ; but without endeavouring to account for the ineans by which it was accomplifhed. Whether the prediction was the refult of prior obfervations, from which certain confequences were expedled to follow by the fagacious prieft; and the completion of it merely accidental ; or whether he was really endowed with fupernatural powers, the narrator left to the judgment of his readers ; whofe Conclufions, he fuppofes, varied according as the mental faculties of each were difpofed to admit or rejed fa£ts that cannot be accounted for by natural caufes. The ftory of the rattle fnake was related to him by a French gentleman of undoubted veracity ; and were the readers of this work as thoroughly acquaint- ed with the fcfgacity and inflindive proceedings of that animal, as he is, they would be as well aiTured of the truth of it. It is well known that thofe fnakes which have furvived through the fummer the acci- dents reptiles are liable to, periodically retire to th6 woods, at the approach of winter ; where each (as curious obfervers have remarked) take pofTeflion of the cavity it had occupied the preceding year; is^ J ... ADDRESS, m Toon ..a the feafon is propitious, enlivened by the invigorating r:iy8 of the fun, they leave ihefe re- treats, and make their Way to the fame fpor, though ever fo diftant, on which they had before found fub- fiftence, and the means of propagating their fpecies. Does it then require any extraordinary exertions of the mind to believe, that one of thefe regular crea- tures, after having been kindly treated by its mafler, ihould return to the box, in which it had ufually been fupplied with food, and had met with a comfortable abode, and that nearly about the time the Indian, from former experiments, was able to guefs at. It certainly does not ; nor will the liberal and ingenious doubt the truth of a ttory fo well authenticated, be- caufe the circumflances appear extraordinary in a -country where the fubjed of it is fcarcely known. Thefe explanations the author hopes will fuffice to convince his. readers, that he has not, as travel- lers are fometimes fuppofed to do, amufed them with improbable tales, or wifhed to acquire impor- tance by making his adventuitis favour of the xnarj- yellous. Lcquamt- ■ i • - dings of I , '•-_ yr . 1 alTured ■ • •' *, ■ - '^ , >fefnakes fl ■; V' .;■ " ■ ' . ' '" the acci- m ■ - ire to the fl -", ; ['■• -■• -.,/ each (as m , 9 , . r deflion of 1 ^''(^■^•(r^ rear; A& 1 -i . ■f-' / Pe CONTENTS. ;■ I NTRODUCTION, - 21 The Author fets out from Bodon on his Travels, 31 Defcription of Fort Michillimackinac, 32 Fort La Bay • - 33 the Green Bay, - 34 — - Lake Michigan, - "38 Arrives at the town of the Winnebagoes, 40 Excurfion of the Winnebagoes towards the Spa- nifli Settlements, - - 42 Defcription of the Winnebago Lake, - 43 Inflance of refolution of an Indian Woman, 45 Defcription of the Fox River, - ; -; 46 Remarkable (lory of a Rattle Snake, - 47 The great Town of the Saukies, - 49 Upper Town of the Ottagaumies, - 50 Defcription of the Ouifconiin River, - ib. Lower Town of the Ottagaumies, or, La Prairie les Chiens, - . - 51 An attack by fome Indian Plunderers, • 52 Defcription of the MiiTiflippi from the mouth of the Ouifconiin to Lake Pepin, - $4 Lake Pepin, - • ib. Remarkable ruins of an ancient Fortification, $$ The River Bands of the Naudowcffie Indians, 57 Adventure with a party of thefe, and fome of the Chipeways, - - ib, Pefcriptipn of a retnarkable Cave, '* , fo -, * :^^ CONTENTS, XJncommon behaviour of the Prince of the Win- nebagoes at the Falls of St Anthony, Defcription of the Falls, Extent of the Author's Travels, * Befcription of the River St Pierre, Sources of the four great Rivers of North Ame- rica, - - Refledlions on their Affinity, The Naudoweflits of the Plains, with whom the Author wintered in the year 1766, The author returns to the M9urh of the River St Pierre, - ' ' - •' * Account of a violent Thunder Storm, Speech made by the Author in a Council held by I he Naudoweflies at the Great Cave, Adventure with a Party of Indians near Lake Pepin, Dtfcription of the Country adjacent to the River St Pierre, Account of differept Clays found near the Mar- ble River, . r^ \ # •" • Defcription of the Chipeway River, - Extraordmary fffeds of a Hurricane, The Author arrives at the Grand Portage on the North-weft borders of Lake Superior, Account of the Lakes lying further to the North- weft : Lake Bourbon, Lake Winnepeek, ^ Lake Du Bois, Lake La Pluye, Red Lake, .&c. ' - . - - ib. Account of a nation of Indians fuppofed to have been tributary to the Mexican Kings, 94 the Ihining Mountains, - 96 A lingular prediction of the Chief Prieft of the Killiftinoes verified, - ^y Defcription of Lake Superior, - 103 i5tory of the two Chipeways landing on the Ifland of Maurepas, - 105 Recount of great quantities of Copper Ore, 1 07 62 63 67 ib. 68 7P 73 ib. 74 80 82 83 84 85 87 CONTEN'TS. tl 62 63 67 ib. 68 70 73 ib. I . 74 > r 82 83 84 85 e ' 87 Defcription of the Falls of St Marie, - 109 — Lake Huron, - no Saganaum and Thunder Bays, in Extraordinary phcenomenon in the Straits of Michillimackinac, - - 112 Defcription of Lake St Claire, - 114 the River, Town and Fort of Detroit, 1 1 4 116 117 125 126 127 Remarkable rain at Detroit, Attack of Fort Detroit by Pontiac, Defcription of Lake Erie, the River and Falls of Niagara, — Lake Ontario and Lake Oneida, ib. — Lake Champlain and Lake George, 128 Account of a tra£t of land granted to Sir Ferdi- nando Gorges, and Captain John Mafon, 129 The Author's Motives for undertaking his Tra- vels, - ~ .f. - - 1^2 CHAPTER L The origin of the Indians, - J35 Sentiments of various Writers on this point, 136 ■ — Monfieur Charlevoix, - 142 ^— James Adair, Efq; - , 148 — -« the Author of this Work, - 1 52 Corroboration of the latter by Dr Robertfon, 158 94 96 17 103 105 107 CHAPTER IL Of the perfons, drefs, &c. of the Indians, 160 An account of thofe who have written on this Subjei^t, - - - ll^^ Defcription of the perfons of the Indians, 162 — — — — their Drefs, - - .164 ^n CONTENTS. v> ■ - '• i the Drefsof the Ottagaumles, 165 * • — the Drefs of the Naudoweflies, ib. The manner in which they buiU their tents and huts, - - i6S Their domeftic uteniils, - • * 169 CHAPTER Iir. Of the manners, qualifications, &c. of the Indi- ans, - - 171 Peculiar cuftoms of the women, - 172 The circumfped and ftoical difpofiiion of the men, - ^ . , - 173 Their amazing fagacity, - - 275 The liberality of the Indians, and their opinion refpeding money, ^ , ,y 178 CHAPTER IV. Their method of reckoning time, ^c. - 180 The names by which they diftinguilh the months, ib. Their id^a of the ufe of figures, - 182 ' •-' ■ I y ■■.■/- ■"•: ■ ■ . * CHAPTER V. Of their Government, &c. - ^ 184 Their divifion into tribes, .1^ ib. The Chiefs of their bands, . 185 The members that compofc their councils, 187 "•, ,.«,< C O N T E N T S. 3m CHAPTER VI. " '' * ■ ' ' ' , ' ' '■■■>■■'" "" ,'■ ,-,'■• . • , ,• Of theif feafts, . ■ - ^ . 189 Their ufual food, - - ib. Their manner of drefling and eating their vidu- als, - - 190 ■■;-, . /^ . • -;,-.; '-•'.:.'. .;-.• ^^., CHAPTER VII. 192 ib. 194 16. Of their dances, - The manner in which they dance, The pipe or calumet dance, The war dance, - - The Pawwaw dance, - - 195 An uncommon admiflion into a fociety among the Naudoweflies, - - ib. The dance of the Indians on the banks of the MiflilTippi, referred to in the Journal, 200 The dance of the facrifice, ■. 204 CHAPTER Vlir. • Of their Hunting, - ' - * Their preparations before they fet out, Their manner of hunting the Bear, 204 205 206 Buffaloe, Deer, &c. ib. Beaver, - 208 CHAPTER IX, Of their manner of making War, &c. a M" 211 > T XIV CONTENTS. The Indian Weapons, - • . 212 Their Motives for making "War, - 213 Preparations before they take the Field, 215 The manner in which they folicit other Nations to become their Auxiliaries, - 218 Their manner of declaring War, - 219 The method of engaging their Enemies, 221 An inftance of the tfficacy of it in the Defeat of General Braddock, - - 222 A detail of the Maflacre at Fort William Henry in the year 1757, - ^ . • 223 Acutenefs and Alacrity of the, Indians in pur- fuing thtir Enemies, . • ^/\ - 232 Their manner of Scalping, - - 233 The manner in which they retreat, and carry off their Prifoners, - - 234 A remarkable inftance of heroifm in a Female Prifoner, - - - 235 Treatment of their Prifoners, - 238 The origin of their felling Slaves, - 245 .CHAPTER X. Of their manner of making Peace, &c. 248 Account of an Engagement between the Iro- quois and the Ottagaumies and Saukies, 249 Manner in which they conduft a Treaty of Peace, 253 Defcription of the Pipe of Peace, - ib. , Beits of Wampum, - 255 CHAPTER XI. Of their Games, The Game of the Ball, _-,.—«-,—. Bowl or Platter, . -57 ib. CONTENTS. CHAPTER XII. Of their Marriage Ceremonies, - .260 The manner in which the Tribes near Canada celebrate their Marriages, - - 261 The form of Marriage among the Naudoweffies, 264 Their manner of carrying on an Intrigue, 266 Of the Indian Names, - - - 26S > 7 CHAPTER XIII. Of their Religion, - Their Ideas of a Supreme Being, - — — Future State, Of their Priefts, - - The fentiments of others on the religious Prin- ciples of the Indians oppofed, 269 lb. 2;r ib. CHAPTER XIV. ■:■-•[ Of their Difeafes, &c. - - - ^75 - The Complaints to which they are chiefly fubjecl;, ib. ■ The manner in which they conftrud their Sweat- ing Stoves, - - - 276 The methods in which they treat their Difeafes, 277 An extraordinary inftance of the judgment of an Indian Woman, in a defperate cafe, 279 ; CHAPTER XV. . The manner in which they treat their Dead, 281 A fpecimen ot their Funeral Harangues, - 282 Their method of burying their Dead, - 283 A fmgular inftance of parental Affedion in a Naudoweflie Woman, • » 284 XVI CONTENTS, CHAPTER XVI. A concife charafler of the Indians, - 2815 Their perfonal and mental Qualifications, - 289' Their public Charader as Members of a Com- munity, . . - . 2^0 CHAPTER XVII. :\ Of their Language, Hieroglyphics, &c. - 293, Of the Chipeway Tongue, - - ib. Defcriptive Specimen of their Hieroglyphics, &c. - • - - 295 Vocabulary of the Chipeway Language, > t 298 Naudoweffie Language, v, ' 308 »v- ^ CHAPTER XVIIL _ 1 / Of the Beafts, Birds, Fifhes, Reptiles, and In- fers, which are found in the Interior Parts of North- America, • . * . 314 r/ BEASTS. The Tiger. The Bear. -- *' ' - 315 The Wolf. The Fox. Dogs. The Cat of the Mountain, - - - 316 TheBuifalo. The Deer. The Elk, - 317 TheMoofe. The Carraboo, . - - 318 The Carcajou. The Skunk, - - 319 The Porcupine, . - . - 321 The Wood-chuck. The Racoon. The Marten. The MuCqualh, - - - 322 Squirrels. The Beaver, -' • .314 The Otter. The Mink, - -\'^^^-\y^:' 3^8 ■ ;/ CONTENTS. itil BIRDS. the Eagle. The Night-Hawk. The Whip. ' ' perwill, - . - 329 The Fifh Hawk. The Owl. The Crane, 331 Ducks. The Teal. The Loon. The Partridge, 332 The Wood Pigeon. The Woodpecker. The Blue Jay. The Wakon Bird, - 333 The Black Bird. The Red Bird. The Whet- faw, . - - - 335 The King Bird. The Humming Bird, ib. FISHES. The Sturgeon,- - The Cat Fifli. The Carp. The Chub, 337 « SERPENTS.: The Rattle Snake, - - - 338 The Long Black Snake. The Striped or Gar- * ter Snake, - - - 341 The Water Snake. The Hiffing Snake. The Green Snake, - - - 342 The Thorn-tail Snake. The Speckled Snake. The Ring Snake. The two-headed Snake. The Tortoife or Land Turtle, - 343 J' LIZARDS. ^ ! The Swift Lizard. The Slow Lizard. The Tree Toad, . . 344 ^vifir • CONTENTS. * . • ... -'IN S' E C T S. . V - The Silk Worm. The Tobacco Worm. The Bee. The Lighming Bug or Fire Fly, 345 ' The Water Bug. The horned Bug. Locult, 347 -; • CHAPTER XIX. ' Of the Trees, Shrubs, Roots, Herbs, Flowers, &c. - 348 - . TREES. The dak, - - . . ' - - ib. The Pine Tree. The Maple. The Afli, 349 The Hemlock tree. The Bafs or White Wood. The Wickopick or Suckwick. The Button Wood, 351 ; ' N U T T R E E S. ■ - * .1 * _ - --.-■-■ The Butter or Oil Nut. The Beech Nut. The Pecan Nut. The Hickory, » 352 353 FRUIT TREES. '; , The Vine, 354 The Mullberry Tree. The Crab Apple Tree. The Plum Tree. The Cherry Tree. The Sweet Gum Tree, - - ib« A CONTENTS. ki« SHRUBS. . . The Willow. Shin Wood. The Saflafras, 356 The Prickly Afh. The Moofe Wood. The Spoon Wood. The Elder, - ^^7 The Shrub Oak. The Witch Hazel. The Myr- tle Wax Tree. Winter Green, - 358 The Fever BuOi. The Cranberry Bufli. The Choak Berry, - - 359 ROOTS AND PLANTS. ■ Spikenard, Sarfaparilla. Gingfeng, - 36© Gold Thread. Solomon*s Seal. Devirs Bit. Blood Root, - - - 361 HE R B S. Sanicle. Rattle Snake Plantain, - 363 , Poor Robin's Plantain. Toad Plantain. Rock Liverwort. Gargit or Skoke. Skunk Cab- bage or Poke. Wake Robin, - 364 Wild Indigo. Cat Mint, « - 365 FLOWERS, ,. ', :- - 366 FARINACEOUS and LEGUMINOUS ROOTS, &c. Maize or Indian Corn. Wild Rice, Beans. The Squalh, 366 CONTENTS. APPENDIX. The Probability of the Interior parts of North- America becoming Coiiunercial Colonies, 37I The INlcans by \vhich this might be trffeded, 372 Trads of land pointed out, on which Colonies may be ellablilhcd with the greaidt Ad- Vvjntaj^e, . - - DiflTertaion on the Difcovery of the North- wed Paflage, - - • The molt ccTtain way of attninlnfr it, Plan propofed by Richard Whit worth Efq; for making an Attempt trom a Quarter hitherto iinex;.lc.'reJ, The Reafoii of its being poilponed, 374 378 ib. 379 .380 ''.t\ • ■ • • » •' ^ r 21 3 , • » . • • 1 .• 1 ( • ', f ■ ■ • A • • . ... . .,^ ' « INTRODUCTION. J[\ O fooner was the late war with France concluded, and peace eflabliflied by the treaty of Verfailles in the year 1763, than I began to confider (having rendered my country fonie fervices during the war) how I might continue (till ferviceable, and contribute, as much as lay in my power, to make that vafl: acquifition of territory, gained by Great- Britain in North-America, advantageous to it. It appeared to me indifpeniibly iieedful, that Govern- ment fhouid be acquainted, in the firft place, with the true flate of the dominions they were now be- come pofTeiTed of. To this purpofe, I determined, as the 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 obdrudions would arife to my fcheme from the want of good maps and charts ; for the French, ^yhiUt they, retained their power in North- America, had taken every artful method to keep all other nations, particularly the Englifti, in ignorance of the con- cerns of the interior parts of it : and to accomplifli this defign with the greater certainty, they had pub- lifhed inaccurate maps and falfe accounts ; calling the different nations of the Indians by nicknames they had given them, and not by thofe really apper- taining to them. Whether the intention of the French in doing this, was to prevent thefe nations from being difcovered and traded with, or to con- INTRODUCTION. ceal their difcourfe, when they talked to each other of the Indian concernSi in their prefence, I will not determine ; but whatfoever was the cauTe from which it arofe, it tended to miflead. As a prooJF that the Englifh had been greatly de- ceived by thefe accounts, and that their knowledge relative to Canada had ufuaUy been very confin- cd ; — be.'"ore the conqueft of Crown Point in i759f jt had been eileemed an hnpregnable fortrefs ; but 210 fooner was it taken, than we were convinced that at had acquired its greated fecurity from falfe re- ports, given out by its poileflbrg, and tiilght hav . oeen 'battered down wkh a few four pounders. Eveti its fituation, which was reprefented no be fo verjjf advantageous, w^s found to owe its advantages to the fame fource. It cannot be denied hut that fome maps of thele countries have been publiflied by the French with an appearance of accuracy ; but thefe are of fo fmall a Tize, and drawn on fo minute a fcale, that they are nearly .inexplicabie. The fources. of the Miiuflippi,! can aifert .from my own experi- ence, are greatlyrmifplaced; for wheni had explor- .ed them, and compared their iituation with the French charts, I found them very eironeeufly re- ut jdthai Ifc rc- t hav , Even ioyery igcs to Lt fomc by tbc ,t thefc a fcale. rces. of cxperi- explor- itU the fly re- r copi- da.the^ no tra- o their uainted ^perior, burden correft. js .given grefs of canoes. .'M They Hkevife, on giving up the po0efnon8 of them, took care to leave the places they had occupied,, hi the fame uncultivated (late they had found them j til the fame time defVroying all their naval force. I obferved my felt parti. I the hulk of a very large vel- fel, bnrnt to the water's edge, jud at the opening ifrom the Straits of Hi Marie into the Lake* Thei*e difficulties, however, were not fufHcient to deter me from the undertaking, and I made prepa- i'atiohs for -fctting out. What I chiefly had in view, after gaining a knowledge of the manners, cufloms, languages, foil, and natural produdions of the dif- lereht nations that inhabit the back of the Mifllflfippi, tvas to alicerrain the breadth of that vaft continent, which extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, in its broadeft part between 43 and 46 de- grees northern latitude. Had I been able to accom- plifh this, I intended to have propofed to govern- ment to eftablifh a pofl tn fome of thofe parts about the Straits of Annian, which j having been fird dif" covered by Sir Francis Drake, of courfe belong to the Englifb. This I am convinced would greatly facilitate the difcovery of a north wefl paffage, or a communication between Hudfon's Bay and the Pa- cific Ocean : An event fo delirable, and which has been fo often fought for, but without fuccefs. Be- fides this important end, a fettlement on that extre> toity of America would anfwer many good pur- pofes, and repay every expence the eftablifhment of It might occafion. For it would not only difclofe new fources of trade, and promote many ufeful difcoveries, but would open a pafTage for conveying intelligence to China, and the Englifh fettlements in the Eafl Indies, with greater expedition than a tedious voyage by the Cape of Good Hope, or the Straits of Magellan, will allow of. > * if INTRODUCTION. * Ho\^ far the advantages arifing from fuch an er^<' terprize may extend, can only be afcertained by the favourable^ concurrence of futiire events. But that the completion of the fcheme, I have had ths honour of firft planning and attempting, will fome time or other be effected, I make no doubt. From the unhappy divifions that at prefent fubiifl between Great Britain and America, it will probably be fome years before the attempt is repeated j but whenever it is, and the execution of it carried on with pro. priety, thofe who are fo fortunate as to fucceed, will reap, excluiive of the national advantages that muH: enfue, emoluments beyond their mofl: fanguine ex- • pe£tations. And whiifl their fpirits are elated by their fuccefs, perhaps they may bellow fome com- mendations and bleilings on the perfon who iirft pointed out to them the way. Thefe, ihough but a ihadowy recompence for all my toil, I fhall receive with pleafure. ^ . To what power or authority this new world rwill become dependent, after it has rifen from its pre^ fent uncultivated (late, time alone can difcover.. But as the feat of empire from time immemorial has been gradually progrelTive towards the well^ there is no doubt but that at fome future period, mighty kingdoms will emerge from thefe wilder- nefies, and {lately palaces and folemn temples, with gilded fpires reaching the ikies, fupplant the Indian huts, whofe only decorations are th? barbarous tro- phies of their vanquiflied enemies^ f : ; fi;;. ; , . As fome of the preceding paflages hare 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 impraflicability (for the farther I went, the more convinced I was that it could certainly be accom^* . ^ i NT ROD UCTION. »5 |)li(hed), biit from uDforefeen difappointments. How* ever, I proceeded fo far, that I was able to make fuch difcoveries as \)vill be ufeful in any future at- tempt, and prove a good foundation for fome more fortunate fucceffor to build upon. Thefe I fhaU now lay before the public in the following pages ; tmd am fatisfied that the greateft part of them have never been publiflied by any perfon that has hi-^ therto treated of the interior nations of the Indians ; particularly, the account I give of the Naudoweilies, and the iituation of the heads of the four great rivers that take their rife within a few leagues of each other, nearly about the centre of this great conti- nent ; y'lZi The river Bourbon j which empties itfelf into Hudfon's Bay ; the Waters of Saint Lawrence j the Miffiffippi, and the River Oregan, or the River of the Weil, that falls into the Pacific Ocean, at the Straits of Annian. The impediments ihat occafioned my return, be- fore I had accomplifhed my purpofes, were thefe. On my arrival at Michillimackinac, the remoteft Englifh poll, in September 1766, I applied to Mr Rogers, who was then governor of it, to furnifli me with -a proper aiTortment of goods, as prcfents for the Indians who inhabit the trad I intended to purfue. He did this only in part ; but promifed to fupply me with fuch as were neceflary, when I reached the falls of Saint Anthony. I afterwards learned that the governor fulfilled his promife in ordering the goods to be delivered to me ; but thole to whofe car6 he intrufted themj inftead of conform- ing to his orders, difpofipd of them elfewhere. Difappointed in my expefi-ations from this quar- ter, I thought it necefTary to return to La Prairie Le Chien j for it was impoflible to proceed any fur- ther without prefents to enfure me a favourable re- . / 25 INTRODUCTION. 4 ception. Thisldid in the beginning of the ^reat I767, and finding my progress to the weftwatd thus retarded, I determined t6 direft my coorfe north- ward. I took this ftep with a view of finding- a communication from the heads of the Mifiiflippt, tmo Lake Superior, in order to meet at the grand Portage on the north-wed fide of that lake, the traders that ufualty come, about this feafon, from Michiliimackinac. Of thefe I intended to purchafe goods^ and then to purfue my journey from that quarter, by way of the lakes du Pluye, Ihibois, and Ounipique, to the heads of the River of the Weft, which, as I have faid before, falk into the Straits of Aimian, the termination of my intended progrefis: . ?''"'-." '- '-'' :,■ :.■■- ■'-'•^ ■-••■''■ "^^ I accompUfhed the former part of my deiign, and reached Lake Superior in proper time \ but unluc- 'kily the traders I met thete, acquainted me that they had no goods to fpare ; thofe they had with them being barely fufficient to anfwer their own demands in thefe remote parts. Thus difappointed a fecohd time, I found myfelf obliged to return to the place from whence I began my eiqpedition, which I did^ after continuing fom^ months on the north and eaft borders of Lake Superior, and exploring the bays and rivers that empty themfeives into this large body of water. • As it may be expected that I fhould lay before the pubKc the reafons that thefe difcoveries, of fo much importance to every one who has any con- nexions with America, have not been imparted to them before, not with (landing they were made up- wards of ten years ago, I will give them to the world in a plain and candid manner, and without mingling ^ith them any complaints on account of the ill treatment I have deceived. "i h^^ M INTRODUCTION. »7 yeat Ithtts aorth- inj;^ a iifippt, giand 5, the from icchafe 1 that hiboisv of the ito the tended ;«, aiid unluc- lat they ti them emaods fecotid \ place I did, lid ea(t bays large \Q before , of fo ly cori- irted to ide up- world ungling the ill .1 On iny arrival in Efifrland, I prefeoicd a petition pi his Majefty in cousiicil, praying for a reunburfe- fnent'of tho&furas I had expended in ibe iervice of I ihall'now ^commttnicate my plans, joumals and obfervations, of which 1 luckily kept copies, :when I delivered the ■originaIs;into the plantation office. And this I do .jhjBWQrerfia^ily^asJ hear they are irtHlaid; and 38 INTRODUCTION. there is no probability of their ever being publiflied. To thofe who are intereftcd in the concerns of the interior parts of North- America, from the conti* guity of their poiTeilions, or commercial engage^ ments, they will be extifemely ufeful, and fully re* pay the funi at which they are purchafed. To thofe, who, from a laudable curiofity, wiih to be acquaint- ed with, the manners and cuftoms of every inhabitant of this globe, the accounts here given of the various nations that inhabit fo vail a tra^ of it, a country hitherto aln^plt unexplored, will furnifh an ample fund of amufenient, and gratify their moft curious expedations. And I flatter myfelf they will be as favourably received by the public, as defcriptions of iflands, which afford no other entertainment than what arifes from their novelty ; and difcoveries, that feem to promife very few advantages to this country, though acquired at c^n imraenfe expence. To ro^ke the following work as compreheniive and entertaining as poffible, I (hall firlt give my readers an account of the route I purfued over this immenfe continent, and as I pafs on, defcribe the number of the inhabitants, the iituation of the rivers and lakes, and the productions of the country. Having done this, I fhall treat, in diftind chapters, of ;he manners, cufloms, and languages of the In- dians, and to complete the whole, add a vocabulary pf the words mod in ufe among 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 produdion of a perfon unufed, from op- poiite avocations, to literary purfuits. He therefore begs they would not examine it with too critical ^n eye ; efpecially when he aflures them, that his atten- tion has been more employed in giving a juft de- Icrjp^ion of a country, that promifes, in fome future INTRODUCTION. *9 peripd, to be an inexhauftible fource of riches to that people who (hall be fo fortunate as to poifefs it, than on. the ftile or compofition ; and more careful to render his language intelligible and explicit^ than fmooth and florid. e JOURNAL OF T H X H's,^ ■ I I I TRAVELS, W IT H A h ESCRIPTION b F T H S fcOUNTRY, LAKES, &c. IN June 1766, I fet out from Boftoh, and proceeded by way of Albany and Niagara, to Mi. chillimackinac j a fort fituated between the Lakes Huron and Michigan, and didant from Bofton 1 300 miles. This being the utt^rmoft of our factories towards the north-weft, I confidered it as the mod convenient place from whence I could begin my in- tended progrefs, and enter at once into the regions I defigned to explore. Referring my readers to the publications already extant for an account of thofe parts of North-Ame- rica, whichj from lying adjacent to the back fettle- ments, have been frequentl]^ defcribed, I fhall con* fine myfelf to a defcription of the more interior parts 32 CARVER'S TRAVELS. i ' » I'i f' of it, which, having been but feldom viiited, aref confequently but little known. In doing this, I (haU in no inflance exceed the bounds o^ truth, or have recourfe to thofe ufelefs and extravagant exaggera- tions, too often made uf6 of by travellers, to excite the curioiity of the public, or to encreafe their own importance. Nor fhall I infert any obfervations, but fuch as I have made myfelf, or, from the credi- bility of thofe by whom they were related, am ena- bled to vouch for their authenticity. „ ..,.-^ - Michillimackinac, from whence 1 began my tra- vels, is a fort compofed of a flrong (lockade, and is ufually defended by a garrifon of one hundred men. It contains about thirty houfes, one of which belongs to the governof, and another to the com- miflary. Several traders alfo dwell within its for- tifications, who find it a convenient fituation to traffic with the neighbouring nations, MichiHimaC'^ kinac, in the language of the Chip^way Indians, fignifies a Tortoife ; and the place is fuppofed to receive its name from an illand, lying about fix: or feven miles to the north-ead, within fight of the fort, which has the appearance of that animal. During the Indian war that followed foon aftet the conqueft of Canada, in the year 1763, and which was carried on by an army of confederate nations, compofed of the Hurons, Miamies, Chipeways, Ottowaws, Pontowaltimies, Mifliflfauges, and fome other, tribes, under the direction of Pontiac, a ce- lebrated Indian warrior, who had always been in the French intereft, it was taken by furprife in the following manner : The Indians having fettled their plan, drew near the fort, and began a game at ball, a pailime much ufed among them, and not unlike tennis. In the height oi their game, at: which fome of the Englilh officers, not jfufpeding CARVER'S TRAVELS. '■•1 tiny deceit, flood looking on, they ftruck the ball, as if by accident, over the ftockade ; this they re- peated 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 party rufhcd by him ; and the reft foon following, they took pofTeffion of the fort, without meeting with any oppoiition. Having accomplifhed their defign, the Indians 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 redeemed at a good price. The fort alfo was given up again to the En- glifh at the peace made with Pontiac, by the com- mander af Detroit the year following. Having here made the neceffary difpofition for purfuing my travels, and obtaining ^ credit from Mr Rogers, the governor, on fome Englifli and Canadian traders, who were going to trade on the Miffiflipi, and received alfo from him a promife of a frelh 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 Ihould furnifh me with fuch goods as I might want, for prefents to the Indian chiefs, during my continuance with them, agreeable to the governor's orders. But when I arrived at the extent of their route, I was to find other guides, and to de- pend on the goods the governor had promifed to fupply me with. We accordingly fet out together, and on the iSth arrived at Fort La Bay. This fort is fituated on the foutheru extremity of a bay in Lake Michigan, termed by the French, the Bay of Puants j but which, fince the Englilh have giiined polilliion of all I ■\ 1, i4 CARVER'8 TRAVELS. the fettlements on this part of the continent, is called by them the Green Bay. The reafon of its being thus denominated, is from its appearance ; for on leaving Michillimackinac \h the fpring feafon, though the trees there have not even put forth their buds, yet you find the country around La Bay,not- withflanding the palTage has hot exceeded fourteen days, covered with the fineft verdure, and vegeta- tion as forward as it could be were it fummer. This fort is alfo only furrounded by a flockade, and being much decayed, is fcarcely defenlible again(t fmall arms. It was built by the French for the proteftion of their trade, fome time before they Were forced to relinquifh it ; and when Canada and its dependencies were furrendered to the Englifli, it "ivas immediately garrifoned with rn officer and thirty men. Thefe were made prifoners^ by the Menomo- nies foon after the furprife of Michillimackinac, and the fort has neither been garrifoned nor kept in re- pair fince. * -. ■ » ■ The bay is about ninety miles long, but difFers much in its breadth ^ being in fome places only fif- teen miles, in others from twenty to thirty. It lies nearly from north -eaft to fouth-weft- At the en- trance of it from the lake are a firing of iflands, extending from north to fouth^ called the Grand Traverfe. Thefe are about thirty miles in length, and ferve to facilitate the paflage of canoes, as they ihelter them from the winds, which' fometimes come with violence acrofs the Lake. On the fide that lies to the fouth-eaft is the nearefl and beft navigation. The iflands/of the Grand Traverfe are moftly fmall and rocky. Many of the rocks are of an amazing fize, and appear as if they had been falhi- CAJLVER'i TRAVL S. If [, is called itB being J for on ; feafon, ►rth their Bay, not- fourteen vegeta- ler. lockade,' B againfl: for the >re they tda and glifli, it id thirty enortio- ac, and t in re- ^^ oned by the hands of artifts. On he large and "i beft of ihele iflands ftands a town of {he Ortav awi, at which I found one of the moft confiderable chiefs of that nation, who received me with every honour he could poflibly fliow to a Aranger. But what appeared extremely Angular to me at the time, and muft do fo to every perfon unacquainted with the cuftoms of the Indians, was the reception I met with on landing. As our canoes approached the fhore, and had reached within about threefcore rods of it, the Indians began a feu-de-joye ; in which they fired their pieces loaded with bails } but at the fame time they took care to difcharge them in fuch qi manner as to fly a few yards above our heads : during this they ran from one tree or (lump to another, fbouting and behaving as if they were in the heat of battle. At firft I was greatly furprifcd, and was on the point of ordering my attendants to return their fire, concluding that their intentions were hoftile ; but being undeceived by fome of the traders, who informed me that this was the ufual method of re- ceiving the chiefs of other nations, I confidered it in its true light, and was pleafed with the refped thus paid me. I reimained here one night. Among the prefents I made the chiefs, were fome fpirituous liquors, with which they made themfelves merry, and all joined in a dance, that lafted the greatcft part of the night. In the morning when I departed, the chief attended me to the fhore, and, as foon as I had embarked, offered up in an audible voice, and with great fo- lemnity, a fervent prayer in my behalf. He prayed " That the great fpirit would favour me with a prof- perous voyage ; that he would give me an unclouded iky, and fmooth waters, by day, and that I might lie down, by night, on a beaver blanket, enjoying uninterrupted flecp, and pleafant dreams 5 and alfo 3^ GARVER'9 TRAVELS. I f tliat I might Rnd continual protection under ths great pipe of peace." In this manner he continued his petitions till I could no longer hear them. I mud here obferve, that notwithftanding the inhabitants of Europe are apt to entertain horrid ideas of the ferocity of thefe favages, as they are termed, 1 received from evefy tribe of thtm in the interior parts, the mod hofpitable and courteous treatment, and am convinced, that till they are contaminated by the example, and fpiritous liquors of their more refined neighbours, they retain this friendly and inoilfenfive condu£t towards (Irangers. Their inveteracy and cruelty to their enemies, 1 ac- knov^ledge to be a great abatement of the favoura- ble opinion I would wifli to entertain of them ; but this failing is hereditary, and having received the fandion of immemorial cuHom, has taken too deep root in their minds to be eafily extirpated. Among thefe people I eat of a very uncommoiv kind of bread. The Indians, in general, ufe but little of this nutritious food : whilil their com is in the milk as they term it, that is, jud before it be- gins to ripen, they ilice off the kcrriels from the cob to which they grow, and knead them into a pafte. This they are enabled to do without the ad- dition of any liquid, by the milk that flows from them ; and when it is effedted, they parcel it out in- to cakes, and enclofing them in leaves of the ball'', wood tree, place them in hot embers, where ihey are foon baked. And better flavoured bread I never eat in any country. '-> This place is only a fmall village, containing about twenty-fiye houfes and fixty or feventy warri- ors. I found nothing there worthy, of further re- CARVE R'lTRAVELS. 37 inder th« continued :m. iding the n' horrid they are n in the :ourteou8 they are s liquors tain this Grangers, ies, I ac- favoura- cm ; but ved the too deep ommon ufe but 3m is in it be- |om the into a the ad-*^ 5 from out in- le bail'- re ihey I never taining warri- ler re- The land on the fouth-eaft fide of the Green Bay •is but very indifferent, being overfpread with a heavy growth. of hemlock, pine, fpruce, and fir trees. The communication between lake Michi- gan and the Green Bay, has been reported by fome to beimprafticable for the pallage of any veflels larger than canoes or boats, on account of the (hoais that lie between the iilands in the Grand Traverfe ; but on founding it, I found fulficient depth for a veflel 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 pleafmg and ^xtcnfive. A few families live in the fort, which lies on the wefl fide of the Fox River, and oppofite to it, on. the eafl: fide of its entrance, are fome French fet- tlers, who cultivate the land, and appear to live very comfortably. The Green Bay or Bay of Puants is one of thofe places to which the French, as I have mentioned in the introdudion, have given nicknames. It is termed by the inhabitants of its coa(ts, the Meno- raonie Ray ; but why the French have denopiinared it the Puant or Stinking Bav, I know not. The realon they themfelves gave for it is, that ii was not with a view to miflead Itrangers, but that by adopt- ing this method, they could converfe with each other concerning the Indians, in their prefence, without being underflood by them. For it was rie- marked by the perfons who firft traded among them, that when they were fpeaking to each other about thetn, and mentioned their proper names, they ijifluntly grew fufpicious, and concluded that their vifitors were either fpeaking- ill of them, or plot- % li * ;it 41 I I i > (1 S8 CARVER'S TRAVELS. ting iheir dirtruftion. To remedy this they gave them fome other name. The only bad confequence arifing from the pradice then introduced is, that Englilh and French geographers, in their plans of the interior parrs of America, gave different names to the fame people, and thereby perplex thofe who have occalion 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 Michillimackinac ; and is fituated be- tween forty-two and forty- fix degrees of latitude, and between eighty-four and eighiy-feven degrees of weft longitude. Its greatefl length is two hun- dred and eighty miles, its breadth about forty, and its circumference nearly fix hundred. There is a remarkable firing of fmall iflands, beginning, over againft Alkin's farm, and running about thirty miles fouth-weft into the lake. Thefe are called the Beaver Iflands. Their fituation is very pleafant, but the foil is bare. Howevet, they afford a beauti- ful profped. On the north-weft part 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 CreenBayjuft^ delcribed. ^^ < The waters of this as well as the other great Iake$ are clear and wholefome, and of fufficient depth for the navigation of large fhips. Half the fpace of the country that lies to the eaft, and ex- tends to Lake Huron, belongs to the Ottowaw In- dians. The line that divides their territories from the Chipeways, runs nearly north and fouth, and Teaches almolt from the fouthern extremity of this lake, acrofs the high lands, to Michillimackinac, through the centre of which it paffes. So that when CARVER'S TRAVELS. 39 ng, over rty miles lied the pleafant, i beauti- waters towards her the great jflicient lalf the md Gx- 'aw Tri- es from h, and of this ckinac, It when ■thefe tw;o tribes happen to meer at the faclory, they each encamp on their own dominions, at a few yards diftance from the ftockade. .- The country adjacent either to the eafl or weft fide of this lake, is corapofed hut of an indifferent foil, except where fmall brooks or rivers empty themfelves into it ; on the banks of thefe it is ex- tremely fertile. Near the borders of t,he lake grow a great number of fand cherries, which are not lefs remarkable for their manner of growth, than for their exquifite favour. They grow upon a fmall fhrub, not more than four feet high, the boughs cf which are fo loaded that they lie in clufters 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 preach, cherries de fable, or fand cherries. The- fize of them does not exceed that of a fmall muflvet ball, but ihey are reckoned fuperior to any other fort for the purpofe of deeping in fpirits. There alfo grow around the lake, goolberries, black cur- rants, and an abundance jquantiiies of berries of the lineit fort. juniper, beanng great Sumack likewife grows here in gre:?t plenty ; the leaf of which, gachered at rvlichaelmas, when ic turns red, is much edeemed by the natives. They mix about an equal qiumtiry ot it with tl;ieir tobac- co, which caufes it to fmoke pleafintly. Near this lake, and indeed about all the grceat lakes, is fotind a kind of willow, termed by the French, bois rouge, in Englifh, red wood. Its l);irk, when only of one year's growth, is of a fine fcarlft colour, and appears very beautiful ; but as it grows older, it changes into a mixture of grey and red. The (talks of this flirub grow many of them together, and rife to the height of fix or eightfeer, the largeft not exceeding iiii! th l!l 4* CARVE R-s TRAVELS. an inch diameter. The bark being fcraped from the flicks, and dried and powdered, is alfo mixed, by the Indians with their tobacco, and is held by them in the higheft eftimation for their winter fmok- ihg. A weed that grows near the great lakes, in rocky places, they ufe in the fummer feafon. It is called by the Indians Segockimac, and creeps like a vine on the ground, fometimes extending to eight or ten feet, and bearing a leaf about the fize of a filver penny, nearly round ; it is of the fub* fiance and colour of the laurel, and is, like the tree it refembles, an evergreen. Thefe leaves, dried and powdered, they hkewife mix with their to- bacco; and, as faid before, fmokeit only during the fummer. By thefe three fuccedanenms, the pipe^ of the Indians are well fupplied through every fea- fon of the year ; and as they are great fmokers, they are very careful in properly gathering and pre- paring them. , ... On the 20th of September I lef^ the Green Bay, and proceeded up Fox River, flill in company "U'ith the traders and fome Indians. On the 25th I arrived at the great town of the Winnebagoes, fituated on a fmall ifland, jufl as you enter the call end of Lake Winnebago. Here the queen who prefided ov6r this tribe inllead of a Sachem, received me with great civility, and entertained me in a very diftinguillied manner, during the four days I conti- nued with her. The day after my arrival I held a council with the chiefs, of whom I alked permiflion to pafs through their country, in my way to more remote nations, on bufinefs of itpporiance. This was rea- dily granted me, the requeft being efteemed by them as a great compliment paid to their tribe. The queen fat in the council, but only afked a few * ', CARVER'S TRAVELS. 4« queftlons, or gave fome trifling diredions in matters relative to the ftate ; for women are never allowed to fit in their councils, except they happen to be inverted with the fupreme authority, and then it is not cuftomary for them to make any formal fpeeches as the chiefs do. She was a very ancient woman, fmall in (tature, and not much dillinguifh- ed by her drefs from feveral young women that at- tended her. Thefe her attendants feemed greatly pleafed whenever I fhowed any tokens of refpedt to their queen, particularly when I faluted her, which i frequently did to acquire her favour. On thefe occafions the good old lady endeavoured to aflfume a juvenile gaiety, and by her fmiles, fhowed (he was equally pleafed with the attention I paid her. The time I refided here, I employed in making the beft obfervations poflible on the country, and in collefling the mod certain intelligence I could, of the origin, language, and cuftoms of this people. From thefe enquiries I have reafon to concliKifi,>5 tha: the Winnebagoes originally refided in fome^'of the provinces belonging to New Mexico, and being driven from their native country, either by inteftine divilions, or by the extenfion of the Spanifh con- quei.s, they took refuge in thefe more northern parts about a century ago. My reafons for adopting this fuppofition, are, Firll, from their unalienable attachment to the Naudoweffie Indians (who, they fay, gave them the earliefl Tuccours during their emigration,) notwith- Itanding their prefent refidence is more than fix hundred miles diftant from that people. ;. Secondly, that their dialeft totally differs from every other Indian nation yet difcovcred ; being a very jncouth, guttural jargon, which none of iheir neighbours will attempt to learn. They con- i Wl^ ,42 CARVER'S TRAVELS. yerfe with other nations in the Chipeway tongue, xvhich is the prevailing language throughout all the tribes, from the Mohawks of Canada, to thofe who inhabit the borders of the Miffiflippi, and from the Hurons and Illinois to fuch as dwell near Hud- fon's Bay. ' ■ ' .. • ■■.-*■,-',■ * ■ -...,■.>. ■■.-.. ^ . < ft .. *■ ■■, . . ■ Thirdly, from their inveterate hatred to the Spa- niards. Some of them informed me that they had many excurfions to the fouth-weft, which took up feveral moons. An elderly chief moie 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 during this expedition, whilft they were crofling a plain, they difcovered a body of men on horfeback, who be- longed to the Black people; for fo they call the Spaniards. As foon as they perceived them, they proceeded with caution, and concealed themfelves till night came on, when they drew fo near as to be able to difcern their 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 having killed the greateft part of the men, took eighty horfes loaded with what they termed white (tone. This I fuppofe to have been filver, as he told me the horfes were (hod with it, and that their bridles were ornamented with the fame< When they had fatiated their revenge, they carried oflf their fpoil, and being got fo'far as to be out of the reach of the Spaniards that had efcaped their fury, they left the ufelefs and ponderous bur- den, with which the horfes were loaded, in the woods, and mounting themfelves, in this manner returned to their friends. The party they had thus defeated, 1 conclude to be the caravan that annually conveys to Mexico the filver which the S|}aniard$ 1 CARVER'S TRAVELS. 4S find in great quantities on the mountains lying near the heads of the Coieredo River : and the plains where the attack was made, probably, 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 Gulf of Mexico, to the weft of the Mifliflippi. "■-:■ A The Winnebagoes can raife about two hundred warriors. Their town contains about fifty houfes, which are ftrongly built with pallifades, 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. • iH-'c^ 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 ob- liged to land our canoes, and carry them a con- fiderable way. Its breadth, in general, from the Green Bay to the Winnebago Lake, is between feventy and a hundred yards ; the land on its bor- ders very good, and thinly wooded with hickory, oak, and hazel. . The Winnebago Lake is about fifteen miles long from eaft to weft, and fix miles wide.' At its fouth- eaft 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 cou- fequence of a ftory that prevails among the Indians, of their having deftroyed, in fome part of it, an ani- liial, which from their defcription muft be a croco- dile or an aligator. •■. •■,'■-■ . ;- J- ,■ v-;. , • . . The land adjacent to the Lake is very fertile, abounding with grapes, plumbs, and other fruits, / 'I III Ji if >!i I III III it i i > 44 CARVER'S TRAVELS. which grow fpontaneoufly. The Winnebago^s raife on it a great quantity of Indian corn, beans, pumpkins, fquafhes, and water melons, with fome tobacco. The Lake itfelf abounds with filh, and in the fall of the year, with geefe, ducks, and teal. The latter, which refort to it ia great numbers, are remarkably good and extremely fat, and are much better flavoured than thofe that are found near the fea, as they acquire their exceflive fatnefs by feeding on the wild rice, which grows fo plentifully in thefe parts. , . . Having made fome acceptable prefents to the good old queen, and received her blefling, I left ibe town of the Winnebagoes on the 29th of September, and about twelve, miles from it,' arrived at the place where the Fox River enters the Lake on the north iide of it. We proceeded up this river, and on the 7ih of Oftober reached the great carrying place, which divides it from the Ouifconfin. The Fox River, from the Green Bay to the car- rying 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 conliderable ; notwithflanding which, it is in fome places with difficulty that canoes can pafs through the obflruc- tions they meet with from the rice ftalks, which afe very large and thick, and grow here in great abun- dance. The country around it is very fertile, and proper in the highelt degree for cultivation, except- ing in fome places near the river, where it is rather too low. It is in no part very woody, and yet can fupply fufficient to anfwer the demands of any num- ber of inhabitants. This river is the'greatefl refort of wild fowl of every kind, that I met with in the whole courfe of my travels ; frequently the fun would be obfcured by them for fome minutes together. CARVER'S TRAVELS. 4 J %. About forty miles up this river, from the great town of the Winnebagoes, ftands a fmaller town belonging to that nation. ■ Deer and bears are very numerous in thefe parts, and a great many beavers and other furs are taken on the ftreams that empty themfelves into this river. The river I am treating of, is remarkable for hav- ing been, about eighty years ago, the refidence of the united bands of the Ottigaumies and the Saukies, whom the French had nicknamed, according to their wonted cuftom, Des Sacs and Des Reynards, the Sacks and thei Foxes, of whom the following anecdote was related to me by an Indian. u About fixty years ago, the French miflionaries and traders having received many infults 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 Green .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 upon them by furprife. Unprepared as they were, he found them an eafy conqueft, and confequently killed or took prifoners the greateft part of them. On the return of the French to the Green Bay, one of the Indian chiefs in alliance with them, who had a confiderable band of the prifoners under his care, flopped to drink at a brook ; 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, whilfl: he ftooped to drink, by an exquifitely fufceptible part, and held him faft till he expired on the fpot. ' As the chief, from the ' . 'G - . . , 4d CARVER'S TRAVELS. I u )?'i ti extreme torture he fuffered. was unable to call out to his friendsi or to give any alarm, they paffed on without knowing what had happened ; and the wo- man having cut the bands of thofe of her fellow- prifoners who were in the rear, with them made her efcape. This heroine was ever after treated by her nation as their deliverer, and made a chiefefs in her own right, with liberty to entail the fame honour on her defcendants ; an urmfual diftindion, and per- mitted only on extraordinary occafions. ' About twelve miles before I reached the earrymg place, I obferved fever al fmall mountains which ex- tended quite to it. Thefe indeed would only be edeemed as mblchilis, when compared with thofe on the back of the colonies, but as they were the firft I had feen fince my leaving Niagara, a track of nearly eleven hundred miles, I covild not leave them unnoticed. The Fox River, where it enters the Winnebago Lake, is about fifty yards wide, but it gradually de- creafes to the carrying place, where it is ho more than five yards over, except in a few places where it widens into fmall lakes, though flili of a confider- ' able depth. I cannot recollect any thing elfe that is remarkable in this river, except that it is fo ferpen- tine for five miles, as only to gain in that place one quarter of a mile. The carrying place between the Fox and Ouif- confm Rivers, is in breadth not more than a mile and three quarters, though in fome maps it is fo de- lineated as to appear to be ten miles. And here I cannot help remarking, that all the maps df thefe parts, I have ever feen, arc very erroneous. The rivers in general are defcribed as running in different directions from what they really do -, and niaay CARVER'S TRAVELS. 4/ ..'*; branches of them, particularly of the MifTinippi, omitted. The didances of places, likewife, are great- ly mifreprefented. Whether this is done by the French geographers (for the £ngli(h maps are all copied frcni theirs) through defign, or for want of a juft knowledge of the country, 1 cannot fay; but I am fatisfied that travellers who depend upon them in the parts I yifited, will find themfelves much at a lafs. Near one half of the way, between the rivers, i$ a morafs overgrown with a kind of long grafs, the reft of it a plain with fome few oak and pine trees growing thereon. I obferved here a great number of rattle-fnakes. Monf. Pinnifance, a French tra- der, "told me a remarkable ftory concerning one of thefe reptiles, of which hefaid he was an eye-wit- nefs. An Indian, belonging to the Menomonie na- tion, 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. Pinnifance accidentally met with him at his carrying place, Juft as he was fetting off for a winter's hunt. The French gentleman was furprifed, one day, to fee the Indian place the box which contaioed his god, on the ground, and opening the door, give him his liberty ; telling him, whilft he did it, to be fure and return by the time he himfeU (hould comeback, which was to be in the month of May following. As this was but Odober, Monfieur told the Indian, whofe limpHcity alloniuied him, that he fancied he might wait long enough when May arrived, for the arrival of his great father. The Indian was fo con- fident of his creature's obedience, that he offered tQ ky the Frenchman a wager 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 4« CARVER'S TRAVELS. I i< MP I, ,)l»l II week in May following, fixed for the determination of the wager. At that period they both met there again ; when the Indian fet down his box, and called for his great father. The fnake heard him not ; and the time being now expired, he acknowledged that he had loft. However, without feeming to be difcotnaged, he offered to double the bet, if his great father came not within two days more. This was further agreed on ; when behold, on the fecond day, about one o'clock, the fnake arrived, and, of his own accord, crawled into the box, which was placed ready for him. The French gentleman vouched for the truth of this ftory, and from the accpunts I have often received of the docility of thofe crea- tures, I fee no reafon to doubt of its veracity. ' I obferved that the main body of the Fox River came from the fouth-weff, 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 fhould take their rife fo near each other, and after running different courfes, empty themfelves into the fea, at a diftance fo amazing (for the former hav- ing pafled through feveral great lakes, and run up- wards of two thoufand miles, falls into the Gulf of St Lavi^rence, and the other, after joining the Mif- lifTippi, and having run an equal number of miles, difembogues itfelf into the Gulf of Mexico), is an inftance fcarcely to be met with in the extenfive conti- nent of North-America. I had an opportunity, the year following, of making the fame obfervaiions on the affinity of vatioushead branches of the waters of the St Lawrence and the Mifliflippi, to each other; and now bring them as a proof, that the opinion of thofe geographers who aflert, that rivers taking their rife fo near each other, mufl fpring from the fame im. ' • CARVER'S TRAVELS. 