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THE 
 
 INDIAN RACES 
 
 OF NORTH AND SOUTH 
 
 11 
 
 
 3 
 
 coHP^iBiira 
 AN ACCOUNT OF THE PRINCIPAL ABORIGINAL RACE3 : 
 A DESCRIPTION OF THEIR NATIONAL CUSTOMS, MYTHOLOGY, 
 AND RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES ; THE HISTORY OP THEIR MOST POWER- 
 FUL TRIBES, AND OF THEIR MOST CELEBRATED CHIEFS AND WARRIORS; 
 THEIR INTERCOURSE AND WARS WITH THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS ; 
 AND A GREAT VARIETY OF ANECDOTE AND DESCRIPTION, ILLUS- 
 TRATIVE OF PERSONAL AND NATIONAL CHARACTER. 
 
 '" By CHARLES DE WOLF BROWNELL. 
 
 INCLnDING THE LATE 
 
 SIOUX WAR AND INDIAN MASSACRES IN MINNESOTA. 
 
 WITH 
 
 NUMEROUS AND DIVERSIFIED COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS, 
 FROM ORIGINAL DESIGNS. 
 
 PUBLISHED ONLY BY SUBgCRIPTION BY 
 
 . HUULBUT, kSCRANTON & COMPANY, 
 
 , U^^iinBFOJiD, CONN. 
 £. B. TREAT & CO., CmcAop, lLL.-r-K.,G;,TKEA3* & CO., St. Louib, Mo. 
 
 ! X 
 
 ■ r':'-' 
 
 ■"ty: 
 
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 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1864, by 
 
 nUELBUT, SCnANTOK & CO., 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Connecticut 
 
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PREFACE. 
 
 From the size of this volume, as compared viith the variety and ex- 
 tent of the subjects under examination, it will be readily perceived that 
 minuteness of detail has been impossible. 
 
 In describing the adventures and proceedings of the pioneers in the 
 settlement and civilization of the Western Continent, the interesting 
 nature of the narrative may have led the author, in some instances, away 
 from the immediate object of his attention, viz. : the manners, peculiari- 
 ties, and history of the aboriginal mhabitants. He trusts, however, that 
 wh'ere this may appear to be the case, it will generally be found to have 
 resulted from the inseparable manner in which the history of the natives 
 and those who have supplanted them is interwoven. 
 
 So far as has proved convenient oi practicable, localities will be found 
 to be in such a manner pointed out or referred to, that the reader who 
 is ordinarily well acquainted with the geography of the country will 
 seldom be at fault. Upon this point, the opening of the fifth book of 
 " The True Travels, Adventures, and Observations of Captain John 
 Smith," is worthy the attention of all historical writers. It runs thus : 
 
 " Before we present you the matters of fact, it is fit to offer to your 
 view the stage whereon they were acted ; for, as geography without 
 history seemeth a carcass without motion, so history without geogra- 
 phy wandercth as a vagi'ant, without a certain habitation." 
 
 The works which have been carefully examined by the author in the 
 prosecution of his design, and from which most of the facts embodied 
 in this outline of history and description have been obtained, are the 
 following : — 
 
 American Antiquities and Researches into < The Natural History of Man ; by James 
 
 the Origin and History of the Red Race ; I Cowles Pritchard. 
 
 by Alexander W. Bradford. j Letters and Notes on the Manners, Cus- 
 
 The Biography and History of the Indians \ toms, and Condition of the North Amer- 
 
 of North America ; by Samuel G. Drake. I lean Indians ; by George Catlin. 
 
 («) 
 
 ''f, i\ 
 
 ' M ' 
 
 his. 
 
6 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 <riie History, Condition, and TronpectH of 
 tlic Indian Trilio:! of the United Slates ; 
 by Henry K. Schuulcrnn, LL. D. 
 
 The United States Exploring Expedition ; 
 by Cunimander Charles Wilkes. 
 
 Indian Biograpiiy ; by B. D. Thacher. 
 
 Mcintosh's Book of the Indians. 
 
 Travels of Capt. Jonathan Carver through 
 the Interior of North America, in 177&- 
 7-8. 
 
 Indian Wars of the United States; by 
 William V. Moore. 
 
 The Hiiitory of fie Conquest of Mexico ; 
 from the Spanish of Don Antonio De 
 Solis. 
 
 The Conquest of Mexico ; by Bernal Ditiz 
 del Castillo, Rcgidor of the city of Gua- 
 temala, written in 15()8. 
 
 Froscott's Conquest of Mexico. 
 
 Conquest of Alexico and Peru ; Harper's 
 series of Tales from American History. 
 
 Robertson's History of America. 
 
 The Invasion and Conquest of Florida, 
 under Hernando de Soto, written by a 
 gentleman of the town of Elvas. 
 
 Irving's Conquest of Florida. 
 
 The Territory of Florida ; by John Leo 
 Williams. . 
 
 The True Travels, Adventures, and Obser- 
 vations of Captain John Smith ; from 
 the London edition of 1G29. 
 
 The Life of Captain John Smith ; by W.G. 
 Simms. 
 
 Thn History of the Indians of Connecticut ; 
 by John W. De Forres'. 
 
 Baylie's Memoirs of Plymouth Colony, 
 
 Barber's Historical Collections, in Massa- 
 chusetts and Connecticut. 
 
 The Rev. William Hubbard's Narrative of 
 the Indian Wars in Ne\v England ; writ- 
 ten in 1775. 
 
 The History of Philip's War; by Thomaet 
 Church, a son of Capt. Benjamin Church. 
 
 New England's Memorial ; by Nathaniel 
 Morton, published in I6C9. 
 
 The Publications of the Massachusetts 
 Historical Society, esjiecially those re- 
 lating to the Early Settlements in New 
 England, including, among other docu- 
 ments, the Relations of O. Mourt and E. 
 Winslow concerning the Pilgrims at 
 Plymouth ; I^etters and Writings of Rog- 
 er Williams ; Gookin'a Historical Col- 
 lections, Sic, Stc, 
 
 Schoolcraft's Notes on the Iroquois. 
 
 Htone's Life of Jos. Brant— '''haycndanegoa. 
 
 Memoirs of William Penn ; by Thomai 
 Clarkson. 
 
 Ileckuwelder's Narrative of the Mission of 
 the United Brethren among the Dela- 
 ware and Mohegan Indians. 
 
 The Life of William Henry Harrison, with 
 a History of the Wars with the British 
 and Indians on our North-western Fron- 
 tiers. 
 
 The Adventures of Daniel Boone ; by the 
 author of Uncle Philip's Conversations. 
 
 The History of the American Indians ; by 
 James Adair, for forty years a resident 
 and trader among them. 
 
 Cubbett's Life of Andrew Jackson. 
 
 The History of Georgia ; by Capt. Hugh 
 McCall. 
 
 The Adventures of Capt. Bonneville in the 
 Fir West, and among the Rocky Moun- 
 tains ; by Washington Irving. 
 
 Cox's Adventures on the Columbia River. 
 
 Barrow's Voyages of Discovery and Re- 
 search within the Arctic Regions. 
 
 Back's Narrative of the Arctic Land Expe- 
 dition. 
 
 Greenland, the Adjacent Seas, and the 
 North-west Passage; by Bernard O'Reilly. 
 
 Parry's Journal of a second voyage for the 
 Discovery of a North-west Passage. 
 
 Mackenzie's Inland Expedition to the Arc- 
 tic Ocean. 
 
 Purchas, his Pilgrimage. 
 
 The Modern Traveller ; by Josiah Conder ; 
 Articles on South America. 
 
 Spanish America ; by R. II. Bonnycastle. 
 
 Irving's Life of Columbus. 
 
 Indian Tribes of Guiana j by Rev. W. H. 
 Brett. 
 
 Alexander de Humboldt's Travels in South 
 America. 
 