49 fource, is erroneous. For I perceived a vifibly (lif- ting reparation in all of them, notwithftanding, in iome places, they approached fo near, that I could have flepped from the one to the other. On the 8th of October we got our canoes into the Oulfconim River, which at this place is more than a hundred yards wide ; and the next day arrived at the great town of the Saukies. This is the largefl: and befl: built Indian town I ever faw. It ccfntains about ninety houfes, each large enough for feyeral families. Thefe are built of hewn plank, neatly jointed, and covered with bark fo compaftly as to keep out the moft penetrating rains. Before the doors are placed comfortable ftieds, in which the in- habitants fit when the weather will permit, and fmoke their pipes. The flreets are regular and fpa- cious ; fo that it appears more like a civilized town, than the abode of favages. The land near the town is very good. In their plantations, which lie ad- jacent 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 belt mar- ket for traders to furnilh themfelves with provilions, of any within eight hundred miles of it. The Saukies can raife about three hundred war- riors, who are generally employed every fummer in making incurfions into the territories of the Illinois and Pawnee nations, from whence they return with a great number of flaves. But thofe people frequent- ly retaliate, and, in their turn, deftroy many 6f the Saukies, which I judge to be the reafon that they increafe no falter. -^trWhilft I (laid here, I took a view of fome moun- tains that lie about fifteen miles to the fouthward, and abound in lead ore. I afcended one of the , c>'?> tiu. u'jt.u.H'; $o CARVER'S TRAVELS. higheft of thefe, and hiid an extenfive view of the country. For many miles nothing was to be fecn but leiler mountains, which appeared at a diflance ]ike haycocks, they being free from trees. Only a few groves of hickory, and ftunted oaks, covered fome of the valiics. So plentiful is lead here, that I faw large quantities. of it lying about the ftrcets in the town belv nc^ing 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 houfes, but we found moll of them fJeferted, 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 fur- vived, had retired into the woods, to avoid the contagion. On the 15th, we entered that extenfive river the MifiiiBppi. The Ouifconfin, from the carrying place to the part where it falls into the Miiliflippi, flows with a fmooth, but ftrong current ; the water of it is exceedingly clear, and through it you may perceive a fine fandy bottom, tolerably free from rocks. In it are a few iflands, the foil of which appeared to be good, though fomewhat woody. The land near the river alio feemed to be, in gene- ral, excellent ; but that at a dilUnce is very full of mountains, where it is faid there are many lead jnjnes. About five miles from the iunflion of the rivers, J obferved the ruins of a large town, in a very pleafing fituation. On enquiring of the neighbour- ing Indians, why it was thus deferied, I was informed, that about tjiirty years ago, the Great Spirit had ap- peared on the top of a pyramid of rocks, which l^y CARVER'S TRAVELS. 1< at a little diftance from it, towards the wefl, aiul warned them ro quit their habitations ; for the land on which they were built belonged to him, and he had occafion for it. As a proof that he, who gave them thefe orders, was really !he Great Spirit, he further told them, that the grafs fliould immediately fpring up on thole very rocks from whence he now addreifed them, which they knew ro be bare and barren. The Indians obeyed, and foon after dif- covered that this miraculous alteration had taken place. They (liewed me the fpot, but the growth of the grafs appeared to be no wife fupernatural. I apprehend this to have been a flrjitagem of the French or Spaniards, to anfwer fome felfifli view ; but in what manner they eft'cded their purpoie, I know not. This people, foon after their removal, built a town on the bank of the Miffiflippi, near the mouth of the Ouilconfin, at a place called by the French La Prairie les Chiens, which fignifies the Dog Plains ; it is a large town, and contains about three hundred families ; the houfes are well built after the Indian manner, and pleafantly fituated on a very rich foil, from which they raife^very neceflliry of life in great abundance. I faw many horfes here o( a good fize and fhape. This town is the great mart where all the adjacent tribes, and even thofe who inhabit the mod remote branches of the Mifliflippi, annually alfemble about the latter end of May, bringing with' them the furs to difpofc of to the traders, ^ut it is not always that they conclude their fale here; this is determined by n general council of the chiefs, who confult whether it would be more conducive to their intereft, to fell thtir goods at this place, or car- ry them on to LouWana, or Micliillimackinac. Ac- cording to the decifions of this council, they either proceed further, or return to thjir different homes. .52 CARVER'S TRAVEL S.f Ni '! Tjie Miffiffippi, at the entrance of the Ouifconfirt, near which (lands a mountain of confiderable height, is about half a mile over ; but oppofite to the laft mentioned town, it appears to be more than a mile wide, and full of iflands, the foil of which is extra- ordinary rich, and but thinly wooded. i A little further to the weft, on the contrary fide, a fmall river falls into the Mifliflippi, which the French call Le Jaune Riviere, or the Yellow River. Here the traders who had accompanied me hither- to, 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 19th proceeded up the Mifliflippi. ' '?*< About ten days after I had parted from the trad- ers, I landed, as I ufually did every evening, and having pitched my tent, I ordered my men, when night came on, to lay themfelves down to fleep. By a light that 1 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 finifli- ed my memorandums, I f^epped out of my tent to fee what weather it was. As I caft my eyes to- wards the bank of the river, I thought I law by the light of the ftars, which flione bright, fomething that had the appearance of a herd of beads, coming down a defcent at fome diftance ; whilft I was wonder- ing what they could be, one of the number fuddenly ' fprimg up, and difcovered to me the form of a ipan. In an initant they were all on their legs, and I could count about ten or twelve of them running towards me. I immediately re-entered the tent, and having awakened my men, ordered them to take their arms, and follow me. As my firft apprehenfions were for my canoe, I ran to the water's iide, and found a parky CARVER*8 TRAVELS. S3 6{ Indians, "(far fuch I now difcovered them to be) on the point of plundering it. Before I reached them, I commanded niy men not to fire till I had given the word, being unwilling to begin hodilities imlefs occafion abfolutely required. 1 accordingly advanced with refolution,clofe to the points of theit fpears ; they had no other weapons, and brandifh- ing my hanger, alked them with a ftern voice, what they wanted ? They were ftaggered at this, and per- ceiving they were like to meet with a warm re- ception, turned about and precipitately retreated. We purfued thefti to an adjacent wood, which they entered, and we fa\^^ no more of themi However, for fear of their return, we watched alternately dur- ing the remainder of the night. I'he next day my fervants were under great apprehenfions, and ear- ned iy entreated itie to return to the traders we had lately left. But I told them, that if they would not be erteemed old women, (a tertii of th6 greateft re- proach among the Indians) they mult follow me ; fof I was determined co purfue my intended route, as ait Englifhman, vfheti once engaged in an adventure, never retreated. On this they got into the canoe, and I walked on the fhore to guard them from any further attack. The party of Indians whcthad thus intended to plunder me, I afterwards found to he fome of thofe ftraggling bands, that having beeri driven from among the different tribes to which they belonged,' for various crimes, now affociated them- fdv6s together, and, livirtg by plunder, prove very troublefome to travellers who pafs this way j nor ire 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 thcfe whole bufinefs might call them into thefe parts.' . -•-' ' , ■ ^ - - • CARVER'S TRAVELS. On the I ft of November I arrived at Lake Pepinv which is rather an extended part of the river Mif- liffippi, that the French have thus denominated, but two hundred miles from the Ouifconfinc The Miffiffippi below this lake flows with a gentle cur- rent, but the breadth of it is very uncertain, in fome places it being upwards of a mile, in others liot more than a quarter. This river has a range of mountains on each fide throughout the whole of the way J which in particular parts approach near Xo it, in others lie at a greater diftanc)^. The land betwixt the mountains, and on their fides, is ge- nerally covered with grafs, with a few groves of trees interfperfed, near which, large droves of deer and elk are frequently, feen feeding. In many places pyramids of rocks appeared, re- sembling old ruinous towers; at others amazing precipices; and what is very remarkable, whillt this fcene prefented itfelf on one fide, the oppofue fide of the fame mountain was covered with the fineft herbage, which gradually afcendM to its fummit. From thence the moft beautiful and ex* tcnfive profped that imagination can form, opens to your view. Verdant plains, fruitful meadows, numerous iflands, and all thefe abounding with a va- riety of trees that yield amazing quantiiies of fruit, without care or cultivation; fuch as the nut-tree; the maple which produces fugar, vines loaded with rich grapes, and plum-trees bending under their blooming burdens ; but above all, tl*e ftne river flow- ing gently beneath, and reaching as far as the eye can extend, by turns attract 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 num- 0^ CARVER'S TRAVELS. 55 hers of fowl frequent alfo this Lake and the rivers adjacent ; fuch as dorks, fwans, geefe, brants, and ,duckd : and in the groves are found great plenty of turkeys and partridges. On the plains are the largeft buffi^loes of any in America. . Here I ob- ferved the ruims of a French factory, where it is fuid Captain St Pierre refided, and carried on a very great trade with the Naudoweffies, before the reduc- tion of Canada. Ajbout fixty miles below this Lake is a moun- tain remarkably fituated ; for it (lands by itfelf exadly in the middle of the river, and looks as if it had Hidden from the adjacent ihore into the ftream. Ic cannot be termed an ifland, as it rifes immedi- ately from the brink of the water to a confiderable height. Both the Indians and the French call it the Mountain in the rjver. One day having laiided on the (hore of the Mif- fiflippi, fome miles below Lake Pepin, whilft my attendants were preparing my dinner, I 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 didance, a par- tial elevation that had the appearance of an intrench- ment. On a nearer infpedion, 1 had greater reafon to fuppofe that it had really been intended for this many centuries ago. Not withdan ding it was now covered with grafs, I could plainly difcern that it had once been a bread-work of about four feet in height, extending the bed part of a mile, and fuHi- ciently capacioiis to cover live thoufimd men. Its form was fomewhat circular, and its flanks reached to the river. Though much defaced by time, every angle was didinguilhable, and appeared as regular, and fafliioned with as much military fkill, as if planned by Vauban himfelf. The ditch vviu^. not 5<^ CARVER»« TRAVELS. I. * I * vifible, but I thought, on examining more curioufly, ' that I could perceive there ciertainly had been onel From its lituation alfo, 1 am convinced that it muft have been defigned for this purpofe. It fronted the country, and the rear Was covered by the river j nor was there any riling ground for a confiderable vray, that commanded it ; a ftvi draggling oaks were alone to be feen near it. In many places fraall trads 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 covered, I was able to draw certain conclufions of its great antiquity. I exa- mined all the angles, and every part with great at- tention, and have often blamed myfelf fince, for ' not encimpiag on the fpot, aiid drawing an exadt .,.^ plan of it. To (hew that jhis defcription is not the "' offspring of a heated imagination, or the chimerical tale of a miftaken traveller, I find on enquiry, fince my' return, that Monf. St Pierre and feveral tra- ders, havei at different times, taken notice of fimi- lar appearances, on which they have formed the fame conjedures, but without examining theni fd minutely as 1 did. How a work of this kind could exift in a country that has hitherto (according to the general received opinion) been the feat of war to untutored Indians alone, whofe whole (tock of mili- tary knowledge has only, till within two centuries, amounted to drawing the bow, and whofe bnly breaii-v/ork, even at prefent, is the thicket, I know not. I have given as exa6l an account as poffible of this fmgular appearance, and T leave to future explorers of thefe diltant regions, to difcover whether it is a production of nature or art. * • Perhaps the hints I have here given, might . lead to a more perfeft inveftigation of it, and giv6 vp very different ideas of the ancient ftate of realms CARVER'S TRAVELS. 57 that we at prefcnt believe to have been from the earlieft period the only habitation of favages. The Mifliffippi, as far as the entrance of the . river St Croix, thirty miles above Lake Pepin, is very full of iflands ; fome of which are of a con- fiderable' length. On thefe alfo grow great num- bers of the maple or fugar tree, and around them, , vines loaded with* grapes, creeping to their very- tops. From the lake upwards, few mountains are to be feep, and thofe but firiall. Near the river St Croix, refide three bands of the Naudoweffie Indians, called the River Bands* This nation is compofed, at pirefent, of elevett bands. .They were originally twelve; but the Alli- nipoils, fome years ago, revolting, and Separating themfelyes from the others, there remain only at this time eleven. Thofe I met here are termed the River Bands, becaufe they chiefly dwell near the banks of this river : The other eight are generally didinguifhed by the title, Naudoxyeflies of the plains, and inhabit a country that lies more to the weft- ward. The names of the former a>e the Nehoga- tavvonahs, the Mawtawbauntowahs, and the Shah- fweentowas, and confift of about four hundred warriors. JJi'y. A little before I met with thefe three bands, I fell in with a party of the Mawtawbauntowahs, amounting to forty warriors and their families. With thefe I refided a day or two, during which time five or fix of their number who had been out on an excurfion, returned in great hafte, and acquainted their companions, that a large party of the Chipe- way warriors, ** enough," as they exprefled them- fclves, " to fwallow thei : all up," were clofc at ^heir heels, and on the point of attacking their little •-^ ••>f' • I* CARVER'S TRAVELS. camp. The chiefs apph'ed to me, and defired I would put myfelf at their head, and lead them out to oppofe their enemies. As 1 was a ftranger, and unwilling to excite the anger of either nation, I *knew not how to aft, and never found myfelf in a greater dilemma. Had 1 refufed to afliil the Nau- doweffies, I fhould have drawn on myfelf their dif- pleafure ; or had I met the Chipeways with hoftile intentions, I (hould have made that people my foes ; and had 1 been fortunate enough to have efcaped iheir arrows at this time, on fome future occafion I fhould probably have experienced the feverity of their revenge. In this extremity I chofe the middle courfe, and defired that the Naqdoweflies woul4 fuffer mp to meet them, that I might endeavour to avert their fury. To this they reludantly affented, being perfuaded, from the inveteracy which had long prevailed between them, that my remonftranceg would be in vain. Taking my Frenchman with me, who coul4 fpeak their language, 1 haftened towards the places where the Chipeways were fuppofed to be. The Naudowefiies, during this, kept at a diftance behind. As I approached them with the pipe of peace, a fmall party of their chiefs, confiding of about eight or ten, came in a friendly manner towards me ; with whom, by the means of my interpreter, I held a long converfation ; the refult of which was, that their rancour being by my perfuafions in fome meafurc moUified, they agreed to return back, with- out accompIKhing their favage purpofes. During our difcourfe I could perceive, as they lay fcaitered about, that the party was very numerous, and many of them armed with mulkets. Having happily fucceeded in my undertaking, I returned without delay to the Naudowellies, and CARVER'S TRAVELS. iV ' defired they would inftantly remove their camp to fome other part of the country, left their enemies fhould repent of the promife they had given, and put their intentions in execution. They accord- ingly followed my advice, and immediately pre- pared to ftrike their tents. Whilft they were doinpj this, they loaded me with thanks j and when I had feen them on board their canoes, I purfued my route. ' To this adventure I was chiefly indebted for the friendly reception I afterwards met with from the Naudoweffiei. jf the plains, and for the refpe£t and honours I received during my abode among them. And when I arrived many months after at the Chi- peway village, near the Ottowaw lakes, I found that my fame had reached that place before me. The chief received me with great cordiality, and the elder part of them thanked me for the mifchief I had prevented. ■ They informed me, that the war between their nation and the Naudoweflies had con- tinued without interruption for more than forty win- ters. Thcit they had long wilhed to put an end to it, but this was generally prevented by the young war- riors of either nation, who could not reftrain their ardour when they met. They faid they fhould be happy if fome chief, of the fame pacific difpofiiion as myfelf, and who poflefled an equal degree of re- fulution and coolnefs, would fettle in the country between the two nations ; for by th^ interference of fuch a perfon, an accommodation, which on their parts they fmc^rely defired, might be brought about. As I did not meet any of the Naudoweflies after- wards, I had not an opportunity of forwarding fo good a work. j. -^ ' . ■- ' ' ■■ • ' ^ ; ^ ^ ' • ' About thirty miles below the Falls of St An- thony, at which I arriv:ed the tenth day after I left; ¥ CARVER'S TRAVELS. Lake Pepin, is a remarkable cave of an amazing depth. The Indians term it Wakon-teebe, that is, the Dwelling of the Great Spirit. The erttrance into it is about ten feet wide/ the height of it five feet. The arch within is near fifteen feet high, and about thirty feet brojd. The bottom of it confifts of iine clear fand. About twenty feet. from the en- trance begins a lake, the water of which is tranfpa- rent, and extends to an unfearchable diilahce ; for the darknefs of the cave prevents all attempts to ac from any intervening hil| or precipice. ' • ' The country around them is extremely beautiful. It is not an uninterrupted plain, vvhere the eye finds no relief, but compofed of many gentle afcents, which in the fummer are covered with the finell verdure, and intetfperfed with little groves, that give a pleaiing variety to the ptofpeft. On the whole, when the Falls are included, which may be feeh a^ the diftance of four miles, a more pleafing and plc- turefque view cannot, | believe, be found through- out the unive^fe. 1 could have wiflied that I had happened to enjoy this glorious fight at a more fea- fonable tiipe of the year, whilf); the trees and hillocks were clad in nature's gayeft livery, as this mu(t have greatly added to the pleafure I received ;' howl e'er, even then it exceeded my warmell expertations. I have endeavoured to giye the reader as juft an idea of this ench?inting fpot, as poflible; but all defcrip- tion, whether of the pencil or the pen, muft fall in- finitely fhort of th^ original. ' At a little ^idance below the Falls (lands a fmall iiland, of aboiit an acre and a half, on which grow 9 great number of oak trees, every branch of which, able to fupport the weight, Was full of eagles* nefts. The resfon that this kind of birds refort in fuch number!; to this fpot, is, that they are here fecure from the attack, either of man or bead, their retrea^ being guarded by the rapids, which the Indians never attempt to pafs. Another reafon is, that they find a conflant fupply of food for themfelves and their young, from the animals and fifh which arc CARVER'S TRAVELS. €$ dafhed to pieces by the Falls, and driven on the ad- jacent (here. . Having fatisfied my curiofity as far as the eye of nan can be fatisfied, I proceeded on, dill accom- panied by my young friend, till I had reached the River St Francis, near fixty miles above the Falls. To this river Father Hennepin gave the name of St Francis, and this was the extent of his travels, as well as mine, towards the north^wed. As the feafon vvas fo advanced, and the weather extremely cold., I was not able to make fo many obfervalions on thefo parts as 1 otherwifti ihc^ia have i/oivc. It might, however, perhaps, Vo I'tceiHry to ob- ferve, that in the little tour I »vjn;;e about the Falls, Jifrcr travelling fourteen miU;^ hy t!ie iiOe of the Mif- fidippi, I came to a river urarly twi:rjty yards wide, which ran from the no/rh cafl. c.Mcd Kum River. And on the ioth of Novt tuber c.iv\»e to another termed Goofe River, abcvti Lwdt^; ^avh wide. On the 21 ft I arrived «t ih^ ht i« re acis, which is about thirty yards wjde, He.re the MiHiirippi itfcif grows narrow, oeing no: moi-i than r.inety yards over, and appears to be chiefly cniapofed of fiuall branches. '1 he ice prevented me (roi}\ noti- cing the depth of any of thefe ihrc%i nivcrs. The country in fome places is hilly, but without: large mountains ; and the land is tolerably good. I obferved here many deer and carriboes, fome elk, with abundance of b^v^rr, octets, and ether furs. A little above this, to the i|o7theaft, ^re a number of fmall lakes, qalled tie Thoufanil Lakes ; the parts about which, thous^h but little frequented, are the beft within "^wjiy miles for hunting, as the hunter never fails ^t returning loaded beypnd his expecta- fions. 66 CARVER'S TRAVELS. The MifliiTippi has never been explored higher up than the river St Francis, and only by Father Hennepin and niyfelf thus far. So that we are' obliged folely to the Indians, 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 vefTels of any confiderable burthen; much higher up than the forks of the Ohio, and even that is ac- complilhed with great diiliculty,, owing to the ra- pidity of the current, and the winding of the river \ . thofe fettlements that may be made on the interior branches of it, mull be indifputably fecure from the attacks of any maritime power. But at the fame time the fettlers 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 Gulf of Mexico, being ex- tremely favourable for doing this in fmall craft. This might ulfo in time be facilitated by canals or fhorter cuts ; and a communication opened by water with New-York, Canada, Sec. by way of the lakes. Tiic forks of the Ohio are about nine hundred miies from the mouth of the Mifliffippi, following the courfc of the river ; and the Mellbri two hundred miles above thefe. From the latter it is about twenty miles to the Illinois river, and from that to the Ou- ifconfm, which I have given an account of, about eight hundred more. On the 25th I returned to my canoe, which I had left at the mouth of the river St Pierre; and here I parted with rtgret from my young friend, the Prince of the Winnebagoes. This river being clear of ice, by reafon of its fouthern fituation, I found no- thing to obitruct my paiiage. 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 1 could diftlriguifh it by, I gave CARVER'S TRAVELS. ^7 my own. About forty miles higher up, I came to the Forks of Verd and Red Marble rivers, which join at fome little diflance before they enter the St Pierre. . • n The River St Pierre, at its jundlion with the MifliHippi, is about a hundred yards broad, and continues that breadth nearly all the way 1 failed upon it. It has a great depth of water, and in fome places runs very brifkly. About fifty miles from its mouth are fome rapids, and much higher up there are many others. iri ^ 1 i^b .4 A. '-ij .\r''^d\ I proceeded upon this river about two hundred miles to the country of the Naudowellic-.s 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- fori river^ By the accounts I received from the Indians, I have reafon to believe that the river St Pierre and the MefTori, though they enter the Mif- fiflippi twelve hundred miles from each oiher, take their rife in the fame neighbourhood j and this with- in the fpace of a mile. "" ' The river St Pierre's northern branch rifes from a number of lakes near the fliining mountains ; and it is from fome of thefe, alfo, that a capital branch of the river Bourbon, which runs into Hudfon's Bay, has its fources. ^ • From the intelligence I gained from the Nau- doweflie Indians, among whom I arrived on the 7th of December, and whofe lnno;ur.ge I perfeclly ac- (|uired during a refidence of live months ; and alfa from the accounts I afrerwards obtained from the Aflinipoils, wiio fpeak the fatne tongue, beini^ a re- volted band of the Naadoweflies j and from ihe Kil- €8 CARVER'S TRAVELS. ll i''H liflinoes, neighbours of the Affinipoils, who fpeak theChipeway language, and inhabit the heads of the river Bourbon; I fay^ froni thefe nations, together with my own oblervatiohg, I have learnt that ihe four mod capital rivers on the Continent of North America, viz* the St Lawrence,' the Mifliflippi, the river Bourbon, ana theOregan, or the Riter of the Weft (as I hinted in my introdudlion) have their fources in the fame neighbourhood. The >vaters ojT the three former are within thirty miles of eacfii other J the lattei', however, is rather further wed. This fiiews that thefe parts are the higheft lands in N.orth-America ; and it is an inftance not to be parallelled oft the other three quarters of the globe, that four rivers of fuch magnitude fliould take their rife together, and each, after nmning feparaie com - fes, dii'charge their waters into different oceans at the didance of two thoufand miles from their fources. For in their paffage 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 Straits of Annian, well, each of thefe traverfe upwards of two thoufand miles. I Ihall here give my readers fuch refleclions as occurred to me, when I had received this intereft- ing information, and had by nutnberlefs enquiries, afcertained the truth of it ; that is, as far as it was poffible to arrive at a Certainty, without a perfonal invedigation. It is well known that the Colonies, particularly thofe of New-England and Canada, are greatly affedled, about the time their winter fets in, by a noTth-wetl wind, which continues for feveral months, and renders the cold much more intenfe there than it is in the interior parts of America. This I can, CARVER'S TRAVELS. 69 i^rom my own knowledge, afTert, as I found the winter, that ' pafled to the weftward of the Mif- fiflippi, far from fevere ; and the north-weft wind blowing on thofe countries confiderably more tem- perate than I have often experienced it to be nearer the coaft. And that this did not arife from an un- certainty of the feraons, but was annually the cafe, I conclude, both from the fmall quantity of fnow that then fell, and a total difufe of fnow-fhoes by thefe Indians, without, which none of the more eaftern nations can poflibly travel during the win- ter. '" .\ '- •■ '^"^ * ' '' ' "V, '^ . '' ' As natulralifts obferve, that air refembles watef in many refpecls, particularly by often flowing in s^ compact body j and that this is generally Remarked to be with the corrent 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 f'ifedlionas the Mifl!iffippi does, till meeting the north winds (that from a fimilar caufe blow up the Bourbon 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 ravages, and occafion thofe fevere winters, experienced in the be fore -mentioned countries f During their progrefs over the lakes they' become expanded, and confe- qnently alFed a greater trad of land than they other- wife would do. *. . .' According to my fcanty knowledge of natural philofophy, this does not appear improbable. Whe- ther it is agreeable to the laws eftablifhed by natu- ralifts to account for the operations of that element, I know not. However, the defcription here given of the fituation of thefe vaft b9dies of water, and their near approach, to each other, with my own 7^ CARVER'S TRAVELS. undigeded fuppofitions of their effedl on the wind^, ' may provd, perhaps, in abler hands, the means of leading to many ufeful difcoveries. .: On the 7ih of December, I arrived (as I faid be- fore) at the utmofl: extent of my travels towards the weft ; where I met with a large party of the Nan- do weffie Indians, among whom I relided feven months. Thefe conftituted a part of the eight bands of the .Naudoweffies of the Plains, and are termed theWaw- peentowahs, the Tintons, the Afrahcootans, the Mawhaws, and the Schians. The other three bands-, whofe names are, the Schianefe^ the Chongoufce- ton, and the Waddapawjellin, dwell higher up, to the weft of the river St. Pierre, on plains that, ac- cording to their account, are unbounded ; and pro- bably terminate on the coaft of the Pacific Ocean, The Naudoweffie nation, when united, confifts of itiorc than two thoufand warriors. Thfe Aflinipoilsy who -revolted from themj amount to' about thre6 hundred ; and leagued with the Killiftinoes, live in a continual Hate of enmity with the other eleven bands. As I proceeded up the river St. Pierre, ,and had nearly reached the place where thefe people were encamped, I dbferved two or three canoes coming down the ftream ; but no fooner had the Indians that were on board them, difcovered us, than they , rowed towards the land^ and leaping afliore with precipitation, left their canoes to float as the current drove them. In a few minutes I perceived fome others; who, as foon as they came in fight, fol- lowed, with equal fpeed, the example of their coun- trymen. I now thought it neceffary to proceed with cau- tion: and therefore kept on the fide of the river oppofite to that on which the Indians had landed v CARVER'S TRAVELS. 71 However, I ftill continued my courfe, fatisfied that the pipe of peace, which was fixed at the head of my canoe, and the Ecglifh colours that were flying at the (lern, would prove my fecurity. After rowing about half a mile further, in turning a point, I dis- covered a great number of tents, .and more than a thoufand Indians, at a little diftance from the fhore. Being now nearly oppofite to them, I ordered my men to pull direftly over, a^ I was willing to con- vince the Indians by fuch a ftep, that I placed fome confidence in them. " . . . As foon as I had reached the land, two of the chiefs prefented their hands to me, and led me, amidft the aftoniflied multitude, who had moft of them never feen a white man before, to a tent. Into this we entered, and according to the.cuftom that univerfally prevails 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 cruflied by its fall. On this we returned tp th^ plain, where, having gratified the cnriofity of the common people, their . "^nder abated, and ever after they treated me with great refped. From the chiefs I met with the moft friendly and hofpitable reception ; which induced me, 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, I firft endeavoured to learn their language. This I foo.n did, fo as to make myfelf perfeftly intelligible, having before acquire^! foL.s flight 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 amufements as tended to make fa t» CARVER'sTRAVELS. long a period pafs cheerfully away. I frequently hunted with them ; and- at other times b,eheld with pleafure their recreations and paltimes, which I (hall defcribe hereafter. Sometimes I fat with the chiefs, and whilft we fmoked the friendly pipe, entertained them, in return for the accounts they gave me of their wars and excurfions, with a narrative of my own adven- tures, and a defcripiion of all the battles fought be- tween the Englifh and French in America, in many of which I had a perfonal ftiare. They always paid great attention to my details, and afked many per- tinent queflions relative to the European method^ of making war. I held thefe converfations with them in a great meafure to procure from them fome information relative to the chief point I had condantly in view, that of gaining a knowledge of the fituation and produce, both of their own country, and thofe that lay to the weftward of them. Nor was I dirappointed in my defigns ; for I procured from them much ufe- ^ ful intelligence. They likewife drew for me plans of all the countries with which they were acquainted ; but as I entertained no great opinion of their geo.* graphical knowledge, 1 placed not much depen- dence on theiii, and therefore think it unneceirary to give them to the public. They draw with ^ piece of burnt coal, taken from the hearth, upon the infide of the birch tree, which is as fmooth as paper, and anfwers the fame purpofes, not- withftanding it is of a yellow calt. Their (ketches are made in a rude manner, but they feem to give as juft an idea of a country, although the plan is not fo exaft as more experienced draughtfmeii could do. v ; ■ ' .-. :■, '. . * CARVER'S TRAVELS. 73 I left the habiution cf thefe hofpitable Indians the latter end of April 1767 ; but did not part from them for feveral days, as I was 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 V. ith all the other bands ; 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 Ikins. Befides thofe that accompanied me, others were gone before, and the reft were to follow, s ';;•,*{;;;■ '' . ' ' - Never did I travel with fo cheerful and happy a company. But their mirth met with a fudden and temporary allay from a violent ftorm that overtook us one day on our paflfage. We had juft landed, and were preparing to fet up our tents for the night, when a heavy cloud overfpread the heavens, and tlie mcft dreadful thunder, lightning and rainiffued from it, that ever 1 beheld. The Indians were greatly terrified, and ran to fuch flielter as they could find ; for only a few tents were as yet eretted. Apprehenfive of the danger that might enfue from (landing near any thing which could ferve as a condudor, as the cloud appeared to contain fuch an uncommon quantity of eicdrical fluid, I took my (land as far as poflible from any covering ; chufing rather to be expofed to the peltings of the ftorm, than receive a fatal (troke. At this the Iiidians were greatly furprifed, and drew conclufions from it riot unfavourable to the opinion they already entertained of my refolution. Yet I acknowledge that I was never more affecled in my life ; for nothing fcarcely could exceed the ttrrific licene. The peals of thunder were fo loud t - r4 CARVE R-s TRAVELS. .1 » that they fliook the earth ; and the lightning flaflicd along the ground in dreams of fulphur ; fo that the Indian chiefs themfelves, ahhough their courage in war is ufually invincible, could not help trem- bling at the horrid combuftion. As fopn as the florni was over, they flock'^d around me, and in^ formed me, that it was a proof of the anger of the evil fpirits, whom they were apprehenfive that they had highly offended. When we arrived at the Great Cave, and the In- dians had depofited the remains of their deceafed friends in the burial place that ftands adjacent to it, they held their great council, into which I was ad- mitted, and at the fame time had the honour to be inftalled or adopted a chief of their bands. On this occafion I made the following fpeech, which I infert, tp give my readers a fpecimen of the language and manner in which it is necelTary to addrefs the Indi- ans, fo as to engage their attention, and to render the fpeaker's expreffion confonant to their ide?[S. It was delivered on the firft day of May 1767. • *« My brothers, chiefs of the numerous and pow^ 5' erful Naudoweflies I I rejoice that through my ** long abode with you, I can now fpeak to you ** (though after an imperfeft manner) in your own *' tongue, like one of your own children. I rejoice " alfo that I have had an opportunity fo frequently ^* to inform ycJu of the glory and power of the great •• King that reigns over the Englilh and other nati- ^' ons ; who is defcended from a very ancient race *^ of fovereigns as old as the earth and waters j f* whole feet ftand on two great iflands, larger than " any you have ever feen,amidft the grcatell waters ?* in the world ; whofe head reaches to the fun, ancj ^' whofe arms encircle the whole earth j the num- ?^ her of whofe warriors are equal to the trees ^n thei \ " €ARVER»s TRAVELS. ff tt « ii (C (C « c< (( (t (C C( «( «( (i « « it C( «c (C (« Ci (I t( <( 4C vallies, the ftalks of rice in yonder marflies, or the blades of grafs in your.great plains : who has hundreds of canoes of his own, of fuch amazing bignefs, that all the waters in your country would not fuffice for one of them to fwim in ; each of which have guns, not fmail like mine, which you fee before you, but of fuch magnitude, that an hundred of your ftouteft young men would with difficulty be able to carry one. And thefe are equally furprifing in their operation agaitifi; the great king's enemies when engaged in battle ; the terror they carry with them, your language wants words to exprefs. You may remember the other day, when we were encamping at Wadawpaw- menefotor, the black clouds, the wind, the iire, the ilupendous noife, the horrible cracks, and the tremblirig of the earth, which then alarmed you, and gave you reafon to think your gods were angry with you ; not unlike thefe are the warlike implements of the Englifii, when they are fight- ing the battles of their great king. " Several of the chiefs of your bands have often told me, in times pad, when I dwelt with you in your tents, that they muchwiflied to be counted among the children and allies of the great king my mafter. You may remember how often you have defired me, when I returned again to my own country, to acquaint the great king of your good difpofition towards him and his fubjedls, and that you wifhed for traders from the Englifh to come among you. ., . ., .; " Being now about to take my leave of you, and " to return to my own country, a long way towards " the rifing fun, I again alk you to tell me, whether *' you continue of the fume mind as when I fpoke to " you in council laft winter j and as there are now If CARVER'j TRAVELS. *' 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 aflc you to let me know, if you are all willing to acknow- ledge yourfelves thn children of my great mailer the King of the Englifh and other nations, as I ** fhall take the firft opportunity to acquaint him of your defires and good intentions. €t Ct «( M «C I charge you not to give heed to bad reports ; " for there are wicked birds flying about among the " neighbouring nations, who may whifper evil " things in your ears againft the EngiKh, contrary •' to what i have tolcj you ; you muft not believe them, for I have told you the truth. t4 *' And as for the chiefs that 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 fky ; that they may go there, and *' fmoke the pipe of peace, and reft fecure on a •* beaver blanket, under the (hade of the great tree •' of peace. Farewell I'* ( To this fpeech I received the following anfvver, from the mouth of the principal chief: *' Good brother I I am now about to fpeak to you " with the mouths ofthefe my brothers, chiefs of the " eight bands of the powerful nation of the Nau- " doweflies. 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 protedion may ever reft eafy and fafe among us his children •' your colours and your arms agree with the accounts you Kave given us about your great nation. We defire, that when you <« engagement I had made to the party of Naudowef- fies inention<;d at the conchilbn of my fpeech. During my abode with this people, wifliing to fe- cure them entirely in the interell of the Englifh, I had advifcd fome of the chiefs to go to Michilli- mackinac, where they would have an opportunity of trading, and of hearing the accounts that I had en- tertained them with of my countrymen, confirmed. At the fame time I had furnifhed them with a recom- mendation to the governor, and given them every diredion neceflary for their voyage. In confequenceofthis, one of the principal chiefs, and twenty-five of an inferior rank, agreed to go the enfuing fummer. This they took an opportu- nity of doing when they came with the reft of their band to attend the grand council at the mouth of the River St. Pierre. Being obliged, on account of the difappointment I had juft been informed of, to re- turn fo far down the Mifliflippi, I could from thence ^he mqre eafily fet them^ on their journey. As the intermediate parts of this river are much frequented by the Chipeways, with whom the Nau- doweflies are continually at war, they thought it more prudent, being 'but a fniall party, to take the advantage of the night, than to travel with me by day ; accordingly, no fooner was the grand council broke up, than 1 took a friendly leave of thefe peo- ple, from whom I had received innumerable civili- ties, and purfued once more rny voyage. '^ I reached the eaftern fide of Lake Pepin the fame njght, when I went aihore and encamped as ufual. The next morning, when I had proceeded fome miles further, I perceived at a diftance before me, a fmoke, which denoted thai'fome Indians were near j and in m $9: CARVER'S TRAVELS. 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 coiirfe to piirfue. My atten- dants perfuaded me to endeavour to pafs by them on the oppofite fide of the river; but as T had hitherto found that the beft way to enfure a friendly recep- tion from the Indians, is to meet them boldly, and without (hewing any tokens of fear, 1 would by no means confent to this propofal. Inftead of this, t crofled direftly over, and landed in the midfl of them, for by this time the greateft part of them were ilanding on the ihore. The firfl: I accofted were Chipeways inhabitinj^ near the Ottowaw Lakes ; who received me with great cordiality, and fliook me by the hand in token of friendfhip. At fome little diftance behind thefe flood a chief remarkably tall and well made, but of fo ftern an afpedt, that the mod undaunted perfon could not behold him without feeling fome degree of terror. He feemed to have palfed the meridian of life, and by the niode in which he was painted and tatowed, I difcovered that he was of high rank. How- ever, I approached him in a courteous manner, and expedled co have met with the fame reception I had done from the other ; but to my great furprife, he withheld his hand, and looking fiercely at me, faid, in the Chipeway tongue, *' Cawin nifliiihin faganolh," that is, " The Englifli are no good." As he had his tomahawk' in his hand, I expeded that this laconic fentence would have been followed with a blow ; to prevent which, 1 drew a piltol from my belt, and, holding \t in a carelefs pofition, palfed clofe by him, to let him fee I was not afraid of him. I learned foon after from the other Indians, that his was a chief, called by the French the ,Grand CARVER'S TRAVELS. 8i Sautor, or the great Chipeway Chief, for they de- nominate the Chipeway, Sautors. They likewife told me that he had been always a fteady friend to that people, and when they delivered up Michilli- mackinac to the Englifti on their evacuation of Ca- nada^ the Grand Sautor had fworn that he would ever remain the avowed enemy of its ne>nr pofleflbrs, as the territories on which the fort is built belonged im. , • ^- Finding hini thus difpofed, I took care to be con- ilantly on my guard whild I {laid ; but that he might not fuppofe I was driven away by his frowns, I took up my abode there for the night. I pitched my rent at feme didance from the Indians, and had no fooner laid myfelf down to reft, than I was awakened by my French fervant. Having been alarmed by the found of Indian mulic, he had run to the outfide of the tent, where he beheld a party of the young favages dancing towards us in an extra- ordinary manner, each carrying in his hand a torch tixed on the top of a long pole. But I {hall defer any further account of this uncommon entertain- ment, which at once furprifed and alarmed me, till 1 treat of the Indian dances. : ,» The next morning I continued my voyage, and before night reached La Prairie le Chien ; at which phice the party of Naudoweffies foon overtook me. Not long after the Grand Sautor alfo arrived, and before the NaudoweiTies left that place to continue their journey to Michillimackinac, he found means, in conjundion with fome French traders from Loui- liaina, to draw from me about ten of the Naudo- welfie chiefs, whom he prevailed upon to go towards thole parts. ' ,# ' 82 CARVER'S TRAVELS. The remainder proceeded, according to my di* reftions, to the Enjlifh fort ; from whence I after- wards heard that they returned to their own country without any uufonunate accident befalling them, and greatly pleafed with the reception they 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 fince 1 came to England 1 have been informed, that the Grand Sautor having undered himfelf more and more difguitful to the Englifh, by his inveterate enmity towards them, was at length ftabbed in his tent, as he encamped near Mi- chillimackinac, by a trader to whom I hacj rela^©*^'* the foregoing ftory. • ' - '" /'v'^' ■ . ..' "^^ t--* I fliould have remarked, that whatever Indian^ happen to meet at La Prairie le Chien, the great mart to which all who inhabit the adjacent countries refort, though the nations to which they belong are at war with each' other, yet they are obliged to - reflrain their enmity, and forbear all hoftile ad:s during their ftay there. This regulation has been long eftablifhed among them for their mutual con- veniencies, as without it no trade could be carried en. The fame rule is obferved alfo at the Red Mountain (afterwards defcribed), from whence they get the ftone of which they make their pipes ; thefe being indifpenfahle to the accommodation of every neighbouring tribe, a limilar rcftri€tion becomes needful, and is of public utility. The river St Pierre, which runs through the territories of the Naudowefli*, flows through a mod delightful country, abounding with all the ne- ceflTaries of life, that grov^fpontaneoufly ; and with a little cultivation, it might be made to produce even the luxuries of life. Wild rice grows here in great CARVER'd TRAVELS. %'■ tkbuiidance ; and every place is filled with trees bend- ing under their loads of fruits, fuch as plums, grapes, and apples ; the meadows are covered with hops, and many .forts of vegetables ; whilft the ground is ftored with ufeful roots, vf'iih angelica, fpikenard, and gro'jnd nuts as large as hens' eggs. At a little diftance from the fides of the river are eminences, from whence you have views that cannot be exceeded, even by the moil beautiful of ihofc I have already defcribed ; amidll thefe are delightful groves, and fiich amazing quantities of maples^ that they would produce fugar fufficient for any number of inhabitants. A little way from the mouth of this river, on the iiorth fide of it, ftands a hill, one part of* which, that towards the Miffiflippi, is compofed entirely of white (lone, of the fame foft nature as that I have before deferibed ; for fuch, indeed, is all the (lone in this country. But what appears remarkable, is, that the colour of it is as white as the driven fnow. The outward part of it was crumbled by the wind and weather into heaps of fand, of which a beautiful compofition might be made ; or, I am of opinion that, when properly treated, the ftone itfelf would grow harder by time, and have a very noble effed in architedure. . . Near that branch which is termed ihe Marble 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 fonie of thefe parts is found a black, hard clay, or rather flone, of which the Naudoweflies make their family utenfils. This country likewifc abounds with a milk-white clay, of which China ware might be made equal in good- nefs to the Afiatic ; and alfo with a blue clay that ferves the Indians for paint j with this.lait they eon- 84 CARVER'S TRAVELS. trive, by mixing it wiih "the red (lone powderecf, to paint themfelves of different colours. Thofe that can get the blue clay here mentioned, paint themfelves very much with it ; particularly when they are about to begin their fports and paftimes. It is alfo efteem- ed by them a mark of peace, as it has a refemblance of a blue fty, which with them is a fymbol of it, and made ufe of in their fpeeches as a figurative expreffion to denote peace. When they wifti to ihew that their inclinations are pacific towards other tribes, they greatly ornament both themfelves and their belts with it. Having concluded my bufinefs at La Prairie le Chien, I proceeded once more up the Miffilfippi, as far as the place where the Chipeway River enters it a little below Lake Pepin. Here, having engaged an Indian pilot, I directed him to fteer towards the Ottawaw Lakes, which He near the head of this river. This he did^ and I arrived at them the be- ginning of July. The Chipeway River, at its junflion with the MiiTiflippi, is about eighty yards wide, but is much wider as you advance into it. Near thirty miles up it feparates into two branches, and I took my courfe through that which lies to the eaflward. The country adjoiiiing to the river, for about fixty miles, is very level, and on its banks lie fine mea- dows, where larger droves of buffaloes and elks were feeding, than I obferved in any other parts of my travels. The traft between the two branches of this river is termed the Road of War between the Chipeway and Naudoweflie Indians. ' The country to the Falls is almofl without any timber, and above that very uneven and rugged. CARVER'S TRAVELS. H and clofely wooded with pines, beach, maple, and birch. Pere a moft remarkable arid aftoniftiin^^ iight preiented iifelf to my view, fn a wood, on the eaft of the river, which was about three quarters of a mile in length, an4 in depth farther than my eye could reach, 1 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 extraor- dinary hurricane, that came from the weft fome years, ago; but how many I could not learn, as I found lio inhabitants hear it, of whom I could gaip information. The country on the weft fide of the river, from being lefs woody, had efcaped in a great meafure this havbck, as only a few trees were blown down. .. Near the heads of this river, is a town of the Chi- p^ways, 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 fmall lake. This town contains about forty houfes, and can fend out upwards of one hundred warriors, many of ^^hom were fine ftput young men. The houfes of it are built after the Indian manner, and have neat plantations behind them ; but the inhabi- tants, in general, feemed to.be the naftieft people i had ever Been among. I obferved that the women and children indulged themfelves in a cudom, which, though co^nmoni in fome degree, throughout every Indian nation, appeairs to be, according to our ideas, of the moft naufeous and indelicate nature ; that of fearching each other's heads, and eating the prey caught therein. In July I left this town, and having crofted a number of fmall lakes and carrying places ;hat inter- 66 CARVER'S TRAVELS. vened, 1 came to a head branch of the river St Croix. This branch I defcended to a fork, and: then afcended another to its fource. On both thefd rivers I difcovered feveral mines of virgin cop- per, which was as pure as that found in any other country. Here I came to a fniall brook, which my guide thought might be joined at feme diflance by ftreams " that would at length render it navigable. The water at firll was fo fcanty, that niy canoe would by no means fvvim in it ; but having flopped up feveral old beaver dams, 'which had been broken down by the hunters, 1 was ena!bled to proceed for fome miles, till by the junftion of a few brooks, thefe aids became no longer neceflary. In a fhort time the water increafed to a mod rapid river, which vf& defcended till it entered into Lake Superior. This river 1 named after a gentleman that defired to accompany me from the town of the Ottagau- niies to the carrying place ori Lake Superior, God- dard's River. To the weft of this is another fmall river, which alfo empties itfelf into the Lake. Ihis I termed Strawberry River, from the great number of ftraw- berries of a good fize and flavour that grew on its banks. ' ■ : V ...'