 Prescott's Conquest of Peru. 
 
 Travels in Peru ; by Dr. J. J. Von Tschudi, 
 translated from the German by Thom- 
 asina Ross. 
 
 The Geographical, Natural, and Civil His- 
 tory of Chili ; by Abbe don J. Ignatius 
 Molina ; translated from the original 
 Italian by an American Gentleman. 
 
 John Mawe's Travols in the Interior of 
 Brazil. 
 
 Head's Journey to the Pampas and the 
 AnueJ. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 ,.. OXNEBAI. OHARAOTEBISTTCS. paoi. 
 
 CnAPTKR I. Origin of the North American Indinna. — Some of thoir General Cua- 
 
 toins and Peculiaritien, 15 
 
 Chapter II. Religion of the Indians. — Their Weapons and System of Warfare. 
 
 — Tlioir Lodgings, Dress, Ornaments, &c., 31 
 
 AMXBICAK ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 Chapter I. United States Territory, &c., 42 
 
 Chapter II. Antiijuities of Mexico, &c., 50 
 
 Chapter III. Antiquities of South America, S5 
 
 THE ABOBIOINES OF MEXICO. «^ 
 
 Chapter I. General Remarks. —Expedition of Giljalva. — Hernando Cortez,.... 60 
 
 Chapter II. Battles with tlie Natives. — Conciliatory Intercourse. — Doiina Ma- 
 rina, 73 
 
 Chapter III. Communications with the Mexican Emperor. — The Zempoallans 
 and QuiaviHtlans, 78 
 
 Chapter IV. The March to Tlascala. — Occupation of the City. — Great Massa- 
 cre at Ciiulula. — Entrance into tlie City of Mexico, and Interview with Monte- 
 suma. — Description of the Temple, tc, 87 
 
 Chapter V. Seizure and Imprisonment of Montezuma. — Execution of Qualpo- 
 poca and his Companions.- Ominous Pro8|ieRts. — Expedition of Pamphilo de 
 Narvaez. — Success of Cortez against him.— Return to Mexico. — Outrage by 
 Alvarado, and Consequent Troubles. -Death of Montezuma. — The "JVocAa 
 7Vt£/e.*'— Battle of Ohtumba, and Arrival at Tlascala, 97 
 
 Chapter VI. Preparations for the Attack on the City of Mexico. — Building and 
 Transportation of Brigantines. — Siege laid to the City. — Assault by the Span- 
 iards, and their Repulse. — Sacrifice of Prisoners. — Capture of Guatiniozin. — 
 Conquest of the Capital, 106 
 
 Chapter VII. Rebuilding of the City. —Extension of Spanish Powers. — The 
 March to Honduras. — Execution of Guatimozin. — Donna Marina. — Modern 
 Mexico 116 
 
 THE FLOBIDA INDIANS. 
 
 Chapter I. Early Expeditions of Spaninh Adventurers. —Ponce de Leon. — L. 
 Velasquez de Ayllon. — Pamphilo de Narvnez. — Fernando de Soto; his Land- 
 ing and Eatahlishment at Tampa, — Story of John Ortiz, a Spanish Captive 
 among the Indians, 130 
 
 Chapter II. Progress Northward. — Contests with the Natives. — Vitachuco.— 
 Expedition to Cutifachiqui. —Departure for the West, 126 
 
 Chapter III. From the Conquest by De Soto to the Year 1818. — Missionary Op- 
 erations by the Spaniards. — Moore's Invasion of Florida. — Bowles.- Wars of 
 1813. — Defeat of the Seminoles by General Jackson, 134 
 
 Chapter IV. Commencement of the late Florida War. —Treaty of Moultrie 
 Creek. — Treaty of Payne's Landinp. — Osceola. — Destruction of Dade's Com- 
 mand.— Rattle of tlie Ouithlacoochie. — Conierence with Indian Chiefs by Cen- 
 tral Gaioea, 138 
 
 (7) 
 
 
 
m 
 
 
 8 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAO*. 
 
 Chapter V. Condition of East Florida. — Gen. Scott's Campaign. — Garrison 
 besieged on the Ouithlacoocliie. — Occurrences during the Summer of 1836. — Ar- 
 rival of Creek AlUes. — Col. Lane's Expedition from Tampa Battle of the Wa- 
 
 hoo Swamp. — Gen. Jessup appointed to the Command in Florida 148 
 
 Chapter VI. Pursuit of the Seminoles Southward. — Encounter on the Hatchee 
 Lustee. — Conference and Truce with the Indians. — Renewal of the Treaty of 
 Payne's Landing. — Neglect on the Part of the Indians to comply with its Provis 
 ions. — Capture, Surrender, and Treacherous Seizure of various Chiefs. — Death 
 of Osceola. — Col. Taylor's Campaign, 254 
 
 Chapter VII. Various M'nor Engagements. — Surrender of Large Numbers of 
 Indians. —Continuance of Depredations. — Blcodhounds from Cuba. — Attack 
 upon a Company of Actors. — Seminole Chiefs brought back from the West to 
 repokc their Condition to their Countrymen. — Col. Harney's Expedition to the 
 Everglades. — End of the War. — Indians shipped West. — Numbers still remain- 
 ing in F irida jgg 
 
 THE INDIANS OF VIBOINIA. 
 
 Chaptp r L Expedition of Amidas and Barlow. — Of Sir Richard Grenville. — Of 
 Bartliolomew Gosnoll, with Capt. Smith. — Settlement at Jamestown. — Visit to 
 Powhatan. — Improvidence and Difficulties of the Colonists. — Exploration of the 
 Chickahominy. — Smith taken Prisoner. — His Treatment by the Indian 165 
 
 Chapter II. Court of Powhatan. — Smith's Preservation by Pocahontas. — Sup- 
 plies by the Indians — Newport's Arrival. — Smith's Expeditions up the Chesa- 
 peake, j7e 
 
 Chapter III. Coronation of Powhatan. — Smith's Visit to Werowocomoco for 
 Supplies. — Treachery of Powhatan. — Smith a second time preserved by Poca- 
 hontas. — Visit to Pnmunky. — Fight with the King of Paspahegh. — . Vscend- 
 ency of the English, 189 
 
 Chapter IV. Distress of the Colonies.- Martin and West's Settlements. — Ar- 
 rival of Lord De la Warre, — Retaliations upon the Natives. — Seizure of Poca- 
 hontas. — Her Marriage. — Peace with the Indians. — Poralnntas visits England. 
 
 — Her Death. — Death of Powhatan. — Pory's Settlement 199 
 
 Chapter V. The Virginia Massacre of 1C22 and of 1641 (or 1644). — Death of Ope- 
 
 chancanougii, 309 
 
 Chapter VI. Smith's Account of the Numbers, Appearance, and Habits of the 
 Indians, 213 
 
 NEW ENOLAJSTD INDIANS, 
 
 Chapter!. Conduct of the Early Voyagers. — Arrival of the May-Flower.— 
 Samoset. - Tisquantum. — Massasoit. — Weeton's Colony. — Caunbitant's Con- 
 spiracy. —Trade in Fire-Arms. — Thomas Morton. — Death of Massasoit and Al- 
 exander, and Accession of Philip 317 
 
 Chapter IL The Narragansetts. — The Pequots. — Murder of Stone and Oldham. 
 
 — Endicott's Expedition. — The Pequot War. — Destruction of the Pequot Fort. 
 
 — Tho Tribe dispersed and subdued 933 
 
 Chapter III. auarrel between the Narragansetts and Mohegans.- Uncas and 
 
 Miantonimo. — The Mohegan Land Controversy. — Subsequent Condition of the 
 
 Pequots and Mohegans, 343 
 
 Chapter IV. The Indians furnislied with Fire-Arms— Situation of the Colo- 
 nists. — Philip's AceeMsion. — His Treaties with the Whites. — His True Plans. 
 