•;•,' ' " '■ , ' ' " The country from the Ottowaw Lakes, to Lake Superior, is in general very uneven and thickly covered with woods. The foil in fome places is tolerably good, in others but indifferent. In the heads of the St Croix and the Chipeway Rivers, are exceeding fine f^urgeon. AV- the wildernefs be- tween the MifTiflippi and Lake Superior is called by the Indians, the Mofchettoe Country, and I thought it inoft juftly named y for, it being then CARVER'S TRAVELS. «7 their feafon, I never faw or ftlt fo many of thofe infedts in my life. The latter end of July I arrived, after having coafted through Weft Bay, at the Grand Portage, which lies on the north-weit borders of Lake Su- perior. Here thofe who go to 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 lak^s, the wa- ters of fome of which defcend into Lake Superior, and others into the river Bourbon. Lake Supe- rior from Weft Bay to this place is bounded by rocks, except towards the fouth-weft part of the Bay where I firft entered it, where it was tolerably Jevel. At the grand Portage is a fmall bay, before the entrance of which lies an ifland, that intercepts tht: dreary and uninterrupted view over the Lake, which otherwife would have prefented itfelf, and makes the bay ferene and pleaHint. Here I met a large- party pf the Killiftinoe and AfTmipoil Indians, with their refpedive kings and their families. They were come to this place in order to meet the traders from Michillimackinac, who make this their road to the north-weft. From them I received the-fol- lo\ting 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 {rem the French tra- ders who accompanied a party of Indians to Hud- fon's Bay fome years ago ; and was thus denomi- nated by them in honour of the royal family of France. It is compofed of the waters of the Bourbon river, which, as I have before obferved, rifes a gr^^at way S8 CARVER'S TRAVELS. to the fouthward, not far from the northern heads of the MifTiflippi. 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 oh the eaitern flde is very good ; and to the fouth-weft there are fome mountains ; in many other parts there are barren plains, bogs, and inorafles. 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 fituafion the weather there is extremely cold, only a few animals are to be found in the country that borders upon it. They gave me but aii indiffen nt account either of the beafts, birds, or fifties. There are indeed fome buffaloes of a fmall fize, which are fat and good about the latter end of fummer, with a few moofe and carriboo deer : how- ever, 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 Winnepeek, or, as the French write ir, Lac Ouinipique, which lies neareft to the foregoing, is compofed of the fame waters. It is in length abou^ two hundred miles north and fouth ; its breadth has never been properly afcertained, but is fuppofed to be about one hundred miles in its wideft part. This lake'is very full of iflands j thefe are, however, of no great magnitude. Many confiderable rivers empty thetnfelves into it, which as yet are not dillinguiftied by any names. The waters .ire (lored with fifli, fuch as trout and flurgeon, and alfo with others of a fmaller kind peculiar to thefe lakes. - '" The land on the fouth-weft part of it is very good, efpecially at the entrance of a large brandy of the river Bourbon, which flows from the fouth- CARVER'S TRAVELS. 89 iwefl. On this river there is a faftory that \vas built by the French, called Fort la Reine,'to which the traders from Michiliimackinac refort to trade with the AiTinipoils and Killiftinoes. To this place the Mnhahs, ivho inhabit a country two hundred and fifty miles fouth-weft, come alfo to trade with them ; and bring great quantities of Indian corn, to ex- change for knives, tomahawks, ancl other articles. Thofe people are fuppofed to dwell on fome of the branches of the river of the Weft. 1 c> V Lake Winncpeek has on the north-eaft fome jnountains, and on the eaft ipany barren plains. The maple or fugar tree grows here in great plenty, and ther« is likewife gathered an amazing quantity of rice, which proves that grain will flourifii in thefe northern cliriiates as well as in warmer. Buffaloes, carriboo, and moofe«deer, are numerous in thefe parts. The buffaloes of this country differ from thofe that are found more to the fouth only in fize ; the former being much fmaller; jull as the black cattle of the northern parts of Great Britain differ from Fnglilli oxen. . . ^ On the waters that fall into this lake, the neigh- bouring nations take great numbers of excellent furs. Some of thefe they carry to the fadories and fettle- ments belonging to the Hudfon's Bay Company, fit\iated above the entrance of thq Bourbon River ; but this they do with reluftance, on feveral accounts ; for fome of the AiTmipoils and Killiftinoes, who ufually traded with the Company's fervants, told me, that if they could be fure of a conftant fupply of goods from Michiliimackinac, they would not trade any where elfe. They fhewed me fome cloth and other articles that they had purchafed at Hudfon's? Bay, with which they were much dilTatisfied, think- ing they had been greatly impofed upon in the barter. 1 ■ 1 i I'llll, il. 96 CARVER 's TRAVELS. Allowing that their accounts were true, I could not help joining in their opinion. But this diflatisfac- tion might probably proceed, in a great nieafure, from the intrigues ot the Canadian traders: for whilft the French were in poffeffion of Michilli- ^mackinac, having acquired a thorough knowledge of the trade of the north-weft countries, they were employed on that account, after the redu6i:ion of Canada, by the Englilh traders there, in the efta- blifhment of this trade, with which they were them- felves quite unacquainted. One of the methods they took to withdraw thofe Indians from their attach- ment to iheHiidfon's Bay Company, and to engage their good opinion in behalf of their new employers, was by depreciating on all occafions the Company's goods, and magnifying the advantages that would arife to them from trafficking entirely with the Ca- nadian traders. In this they too well fucceeded, and from this, doubt lefs, did the diflatisfaction the Affinipoils and Killiftinoes exprelled to me, part- ly proceed. But another reafon augmented it ; and this was the length of their journey to the Hudfon's Bay fadories, which, they informed me, took thcni 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 (houid wifh to have traders come to refide among them. It is true that the parts they inhabit are within the limits of the Hudfon's Bay ter- ritories ; but the Company muft be under thenecel- fity of winking at an encroachment of this kind,, as the Indians would without doubt proted the traders when among them. Befidcs, the paflports granted to the traders that go from Michillimackinac, give them liberty to trade to the north-welt about Lake Superior; by which is meaiu Fuit La Reine, Lake Winnepeek, or any other parts of the waters of the CARVER'S TRAVELS. pi fiourbon River, where the Couriers de Bois, or Tra- ders, may make it moll convenient to refide. Lac du Bois, as commonly termed by the French in their maps, or in Kngiilh the Lake of the Wood, is lb called from the multiplicity of wood growing on its banks ; fuch as oaks, pines, firs, fpruce, &c. This lake lies dill higher upon a branch of the river Bourbon, and nearly eaft from the fouth end of Lake VVinnepeek. It is of great depth in fome places. Its length from eaft to welt about feventy miles, and its greatefl: breadth about forty miles. It has but few iilands, and thefe of no great magnitude. The filhes, fowls, and quadrupeds that are found near it, vary but little from thofe of the other two lakes. A few of the Killiilinoe In- dians fometimes encamp on the borders of it to fiHi and hunt. This lake lies in the communication between Lake Superior, and the Lakes Winnepeek and Bour- bon. Its waters are not efteemed quite fo pure as thofe of the other lakes, it having, in many places, a muddy bottom. , Lac la Pluye, fo called by the French, in Englifh the Rainy Lake, is* fuppofed to have acquired this name from the firft travellers that pafled over it meeting with an uncommon deal of rain; or, as fome have affirmed, from a mill like rain, occafioned by a perpendicular water-fall that empties itfelf into a river which lies to the foulh-weft. * This lake appears. : j be divided by an ifthmus, near the middle, into two parts : the weft part is called the Great Rainy Lake, the ea(t, the Little Rainy Lake, as being the leall divifion. It lies a few miles furthsr to the eaftward, on the fame branch of the IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A {./ ^ & A A < ^ % V4 £p < fA 1.0 I^IM 12.5 |£0 *^" MHH 1^ 12.2 u liii L2I liu 11.6 Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREP'' WEBSTER, N.Y. 1 4580 (716) 873-4503 s. '^ ^•V iV :\ \ \ ^ <*- \ ^f?^ ^ € g% CARVER'S TRAVELS. Bourbon, than the lail mentioned Lake. It is iit general very Ihallow in its depth. I'he broadelt part of it is r.o more than twenty miles ; its length including both about three hundred miles. In the weft part the water is very clear and good ; and fome excellent fi(h are taken in it. A great many fowt refort here in the fall of the: year. Moofe deer are to be found in great plenty, and Ijkewife the car- riboo, whofe {kin for breeches or gloves exceeds by far any other to be met with in Nortli America. The land on the borders of this lake is edeemed; in fome places, very good, but rather too thickly covered with wood. Here refide a confiderablti: band of the Chipeways. Eaftward from this lake lie feveral fmatl ones; which extend in a firing to the great carrying place,' and ^oiii thence into Lake Superior. Between thefe little lakes are feveral carrying places, which ren- der the trade to the north- well difficult to accom- plifh, and exceeding tedious^ as it takes two years to make one voyage from Michiliimacktnac to thefe partsi " . ;-, . ,,■"' '••'"'■ Red Lake is a comparatively fmall lake, at tide head of a branch of ^he Bourbon River, which is called by fome Red River. Its form is nearly round, and about fixty. miles in circumference. On one fide of it is a tolerable larg« iAand, clofe by which a fmall river enters. It bears almofl fouth-eaft both from Lake Winnepeek and from Lake du Bois. The parts adjacent are very little known or fre- quented, even by the favages themfelves. Not far from this lake, a little to the fouth-wefl, is another, called White Bear Lake, which is nearly about the lize of the lafl mentioned. The waters that conipofe this lake are the moji; northern <^f any CARVER' 8 TRAVELS. 9B that fupply the Miffiffippi, and may be called with propriety its mod remote fource. It is fed by two or three fmali rivers, or rather large brooks. • , ■ ■ ♦ ' A few miles from it, to the fouth-eafl:, ate a great number of fmall lakes, none of which are more than ten miles jn circumference, that are called the Thoufand Lakes. In the adjacent country is reck- oned the fined hunting for furs of any on this conti- nent i the Indians who hunt here feldom returning without having their canoes loaded as deep as they Can fwim. _ . Having juft before obferved that this lake is the utmoft northern fource of the Miffiffippi, I ^all here further remark, thait before this river enters the Gulf of Mexico, it has not run lefs, through all its meanderings, than three thoufand rniles ; or, in a ftraight line from north to fouth, about twenty degrees, which is nearly fourteen hun- dred Englifh miles. Thefe Indians mformed me, that to the north- Weft of Lake Winnepeek lies another, whofe cir- cumference 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 fliould imagine that it was not a lake, but rather the Archipelago, or brdken waters that form the commi^nication between Hud- fon*s Bay and the northern parts of the Pacific Ocean. I There are an infinite 'number of fmall lakes oti the more weftern parts of the weftern head-branches of the Miffiffippi, as well as between thefe and Lake Winnepeek, but none of them are large enough to N 94 CARVER»s TRAVELS. fuppofe either of them to be the lake or waters* meant by the Indians. * They likewife informed me, that fome of the norrhern branches of the Meflbri^ 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 make their excurfions upon the Pawnees and Pawnawnees, nations inhabiting fome branches of the Meflforie river. In the country 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 perfefl than fuch as are difcovered about the Nile in Nether Ethiopia. . 'A little to the north-weft of the heads of the Mef- forie and St. Pierre, the Indians further told me, that there was a natjon rather fmaller and vvhiter than the neighbouring tribes, who cultivate the ground, and (as far as I could gather from their cxpreflions) . in fome meafure, the arts. To this account they added, that fome of the nations who inhabit thofe parts that He to the weft of the Shining Mountains, have gold fo plenty among them, that they make their moft common utenfils of it. Thefe mountains (which I ftiall defcribe more particu- larly hereafter) dLide the waters that fall into the South Sea, from thofe that run into the At- lantic. The people dwelling near them are fuppofed to be fome of the different tribes that were tributary to the Mexican Kings, and who fled from their na- tive country, to feek an afylum in thefe part$, about CARVER'S TRAVELS. 95 the time of the conqueft of Mexico by the Spaniards more than tw^ centuries ago. ^ As fome confir:iiaiion of this fuppofition, it is remarked, that they have chofen the moil interior parts for their retreat, being lliil prep 'fleired with a notion that the fea-coafts have been iufel^ed ever, fince with monfters vomiting fire, and hurling about ■thunder and lightning ; from whofe bowels ilfued men, who, with utifeen inliruments, or by the ' power of magic, killed the harmlei's Indians at an aftbnifhing diftance. From fuch as thele, their fore-fathers (according to a tradition among them that Hill remains unimpaired) fled to the retired abodes they now inhabit. For as they found that the floating monllers, which had thus terrified them, could not approach the land, and that thafe who had defcended from their fides did not care to make excurfioLS to any confiderable diftance from them, they form.^d a refolution to betake theiiifilves to fome country, that lay far from the fea-co:\fts, where only they could be fecure from fuch diaboli- cal enemies. They accordingly iet out with their families, and, after a long peregrination, fettled themfelves near thefe mountains, \.'here they con- cluded they had found a place of perfed fecurity. The Winnebagoes, dwelling on the Fox River (whom I have already treated of,) are likewife fup- pofed. to be, fome (boiling band from the Mexican countries. But they are able to give only an im- perfed account of their original refidence. They fay they formerly came a great way from the welt- ward, and were driven by wars to take refuge among the Naudoweflies ; but as they are entirely ignorant of the arts, or of the value of gold, it is ra- ther to be fuppofed, that they were driven from ^heir ancient fettlcments by the above mentioned CARVE R's TRAVELS. emigrants, as they palTed on towards their prefent habitation. Thefe fuppofitions, however, may want confir- mation ; for the fmaller tribes of Indians are fub- je6l to fuch various alterations in their places of abode, from the wars they are continually engaged in, that it is almofl: impnitible to afcertain, after, half a century, the original (ituation of any of them. That range of mountains, of which the Shining Mountains are a part, begins at Mexico, ^nd con- tinuing northward, on the Sack or to the eaft of Ca- lifornia, feparate the waters of thofe numerous rivers that fall either into the Gulf of Mexico, or the Gulf of California. From thence continuing their courfe flill northward, between the fources of the Mifliflippi and the rivers that run into the South Sea, they appear to end in about forty-feven or forty-eight 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. Among thefe mountains, thofe that lie to the weft of the river St Pierre, are called the Shin^' ing Mountain^, from an infinite number of chryftal Aones, of an amazing fize, with which they are covered, and which, when the fun ihines full upon them, fparkle fo as to be feen at a very great diftance, This extraordinary range of mountains is calcu- lated to be more than three thoufand miles in length, without any very confiderable intervals, which I believe furpaifes any thing of the kind in the other quarters of the globe. Probably in future ages, they inay be found to contain more riches in their bowels^ CARVER'S TRAVELS. i>7 ,than thofe of Indoftan and Malabar, or that are pro- duced on the golden coaft of Guinea ; nor will I except even the Peruvian mines. To the weft of thefe mountains, when explored by future Colum- bufes or Raleighs, may be fouad other lakes, ri- yers, and countries, fraught with all the necef- faries or luxuries of Jife; and where future genera- tions 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 inconveniencies arifing from a fupera- bundant increafe of inhabitants; whether, I fay, impelled by thefe, or allured by hopes of commer- cial advantages, there is little doubt but their ex-, pedations will be fully gratified in thefe rich and unexhaufted climes, • i But to return to the Aflinipoils and Killiftinoes, jvhom I left at the Grand Portage, and from whom I received the foregoing account of the lakes that lie to the north- welt of this place. The traders we expefted being later this feafon than ufual, and our numbers very confiderable, for there were more than three hundred of us, the ftock of provifions we had brought with us was nearly exbauded, and we waited with impatience for their arrival. One day, whilfl: we were expreffihg our wifhes for, this defirable event, and looking from an emi- nence in hopes of feeing them come over the lake, the chief prieft belonging to the band of the Kil- lidinoes, told us, that he would endeavour to ob- tain a conference with the Great Spirit, and kno^ from him when the traders would arrive. I paid little attention to this declaration, fuppoling that it would be productive of fome juggling trick, juft 5>S CARVER'S TRAVELS. fufficiently covered, to deceive the ignorant Indi- ans. "But the king of that tribe telling me that this was U!)dertaken by the prieft chiefly to alleviate my anxiety, and at the fame time to convince me how much int-reft he had with the Great Spirit, I thought it neceilary to redraia my animadverlions on his defign. , » ' > . The following evening was fixed upon for this fpiritual conference. When every thing had been properly prep ired, the king came to me and led me to a capacious tent, the covering of which was drawn up, fo as to reader what was tranfaifling within, vilible to rhofe who flood without. We found the tent furrounded by a great number of the Indians, but we readily gained adnuflion, and feated ourfeives on Ikins laid on the ground for that pur- pofe. In the center I obferved that there was a place of an oblong (liape, which was compofed of (lakes ftuck in the ground, wiih intervals between, fo as to form a kind of chell or coffin, large .enough to contain the body of a man. Thefe were of a. mid- dle fize, and placed at fuch a distance from each other, that whatever lay between them was readily to be difcerned. The tent was perfedlly illuminated by a great number of torches made of fpfinters cut from the pine or birch tree, which the Indians held in their hands. In a few minutes the priefl: entered ; when an amazing large elk's Ikin being fpread on the ground juft at my feet, he laid himfelf down upon it, after having ftript himfelf of every garment, except that which he wore clofe about the middle. Being now proilrate on his back, he firfl laid hold of one fide of the il^in and folded it over him, and then the other i .... ^ . , , , . . . . ^ CARVER'S TRAVELS. ^ leaving only his head uncovered. This was no fooner done, thnn one of the young men who Itood by, took about forty yards of (Irong cord, made alfo of an elk's hide, and rolled it tight round his body, fo that he was completely fwathed within the fkin. Being thus bound up like an Egyptian mum- my, one took him by the heels, and the other by the head, and lifted him over the pales into the enclofure. I could alfo now behold him as plain as [ had hitherto done, and I took care not to turn my eyes a moment from the objefb before me, that I might the more readily detetl the artifice ; for fuch I doubted not it would turn out to be. of The prieft had not lain in this fituation more than a few feconds, when he began to mutter. This he continued to do for fome time, and then by degrees grew louder atjd louder, till at length he fpoke articulately ; however, what he uttered was in fuch a mixed jargon of the Chjpeway, Ottawaw, and Killiftinoe languages, that I could underftand but very little of it: Having continued in this tone for a confidierable while, he at laft exerted his voice to its utmoft pitch, fometimes raving, and fomeiimes praying, till he had worked himfelf into fuch an agi- tation, that he foamed at the mouth. After having remained near three quarters of an hour in the place, and continued his vociferation with unabated vigour, he feemed to be quite ex- hauiled, and remained fpeechlefs. But in an inftant he fprung upon his feet, notwithftanding at the time he was put in, it appeared impofiible for him to move either his legs or arms, and fhaking off his covering, as quick as if the bands with which it had been bound were burned afunder, he began to ad- drefs thofe who flood around, in a firm and audible Voice. *'. My brothers,'* fald he, " the Cr^at loe cc CARVER'S TRAVELS. t( «( i< Spirit has deigned to hold a Talk with his fervant^; ** at my earned requefl. He has not, indeed, told me when the peri'ons we exped will be here ; hut to-morrow, foon after the fun has reached his highelt point in the heavens, a canoe will arrive, " whofe people will inform us when the traders •* will come." Having faid this, he (lepped out of the inclofure, and, after he had put on his robes, difniifled the aflem- bly. 1 own I was greatly adonifhed at what I had feen ; but as I obferved that every eye in the com- pany was fixed on me with a view to difcover my fentiments, 1 carefully concealed every emotion. The next day the fun ithone bright, and long be- fore noon all the Indians were gathered together oii the eminence that overlooked the lake. The old king came to me, and a(ked me whether I had fo much confidence in what the pried had foretold, as to join his people on the hill, and wait for the com- pletion of it ? I told him, I was at a lofs what opinion to form of the predi£lion,,but that I would readily attend him. On this we walked together to the place where the others were aflembled. Every eye was again fixed by turns on me and on the lake ; when jud as the fun had reached his zenith, agreeable to what the pried had foretold, a canoe came round a point of land about a league didant. The Indians no fooner beheld it, than they fet up an univerfal fhout, and by their looks feemed to triumph in the intered their pried 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 to the king's tent^^ CARVER'S TRAVELS. 101 uhen according to their invariable cudor; we began to fmoke ; and this we did, notwithftanding our im- patience to know the tidings they brought, without alking any quellions ; for the Indians are the mo(l deliberate people in the world. However, after fume trivial converfation. 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 propofed being here the fecond day from the prefent. They according- ly arrived at that time, greatly to our fatisfadlion, but more particularly fo to that of the Indians, who found by this event the importance both of their pried and of their nation greatly augmented in the fight of a (Iranger. •■ ' ^ . ■ ' 1. . .. ... ..;•.,,-, » ., This (lory I acknowledge appears to carry with it marks of great credulity in the relater. But no one is lefs tindured with that weaknefs than myfelf. The circumdances of it, I own, are of a very extra-* ordinary nature ; however, as I can vouch for their being free from either exaggeration or niiifreprefen- tation, being myfelf a cool and difpaflionate obferver of them all, 1 thought it neceiTary to give them to the public. And this I do without wifhing to mif- lead the judgment of my readers, or to make any fuperditious imprefllons on their minds, but leaving them to draw from it what Conclufions they pleafe. I have already obferved that the Aflinipoils, with a party of whom I met here, are a revolted band of the Naudoweflies j who on account of fome real or imagined grievances, for the Indians in. general are very tenacious of their liberty, had feparated them- ielves from their countrymen, and fought for free- dom at the expence of their eafe. For the country they now inhabit about the borders of Lake WijQne« 102 C AM VEll'8 TRAVELS. peek, beinp naich farther north, is not near fofertjlb or agreeable as that thty l)ave relinquifhed. They flill retain the language and manners ot their former alibciates. . The KilUninoes, now the neighbours and allies of the Aflinipoils, for they alfo dwell near the fame lake, and on the waters of the river Bourbon, ap- pear to have been originally a tribe of the Chipe- ways, as they fpeak their language, though in a dif- ferent dialed. 'Iheir nation confilts of about three or four hundred warriors, and they feem to be a hardy, brave people. 1 have already given an ac- count of their country when I treated of Lake Win- nepeek. As they refide within the limits of Hud- foii's Bay, they generally trade at the fadories which belong to that company, but, for the reafons men- tioned before, they frequently come to the place where 1 happened to join them, in order to meet the traders from Michillimackinac. The anxiety I had felt on account of the traders* delay, was not much alleviated by their arrival. I again found my expeftations difappointed, for I was not able to procure the goods I wanted from any of them. I was therefore obliged to give over my de- figns» and return to the place from whence 1 firfl be- gan my extenlive circuit. 1 accordingly took leave of the old king of the Killiftinoes, with the chiefs of both bands, and departed. This prince was up- wards of fixty years of age, tall and flightly made, but he carried himfelf very ere6t. He was of a courteous, affable difpqjfition, and treated me, as did all the chiefs, with great civility. . I ol'ferved that this people ftill continued a cuf- tom, that appeared to have been ^niverfal before any of them be.came acquainted with the manners of the Europeans, that of complimenting ftrangers CARVER'S TRAVELS. 103 with the company of their wives; and th's 's not only pradifed by the lower ranks, but the chiefs theinielves, who clleem it the greatcd proof of courtefy they can give a ftraiiger. The beginninjT of October, after having coaled round the north and ea(t borders of Lakt* Supe-ior, I arrived at Cadot's Fort, which adjoins lo the I' ills of St Marie, and is fituatcd near the fouth-weil: corner of it. . - • Lake Superior, formerly termed the Upper Lake, from its northern fituation, is fo called on account of its being fiiperior in magnitude to any of the Lakes on that vaif continent. It might jullly be termed the Cafpi:m of America, and is funpofed to be the larged body of frefli water on the globe. Its circumferciice, according to the French ch trts, is about fifteen hundred miles ; but I believe, that if it was coafled round, and the ^tmoft extent of every bay taken, it would exceed fixteen hundred. After I firft entered it from Goildard ■ s River on the weft Bay, Icoalted near twelve hundred miles of the north and eaft fliores of it, and obferved that the greateft part of that extenfiye trad was bounded by rocks and uneven ground. The water in general appeared to lie on a bed of rocks. When it was calm, and the fun Ihone bright, I could fit in my canoe, where the depth was upwards of fix fathoms, and plainly fee huge piles of (lone at the bottom, of different fhapes, fome of which appeared as if they were hewn. The water at this time was as pure and tranfparent as air ; and my canoe feemed as if it hung fufpended in that eleinenn It was impoflible to look attentively through tliis limpid medium at the rocks below, without finding, before many mi- nutes were elapfed, my head fwim, and my eyes no longer able to behoU the dazzling fcene. re^ CARVER'S TRAVELS. i« I I I" lie I dificovered alfo by accident another extraor- dinary property in the waters of this lake. Though it was in the month of July that I pafTed over it, and the furface of the water, from the heat of the fu- perambient air, impregnated with no fmall degree of warmth, yet on letting down a cup to the depth of about a fathom, the water drawn from thence was fo exceflively cold, that it had the lame eifeft when received into the mouth as ice. Th6 fituatlon of this lake is varioufly laid down ; but from the mod exaft 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 Ilondon. 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 fufHcient to form on each a confiderable province ; efpecially on Ifl^ 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 exa6l length or breadth of either. Even the French, who always kept a fmall fchooner on this lake, whilft they were in poflTeffion of Canada, by which they could have made this difcovery, have dnly acquired a flight knowledge of the external parts of thefe iflands ; at leaft they have never puWifhed any account of the internal parts of them, that I could get intelligence of. Nor was I able to difcover from any of the conver- fations which I held with the neighbouring Indians, that they had ever made any fettlements on them, or even landed there in their hunting excurfions. From what I Cvould gather by their difcourfe, they fuppofe them to have been, from the firft formation, the CARVER'S TRAVELS. 105 reiidence of the Great Spirit : and relate many ridi- culous flories of encbantment aid magical tricks, that had been experienced by fuch as were obliged through ftrefs of weather to take (helter on them. One of the Chipeway chiefs told me, that fome of their people being once driven on the ifland of Mau- repas, which lies to the north eaft part of the lake, found on it large quantities of heavy, fhining, yel- low fand^ that from their defcription mu(t have been gold dud. Being (truck with the beautiful ap- pearance of it, in the morning, when they re-entered their canoe, they attempted to bring fome away ; but a fpirit of amazing fize, according to their ac- count, iixty feet in height, ftrode in the water af- ter them, and commanded them to deliver back what they had taken away. Terrified at his gigantic (lature, and feeing that he had nearly overtaken theni, they were glad to reftore their fhining treafure ; on which they were fuffered to depart without further moledation. Since this incident, no Indian that has ever heard of it, wil| venture near the fame haunted coaft. Befides this, they recounted to me many other flories 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 power in the fummer, vegeta- tion there is very (low ; and confequently but little fruit is to be found on its (hore. It however pro- duces fome few fpecies in great abundance. Whortle- berries of an uncommon fize and fine flavour, grow on the mountains near the lake in amazing quan- tities ; as do black currants and goofberries in the fame luxuriant manner. . » . But the fruit which exceeds all the others, is a |p^rry refembling a rafberry in its manner of growth, 10$ CARVER'S TRAVELS. 1 1 I I but of a H^brer red, and much larger ; its tafle is far more delicious than the fruit 1 have compared it to, notwithftiinding that it is fo highly efteemed in Europe : it grows on a ilirub of the nature of a vine, with leaves iituilar to thofe of the grape ; and I am perfu'aded that was it tranfplanted into a warmer and more kindly climate, it wpuld prov refted his fervani to pay her for thofe (he had done, and difmifled her. The woman went to the door that led to the flreet, but no farther ; fhe there loi- tered about, a)5 if ihe had not finifhed the bufmefs on which fhe came. A fervant at length obferved her, and aiked her why fhe flaid there ', fhe gave hiffly however, no anfwer. Some fhort time after, the governor himfelf faw her, and enquired of his fervant wtoit occafioned hee ilay. Not being able to get a fatisfadory anfwer, he ordered the woman to be Called in. When fhe came into his prefence, he defired to know what was the reafon of her loitering about, and not haflening home before the gates were fhut, that fhe might complete in due time the work he had given her to do. She told him, after much hefitation, that as he had always behaved with great goodnefs towards her, fhe was unwilling to take away the remainder of the fldn, becaufe he put fo great'a value upon it j and yet had not been able to prevail upon herfelf to tell him fo. Hs then afked her, why fhe was more reludlant to do fo now, than fhe had been when fhe made the former pair. With increafed reludanca CARVER'S TRAVELS. »t9 fiie anfwrered, that flie never would be able to bring them back. His curiofity being now excited, he infixed on her difclofing to him the fecret that feemed to be ftrugjijling in her bofom for utterance. At lad, on receiving a promife that the intelligence flie was about to give him fhould not turn to her prejudice, and thk if it appeared to be beneficial, (lie (hould be rewarded for it, (he informed him, that at the council to be held with the Indians the following day, Pontiac and his chiefs intended to murder him ; and, after having maffacred the garrifon and inhabitants, to plunder the town. That for this purpbfe all the chiefs who were to be admitted into the council-room had cut their guns fhort, fo that they could conceal them under their blankels ; with which, at a fignal given by their general, on delivering the belt, they were all to rife up, and inftantly to fire on him and his attendants. Having eflfefted this, they were immediately to rufh into the town, where they would find themfelves fupported by a great number of their warriors, that were to come into it during the fitting of the council, under pretence of trading, but pri- vately armed in the fame manner. Having gained from the woman every neceflary particular relative to the plot, and alfo of the means by which flie ac- quired a knowledge of them, he difmifled her with injunctions of fecrefy, and a promife of fulfilling on his part with punctuality the engagements he had eniered into. The intelligence the governor had juft r^eived gave iiim great uneafinefs ; and he immediately con- lulted the officer who was next to him in command, on th^fubjeft. But that gentleman confidering the information as a ftory invented for fome artful pur- pofes, advifed him to pay no attention to it. This I M X20 CARVER'S TRAVELS. ij ;li't« ifi concluHon, however, had happily no weight with him. He thought it prudent to conclude it to be true, till he was convinced that it was not fo ; and therefore, without revealing his fufpicions to any other perfon, he took every needful precaution that the time would admit of. He walked round the fort during the whole night, and faw himfelf that every centinel was on duty, and every weapon of defence in proper order. ■. c.::^.., As he traverfed the ramparts, which lay nearcft to the Indian camp, he heard them in high feftivity, and, little imagining that their plot was difcovered, probably pleafing themfelves with the anticipation of their fuccefs. As foon as the morning dawned, he ordered all the garrifon under arms ; and then im- parting his apprehenfions to a few of the principal officers, gave them fuch diredlions as he thought ne- ceflary. At the fame time he fent round to all the traders, to inform them, that as it was expefted a great number of Indians would enter the town that day, who might be inclined to plunder, he defired they would have their arms ready, and repel every attempt of that kind. About ten o'clock, Pontiac and his chiefs arrived, and were conduced to the council chamber, where the governor and his principal officers, each with piflols in their belts, awaited his arrival. As the Indians pafled on, they could not l^'p obferving that a greater number of troops than ufual were drawn up on the parade, or marching about. No fooner were they entered, and feated on the Ikins prepared for them, than Poniiac alked the governor on what occafion his young men, meaning the foi- diers, were thus drawn up and parading the ftreets. He receivjcd for anfwer, that it was only intended to keep them perfefl in their exercife. CARVER'S TRAVELS. 121 . The Indian chief warrior now began his fpeech, which contained the (trongefl: profeflions of friendfliip and good-will towards the Englifh ; and when he came to the delivery of the belt of wampum, the particular mode of which, accordiag to the woman's information, was to be the fignal for his chiefs to fire, the governor and all his attendants drew their fwords halfway out of their fcabbards ; and the fol- diers at the fame inftant made a clattering with their arms before the doors, which had been purpofely left open. Pontiac, though one of the boldefl: of men, immediately turned pale and trembled j and, inftead of giving the belt in the manner propofed, delivered it according to the ufual way. His chiefs, who had impatiently expsfted the fignal, looked at each other with altonifhment, but continued quiet, waiting the refult. The goverpor in his turn made a fpeech ; but in- ftead of thanking the great warrior for the profeflions of friendfliip he had juft uttered, he accufed him of being a traitor. He tcld him that the Englifli, who knew every thing, were convinced of his treachery tmd villainous defigns ; and as a proof that they were well acquainted with his moft fecret thoughts and intentions, he ftepped towards the Indian chief that fat nearefl: to him, and drawing afide his blanket, difcovered the fliortened firelock. Thi^ entirely difconcerted the Indians, and frullrated their de- He then continued to tell them, that as he had given his word at the time they defired an audience, that their perfons fliould be fafe, he would hold his promife inviolable, though they fo little deferved it. However, he advifed them to make the beft of ;hcir way out of the fort, left his young men, on being mt: 122 CARVER»s TRAVELS. acquainted with h's treacherous purpofes, fhould cut every one of them to pieces. u.i.''',.Ji ^ ' Pontiac endeavoured to contradiiH: the accufation, and to make excufts for his fufpicious conduct ; but the governor, fatisfied of the falfity of his protelta- tions, \(rould not liiten to him. The Indians imme- diately left the fort, but jnrtead of being fenfible of the governor's generous behaviour, they threw off the malic, and the ne: /*- ■; The Gladwyn fchooner (that in which I after- Vards took my pafTage from Michillimackinac to Detroit, and which I fince learn was loft with all her crew, on Lake Erie, through the obfltnacy of the commander, who could not be prevailed upon to take in fuf!icient ballafl) arrived about this time, near the town, with a reinforcement, and necelTary fupplies. But before this veffel could reach the place of its deflination, it was mofl vigoroufly at- tacked by a detachment from Pontiac's army. The Indians furrounded it iti their canoes, and made great havock among the crew. . At length the captain of the fchooner, with a confiderable number of his men, being killed, and the lavages beginning to climb up the fides from every quarter, the lieutenant (M. Jacobs, who af- terwards commanded, and was lofl in it) being de- termined that the (lores fhould not fall into the ene- my's hands, and feeing no other alternative, order- ed the gunner to fet fire to the powder-room, and blow up the ihip. This order was on the point of Wa 124 CARVER»s TRAVELS. iif"' being executed, when a chief of the Hurons, who underflood the Englifli language, gave ont to his friends the intention of the commander. On re- ceiving this intelligence, the Indians hurried down the fide of the (hip with the greatell precipitation, and got as far from it as poflible ; whillt the com- mander immediately took advantage of their con- (lernation, and arrived without any further obilruc- tion at the town. f ,, This feafonable fupply gave the gnrrifon frefh fpirits ; and Pontiac being now convincsJ that it would not be in his power to reduce the place, pro- pofed an accommodation ; the governor wifhed as much to get rid of fuch troubiefome enemies, who obftrnded the intercourfe of the traders with the neighbouring nations, liflened to his propofals, and having procured advantageous terms, agreed to a peace. The Indians foon after feparated, and re- turned to their different provinces j nor have they lince thought proper to difturb, at leaft in any great degree, the tranquillity of thefe parts. Pontiac henceforward feemed to have laid afide the animofity he had hitherto borne towards the Englifli, and apparently became their zealous friend. To reward this new attachment, and to infure a con- tinuance of it, government allowed him a handfome penfion. But his reliefs and intriguing fpirit would not fuffer him to be gfateful for this allowance, and his conduft at length grew fufpicious ; fo that going, in the year 1767, to hold a council in the country of the Illinois, a faithful Indian, who was either com- miflioned by one of the Englifli governors, or in- iligated by the love he bore the Englifli nation, at- tended him as a fpy ; and being convinced from the fpeech Poritiac made in the council, that he ftill re- tained his former prejudices againfl; thofe tor whom he now profefled a friendihi^, he plunged his knife CARVER'9 TRAVELS. J2S into his heart, as foon as he had done fpeaking, and laid him dead on the fpot. But to return from this digreflion. Lake Erie receives the waters by which it is fiip- plied from the three great lakes, through the Straits of Detroit, that lie at its north-welt corner. This lake is fituated between forty-one and forty-three degrees of north latitude, and between feventy-eight and eighty-three degrees of weft longitude. It is • near three hundred miles long from eaft to weft, and about forty in its broadeft part : and a remarkable long narrow point lies on its north fide, that projeds for feveral miles into the lake towards the fouth-eaft. There are feveral* iflands on the weft end of it fo infefted with ra«Ie-fnakes, that it is very dangerous to land on them. It is impolTible 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 together ; and on each of thefe lay, when I palled over it, wreaths of water- fnakes; banking in the fun, which amounted to myriads. The rrlqft remarkable of the different fpecies, that' infeft this lake, is the hifling-fnake, which is of the fmall fpeckled kind, and about eight incbes long. When any thing approaches, it flattens itfelf in a moment, 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 fpuell ; and if drawn in by the breath of the unwary traveller, will infallibly b-ing on a decline, that in R M Jt& CARVER'S TRAVELS. a few months muft prove inortnl, there beinpj no re- medy yet dilcovered which can counteraQ its bane- iull influence. - The ftones and pebbles on the fliores of this lake are mo^i of thenr tinged, in a greater or lefs decree, with Ipots that refemble bri.fs in their cclour, but which are of a more fnlpliureous natore. Sniiill pieces;, about the flze of haz!e-nuts, bt the fame fkinds of ore, arc found on the fands that lie on i's banks, and under the water. The navigation of this lake is efteemed more dan- gerous than any of the others, on account of many high lands tljat lie on the borders of it, and project into the water, in a perpendicular diredion, for many miles together; fo , that whenever- fuddea llorms arife, canoes and boats are frequently lofl:, ,as there is no place for them to find a flielter. * This lake difcharges its waters at the north-eaft ends 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 ealiern fliore, lies Fort Niagara ; and, about eighteen miles farther up, thofe remark- able Falls, which are elleemed one of the mod ex- traordinary produdlicns of nature at prefent known. As thefe have been vifited by fo many travellers, and fo frequently defcribed, 1 fli.ill omit giving a particular defcription of them, and only obferve, that the waters by which they are fupplied, after taking their rife near two thoufand miles 'to the north-weft, and pafling through the Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie, during which they have been receiving conliant accumulations, at length rufl\ down a Itupendous precipice of one hundred and CARV ER's TR A VE LS." f 27 forty feet perpendicular ; and in a (Irong rnpid, that extends to the dilhmce of eigiit or nine miles htlow, fail nearly as much more ; this river fjon alter empties iifclf into Lake Ontario. The noife of thefe Fnils may he heard an amaz- ing vay. I could plainly diftin^ruifh them in a calm m( rnii:p; more than twenty mili.s. Others have faid, that lit particular times, and when the wind fits fair, the found oi them readies fifteen leagues. The land about the Fall is exceedinr^ly hilly and uneven, but the greateit part of that on the Niagara River is very good, elpeci^liy for gral's and pallurage. * Fort Niagara (lands nearly at the entrance of the weft end of Lake Ontario, and on the ealt part of the Straits of Niagara. It was taken from the French in the year 1759, by the forcds'under the-command of Sir William Johnfon, and at prefent is defended by a confiderable garrifon. Luke Ontario is the next and leafl of the five great lakes of Canada. Its fituution is between forty- three and forty- five degrees of latitude, and be- tween feventy-fix and feventy-nine degrees of wefl longitude. The form of it is nearly oval, its greatelt length being from north-ea(t to fourh-v/eft, and in circumference, about fix hundred miles. Near the fouth-eaft part it receives the waters of the Ofvvego river, and on the north-eaft dilcharges itfelf into the River Cataraqui., Not far from the place where it iffiies. Fort Frontenac formerly Hood, which was taken from the French during the lall war, in the year 1758, by a fmall army of Provincials under Colonel Bradftreet. m ~i i 128 CARVER'S TRAVEL*. ,1*1 I ii*, - n;i*r ^v • He feems to allow that Am*erica might have re- ceived its firfl; inhabitants from Tartary and Hyrca- CARVER'S TRAVELS. N3 jiia. This he confirms, by. obferving that the lions and ty^ers, which are found in the former, muft have come from thdfe countries, and whofe paflages ferve for a proof that the two hcT.ifphcres join to the northward of Afia. He then draws a corro- boration of this argument, from a ftory hs fays he has often heard related by Father Groilon, a French Jefuit, as an undoubted matter of fadt. * - This father, afrer having laboured feme time in the miflions of New France, pafied over to thofe of China. One, day as he was travelling in Tartary, he met a Huron woman whom he had fi^rmerly known in Canada. He alked her by wh;it adven- ture Ihe had been carried into a country fo diitant from her own. She made anfv/er, that having beea taken in war, (he had been conducted from nation to nation, till Ihe had reached the place at which ihe then was, . Monfieur Charlevoix fays further, that he had been afllired another ji-'fuif, pafling through Nantz, in his return from China, had related much fuch another affair of a SpanLfh woman from Florida. She alfo had been taken by certain Indians, and given to thofe of a more diitant country ; and by ihefe again to another nation, till having thus been fucceiTively paiTcd from country to country, and tra- velled through regions extremely cold, ilie at latt found herfelf in Tartary. Here ^\q had married a Tartar, who had attended the conquerors in Chinaj where fhe was then fettled. • .- He acknowledges, ns an ally to the probability of thefe ftorieSj^ that thole who had fciiled farthelt , to the eaflw?»rd of Alia, by pnrluing the coail of Jeflb or Kamfchatka, have pretended that they hud . »44 CARVER'S TRAVELS. I III IH'I li"il i m perceived the extremity of this continent j and from thence have concluded that there could not poflfibiy be any communication by land. But he adds, that Francis Guella, a Spaniard, is faid to have aflerted, that this feparation is no more than a (trait, about one hundred miliss over, and 'hat fome late voyages of the Japahefe give ground to think that this itrait is only a bay, above which there is a pafTage over land. He goes on to obfcrve, that though there are few wild beafts to be met with in 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, notwithdanding, niight have come from Hyrcania and Tartary ; for as by advancing gradually fouth- ward they met with climated more agreeable to their natures, they have in time abandoned the northern countries. \ He quotes both Solinus and Pliny to prove that the Scythian Anthropophagi once depopulated 2^ 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- ead of China and Tartary there are vaft uninhabited countries, which might be fufficient to confirm any conjectures concernitig theretreat of a great number of Scythians into America. ■ ■ ■ ■ , ^ ♦',.,. - ' < • To this he adds, that we find in the ancients the names of fome of thefe nations. ?liny fpeaks of the Tabians ; Solinus mentions the Apvileans, who had for neighbours the Mailagetes, whom Pliny fmce affures us to have entirely difappeared. Am- mianus Marcellinus exprefsly tells us, that the fear of the Anthropophagi obliged feveral of the inhabi- CARVER*i TRAVE LS. M5 tants of thofc countries to take refujre plfewliere. rrom all thefe authorities, M^nfieur Charlevoix con- cludes, that there is at lea(t room to cot jedlure that more than pne nation in America had the Scythian or Tartarian original. He finiflies his remarks on the authors he has quoted, by the following obfervatipns : It appears to ine that this controverfy may be reduced to the two following articles ; 6r(l, how the new world might have been peopled ; and fecondly, by whom, and by what means it has been peopled^ Nothing, he aflerts, may be more eafily anfwered than the fird. America mi»;ht haye been peopled as the three other parts of the world have been. Many difficulties have been formed qn this fubjed, which have been deemed infoivable, but which are far from being fo. The inhabitants of both hemif- pheres are certainly the defcendants of the fame fa- ther ; the common parent of mankind received an exprefs command from heavent to people the whol(; vorld, and accordingly it has been peopled. ' To bring this about, it was neceffary to overcome all difficulties that lay in the way, and they have been got over. Were thefe difficulties greater with re- fpe£t to peopling the e:(tremities of Afia, Africa, and Europe, or the tranf porting men into the iflands which lie at confiderable diltance from thole conti- nents, than topafsover into America ? certainly not. Navigation, which has arrived at fo great per- fe£tion within thefe three or four centuries, might poffibly have been more perfe£l in thofe early ages than at this day. Who can believe that Noah and bis immediate defceiidants knew lefs of that art than we do ? That the builder and pilot of thelargeflfl^D 1 K 'in,i , <■ ■ 14^ CARVER'S TRAVELS. r! I- II. :i I '■]' |i!l- 'i: iii'ii-i; lljl " ,-, .1.1 i' .!, I ;! that ever was, a fliip that was formed to traverfe an unbounded ocean, and had fo many {hoals and quick- fands to guard againft, fhould be ignorant of, or ihould not have communicated to thofc; of his de- fcendants who furvived him, and by whofe means he was to execute the order of the Great Creator ; I , fay, who can b'elieve he fhould not have communi- cated to them the art of failing upon an ocean, which was not only more calm and pacific, but at the fame time confined within its ancient limits ? a ',..*;, Admitting this, how eafy is it to pafs, exclufive of the palFage already defcribed, by land from the coaf: of Africa to Brazil, from the Canaries to the IVeftern Iflands, and from them to the Antilles ? !From the Briiifh Ifles or the coaft of France, to Newfoundland, the palDge is neither long nor diffi- cult ; I might fay as much of that from China to Ja- pan ; from Japan, or the Philippines, to the ifles of Mariannes j and from thqnce to Mexico. There are iflands at a confiderable diftance from, the continent of Aiia, where we have not been fur- prifed to find inhabitants ; why then fhould we won- der to meet with people in America I Nor can it be imagined that the grandfons of Noah, when they were obliged to feparate, and fpread themfelves in conformity to the defigns of God over the whole earth, fliould find it abfolutely impoiTible to people almoit one half of it. I have been more copious in my extrads from tills author than 1 intended, as his reafons appear to be folid, and many of his obfervaticns juft. From this encomium, however, 1 mull exclude the ftories he has introduced of the Huron and Floridan wo- men, which 1 think 1 might venture to pronounc* fabulous. CARVER'S TRAVELS. H'> I fhall only add, to give my readers a more cora- prehcnfive view of Monlieur Charlevoix's difler- tation, the mi thod he prnpofes to come at the truth of what we are now in fearch of. The only means by which this can be done, he fays, is by comparing- the language of iHe Ameri- cans with the different nations, from whence we might fuppofe they have pere^j;rinated. If we com- pare the former with thofe words that are confidered as primitives, it might pofTibly fet us upon fome happy difcovery. And this way of afcending to the original of nations, which is by far tfie leaft equivo- cal, is not fj difficult as might be imagined. We have had, and ftill have, travellers and miflionaries who have attained the languages that are fpoken in all the provinces of thfi new world; it would only be neceflary to make a collection of their grammars and vocabularies, and to collate thenl with the dead and living languages of the old world, that pafs'for originals, and the fimilarity might eafily be traced. "Even the different dialeds, in fpite of the alterations they have undergone, (iiil retain enough of the mother tongue to furnifli conliderable lights. Any enquiry into the manners, cuftoms, religion, or traditions of the Americans, in order to difcover by that means their origin, he thinks would prove fallacious. A difquiiition of that kind, he obferves, is only capable of producing a falfe light, more like- ly to dazzle, 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 leveral ages have been without thofe helps that are necelTnry to pre- fcrve them. And in this fitaation is full one half of 1 'III ■49 CARVER'S TtLAVtLS. I -1 III 'III *!' lll'ii ir II' I ■fill ilia I III'*" 'I '■'I'll *,l (1 ii; ■jwli .J ||!l''! ■ * the world. New events, and a new arrangement of things, give rife to new traditions, which effacfe the former, ^nd are themfelves ed'aced in tiirn. Af- ter one or two centuries have paifed, there n6 longer remain any traces of the firit traditions ; and thus we are involved in a Aate of uncertainty. He concludes with the foHowihg remarks, among many others. Unforefeen accidents, tempefts, and ihipwrecks, hav6 certainly contributed to people every habitable part of the WOrld ; and ought we to wonder after this, at perceiving certain refemblances, both of perfons and nianners, between nations that afe mbrt remote from each other, when we find fuch a, difference between thofe that borcjer oh one acnother ? As we are deftitute ofhidofical nfionum^nts, there is nothing, I repeat it, btit a knowledge Of the primitive languages that is capable of throwing any lights upon thefe clouds of impenetrable darknefs. .' .• • . / ' ■ . . , ; ^ . - \ , By this enquiry we fhould at teaft be fatisfied,' among that prodigious number of various nlatiohs inhabiting Atnerica, and differing fo mi^ch in lan- guages from each other, which are thofe who make ufe of words totally and entirely different from thofe of the old world, and who confequently muft bc^ reckoned to hav6 pafied oVer to America in the earlieft ag^, and thofe who from the analogy 6f their language with fuch as are at prefentufed in the three other parts of the globe, leave room to judge that their migration has been more recent, and which ought to be attributed to ihipwrecks, cf fome ac- cident fimilar to thofe which have been fpoken of ikl' the courfe of this treatife. I fhall onfy add the opinion of one author more,; before I give my own fentiments on the fubjei£b^ aih! that is of James Adair, £fq; who reiided forty yea#s CARVER'S TRAVELS. M9 among the Indians, and publiflied the hiftory of them in the yeaf 1772. In hi^ learned and fyftema- tical hiftory of thofe nations, inhabiting the vveftera parts of the moll fouthern of the American colo- nies, this gentleman without hefitation pronoun- ces that the American Aborigines are defcended from the Ifraelites, either whilft they were a ma- ritime power, or foon after their general capti- vity. ' ' This defcent he endeavours to prove from their religious rites, their civil and martial cuftoms, their marriages, their funeral ceremonies, their manners, language, traditions, and from a variety of other particulars. And fo complete is his conviction on this head, that he fancies he finds a perfed and indifputable fimilitude in each. Through all thefe I have not time to follow him, and fhall therefore only give a few extrads to fliowonwhat foundation he builds his cor 'lures, and what degree of credit he is entitled to "i b's point. He begins with obferving, that though fome have fuppofed the Americans to be defcended from the Chinefe, yet neither their religion, laws, nor cuf- toms agree in the leaft with thofe of the Chinefe ; which fufficiently proves that they are not of this line. Befides, as our belt (hips are now almofl; half a year in fai'ing 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 direftly 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 veflels, againft rapid currents, and in dark and fickly Monfoons. V U \ \i ' \ II; iir |:!l. I, >! ! '11 150 CARVER'sTRAVELS-, He further remarks, that this is more particular!/ improbable, as there is reafon to believe that this nation was unacquainted with the ufe of the load- ftone to direfl their courfe. . -. China, he fays, is about eight ihoufand miles dif- tant from the American continent, which is twice as far as acrofs the Atlantic Ocean. And we are not informed by any ancient writer of their maritime ilvill, or fo much as any inclination that way, befides fmall coafting voyages. The winds blow likewife, with little variation, from eafl to weft within the la- titudes thirty and odd, north and fouth, and there- fore thefe could not drive them on the American coaft, it lying diredly contrary to fuch 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 fitua- tion, never having been, or can be a maritime po.wer ; :ind it is utterly impradicable, he fays, for any to come to America by fea from that quarter. Befides, the remaining traces of their religious ceremonies, and civil and martial cuftoms, are quite oppofite to the like veftiges of the old Scythians. Even in the moderate northern climates there is not to be feen the leaft trace of any ancient ftately buildings, or of any thick fettlements, as are faid to remain in the lefs healthy regions of Peru and Mexico. And feveral of the Indian nations allure us, that they crolFed the Mifliffippi before they made their prefent northern fettlements : which, con- neded with the former arguments, he concludes will fufliciently explode that weak opinion of the American Aborigines being lineally defcended from the Tartars or ancient Scythians. CARVER'S TRAVELS. 15 1 Mr Adair's reafons for fuppofing that the Ameri- cans derive their origin from the Jews are, , Firft, becaufe they are divided into tribes, and chiefs over them, as the IfraeHtes had. * Secondly, becaufe, as by a fi:ri6l, permanent, di- vine precept, the Hebrew nation v^'ere ordered to worfliip, at Jerufalem, Jehovah the true and living God, fo do the Indians, ftiling him Yohewah. The ancient Heathens, he adds, it is well known, wor- fliipped a plurality of gods ; but the Indians pay their religious devotions to the great, beneficent, fu- preme, holy Spirit of Fire, who refides, as they think, above the clouds, and en earth alfo with unpolluted people. They pay no adoration to images, or to dead perfons, neither to the celeftial luminaries, to evil fpirits, nor to any created beings whatever. Thirdly, becaufe, agreeable to the theocracy or divine government of Ifrael, the Indians think the Deity to be the immediate head of their ftate. Fourthly, becaufe, as the Jews believe in the miniitration of angels, the Indians alfo believe that the higher regions are inhabited by good fpirits. Fifthly, becaufe, the Indian language and dialers appear to have the very idioms and genius of the Hebrew. Their words and fertences being ex- preflive, concife, emphatical, Yonorous, and bold ; and often, both in letters and fignilicaiions, are fy- nonymous with the Hebrew language. f '« 4 Sixthly, becaufe they count their time after the manner of the Hebrews. I i Ii ill I lib ■ ■ I ■ ; liJIll !!' 'Si CARVER'S TRAVELS. Seventhly, becaiife, in conformity to, or after the manner of the Jtws, they have their prophets j high- prielts, and other religious orders. . » ... •. Eighthly, becaiife their feftivals, fafls, and reli- gious rites have a great refemblance to ihofe of the Hebrews. Ninthly, becaufe the Indians, before they go to war, have many preparatory ceremonies of purifi- cation and falling, like what is recorded of the If- raelites. ;. , . ': .' , . i . ." - Tenthly, becaufe the fame tafte for ornaments, and the fame kind, arc mads ufe of by the Indians, as by the Hebrews, , '• - , > Thefe, and many other arguments of a fimilar na- ture, Mr Adair brings in fupport of his favourite fyftem ; but 1 (hould imagine, that if the Indians are really derived from the Hebrews, among their reli- gious ceremonies, on which he feems chiefly to build his hypothefis, the principal, that of circumcifion, would never have been laid afide, and its very re- membrance obliterated. Thus numerous and diverfe are the opinions of thefe who have hitherto written onthefubjed! I fhall not, however, either endeavour to reconcile them, or to point out the errors of sach, but proceed to give my own fentiments on the origin of the Americans ; which are founded on conclufions drawn from the moft rational arguments of the writers I have mentioned, and from my own obfervations ; the confiftency pf thefe I (hall leave to the judgnient of my readers'. CARVER'S TRAVELS. 153 The better to introduce my conjedlures on this head, it is neceflary firfl to afcertain the diftances between America and thofe parts of the habiiabie 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 entirely Separated from the other quarters of the world. That part of Europe which approaches neareft to it, is tliecoaft of Green- land, lying in about feventy degrees of north iati- tude, and which reaches within twelve drarees of the coaft of Labrador, fituated on the nor, .-eaft bor- ders of this continent. The coaft of Guinea is the neareft part of Africa, which lies about eicjhteen hundred and fixty miles north-eaft from the Brazils. The moft eaftern coaft of Afia, which extends to the Korean Season the north of China, projedls north- eaft through eaftern Tartary and Kamfchatka to Si- beria, in about fixty degrees of north latitude. To- wards which, ,the weftern coafts of America, from California to the Straits of Annian, extend nearly north-weft, and lie in about forty-fix degrees of tho fame latitude. Whether the Continent of America ftretches any farther north than thefe (traits, and joins to the eaf- tern parts of Afia, agreeable to what has been aflert- ed by fome of the writers I have quoted, or whether the lands that have been difcovered in the interme- diate parts are only an archipelago of iflands, verg- ing towards the oppofite continent,. is not yet afcer- tained. It being, however, certain that there are many confiderable iflands which lie between the extremities of Afia and America, viz. Japan, Jeflb, or Jedfo, G^ma's Land, Behring's Ifle, with many others dif- 11. ^4 CARVER'S TRAVELS. Hil!:!K covered by Tfchirikow, and befides thefe, from fifty degrees north there appearing to be a clufter of iflands that reach as far as Siberia, it is probable, from their proximity to America, that it received its firQ inhabitants from them. This tonclufion is the raoft rational I am able to draw, fuppoling that fince the Aborigines got foot- ing on this continent, no extraordinary or fudderi change in the pofition or furfi^ce (/f it has taken place, from inundations, earthquakes, or any re- volutions of the earth that we are at prefent unac- quainted with. To me it appears highly improbable that it (houldi have been peopled from different quarters, acrofs the Ocean, as others have allerted. From the fize of the (hips made ufe of in thofe early ages, and the want of the compafs, it cannot be fuppofed that any maritime nation would by choice venture over the unfathomable ocean, in fearch of diftant continents. Had this however been attempted, or had America been firft accidentally peopled from fhips freighted with paflengers of both fexes, which were driven by a ftrong eafterly wind acrofs the At- lantic, thefe fettlers muft have retained fome traces of the language of the'country from whence they migrated ; and fince the difcovery of it by the Eu- ropeans muft have been made out. It alfo appears extrordinary that feveral of thefe accidental migra- tions, as allowed by fome, and thefe from different parts, (hould have taken place. Upon the whole, after the moft critical enqui- ries, and the matured deliberation, I am of opinion, that America received its firit inhabitants from the north-eaft by the way of the great archipelago juft mentioned, and frpm thefe alone. But this might mil CARVER'S TRAVELS. ^S3 have been eflfefled at different times, and from va- rious parts : from Tartary, China, Japan, or Kamf- chatka, the inhabitants of thefe places refembling each other in colour, features, and fliape, and who, before fomc of them acquired a knowledge of the arts and fciences, might have likewife refembled each other in their manners, cufloms, religion, and language. The only difference between the Chinefe nation a-nd the Tartars, lies- in the cultivated ftate of the one, and the unpolifhed lituation of the other. The former have become a commercial people, and dwell in houfes formed into regular towns and cities j the latter live chiefly in tents, and rove about in dif- ferent hordes, without any fixed abode. Nor can the long and bloody wars thefe two nations have been engaged in, e.Kterminate their hereditary fimi- litude. The prefent family of the Chinefe emperors is of Tartarian extraction ; and if they were not fen- fible 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 cultoms of the American Indians refemble thofe of the Tartars ^ and I make no doubt but that in fome future aera, and that not a very dillant one, it will be reduced to a certainty, that during fome of the wars between the I'artars and the Chinefe, a part of the inhabitants of the northern provinces were driv- en from their native country, and took refuge in fome of the ifles before-mentioned, and from thence found their way into America. At different periods each nation might prove,vidorious, and the conquer- ed by turns fiy before their conquerors ; and from hence might rife the finiilitude of the Indians to all i mi ''am "1 I l:||;| Mil,' liji i| ''I I I iS till ain III mi 155 CARVER'S TRAVELS. thcfe people, and that animofity which cxifts between fo many of their tribes. It appears plain to me, that a great fimilarity be- tween the Indians and Chinefe is confpicuous in that particular cuftom of (having or plucking oft' the hair, and leaving only a fmall tuft on the crown of the head. This mode is faid to have been enjoined by the Tartarian emperors on their acceflion to the throne of China, and confequenily as a farther proof that this cuftom was in ufe among the Tartars ; to whom, as well as the Chinefe, the Americans might be indebted for it. Many words alfoare ufed both by the Chinefe and. Indians, which have a refemblance to each other, not only in their found, but their fignification. The Chinefe call a flave, fliungo ; and the Naudoweflie Indians, whofe language, from their little intercourfe with the Europeans, istheleaft corrupted, term a dog, ftiunguftj. The former denominate one fpecies of their tea, fhoufong ; the latter call their tobacco, fhoufaflau. Many other of the words ufed by. the Indians contain the fyllables che, enaw, and chu, af^ ter the dialed of the Chinefe. There might poflibly be found a fimilar connec- tion between the language of the Tartars and the American Aborigines, were we as well acquainted with it as we are, from a commercial intercoufe, with that of the Chinefe. - i am confirmed in thefe conjeflures, by the ac- counts of Kamfchatka, publiftied a few years ago by order of the Emprefs of Ruflia. The author of "which fays, that the fea which divides that peninfula from America is full of iflands, and that the diftance between Tfchukotflioi-Nofs, a promontory which CARVER'S TRAVELS, >57 Hes at the eaflern extremities of that country, and the coaft of America, is not more than two degrees and a half of a great circle. He further fays, that there is the greateft reafon to fuppofe that Afia and Ame- rica once joined at this place, as the coafts of both continents appear to have been broken into capes and bays, which anfwer each other, more efpeci- ally as the inhabitants of this part of both refem- ble each other in their perfons, habits, cuftoms, and food. Their language, indeed, he obferves, does not appear to be the fame, but then the inha- bitants of each diflrict in Kamfchatka fpeak a lan- guage as different from each other, as from that fpoken on the oppofite coafh Thefe obfervations, to which he- adds the iimilarity of the boats of the inhabitants of each coaft, and a remark that the na- tives of this part of America are wholly ftrangers to wine and tobacco, which he looks upon as a proof that they have as yet no communication with the natives of Europe, he fays, amount to little lefs than a denionftration that America was peopled from this part of Afia. ^ , . ' The limits of my prefent undertaking will not permit me to dwell any longer on this fubject, or to enumerate any other proofs in favour of my hypo- thefis. I am, howfever, fo thoroughly convinced of the certainty of it, and fo defirous have I been to obtain every teftimony which can be procured in its fupport, that I once made an offer to a private fo- ciety of gentlemen, who were curious in fuch re- fearches, and to whom I had communicated my fen- timents on this point, that I would undertake a jour- ney, on receiving fuch fupplics as were needful, through the north-eaft part of Kurope and Afia to the interior parts of America, and from thence to England j makinc;,. as 1 proceeded, fuch obferva-. ^"tv 1 m ,1 ii>i ¥lb l\ 'it' • 15 ' ^'!|i!!. ,H li':! Ij« CARVER ♦s TRAVELS. tions both on the languages and manners of the peo- pie with whom I fhouldbe converfant, as might tend to illu(^rate the dodlrine I have here laid down, and to fatisfy the curiofity of the learned or inquilitire ; but as this propofal was judged rather to require a national than a private I'upport, it was not carried into execution. I am happy to find, lince I formed the foregoing conclunons, that they corfefpond with the fenti- ments of that great and learned hiftorian, Dr Robertfon ; and though with him, I acknowledge that the inveAigation, from its nature, is fo obfcure and intricate, that the conjectures I have made can only be confidered as conjeClures, and not indifpu- table conclufions, yet they carry with them a grea- ter degree of probability than the fuppolitions of thofe who alfert that this continent was peopled from another quarter^ ; . . One of the Do£lor's quotations from the" Journals of Behring and Tfchirikow, who failed from Kamf- chatka, about the year 1741, in queft of the New World, appears to carry great weight with it, and to afford our conclufions firm fupport : " Thefe com- *' manders having fhaped their courfe towards the " eafl, difcovered land, which to them appeared to ** be part of the American continent ; and accor- '* ding to their obfervations, it feems to be fituated *' within a few degrees of the Norih-wefl coafl. of " California. They had there fome intercoufe with " the inhabitants, who feemed to them to refemble " the North-Americans ; as they reprefented to the ** Ruffians the Calumet or Pipe. of Peace, which is ** a fymbol of friendfhip univerfal among the people " of North- America, and an ufage of arbitrary in- " flitution peculiar to them.". CARVER'S TRAVELS. »59 One of this incomparable writer's own arpruments 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 enquiry, that America was not peo- pled by any nation of the ancient continent, which had made confiderable progrefs in civilization. The inhabitants of the New World were in a (late of fociety fo extremely rude, as to be un- acquainted with thofe arts which are the firfl: ef- fays of human iiigenuity in its advance towarcU improvement. Even the mod cultivated nations of America were ftrangers to many of thofe fim- ple inventions, which were almoft coeval with fociety in other parts of the world, and wtre known in the earlieft periods of human life. From this it is manifefl that the tribes which originally emigrated to America, came off from nations which mud have been no lefs barbarous than their poftprity, at the time when they were firft dif covered by the Europeans. If ever the ufe of iron had been known to the favages 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 impoffible that they fhould have been abandoned or forgotten." (( <( it (( <« IC (( (( iii iMl on their faces, except when they grow old, and become inattentive to their appearance. Every crinofe efflorefcence on the other parts of fhe body is held unfeemly by them, and both fexes employ much time in their extirpation. The Naudoweffies, and the remote nations, pluck them out with bent pieces of hard wood, formed into a kind of nippers ; whilft thofe who have com- munication with Europeans procure from them wire, which they twill into a fcrewor worm; applying this to the part, they prefs the rings together, and with a fudden twitch draw out all the hairs that are inclofed between them. The men of every nation differ in their drefs very little from each other, except thofe who trade with the Europeans ; thefe exchange their furs for blan- kets, fliins, and other apparel, which they wear as much for ornament as nec^ffity. The latter fallen by a girdle around their waifts about half a yard of broad cloth, whirh covers the middle parts of their bodies. Thofe who wear fliirts never make them fall either at the wrift or collar; this would be a moft infufferable confinement to them. They throw their blanket loofe upon their (boulders, and hold- ing the upper fide of it by the two corners, with a knife in one hand, and a tobacco pouch, pipe, &c.* in the other ; thus accoutred, they walk about in their villages or camps, but in their dances they lieldom wear this covering. ^ <^' '>' ^ • I- Thofe among the men who wi(h to appear gayer than the reft, pluck from their heads all the hair^ except from a fpot on the top of it, about the fize of a crown piece, where it is permitted to grow to a confiderable length ; on this are faltened plumes of feathers of various colours, with filver or ivory ii|;'''ji CARVER'S TRAVELS, !fj5 quUls. The manner of cutting and ornamenting this part of the head diilinguifhes different nations from each other. They paint their faces red and black, which they efteem as greatly ornamental. Thty alfo paint themfelves when they go to war ; but the method they make ufe of on this occafion differs from that wherein they ufe it merely as a decoration. The young Indians, who are defirous of excelling their companions in finery, flit the outward rim of both their ears ; at the fame time they take care not to Jeparate them entirely, but leave the flefh thus cut Hill untouched at both extremities ; around this fpongy fubflance, from the upper to the lower part, they twift brafs wire, till the weight draws the amputated rim into a bow of five or fix inches diameter, and drags it almoft down to the flioulder. This decoration is efteemed to be excef- fively gay and becoming. . It is alfo a common cuftom among them to bore their nofes, and wear in them pendants of different forts. I obferved that fea (hells were much worn by thofe of the interior parts, and reckoned very orna- mental ; but how they procure them I could not •learn ; probably by their traffic with other nations nearer the fea. They go without any covering for the thigh, ex- cept that before fpoken of, round the middle, which reaches down half way the thighs ; but they make for their legs a fort of flocking, elthei of Ikins or cloth ; thefe are fewed as near to the fiiape of the leg as poffible, fo as to admit of being drawn on and off. The edges of the fluff of which they are compofed %< # ! I pi"'';'! '■ ' i :i 11- f'' !lt.i iiiiii. IS till' «i!i't "It 13 Hi iGC) CARVER'S TRAVELS. are left annexed to the feam, and hang loofe for about the breadth of a hand ; and this part, which is placed on the oiitlide of the leg, is generally orna- mented by thofe who have any communication with Europeans, if of cloth with ribband or lace, if of leather, with embroidery and porcupine quills, cu- r'oufly coloured. Strangers who hunt among the Indians, in the parts where there is a great deal of fnow, find thefe (lockings much more convenient than any others. . . Their fhoes are made of the (kin of the deer, elk, or buffalo : thefe, after being fomeiimes dreffed according to th^ European manner, at others with the hair remaining on them, are cut into fiioes, and fafliioned fo as to be eafy to the feet, and convenient for walking. The edges round the ancle are de- corated with pieces of brafs or tin fixed around lea- ther firings, about an inch long, which being placed very thick, make a cheerful tinkling noife either when they walk or dance. The women wear a covering of ifome 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 ; the flaps of which hang over their petticoat. Such as drefs after their 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 waift to the knee. On their legs they wear (lockings and fhoes, made and ornamented as thofe of the men. , They differ from each other in the mode of dref- iing their heads, each following the cuftom of the nation or band to which they belong, and adhering CARVER'S TRAVELS. J 57 to the form made ufe of by their anceflors from time immemorial. I remarked that mod of the females, who dwell on the eaft fide of the Millifiipi, decorate their heads by inclofing their hair either in ribbands, or ia plates of filver ; the latter is only made ufe of by the higher ranks, as it is a collly ornament. The lilver they ufe on this occafion, is formed into thin plates of about four inches broad, in feveral of which they confine their hair. The plate which is neareft the head is of a confiderable width ; the next narrower, and made fo as to pafs a little way under the other, and in this maniier they fallen into each other, and gradually tapering", delcend to the waill. The hair of the Indian women being in general very long, this proves an expenfive method. But the women that live to the weft of the Miflif- fippi, viz. the Naudoweflies, the Affinipoils, &c. di- vide their hair in the middle of their head, and for! ' He there fits down, and with the fame unconcern as if he had not been abfent a day, fmokes his pipe ; thofe of his acquaintance who have followed him, do the famie; and perhaps it is feveral hours before he relates to them the incidents which have befallen him during his abfence, though perhaps he has left a father, brother, or fon on the field, whofe lofs Z 174 CARVER»s TRAVELS. ivrll f:\n\: i I' A\i he ought to have lamented, or has been unfuc- cefsful in the undertaking that called him from his home. , Has an Indian been engaged for feveral days in the chace, or on 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 fiipplied, he takes care not to'fliow the leaft fymptoms of impa- tience, or to betray the extreme hunger by which he is tortured ; but on being invited in, fits Conten- tedly down, and fmokes his pipe with as much com- pofure as if every appetite was allayed, and he was perfectly at eafe j he does the fame if among ftran- gers. This cuftom is ftridlly adhered to by each tribe, as they efteem it a proof of fortitude, and think the reverfe would entitle them to the apptlla- tion of old women. If you tell an Indian that his children have greatly lignalized themfelves againfl: an enemy, have taken many fcalps, and brought home many prifoners, he does not appear to /eel any extraordinary pleafure on the occafion j his anfwer generally is, " it is well," and he makes very little further enquiry about it. On the contrary, if you inform him that his children are .ain or taken prifoners, he makes no complaints ; he i^iily replies, " Ir does not fignify," andprobably, for fome time at lealt, a(ks not how it hr^ppened. This feeming indifference, however, does not pro- ceed from an intire fuppreffion of natural affcdions j for notwithftanding they are efteemed favages, I ne- ver faw among any other people greater proofs of parental or filial tendernefs ; and although they meet their wives after a long abfence with the {toical in- V \' m CARVER'S TRAVELS. 175 difference juft mentioned, they are not, in general, void of conjugal affedion. Another peculiatity is obfervable in their manner of paying their viiits. If an Indian goes to vifit a particular perfon in a family, he mentions to whom his vifit is intended, and the reft of the family imme- diately retiring to the other end of the hut or tent, are careful not to come near enough to interrupt them during the whole of their converfation. The fame method is purfued if a man goes to pay his re- fpeds to one of the other fex ; but then he mud be careful not to let love be the fubjett of his difcourfe, whilft the day light remains. The Indians difcover an amazing fagacity, and ac- quire with the greateft readinefs any thing that de- pends upon the attention of the mind. By expe- rience and an apute obfervation, they attain many perfedlions to which Europeans are ftrangers. For inftance, they will crofs a foreit or a plain which is two hundred miles in breadth, and reach with great ex- attnefs the poim at which they intended to arrive, keeping during the whole of that fpace in a direft line, without any material deviations ; and this they will do with the fame eafe, whether the weather be fair or cloudy. . ' - ^ With equal acutenefs they will point to that part of the heavens the fun is in, though it be intercept- ed by clouds or fogs. Befides this, they are able to purfue with incredible facility the traces of man or beaft, either on leaves or grafs ; and on this accouiit it is is with great difficulty a flying enemy efcapes difcovery. They are indebted for thefe talents not only to na- ti^re, but to aa extraordinary coumianU of the inteU ■t m il I III! I;*: it s;iii!|M'»' 1 1 M mm m k I 176 CARVER'S TRAVELS. le^iual faculties, which can only be acquired by an unremitted attention and by long experience. They are in general very happy in a retentive memory j they can recapitulate every particular that has been treated of in council, and remember the exaft time when thefe were held. Their b^ltc of wampum preferve the fubftance of the treaties they have concluded with the neighbouring tribes for ages back, to which they will appeal, and refer with as much perfpicuity and readinefs as Europeans can to their written records. Every nation pays great refpedl to old age. The advice of a father will feldom meet with any extra- ordinary attention from the young Indians, proba- bly they receive it with only a bare aflent ; but they will tremble before h grandfather, and fubmit to his injundions with the utmoll alacrity. The words of the ancient part of the community are efteemed by the young as oracles. If they take during their hunting parties any game that is reckoned by them uncommonly delicious, it is imnaediately prefented to the eldell of their relations. They never fufFer themfelves to be overburdened with care, but live in a Hate of peifeft tranouility and contentment. Being naturally indolent, iiFpro- vifions jud fufficient fer their fubfiftence can be procuted with little trouble, and hear 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 eftimable kind. • . "^ ' Having much lelfure time, they indulge this in- dolence to which they are fo prone, by eating, drinking, or lleeping, and rambling abouc in their towns or camps. But when neceffity obliges them CARVER'S TRAVELS. 177 to take the field, either to oppofe an enemy, or to procure themfelyes food, they are alert and indefatigable. Many inftances of their activity, on thefe occaiions, 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 im- pulf', and often lofe their arms, their apparel, and every thing they are poffefled of. In this cafe, however, they do not follow the example of more^ refined gamefters, for they neither murmur nor re- pine ; not a fre.tful word efcapes them, but they bear the frowns of fortune with a philofophic com- pofure. The greateft blemifh in their chara£ler is that favage difpofition which impels them to treat their enemies with a feverity every other nation (hudders at. But if they are thus barbarous to thofe with whom they are at war, they are friendly, hofpi- table, and humane in peace. It may with truth be faid of them, that they are the word enemies, and the heft friends, of any people in the whole world. • . The Indians in general are Grangers to the paffion of jealoufy ; and brand a man with folly that is diftruftful of his wife. Among fome bands, the very idea is not known ; as the mofl: abandoned of their young men very rarely attempt the virtue of married women, nor do thefe often put themfelves in the way of folicitation. Yet the Indian women in ge- neral are of an amorous temperature, and before they are married, are not the lefs efteemed for the indulgence of their paffions. Ik I r K'k ^ ill in I IK.' 'nil. II illl.i; III! ' ■ iJitf''"" lEi HI''' 'Ml 111!!'" ill Hill I .| : liiii s I ' I ! ■ ji : 1 i 1 ( ' 1 1^8 CARVER»s TRAVELS. The Indians in their common ftate are (Irangers to all diftinftion of property, except in the articles of domeftic ufe, which every one coniiders as his own, and increafes as circumftances admit. They are extremely liberal to each other, and fupply the deficiency of their friends with any fuperfluity of their own. In dangers they readily give afliftance to thofe of their band who ftand in need of it, without any cxpe£lation of return, except of thofe juft 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 de- ferts; and their equality of condition, manners and privileges, with that conflant and fociable familiarity which prevails throughout every Indian nation, ani- mates them with a pure 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 polfelled of the greateft number of flaves, fupply the deficiency ; and thefe are adopted by them, and treated in every refped as if they really were the children of the perfon to whom they are pre- fented. * The Indians, except thofe who live adjoining to the European colonies, can form to themfelves no idea of the value of money; they confider it, when they are made acquainted with the ufes to which it is applied by other nations, as the fource of inumerable evils. To it they attribute all the mifchiefiS that are prevalent among Europeans, fuch as treachery, plundering, devaftations, and murder. CARVER'sTRAVELS. 17^ They efteem it irrational that one man uiould be poffefled of a greater quantity than another, and are amazed that any honour fhould be annexed to the poffeflion of it. But that the want of this ufelefs metal ihould be the caufe of depriving perfons of their liberty, and that on account of this partial dif- tribution of it, great numbers fhould be immured within the dreary walls of A prifon, cut off from that fociety of which they conftitute a part, exceeds their belief. Nor do they fail, on hearing this part of the European fyftem of government related, to charge the inftitutors of it with ,a total want of humanity, and to brand them with the names of favages and brutes. They fhew almofl: an equal degree of indiifefence for the produdlions of art. When any of thefe are Ihewn them, they fay, " It is pretty, I like to look at it," but are not incjuifitive about the conftruftiori of it, neither can they form proper conceptions of its ufe. But if you tell th«m of a perfon who is able to run with great agility, that is well Ikiiled in hunt- ing, can diredt with unerring aim a gun, or bend with eafe a bow, that can dextroufly work a canoe, underflands the art of war, is acquainted with the fituation of a country, and can make his way with- out a guide through an Immenfe foreft, fubfifting during this on a fmall quaintity of provifions, they are in raptures ; they liften with great attention to the pleafmg tale, and bellow the higheft commen- dations on the hero of it. itd t A R V E R's T R A V E L S; 1 II I'ljif In II' (.'ill I [|i' >! I iiiti i iiit » H! ill n "I" 'iii!ii 9 l\ m> i\. i Ms- «(* CHAPTER IV. Their Method of Reckoning Time, \Sfc. _rbNSIDERIN6 theif ignorance of af- tronomy, time is very rationally divided by the Indians. Thofe in the interior pans (and of thofe I 'would generally be underftood to fpeak) count their years by winters j or, as they exprefs themfelves, by fnows. . ' Some nations among them reckon their years by moons, and make them, confilt of twelve fynodicai or lunar months, obferving, when thirty moons have waned, to add a fupernumerary one, which they term the loft moon ; and then begin to count as before. They pay a great regard to the firft ap- pearance of evei'y moon, and on the occafion always repeat fome joyful founds, (Iretching at the fame time their hands towards it. Every month has with them a name expreflive of its feafon ; for inftance, they call the month of March (in which their year generally begins at the firf^ New-Moon after the vernal equinox) the Worm Month or Moon ; becaufe at this time the worms quit their retreats in the bark of the trees, wood, &c. where they have fheltered themfelves during the winter. '''•-. ',■,■'■• .• - The month of April is termed by them the month of Plants. May, the month of Flowers. June, CARVER'S TRAVELS. iSi the Hot Moon. July, the Buck Moon. Their reafon for thus 'denominating thefe is obvious. X Auguft, the Sturgeon Moon ; becaufe in this month they catch great numbers of ihat fifh. . September, the Corn Moon ; becaufe in that month they gather in their Indian corn. Oftober, the Travelling Moon ; as they leave at this time their villages, and travel towards the places where they intend to hunt during the winter. November, the Beaver Moon ; for in this month the beavers begin to take flielter in their houfes, having laid up a fufficient (tore of provilions for the winter feafon. December, the Hunting Moon ; becaufe they em- ploy 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, they call the Snow Moon ; becaufe more fnow commonly falls during this month, than any other in the winter. When the moon does not fhine, they fay the moon is dead ; and fome call the three li^ft days of it the naked days. The moon's firfl: appearance they term its coming to life again. They make no divifion of weeks ; but days they count by fleeps ; half days by pointing to the fun at noon \ and quarters by the rifing and fitting of the - - A a i'*j m i i8i CARVER'S travels: M fun : to exprefs which in their traditions they make ufe of very fignificant hieroglyphics. * The Indians are totally unfkilled in geography as well as all the other fciences, and yet, as I have be- fore hinted, they draw on their birch bark very exatl: 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 confifts in bein^ able to point out the pole-ltar, by which they regulate their courfe when they travel in the night. '■■ ■ ' ■ -• - • . >■ ' - ' ■ -' ;y reckon the diflanpe of places, not by miles >ues, but by a day's journey, which, accord- Thev or leagi ing to the beft calculations I could make, appears to be about twenty Engliih miles. Thefe they alfo di- vide into halves and quarters, and will dempnilrate them in their maps with great exadnefs, by the hie- roglyphics juft mentioned, when they regulate in council their W'ar parties, or their moft diftant hunt- ing 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 comprehention. 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 aftronomy which I held hi my hand, they delired I would permit them to look at it. Happening to give them the book fiiut, they began to count the leaves till they came to the place in which the plate was. After they had viewed it, wind aiked many queftions relative to it, I told them. CARVER'S TRAVELS. , t|| they need not to have taken fo much pains to find the leaf on which it was drawn, for I could not only teil in an indant the place, without counting the leaves, but alfo how many preceded it. They feemed greatly amazed at my aflertlon, and begged that I would demonflrate to them the pof- fibility of doing it. To this purpofe 1 defired the chief that held the book, to open it at any particular place, and jult (hewing me the page, carefully to conceal the edges of the leaves, fo that I might not be able to count them. i This he did with the greatefl caution ; notwith- ftanding which, by looking at the folio, I told him, to h^s great furprife, the number of leaves. He cdunied them regularly over, apd difcovered that I was exaft. And when, after repeated trials, the Indians found I could do it with great readinefs, and without ever erring in my calculation, they all feem- ed as much allonifhed as if I had raifed the dead. The only way they could account for my knowledge, viza by concluding that the book was a fpirit, and whifp'sred me anfwers to whatever I demanded of it. Thi?. circumftance, trifling as it might appear to thofe who are lefs illiterate, contributed to increafe my confequence, and to augment the favourable opinion they already entertained of me. . tSni ■^n" III f ' I $4 C A R V E R'» TRAVELS. !!? . : ';! m iii'i Si m 1 1. CHAPTER V, 0/ ihclr GovcrnmciU, Eifr. jCj VERY feparate body of Indians is divided into bands or tribes ; which bhnd or tribe forms a littfe community with the nation to -which it belongs. As the nation has fome particular fymbol by which it is diflinguiihed from others, fo each tribe has a badge from which it is denominated ; as thirt of the Eagle, the Panther, the Tiger, the Buffalo, &c. &c. One band of 4he Naudoweflies i > reprefented by a Snake, another a Tortoife, a third a Squirrel, a fourth a Wolf,. and a fifth a Buffalo. Throughout every nation they particularife thcmfelves in the fame manner, and the meaneft perfon among them will remember his lineal defcent, and diftinguifli himfelf by his refpcdive family. Did not many circumflances tend to confute the fuppofitibn, I fliould be almo(t induced to conclude from this diilindion of tribes, and the particular attachment of the Indians to them, that they derive their origin as fome have afferted from the Ifratl- ites. ' . ■ ■ ■ ,. , Befi Jes this, every nation diftinguifli themfelves by the manner of conitrudUng their tents or huts. And fo well verfed are all the Indians in this diliinc- tion, that though there appears to be nb difference on the nieeft obfervation made by an European, yet they will immediately difcover, from the pofition CARVER'S TRAVELS. 135 of a pole left in the ground, what nation has en- camped on the fpot many months before. Every band has a chief, who 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 dired their military operations, and to regulate all concerns belonging to that de- partment. But this chief is not confidered as the head of the ftate ; befides the great warrior who is clefted for his warlike qualifications, there is ano- ther who enjoys a pre-eminence as his hereditary right, and has the more immediate management of their civil affairs. This chief mifiht with great pro- priety be denominated the Sachem ; whcfe aflent is neceffary in all conveyances and treaties, to which he affixes 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 fenfible of neither civil or military fubordination. As every one of them enter- tains a high opinion of his confcquence, and is ex- tremely tenacious of his liberty, all injun^Slions that carry with them the appearance of a pofitive com- mand, are inflantly reje(^ed with fcorn. On this account, it is foldom that thtir 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 neceflary to be done, inllantly aroufes an emulation among the inferior ranks, and it is immediately executed with grsat alacrity. By this method the difguftfulpart of the conmmd is evaded, and an authority that falls little (liort of ab- folute fway infiituted in its room. Among the Indians novifible form of government is ellablilhed j they allow of no fuch diftindion ias I, :i;-t' IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) I 1.0 1.1 l'i;|2^ |2.5 ■ 50 "^^ MHH 1.25 |U III 1.6 ^ 6" ► Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. USSO (716) 872-4503 r> Of their Dances, i\ D ANCING is a favourite exercife among tlie Indians ; they never meet on any public occa- lion, but this makes a part of the entertainment. And when they are not engaged in war or hunting, tlie youth of both fexes amufe themfelves in this manner every evening, ' . They always dance, as I have jud obferved, at their feaHs. In thefe, as well as all their other dances, every man rifes in his turn, and moves about with great freedom and boldnefs ; iinging all the wMle, the exploits of his anceftors. During this the com- pany, who are feated on the ground in a circle around the dancer, join with him in making the ca- dence, by an odd tons, which they utter all together, and which founds, ** Heh, beh, heh." Thefe notes^ if they might be fo termed, are articulated with a harfh accent, and drained out with the utmoft force of their lungs : fo that one would imagine their flrength mufl be foon exhaufted by it ; inftead of which, they repeat it with the fame violence during the whole of the entertainment. ( :' CARVER'S TRAVELS. »9S , The women, particularly thofe of the weftern na- tions, dance very gracefully. They carry themfelvcs ere£t, and with their arms hanging down clofe to their (ides', move firft a few yards to the right, and then back again to the left. This movement they perform without taking any fleps 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 diflance, and then return ; and let thofe who join in the dance be ever fo numerous, they keep time fo exadly with each other that no interruption enfues. During this, at dated periods, they mingle their (hrill voices with the hoarfer ones of the men, who fit round (for it is to be obferved that the fexes never intermix in the fame dance) which^ with the mufic of the drums and chikicoes, make an agreeable hermony. The Indians have feveral kinds of dances, which they ufe on different occafions, as the Pipe or Calu- met Dance, the War Dance, the Marriage Dance, and the Dance of the Sacrifice. The movements in every one of thefe are difTimilar ; but it is ^Imoft impoffible to convey any idea of the points in which they are unlike. .._..-: Different nations likewife vary in their manner of dancing. The Chipeways throw the'mfelves into a greater variety of attitudes than any other people ; fometimes they hpld their heads eredt, at others they bend them almofi to the ground ; then recline on one fide, and immediately after on the other. The NaudowefTies carry themfielves more upright, flep firmer/ and move more gracefully. But they all liccompany their dances with the difagreeable noife juft mentioned. I. * ' ■ ' v \ ' * ir i^ *. CAItVilR's TRAVELS. --The Pipe Darice is the principal, attd the mod plcafing to a fpeftator of ally of them, being the lead frantic, and th6 movement of it mor^ graceful. It is but on particular occafions that it is ufed ; as tvhen ambaffadors from an enemy arrive to treat of* peace, or when ftrangers of eminence pafs through their territories. The War Danc^, which they ufe both before they " fct out on their war parties, and oil their return from t^em, ftrikes terror into ftrangers. It is performed, as the others, amidft a circle of the warriors ; a chief generally begins it, who moves from the right to the left, iinging at the fame time both his own exploits, and thofe of his anceftors. When he has concluded his account of any memorable adtion, he gives a vio" lent blow with his war^club, againft a poft that is fixed in the ground, near the tentre of the aflembly, for this purpofe. Every one dances in his turn, and recapitulates iht vrondtoHs deeds of his family, till they all at laft join in the dance. Theti it becomes truly alarming to any ftranger that happens to be among them, as they throw themfelves in every horrible and terrifying pofttire that can be imagined, rehearfing at the fame time the part they expe£l; to a£t agaiAft their ene- mies in the field. During this they hold theit ihsitp knives in their hands, with whicn, as they whirt about, they are every moment in danger of cuttiug each other's throats ; and did they not ^un the threa- tened mifchief with inconceivable dexterity, it could not be avoi4ed. By thefe motrons they mean to re- prefent the manner in which they kill, fcaip, and takp their prifoners. To heighten the fcene, they fet up the fame hideous yells, cries, and war-whoops they nfe in time of action : fo that it is impoflible to con- Ar 't » / CARVER'S TRAVELS. '9$ fider them in 'A'ir '■ * K J * I r 196 CARVER'i TRAVELS. The initiarion being attended with Tome very fin* gular circum(lanc«s, which, as I have before ob- i'erved, muft be either the effeft of magic, or of amazing dexterity, I fliall give a particular account of the whole procedure. It was performed at the time of the new moon, in a place appropriated to the purpofe, near the center of their camp, that would contain about two hundred people. Being a ilranger, and on all occafions treated by them with great civility, I was invited to fee the ceremony, and placed clofe to the rails of the inclofure. About twelve o'clock they began to affemble ; when the fun flione bright, which they coniidered as a good omen, for they never by choice hold any of their public meetings unlefs the ^ be clear and unclouded. A great number of chiefs iir(l appeared, who were dreiled in their bed apparel ; and after them came the head>warrioF, clad in a long robe of rich furs, that trailed on the ground, attended by a retinue of fifteen or twenty perfons, painted and dreiTed in tha gayelt manner. Next followed the wives of fuch as had been already admitted into the fociety ; and in the rear a confufed heap of the lower ranks, all contributed as much as lay in their power to make the appearance grand and fliowy. When the aiTembly was feated, and filence pro- claimed, one of the principal chiefs arofe, and in a ifhort but mafterly fpeech, informed his audience of the occafion of their meeting. He acquainted them that one of their young men wilhed to be admitted into their fociety ; and taking him by the hand, pre- fented him to their view, aiking them, at the fame time, whether they had any obje^ion to his becom« ing one of their community. No obje<^ion being made, the young candidate was placed in the centre, and four qf the chiefs toolc CARVER'S TRAVELS. 197 their flatlons clofe to him ; after exhorting him by turns, not to faint under the operation he was about to go through, bur to behave like an Indian and a man, two of them took hold of liis arms, and'caufed him to kneel ; another placed hiinfclf bt:hind him, fo as to receive him when he fell, and the laltof the four retired to the diilance of about twelve 1^'ct from him exactly in from. ■ '" This d ifpo fit ion beinj; completed, the chief that flood before the kneeling candidate, began to ("peak to him with an audible voice. He told him that he , himfelf was npvv agitated by the fame fpirit which he (hould in a fev/ moments communicate to him;, that it would (Irike him dead, but that lie would in- ftantly be reftored again to life ; to this he added, th'at the communication, however terrifying, was a necefiary introduvards informed that it might be intended as a compliment which they ufually pay to the chiefs of every other nation who happen to fall in with them, and that the circumftances in their condud, which had appeared fo fufpicious to me, were merely the effefts of their vanity, and defigned to imprefs on the minds of thole whom they thus vifited, an elevated opinion of their valour and prowefs. In the morning before I continued my route^ feveral of their wives brought me a prefent of fome fugar, for whom I found a few more ribbands. The dance of the fa<:rifice is not fo denominated from their offering up at the fame time a facrifice to any good or evil fpirit, but is a dance to which the Naudoweffies give that title from being ufed when any public fortunate circuindance befais them. Whilft I refided among them, a fine large deer accidentally llrayed into the middle of their CARVER'S TRAVELS. <■■+. ao5 encampment, which they foon deftroyed. As this happened juft at the new moon, they efteemed it a lucky omen ; and having 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 ojf the facrifice. #.' ■ ,; J; ' :. \ i < .>- ■J--. <■' :;^. ( ■ .?.:■■'.> • '/V. »• '>?''* ■" . •■ i ' I III) ti 'f If! aof CARVER'S TRAVELS. i- ( ■ ' . 1 ; :.: ( CHAPTER VIII. 0/ their Hunting. ri JxUNTING is the principal occupation of the Indians ; they are tranied to it from their earlieft youth, and it is an exercife which is efteemed no lefs honourable chan neceiTary towards their (ubfidence. A dextrous and refolute hunter is held nearly in as great eftimation by them as a diltinguilhed war- rior. Scarcely any device wiiich the ingenuity of man has difcoveredfor enlnaring or deftroying thofe animals that fupply them with food, or whofe (kins are valuable to Europeans, is unkaown to them. Whilft they are engaged In this exercife, they fliake off the indolence peculiar to their nature, and be- come adive, perfevering, and indefr.tigabie. They are equally fagacious in finding their prey, and ia the means they ufe to deftroy it. They difcern the footfteps of the beafts they are , in purfuit of, al- though they are imperceptible to every other eye, and can foUpw them with certainty through the path- lefs foreft. - • The beafts that the Indians hunt, both for their ilefh, on which they fubfift, and for their fkins, of ■which they either make their apparel, or barter with the Europeans for neceflaries, are the buffalo, the elk, the deer, the moofe, carribboo, the bear, the beaver, the otter, the marten, &c. I defer giving \ . . CARVER'S TRAV ELS. 205 a defcription of thefe creatures here, and flnll only at prefent treat of their manner of hunting them. The route they fhall take for this purpofc, and the parties that fhall go on the difFsrent expeditions, are fixed in their general councils, which are held fome time in the fummer, when all the operations for the enfuing winter are concluded on. The chief war- rior, whofe province is to regulate their proceed- ings on this occafion, with great folemnity ifllies out an invitation to thofe who choofe to attend him ; for the Indians, as before obferved, acknowledge no fuperiority, nor have they any idea of compuUion ; and every one that accepts it prepares hi mfelf by- jfafting during Xeveral days. The Indians do not fafl, as fome other nations do, from the richeft and mofl luxurious food, but they to- tally abftain from every kind either of viduals or drink ; and fuch is their patience and refolution, that the moft extreme thirft could not oblige them to tafte a drop of water ; yet a mid ft thi-s fevere ab- ftinence they appear cheerful and happy. The reafons they give for thus fading are, that it enables them freely to dream, in which dreams they are informed where they (hall fmd the greateft plenty of game ; and alfo, that it averts the difpleafureof the evil fpirits, and induces them to be propitious. They alfo on thefe occafions blacken thofe parts of .their bodies that are uncovered. The faft being ended, and the place of hunting made known, the chief who is to condud them, gives a grand teafl to thofe who^are to form the difr ferent parties ; of which none of them dare to par- take till they have bathed themfelves. At this feaft, Dd vi- 4 o !? I Mdil !' I 1 206 C A R V E R's TRAVELS. notwithfranding they have faOed fo long, they eat *' with great moderation ; and the chief that prcfides employs himfelf in rehearfing the feats of thcfe who have been inoft fuccefsful in ihe bulinefs they are about to enter upon. They foon alter fet out on the march towards the place appointed, painted, or rather bedawbed, with black, amidll the acclama- tions of all the people. ■; .