 — Emisstaries sent to Sopkonnte. — Capt. Benjamin Church. — His Interview with 
 Awoshonks. — Murder of John Sassamon, 959 
 
 Chapter V. Attack on Swansey. — Collection of Troops.— Ficht at Miles' 
 Bridge. — Philip driven frvtm the Neck. — Church at Punkatese. — Destruction of 
 Brookfleld, 963 
 
 
165 
 
 176 
 
 189 
 
 199 
 
 209 
 
 313 
 
 Id Al- 
 
 
 
 317 
 
 dhaiii. 
 
 
 Fort. 
 
 
 
 
 333 
 
 8 and 
 
 
 of the 
 
 
 
 
 343 
 
 Colo- 
 
 
 >Ihii«. 
 
 
 with 
 
 
 
 958 
 
 utiles' 
 
 
 on of 
 
 
 • • • ■ • 
 
 963 
 
 CONTENTS. 9 
 
 PAOI. 
 
 Chapter VI. Philip moves Westward. — Attacks on Hadley and Deerfield. ~ 
 Golfe, tlie Regicide. — Destruction of Lati' 'x Command. — Assaults on Spring- 
 fieldand Hatfield. — Expedition against tl. Narragansetts. — Outrageous Cruelties 
 
 in tlieir Reduction. — Philip on the Hudson Destruction of Lancaster, Medfield, 
 
 Seekonk, Groton, Warwick, Marlborough, &c. — Cauonchet taken, and put to 
 Death. — Further Indian Ravages, 373 
 
 Chapter VII. Philip's Return to Pokanoket. — Major Talcott's Successes.— 
 Cliurch commissioned by the Court at Plymouth. — His Inteiview with Awo- 
 shoiiks ; with tha Sogkonatos at Sandwich. — His Campaign against the Indians. 
 
 — Pliilip seen. — His Wife and Son taken. — Deatii of Weetamore, Queen of Po- 
 casset. — Death of Philip 983 
 
 Chapter VIII. Pursuit of Annawon and his Party. — Daring Procedure of Cap- 
 tain Church. — End of the War, and Final Disposal of Prisoners. — Summary of 
 t lie Colonial Losses, 993 
 
 Chapter IX. The Eastern Indians. — Their Piiondly Disposition. — Seizure of 
 tlio.sw implicated in Philip's Conspiracy. — French and Indian War in 1689. — At- 
 tack on Cocheco. — Murder of Major VValdroii, — War of 1702. — Church's Last 
 Campaign. — War of 1722. — Capt. John Lovewell, 398 
 
 THE IBOQTTOIS. OB SIX NATION'S. 
 
 Chapter I. General Outlines of Character, &c — Impressions of the Inhabitants 
 of New England respecting the Iroquois. — Garangula. — His Speech to M. de la 
 Barre, 308 
 
 Chapter U. Iroquois Tradition relative to their Former History. — A Drief Ac- 
 count of the ditforent Tribes belonging to the Confederacy, and the Manner of 
 their Union.— Incidents of Early Warfare, 316 
 
 Chapter III. Important Characters and Events of the Eighteenth Century.— 
 Brant. — Crcsap's War, and History of Logan, 337 
 
 Chapter IV. History of Brant continued. — Connection of the Six Nations with 
 the War of the American Revolution, 336 
 
 Chapter V. Continuation of Revolutionary Incidents, 347 
 
 Chapter VL Gen. Sullivan's Campaign against the Iroquois. — Subsequent War- 
 like Operations of the Nations, 355 
 
 Chapter VII. Condition of tho Six Nations subsequent to the Revolution. — 
 Conclusion of Brant's History. —Red -Jacket and Corn-Planter, 361 
 
 Chapter VIIL Present Condition of the Six Nations 370 
 
 PONTIAC'S WAIl. 
 Chapter I. French Influence over the Indians.- Itritish Occupation of the 
 
 VVostori! Posts. — Pontiac, and his Plans for exterminating the English, 376 
 
 Chapte R II. Siege of Detroit. — Battle of Bloody Bridge 383 
 
 THE SELA WARES, 8HAWANEES. 
 AND OTHER TRIDSS OF THK MIODI.C AND WESTERN STATES. 
 