^ It is impoflible to defcrihe their agility or perfeve- rance, whilft they are in purfuit of their prey ; neither thickets, ditches, torrents, pools, or rivers (top them ; they always go (Iraight forward in the mo(t direct line they poflibly cani and there are few of the fa- Tage inhabitants of the woods that they cannot over- take. '■^-;'-;:^: ;•'• "■■>■,.•-..-';- .^■'• v'-v;-' When they hunt for bears, they endeavour to find out their retreats ; for, during the winter, thefe animals concejil themfelves in the hollow trunks of trees, or make themfelves holes in the ground, where they continue without food, whilft the feveie wea- ther lads. .' ■> • -^ ;, When the Indians think they have arrived at a place where thefe creatures ufually haunt, they form themfelves into a circle, according to their number, and moving onward, endeavour, as they advance to- wards the centre, to difcover f)ie retreats of their prey. By this means, if any lie in the intermediate fpacc, they are fure of aroufing them, and bringing them down either with their bows or their guns. The bears will take to flight at light of a man or a dog, and will only make ref>ftance when they are extreme- ly hungry, or after they are wounded. The Indian method of hunting the buffalo is by forming a circle or a fquare, nearly in the fame f.-, CARVER'S TRAVELS. 307 manner as when they fearch for the bear. Having taken their difFerent (lations, they fet the grafs, which at this time is rank and dry, on fire, and thefe ani- mals, who are extremely fearful of that element, flying with precipitation before it, great numbers are hemmed in a fmall conipafs, and fcarcely a fingle one efcapes. They have different ways of hunting the elk, the deer, and the caribboo. Sometimes they feek them out in the wdods, to which they retire during the feverity of the cold, where they are ealily fhot from behind the trees. In the more northern climates they take the advantage of the weather to deftroy the elk ; 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 dif* ficulty extricates himfelf from it ; at this time there- fore 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 chooling a fpot near the bor- ders of the fame river, one party embarks on board their canoes, whilft the others forming themfelves in- to a femi-circle 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, in- to which they no fooner enter, than the greateft part of them are immediately difpatched by thofe who remain in the canoes, . _, Both the elk and buffalo are very furious \vhen they are wounded, and wilt turn fiercely on their pur- fuers^ and trample them under their feet, i*^.the nun- >i;l' i! I i> ji h ■ t, 208 CARVER'S TRAVELS^ tcr finds no means to complete their de(lru£llon, or docs not feek for fecurity in flight to fome adjacent tree ; by this method they are frequently avoided, and'fo tired with the purfuit, that they voluntarily give it over. But tlie hunting in which the Indians, particularly thofe who inhabit the northern parts, chiefly employ themfelveS) and from \yhich they reap the greatelt advantage, i^ the beaver hunting. The feafon for this is throughout the whole of the winter, from November to April j during which time the fur of thefe creatures is in the greateft perfedion. A de- fcription of this extraordinary animal, the conflruc- tion of their huts, and the regulations of their almofl rational community, I fliall givevin another place. The hunters make ufe of feverai methods to de- ftroy them. Thofe generally pradlifed, are either that of taking them in fnares, cutting through the ice, or opening their caufeways. As tine eyes oi thefe animafs are very quick, and their hearing exceedingly acute, great precaution is jieceiTary in approaching their abodes ; for as they feldom go far from she water» and their houfes are always built clofe to the fide of fome large river or lake, or dams of their own condrufting, upon the lead alarm they halien to the deeped part of the water, and dive immediately to the bottom ; as they do this, they make a great noife by beating the wa- ter with their tails, on purpofe to put the whole fra- ternity on their guard. ,. They take them with fnares in the following manner : though the beavers ufually lay up a fuffi- cient dore of provifion to ferve for their fubfidence during the winter, they make from time to time excur* CARVER'S TRAVELS. tc^ fions to the neighbouring woods to procut^ 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 foonsr laid hold of, than a large log of wood falls upon him and breaks his back; his enemies, who are upon the watch, foon appear and initantly difpatch the helplefs aninlal. At other times, when the ice on the rivers and lakes is about half a foot thick, they make an open- ing through it with their hatchets, to which the beaver will foon haften, on being didurbed at their houfes, for a fupply of frefli air. As their breath occafions a confiderable motion in the water, the hunter has futficient notice of their approach, and methods are eaflly taken for knocking them on the head the moment they appear above the furface. When the houfe of the beaver happens to be near a rivulet, they are more eaiily deftroyed : the hun- ters then cut the ice, and fpreading a net under it, break down the cabins of the beavers, who never fail to make towards the deeped part, where they are entangled and taken. But they mud not be fuf- fered to remain there long, as they would foon ex- tricate themfelves with their teeth, which are well known to be excelTively (harp and itrong. The Indians take great care to hinder their dogs from touching the bones of the beavers. The rca- Ibns they give for ihefe precautions, are, firft, that the bones are fo exceflively hard, that they fpoil the teeth of their dogs : and, fecondly, that they are apprehenfive they ihall fo exafperate the fpirils of the beavers by this permiflion, as to render the next huntitig feafon unfuccefsful. i'! ;rii iio CARVER'S TRAVELS. The fktns of thefe animals, the hunters exchange with the Europeans for neceflaries, and as. they ;>rc more valued by the latter than any other kind ot furs, they pay the greatelt attention to this fpecies of hunting. - . . r . . When the Indians deftroy buffaloes, 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 beaver, a few families ufually unite and divide the fpoil between them. Indeed, in the firft inflance they generally pay fome attention in the divifion to their own families : but no jealou- fies or murmurings are ever known to arifc on ac- count of any apparent partiality. - Among the NaudoweiTies, if a perfon (hoots a deer, buffalo, &c. and it runs to a confiderable diAance before it drops, where a perfon belonging to another tribe being nearer, firft flicks a knife into it, the game is conlidered as the property of the latter, not- withilanding it had been mortally wounded by the former. Though this cuftom appears to be arbitrary and unjufl, yet that people cheerfully fubniit to it. This decifion is, however, very different from that pradifed by the Indians on the back of the colonies, vhere the firfl perfon that hits it is entitled to the befl fhare. . ••'•■ r CARVER'i TRAVELS. »M '■.it CHAPTER IX. 0/ their manner of making War, l^c. t X. HE 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 informed, do not continue their military exercifes after they are fifty. , • ; . . In every band or nation there is a feleft number who are filled the warriors, and who are always rea- dy to a6l either ofFenfively or defenfively, as occafion requires. Thefe are well armed, bearing the wea- pons commonly in ufe among them, which vary ac- cording to the fituaiion of their countries. Such as have an intercourfe with the Europeans make ufe of tomahawks, knives, and fire-arms ; but thofe whofe dwellings are fituated to.the weftward of the MifTiflip- pi, and who have not an opportunity of purchafmg thcfe kinds of weapons, ufe bows and arrows, and alfo the CalTe Teie or War-CIub. * ; The Indians that inhabit ftill further to the weft- ward, a country which extends to the South Sea, ufe in fight, a warlike inflrument that is very uncommon. Having great plenty of horfes, they always attack their enemies on horfeback, and encumber themfelves with no other weapon, than a flone of a middle fize, curioufly wrought, which they faflen by a firing, about a yard and a half long, to their right arms, a little above the elbow. Thefe flones they convcni- i Mt 1,':j 212 CARVER'S TRAVELS. cntly carry in their hands, till they reach their ene- mies, and then fwinging them with great dexterity, as they ride full fpeed, never fail of doing execution. The country which thefe tribes poflefs, abounding with large exteufive plains, thofe who attack them feldom return j as the fwiftnefs of the horfes, on which they are mounted, enables them to overtake even the fleeteft of iheir invaders. The Naudoweflies, who had been at war with this people, informed me, that unlefs they found moraf- ies or thickets to which they could retire, they were fure of being cut off: to prevent this, they always took care, whenever they made an onfer, to do it near fuch retreats as were itnpaffable to cavalry ; they then having a great advantage over their enemies, whofe weapons could not there reach them. Some nations make ufe of a javelin, pointed with bone, worked into different forms ; but their Indian weapons in general are bows and arrows, and the Ihort club already mentioned. The latter is made of a very hard wood, and the head of it fafhioned round like a ball, about three inches and a half dia- meter ; in this rotund part is fixed an edge refem- bling that of a tomahawk, either of fteel or flint, whichfoever they can procure. The dagger is peculiar to the Naudoweflie nation, and of ancient conftrudion, but they can give no ac- count how long it has been in ufe among them. It was originally made of flint or bone, but fince they have had communicatioii with the European traders, they have formed it of fleel. The length of it is about ten inches, and that part clofe to the handle near- ly three inches broad. Its edges are keen, and it gra- dually tapers towards a point. They wear it in a /lieath made of deer's leather, neatly ornamented CARVER'S TRAVELS. 2T3 with porcupine quills ; and it is ufually hung by a firing, decorated in the fame manner, which reaches as low only as the bread. This curious weapon is worn by a few of the principal chiefs alone, and confidered both as an ufeful inftrument, and an or- namental badge of fuperiority. ■ ■'■ ^ I obferved among the Naudoweflies a few targets or fliields made of raw buffalo hides, and in the form of ihofe ufed by the ancients. But as the number of thefe was fmall, and as I could not gain any intel- ligence of itie acra in which they were firft introduced among them, I fuppofe thofe I faw had defcended from father to Ion 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 dillurbing the tranquility of their neighbours. Th^ pleas of the former are however in general more rational and jufl, than fuch as are brought by Europeans in vin- dication of their proceedings. The extenfion of empire is feldom a motive with thefe people to invade, and to commit depredations on the territories of thofe who happen to dwell near them. To fecure the rights of hunting within par- ticular limits, to maintain the liberty of palling through their accuftomed tracks, and to guard thofe lards which they confider from a long tenure as their own, againft any infringement, are the general caufes of thofe diflentions that fo often break out between the Indian nations, and which are carried on with fo much animofity. -' Though ftrangers to the idea of feparate property, yet the moll uncultivated among them are well ac- ■•I'.i: Nit iy.:^ »'4 CARVER'S TRAVELS. :' I' quainted with the rights of theif community to tha domainfr they poflefs, and oppofe with vigour every encroachment on them. .^iv. i • ' Not with ftandinc: it is generally fuppofed tHat from their territories ])eing fo extenfive, the boundaries of them cannot be afceriained, 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 enabled to regulate my own ; and after the molt exad ob- fervations and enquiries found very few inftances in vhieh they errtd. .. ,,, But intereft is not either the moft frequent or molt powerful incentive to their making war on each other. The paflion of revenge, which is the diftinguifliing chara^eriftic of thefe people, is the moil general motive. Injuries are felt by them "with exquifite feniibility, and vengeance purfued whh unremitted ardour. To this may be added, that natural excitation which ev€ry Indian becomes fenfible of as foon as he approaches the age of manhood to give proofs of his valour and prowefs. . As they are early poflefled with a notion that war ciight to be the chief bufinefs of their lives, that there is nothing more defirous than the reputation of being a great warrior, and that the fcalps of their enemies, ■ or a number of prifoners are alone to be efleemed valuable, it is not to be wondered at that the younger Indians are continually reftlefs and un- eafy il their ardour is reprefled, and they are kept in a ilate of inadivity. Either of thefe propenlities, the dtfire of revenge, or the gratification of an im- pulfe, that by degrees becomes habitual to them, is Tuificient, frequently, to induce them to commit hoftilities on fome of the neighbouring nations. CARVER'S TRAVEL r; 21 « (C (C (C (i it n When the chiefs find any occafion for making war, they endeavour to aroufe thele habitudes, and by that means foon excite their warriors to take arms. To this purpofe they make ule of their mar- tial eloquence, nearly in the following words, which never fails of proving effedual : " The bones of our " deceafed countrymen lie uncovered, they call out to us to revenge their wrongs, and we muft fa- tisfy their reque^. Their fpirits cry out againft us. They muft be appeafed. The genii, "who are the guardians of our honour, ir^fpUe us with *' a refolution to feek the enemies of our murdered *' brothers. Let us go and devour thofe by whom they were flain. Sit therefore no longer inactive, give way to the impulfe of your natural valour, anoint your hair, paint your faces, fill your qui- vers, caufe the fprefts to refound with yourfongs, confole the fpirits of the dead, and tell them they " ihall be reveufjed," . ^ Animated by thefe exhortations, the warriors fnatch their arms in a traufport of fury, fmg thefong of war, and burn with impatience zo imbrue their hands in the blood of tlieir enemieSt Sometimes private chiefs alTemble fmall parties, and make excurfions againft thofe with whom they are at war, or fuch as have injured them. A fmgle warrior, prompted by revenge, or a defire to (how his prowefs, will march unattended for feveral hun- dred miles, to fiirprife and cut eft" a flraggling party. Thefe irregular fiillies, however, are not always approved of by the elder chiefs, though they "are often obliged to connive at ihem ; as in the inftance before given of the Naudovveirie pnd Chipeway nations. - ^ . ' • I 2l6 CARVE R'sTRAVELS. : ' ![^ But when a war is national, and underta|?en by the community, their deliberations are formal and ilow. 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 enterprile they are about to engage in, and balancing with great fagacity the advantages or inconveniences that will ariie from it. Their priefts are alfo confulted on the fubJecT^, and even, fometimes, the advice of the moll intelli- gent of their women is alked. If the determination be for war, they prepare for it with much ceremony. The chief warrior of a nation does not on all oc- cafions head the war party himfelf; he frequently deputes a warrior of whofe valourand prudence he has a good opinion. The perfon thus fixed on being firit bedawded vv'ith black, obferves a faft of feveral days, during which he invokes ihe Great Spirit, or deprecates the anger of the evil ones, holding whiKt it lads no convcrfe witli any of his tribe. He is particularly careful at the fame time to ob- ferve his dreams, for on thefe do they fuppofe their fuccefs will in a great meafure depend ; and from the firm perfuafion every Indian actuated by his own prefumptuous thoughts is imprefled with, that he fliall march forth to certain vidory, thefe are gene- rally favourable to his wifhes. ' ..' ' - ■ -' '',.-:..., 1 ,-■- I After he has fafted as long as curtom prefcribes, he aflembles the warriors, and holding a belt of wampum in hjs hand, thus addrelfes them : - . CAR.VER's TRAVELS. 217 C( (C ii C( ** Brothers ! by the infpiration of the Great Spi- " rit, I now I'peak unto you, and by him am I '' prompted to carry into execution the intentions " which I am about to dildofe to you. The blood •*' of our deceafed brothers is not yet wiped away ; " their bodies are not yet covered, and I am going " to perform this duty to them." 1 • Having then made known to them all the motives that induce him to take up arms againft the nation with whom they are to engage, he thus proceeds : *' I have therefore refolved to march through tbc " war-path to furprife them. We will eat their " flefli, and drink their blood ; we will take fcalps, and make prifoners ; and fhould we perilh in this glorious enterprife, we Ihall not be for ever hid in the dii(^, for this belt fliall be a recompenfe to him who buries the dead." Having faid this, he lays the belt on the ground, and he who takes it up declares hinifelf his lieutenant, and is confidered as the fecoad in command ; this, however, is only done by fome diftinguilhed warrior who has a right, by the number of his fcalps, to the poft. Though the Indians thus aflert that they will cat the flefli and drink the blood of their enemies, the threat is only to be confidered as a figurative expref- lion. Notwithftanding they fonietiraes 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 naturally anthropophagi, nor ever feed on the flefli of men. The chief is now waflied from his fable covering, anointed with bear's fat, and painted with their red paint, in fuch figures as will make him appear mofi: terrible to his enemies. He then fings the war fong, and enumerates his warlike adtions. Having done It I »>' I !' ^^ 'I i:!:. l\ : 2^8 CARVER'S TRAVELS. thisi he fixes his eyes on the fun, and pays his adora- tions to the Great Spirit, in which he is accompa- nied by all the warriors. , ' This ceremony is followed with dances, fuch as I have before defcribed j and the whole concludes with a feaft, which ufually confifls of dog's flefli. This feaft is held in the hut or tent of the chief warrior, to which all thofe who intend to accom- pany him in his expedition fend their dilhes to' be filled ; and during the feaft, hotwithftanning he has fafted fo long, he firs compofedly with his pipe in his mouth, and recounts the valorous deeds of his family. As the hopes of having their wounds, fliould they receive any, properly treated, and expeditioufly cured, muft be fome additional inducement to the warriors to expofe themfelves more freely to danger» the priefts, who are alfo their dodors, prepare fuch medicines as will prove efficacious, With great ce- remony they carry various roots and plants, and pre- tend that they impart to theni'^the power of healing. Notwithftanding this fuperftitious method of pro- ceeding, it is very certain they have acquired a knowledge of many plants and. herbs that are of a medicinal quality, and which they know how to ufe with great ikill. *» From the time the refolution of engaging in a war is taken, to the departure of the warriors, the nights are fpent in feftivity, and their days in mak- ing the needful preparations. • •[<.■:■■ " - - If it is thought neceflary by the nation going to war, to folicLt the alliance of any neighbouring CARVER'S TRAVELS. a 19 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 embafly, in figures that every nation is well acquainted with. At the fame time he carries with him a hatchet painted red. . As foon as he reaches the camp or village to which lie is deftined, he acquaints the chief of the tribe with the general tenor of his commiflion, who im- mediately aflembles a council, to which the ambaf- fador 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 embafly. In his fpeech he invites them to take up the hatchet, and as foon as he has finifhed fpeaking delivers the belt. .- ,•;■-■■--•. ; .'. .-•■• •■'... • If his hearers are inclined to become auxiliaries to his nation, a' chief fteps forward, and takes up the hatchet, and they immediately efpoufe wiih fpirit the caufe they have thus engaged to fupporr. But if on this application neither the belt or hatchet are accepted, the eraiflary concludes that the people whole afliflance he folicits, have already entered in- to an alliance with the foes of his nation, and re- turns with fpeed to inform his countrymen of his ill fuccefs. _ , ■ The manner in which the Indians declare war a^ainll each other, is by feniling a Have with a hat- chet, the handle of which is painted red, to the na- tion which (hey intend to break with ; and the mef- fenger, notwitliftanding the danger to which he is expofed from the fudden fury of thofe whom he thus fets at defiance, executes his commiflion with great fideUty, I! 920 CARVER'S TRAVELS. If' I- I Sofnetinies this token of defiance has fuch an in- ftantaneous efFed on ihofe to whom it is prefented, that in the firft tranfport of their fury, a fmall party vill iffue forth, without wailing for tlie jiermifilou of the eldfer chiefs, and flaying the firil of the oftend- ii\fr nation they meet, cut open the body, and (tick a hatchet of the fame kind as that they have juft re- ceived, into the heart of their flaup;hrered foe. Among rhe more remote tribes, this is done with an arrow or fpear, the end of which is painted red. Ahd the more to exafperate, they difmember the body, to fho\y that they efleem them not as men but as old women. ' • .'.-.srf . i •" c'' ■ii-iy ;• The Indians feldom take the field in large bodies, as Inch numbers would require a greater degree of indudry to provide for their fubfiltence, during their tedious marches through dreary forelts, or long voyages over lakes and rivers, than tliey would care to bcflow. '/ y^ •i Their armies are never encumbered with baggage or military llores. Each warrior, befides his wea- pons, carries with him only a mat, and whilll at a dirtance from the frontiers of the enemy, fupports himfelf with the game he kills or the liih he catches. ' When they pafs through a country where they have no apprehenfions of tiieeting with an enemy, they ufe very little precaution : fometimes there are fcarcely a do:ien warriors left togetlxr, the reft be- ing difperfed in purfuit of their game ; but though they fhould have roved to a very confiderable dift ance from the war-path, they are fure to arrive at the 4>lace of rendezvous by the hour appointed. They always pitch their tents long before fun-fet ; and being naturally prefumptuous, take very little % CARVER'S TRAVELS. 221 care to guard againft a furprife. They place great confuknce }sk their Manitous, or houfehold gods, which they always carry with them ; and being pef- fuaded that they take upon them the office of cen- tinels, they fleep very fecurely under their protec- tion. Thefe Manitous, as they are called by fome na- tions, but which are termed Wakens, that. is fpirits, by the Naudowefiies, are nothing more than the ot- ter and marten Ikins I have already defcribed, for whichi however, vthey have a great veneration. After they have entered the enemy's country, no people dm be more cautious and circumfped ; (ires are no longer lighted, no more fhouting is heard, nor the game any longer purfued. They are not even permitted to fpeak ; but mud convey whatever they have to impart to each other by figns and motions. - They now proceed wholly by ftratagem and am- bufcade. Having difcovered their enemies, they fend to reconnoitre them ; and a council is immedi* ately held, during which they fpeak only in whifpers, to confider of the intelligence imparted by thofe who were fent out. The attack is generally made juft before day- break, at which period they fuppofe their foes to be in their foundeft fleep. Throughout the whole of the preceding night they will lie flat upon their faces, without flirring ; and make their approaches in the fame pofture, creeping upon their hands and feet, till they are got within bowfliot of thofe they have defi:ined to deftruftion. On a fignal given by the chief warrior, to which the whole body makes F f »l ■i f xxi CARVE Rs» travels; ' i anfwer by the moft hideous yells, they all flart up, and difcharging their arrows in the fame inftant, without giving their adverfaries time to recover from the confufion into which they are thrown, pour in upon them with their war-clubs or tomahawks. The Indians think there is little glory to be ac- quired from attacking their enemies openly in the lield ; their greateft pride is to furprife and dedroy. They feldom engage without a manifeft appearance of advantage. If they find the enemy on their guard , too (trongly entrenched, or fuperior in numberb, they retire, provided there is an opportunity of doing fo. And they efteem it the greateft qualification of a chief warrior, to be able to manage an attack, fo as to'deftroy as many of the enemy as poiTible, at the expence of a few men» Sometimes they fecure themfelves behind trees, hillocks, or ftoaes, and having given one or two rounds, retire before they are difcovered. Euro- peans, who are unacquainted with this method of fighting, too often find to their coft the dellru^ive efficacy of it. General Braddock was one of this unhappy num- ber. Marching, in the year 1755, to attack Fort Du Quefne, he was intercepted by a party of French and confederate Indians in their intereft, who by this infidious method of engaging, found means to defeat his army, which confided of about two thoufand brave and well difciplined troops. So fecurely were the Indians pofied, that the Englifh fcarcely knew from whence or by whom they were thus annoyed. During the whole of the engagement, the latter had fcarcely" a fight of an enemy ; and. were obliged to retreat, without the fatisfadion of being able to take the leaft degree of revenge for the havock made CARVER'S TRAVELS. 21} among them. The General paid for his temerity with his life, and was accompanied in his fail by A great number of brave fellows ; whild his invilibie enemies had only two qr three of tlieir number wounded. When the Indians fucceed in their filent ap- proaches, and are able to force the camp which they attack, a fcene of horror that exceeds defcription, enfues. The favage fiercenefs of the conquerors, and the defperation of the conquered, who well know what they have to expecl fliould they fall alive into the hands of the alFailants, occafion the mod extraordinary exertions on both fides. The figure of the combatants, all befmeared with black and red paint, and covered with the blood of the tain, their horrid yells, and ungovernable fury, are not to be conceived by thofe who have never crolTed the Atlantic. . ' I have frequently been a fpeftator of them, and once bore a part in a fimilar fcene. But what ad- ded to the horror of it was, that I. had not the con- folation of being able to oppofe their favage attacks. Every circumdance of the adventure ftiil dwells on my remembranee, and enables me to defcribe with greater perfpicuity the brutal fiercenefs of the In- dians, whsn they have furprifed or overpowered an enemy. v "... As a detail of the mafl^icre at Fort William Henry in the year 1757, the fcene to which I refer, can- not appear foreign to the defign of this publication, but wiH ferve to give my readers a jurt idea of the ferocity of this people, 1 (hall take the liberty to in- fert it, apologizing at the fame time for the length of the digrefiion, and ihofe egotifms which the relatioa renders unavoidable. • # I 'M CARVER'S TRAVELS. General Webb, who commamled the EnKlifli army in North- America, which was then encaniptd at Fort lulward, having intelligence that tht Frtnch troo|)s under Monf. Monicaln) wtie making ionie movements towards Fort "William Henry, he de- tached a corps of about fifteen hundred men, con- iifling of Knglifli and Provincials, to (Irengtiien the grirrifon. In this party I went as a volunteer among the latter. ' The apprehcnfions of tlie KngHfli General were not without foundation ; for the day after our arrival we faw Lalce George (formerly Lid-ie Sacramentj to which it lies conriguous, covered with an imnienfe number of boats ; and in a few hours we fouml our lines attacked by the French General, who had jull landed with eleven thoufand Regulars and Cana- dians, and two thoufand Indians. Colonel Monro, a brave ofiicer, commanded in the Fort, and had no more than two thoufand three hundred men with him, cur detachment included. With thcfe he made a gallant defence, and pro- bably would have been able ut laft to preferve the Forr, had he been properly fupported, and permit- ted to continue his tfibrts. On every fummons to furreruler lent by the French Gener^d, who oilered the mod honourable t6rms, his anfwer repeatedly \vas, that he yet found hinifelf in a condition to le- pel the moil vigorous attacks his befiegers were able to make; and ifhethouglii his prefent force in fu ill - cient, he could foon be fupplied with a greater num- ber from the adjacent army. . . But the Colonel having acquainted General Webb with his fituation, and defired he would fend hirn ibme freih troops, the General difpatched a meffen- uer to him with u letter, wherein he informed him CARVER'* TRAVELS. «»J that it was not in his power to aH/^'! him, and there- fore gave him orders to furrendcr up the Fort on the bed terms he could procure. This p.ickct fell into the hands of the Ftench Getieral, who imme- diately feiit a Hag of truce, deliriiig a conference with the governor. , They accordingly met, attend jd only by a fmall guard, in the centre between the lines ; when Monf. Montcalm told the Colonel, that he was come in penbn to demand poflcflion of the Fort, as it belonp;- ed to the king his mailer. The Colonel replied, tiiat he knew not how that could be, nor fliouid he furrender it up whiKl it was in his power to de- fend it. The French Genera! rejoined, at the fame time delivering the packet into the Colonel's hand, " By " this authority do I make the requifiiion." The brave Governor had no fooner read tlie contents of it, and was convinced that fuch was the orders of the commander in chief, and not to be difobeyed, thanhehung his head in fdence, and reluctantly en- tered into a negociation. Tn confideration of the gallant defence the garri- foil had made, they were to be permitted to march out with all the honours of war, to be allowed co- vered waggons to tranfport their baggage to Fort Edward, and a guard to pfoted them from the fury of the favages. The morning after the capitulation was figned, as foon as day broke, the whole garrifon, now con- lilting of about two thoufand men, befides women and children, were drawn up within the lines, and on the point of marching off, when great numbers of the Indians gathered about, and began to plunder. It I'..' i i'i tJ!6 CARVER'S TRAVELS. We were at firfl: in hopes that this was their only view, and fufFered them to proceed without oppo- fiticn. Indeed it was not in our power to make nny, had we been fo inclined ; for though we were permitted to carry off our arms, yet. we were not allowed a fingle round of ammunition. In thefe hopes however we were difappointed : for prefently fome of them began to attack the fick and wounded, when fuch as were not able to crawl into the ranks, notwithftanding they endeavoured to avert the fury of their enemies by theit Ihrieks or groans, were foon difpatched. Here we were fully in expe^ation that the dif- turbance would have concluded ; and our little army began to move ; but in a fhort time we faw the front divifion driven back, and difcovered that we were entirely encircled with the favages. We expeded every moment that the guard, which the French, by the articles of capitulation, had agreed to allow us, would have arrived, and put an end to our appre- henfions ; but none appeared. The Indians now began to ftrip every one without exception of their arms and clothes, and thofe who made the lead re- finance felt the weight of their tomahawks. 1 happened to be in the rear divifion, but it was not long before I fliared the fate of my companions. Three or four of the favages laid hold of me, and whilft fome held their weapons over my head, the others foon difrobed me of my coat, '^aiftcoat, hat, and buckles, omitting not to take from me what money I had in my pocket. As this was tranfadted clofe by the palTage that led from the lines on to the plain, near whifch a French centinel was ported, I ran to him and claimed his protection ; but he only called me an Englifh dog, and thruft me with vio- lence b^ck again into the midd of the Indians. > CARVER'S TRAVELS. 2i1 I now endeavoured to join a body of our troops that were crowded together at Ibme diflance ; but in- numerable were the blows that were made at me with different weapons as I pafled on ; luckily, however, the favages were fo dole together, that they could not ftrike 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 received a wound, with the fame kind of weapon, in my ankle. At length \ gained the fpot where my countrymen ilood, and forced myfelf into the midfl: of them. But before I got thus far out of the hands of the Indians, the col- lar and wriftbands of my (hirt were all that remained of it, and my fiefh was fcratched and torn in many places by their favage gripes. By this time the war whoop was given, and the Indians began to murder thofe that were neared to them \vithout dillindion. It is not in the power of words to give any tolerable idea of the horrid fcene that now enfued j men, women, and children were difpatched in the moft wanton and cruel manner, and immediately fcalped. Many of thefe favagc3 drank the blood of their vidims, as it flowed warm from the fatal wound. ' We now perceived, (hough too late to avail us, that we were to exped no relief from the French ; and that, contrary to the agreement they had {o lately ligned to allow us u fufficient force to protect us from thefe mfults, they tacitly permitted them , for I could plainly perceive the French officers walk- ing about at fome diftance, difcourfing together with apparejit unconcern. For the honour^ot human nature, I would hope that this flagrant breach of eve- ry facred law, proceeded rather from the favage dif- pofition of the Indians, which I acknowledge it n i • tan CARVE R's TRAVELS. m 1 11 Ml 1: i. ' h [ I n V ' fometimes almoft impoflible to controul, and vvhich. might now unexpededly have arrived to a pitch not eafily to be reflrained, than to any premeditated de- fign in the French commander. An unprejudiced oblerver would, however, be apt to conclude, that a body of ten thoufand chriftian troops, mofl: chrif- tian troops, had it in their power to prevent the maflacre from becoming fo general. But whatever was the caufe from which it arofe, the confequences of it were dreadful, and not' to be paralleled in mo- dern hiftory. As the circle in which I flood inclofed by this time was much thinned, and death fcemed to be approaching with haliy itrides, it was propofed by fonie of the moft refolute to make one vigorous CiTort, and endeavour to force our way through the favages, the only probable method of preferving our hves that now remained. This, however defperate, was refolved on, and about twenty of us fprung at onc6 into the midft of them. In a motnent we were all feparated, and what was the fate of my companions I could not learn till fome months after, when I found that only fix or feven of them effected their defign. Intent only on my own hazar'dous fituaiion, 1 endeavoured to make my way through my favage enemies in the bed ipanner pof- fible. And I have often been aftonilhed fince, when I have recoUeOed with what compofure I took, as I did, every neceflary ftep for my prefervation. Some I overturned, bling at that time young and athletic, and others I pafled by, dextroufly avoiding their weapons ; till at lad two very (lout chiefs, of the moft favage tribes, as I could diftinguifli by their drefs, whofe Itrength I could not refill, laid hold of me by each. arm, and began to force me through the crowd. . ' - CARVER'S TRAVELS. 2^9 I now refigned myfelf to my fate, not doubting but that they intended to difpatch me, and then to fatiate their vengeance wiih my blood, as I found they were hurrying me towards a retired fwamp that lay at fome diftance. But before we had got many yards, an Englifli gentleman of fome diflindion, as I could difcover by his breeches, the only covering he had on, which were of fine fcarlet velvet, rufhed clofe by us. One of the Indians initantlyrelinquiflied his hold, and fpringing on this new obje^l, endea- voured to feize him as his prey ; but the gentleman being (Irong, threw him on the ground, and would probably have got away, had not he who held my other arm quitted me to aflid his brother. I feized the opportunity, andhaftened away to join another party of Engliih troops that were yet unbroken, and ftood in a body at fome diltance. But before I had taken many fteps, I haftily call my eye towards the gentleman, and law the Indians romahawk gafli into his back, and heard him utter his lafl groan j this added both to my fpeed and defperation. I had left this fliocking fcene but a few yardo, when a fine boy about twelve years of age, that had hitherto efcaped, came up to me, and begged that I would let hjm lay hold of me, fo tha: he might (land fome chance of getting out of the hands of the favages. I told him that I would give him every aififtance in my power, and to this purpofe bid him lay hold ; but in a few moments he was torn from my lide, and by his Ihrieks I judge was foon put to death. I could not help forgetting my own cares for a minute, to lament the fate ot fo young a fuf- ferer ; but it was utterly impoffible for me to take any methods to prevent it. I now got once more into the midfl of friends, but we wer;; unable to afford each other any fuccour. 23P CARVER'S TRAVELS. t, ■:'i,, As this was the dividon that had advanced the farthefl from the fort, I thought there might be a poflibility fthough but a bare one) of ipy forcing my way througli the outer ranks of the Indians, and getting to a neighbouring wood, which I perceived at fome diflance. I was ftitl encouraged to hope by , the almofl miraculous prefervation I had already experienced. Nor were my hopes in vain, or the efforts I made ineffedlual. Suffice it to fay, that I reached the wood ; but by the time I had penetrated a little way into it, my breath was fo exhauded, that 1 threw myfelf into a break, and lay for fome minutes apparently at the laft gafp. At length J recovered the power of refpi- ration ; but my appreheniions returned with all their former force, when I faw feveral favages pafs by, probably in purfuit of me, at no very great diilance. In this Htuation I knew not whether it was better to proceed, or endeavour to conceal myfelf where I lay, till night came on ; fearing, however, that they would return the fame way, I thought it moft pru- dent to get further from the dreadful fcene of my diflrefles. Accordingly, linking into another part of the wood, I haftened on as fad as the briers and the lofs of one of my flioes would permit me -, and after a flow progrefs of fome hours, gained a hill that overlooked the plain which I had julV left, from whence I could difcern that the bloody ilorm flill raged with unabated fury. But not to tire my readers, I (hall only add, that after pailing three days without fubfiftence, and en- during the feverity of the cold dews for three nights, I at length reached Fort Edward j where with pro- per care my body foon recovered its wonted ftrength, and my mind, as far as the recolledlion of the late melancholy events would permit, its ufual compofure. !i CARVER'S TRAVELS. 231 It was computed that fifteen hundred perfons were killed or made prifoners by thefe favages during this fatal day. Many of the latter were carried off by them and never returned. A few, through favour- able accidents, found their way back to their native country, after having experienced a long and fevere captivity. Th6 brave Colonel Munro had haftened away, foon after the confufion began, to the French camp, to endeavour to procure the guard agreed by the (li- pulation ; but his application proving inefFeftual, he remained there till General Webb fent a party of troops to demand and protect him back to Fort Edward. But thefe unhappy occurrences, which would probably have been prevented, had he been left to purfue his own plans, together with the lofs of fo many brave fello\'s, murdered in cold blood, to whofe valour he had bee*^ fo lately a witnefs, made fuch an impreifion on his mind, that he did not long furvive. He died in about three months of a bro- ken heart, and of truth might be faid,- that he was an honour to his country. i mean not to point out the following circumftance as the immediate judgment of heaven, and intended as an atonement for this daughter ; but I cannot omit that very few of thofe different tribes of Indians that fhared in it ever lived to return home. The fmall-pox, by means of their communication with the Europeans, found its way among them, and made 2in equal havock to what they themfelves had done. The methods they purfued on the ilrft attack of that malignant diforder, to abate the fever atten- ding it, rendered it fatal. Whild their blood was in a (late of fermentation, and nature was flrlving to throw out the peccant matter, they checked her ope- rations by plunging into the water : the confiequencc aga CARVER'S TRAVELS. t, ■! ! I m ]\ i i ff,[ Hill < ill 11 M 1 ' j i 1 '1 |ffi| ■ 11 was that they died by hundreds. The few that fur-' vived were transformed by it into hideous objeds, and bore with them to the grave deep-indented, marks of this much-dreaded difeafe. Monfieur Montcalm fell foon after on the plains of Quebec. That the unprovoked cruehy of this commander was not approved of by the generality of his coun- trymen, 1 have fince been convinced of by many proofs. One only, however, which I received from a perfon who was a witnefs to it, fliall I at prefent give. A Canadian merchant, of fome confideration, having heard of the furrender of the Englifli, fort, celebrated the fortunate event with great rejoic- ings and hofpitality, according to the cuftom of that country ; but no fooner did the news of the maflacre which enfued reach his ears, than he put an immediate fl^op to the feftivity, and exclaimed in the fevereft terms agaitift the inhuman permiffion j declaring at the fame time, that thofe who had con- nived at it had thereby drawn down, on that part of their king's dominions, the vengeance of Heaven. To this he added, that he much feared the total lofs of them would defervedly be the confequence. How truly this prediction has been verified, we well know. , „ ^ , . . . , But to return — ^Though the Indians are negligent in guarding againlt furprifes, they are alert and dex- trous in furpriiing their enemies. To their caution and perfeverance in dealing on the party they defign to attack, they add that admirable talent, or rather inftindlive qualification I have already defcribed, of tracing out thofe they are in purfuit of. On the fmoothell grafs, on the hardefl earth, and even on the very Hones, will they difcover the traces of an CARVER';! TRAVELS. 233 IS coun- cnemy, and by the fliape of the footfteps, and the diftance between the prints, didinguifh not only whether it is a man or a woman who has pafled that way, but even the nation to which they belong. However incredible this might appear, yet from the many proofs I received whilft 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 vic- tory is no longer doubtful, the conquerors firfl dif- patch all fuch as they think they (hall not be able to carry off without great trouble, and then endeavour to take as many prifoners as poffible ; after this they return to fcalp thofe who are either dead, or too much wounded to be taken with them. At this bufinefs they are exceedingly expert. They feize the head of the difabled or dead enemy, and placing one of their feet on the neck, twift their left hand in the hair ; by this means having extended the Ikin that covers the top of the head, they draw out their fcalping knives, which are always kept in good order for this cruel purpofe, and with a few dextrous flrokes take off the part that is termed the fcalp. They are fo expeditious in do- ing this, that the whole time required fcarcely ex-* ceeds a minute. Thefe they preferve as monuments of their prowefs, and likewife as proofs of the ven- geance they have iniiidled on their enemies. If two Indians feize in the fame indant a prifoner, and feem to have an equal claim, the conteft between them is foon decided ; for to put a fpeedy end to any difpute that might aiife, the perfon that is ap- prehenfive he ihall lofe his expedled reward, im- mediately has recourfe to his tomahawk or war-club. »34 CARVER'S TRAVELS. f ^ and knocks on the head the unhappy caufe of their contention. Having completed their purposes, and made as much havock as pofTible, they immediately retire towards their own country, with the fpofi they have acquired, for fear of being purfued. ^ Should this be the cafe, they make ufe of many (Ira- tagems to elude the fearches of their purfuers. They fometimes fcatter leaves, fand, or du(t 6ver the prints of their feet ; fometimes tread in each other's footfteps ; and fometimes lift their feet fo high, and tread fo iighUy, as not to make any impreifion on the ground. But if they find all thefe precautions un- availing, and that they are near being overtaken, they firft difpatch and fcalp their prifoners, and then dividing, each endeavours to regain his native coun- try by a different route. This prevents all further pur- fuit ; for their purfuers now defpairing, either of gra- tifying their revenge, or of releafmg thofe of their friends who were made captives, return home. If the fuccefsful party is fo lucky ad to make good their retreat unmolefted, they haften with the great- eft expedition to reach a country where they may be perfectly fecure ; and that their wounded companions may not retard their flight, they carry them by turns in litters, or if it is in the winter feaibn, draw thenl on fledges. - - r Their litters are made in a rude manner of the branches of trees. Their fledges confift of two fmall thin boards, about a foot wide when joined, and near fix feet long. The fore-part is .turned up, and the fides are bordered with fmall bands.. The In- dians draw thefe carriages with great eai%, be they ever fo much loaded, by means of a ftring which CARVER'S TRAVELS. 235 their pafTes round the breaft. 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 greateft care. During the day, if the jour- ney is over land, they are always held by fome of the victorious 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 f aliened to hooks fixed in the ground. Befides this, cords are tied to their arms or legs, which are held by an Indian, who inftantly awakes at the leall motion of then). Notwith (landing fuch precautions are ufually ta- ken by the Indians, it is recorded in the annals of New-England, that one of the weaker fex, almofl: alone, and unalTided, found means to elude the vigi- lance of a party of warriors, and not only to make her efcape from them, but to revenge the caufe of her countrymen, t Some years ago a fmall band of Canadian Indians, confiding of ten warriors, attended by two of iheir wives, made an irruption into the back fettlements of New-England. They lurked for fome dme in the vicinity of one of the mod exterior towns, and at length, after having killed and fcalped feveral peo- ple, found means to take prifoner a woman who had with her a fon of about twelve years of age. Being fatisfied with the execution they had done, they re<* treated towards their native country, which lay at three hundred miles didance, and carried oS witl^ them their two captives. m fll: f,^ I, I ■ 236 CARVER'S TRAVELS. The fecond night of their retreat, the woman, whofs name, if I miftake not, was Rowe, formed a refolution worthy of the moft intrepid hero. She thought ihe (hould be able to get from her hands the manacles by which they were confined, and de- termined if flie did lo to make a deCperate effort for the recovery of her freedom. To this purpofe, when fhe concluded that her conquerors were in their founded flecp, (he llrove to Hip the cords from her hands. In this flic fucct-edea ; and cautioning her fon, whom they had fuifcred to go unbound, in a whifper, againft being furptifed at wh^t flie was about to do, flie removed to a diftance, with great warinefs, the defenfive weapons of the Indians, which lay by their fides. Having done this, fhe put one of the tomahawks into the hands of the boy, bidding him 10 follow her example : and taking another herfelf, fell upon the fleeping Indians, feveral of whom (he inflantly dif- patched. But her attempt was nearly frulirated by the imbecility of her fon, who wanting both ftrength and refolution, made a feeble ftroke at one of them, which only ferved to awaken hini ; (he however fprung at the riling warrior, and before he could re- cover his arms, made him fmk under the weight of her tomahawk ; and this (he alternately did to all the red, except one of the women whoawoke- in time, and made her efcape. The heroine then took o(F the fcalps of her van- quKhed enemies, and feizing alfo thofe they were carrying away with them as proofs of their fuccefs, (he returned in triumph to the town from whence flie had fo lately been dragged, to the great aftonifh- ment of her neighbours, who could fcarcely credit their fenfes,. or the teftim^nies flie bore of her Ama- zonian intrepidity. CARVER'S TRAVELS. 237 n u During their march they oblige their prifoners to ling their death-fong, which generally confifts of thefe or fimilar fentences : " 1 am going to die, I am about to fuffer j but I will bear the fevered tor- tures my enemies can inflift with becoming forti- " tude. I will die like a brave man, and I fiiall then " go to join the chiefs that have fuftered on the fame " account." Thefe fongs are continued with necef- fary intervals, until they reach the village or camp to which they are going. When the warriors are arrived within hearing, they fet up dift'erent cries, which communicate to their friends a general hiftory of the fuccefs of the expedition. The number of the death-cries they give, declare how many of their own party are loft ; the number of war-whoops, the number of prifoners they have taken. • - ' ' • ' ; It is difficult to defcribe thefe cries, but the beft idea I can give of them is, that the former confifts of the found Whoo, Whoo, Whoop, which is continued in a long ihril tone, nearly till the breath, is exhauded, and then broken ofF with a fudden elevation of the voice. The latter is 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 conliderable dif- ta'nce. Whilft thefe are uttering, the perfons to whoni they are defigned to convey the intelligence, continue motionlefs and all attention. When this ceremony is performed, the whole village ifllie out to learn the particulars of the relation they have juft heard in ge- neral terms, and according as the news proves mourn- Hh »j$ CARVE R»s J[' RAVELS. M^ iM ;ii|!'i! ' 'i-i It! ful or the contrary, they anfwer by fo many accla- mations or cries of lamentation. Being iy this time arrived at the village or camp, the women and children arm themfelves with flicks and bludgeons, and form themfelves into two ranks, through which the pfifoners arc obliged to pafs. The treatment they undergo before they reach the extremity of the line, is very fevere. Sometimes they are fo beaten over the head and face, as to have fcarcely any remains of life ; and happy would it be for th&m 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 wiih to referve the miferable fufferers for more iiivere inilidions. After having undergone this introdudory difci- pline, they are bound hand and foot, whild 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 war- riors ; fuch as are to be fpared, are given into the hands of the chief of the nation : fo that in a fhort time ail the prifoners may bealTured of their fate, as the fentence now pronounced is irrevocable. The former they term being configned 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 theif warlike deeds, aiways atone for the blood they have fpilty by the tortures of fire. Their fuccefs in war i» rea- dily known by the blue marks upon their breafls and arms, which arc as legible to the Indians as let- ters are to Europeans. . . The manner in which ihefe hieroglyphics are made, is by breaking the ikin with the teeth of fiih. CARVER'S TRAVELS. 239 or fliarpened flints, dipped in a kind of ink made of the foot of pitch pine. Like thoftj of the ancient rids of Britain, thefe are ellccmed ornamental ; and at the fame ti^ne they ferve as regiftcrs of the heroic adions of the warrior who thus bears about him indelible marks of his valour. The prifoners defined to death are foon led to the place of executioii, which is generally in the centre of the camp or village ; where, being (Iript, and every part of their bodies blackened, ttie fkin of a crow or raven is fixed on their heads. They are then bound to a (lake, with faggots heaped around them, and obliged, for the lalt time, to ling their death fong. ' The warriors, for fuch it is only who commonly fuffer this punifliment, now performed in a more pro- lix manner this fad folemnity. 'I'hey recount with an audible voice all the brave adions they have per- formed, and pride themfelves in the number of ene- mies they have killed. In this rehearfal they fpare not even their tormentors, but flrive, by every pro- voking tale they can invent, to irritate and infult them. Sometimes this has the defired tll'td, and the fufferers are difpatched fooner than they orher- wife would have been. There are many other methods which the Indians make ufe of to put their prifoners to death, but thefe are only occafional j that of burning is moft gene- rally ufed. ■■''.. "Whilft I was at the qhief town of the Ottagau- mies, an Illinois Indian was brought in, who had been made prifoner by one of their war-parlies. I had then an opportunity of feeing the curtomary cruehies inflifted by thefe people on their cnptives^ i k4 240 CARVE R's TRAVELS. iHi: i:ii. :f through the minuteft part of their procefs. After the previous (teps neceflary to this condemnation, he was carried, early in the morning, to a httie didance from the town, where he was bound to a tree. •,.•,,.■•■■.'. '■,'-{,:(/ ''■ "-;,', '"' .'■'■ ' This being done, all the boys, who amounted to a great number, as the place was populous, were permitted to amufe themfelves with (hooting their arrows at the unhappy victim. As there were none of them more than twelve years old, and v/ere plac- ed at a confiderable dillance, they had not flrtngih to penetrate to the vital parts, fo that the poor wretch ilood pierced wiih arrows, and fuffering the conie- quent agonies, for more than two days. :. -.. . During this time he fung his warlike exploits. He recapitulated every llratagem he had made ufe of to furprife his enemies : He boafted of the quan- tity of fcalps he poffelTed, and enumerated the pri- ibners he had taken. He then defcribed the diffe- rent barbarous methods by which he had put the lat- ter to death, and feemed even then to receive incon- ceivable pleafure from the recital of the horrid tale. But he dwelt more particularly on the cruelties he had pradiced on fuch of the kindred of his prefent tormentors, as had fallen into his hands ; endeavour- ing by thele aggravated infults to induce them to increafe his tortures, that he might be able to give greater proofs of fortitude. Even in the laft ftrug- gles of life, when he was no longer able to vent in words the indignant provocation his tongue would have uttered, a fmile of mingled fcorn and triumph fat on his countenance. i- '*':' " vn CARVER'S TRAVELS. 2+< This method of tormenting their enemies is con- fidered by the Indians as produdive of more than one beneficial confequence. It fatiates, in a greater degree, that diabolical lull of revenge, which is the predominant paffion in the breaft of every in- dividual of every tribe, and it gives the growing warriors an early propenfity to that cruelty and third for blood, which is fo neceflary a qualification for fuch as would be thoroughly Ikilled in their f^- vage art of war. " ; '? l have been informed, that an Indian, who was under the hands of his tormentors, had the audacity to tell them, that they were ignorant old women, and did not know how to put brave prifoners to death. He acquainted them that he had heretofore taken fome of their warriors, and inftead of the tri- vial punilhments they inflided on him, he had de« vifed for, them the moft excruciating torments ; that having bound them to a ftake, he had (luck their bodies full of Iharp fplinters of turpentine wood, to which he then fet fire, and dancing around them, enjoyed the agonizing pangs of the flaming vidims. This bravado, which carried with it a degree of infult, that even the accudomed ear of an Indian could not liften to unmoved, threw his tormentors off their guard, and fhortened the duration of his torments ; for one of the chiefs ran to him, and rip- ping out his heart, (lopped with it the mouth from which had ilTued fuch provoking language. Innumerable are the (lories that may be told of the courage and refolution of the Indians, who hap- pen to be made prifoners by tl\eir adverfaries. Many that I have heard are fo aftonifliing, that they feem to exceed the utmoft limits of credibility ; it is, however, certain that thefefavagcs are pofl'eired with^ ■z^z CARVER'S TRAVELS. illW(: many heroic qualities, and bear every fpecies of misfortune with a degree of fortitude which has not been outdone by any of the ancient heroes either of Greece or of Rome. . .; .^ ■> Kotwithftanding thefe afts of feyerity exercifed by the Indians towards thofe of their own fpeeies, who fall into their hands, fome tribes of them have been remarked for th^ir moderation to fuch female prifoners, belonging to the Englifh colonies, as have happened to be taken by thein. Women of great beauty havefrequently been carried ofFby them, and during a march cf three or four hundred miles»thro^ their retired forefls, have lain by iheir fides without receiving any infult, and thdir chadity has remained inviolaie. Infiances have happened where female captives, who have been pregnant at the time of their being taken, have found the pangs of child- birth come upon them in the midft of folitary woods, and fav'ages their only companions- j yet from thefe, favages as they were, have they received every af- fidance iheir lituatibn would admit of, and been treated with a degree of delicacy and humanity they little expected. This forbearance, it muft be acknowledged, does not proceed altogether from their difpoiition, but is only inherent in ihofe who have held fome commu- nication with the French miiTionaries. Without in- tending that their natural enemies, the Englifh, fliould enjoy the benefit of their labours, thefe lathers have taken great pains to inculcate on the minds of the Indians the general printipies of humanity, which has diffufed itfelf through their manners, and has proved of public utility. r^^j ' * Thofe prifoners that are configned to the houfe of grace, and thefe are commonly the young men, wo*- CARVER'S TRAVELS. ;«4.t men, and children, await the difpofal of the chief?, who, after the execution of fuch as are condemned to die, hold a council for this purpofe. A herald is fent round the village or camp, to give notice that fuch as have ioO: any relations in the late expedition, are defired to attend the diftribution which is about to take place. Thofe women who have lolt their fons or hulbands, are generally fatis- fied in the firft place ; after thefe, fuch as have been deprived of friends of a more remote degree of con- fanguinity, or who choofe to adopt fome of the youth. ' The divilion being made, which is done, as in other cafes, without the leaft difpute, 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 any ; they then clothe them, and give them the mod comfor- table and refrefhiug fooJ -heir ftore will afford. , Whilfl: their new do. .ci';5cs are feeding, they en- deavour to adminifter confolation to them ; they tell them that as they are redeemed from death, they muft now be cheerful and happy ; and if they ferve them well, whhout murmuring or repining, nothing ihal-l be wanting to make the*n fuch atonement for the lofs of their country and friends as circumdances will allow of. . .' If any men are fpared, they are commonly given to the widows that have lolt their hulbands by the hand of the enemy, flioulJ there be any fuch, to whom, if they happen to prove agreeable, they are foon married. But fliould the dame be otherwife engaged, the life of him who falls to her lot is in great danger j efpecially if ihe fancies that her late ?44 CARVER'S TRAVELS. m m ^,. W\i' ■•il! : i '4 1 hufband wants a flave in the country of fpirits, to which he is gone. When this is the cafe, a number of young men take the devoted captive to fome diflance, and dif- patch him without any ceremony ; after he has been fpared by the council, they confider him of too little confequence to be entitled to the torments alloted to thofe who have been judged worthy of them. The women are ufually diftributed to the men, from whom they do not fail of meeting with a fa- vourable reception. The boys and girls are taken into the families of fuch as have need of them, and are confidered as flaves ; and it is not uncommpn that they are fold in the fame capacity to the Euro- pean traders that come among them. The Indlatis have no idea of moderating the ra- vages of war, by fparing their prifoners, and entering into a negociation with the band froni whom they have been taken for an exchange. All that are captivated by both parties, are either put to death, adopted, or made flaves of. Andfo particular are every nation in this refpedt, that if any of their tribe, even a warrior, (hould be taken prifoner, and by chance be received into the houfe of grace, either as an adopted perfon or a flave, and (hould 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 c'fFers not in any one inflance from the children of the nation to which they now belong. They aiTume all the rights of thofe whofe places they fupply, and fre- quently make no difficulty of going in the war par- ties againfl: their own countrymen. Should, how- ever, any of thefe by chance make their efcape. w CARVER'S TRAVELS. »45 and be afterwards retaken, they are efleemed as unnatural children and ungrateful perfons, who have deferted and made war upon their parents tind bene- fadors, and are treated with uncoinnrion feverity. That part of the prifoners which are confidered as ilaves, are generally diftributed among the chiefs ; who frequently make prefents of fome of them to the European governors of the out-pofts, or to the fuperintendants or commiffaries of Indian affairs. I have been informed that it was the Jefuits and French miflionaries that firft occafioned the introduction of thefe unhappy captives into the fettlements, and who by fo doing taught the Indians that they were va- luable. ' •' ' ' Their views indeed were laudable, as they ima- gined that by this method they fliould not only pre- vent much barbarity and bloodfhed, but find the op- portunities of fpreading their religion among thera increafed. To this purpofe they encouraged the traders to purchafe fuch ilaves as they met with. The good effecls of this mode of proceeding were not however equal to the expectations of thefe pious fathers. Inftead of being the means of preventing cruelty and bloodfhed, it only caufed the diflentions between the Indian nations to be carried on with a. greater degree of violence, and with unremitted ar- dour. The prize they fought for being no longer revenge or fame, but the acquirement of fpiritous liquors, for which their captives were to be exchang- ed, and of -which almoft every nation is immode- 'rately fond, they fought for their enemies with un- wonted alacrity, and were conflaatly on the watch to furprife and carry them otf. I i 2^6 CARVER'S TRAVELS. Iff ■ :' .If 'h.i, . !■:: III ^^ 11 il If MB ■'»■! i! It might ftill be faid that fewer of the captives aris tormented and put to death, fince thefe expedauohs of receiving fo valuable a confideration for them have been excited, than there ufually had- been ; but it does not appear that their accuftomed cruelty to the warriors they take, is in the leafl: abated ; their natural defire of vengeance muft be gratified j they now only become more aifiduous in fecuring a greater number of young prifoners, whilft thofe who are made captive in their defence, are tormented and put to death as before. The miffionaries finding, thiat, contrary to their wifhes, their zeal had only llirved to increafe 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 ilUied accordingly, but it could not put a total (lop to it ; the French Couriers de Bois were hardy enough to carry it on clandeftinely, notwithftanding the penalty annexed to a breach of the prohibiiion was a confiderable fine and imprilbnment. -— •' ' ■■", '^^ • Some who were detected in the profecuiion of it, withdrew into the Indian countries, where they in- termarried with the natives, and underwent a volun- tary banifhment. Thefe, however, being an aban- doned and debauched fet, their conduct contributed very little either towards reforming the manners of their new relations, or engaging them to entertain a favourable opinion of the religion they profefl'ed. Thus did thefe indefatigable religious men fee their deligns in feme meafure oftce more fruQrated. . , However, the emigration was produdive of an effed which turned out to be beneficial to their na- tion. By the connection of thefe refugees with the Iroquois, Mifliflkuges, Hurons, Miamies, Powto- CARVER'S TRAVELS. 247 wottomies, Puants, Menomonies, Algonkins, &c. and the conflant reprefentations thefe various na- tions received from them of the power and grandeur of the French, to the aggrandifement of whofe monarch, notwithftanding their banifliment, they dill retained their habitual inclinations, the Indians became infenfibly prejudiced in favour of that peo- ple, and I am perfuaded will take every opportunity of (hewing their attachment to them. , ' . / ' * " ■ V * ■ And this even in defpite bf the difgraceful efli- mation they muft be held by them, fince they have been driven out of Canada ; for the Indians confider every conquered people as in a ftate of valTalage L.i their conquerors. After one nation has finally fub- dued another-, and a conditional fubmifiion is agreed on, it is cuftomafy 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 -fubjedlion, and ought to be ranked among the women. Their partiality to the French hss'j however taken too deep root for time itfelf to era- dicate it. 948 CARVER'S TRAVELS. I '-' CHAPTER X. IN Of their manner of making Peacc^ Is'c. T HE wars that are carried on between the Indian nations are in general hereditary, and con- tinue from age to age with a few interruptions. If a peace becomes necelTary, the principal care of both parties is to avoid the appearance of making the firfl advances. f»;:'i, i:j(i lii'ii I I ! When they treat with an enemy, relative to a fuf- peniion of hodilities, the chief who is commi^on- ed to undertake the negociation, if it is not brought about by the mediation of fome neighbouring band, abates nothing of his natural haughtinefs : even when the affairs of his country are in the word fitu- ation, he makes no conceflions, but endeavours to perfuade his adverfaries that it i^ their interefl to put an end to the war. Accidents fometimes contribute to bring about a peace between nations that otherwife could nof be prevailed on to li(len to terms of accommodation. An inllance of this, which I heard of in almolt eve- ry nation I pafled through, I ihall relate. th CARVER'S travels: S4 asf CARVER'S TRAVELS. rhi: But had they known their llrength, they might have cleftroyed every mar ot the party that oppofed them ; which ever, at the fivil oniet was only incon- fiderab' ■, and when Jiminifhed by the adion, totaU ly unable to make ly painted with hieroglyphics in various colours, and adorned with feathers of the mod beautiful birds ; but it is not in my power to convey an idea of the various tints and pleafmg ornaments of this much edeemed Indian implement. Every nation has a different method of decorating thefe pipes, and they can tell at fird fight to what band it belongs. It i^ ufed as an introdu£lion to all treaties, and great ceremony attends the uf^ of it- on thefe occafions. Kk - m =54 CARVER'S TRAVELS, fF'l''''8»1 ii,:"' ri^i I i |:.i The affiftant or aid-die-camp of the great warrior, when the chiefs are aflfembled and Teated, fills it with robacco mixed with the. herbs before mentioned, taking care at th€ fame time thattio part of it touches the grmi nd . When k is ^Hed , he takes a coal that is thoroughly kindled, from a fire which is general- ly kept burning h the midft of the aflembly, and places it on the tobaccc. As fooii: as it is fufficiently lighted, he throws off the coal. He then turns the item of it towards the heavens, after this towards the earth, and now hold- ing it horizontally, moves himfeff round trll he has completed a circle ; by ih<; firft a£i:lon he is fuppofed to prefent it to the Great Spirit, whofe aid is thereby fupplicated ; by the fecond, to avert any malicious interpofition of thte evil fpirrts ; and. by the third, to gain the protedion of the fpirits inhabiting the air, the earth, and the waters. Having thus fecured the fairour of thofe invifible agents, in whofe power they fuppofe it is either to forward or obftru6: the iflue of their prefent deliberations, he prefents it to the hereditary chief, who having taken two or three whiffs, blows the fmoke irom his mouth fiffl to- wards heaven, and then around him upon the ground. It is afterwards put in the fame manner into the mouths of the ambailadors or Grangers, who obferve the fame ceremony, then to the ehief of the warri- ors, and to all the other chiefs in titrn, according to their gradation. During this iime the perfon who executes this honourable office holds the pipe ilightly in his hand, as if he feared to prefs the facred in- ilrument ; nor does any one prefume to touqhit but with his lips. ^ ;> .r;>; ?> / .^ x -'; ' t ' ' - i' ■ ' ''' ' y ' K. ■ T -^ ': ^' •■.'-,•'-■ When the chiefs who are intruded with the com- mifUon for making peace, approach the town or CARVER'S TRAVELS. 25 J le warn- camp to which they are going, they bcgia to fing and dance the fongs and dances appropriated to this occalion. By this time the adverfe party are apprifed of their arrival, and, at the fight of the Pipe of Peace, divefting themfefves of their wonted enmity, invite them to the habitation of the Great Chief, and furniil) theii» with every eonyeniency during the, negociatiort. ' A council is then held ; and when the fpeeches and debates are ended, if no obftruftions arife to put a flop to the treaty, the painted hatchet is buried in the ground, as a memorial that all animolities between the contending nations have ceafed, and a peace taken place. Among the ruder bands, fuch as have no communication with the Europeans, a war-club, painted red, is buried, inftead of the hatchet. A belt of wampum is alfo given on this occafion, which ferves as a r?Mfication of the peace, and re- cords to the Jaieft pofterity, by the hieroglyphics into which the beads are formed, every ftipulated article in the treaty. Thefe belts are made of fhells found on the coafts of New-England and Virginia, which are IViwed out into beads of an oblong form, about a quarter of an inch long, and round like other beads. Being ftrung on leather firings, and feveral of them fewed neatly together with fine fmewy threads, they then compofe what is termed a belt of wampum. The (hells are generally of two colours, fome white and others violet ; but the latter are more highly efteemed than the former. They are held in as much eftimationby the Indians, as gold, filver, or precious Hones, are by the Europeans. 356- CARVER'S TRAVELS. The belts are compofed of ten, twelve, or a greater number of firings, according to the impor- tance of the affair in agitation, or the dignity of the perfon to whom it is prefented. On more trifling occafions, firings of thefe beads are prefented by the chiefs to each other, and frequently worn by them about their necks, as a valuable ornament. :!l;;K; m ., ■ t * / CARVER'S TRAVELS. 257 J. lii* , CHAPTER XI. Of their Games, As ^S I have before obferveJ, the Indians are greatly addicted to gaming, and will even ftake^ and lofe with cortipofure, all the valuables they afe pofiefled of. They amufe themfelves at fevers I lorts of games, 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-ikin ; which being moiftened to render it fup- ple, is (luffed hard with the hair of the fame crea- ture, 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, refemblingthe palm of the hand, and fafliioned of thongs cut from a deer-fkin. In thefe they catch the ball, and throw it to a great didance, if they are not prevented by fome of the oppofiie party, who fly to intercept it. This game is generally played by large compa- nies, that fometimes confift of more than three hun,- dred ; and it is not uncommon for different bands to play agiinll each other. 358 CARVER'S TRAVELS. zt i\ Jll'1l,jh irHjliigl 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 combitants. The ball is thrown up high in the centre of the ground, and in a dired line between the goals ; towards which each party endeavours to ftrike it, and whichfoever fide fird caufes it to reach their own goal, reckons towards the game. They are fo exceeding dextrous in this manly ex- crcife, that the ball is ufually kept flying in different directions by the force of the rackets, without touch- ing the 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 antagonill overtakes him, and by a fudden ftroke dalhes down the ball. *rhey play with fo much vehemence that they frequently wound each other, and fometimes a bone is broken ; but notwithdanding thefe accidents, there never appears to be any fpite or wanton exertions of ftrength to eflPeft them, nor do any difputr 4 ever happen between the parties, " ' ; There is another game alfo in ufe among them worthy of remark, and this is the game of the Bo^yl or Platter. This game is played between two per- fons only. Each perfon has fix or eight little bones, not unlike a peach-ftone either in fize or fliape, ex- ceprrhey are quadrangular ; two of the fides of which are coloured black, and the others white. Thefe they throw up into the air, from whence they fall into a bowl or platter placed utiderneath, and made toXpin round. According as thefe bones prefent the white or black fide upwards, they reckon the game ; he that CARVER'S TRAVELS. ^59 happens to have the greateft number turn up of a iimilar colour, counts five points ^ and forty is the game. ->«..*/#* ,1. *ff--»,:.i, Ajw.t' The winning party keeps his place, and the lofer yields his to another who is appointed by one of the umpires ; for a whode village is fometimes concerned in the party, aiid at times one band plays againft another. During this pflay, tije Indians appear to l>e greatly agitated, and at every deciiive throw fet up a hideous fhout. They make a thoufand contortions, addref- fmg themfelves at the fame time to the bones, and loading with imprecations the evil fpirits that alHlt their fuccefsful antagonifts. '«v-.:^t. fi. ,:.T At this. game fome will Idfe their apparel, all the moveables of their cabins, and fometimes even their liberty ; notwit*hftanding there are no people in the univerfe more jealous of the latter than the Indians are. i m Hsii" . h- . " i ■ -' * i6a CARVER»s TRAVELS. Vv;j^! •*\ • : / t'l , ■' ■• ' \ ■; ^»* r'f (>t i' ;^,, •1 * • t'..-. ••!:-.:to • 1 , «■ ! f .r> ,,v " , V. ;■;.•- r ■■■•'■ •' r i'l v. '1 '•• ■ i- i 7 CHAPTER Xir. Of their Marriage Ceremonies j ^c. i.t ^m ' i\ 1 1', i) :Mii X HE Indians -ajlow of polygamy, and per- fons of every rank indulge themfelves in this point. The chiefs in particular have a feraglio, which con- iifts of an uncertain number, ufually from fix to tv;elve 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 fif- ters ; fometimes, if there happen to be more, the whole number ; and notwithftandihg this (as it ap- pears to civilized nations) unnatural union, they all live in the greateft harmony. The younger wives are fubmiffive to the elder ; and thofe who have no children, do fuch menial offices for thofe who are fertile, as caufes their fitL- ation to differ but little from a flate of fervitude. However, they perform every injundion with the greateft cheerfulnefs, in hopes of gaining thereby the affetflion of their hufband, that they in their turns may have the bappinefs of becoming mothers, and be entitled to the refped attendant pn that flate. n CARVER'S TRAVELS. 16 1 It is not uncommon for an Indian, although he takes to himfelf fo many wives, to live in a Hare of continence with many of them for feveral years. Such as are not fo fortunate as to gain the favour of their hufband, by their fubmifllve and prudent be- haviour, and by that means to fhare in'his embraces, continue in their virgin ftate during the whole of their lives, except they happen to be prefented by him to fome ftranger chief, whofe abode among them will not admit of his entering into a more lading connedlion. In this cafe, they fubmit to the injunc- tion of their hulband without murmuring, and are not difpleafed with the temporary union. But if at any time it is known that they take this liberty with- out firft receiving his confent, they are punifhed in the fame manner as if they had been guilty of adul- tery. This cuftofn is more prevalent among the nations which lie into the interior parts, than among thofe that are nearer the fettlements, as the manners of the latter are rendered more conformable in fome points to thofe of the Europeans, by the intercourfe they hold with them. V The Indian nations differ but little from each other in their marriage ceremonies, and lefs in the manner of their divorces. The tribes that inhabit the bor- ders of Canada, make ufe of the following cuftom. When a young Indian has fixed his inclinations on one of the other fex, he endeavours to gain her confent, and if he fucceeds, it is never known that her parents ever obftruft their union. When every preliminary is agreed on, and the day appointed, the friends and acquaintance of both parties aflemble, at the houfe or tent of the oldeft relation of the -LI. up; 262 CARVER'S TRAVELS. y 'M u3 bridegroom, where a feaft is prepared on the occa- lion. . , . The company who meet to aflifl: at the feflival aie fometimes very numerous ; they dance, they finj.% and enter into every other diveriion uiualiy made ulc of on any of their public rejoicings. When thefe are fmiflied, all thofe who attended merely out of ceremony depart, and the bridegroom and bride are left alone, with three or four of the nearell and oldelt relations of either fide ; thofe of the bridegroom being men, and thofe of the bride, women. Prefently the bride, attended by thefe few friends, having withdrawn herXelf for the purpofe, appears at one of the doors of the houfe, and is led to the bridegroom, who (lands ready to receive her. Hav- ing now taken their flation, on a mat placed on the centre of the room, they lay hold of the extremities of a wand, about three feet long, by which they conti- nue feparated, whilft the old men pronounce fome ihort harangues fuitable to the occafion. The married couple after this make a public de- claration of the love and regard they entertain for each other, and ftill holding the rod between them dance and fing. When they have finifiied this part of the ceremony, they break the rod into as many pieces as there are witneil'es prefent, who each rake a piece, and preferve it with great care. The bride is then reconducted out of the door at which fhe entered, where her, young companions wait to attend her to her father's houfe ; there the bridegroom /is obliged to feek her, and the marriage is corifummated. Very often the wife remains at CARVER'S TRAVELS, 26$ her father's houfe till flie has a child, when (he packs up her apparel, which is all the fortune (he is gene- rally pofTefled of, and accompanies her hu(band to his habitation. . • When from any diflike a feparation takes place, , for they are feldom known to quarrel, thejK gene- rally give their friends a few days notice of their in- tentions, and fomeiimes offer reafons to juflify' their condiift. The witneffes who were prefent at the marriage, meet on the day requeued, at the houfe of the couple that are about to feparate, and bringing with them the pieces of rod which they had receiv- ed at their nuptials, throw them into the lire, in the prefence of all the parties. This is the whole of the ceremony required, and the feparation is carried on without any murmur- ings or ill-will between the couple or their relations ; and after a few months they are at liberty to. marry again. When a marriage is thus diflblved, the children, which have been produced from it, are equally di- vided between them ; and as children are efteemed a treafure by the Indians, if the number happens to be odd, the woman is allowed to take the better half; ' , . > .s- Though this cuflom feems to encourage fickle- nefs and frequent feparations, yet there are many of the Indians who have but one wife, and enjoy with her a ftate of connubial happinefs not to be exceeded in more refined focieties. There are alfo not a few inftances of women preferving an inviola- ble jattachment to their hulbands, except in the cafes before-mentioned, which are not confidered as either a violation of their chaftity or fidelity. ' ^i\ 4;i mi 3^4 C A R V E R' 9 T R A V E I, S. Vilip i : iH Although I have faid that the Indian nations difFev very little from each other in their marriage ceremo- nies, there are fome exceptions. The Naudoweflies have a lingular method of celebrating their marri^ ages, which feems to bear no refembiance to thofe made ufe of by any other nation I palTed through. XVhen one of their young men has fixed on a youn^ woman he approves of, he difcovers his paflion to her parents, -who give him an invitation to come and live with them in their tent. I He accordingly accepts the ofier^ and by (o doing engages to refide in it for a w hole year, in the charac- ter of a menial fervant. During this time he hunts, and brings all the game he kills to the family ; by which means the father has an opportunity of feeing whether he is able to provide for the fupport of his daughter and the children that might be the confe- quence of their union. This however is only done whilll they are young men, and for their firlk wife, and not repeated like Jacob's fervitudes. When this period is expired, the marriage is fo- lemnized after the cullom of the country, in thefol- lowitig manner : Three or four of the oldeft male relations of the bridegroom, and as many of the bride's, accompany the young couple from their ref- pedive tents, to an open part in the centre of the camp. The chiefs and- warriors, being here aflembled to receive tliem, a party of the latter are drawn up into two ranks on each fide of the bride and bridegroom immediately on their arrival. Their principal chiefs then acquaint the whole aflembly with the defign of their meeting, and tells them that the couple before them, mentioning at the fame time their nanies, are come to avow publicly their in- Sill I' CARVER'S TRAVELS. «f».S tentbns of living together as man and wife. He then afks the two young people alternately, whe- ther 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 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 man- ner he carries her amidfl: the acclamations of the fpeftators to his tent. The ceremony is fucceeded by the mod plentiful feaft the new married man can afibrd, and fongs and dances, according to the ufual cultom, conclude the fedival. Divorces happen fo feldom among the Naudowef- ^es, that I had not an opportunity of learning how they are accompliflied* Adultery is efleemed by them a heinous crime, and puniflied'with the greatell rigour. The hulband in thefe cafes bites off the wife's riofe, and a leparation inltantly enfues. I faw an inihnce wherein this mode of punifhment was inflided, whilfl: I remained among them. The children, when this happens, are di(lri- buted according to the ufual cuftom obferved by other nations, that is, they are equally divided. Among the Indian as well as European nations, there are many that devote then^felves to pleafure, and notwithltanding the accounts given by feme mo- dern writers, of the frigidity of an Indian conftitu- tion, become the zealous votaries of Venus. The young warriors that are thus difpofed, feldom want opportunities for gratifying their paffion ; and as the mode ufually followed on thefe occaiions is rather fingular, I fliall defcribe it. !l'f iCG CARVE R'a U' R A V E L S. -I'lljiii.;, ijf^^ i^'ilj!' I' When one of thcfe youn^ debauchees imniTines, from the behaviour of the perfon he has cholcii (or his ruiftrefs, that he (hall not meet with any great obflrudion to his fuit from her, he purines the fol. lowing plan. It has been alrciuly obferved, tliat the Indians acknowledge no fuperiority, nor have they any ideas of fubordination, except in the neceflary regulations of their war or hunting parties; they confequently live nearly in a ftate of equality, puvfuant to the iirit principles of natui'e. The lover therefore is not ap- prehenlive of any check or controul in the accom- plifhment of his purpofes, if he can find a conveni- ent opportunity for compleating them. As the Indians ard alfo under no apprehenfion of robbers, or fccret enemies, they leave the doors of their tents or huts unfaftened during the night, as ■well as in the day. Two or three hours after funfer, the flaves or old people cover over the fire, that is generally burning in the midft of their apr.rtrnent, with allies, and retire to their repofe. Whilfi: darknefs thus prevails, and all rs quiet, one of thefe fons of pleafure, wrapped up clofely in his blanket, to prevent his being known, will fome- times enter the apartment of his intended miftrefs. Having firft lighted at the fmothered lire a fmali fplinter of wood, which anfwers the purpofe of a match, he approaches the place where flie repofes, and gently pulling away the covering from the head, jogs her till (he awakes. If (he then rifes up, and blows out the light, he needs no further confirma- tion that his company is not difagreeabld ; but if, after he has difcovered himfelf, (lie hides her head, and takes no notice of him, he might reft aiTured CARVER'S TRAVELS. 207 iliat any further folicitations will prove vain, and that it is neceilary imiuediatcly for iiijii to retire. During this flay he conceals tlic li^ht as niuch as pofliblc: in the hollow of his hand, :ind as the tents or rooms of the Incliatis are ufualiy l;»r^e and capaci- ous, he efcapes without deteclion. It is faid that the young women who admit their lovers on thefeocca- lions, take great care, by an immediate application to herbi?, with the potent elhcacy of which they arb well acquainted, to prevent the efl'e<^^s of thefe illicit amours from becoming vifiblc ; for fliould the natu- ral confcquences enfue, they mult forever remain unmarried. The children of the Indiana are always (lidin- ;^uiflied by the name of the mother : and if a womnn marries feveral huibands, and has iffue by each of them, they are all called after her. The realon they give for this is, that as their offspring are indebted to the father for their fouls, the inviiiblc part of their eflence, and to the mother for their corporeal and apparent part, it is more rational that they (hould be diftinguiflied by the name of the latter,- from whom they indubitably derive their being, than by that of the father, to which a doubt might lometimes aril'e whether they are jullly entitled. There are fome ceremonies made ufe of by the Indians at the impofition of the name, and it is con- fidered by them as a matter of great importance ; but what thefe are I could never learn, through the fecrecy obferved on the occafion. I only know that it is uiually given when the children have palFed the ftate of infancy. Nothing can exceed the tendernefs fliewn by them to their offspring 5 and a perfon cannot recommend i ■^li « >ii 268 CARVER'S TRAVELS. liittil himfelf to their favour by any meihoa more certain, than by paying fome attention to the younger bran- ches of their families. I can impute, in fome mea- fure, to the prefents I made to the children of the chiefs of the Naudoweflies, the hofpitable reception I met with ivhen among them. There is fome difficulty attends an explanation of the manner in which the Indians diiVinguifh them- felves from each other. Befides the nanje of the animal by which every nation and tribe is denomi- nated, there are others that are perfonal, and which the children receive from their mother. , ' The chiefs are alfb diftinguifhed by a name that has either fome reference to their -abilities, or to the 'hieroglyphic of their famiUe& ; and thefe are ac- quired after they arrive at the age of manhood. Such as have fignalized themfelves either in their war or hunting parties, or are p^.fleired of fome emi- nent qualification, receive a name that ferves to per- petuate the fame of their adions, or to make their abilities confpicuous. Thus the great warrior of the Naudoweflies was named Ottahtongoomlilhcah, that is, the Great Fa- ther of Snakes : ottah being in Englifli father, ton- goom ^'^eat, and liflicah a fnake. Another chief was ca: 'd Honahpawjatin, which means afwift ruii- ne! over the mountains. And when they adopted me a chief among them, they named me Shebaygo, which fignifies a writer, or a perfon that is curious in making hieroglyphics, as they faw me often wri- CARVER'S TRAVELS. 26)0 ■li/^i *^ ;;'. , CHAPTER XIIL Of their 'Religion, '' J.T is very difficult to attain a perfeia know- ledcje of the religious principles of the Indians. Their ceremonies and do(5trines have been fo often ridiculed by the Europei^ns, that they endeavour to conceal them ; and if, after the greateft intimacy, you defire any of them Ko 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 as I could difcover among theNaudoweflies (for they alfo were very referved in this point,) I fhall give my readers, without paying any attention to the accounts of others. As the religion of that peo- ple, from their fituation, appears to be totally unadul- terated with the fuperftitions of the church of Rome, we (hall be able to gain from their religious cuftoms a more perfe«5l idea of the original tenets and cere- monies of the Indians in general, thanfromthofeof any nations that approach nearer to the fettlements. It is certain they acknowledge one Supreme Be- ing, or Giver of Life, who prelides over all things. . . ' Mm '•'I'if I'JO CARVER'S TRAVELS. '< \u'i The Chipcways call this being Manitou, or Kjtchi Manitou ; the Naudoweffies, 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 fpirir, to whom they afcribe great power, and fuppofe that through his means all the evils which befal mankind are inilifted. To him, therefore, do they pray in their dillrefles, begging that he would either avert their troubles, or moderate them when they are no longer avoidable. ' ' , ' They fay that the Great Spirit, who is infinitely good, neither wiflies nor is able to do any mifchief to mankind ; but on the contrary, that he fhowers down on them all the blefiings they deferve ; whereas the evil fpirit is continually employed in contriving iiow he may punifh the human race; and to do which, he is not only poffelTed of the will, but of the power. They held alfo that there are good fpirirs of a lef- fer degree, who have their particular departments, in which they are conftantly contributing to the hap- piiiefs 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 likewife the beafls, birds, fillaes, and even vegetables, or ftones that exceed the reft of their fpeciesin Tize or fmgularity. To ali of thefe they pay fome kind of adoration. Thus, when they arrive at the borders of Lake Su- perior, on the banks of the PJifTiflippi, or any other gieat body of water, they prefcnt to the Spirit who refides there fome kind of offering, as the prince of the Winiiebagoes did when he attended me to the Falls of St Anthony. CARVER'S TRAVELS. 271 Silt at the fame time I fancy that the ideas they annex to. the word fpirit, are very different from the conceptions more enlightened nations entertain of it. They appear to fafhion to themfelves corporeal re- prefcniaiioris of their gods, and believe them to be of a human form, though of a nature more excel- lent than man. Of the fame kind are their feniiments relative to a futurity. They doubt not but they (hall exift in fome future ilate ; they however fancy that their employments there will be fimilar to thoie they are engaged in here, without the labour and difficulties annexed to ihem in this period of their exiltencc. They confequently exped to be tranflated to a de- lightful country, where they fliall always have a clear unclouded fky, and enjoy a perpetual fpring ; where the forelts! will abound with game, and the lakes with fifli, which might be taken without a painful exer- tion of ikill, or a laborious purfuit ; in ihort, that they fliall live for ever in regions of plenty, and en- joy every gratification they delight in here, in a greater degree. To intelle£lual pleafures they are Grangers ; nor are thefe included in their fcheme of happinefs. But they expect that even thefe animal pleafures will be proportioned and diltributed according to their me- rit ; the fliilful hunter, the bold and fuccefsful war- rior, will be entitled to a greater ihare than thofe who through ignorance or want of Ikill cannot boail of any fupcriority over the common herd. The prieflsof the Indians are at the fame time their phyficians, and their conjurers ; whilll they heal their wounds'or cure their difeafes, they inter- pret their dreams, give them protcdive charms, and 272 C A R V E R's TRAVELS. ;«! . fatisfy that defire that is fo prevalent among them, of fearching into futurity. • How well they execute the latter part of their profeflional engagements, and the methods they make ufe of on fome of thefe occalions, I have already Ihewn in the exertion of the prielt of the Killifti- noes, who was fortunate enough to fucceed in his extraordinary attempt near Lake Superior. They frequently are fuccefsful likewife in adminiftering the falubrious herbs they have acquired a knowledge of J but that the ceremonies they make ufe of during ihe adminiflration of them contributes to their fuc- cefs, I fhall not take upon me to affert. When any of the people are ill, the perfon who is inverted with this triple character of do£tor, prieft, and magician, fits by the patient day and night, rat- tling in his ears a gourd fhell filled with dry beans, called a Chichicoue, and making a difagreeable noife that cannot be well defcribed. r' V\ .li' *"!i! h%\ tti This uncouth harmony one would imagine fliould difturb the fick perfon, and prevent the good effeds of the dodor's prefcription ; but on the contrary, they believe that the method made ufe of contributes to his recovery, by diverting from his malignant purpofes the evil fpirit who has inflidled the difor- der ; or at leaft that it will take off his attention. To that he Ihall not increafe the malady. This they are credulous enough to imagine he is con- ilantly on the watch to do, and would carry his in- veteracy to -a fatal length if they did not thus charm him. I could not difcover that they make ufe of any other religious ceremonies than thofe 1 have de- I. ik til;' CARVER'S TRAVELS. »7l fcribed ; indeed, on the appearance of the new- moon, they dance and fmg ; but it is not evident thaf they pay that planet any adoration ; tliey only feem to rejoice at the return of a luminary that makes the night cheerful, and which ferves to light them on their way when they travel during the abfcnce of the fun. • % . . . S ■■.■■■. I ■■■»■. K ^.. ,.1 . ... Notwithftanding Mr Adair has afierted that the nations among whom he refided, obferve with very little variation all the rites appointed by the Mofaic Law, I own I could never difcover among thofe tribes that lie but a few degrees to the north-well, the lealt traces of the Jewilh religion, except it be admitted that one particular female cuftom and their divifion into tribes, carry with them proofs fufficient to eftablifh this aflertion. The Jefuits and French miffionaries have alfo pretended that the Indians had, when they firft tra- velled into America, fome notions, though thefe v^erf; dark and confufcd, of the chriftian inltitution ; that they have been greatly agitated at the fight of a crofs, and given proofs, by the impreflions made on them, that they were not -entirely unacquainted with the facred myfteries of chridianity. I need not fay that thefe are too glaring abfurdities to be. credited, and could only receive their exillencefroni the zeal of thofc fathers, who endeavoured at once to give the public a better opinion of the fuccefs of their miflions, and to add fupport to the caufe ihey were engaged in. The Indians appear to be, in their religious prin- ciples, rude and uninftruded. The dodrines they hold are few and fimple, and fuch as have been ge- nerally imprefled on tht human mind^ by fomc »*'wi 'm 'U •1 i'. 274 CARVER'S TRAVELS. means or other, in the mod ignorant ages. They however have not deviated, as many other uncivi- lized nations, and too many civilized ones have done, into idolatrous modes of v^orfhip ; they ve- nerate indeed, and make oiferings to the wonderful ' parts ol^ the creation, as I have before obl'erved ; but whether thefe rites are performed on account of the imprelFion fuch extraordinary appearances make on thenr., or whether they conlider them as the pcLu- liar charge, or the ufual places of refiUence of the invifibie fpirits they acknowledge, I cannot poli- tively determine. ' > * t The human mind in its uncultivated flate is apt to afcribe the extraordinary occurrences of nature, fuch as earthquakes, thunder or hurricanes, to the interpofition of unfeen beings ; the troubles and dii- afters alfo that are annexed to a favage life, the ap- prehenfions attendant on a precarious fubfiitence, and thofe numberlefs inconveniencies which man in his improved Hate has found means to remedy, are fuppofed to proceed from the interpofition ot evil Jpirits ; the favage confequently lives in continual apprehenlions of their unkind attacks, and to avert them, has recourfe to charms, to the fantaftic cere- monies of his pricft, or the powerful influence of his manitous. Fear has of courfe a greater fhare in his devotions than gratitude, and he pays more at- tention to deprecating the wrath of the evil, than to fecuring the favour of the good beings. The Indians, however, entertain thefe abfurdities in common with thofe of every part of the globe, who have not been illuminated by that religion which only can difperfe the clouds of fuperflition and ig- norance, and they are as free from error as a people can be that has not been' favoured with lis inllruc-. tive dodrine* CARVER'S TRAVELS. 275 I..;. •-> ' i ■ I ■•:vn. .1 r- . 47. CHAPTE R XIV. • ■■•■•■- , ./ • Of their Difeafes, ^c. ■\ t ■ t T HE Indians in general are healthy, and fubject but to few difeafes, many of thofe that afllitk civilized nations, and are the immediate confe- quences of luxury or lloth, being not known among them; however, the hardships and fatigues which they endure in huntiiig of war, the inclemency of the feafons, to which they are continually expofed, but above all the extremes of hunger, and that vora- cioufnefs their long excurfions confequently fubjedl them to, cannot fail of imparing the conditution, and bringing on diforders. Pains and weaknefTes in the ftomach and bread are fometimes the refult of their long fading, and confumptions of the exceflive fatigue and violent excrcifes they expofe themfelves to from their in- fancy, before they have fufficient ftrength to fup- pori them. But the diforder to which they are mofl: fubjed, is the pleurify ; for the removal of which, they apply their grand remedy and prefer- vative againft the generality of their compiain'i!», fweating. . •" V • ' ' ''in ^S\ ib3 2'jC CARVER'S TRAVELS. :^'tS St ' i mk The manner in which they conftrudt their ftoves for this purpofe is as follows : They fix feveral fniall poles in the ground, the tops of which they twid to- gether fo as to form a rotunda : this frame they co- ver with fliins or blai:kcts ; 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, jud fufFicient to creep in at, which is immedi- ately after clofed. In the middle of this confined buildinj^ they place a red hut ftone, on which they pour water till a fledm ariles that produces a great de^'Tfee of heat. ,. This caufes an inflnnfaneous pqrfpiration, which they iiicreafe as they ))leare. Havinj^ continued in it for fome lime, ihey immediately haften to the neareH: ftream, and plunfie into the water ; and, after bathing therein tor about half a minute, they put on their clothes, fit down and fmcke with great compofure, thoioughty p^rfuaded that the remedy will prove efficacious. They often make ufe of this fudoriferous method to rcfrefh themfelves, or to prepare their minds for the management of any bufinefs that requires uncommon deliberation and lagacity. ' ' , r They arc Ilkewife afiliQed with the dropfy and paralytic complaints, which, however, are but very ieldom known among them. As a remedy for thefe as well as for fevers, they make ufe of lotions and decoftions, compofcd of herbs, which the phyficians know perftdly well how to compound and apply. But they never trufl to medicines alone ; they always have recourfe likewife to fome fuperfiitiou^ ceremonies, without which their pa- tients would not think the phyfical preparations fif- ficiently powerful. ^ Tj CARVER'S TRAVELS. 277 With equal judgment they mike ufe of fimples for the cure of wounds, fmdures, or bruifes ; and are able to extract by thefe, without incilion, fpiin- ters, iron, or any other fort of matter by which the wound is caufed. In cures of this kind they are extremely dextrous, and complete them in much lefs time than might be expected from their mode of proceeding. :m {1(\ With the (kin of a fnake, which thofe reptiles an- nually Ihed, they will alfo extraft fplinters. It is amazing to fee the fudden efficacy of this applica- tion, notwithftanding there does not appear to be the lead moifture remaining in it. It has long been a fubjed of difpute, on what con- tinent the venereal difeaCe firft received its deftruc- tive power. This dreadful malady is fuppofed to have originated in America, but the literary contell ftill remains undecided. To give fome elucidation to it, I fhajl remark, that as I could not difcover the lead traces amoiig the Naudoweffies, with whom I refided fo long, and was alfo informed that it' was yet unknown among t-he more weftern nations, I think I may venture to pronounce that it had not its origin in Nortn- America. Thofe nations that have any commexiicaapn with the Europeans, or the fou- thern tribes, are greatly inflicted with itj but they hav2 all of them acquired a knowledge of fuch cer- tain and expeditious remedies, that the communica- tion is not attended l*'ith any dangerous confequences. Soon after I fet out on my travels, one of the tra- ders, whpm I accompanied, coniplaincd of a violent gonorrhcEa, with all it's alarming fymptoms; this increafed to fuch a degree, that by the time we had reached the town of the Winnebagoes, he was una- Nn ^7 273 CARVER'S TRAVELS. IS' .: ) if!)! f;l ble to travel. Having made his complaint known to one of the chiefs of that tribe, he toUl him not to be uneafy, fpr he would. engage that by following his advice, he fhould be able in a few days to purfue his journey, and in a little bnger lime be entirely free from his difordcr. " ,, .' '„ " . The chief had no foonerfaid this, than he prepar- ed for him a decoflion of the bark of the roots of the prickly afli, a tree fcarcely 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 having received direclions how to prepare it, in a fortnight after' his deparure from this place, he perceived that he was radically cured. . - . If from exceffive exercife, or the extremes of heat or cold, they arc afFeded with pains in their 1; inbs or joints, they fcarify the parts affefted. Thofe nations who have no commerce with Europeans do this with a fliarp flint j and it is furprifing to fee to how fine a point they have the dexterity to bring them ; a lancet can fcarcely exceed in (harpnef?. the inftru- nients they make of this unmalleable fubflance. They never can be convinced a perfon is ill whilft he has an appetite ; but when he rejedls all kind of nourifhment, they confidef the difcafe as dangerous, and paiy great attention to it i and dur- ing the continuance of the diforder, the phydcian re- fufes his patient no fort of food that he is defirous of. Their dodlors are not only fuppofed to be (killed in the phyfical treatment of difeafes, but ihe com? nion people believe, that by the ceremony of the Chi- chicoue ufually made ufe of, as before defcribed. • • CARVER'S TRAVELS. 