 Chapter I. The Delawares. — William Penn. — St. Tammany. — The Mora- 
 vians.— The Shawanees. — French and Indian War. — Braddock's Defeat.— 
 Massacre of the Canestogalndians, — Daniel Boone 388 
 
 Chapter U. Division of the Delawares, — White-Eyes, and Pipe. — Indian Cok- 
 federecy of 1781. — Attack on Bryant's Station, and Battle near the Blue Licks. 
 
 — Gen. Clarke's Expedition. — Disastrous Campaign of Ilarmar and St. Clair. — 
 Military Operations of Gen. Wayne. — Decisive Battle near the Maumee Rapids, 
 and subsequent Treaty of Peace, 401 
 
 Chapter Iir. Condition of the Indians subsequent to the Peace. — The Prophet 
 Elskwatawa. — Teciiinsoh.- Il'g Plans and Intriuues. — Gen. Harrison's Kxpedi- 
 tiou against tha Prophet's Town. —Defeat of the Indians at Tippecanoe. — War 
 
' 
 
 
 '..III! 
 
 
 10 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAoa. 
 
 of 1813. — Harrison's Invasion of Canada. — Battle of the Thamea, and Death of 
 
 Tecunisoii, 410 
 
 Chapter IV. Acquisition and Sale, by the United States, of Indian Land in Illi- 
 nois— Black-Ilawk.— The Sacs removed west of the Missis.-ippi. — Return of 
 Black-Hawk and his Followers. — Defeat of Major Stillman. — The Hostile In- 
 dians pursued by Atkinson and Dodge. — Their Defeat on the Bank of the Missis- 
 Bippi. — Black Hawk's Surrender. — lie is taken to Washington. — His Subse- 
 quent Career, 422 
 
 INDIANS OF THE SOUTHESN STATES. 
 
 Chapter I. Early Location, Numbers, Character, &c., of the Catavvbas ; of the 
 Uptter and Lower Cherokees ; of the Muscogees or Creeks ; of the Choctaws ; of 
 the ChickasawB. — French War with the Natchez and Chickasaws, 431 
 
 Chapter II. Colonization of Georgia. — Early Intercourse with tlie Natives 
 
 Tomochichi. — Intrigues of the Rev. Thomas nosomv.-ortb. — Cherokee War of 
 1759. — Attakullakulla and Occonostota. — Murder of Indian Hostages. — Col. 
 Montgomery's Expedition. — Destruction of the Eastern Cherokee Towns. — Rat- 
 tle near Etchoe. — Capitulation at Fort Loudon. — Indian Treachery. — Cam- 
 paign of Col. Grant, and Complete Reduction of the Cherokees 440 
 
 Chapter III. Capt. Steuart's Agency. —Disturbance in 17C7. — Visit of Terum- 
 seh to the Southern Tribo-s. — Woatherford. — Sack of Fort Minims. — War of 
 1813. — Gen. Jackson's Campaign. — Battles on the Tallusahatchee, at Talladega, 
 Autossee, &c. — The Hallibi^s. —Defeat of the Indians at Horse-Shoo Bend. — 
 End of the War, 452 
 
 Chapter IV. The Removal of thtj Cherokees west of the Mississippi. — Present 
 Location and Condition of the other Tribes of the Southern States 461 
 
 NORTHEHN RACES. 
 