279 they are able to gain intelligence from the fpirits, of the caufe of the complaints with which they are alHi. <* 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. US80 (716) 872-4503 \ aSq CARVER'S TRAVEL-Sr. An Indian woman, who accidentally paifed by^ heard the groans of the unhappy lufferer, and en- quired from whence tKey proceeded. Being made acquainted with the defperate circumftances attend- ing the cafe, fhe told the informant^ that if (He might be permitted to fee the perfon, ihe did not doubt but that fhe ihould be of great fervice to her. ' The furgeon that had attended » and the midwife who Was then prefent, having given up every hope of preferving their patient^ the Indian woman was allowed to make ufe of any methods ihe thought proper. She accordingly tpok a handkerchief, and bound it tight over the nofe and mouth of the wo- man : this immediately brought on a faflfocation ; and from the (Iruggles that confequently enfued, fhe was In a few feconds delivered. The moment this was atchieved, and time enough to prevent any fatal. effeA, the handkerchief was taken oflf. The long-fufferitig patient thus happily relieved from her pains, foon after perfedly recovered, to the aftohifhment of all thofe who had been witnefs to her defperate iituation. The redfon given by the Indian for this hazardous method of proceeding was, that defperate diforders Require defperate remedies ; that as fhe obferved the exertions of iiature were not fufiiciently forcible to effeA the defired confequence, fhe thought it necef- fary to augment their force, which ;ould only be done by fome mdde that was violent. in the extreme. CARVER'S TRAVELS. tU CHAPTER XV. Of the manner in which they treat, their Dead. Ai .N Indian meets death when it approaches him in his hut, with the famerefolutionjie has often faced him in the field. His indifference relative to this important article, which is the fource of fo m4ny apprehenfions to almoft every other nation, is truly admirable. When his fate is pronounced by . the phyfician, and it remains no longer uncertain, he harangues thofe about him with the greateft com* pofure. , J , If he i^ a chief and has a family, he makes a kind of funeral oration, iVhich he concludes by giving to his children fuch advice for. the regulation of their condudt as he thinks necelTary. He then takes leave of his fHends, and iflues out orders for tht preparation of a feaft, which is defigned to regale thofe of his tribe *hat come to pronounce his eu-. iogium. f. >, After the breath is departed, the body is dr^fled in the fame attire it ufually wore whilft living, his face is painted, and he feated in an ered pofture on a mat or fkin, placed in the middle of the hut,' with his weapons by his fide. His relations being feated i i$2 CARVER'S TftAVELSF. \ , ' round, each harangues in turn the deceafed ; and if he has been a great warrior, recounts his heroic ad^ions nearly to the foilQ'wing purport, which in the Indian language is extremely poetical and plea- iing: ■ / C* «( (C c» c« it " You dill fit stmong*iis, firtJther ; your perfon retains its qfual refemblance, and continues fimi- lar to ours, without anyvifible deficiency, except that it has loft the power of adion. But whether is that jbrtiath llbwitv virbith » few bwjrs agc^ fent up fmoke to the Great Spirit ? Why are thofe lips iilent, that lately delivered to us expreflive and pleafing language ? why are thofe feet mdtioniefs, that a-fhott time ago were fleeter than the deer on yondiifr itiountains ? why ufelicfs hang tii'ofe arma *•' that could cjirtib the talleft ttce, of draw thfe •* tougheft boi«? Aras"! every part of that iframe ** which we lately behield with admiraiiott Md \i»^on- •* deif, is now become sts' inanimate ats it ^fris three *• hurnlrcd' winters ago. We wili not, howeVeY, *' bemoan thee as if thou v^aff fof evfet" Ibft' tb us, or that thy name would be buried in oblivion ; thy foul yet lives in the great Country of Spirits, v^'nh thofe ofthy nation that are gone befbre thee ; dnd though we are left behind to pcfrjietuafte thy *• fame, we (hall otie day join thee. Actuated' by " the r^fpeft we bore thee whilft living, we now ** come to render to thee the lail adl of kindnefs it ' is in our power to beftow : that the body might not \iii negleded on the plarn,^ and become a prey to the beads of the field, or the fowls of the air, we will take care to lay it with thofe ofthy pre- deceflbrs who are gone before thee ; hopii^gat the fame time, that thy fpirit will flscd with their fpirits, and be ready to receive ours, v>hen we aifo iliaU arrive at the great Country of Sbuls.-* ct «( te 4« 4C «t CARVER'S TRAVEX* 8, •, V- as, J^ (hprt fpeeches fom^wbat fimilar t<5 this does every chief fpeak ihf praifes of his departed friend* When they have fo do^e, if they ha^ppen to be at 9 grejit di(l3ncp from the place of int^rm^nt, appro* priate4 to their tribe, and jthe perfon die^ during th^ yjinter feafon, they m^p the body in (kins, and lay }t on a high ftagc built.fpjr this purppfe, or on the branjchc^ipf a, larg^ tree» j^ill the faring arrives. They then^after the manner defcrijbjedin n»y joyrnal, carry it, jpgfthef syith all th^fp ponging to the fani« nation, to the general burial-place; where it is in- terfed witi^ (p^i)e otheT c^reipppie^ thai I could not When the N^^udowefTie? hronght their dead for intemieiit to the great <;avi?, I attempted to g§t an infight into the remaining burial rites ; but whether it was on account of the flench which arofe from fo m^iny l>odjes, t!?e weather being then hot, or whe-^ th^r they chpfe to J^^^p jhU pi»rt of their (^uftomg fecret from me, I ppuld not difcover ; I found, how^- ever, t^^t they confidered my cnriofity ^1 iU-timed, and therefor^, l^ithfjrew* ;rw c '• After the intefment» the band to which thepe/foii belpngs, talj^a pare to fix near the place fuch hiero- glyphics g? (h?U flje^y to fi|ture sges hi? n^erit and accomplifhments. If any of thefe pebple die in the fumtner; at a diftance Ironi the bwrying-groupd, and they ^n4 i^ inipoiTible to remove the body bef fore it putrpfie$» they byrn the tle(h froni the bones, and prefe^Ving the latter, b^ry thetn in the manner defctibed. . , As the Indi^ps believe th%t the foul$ of the deceaf- ed employ ^hprnfelvfisi in the f^me manner ' in the country of fpirit^, 9s th?y did on e?rtb, th^t they acquire their fpqd l?y hwt«^gi ?»nd h5|v« there, alfo» f !■■! a84 CARVER'. TRAVEL8. ' ' enemies to contend ^rith, they take care that they do not enter thofe regions defencelefs and , unprovl. ded : they confequently bury with them their bows, their arrows, and all the otlier weapons ufed either in hunting or war. As they doubt not but they will likewife have occafion both for the necefiaries of life, and thofe things they edeem as ornaments, they ufually depofitiin their tombs fuch (kins or Ouffs as they commonly make their garments of, domeftic utenlils, and paint for ornamenting their perfons. The near relations of the deceafed l^ment^his lofs with an appearance of great forruw and anguifli i they weep and howl, and makeufe of many contor- tions, as they fit in the hut or tent around the body, when the intervals between the praifes of the chiefs will permit. One formality in mourning for the dead among the Naudoweflies, is very differeiit from any mode I obferved in the other nations through which I paS ed. The men, to (hew how gteat their forrow is, pierce the ilefh of their arms, above the elbows, with arrows ; the fears of which 1 could perceive on thofe of every rank, in a greater or lefler degree j and the women cut and ga(h their legs with (harp bro- ken flints, till the blood flows very plentifully. Whilft I remained among them, a couple, whofe tent was adjacent to mine, loft a fon of about four years of age. The parents were fo ihuch affeded at the death of their favourite child, that they purfued the ufual teftimonies of grief with fuch uncommon rigour, as, through the weight of forrow and lofs of bfood, to occafion the death of the father. The woman, who had been hitherto inconfolable, no fooner faw her hufband expire, than fhe dried up her tears, and appeared cheerfal and refigned. . ^. CARVER?! TRAVELS. 285 As I knew not how .to account for (o extraordi- nary a tranfition, 1 took an opportunity to aflc her the reafon of it ; telling her, at the fame time, that I (hould have imagine(;l thelofs of her huCband would rather have occationed 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 in the country of fpirits, both (he and her hufband had been apprehenfive that its iiruation would be far from happy ; but no fooner did fhe behold the father depart for the fame place, who not only loved the child with the tendered afFedtion, but was a good hunter, and would be able to provide plentifully for its fupport, than (he ceafed to mourn. She added, thsit (he now faw no reafon to continue her tears, as the child on whom (he doted was happy under the care and prote£):ion of a fond father, and (he had only one wi(h that remained ungratified, which was that of being herfelf whh them. ; ^ Expre(fions fo replete with una(Fefted tendernefs, and fentiments that would have done honour to a Roman matron, made an impredion on my mind greatly in favour of the people to whom (lie belonged, and tended not a little to counteract the prejudices I had hhherto entertained, in common with every other traveller, of Indian infenfibility and want of parental tendernefs. , , Her fubfequent conduft confirmed the favourable opinion I had jud imbibed; and convinced me that, notwithdanding this apparent fufpenlion of her grief, fome particles of that reluftance, to be feparated frbm a beloved relation, which is implanted either by nature or cuiiom in every human heart, dill ^ Qo a86 CARVER'S TRAVELS. lurked in hers. I obferved that (he went atmofl 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 oflF a lock of her hair, and throwing it on the grbund, in a plaintive, melanchc ly fong bemoaned its fate. A recapitulation of the aflions he might have performed, had his little life been fpared, appeared to be her favourite theme; and whilft (he foretold the fame that would have at- tended an imitation of his father's virtues, her grief feemed to be fufpendcd : *• If thou hadft continued with us, my dearfon," >vould ihe cry, " how well would the bow havebe- '* come thy hand, and how fatal would thy arrows •' have proved to the enemies of our bands. Thou ** wouldft often have drank their blood, and eaten •* their flefli, and numerous flaves would have re- *' warded thy toils. With a nervous arm wouldft *' thou have feized the wounded buffalo, or have *' combated the fury of the enraged bear. Thou *' wouldft have overtaken the flying elk, and have ** kept pace on the mountain's brow with the fleet- ^' eft deer. What feats mighteft thou not have per- ^* formed, hadft thou ftaid among us till age had • ** given thee ftrength, and thy father had inftrudted *' thee in every Indian accomplifhment I" In terms like thefe did this untutored favage bewale the lofs of her fori, and frequently would (he pafs the greated part of the night in the affectionate employ. The Indians in general are very ftridt in the ob- fervance of their laws relative to mourning for their dead. In fome nations they cut off their hair, blacken their faces, and fit in an ere;^ pofture, with their heads clofely covered, and depriving themfelves of every pleafure. This feverity is continued for fe- yeral months, and with fome relaxations the appear- CARVER»i TRAVELS. ance is fometimes kept up for feveral years. I was told that when the Naudoweffies recollefted any in- cidents of the lives of their deceafed relations, cveii . after an intervalof ten years, they would howl fo as ' . to be heard at a great diftance. They would fome- times continue this proof of refpeft and afFeftion for feveral hours ; and if it happened that the thought occurred, and the noife was begun towards the even- ing, thofe of their tribe who are at hand would joia with them. 1 1 288 CARVER'S TRAVELS. CHAPTER XVI. jd conci/e Chara^cr of the Indians; X HE chara^er of the Indians, like that of other uncivilized nations, is compofed of a mixture of ferocity arfd gentlenefs. They ate at once guided by pafliohs and appetites, v'hich they hold in com- mon with the fiercefl beads that inhabit their woods, and are poiTeff&d of (irtues which dd honour to hu- man nature. In the following edimatej fliall endeavour to forget on the one hand the prejudices of Europeans, who ufually annex to the word Indian, epithets that are difgraceful to human nature, and who view them in no other light than as lavages and cannibals ; whilfl: with equal care I avoid any partiality towards them, ' as fome niuft naturally arife from the favourable re- ception l' met with during my Aay among them. At the fame time I fhall confine my remarks to the nations inhabiting only the weftern regions, fuch as the Naudoweflies, the Ottaagaumies, the Chipeways, theWinnebagoes, and theSaukies; for as throughout that diveriity of climates the exienlive continent of* America is compcfed of, there are people of dilFe- CARVER'* TRAVELS. s8^ rent dlfpofitions and various characters, it would be incompatible with my prefent ur !ertakin{i; to treat of all thefe, and to give a general view of them as a conjunctive body. That the Indians are of a cruel, revengeful, inex- orabie difpofition, that they will watch whole days unmindful of the calls of nature, and make their way through pathlefs, and almoft unbounded woods, fubfiiting 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 un- happily fall into their hands, and receive a diaboli- cal pleafure from the tortures they inHidt on their prifoners, I readily grant ; but let us look on the re« verfe of this terrifying picture, and we (hall find them temperate both in their diet and potations (it mufl: be remembered that I fpeak of thofe tribes who have little communication with Europeans,) that they with- (land, with unexampled patience, the attacks of hun- ger, or the inclemency of the feafons, and efleem the gratification of their appetites but as a feconda- ry confideratioR. We (hall likewife fee them focial and humane to thofe whom they confider as their friends, and even to their adopted enemies; and ready to partake with them of the lad morfel^ or to ri& their lives in their defence. In contradiction to the report of many other tra- vellers, ail of whom have been tinctured with pre- judice, 1 can alFert, that notwithftanding the appa- rent indifference with which an Indian meets his wife and children after a long abfence, an indiffe- rence proceeding from cuftom rather than infjenfibi- lity, he is not unmindful of the claims either of con- nnbial or parental tendernefs ; the liftle ftory I have: V w CARVER'S TRAVELS. m \ introduced in the preceding chapter, of the Naudo. weflie woman Jamenting her child, and the immature death of the father, will elucidate this point, and enforce the aflertion much better than the moit flu. died arguments I can make ufe of. Accuftcmed from their youth to innumerable bardihipt, they foon become fuperior to a fenfe of danger, or the dread of death ; and their fortitude, implanted by nature, and nurtured by example, by precept and accident, never experiences a moment's allay. > - Though flothful and inadive while their (lore of proviiions remain unexhaufted, and their foes are at a diftance, they are indefatigable and perfevering in purfuit of their game, or in circumventing their enemies. If they are artful and defigning, L'nd ready' to take every advantage, if they are cool and deliberate in their councils, and cautious in the extreme, either of difcoyering their fentiments, or of revealing ^ fecret, they might at the fame time boaft of poflefling qua- lifications of a more animated nature, of the faga- city of a hound, the penetrating fight of a lynx, the cunning of a fox, the agility of a bounding roe;, and the unconquerable fiercenefs of a tiger. ^: In their public characters, as forming part of a community, they polfefs an attachment for that band to which they belong, unknown to the inhabitants of any other country. They combine, as if they were aduated only by one foul, againfl the enemies of their nation, and banifh from their minds every confideration oppofed to this. I * CARVER'S TRAVELS. s»i They confult without unneceiTiry oppofitioD, or without giving way to the excitements of envy or ambition, on the meafurei neceflary to be puifued for the de(lru£lion of thofe who have drawn on them- felves their difpieafure. No feliifh views ever in- fluence their advice, or obftrudt their confultationi. Nor is it in the power of bribes or threats to dimi- nifh the love they bear to their country. The honour of their tribe, and the welfare of their nation, is the firfl and mod predominant emotion of their hearts ; and from thence proceed in a great meafure ail their virtues and their vices. AQuated by this, they brave every danger, endure the mod exquifite torments, and expire triumphant in their fortitude, not as a perfonal qualification, but at a national character idic. From thefe alfo flow that infatiable revenge to- wards thofe with whom they are at war, and all the confequent horrors that difgrace their name. Their uncultivated mind being incapable of judging of the propriety of an adtion, in oppofition to their paflions, which are totally infenfibie to the controuls of reafon or humanity, they know not how to l^eep their fury within any bounds, and confequently that courage and refolution, which would other wife do them honour, degenerates into a favage ferocity. ' But this (hort diflertation mud. fuffice : the limits of my work will not permit me to treat the fubje£l; more copioufl^, or to purfue it with a logical regu- larity. The obfervations already made by my rea- ders, on the preceding paiges, will, I trud, render it unneceiTary *, as by them they will be enabled to form a tolerably jud idea of the people I have been de- fcribing. Experience' teaches, that anecdotes, and relations of particular events, however trifling they 992 CARVER'S TRAVELS. might appear, enable us to form a truer judgment of the manners and cultoms of a people, and are much more declarafory of their real ftate, than the moft,ftudie4.and elaborate dilquifition, without thefe aids. '; " ' " •'--.'- • ''' -' ' ' i ' • • r ?•- I>: •/ ' -;■'•. v«. CARVER'S TRAVELS, ap3 dgment ■ md are H lan the ■ ut thefe ■ • ..,i.!V. '; ■ .. ;, X . 1 CHAPTER XVII. 1 1 Of their Language, Hieroglyphicsy &5*f. ' ■. 1 r^. X HE principal languages of the natives of North-America may be divided into four clafles* as they conlift of fuch as are made ufe of by the nations of the Iroquois towards the eadern parts of i"^ the Chipeways or Algonkins to the north- weft, the Naudoweifies to the weft, and the Cherokees, Chic- kafaws, &c. to the foiith. One or other of thefe four are ufed by all the Indians who inhabit the parts that lie between the coaft of Labrador north, the Floridas fouth, the Atlantic Ocean eaft, and, as far as we can judge from the difcoveries hitherto made, the Padnc 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 every tribe, dwelling about the great lakes,' or to the weft ward of thefe on the banks of the Mifliffippi, with thofe as far fottth as the Ohio, and as far north as Hudfon's Bay,, con- fifting of more than thirty different tribesHpeak this language alone in their councils, notwithftand- ing each has a peculiar one of their own. f . • \ 294 CAltVER's TRAVELS. It will probably in time become unlverfal among all the Indian nations, as none of them attempt to make excuriions to any great diftance, or are con- fidered as qualified to carry on any negociation with a diftant band, unlefs they have acquired the Chipe- way tongue. - . At prefer. t, befu'es the Chipeways, to whom it is natural, the Oitawaws, Saukies, the Ottagau- mies, the Killiftinoes, the Nipegons, the bands about Lake Le Pluye, and the remains of the Al- goiikins, or Gens de Terre, all converfe in it, with ibme little variation of dialed ; but whether it be, natural to thofe nations, or acquired, I was not able to difcover. I am however of opinion that the barbarous and uncouth dialed of the Winnebagoes, the Menomonies, and many other tribes, will be- come in time totally extiud, and this be adopted in its Head., .s-. --,;,». , u .f.>^ !■> • :.,.;', . _ ■ ■* ■" ■ . ■ ■ •,-•'- ' ,■"'■"■' ■ ■■ ■"'•" The Chipeway tongue is not encumbered with «ny unneceifary tones or accents, neither are there any words in it that are fuperfluous ; it is alio eafy to pronounce, and much more copious than any other Indian language. As the Indians are unacquainted with the polite arts, or with the fciences, and as they are ftrangers to ceremony, or compliment, they neither have nor need an infinity of words wherewith to embellifh their difcourfe. Plain and unpolifhed in their man- ners, they only make ufe of fuch as lerve to deno- minate the neceflfaries or convepienees of life, and to exprefs their wants, which in a ilate of nature can be but few. :i«,l^."'*t ! V"; I have, annexed hereto afhort vocabulary of the Chipeway language, and another of that oCtheNau- CARVER'S TRAVELS. «95 doweffies, but am not able to reduce them to the rules of grammar., ..i >. The latter is fpoken in a foft accent, without any guttural founds, fo that it may be learnt with faci- lity, and is not difficult either to be pronounced or writt^. It is nearly as copious and expreffive as the Chipeway tongue, and is the moft prevailing language of any on the weftcrn banks of the Mif- fiffippi ; being in ule, according to their account, ^ among all the nations that lie to the north of the Mefforie, and extend as far wtft as the fjiores ofth? Paci^c Ocean. . tu "iiO As the Indians are not acquainted with letters, it is very difficult to convey with precifion the exadl found of their words ; *I have however endeavoured to write them as near to the manner in which they are exprefled, as fuch an uncertain mode will adr mit of, '\ '■ ..-•-. '■■ . / ' ' ', ■ ' Although the Indians cannot communicate their ideas by writing, yet they form certain hiei oglyphics, which, in fome meafure, ferve to perpetuate any" extraordinary tranfaftion, or uncommon event. Thus, when they are on their excurfions, apd either intend to proceed, or have been on any remarkable enterprife, they peel the bark from the trees which lie in their way, to give intelligence to thofe parlies that happen to be at a didance, of the path they mud purfue to overtake them. .,.,.^ ,,,..,,, ,, .,.: i The following inftance will convey a more perfect idea of the methods they make ufe of on this occa- fion, than any exprelTion I can frame. When I left the MiflifTippi, and proceeded up the Chipeway River, in my way to Lake Superior, 'i\s . t- 39^ CARVER'i TRAVELS. 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 juil entered, fearing that feme parties of the NaudoweiHes, with whom this nation is perpetually at war, might ac- cidentally fall in with us^ and before they were ap- prifed of my being ia company, do us fonie mifchief, he took the following fteps. : ' He peeled the bark from a large tree, near the entrance of a river, and with wood-coail, mixed with bear's greafe, the ufual fubftitute for ink; made in an uncouth, but expreflive mannbr; the figure of the town of the Ottagaurnies. He then formed to the left a man dreiTed in (kins, by which he intended to reprefeht a Naudoweilie, y/hh a line drawn front his mouth to tliat of a deer, the fymbol of the Chi- peways. Aftetthis he depifted ftill ftirther to the left a canoe as proceeding up the river, in which he placed a man lit ting ^ith a hat on ; this figure was defigned to reprefent an Englifhman,' or myfelf; and my Frenchman was drawn with si handkerchief tied routed his head, and rowing the caiioe ; to thefe he added feveral other iignificant emblems, , among which the Pipe of Peace appeared painted on the prow of the canoe, ' ' •* ; ' ' ; The meaning he intended to convey to the Nau- dowedies, and which I doubt not appeared perfedly intelligible to them, was, that one of the Chipeviay chiefs had received a fpeech from fome NaudoweiTie chiefs, at the town of the Ottagaurnies, defiring him to condud the Englifhmah, who had lately been among them, up the Chipeway rivet-j and that they thereby required, that the Chipeway, nolwithftand- ing he was an avowed enemy, fhou Id not be mo- lefted by them on his pafTage, as he had the care of a perfon whom they elteemed as one of their nation. T V. CARVER't TjtAVEtS. 197 Some authors have pretended iuzt the Indians have armorial hearings, which they blazon wit^ great exaQnefs, and which' didinguiOi one nation from another ; but I never could obferve any other arms among them than the fymbols already defcribed. ii;> i^ajp rjjfl o;. <^-\' 3'i>^.ii" 'iqo^fi £01.' ♦ M-;» ■ •T f.. ■-■.,-. - , *.'"'•• , ' ^ .A'-'^., ' !^* " ■'•■•f*v---- , v.. . .... ■,** .,f ■♦■■■ :■ :.tT^' ;>-.d?. . *• ; .'^^i^ M.I 1 ' M" ■ •' t ... ^». .-- ... 1 _ . _^ ^^ » )' ' . - '~ .r>. r . f .' . .- ■"•••"■• « * - - ''. ;iW' J i *^t<.,r. /I H 29$ ' CARVER'i TRAVEI^S, A Jhort Vocabulary of th^ Chipeway. ■•m^* Language* '''^''^'\ JN", B, This people do not make ufe either of the confonants F» or F. Above Spmink Abandon Packiton , Admirable Pildwah Afterwards Mipidach All Kokinum Always Kokah Amifs Napitch Arrive Takouchin Axe Agacwet Aftes . Pingoe Affift j^awinewah ft B Ball Ale win Bag, or tobacco- po.uch Cafpetaivgan Barrel Oweniowgan Beat Pakhite Bear Mackwah Bear, a young oiie Makon Beaver Amik Beaver's fkin Afiminiq'ue Tftpaie ^e, or to be CARVER'S TRAVELS. Beard Becaufe Believe Belly Black Blood Body • Bottle Brother Brandy or Rum Bread Breech Breeches Buck Mi/chiton Mewtnch Tilerima Mijhemout ' Markaute M'tJkovD Toe '■ ' Shijhego Neconnis ScuitaivaijUbah '.'^^ Pabaujhigan J^fx^y^: Mi/cou/ab Vi^v,!^: Kipokitie Koufah : Wajkeich • • ..I \i. 'Uli0 '•-«l Canoe Call Chief, a Carry Child or Children Coat Cold, I am Come on Come to Comrade Concerned Corn ■V-, Cheman Tejhenekaw Okemaw Peton Bobelojhin Capotewam Kekalch Moppa Pemotcba Neechee Tallemift Melomin Covering, or-a Blanket Wawbeivion Country Endawlawkesn Courage Tagivawmijjt Cup _. Olawgan ■iMn ■ Tr- ''■ ■ 1..,-. ■ .'■■■»■ DaUce Dart Nemeb Shefljikwee -'./I" io* fcARVER'i TRAVELS. Die, to Nip Difli • Mackdan Bog Mm Dead hieepo Devil, or evil Spirit Matcbo- Maniiou Dog, a little one Alemon Done, it is done Shiab Bo . Tnjhiton . Doubtl^fs OntclaiotibdHi Drefs the kettle PouHoah Drink Minlkwah Drunkeol Quifquiba Duck Chickhip Earth Aukwiti Eat OwUftne Each Papegik Englifii Sagaumjh Enough Equal, or alike Efteem Mimilic Tawbi/couch Nawpetellmaw Eyes Wifiinkhie F Faft Waliebic fall , Ponktfin Far off tVat/av) Fat Pimmitiee Friend Niconnis Father Nopfah Few, or little Maungis Fatigued Field (own Taukwiffi Kittegaumic Fire Scutta ■ "I'fl , I' CARVER'S TRAVELS. 30 X Fire, toftrike , Scuiecke ; Find V Naniounawaw Fifti Kickon Fork • Naffawokwot Formerly ;.v Pirwego Fort . > Wakaigon Forward Nopawink French ' ^ Nechiegoojh Freeze, to Kiftn Freezes hard Full Kijftn Magai Mou/kinet Fufee or Gun , Pajkejffgan 1 , ^ •; .'. G 1 God, or the Gr6at Spirit Kitchi Manitou Go by water Pimmifcaw Girl yeckwaj/in Give Millaw Glafs, a mirror Wawbemo Good Caivlatch Good for nothing ' Malatal Govern Tibarimaw General, or Command- 1 der in Chief S Kiichi Okimaw Simauganijh Grapes Shoamin Great ' ^ Manatou Greedy Saivfawklffi Guts . ~ Olawbijh • Hare Wawpoos Heart Michewab Hate Shingaurimav) Half / Nowbal \ Q.4 •/ lot CARVER'S travels: Hair, human Hair of beafts Handfome Have Head Beaven Herb .. Here Hidden Home Honour Hot How How many Hunt Hut, or houfe V • Indians ^ . Iron Ifland , Immediately Indian Corn Intirely Impoftor • It might be fo .' J Lifts Pewal ■■■■ Canoginnc Tandaulaiu Oujlecottan Speminkakwin Mejajk j^conda Kemotich ' Eniayent Mackawalaw Ake/hotta Tawne Tawnemilik Ktwajfa Wig Waum K Kettle King, or Chief Keep Knife Knife that is crooked Know IJhinawbab Pewawbick Mints , . Webaich Miiiawmin . iNawpitcb MaivlawtiJJic "Tawneendo Ackikons - Ohmaw Ganwerimaw Mockoman Cootawgon 'Thickeremaw .'\ ii-,-- 'if :, <:arver's travels. 303 • Gi i. '' Lake • ' S . Laugh -^ Lazy Lame Leave '- , ♦ Letter Lif^ v • ' Love Long fince Lofe Land Carriage Lie duwn Little Kitchigawmink Pawpi Kittimi Kikekatc Pockiton Maw/ignangon Nouchimowin Saukie Shawjl}ia Hackilau':(ue Cappatawgon Weepemaiv Waubqjleen •t-'*. V*", ■5* • t Meat Much ' Man March, to go Marry Medicine Merchandife Moon Mortar, to pound in Male Miftrels Needle Near ■ M . Weas ' Nihbilaiu j^Uijftnape Pimmoujfte Majkikic jilokochigon Pebkot Poutawgon Nape Neremoufin N ' , Shawbonkin Pcwitch ' J '• 1 304 CARVER'i TRAVELS. t Nation * Ir'mee - Never • Cawikkaw Night ^Debicot » No >. ^^w * Nofe . ror/j . Nothing Kakego Not yet Kawmifchi ^ Not at all Kagutcb ^ . • • • Nought, good for nothing Malatat • ■■* ■" '': ■ Old Kauicefhine * " Otter / iV//&*i* ^ • : Other • * " ; Coutack ■ ■ p ". :. . - • Pipe s Poagan I Part, what part tawnapee Play Packeigo Powder, Gun, or duft Pingo ' Peace, to make Pecacotiche « • Pray Tawlaimia , Proper Sawfega ^' . Prefently ^ y Webatch ^ Peninfula Minnijfm Quick > ' Kegotek ■,;v- ■■.■;'■; ■ R * • - * Regard • >• Wawbomo Red " Afj/2:ow t* ' .■ Refolve Ttbelindon ■Relation Towwemaw t r CARVER*! TRAVELS. t^S Refpea Tawbawmica * ' '. Rain Kimmewan Robe Ockolaw ' • / River / Sippim ' * .; Run> to FiUhebot Talimijii . Sad ' • Sail . • Pemifcaw Sack, or Bag Majkimot Sea, or large Lake Shoes ^^ jlgaakitchigawmin]^ maukijftn Ship, or large Canoe Kitchi Cheman Sorry Nifcottifte Spirit Manitou Spoon Mickwon Star ■•> Alank Steal . V * Kemautin Stockings ,. ' Mittaus Strong Majhkauwab Sturgeon. , ' Lawmack Sun v, : • Kiffu Sword Simaugan . Etivah, Etwab ' ' Surprifing See Wawbemo * -^ Since Mapedoch Shirt 4 Papawkwean -^T Slave Wackan -» Sleep , Nippee Sit down '■ , Mintepin • T Take * Emaundab Teeth Ttbbit .'r That Mawbab \ " 3cft There This Truly Together Tt)bacco Tongue Tired Too little Too much Thank you CARVER'S TRAVELS, ^. : • ■? ■■■ Watfaudebi . ' , Maundah Ktkit Mawmawwee • : *.,v Semau Outon 7twkori/ie Ofaunwmngis - , OJjuune ^U'(watch Waw-unk To-morrow To-morrow, the day after Ou/wawbtink Wi\rriors Water War Way V7cll then ! What is that ? What now ? . Whence Where White Who is there? Wind Winter Woman ' v Wood Wolf Sc?nauganaujh JSebbt „ Nantaubaulaw Mickon ^auneendah / Vt^awiveium ? . J^agonie ? Ta''mppi ' , Tab ' Waube ^agonie Maubab f Loutin I . Pepoun Ickwee ' Mittic Mawbingon Yefterday Yet Young Yellow Pctchilawgo A'linnczvatcb WiJconnekiJJl Waz,zo CARVER'S TRAVELS. $0!l The Numerical Terms of the Chipeways, -. One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twenty Thirty Forty Fifty Sixty Seventy Eighty Ninety Hundred Thoufand •. ^'j-'" f-i 'i-f t* (-■ .%.\:.. \tify .».,-. SX"^'} ■-C hi inch . Niffou Neau ^, , Naran '" -'^ hingoutwajfou '^inchowajfoii l ■•* : . ■ Mittauffbu T MittauJJou Pafiik ."'■■ Ninchtawnaw Mffou Mittawnati} •: " INe'iu Mittawnaw 'Naran Mitt aw raw, ^ingoutwajjou Mit-l iawna S "i^inchowajfou Mii-') tawnaw > l^iJfowalpiuMittaw- ? naw S Shongajfou Mittaw- 7 naiv S Mitfaitjfou Mittaiv-? naw ' : '- J^ MittaiffjwMittati/-^ fou Mittawnaiv S ,v y, , i< •JO* CARVER'S TRAVELS. A fliort Vocabulary of the Naudoweffie- Lan- guage. htt Beaver Bu£Falo Bad Broach Bear, a M B AJhpaii) Chawhab Tawtongo Sbejah Muzahootoo Wahkonjhejab Canoe Cold Child, a Male Child, a^Female Come here * y^aahtoh Mechueiab Wechoakfeh Whacheekfeb Accooyouiyare Bead Deer Dog Negltjh Tohinjob Shungujh Eat Ears Echawmenaw l^tokab CARVER'S TRAVELS. ioi Eyes Evil Fire Father Frenchman Falls of Water Friend Good Give Go away EJhtike Shejah Paahtah Otah Neehieegujh Owah Menab Kitchiwah G Wqfhtah jiccQoyeh Accowah God, or the Great Spirit Wakon Gun Great Gold Hear . M Horle - ' . * Home, or domedic Houfe Heaven ({'i' Muzah Wakon Tongo Muzaba'm H Nookijhon Shuetongo Shuah Teebee Wojhtah Teebee Iron I, or me King, or Chief Kill Muzah Meoh K Otah Negujhtaugaw I' Rr 3 to CARVER'S TRAVELS. Little Long Lake Love Much More Moon Mouth Medal Mine Milk , Tongoom \ Tongo Meneb Ebivahmcab f fc M Otah Otenah Oweeh . Eeb Muzah Otab . Mcwab Etfawbob No Near N Heyah yeejiinaw O .~A Oh! ' , Hopiniyacbie I - :''* ■."■'•■...■■■ ' Pipe Pipe of Peace ' Shanuapaw ''" Sbanuapaw Wakm A.,-' t ' ■m'..;:'..:,-,. Rain ,> . r ,,c/, Gwab Meneb • Ring Round MuzajHohupab ■ Chupab CARVER' s TRAVELS. i Smoke ^'' ./' • Shaweah Salt water - •Menis ^eal? See, to V, 'V.V\ t, ' EJhtaw Sleep EJhteemo Snake Omlijljcaw Suh .■•_; v-.v' :*!';i] Paahtah ' . Spirit Wakon Spirituous Liquors Meneh Wakon Snow Sinnee Surpriling » ^, Hopiniayare Silver ; Muzaham sx*- Tobacco Talk Tree There Woman Wonderful Water ,. What Who is there ? Wicked Shaivfajfaw Owe be bin ' ' .Ocbaw ■ Dache .V Winnokejab .^'■^^■'m^ Hopiniyare Meneb •'• -. Tawgo ■ - . :. , .. . •, Taivgodacbe f ■"i Heyabatcbta You Young ., ;;. vc:.f>i>^^;:-:r V Cbee Bawpawnaw .; . i ■f R ,4, ! i. _■ ■- ■ n ''■'■? -fA ■ *♦■ HI % Ml ai^« CARVER'S TRAVELS. Wajhtab Chee Wakon Chee You are good You are a fpirit You are my good friend ^"^'^ Kitchiw.l,-^ i No good Heyah Wajhtah The Numerical Terms of the Naudoweffics. •*• * One Two Three Four Five' ' Six . . Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twenty Thirty Forty Fifty Sixty Seventy Eighty Ninety Hundred Thoufand ,.'•'; .1 Wonchaw 7awmonee Toboh SawbuUee Shawcoo Shawcopee Shahindohin Nebochunganon^ Wcgochunganong Wegochunganong Wegochuhganong Wegochunganong Wegothunganong Wegochunganong Wegochunganong Wegochunganong Wegochunganong Wegochunganong Opohng Wegochunganong Wonchaw Noompaw Tawmonce Tobob ' Sawbuitce Shawcoo Shawcopee Shahindohin . l^ebochunganong Opohng To this fhort vocabulary of the Naudoweflie lan- guage I (hall adjoin a fpecimen of the manner in which they unite their words. I have chofen for V. CARVER'S TRAVELS. 3»3 this purpofe a fhort fong, which they fing, with fome kind of melody, though not without any ap- pearance of poetical meafure, when they fet out on their hunting expeditions; and have given as near a tranflation as the difference of the idioms will permit. Meob accowah ejhtaw paatah negujhtawgawjhejah menah. Tonga Wakon meoh wojhta^ paatah accoowah* Hopiniyabie oweeh accooyee meohy wojhta patah otah iohinjob meob tee bee, I will rife before the fun, and afcend yonder hill, to fee the new light chafe away the vapours and dif- perfe the clouds*. Great Spirit, give me fuccefs. And when the fun is gone, lend me, oh moon, light fufHcient to guide me with fafety back to my tent laden with deer J ' . ' ^ ,i*}ffc •i, t 3'4' CARVER'S TRAVELS. Mk-, /,«,?? ii*f; CH-APTER XVill. ^'0/ Of ihc Bcnjls, Birds, FiJJjes, Reptiles, and Jnfc6ls, 'which arc found in the Interior Parts of North- ji?nerica. ■ 1 ' ; t i4 !.;1V ,*rf*'.S o F thefe I (hall, in the firfl: place, give a catalogue, and afterwards a defcription of fuch only as are either peculiar to this country, or which differ in feme material point from thofe that are to be met with in other realms. OF THE BEASTS. The Tiger, the Bear, Wolves, Foxes, Dogs, the Cat of the Mountain, the Wild Cat, the Buffalo, the Deer, the Elk, the Moofe, the Carraboo, the Carcajou, the Skunk, the Porcupine, the Hedge- Hog, the Woodchuck, the Racoon, the Marten, the Fifher, the MufcjUafh, Squirrels, Hares, Rab- bits, the Mole, the Wcafel, the Moufe, the Dor- Moufe, the Beaver, the Otter, the Mink, and Bats. CARVER'S TRAVELS. v$ The TIGER. The Tiger of America refembles in fliape thole of Africa and Alia, but is confuter- iibly fmaller. Nor does it appear to be lb fierce and ravenous as they are. The colour of it is a dark- ilh fallow, and it is entirely free from fjoots. I faw one on an ifland in the Chipeway River, of which I had a very good view, as it was at no great didance from me. It fat up on -its hinder pans like a dog ; and did not feeni either to be apprehenfive of our approach, or to difcover any ravenous inclinations. It is however very fcldoui to be ma with in tliis part of the world. The BEAR. Bears nre very numerous on this continent, but more particularly fo in the northern parts of it, and contribute to furnifh both food and beds for almofl: every Indian nation. Thofe of America differ in many rcfpeds from thofe either of Greenland or Ruflia, they being net only fomewhat fmaller, but timorous and inoffenfive, unlcfs they are pinched by hunger, or fmarting from a wound. The fight of a man terrifies them ; and a dog will put feveral to flight. They are extremely fond of grapes, and will climb to the top of the highed tree^ in quell of them. This kind of food renders their flefh exceflively rich, and finely flavoured ; and it is confequently preferred by the Inc^ians r^nd traders to that of any other animal. The fat is very uhite, and belides being fweet and v;holefome, is pMlefV^id of one valuable quality, which is, that it never cloys. The inhabitants of thele ])arts condanily anoiiit themfelves with it, and to its eiTicacy they in a great meafure owe their agility. T;i2 feafoii for hunting the bear is during the winter ; v/hen they take up their abode in hollov/ trees, or make ihemfeives dens in the roots of th-^Jc that ar:- bl^iwa down, the entrance of which they Hop up with branches of fir that lie fcattersd about. From thefe retreats it is ji(5 CA RVER»8 TRAVELS. faid they Air not while the weather continues fev^re, and as it is well known that they do not provide themfelves with food, they are fuppofed to be enab- led by nature to fubfift for fome months without it, and during this time to continue of the fame bulk. The WOLF. The Wolves of North-America are much lefsthan thofe. which are met with in other parts of the world, They have, however, in com- mon with the reft of their fpecies, a wildnefs in their looks, and a fiercenefs in their eyes ; notwith- ftanding 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 flelh of thofe ilain in battle. When they herd together, as they often do in the winter, they nsake a hideous and terrible noife. In thefe parts there a^**. two kinds ; one of which is of a fallow colour, the other of a dun, inclining to a black. The FOX. There are two fort of foxes in North- America, which differ only in their colour, one be- ing of a reddifh brown, the other of a grey ; thofe of the latter kind that are fouud near the river MilTiflippi, are extremely beautiful, tiieir hair being of a fine filver grey. . u DOGS. The dogs employed by the Indians in hunting appear to be all of the fame fpecies ; they carry their ears ere£t, and greatly refemble a wolf about the head. They are exceedingly ufeful to them in iheir hunting excurfions, and will attack the iierceft of the game they are in purfuit of. They are alfo remarkable for their fidelity to their matters j but being ill fed by them, are very troublcfome in their huts or tents. . V » CARVER'S TRAVELS. 3*7 The CAT of the Mountain. This creature is in fliape like a car, only much larger. The hair or fuf refembles alfo the fldn of that domeflick animal ; the colour however differs, for the former is of a red- dilh or orange cart, but grows lighter near the belly. The whole Ikin is beautified with black fpots of dif- ferent figures, of which thofe on the back are long, and thofe on the lower parts round. On the ears there are black ftripes. This creature is nearly as fierce as a leopard, but will feldoni attack a man. The BUFFALO. This heart, of whidi there are amazing numbers in thofe parts, is larger than an o:C, has ihort 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 a bunch on his back which begins at the haunches, and increafing gradually to the flwulders, reaches on to the neck. Both this excrefcence and its whole body are covered with long hair, or rather wool, of a dun or moufe colour, which is exceedingly valu- able, efpecially that on the fore part of the body. His head is larger than a bull's, with a very rtiorc neck} the breart is broad, and the body . decreafes towards the buttocks.' Thefe creatures will run away at the fight of a man, and a whole herd will make off when they perceive a fingle dog. The flerti of the biiifalo is excellent food, its hide ex- tremely ufeful, and the hair very proper for the nianufaQure of various articles. Ii:lf:il!l' m The DEER. There is but « one fpecies of deer in North-America, and thefe are higher and of a ilimmer make than thofe in Europe. I'heir Hrape is nearly the 'ame as the European, their colour of a deep fallow, and their horns very 'arge and branch- ing. This beaft k the Iwifteft on the American Sf '*V I S'8 CARVER'i TRAVE L S. f '.;"' plains, and they herd together as they do in cthei' countries. . .. - , The F.l.K jTfsaTly exceeds the deer in fize, beinpf in hulk tqiia.l to a hitrfe. Its body is fliaped like that of a tleer, only its tail is remarkably fhorr, be- inp not more than three inches long. The colour of its hair, which is f;rty, and not unlike that of a camel, but of a more reddifli call, 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 iit between them at the fame time. They are not fojked like thofe of a deer, but have all their teeth or branches on the outer edge. Nor does the form of thofe of the KIk refemble a deer's, the former be- ing flat, and ei'ghi or ten inches broad, whereas the latter are round and conliderably narrower. They Ihed their horns every year in the month of Febru- ary, and by Augull: their 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 (kin 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 almolf as enormous as that animal's; the Hem of them, however, is not quite fo wide, and they branch on both fides like thofe of a deer ; this creature alfo fheds them every year, "lliough its hi'ider parts are very broad, its tail is not above an inch long. It has feet and legs like a camel ; its head is about two feet lojig, its upper lip much larger than the under, and the noflrils of it are fo wide that a man might thruft his hand into them a conliderable way. The hair of the moofe is C ARVER'3 TRAVELS. 3*9 i'fght gny, mixed v ith a bl.ick fii red. If is very elaltic, for tbnuiih r he heaitn evff f" loiij::, it will retain its original (lu.pe. 'Ihe fl^fh is txcted'iig pood fond, ealy ol dir,rllion, and vtry nouriflnuu;. The nofe, or upper lip. which is large ami loul'e from the gums, is efltcmtd a gr-'ut delicacy, being of a firm confillercc, between marrow and griitle, and when proptrly drtflcd, alForils a rich and Uiici- ous difh. Irs hide is very proper lor itather, being thick and flrung, yet folt and pliable. 'I'he pnce uf this creature is always a trnr, which is fo expediti- ous, that it is exceeded in Iwif'tncls but by' few of its fellow inhabitants of thefe woods. It is generally found lit the forells, v here it ftcds on wok and buds. Though this creature is of the deer kind, it never herds as thofe do. Moft authors confound it with the elk, deer, or carraboo, but it is a fp^cies totally different, as might be difcovtred by attending to the defcription I have given of each. The CARRABOO. This beafl is not near fo tall as the moofe ; however, it is fomething like it in fliape, only rather more heavy, nml inclining to the form of the afs. The horns of it are not ilat, as thofe of the elk are, but round like thofe of the deer ; they alfo meet nearer topether at the extremities, rnd bend more over the face than either thofe of the e^lk or moofe. It partakes of the fwiftnefs of the deer, and is with difficulty overtaken by its purfuers. The ilefli of it is likev ife er,ually as good, the tongue particularly is in higii elleem. The fts-in i^eing fniooth and free from veins, is' as valuable as lliainoy. The CARCAJOU. This cren^ure, whicli is of the cat kind, is a terrible enemy to the preceding four fpecies of beads. He either comes upon theiu from fome concealment unperceived, or climbs up into a tree, and taking his ftaiion on fome of the S20 CARVER'S TRAVELS. branches, waits till one of them, driven by an ex- treme of heat or cold, takes (helter under it ; when he faftens upon his neck, and opening the jugular vein, foon brings his prey to the ground. This he is enabled to do by his long tail, with which he en- circles the body of his adverfary ; and the only means they have to (hun their fate, is by flying immedi- ately to the water ; by this method, as the carcajou has a great diflike to that element, he is fometimes got rid of before he can effbdl his purpofe. ^ The SKUNK. This is the molt extraordinary animal that the American woods prodiuce. It is ra- ther lefs than a pok-cat, and of the fame fpccies ; it is therefore often miftaken for that creature, but it is very different from it in many points. Its hair is long and fhining, variegated with large black and white fpots, the former moftly on the fhoulders and rump ; its tail is very bufhy, like that of the fox, part black, and part white like its body ; it lives chiefly in the woods and hedges ; but its extraordinary pow- ers are only fhewn when it is purfued. As foon as he finds himfelf in danger, he ejeds to a great dif- tance from behind, a fmall ftream of "water, of fo fubtile a nature, and at the fame time of fo powerful a fmell, that the air is tainted with it for half a mile in circumference; and his purfuers, whether men or dogs, being almoft fuffocated with the ftench, are obliged to give over the purfuit. On this account he is called by the French, Enfant du Diable, the Child of the Devil ; or Bete Puante, the Stinking Bead. It is alraofl impollible to defcribe the noi- fome effects of the liquid with which this creature is fupplied by nature for its defence. If a drop of it falls on your clothes, they are rendered fo difagrce- able that it is impoffible ever after to wear them ; or if any of it enters your eyelids, the pain becomes in- tolerable for a long time, and perhaps at laft lofe CARVER'S TRAVEXS. 3»» your fight. The fmell of the Ikunk, though thus to be dreaded, is not like that of a putrid carcafe, but a flrong foetid effluvia of mufl^, which difpleafes rather from its penetrating power than from its nau- feoufnefs. It is notwithltanding confidered as con- ducive to clear the head, and to raife the fpirits. This water is fuppofed by naturalifts to'be its urine: but I have difledled many of them that I have (hot, and have found within their bodies, near the urinal velFel, a fmall receptacle of water, totally diftinft from the bladder which contained the urine, and from which alone I am fatisfied the horrid (tench proceeds. After having taken out with great care the bag 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 proviiions, that are in it, unfit for ufe. With great juftice therefore do the French give it fiich a diabolical name. The PORCUPINE. The body of an Ameri- can porcupine is in bulk about the fize of a fmall dog, but it is both fliorter in length, and not fo high from the ground. It varies very much from thofe of other countries both in its fhape and the length of its quills. The former is like that of a fox, except the head, which is not fo fliarp and long, but refemblta more that of a rabbit. Its body is covered with hair of a dark brown, about' four in- ches long, great part of which are the thicknefs of a ftraw, and are termed us quills. Thefe are white, with black points, hollow and very ftrong, efpeci- ally thole 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 flefli in the lead degree, they will fink quite into it, and are not to be extracted without incifion. 322 CARVER'S TRAVELS. The Indians ufe them for boring their ears and nofeg, to infert their pendants, and alfo by wiy of oma- ment to their ftockings, hair, &c. belides which they greatiy efleeni the Ilefli. The WOOD CHUCiv is a ground animal of the fur kind, about the fize of" a marten, being nearly fifieen inchrs long -, its b -dy however is roun- der, and its legs fhorter ; the fore-paws oi it are broad, and coniiriicted for the purpofe of digging lioles in the ground, where it burrows like it rabbit; its fur is of a grey colour, on the reddilh call, and its flvili tolerable food. The RACOON is fomewhat lefs in fjze than a beaver, and its feet and let;s are like thofe of that creature, bat fliort in proportion to its body, which refcmbles that of a badger. The fliape of its head is much like a fox's, oily the ears are (hotter, more round and naked ; and its hair is alfo iimilar to that animal's, bemg thick, long, foft, and black at the ends. On its face there is a broad Itripe that runs acrofs it, and includes the eyes, which are large, fts muzzle is black, and at the end roundilh like that of a dog ; the teeth are alfo fimilar to thofe of a dog in number and fhape ; the fail is long and round, with annular ftripes on it like thofe of a cat ; the feet have five long (len- der toes, armed with (harp claws, by which it is enabled to climb up trees like a monkey, and to run to the very extremities of the boughs. It makes ufe of its fore-feet, in the manner of hands, and feeds itfelf with them. The fiefli of this creature is very good in the months of September and Oc- tober, when fruit and nuts, on which it likes to feed, ^re plenty. CARVER'S TRAVELS. 3»3 The MARTEN is rather , larjrer than a fquirrel, and lomewhat of the fame make ; its legs and claws, however, are conliderably (hotter. Its ears are fhort, broad, and roundifii, and its eyes fiiine in the night like thofe of a cat. The whole body is covered withfur of a brownifh fallow colour, and there are fome in the more northern parts which are black ; the (kin< of the latter are of much grea- ter value than the other. The tail is covered with long hair, which makes it appear thicker than it really is. Its ilelh is lometimes eaten, but is not in any great efteem. The MUSQUASH, or MUSK-RAT, is fo termed for the exquifite muik which it affords. It appears to be a diminutive of the beaver, being endowed with all the properties of that fagacious animal, and wants nothing but fize and ftrength, being not much bigger than a large rat of the Nor- way breed, to rival the creature it fo much refem- bles. Was it not for its tail, which is exactly the fame as that of an European rat, the ftruclure of their bodies is fo much alike, efpecially the head, that it might be taken for a fmall beaver. Like that creature it builds itfelf a cabin, but of a lefs perfed conftrudion, and takes up its abode near the fide of fome piece of water. In the Ipring they leave their retreats, and in pairs fubfilt on leaves and roots till the fuminer comes on, when they feed on itrawberries, rafberries, and fuch other fruits as they can reach. At the approach of winter they feparate, when each takes up its Ibdging 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. u., ■ i|nB| 1 iH il III ijl 1 H 11 lill IB e"'<«SHHiB 3«4 CARVER'S TRAVELS. SQUIRRELS. There are five forts of fquirreis in America; the red, the grey, the black, the va- riegated, and the flying. The two former are exadly the fame as thofe of Europe j the black are fomewhat larger, and differ from them only in colour ; the variegated alfo referable them in fhape and figure, but are very beautiful, being finely ftripped with white or grey, and fometimes with red and black. The American flying fquirrel is »nuch lefs than the European, being not above five inches long, and of a ruflet grey or afh-colour on the back, and white on the under parts. It has black prominent eyes, like thofe of the nioufe, with a long, flat, broad tail. By a membrane on each fide, which reaches from its fore to its hind legs, this creature is enabled to leap from one tree to another, eyen if they fland a confiderable diflance apart ; this loofe &in, which it is enabled to (Iretch 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 a$ the others, and is eafily tamed. The BEAVER. This creature has been fo often treated of, and his uncommon abilities fo minutely defcribed, that any further account of it will appear unneceflfary ; however, for the benefit of tiiofe 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 entirely without it, provided it has the convenience of fometimes bathing itfelf. The largeft 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 CARVER'S^ TRAVELS. 325 is pretty long, the eyes fmall, the ears fliort, 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 fingers, and the upper half a finger, all of which are broad, crooked, flrong and Iharp ; befides thofe teeth called the incifors, which grow double, are fet very deep in their jaws, and bend like the edge of an axe, they have fixteen grinders, eight on each fide, four above and four below, diredly oppofite to each other. With the former they are able to cut dovyn trees of a confiderable fize, with the latter to break the hardell fubftarices. Its legs are fliorr, particularly the fore-legs, which are only four or live inches long, and not unlike thofe of a badger ; the toes of the fore-feet arefeparate, the nails placed obliviuely, and are hollow like quills ; but the hind feet ar ? quit different, and furnilhed with mem- branes bf^'ween the toes. By this means it cart walk, though but flowly, and is able to fwim with Gs much eafe as any other aquatic animal. The tail has fomewhat in it that refembles a fifli, 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 fkin furnifhed with fcales, that are joined together by a pellicle ; the fcales are about the thicknefs of parchment, nearly a line and a half in length, and geneirally of a hsxagbnical figure, having fix corners ; it is about eleven or twelve inches in length, 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 gra- dually thinner and flatter to the end. 'Ihe colour of the beaver is different according 10 the different climates in which it is found. In the moil uonhern : ... . .... T t' . - -. -. m y'«tf CARVER'* TRAVELS. parts they are generally quite black ; in more tern, perate, 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 fhort ; that which is the longeft is generally in length about an inch, but on rhe back it fometimes extends to two inches^ gradually di- minifhing towards the head and tail. This part of the fur is harfh, eoarfe, and (hining, and of little life 'f the other part confifts of a very thick and fine down, fo foft that it feels almoft like filk, about three quarters of an inch in length, and is what is commonly manufaOured. Callor, which is ufeful in medicine, is produced from the body of this creature ; it was formerly believed to be its tefticles, but lat€r difcoveries have ihown that it is contained in four bags, fituated in the lower belly. Two of which, that are called the fuperior, from their being more elevated than the others, are filled with a foft, reiinous, adhefive matter, mixed with fmall fibres, greyilh without, and yellow within, of a flrong, difagreeable and penetrating fcent, and very in- flammable* This is the true caftoreum : it hardens m the air, and becomes brown, brittle, and friable. The inferior bags contain an unduous liquor like honey ^ the colour of which is a pale yellow, and its odour fomewhat different from the other, being rather weaker and more difagreeable ; it however thickens as it grows older, and at length becomes about the confidence of tallow. This has alfo its particular ufe in medicine y but it is not fo valuable as the true eaftoreum. ' ^ i v ^^ * The ingenuity of thefe creatures in building their cabins, and in providing for their fubfiflence, is truly wonderful. When they are about to choofe them- klves a habitation, they afTemble in companies ibmctimes of two or three hundred, and after mature §^ CARVER'S TRAVELS. 