 Chapter I. The Esquimaux; their Manners and Personal Appearance. — Ac- 
 counts of Early Voyagers Esquimaux Habitations, Food, &c. — The Kaiak or 
 
 Canoe. — Sealing. — The Reindeer. — Uses of the Dog. — Patriarchal Govern- 
 ment. — Efl'ects of Foreign Intercourse, 466 
 
 Chapter II. The Esquimaux of Melville Peninsula. — Their Stature and Cos- 
 tume. — Snow Huts r :d their Furniture. — Implements for Hunting and Sealing. 
 — Mental Traits, 476 
 
 Chapter III. The Knisteneaux, Chippewas, Sec 481 
 
 VABIOTTS NATIONS AND TRIBES 
 
 BETWEEN TBB MISSISSIPPI AND THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
 
 Chapter I. The Sioux, or Dahcotas, and other Tribes of the same Rare. — Clas- 
 sification. — The Mandans. — Their Number, Situation, Villages, &.c. — Their 
 Cemeteries. — Affectionate Remembrance of tlie Dead, 480 
 
 Chapter II. Personal Appearance nnd Peculiarities of the Mandans. — Tlieir 
 Hospitality and Urbanity. — Their Cleanliness of Person. — Their Dress. — Por- 
 traits of Mandan Chiefs. —Contrast tietwoen the Wild Tril>ea and those of the 
 Frontier. — Mandan Domestic Usages, — Games and Dances. — Training of the 
 Youth. — Tlie Great Annual Religious Ceremony. — Tiie Mandans supposed to be 
 of Welsh Descent. — Annihilation of llio Tribe by the Small-pox, 4J6 
 
 Chapter III. The Sioux, continued.— -Their .Mode of Life. — Maternal Affec- 
 tion, —Exposure of the Aged.— The famous Quarry of Red Pipe stone. — Nature 
 of this Material. — Indian Superstitions respecting it. — The Rison or Riifftilo. — 
 Horses of the Indians. — Various Modes of Hunting the Buffalo. — Wasteful De- 
 struction of the Herds, 513 
 
 ChaP'i'ER IV. Indiana of the Great Western Prairies. — Their Siiniiner and Win- 
 ter Lodge!.— The Medicine-Bag, — The Crows and Blackfeet. — Races Hostile to 
 
CONTENTS. 11 
 
 TAOK, 
 
 tlM latter Tribe. — Fortitude of a Blackfoot Warrior. — The Crow Chief Arapoo- 
 ith and his Guest. — Indian Conceptious of a Perfect Country. — Story of Lo- 
 retto and liix Indian Wife. — Adventures of Kosato, a Blaclcfoot Warrior, 531 
 
 Chapter V. Tril)e8 on tlie Columbia and its Tributaries. — The Nez-Perc^s. — 
 Tlieir Religious Character. — The Walla-wallas. — The Chinooks. — Mode of 
 Flattening the Head. — Tlie Botuque. — Canoes of tlie-Tribes on the Lower Wa- 
 ters of the Columbia. — Fishing. — Houses of the Fiat-heads, 533 
 
 Chapter Vf . The Shoshonees, or i^nake Indians. — The Shoshokoes, or Root- 
 diggers. — Extent of Country occupied by tlie Snakes. — The Cainanches ; their 
 Horsemanship, Mode of Life, Dwelliiigs, &c. — The Pawnee Plots. — TheA'abar- 
 jos and Moques, 337 
 
 INDIAN POPULATION 
 Of the United States and Territories, 547 
 
 •y\/WNA/VW*«/'W 
 
 SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 TBIBE3 07 THX: WEST INDIES. 
 
 Aire THB NORTHERN PROVINCES OP SOUTO AMERICA. 
 
 Chapter I. Indians firiit seen by Columbus. — Landing at Guanahani. — Natives 
 ofCuba. — Embassy to tite Grand Kahn. — Discovery of Ilayti, and Intercourse 
 with the Natives.- Guacanagari. — Wreck of the Admiral's Vessel. — Honesty 
 and Hospitality of the Native Inhabitants. — Trade for Gold. — Building of the 
 Fortress of La Navidad. — Departure of the Nina. — The CigOayans. — Disorders 
 and Destruction of the Garrison at La Navidad. — Fort of St. Thomas 549 
 