3«7 deliberation, fix on a place where plenty of pro- vifions and all neceiTaries are to be found. Their jhoufes axe always fituated in the water, and when they can find neither lake nor pond adjacent, they endeavour to fupply the defedl by flopping the cur- rent of fome brook or fmail river by means of a caufeway or dam. For this purpofe they fet about felling of trees, and they take care to choofe out thofe that grow about the place where they intend to build, that they may fwim down with the current. Having fixed upon thofe that are proper, three or four beavers placing themfelves round a large one^ find means with their ilrong teeth to bring it down. They alfo prudently contrive that ir (hall fall towards the water, that they may have the lefs way to carry it. After they have by a continuance of the fame labour and induftry, C4it it into proper lengths, they roll thefe into the water, and navigate them towards the place where they are to be employed. Without entering more minutely into the meafures they pur- fue in the con(lr«dlion of their dams, I fhall 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 conflru^fc them with as much folidity and regularity as the moft experien- ced workmen could do. The formation of their cabins 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 ex- tremity of fome point of land that advances into a lake. The figure of them is round or oval, and they are fafhioned with an ingenuity equal to their dams. Two thirds of the edifice (tand above the water, and ihis part is fufficiently capacious to con- tain eight or ten inhabitants. Each beaver has his place afligned him, the floor of which he curioufly 3*8 CARVER'S TRAVELS. ftrews with leaves, or fmall branches of the pine tree, fo as to render It clean and comfortable ; and their cabins are all fituated fo contiguous to each other, as to allow of an eafy communication. The win- ter never furprifes thefe animals before their bufiiicfs is completed ; for by the latter end of September their' houfes are finifhed, and their llock of prnvi- fions is generally laid in. Thefe conlift of fmall pieces of wood, whofe texture is foft, fuch as the poplar, the afpin, or willow, &c. which they lay up in piles, and difpofe in fuch a manner as to preferve their moifture. Was I to enumerate every inliance of fagacity thact is to be difcovered in thefe animals, they would fill a volume, and prove hot only enter- taining but inftrudive. ' The OTTER. This creature alfo is amphibi- ous, and greatly refembles a beaver, but is very diiFerent from it in many refpeds. Its body is near- ly as long as a beaver's, but confiderably lefs in all its parts. The muzzle, -eyes, and the form of the head, are nearly the fam^, but the teeth are very unlike, for the otter wants the large incifors or nip- pers that the beaver has ; inilead of thefe, all his teeth, without any diftindion, are fhaped like thofe of a dog or wolf. The hair alfo of the former is not half fo long as that belonging to the latter, nor is the colour of it exadly the fame, for the hair of an otter under the neck, ftomach, and belly, is more greyifli than that of a beaver, and in many other refpefls it likewife varies. This animal, which is met with in mod parts of the world, but in much greater numbers in North- America, is very mifchievous, and when he is clofely purfued, will not only attack dogs but inen. • . CARVER'S TRAVELS. S»S^ It generally feeds upon fifli, efpecially in the fiiinmer, bat ia the winter is contented with the bark of trees, or the produce of the fields. Its Hefh both taftes and fmells of fifh, and is not whol?- fome food, though it is fometimes eaten through aeceflliy. ..,•■■ .',.., /? .... .,; . ,.,-.,. The MINK is of the, otter kind, and fubfifls in the fame manner. In fhape and fize, it refembles a pole-cat, being equally long and flender. Its Ikin is blacker than that of an otter, or almofl; any other creature ; " as black as a mink," being a pro- verbial expreflion in America ; it is not, however, fo valuable, though this greatly depends on the feafon in which it is taken. Its tail is round like that of a fnake, but growing flattifti towards thg end, and is entirely without hair. An agreeable mufky fcent exhales from its body ; and it is met with near the fources of rivers, on whofe banks it chiefly lives. ^ . OF THE BIRDS. The Eagle, the Hawk, the Night Hawk, the Fifh Hawk, the Whipperwill, the Raven, the Crow, the Owl, Parrots, the Pelican, 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 C^ail, Pi- geons, the Snipe, Larks, the Woodpecker, the Cuc- koo, the Blue Jay, the Swallow, the Waken Bird, the Black Bird, the Red Bird, the Thrulli, the Whet- faw, the ITightingale, the King Bird, the Robin, f he Wren, and the Humming Bird. i III fSo CARVER'S TRAVELS. The EAGLE. There are only two forts of ea- gles in thefe parts, the bald and the grey, which are much the fame in (ize, and fimilar to the fliape of thofe of other countries. The NIGHT HAWK. This bird is of the hawk fpecies, its bill beini^ crooked, its wings formed tor fwiftnefs, and its ihape nearly like that of the common hawk, but in fize it is confiderably lefs, and in colour rather darker. It is fcarcely ever feen, but in the evening, when, at the approach of twi- light, it Hies about, and darts itfelf in wanton gam- bols at the head of the belated traveller. Before a thunder- ihower, thefe birds are feen at an amazing height in the air, aflembled together in great num- bers, as fwailows are obferved to do on the fame occasion. ■ -•'-■• ■"' ■ -'■■-^-; ^v -"- '^ <--. ■.^. :-•' v^'- ;- The WHIPPERWILL, or, as it is termed by the Indians, the Muckawifs. This extraordinary bird i^ fomewhat like the la(t mentioned in its ihape and colour, only it has fome whitilh flripes acrofs the wings, and like that is feldom ever feen till after fun-fet. It alfo is never met with but during the fpring and fummer months, As foon as the Indi- ans are informed by its notes of its return, they con- clude that the froll is entirely gone, in which they are feldom deceived, and on receiving this alTurance of milder weather, begin to fow their corn. It ac- quires its name by the noife it makes, which to the people of the colonies founds like the name they give it, Whipperwill ; to an Indian ear Muck-a-wifs. The words, it is true, are not unlike, but in this man- ner they llrike the imagination of both ; and the circumitance is a proof that the fame founds, if they are nc. rendered certain by being reduced to the r^les of orthography, n^ight convey different ideas CARVER'S TRAVELS. S3« (o different people. As foon as night conies on, thefe birds will range themfelves on the fenjes, ftumps, or ftones that lie near fome houfe, and re- peat their melancholy notes without any variation till midnight. The Indians, and fome of the inhabi- tants of the back fettlements, think, if this bird perches upon any houfe, that it betokens fome miihap to the inhabitants of it. The FISH HAWK greatly refembles the latter in its ihape, and receives his name from his food, which is generally fifh ; it ikims over the lakes and rivers, and fometimes feenis to lie expanded on the water, as he hovers fo clofe to it, and having by fome attra£live power drawn the fifh within its reach, darts fuddenly upon them. The charm it makes ufe of is fuppofed to be an oil contained in a fmall bag in the body, and which nature has by fome means or other fupplied him with the power of ufing for this purpofe ; it is however very certain that any ' bait touched with a drop of the oil colledled from this bird is an irrefiflible lure for all forts of fifh, and infures the angler great fuccefs. The OWL. The only fort of owls that is found on the banks of the MifTiffippi is extremely beauti- ful in its plumage, being of a fine deep yellow or gold colour, plsafingly fhaded and fjpotted. The CRANE. There is a kind of crane in thefe parts, which is called by Father Hennipin, a pelican, that is about the fize of the European crane, of a; greyifh colour, and with long legs ; but this fpecies differs from all others in its bill, which is about twelve inches long, and one inch and a 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. Hll>l»: 33« CARVER'j TRAVELS. DUCKS. Among a variety of wild duck^ the different fpecies of which amount to upward] of twenty, I fliall confine my defcription to ont: 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 perchin'T on the branches of trees, which no other kind of water fowl (a charaderiftic that this dill preferves) IS known to do. It is nearly of a fize with other ducks; its plumage is beautifully variegated, and very brilliant. The flefli of it alfo, as it feeds but little on ii(h, is finely flavoured, and mucb fuperior to any other fort. The TEAL. I have already remarked in my Journal, that the teal found on the Fox River, and the head branches of the MifTifTippi, are per. haps not to be equalled for the fatnefs and delicacy of their fiefh by any other in the world. In colour, fliape, and fize they are very little different from thofe found in other countries. »" , _ ... The LOON is a water fowl, fomewhat lefs than a teal, and is a fpecies of the dobchick. Its wings are fhort, and its legs and feet large in proportion to the body ; the colour of it is a dark brown, nearly approaching to black ; and as it feeds only on fifb, the flefh of it is very ill flavoured. Thefe birds are exceedingly nimble and expert at diving, fo tliat it is almofl impoflible for one perfon to fhoot them, as they will dextroufly avoid the fhot 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 its head out of the wa- ter, as it returns to the furface after diving. It however only repays the trouble taken to obtain it, by the excellent fport it aflfords. CfARVER'* TRAVELS. S5» The PARTRIDGE. There are three forts of partridges here, the brown, the red, and the black, the firfl of which is moft efleemed. They are all much brger than the European partridges, being nearly the iize 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 ere£t.; but contrary to the cuftom of thofe in other coun- tries, they will perch on the branches of the poplar and black birch, on the buds of which they feed, early in the morning, and in the twilight of the evening, during the winter moaths, when they are eafily (hot. The WOOD PIGEON is n-arly the fame as ours, and there are fuch prodigious quantities of them on the banks of the MiHinippi, that they will fometimes darken the fun for jCeyeral minutes. The WOODPECKER. This is a very beau- tiful bird ; there is one fort whofe feathers are a mix- ture of various colours ; and another that is brown all over the body, except the head and neck, which are of a fine red. As this bird is fuppofed to make a greater noife than ordinary at particular times, it is conje^ured his cries then denote rain. The BLUE JAY. This bird is (haped nearly like the J^uropean j?.y, only that its tail is longer. On the top of its head is 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 fides of the wings and tail, as well as the lower part of the b.ick and rump, are of a fine blue ; the extremities of the wings are blackifh, faintly tindured with dark blue on the edges, whilft the other parts of the wing are Uu P! ■'1 '"^ Iiiii • 1 1 11 1 ill 1 1 IP 33+ CARVER»s TRAVELS. barred acrofs with black in an elegant manner. Upon the whole, this bird can fcarcely be exceeded in beauty by any of the winged inhabitants oi this* or other climates. It has the fame jetting motion that jays generally have, and its cry is far more plcafing. \ ■ ■■ ■ ■ "■""■ The WAKON BIRD, as it is termed by the Indians, appears to be of the fame fpecies as the birds of paradife. The name they have given it is expreflive of its fiiperior excellence, and. the vene- ration they have for it ; the wakon bird being in their language, the bird of the Great Spirit. It is nearly the fize of a fwallow, of a brown colour, Ihaded about the neck with a bright green ; the ■wings are of a darker brown than the body ; its tail is compofed of four or five feathers, which are three times as long as its body, and which are beautifully ihaded with green and purple. It carries 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 ereOi pofition that bird fometimes docn. I never faw any pf thefe birds in the colonies, bm the Naudoweflie Indians caught feveral of thtm when I was in their country, and feemed to treat them as if they were of afuperior rank to any other of the feathered race. The BLACK BIRD. There are three forts of birds in North-America that bear this name ; the f rft is the common, or, as it is there termed, the crow black bird, which is quite black, and of the fame fize and fhape of thofe in Europe, but it has not tliat 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 rip&. The fecond fort is the red- •^'ing, which is rather fmaller than the firft fpecies, CARVER'S TRAVELS. 3JS but like it is black all over its body, except on the lower rim of the wings, where it is a fine, bright, full fcarlet. It builds its neft, and chiefly reforts among the fmall buflies that grow in meadows and low, fwampy places. It whiftles a few notes, but is not equal in its fong to the European black- bird. The third fort is of the fame fize as the lat- ter, and is jet black like that, but all the upper part of ihc; wing, juft below the back, is of a fine, clear vvhitc ; as if nature intended to diverfify the Jpecies, and to atone for the want of a melodious pipe by the beauty of its plumage ; for this alfo is deficient in itsmiifical powers. The beaks of every fort are of a full yellow, and the females of each of a rufty black like the European. The RED BIRD is about the fize of a fparrow, but with a long tail, and is all over of a bright vermilion colour. I faw many of them about the Ottawaw Lakes, but I could not learn that they fung. I alfo obferved, in fome other parts, a bird of much the fame make, that was entirely of a fine yellow. ■■ "* - - ■ '?^'. , "' , ■'•'■ ',■ - The WHETS AW is of the Guckoo kind, being, like that, a folitary bird, and fcarcely ever feen. In the fummer months it is heard in the groves, where it makes a noife like, the filing of a faw j from which it receives its name. The KING BIRD is like a fwallow, and feems to be of the fame fpecies as the black marten or fwift. It is called the King Bird; becaufe it is able to niafter almoft every bird that flies. I have often feen it bring down a hawk. The HUMMING BIRD. This beautiful bird, which is the fmallell of the feathered inhabitants of m 33^ CARVE R»y TRAVELS. ihe air, is about the third part the fize of a wren, and is (haped extremely like it. Its legs which are about an inch long, appear like two fmall needles, aud its body is proportionable to them. But its plumage exceeds defcription. On its head it has a fmall tuft of a jetty, fliining black j the breaft of it is red, the belly white, the back, wings, and tail of the fined pale green ; and fmall ipecks of gold are fcattered with inexprcffible grace over the whole : befides this, an almod imperceptible down foftens the colours, and produces th& mod pleaiing ftiades. With its bill, which is of the fame diminutive fize ' as the other parts of its body, it extracts from the Dowers a moiflure which is its hourifhment ; over thefe it hovers like a bee, but never lights on them, moving at the fame time its wings with fuch velo- city, that the motion of them is imperceptible ; not- withdanding which, they make a humming noife, from whence it receives its name. 0/ the FISHES whkh are found in ihe waters of the MiJfiffippL . ^ . I have already given a defcription of thofe that are taken in the great lakes. The Sturgeon, the Pout or Cat Fifti, the Pike, the Carp, and the Chub. The STURGEON. The frefh water fturgeon is (haped in no other refpeft like thole taken near the fea, except in the formation of its head and tail, which are fafhioned in the fame manner, but the body is not fo angulated, nor are there fo many horny fcales about it as on the latter. Its length is generally about two feet and a half or three feet long, but in circumfersnce not proportionable, be- CARVER'i TRAVELS. 337 ing a {lender fi(h. The flefli is exceedingly delicate and finely flavoured ; I caught fome in the h^ad wa- ters of the river St Croix that far exceeded trout. The manner of taking them is by watching them as they lye under the banks in a clear dream, and darting at them with a fifh-fpear ; for they will noc take a bait. There is alfo in the MiiTiflippi, and there only, another for^ than the fpecies I have def- cribed, which is fimihr to it ii> every refpeft, ex- cept that the upper jaw extends, fourteen or fifteen inches beyond the under ; this extenfive jaw, which is of a griftly fubflance, is three inches and a half broad, and continues of that breadth, fomewhat in the fhape of an oar, to the end, which is flat. The flefh of this fifb, however, is not to be compared with the other fort, and is not fo much eileemed even by the Indians. . > The CAT FISH. This fifh Is about eighteen inche long, of a brownifh colour, and without fcales; 't has a large round head, from 'whence it recei^ ^^ name, on different parts of which grow three or four flrong, fharp horns about two inches long. Its fins are alfo very bony and flrong^ and without great care will pierce the hands of thofe who take them. It weighs commonly about five or fix pcunds j the fiefli of it is exceedingly fat and lufcious, and greatly refembles that of an eel in its flavour. The CARP and CHUB are much the fame as thofe in England, and nearly about the fame in lize. OF SERPENTS. The Rattle Snake, the Long Black Snake, the Wall or Houfe Adder, the Striped or Garter Snake, 1 1 1 lUl 1 ilUH m™ ■ i| ill! H m f k !""".' !:» as?. CARVER'S TRAVELS. the Water Snake, the Hifling Snake, the Greeit ^Snake, the Thorn-tail Snake, the Speckled Snake, the Ring Snake, the Two-headed Snake. The RATTLE SNAKE. There appears to be two fpecies of this reptile j one of which is com- monly termed the Black, and the other the Yellow j and of thefe the latter is generally coniidered as the largefl. At their full growth they are upwards of five feet long, and the middle part of- the body, at which it is of the greated bulk, nieafures about nine inches round. From that part it gradually decrea- fes both towards the head and the tail. The neck IS proportionably very Jmall, and the head broad and deprefled. Thefe are of a light brown colour, the iris of the eye red, and all the upper part of the body brown, mixed with a ruddy yellow, and che- quered with many regular lines of a deep black, gradually fhading towards a gold colour. In fhort, the whole of this dangerous reptile is very beautiful, and could it be viewed with lefs terror, fuch a va- riegated arrangement of colours would be extremely pleafing. But thefe are only to be feen in their )iighe(t perfection at the time this creature is ani- mated by refentment ; then every tint ruflies from its fubcutaneous recefs, and gives the furface of the ikin a deeper (lain. 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 upper ,part. The rattle at its tail, from which it receives its name, is compofed of a firm, dry, callous, or horny fubftance, of a light brown, and confifts of a number of cells which articulate one within another, like joints ; and which increafe every year, and ,make known the age of the creature. Thefe arti- culations being very loofe, the included points ftrike againfl: the inner furface of the concave parts or rings into which they are admitted, and . ' V > » C A R V E R's TRAVELS. 339 as the fnake vibrates, or fliakes its tail, makes a rattling noife. This alarm is 'always given when it is apprehenlive of danger ; and in an inftant af- ter forms itfelf into a fpiral wreath ; in the cen- tre of which appears the head ereft, and breath- ing forth vengeance againft either man or beaft that (hall dare to come near it. In this attitude he awaits" the approach of his enemies, rattling his tail as he fees or hears them coming on. By this time- ly intimation, which heaven feems to have provided as a means to counteradl the mifchief this venomous reptile would otherwife be the perpetrator of, the unwary traveller is apprifed of his danger, and has an opportunity of avoiding it. It is however to be obfferved, that it never adts ofFenfively ; it neither purfues nor flies from any thing that approaches it, but lies in the poiition defcribed, rattling his tail, as if reluftant to hurt. The teeth with which this ferpent effeds his poifonous purpofes, are not thole he makes ufe of on ordinary occafions ; they are only two in number, very fmall and fharp pointed, and. fixed in a finewy fubflance that lies near the ex- tremity of the upper jaw, refembling the claws of a cat ; at^ the root of each of thefe, which might be extended, contraded, or entirely hidden, as need requires, are two fmall bladders, which nature has fo ccnflrudted, t.hat at .the fame inftant an incifion is made by the teeth,^ a drop of a greenifli, poifo- nous liquid enters the wound, and taints with its dellruclive quality the whole mafs of bloo/1. In a moment the unfortunate viclim of its wrath feels a « chilly tremor run through all his frame ; a fwelling immediately begins on the fpot where the teeth had entered, which fpreads by degrees over the whole body, and produces on every part of the Ikin the variegated hue of the fnake. ITie bite of this rep- tile is more or lefs venomous, according to he fea- fon of the year in which it is given. In the dog- idiiW'i] m 340 CARVER'S TRAVELS. days It often proves indantly mortal, and efpecialty if the wound is made among the finewis fituated in the back part of the leg, above the heel ; btit in the fpring, in auturnn, or during a cool day, which might happen in tl^e fummer, its bad effeds are to be prevented by the immediate application of proper remedies ; and thefe Providence has bounjeoufly fup- piied, by caulmg the Rattle Snake Plantain, an ap- proved antidote to the poifon of this creature, to grow in great profufion wherevet they are to be met with. There are likewife feveral other remedies be- lides this, for the venom of its bite. A decodion made of the buds or bark of the white aih, taken in- ternally, prevents its pernicious e6Fedts. Salt is a new- ly difcovered remedy, and if applied immediately to the part, or the wound be waflied with brine, a cure might be afTured. The fat of the reptile alio rub- bed on it, is frequently found to be very efficacious. But though the lives of the perf^ns who have been bitten might be preferved by thefe, and their health in fome degree reltored, yet they annually experi- ence a flight return of the dreadful fymptoms about the time they received the inflillation. However remarkable it may appear, it is certain, that though the venom df this creature siffefts, in ^ greater or ]efs degree, all animated nature, the hog is an ex- ception to the rule, as that animal will readily de- iiroy them, without dreading their poifonous fangs, and fatten on their fieih. It has been often obferved, and I can affirm the obfervatioii, that the Rattle Snake is charmed with any harmonious founds, whe- ther vocal or inftrumental ; f have many times feen them, even when they have been enraged, place themfelves in a liftening poflure, and continue im- moveably attentive and fufceptible of delight all the time the mufic has lalied. I fhould have remarked, that when the Rattle Snake bites, it drops its under iaw, and holding the upper jaw ereA, throws itfelf ■^w-^ CARVER'S TRAVELS. 341 in a curve line, with great force, apd as quick as lightning, on the objedl of its refentment. In a niomcnt after, it returns again to its defenfive pof- ture, having difengaged 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 diftance than half its length will reach, and though it fometimc^ re- peats the blow two or three times, it as often returns with a fudden rebound to its former ftate. The Black Rattle Snake differs in no other refped from the Yellow, than in being rathe^ tualler, and in the variation of .its colours, which are exadly reverfed : one is black where the other is yellow, and vice verfa. Thty are equally venomous. It is not known how thefe creatures engender ; I have often found the eggs of feverai other fpecies of the fnake, but notwithflanding no one has taken more pains to ac- quire a perfed 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 were perfedtly formed, and I faw them juft, before retire to the mouth of their mother, as a place of fecurity, on my approach. The galls of the ferp^nt, mixed with chalk, are formed into little balls, and exported from America, for medical purpofes. They are of the nature of Gafcoign*s powders, and are an excellent remedy for complaints incident to children. The flefti of the fnake alfo dried, and made into broth, is much more nutritive than that of vipers, and very efficacious againfl: con^ fumptions. i The LONG BLACK SNAKE, thefe are alfo of two forts, both of which is exadly fimilar in fhape and fize, only the belly of the one is a light red, {he X X !>( 34» CARVER'S TRAVELS. other a faint blue ; all the upper parts of their bo- dies are black and fcaly. They are in general from fix to eight feet in length, and carfy their heads, as they crawl along, about a foot and a half from the ground. They eafily climb the higheft trees in pur- fuic of birds and fquirrels, which are their chief food ; and thefe, it is faid, they charm by their looks, and render incapable of efcaping from them. Their ap^ pearance carries terror with it to thofe who are un- acquainted .with their inability to hurt, but they are perfedly inoffenfive and free from venom. The STRIPED or GARTER SNAKE is exaa. ly the fame as the fpecies found in other cli- mates. ( ■ • . . The WATER SNAKE is much like the Rattle Snake in ihape and fize, but is not endowed with the fame venomous powers, being quite harmlefs. The HISSING SNAKE I have already parti- cularly defcribed, when I treated, in my journal, of Lake Erie. ' • ■ ■ ■ '. : •■ - ,' ■ .' ' . - /*■■", The GREEN SNAKE is about a foot and an half long, and in colour fo near to grafs and herbs, that it cannot be difcovered as it lies on tho ground ; happily, however, it is free from venom, otherwife it would do an infinite deal of mifchief, as thofe who pafs through the meadows, not being able to per- ceive it, are deprived of the power of avoiding it. . ' • , . '■ * ■■''^[]' '--' The THORN-TAIL SNAKE. This reptile is found in many parts of America, but is very feldom to be feen. It is of a middle iize, and receives its name from a thorii-like dart in its tail, with which it is faid to infiid: a mortal wound. CARVER'S TRAVELS. 343 The SPECKLED SNAKE is an aqueous reptile, about two feet and a half in length, but without venom. Its flcin, which is brown and white, with fome fpots of yellow in it, is ufed by the Americans as a cover for the handles of whips, and it renders them very pleafing to the fight. The RING SNAKE is about twelve inches long, the body of it is entirely black, except a yellow ring which it has about its neck, and which appears like a narrow piece of ribband tied round it. This odd reptile is frequently found in the bark of trees, and among cild logs. _ The TWO-HEADED SNAKE. The only fnake of this kind ithat was ever leen in America, was found about the year 1762, near L^ke Champlain, by Mr Park, a gentleman of New-England, and made a prefent to Lord Amherd. It was about a foot long, and in fhape like the common fnake, but it was furniihed with two heads exadly fimilar, which united at the neck. Whether this was a dif- tindt fpecies of.fnakes, and was able to propagate its likeneis, oi' whether it was an accidental formation, Iknow not. The TORTOISE or LAND TURTLE. The fhape of this creature is fo well known that it is un- neceffary to .defcribe it. There are feven or eight forts of them in America, fome of which are beau- tifully variegated, even beyond defcription. The lliells of many have fpots of red, green, and yellow in them, and the chequer work is compofed of fmall fquares curioufly difpofed. The moil beautiful fort ot thefe creatures are the fmallsft, and the bite of them is faid to be venomous. *iiiii I >\i 544 CAIiVER^s TRAVEL! LIZARDS, efftf. Though there are numeroos kinds of this clafs of the animal creation, in the country I treat of, I fhall only take notice of two of them ; which are termed the Swift and the Slow Lizard. The SWIFT LIZARD is about fix inches long, and has four legs and a tail. Its body, which is blue, is prettily Hriped with dark lines (haded with yellow ; but the end of the tail is totally blue. It is lb remarkable agile, that in an inftant it is out of fight, nor can its movements be perceived by the quickefl; eye ; fo that it might more juftly be faid to vaniOi, than to run away. This fpecies are fuppofed to poifon thofe they bite, but are not dangerous, as they never attack perfons that approach them, choof- ing rather to get fuddenly out of their reach. The SLOW LIZARD is of the fame fhape as the Swift, but its colour is brown ; it is moreover of an oppofite difpofiiion, being altogether as ilow in its movements as the other is fwift. It is remarka- ble that thefe lizards are extremely brittle, and will break off near the tail as eafily as an icicle. Among the reptiles of North-America, there is a fpecies of the toad, termed the TREE TOAD, which is nearly the fame (hape as the common fort, but fmaller and with longer claws. It is ufualiy found on trees, (licking clofe to the bark, or lying in the crevices of it ; and fo nearly does it referable the colour of the tree to which it cleaves, that it is with diHiculty diflinguilhed from it. Thefe Creatures are only heard during the twilight of the morning and evening, or jud before and after a (hower of rain, V . CARVER'* TRAVELS. 345 when they make a croaking noife fomewhal fhriller than that of a frog, which might be heard to a great diftance. They infed the woods in fuch numbers, that their refponfive notes at thefe times make the air refound. It is only a fummer animal, and never to be found during the winter. . - INSECTS. •5 The interior parts of North- America abouhd with nearly the fame infers as are met with in the fame parallels of latitude ; and the fpecies of them are fo numerous and diverfified, that even a fuccindt defcrip- tion of the whole of theni would fill a volume ; 1 ihall therefore confine myfelf to a few, which I believe are almoft peculiar to this country ; the Silk Worm, the Tobacco Worm,, the Bee, the Lightning Bug, the Water Bug, and the Horned Bug. » The SILK WORM is nearly the fame as thofe of France and Italy, but will not produce the fame quantity of filk« The TOBACCO WORM is a caterpillar of the fiV and figure of a lilk worm ; it is of a tine fea green coldv^r, on its rump it ha^ a fling or horn near a quarter of an inch long. , ;> The Bees in America principally lodge their honey in the earth, to fecure it from the ravages of the bears, who are remarkably fond of it. • the LIGHTNING BUG or FIRE FLY is about the fize of a bee, but it is of the beetle kind, having like that infeft two pair of wings, the upper of which are of a firm texture, to defend it from danger. When iJ^'H n 34 i CARVER'i TRAVELS. it flies, and the wings are expanded, there is under thefe a kind of coat, conftruded ^Ifo like wings, uhich is luminous ; and as the infect pafles on, caufes all the hinder part of its body to appear like a bright iiery coal. Having placed one of then^ on your hand, the under part only (hines, and throws the ]ight on the fpace beneath ; but as foon as it fpreads its upper wings to fly away, the whole body which lies behind them appears illuminated all around. The lighfr it gives is not conflantly of the fame magnitude, even when it flies ; but feems to depend on the expanfion or contraction of the luminous coat or wings, and is very different from that emit, ted in a dark night by dry wood or fome kinds of £fli, it having much more the appearance of real fire. They feem to be fenfible of the power they are polTefled of, and to know the mod 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 of June, July, and Auguft, and then at no other time but in the night. Whether from their colour, which is a duiky brown, they are not then difcernible, or from their retiring to holes and crevices, I know not, but they are never to be difcovered in the day. They chiefly are feen in low, fwampy land, and appear like innumerable traniient gleams of light. In dark nights, when there is much lightning with- out rain, they feem as if they wiflied either to imi- tate or afliil the flaflies ; for during the intervals, they are uncommonly agile, and endeavour to throw out every ray they can collect. Notwithftanding this effulgent appearance, thefe infe6h are perfectly harmlefs ; you may permit them to crawl upon your hand, when five or fix, if they freely exhibit their glow together, will enable you to read almoft the fmalleft print. ' CARVER'S TRAVELS, 347 The WATER BUG is of a brown colour, about the fize of a pea, and in fliape nearly oval ; it has many legs, by means of which, it palTes over the furface of the water with fuch incredible fwiftnefs, that it feems to ni4e or dart itfelf along. The HORNED BUG. or, as it is fometimes termed, the STAG BEETLE, is of a dulky brown colour, nearly approaching to black, about an inch and an half long, and half an inch broad. It has two large horns, which grow on each lide of the head, and meet horizontally, and with thefe it pinches very hard ; they are branched like thofc, cf t Hv^^ from whence it receives its name. Thev fl" about in the evening, and prove very troublefome Xo trenchers, and difhes, which wear fmOoth, and will lafl a long time ; but when applied to any other purpofe, it is far ftom durable. The WICKOPICK or SUCKWICK appears to be a fpecies of the white wood, and is diftinguifhed from it by a peculiar quality in the bark, whichi when pounded, and nioillened with a little water, inftaiitly becomes a matter of the confiftence and nature of ftze. With thits the Indians pay their canoes, and it greatly exceeds pitch, or any other material ufuaily appropriated to that pur- pofe j for befides its adhefive quality, it is of fo oily a nature, that the water cannot penetrate through it, and its repelling power abates not for a conlide- rable time. >,^ r » . $ The BUTTON WOOD is a tree of the largeft fize, and might be dirtinguiflied 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 ItlKnitii ^ GARVERS TRAVELS. 363 HERBS. Balm, Nettles, Cinque Foil^ Eyebright, Sanicle, Plantain, Rattle Snake Plantain, Poor Robin's Plantain, Toad Plantain, Maiden Hair, Wild Dock, Rock Liverwort, Noble Liverwort, Bloodwort, "IVild Beans, Ground Ivy, Water Crefles, Yarrow, May Weed, Gargit, Skunk Cabbage or Poke, Wake Robin, Betony, Scabious Mullen, Wild Pcal'e, Moufe Ear, Wild Indigo, Tobacco, and Cat Mint. . m H m ^ijllli: 'A 8ANIGLE has a root which is thick towards the upper part, ftnd full of fmall fibres below; the leaves of it are broad, roundifti, hard, fmooih, and of -d fine fiiining green ; a ftalk rifes from thefe two to the height of a foot, which is quite fmooth and free from knots, and on the top of it are feveral finall fiowers of a reddilh white, fhaped like u wild roft;. A t^a made of the root is vulnerary and balfamic. RATTLE SNAKE PLANTAIN. This ufe- ful herb is of the plantain kind, and its leaves, which fpread themfelves on the ground, are about one inch and an half wide, and five inches long ; from the centre of thefe arifes a fmall llalk, nearly fix inches long, which bears a little white flower ; the root is about the fize of a goofe quill, and much, bent and divided into feveral branches. The leaves of this herb are more efficacious than any other part oi it for the bite of the reptile from which it receives its name ; and being chewed and applied immediately to the wound,- and fome of the juice fwallowed, fel- dom fails of averting very dangerous fymptoms. So convinced are the Indian^ of the power of this in- fallible antidote, that for a trifling bribe of fpiritu- ill i'4i n (M'" iiij 3^4 CARVER'S TRAVELS. ous liquor, they will at any time permit a rattle- fnake to drive its fangs into their flclh. It is to be remarked, that during thofe months in which the bite of thefe creatures is moft venomous, this re- medy is in its greated perfection, and mod luxuri- ant in its growth. POOR. ROBIN'S PLANTAIN is of the fame fpecies as the lall, but more diminutive in every re- fpedl ; it receives its name from its fize, and the poor land on which it grows. It is a good medici- nal herb, and often ailminiftered with fuccefs in fe- vers and internal weaknelles. toad' PLANTAIN rtfembles the common plantain, only it grows much ranker, and is thus denominated becaufe toads love to harbour under it, ROCK LIVERWORT is a fort of Liverwort that grows on rocks, and is of the nature of kelp or mofs. It is efteemed as an excellent remedy againit declines. , t GARGIT or SKOKE is a large kind of weed, the leaves of which are about fix inches long, and two inches and a half broad ; they refemble thofe of fpinage in their colour and texture, but not ir^ fliape. The root is very large, from which fpring different ftalks that run eight or ten feet high, and are full of red berries ; thefe hang in clulters in the month of September, and are generally called pi- geon berries, as thofe birds then feed on them. When the leaves firft fpring from the ground, after being boiled, they are a nutritious and wholefome vegetable, but when they are grown nearly to their full lize, they acquire a poifonous quality. The roots applied to the hands and feet of a perfon af- flifted with a fever, prove a very powerful abforbent. CARVER'S TRAVELS. B^S ' SKUNK CABBAGE or POKE is an herb that grows in moift and fwampy places. The leaves of it are about a foot long, and fix inches broad, near- ly oval, but rather pointed. The roots are compo- fed of great numbers of fibres, a lotion of which i^ made ufe of by the people of the colonies for the cure of the itch. There ifUies a ftrong mufky 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 grows in fwam- py lands ; its root refembles a fmall turnip, and if tailed will greatly inflame the tongue, and imme- diately convert it from its natural fliape into a round hard fubltance ; in wh'ch 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 aftringent quality, and becomes beneficial to mankind, for if grated into cold water, and taken internally, it is very good for all complaints 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 on one (talk to the height of five or fix inches from the ground, when it divides into many branches, from which iflue a great number of fmall hard bluifli leaves that fpread to a grcit breadth, and among thofe it bears a yellow flower j the juice of it has a very difagreeable fcent. CAT MINT has a woody root, divided into fe- veral branches, and it fends forth a ftalk about three feet high ; the leaves are like thofe of the nettle or betony, and they have a ftrong fmeli of mint, with a biting acrid talle 5 the flowers grow on th§ tops , A3 . . -. •ft; 11 Hittliiliil H!i5 Hi I i i '\ !' I\ IMii" !i S6G CARVER'S TRAVELS. of the branches, and are of a faint purple or whitifli colour. It is called cat mint, becaufe it is faid that cats have an antipathy to it, and will not let it grow. It has hardly the virtues of common mint. * FLOWERS. : • ■ • ' • , "* Heart's Epfe, Lillies red and yellow, Pond Liliies, Cowflips, May Flowers, Jeffamine, Honeyfuckles, Rock Honeyfuckles, Rofes red and white, "Wild Hollyhock, Wild Pinks, Golden Rod. I fliall not enter into a minute defcription of the flowers above recited, but only juft obferve, that they much refemble thofe of the fame name which grow in Europe, and are as beautiful in colour, and as perftd in odour, as they can be fuppofed to be in their wild uncultivated ftate. FARINACEOXjS and LEGUMINOUS ROOTS, &c. Maize or Indian Corn, Wild Rice, Beans, the Squalh, &c. - MAIZE or INDIAN CORN grows from fix to ten feet high, on a ftalk full of joints, which is ftiff and folid, and when green, abounding with a fweet juice. The leaves are like thofe of the reed, about two feet in length, and three or four inches broad. The flower'^ which are produced at fome diflance from the fruit on the fame plant, grow like the ears • For an account of TobaccO} fee a treatife I have publiftied on the culture of that plant. Ik I * ' C A R V E R's T R A V E L S. 3f^7 .t)f oats, and arefometimes Nvhite, yellow, or of a pur- ple colour. Tha feeds are as large as ptafe, and like them quite naked and fmooth, but of a roundifh furface, rather comprefled. One fpike generally confifls of about fix hundred grains, which are placed clofely together in rows to the number of eight or ten, and fometimes twelve. J'his corn is very wholefome, eafy of dige(H(»n, and yields as good nourifhment as any other fort. Airer the In- » « ni iakes •ward large fea, ar them den APPENDIX. J HE countt-ies that lie between the great Jakes and River Milfiflippi, and from thence fouth- ■ward to Weft Florida, although in the midfl: 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 Ri- rer Mifliflippi, which runs through the whole of them, will enable their inhabitants to eftablilh an intercourfe with foreign climes, equally as well as the Euphrr.tes, the Nile, the Danube, or the Wolga do thofe people which 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 veflels of light bur- den : notwithltanding which, they have become powerful and opulent dates. The Mifliflippi, as I have before obferved, runs from north to fouth, and palTes through the molt fertile and temperate part of North-America, ex- cluding only the extremities of it, which verge both on the torrid and frigid zones. Thus favourably lituated, when once its banks are covered with in- habitants, they need not long be at a lofs for means to eftablifh an extenlive and profitable commerce. They will find the country towards the fouth almoft fpontaneoufly producing filk, cotton, indigo, and tobacco ^ and the more northern parts, wine, oil» 3^* APPENDIX. beef, lallow, fkins, buffalo- wool, and furs ; wl*h lead, copper, iron, coals, lumber, corn, rice, and fruits, befides earih and barks for dying. ^t* , • ■. Thefe articles, wiih which it abounds even to profufion, may be iranfported to the ocean through this river, without greater difficulty than that which attends the conveyance of merchandize down ibme of thofe I have jufl mentioned. It is true that the Mifliflippi being the boundary between the EnglKh and Spanifh fettle ments, and the Spaniards in poflef- lion of the mouth of it, they may obftrud the paflage of it, and greatly difhearten thofe who make the firft attempts ; yet when the advantages that will certainly arife to fettlers, are known, multitudes of adventurers, allured by the profpeft of fuch abun- dant riches, will flock to it, and elhblifh themfelves, though at the expence of rivers of blood. -4^ ■ J ■■ • •-^ ■ But (hould the nation that happens to be in pof- feflion of New Orleans prove unfriendly to the in- ternal fettlers, they may find a way into the Gulf of Mexico, by the river Iberville, which'empties itfelf from the MiffifTippi, after paffing through Lake Maurepas, into Lake Pontchartrain, which has a com- munication with the fea within the borders of Weft Florida. The river IberviUe branches off from the Mifliflippi about eighty miles above New Orleans, and though it is at prefent choaked up in fome parts, it might at an inconfiderable expence be made na- vigable, fo as to anfwer all the purpofes propof- ed. ' Although the Englifh have acquired fince the laft peace a more extenfive knowledge of the interior parts than were ever obtained before, even by the French, yet many of their produdions flill remain unknown. And tliough I was not deficient either in afliduity or APPENDIX. 375 attftr>tion during the Ihort time I remained in them, yet I mufl: acknowledge that the intelligence I gained Avas not fo perfed as I could wi(h, and that it re- quires further refearches to make the world tho- roughly acquainted with the real value of thofe long hidden realms. • ^ The parts of the Mifliflippi of which no furvey has hitherto been taken, amount to upwards of eight hundred miles, following the courfe of the ftream, that is, from the Illinois to the Ouifconiin Rivers. Plans of fuch as reach from the former to the Gulph of Mexico, have been delineated by feVeral hands, and 1 have the pleafure to find that an ai\ual furvey of the intermediate parts of the Mifliflippi, between the Illinois River and the fea, with the Ohio, Che- rokee, and Ouabache Rivers, taken on the fpot by a very ingenious gentleman, * is now publiflied. I flatter myfelf that the obfervations therein contain- ed, which have been made by one whofe knowledge of the parts therein defcribed was acquired by a per- fonal invefligation, aided by a folid judgment, will confirm the remarks I have made, and promote the plan I am here recommending. I (hall alfo here give a concife defcription of each, beginning, according to the rule of geographers, with that which lies moil to the north. It is however neceflary to obferve, that before thefe fettlements can be eftabliflied, grants mufl^^ be procured in the manner cuflomary on fuch occafions, and the lands be purchafed of thofe who have ac- quired a right to them by a long poiTviflion j but no * Thomas Hutchins, Efqj Captain In his M^tjefty's 6oth, 03f Royal American Regiment of Foot. "'■ ■ ■■' ■ " B^ ' :^ \ ' ,%, v^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ^ >V .v...^* 1.0 fcilli |2.5 I.I f.*^ 1^ U 116 11.25 Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, M.r. USSO (716) 872-4503 > No. V. This is an excellent iradl of land, and, coniidering its interior lituation, has greater advan- tages than could be expe£led ; for having the Mif. iiflippi on its weflern borders, and the Illinois on its fouth-eaft, it has as free a navigation as mofl of the others. The northern parts of it are fomewhat mountainous, 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 ealt to weft. No. VI. This colony being fitualed upon the heads of the Rivers. Illinois and Ouabache, the for- mer of which empties itfelf immediately into the Mifliflippi, and the latter into the fame river by gleans of the Ohio, will readily find a communica- ilqn with the fea through thefe. Haying alfo. the Ill APPENDIX- $1f ^iver Miamis pafling through it, which runs into Lake Erie, an intercourfe might be etlabliihed 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 acquilition as the bed of them. From north to fouth it is about one hundred and £xty milesp from ealt to weft one hundred and eighty. ^- • '■■■■''>-.■■•■": ^ ^' " ., •'^.-r,- 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 Miffif- fippi, the fituation of it for eftablifhing a commer- cial intercourfe with foreign nations is very commo- dious. It abounds with all the necelfaries of life, and is about one hundred and fifty miles from north to fouth, and fixty miles from ea(l to well ; but the confines of it being more irregular than the others, I cannot exadly afcertain the dimenfions of it. No. VIII. This colony having the River Oua- bache running through the centre of it, and the Ohio fc7 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 hun- dred and thirty from eaft to weft. i .?;.-.* -^ No. IX. X. and XI. being Hmilar in fituation, and furniftied with nearly the fame conveniences as all the others, I ftiall only give their dimeniions.* No. IX. is about eighty miles each way, but not ex- adly fquare. No, X. is nearly in the fame form, and about the fame extent. No. XL is much larger, being at leaft one hundred and fifty miles from north to fouth, and one hundred and forty from eaft to weft, as nearly as from its irregularity it is pofTible to. calculate. ^ ., [Iiuninlilill*.! If < ■ ''''!' Ill' llUii,!' ii JTl APPENDIX. After the defcription of this delightful country I have already givrn, I need not lepeat that all the fpors 1 have thus pointed out are as proper for colo- nization, abound not only with the neceflaries of life, being well Itored with rice, deer, buffaloes, bears, &c. but produce in equal abundance fuch as may be termed luxuries, or at lealt thofe articles of com- merce before rtcittd, which the inhabitants of it will have an oppuri unity of exchanging for the need- ful productions of other countries. The difcovery of a north- weft pafTage to India lu>s been the fubjid of innumerable difquifitions. !M 'uy eiforts have likewife been made by way of Hudlon's B;»y, to penetrate into the Pacific Ocean, though without fuccefs, 1 fliall not therefore trouble inyfelf to enumerate the advantages that would re- fult from this much- wifhed- for dilcovery, its utility being already too well known to the commercial world to need any elucidation ; 1 fhall only confine myfelf to the methods that appear moft probable tq enfure fuccefs to future adventurers. ■' '- * :/''■ - ' •■ ^ -^■• -'■ ..ii't ■ '■ ":- ■ ::'■ V V ' The many attempts that have hitherto been made for this purpofe, but which all have been rendered abortive, feem to have turned the fpirit of making ufeful refearches into another channel, and this molt interefting one has almoft been given up as imprac- ticable ; but, in my opinion, their failure rather pro- ceeds from their being begun ^t an improper place, than from their impracticability. ,:/; -. . . ,,; :n .' All navigators that have hitherto gone in fearch of this paffage, have firft entered Hudfon's Bay ; the ccnfequence of which has been, that having fpent the feafon during which only thofe feas are navigable, in exploring many of the numerous inlets lying therein, and this without difcovering any openi APPENDIX. 379 iiig, terrified at the approach of winter, they have haftened back for fear of being frozen up, and con- fequcntly of being obliged to continue till the return of fummer in thole black and dreary realms. Even fuch as have perceived the coafts to enfold 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 climate. ' > ' ' ) -ik Thefe apprehenfions have difcouraged the boldeft adventurers from completing the expeditions in which they have engaged, and fruftrated every at- tempt. But as it has been difcovered by fuch as have failed into the northern parts of the Pacific Ocean, that there are many inlets which verge to- wards Hudfon's Bay, it is not to be doubted but that a paflage might be made out from that quarter, if it be fought for at a proper feafon. And ihould thefe expedations be difappointed, tlie explorers would not be in the fame hazardous fituavion with. thofe who fet out from Hudfon's Buy, for they will always be fure of a fafe retreat, through an open fea, to warmer regions, even atter repeated difappolnt- ments. And this confidence will enable them to proceed with greater refolution, and probably be the . means of eifeding what too much circumfpeftion or timidity has prevented. - . Thefe reafons for altering the plan of inquiry '- after this convenient paflage, carry with them fucU convidion, that in the year 1774, Richard Whit- worth Efq; Member of Parliament for Staflibrd, a gentleman of an extenfive knowledge in geography, . of an adive, enterprifing difpofition, and whofe benevolent mind is ever ready to promote the hap- pinefs of individuals, or the welfare of the public, from the reprefentatioiis made to him of the expedi- i ffl- r iiwl ij :Mi r.W-'W |i% APPENDr.I'X* lliicy of it by ntyfelfdnd others, inteiWffcd to tp\^ acrofs the continent; of Americs^, that he wig^t a>i tempt to carry a fcheme of this kind i)ito execution; , He intended to have purfued neatly the fame route that I.did ; and aft^r having' built a fort at Lake Pe- pin, to have proceeded up the River St Pierre, and from thence up a branch of the River Meflbrie, till having difcovered the fource of the Oregan, or River of the Weft, on the other fide of the fummit of the lands that divide the waters which run into the Gulf of Mexico fronk thofe that fall into the Pacific Ocean, he would have failed down that river to the place where it is.faid to empty itfelf xiear th-^ Straits of Annian. . Haying th<;te eftablilhed iinotb^r fettlement otv fome fpot that appeared- beft. calculated for thei fbp- port of his people^ in the neighbourhood of fom^ of the inlets thjit trend towards the north-taft, he would |ron^ t^jtence have begun his vrefearches. This gentleman w^ to have been attended in the expedi^ tion by Colonel Rogers, myfelf, and others, and to haye td^enout with him a fufficient number o£ artificers and mariners, for building the forts and vefl^ls necieflary for the occafion, and for navigating t^e ij^^,; in. all not lefs than fifty or fixty meni The4|{rai^tSK,and other re^ikes for this pafpolbwere civ^^^neiily compleate^^ y^li^n the prefent troubles^ in America began, Jvhuih piit a ftop to an enterprife that vf)r0iQi&d to be of inednceivable advantage fof. the Bntiib^cRtiuikionff* y:*^^- r^^ #i N I Sk 'W''. ,« ih} IIS Hillllll M Slii r ,-...:. ^ 1 1 ' 1 ,1 - '■'"% ) \' I .' •■ '-' "%, jy\ v-„ ^ . ../' 1 :f df 'V v<' i I- ^ * '■I -t I' H^ ^.-tV' t ' li' ". .*«. 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