 Chapter IL IndiansofJamaici. — Cruise along the Southern Coast of Cuba.— 
 Speech of an Indian Counsellor- Difficulties at the Fortress of St. Thomas. — Its 
 Siege by Caonabo. — Ertorts of Columbus to restore Order. — Great Rising of the 
 Indians of llispaniola. —Their Defeat. — Tribute imposed. — Visit of Bartholo- 
 mew to Xaraguay. — Further Insurrection in the Vega. — Bobadilla as Viceroy. — 
 Cruelties practised on the Indians, — Las Casas. — Incidents related by Purchas. 
 -Administration of Ovando. — Expedition against Xaraguay. — Reduction of 
 "'K'wy. 559 
 
 Chapter IH. The Caribs. — Their Islands first visited by Columbu' -Origin 
 and Location of the Race. — Tokens of Cannibalism seen by the Spaniards. — 
 Cruise among the Islands. —Demeanor of Prisoners taken. — Return to Hispan- 
 lola. — Destruction of the Portress at that Island. — Capture of Caonabo. — His 
 Death. - Expulsion of the Natives from the Caribbee Islands, 570 
 
 Chapter IV. Indians of Guiana and Venezuela. — Classification.- The Ara- 
 waks. — First seen by Columbus.- Rntry into the Gulf of Paria. — Hospitality of 
 the Natives. — Raleigh's Visit to the Orinoco. — Early Wars of the Arawaks.— 
 Victory over the Caribs. — Maroon Negroes. — Present Condition of the Arawaks. 
 — Other Tribes of the Interior. — General Description, 576 
 
 THB ABORIOINEB 07 PERU. 
 
 Chapter I. Physical Peculiarities of the Qulrliiias, Aynlaras, Atacamas, and 
 
 Changos. — Nature of the Country — Peruvian Works of Art, &.c. — First Rumors 
 
 of the Wealth of the Country — Expedition of Pascual de Andagoya. — Fran- 
 
 tisco Pizarro.— His First Voyage of Discovery. — Almagro'a Voyage. — Contract 
 
I 
 
 ' i 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 12 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 VAOI. 
 
 of Pizarro, Almagro, and Luque. — The Second Expedition. ^ Pizarro and hia 
 Companions upon tlie Isle of Gorgona. — Continuation of the Voyage. — Return 
 to Panama 586 
 
 Chapter II. Mythological Traditions. — Topa Inca Yupanchi,and bis Son Huay- 
 na Capac. — The Peruvian Capital. — Religious System. — Government. — Agra- 
 rian Law. — Llamas. — Public Records. — The "Q,uipu." — Agriculture. — Mar- 
 riages. — Warlike Policy of the Incas. — The Great Roads. — Contentment of the 
 Natives. — Division of the Empire. — Huascar and Atahuallpa. — Contest for Su- 
 premacy 601 
 
 Chapter III. Pizarro's Visit to Spain, and Application to the Emperor. — His 
 Four Brothers. — Funds procured for a New Expedition to Peru. — Vessels again 
 fitted out at Panama. — Lauding of the Spaniards upon the Peruvian Coast. - 
 Plunder at Coaque. — The March towards Tumbez. — Battles on the Isle of Puna.^ 
 
 — Tumbez deserted. — Settlement of San Miguel. — March into the Interior. — 
 Passage of the Andes. — Messages Irom Atahuallpa Entry into Caxamalca,.... 613 
 
 Chapter IV. First Interview with the Inca. — Plans for his Capture. — Entry of 
 of Atahuallpa into Caxamalca. — Address of the Chaplain. — Attack by the Span- 
 iards. — Fearful Massacre of the Natives, and Seizure of the Inca.— Prisoners 
 and Plunder obtained. — The Promised Ransom. — Hernando Pizarro's Visit to 
 Pachacamaca. — Challcuchima. — Messengers sent to Cuzco. — Immense Treasure 
 collected at Caxamal ^. — Trial and Murder of Atahuallpa 631 
 
 Chapter V. March towards Cuzco. — Opposition of the Natives. — Death of 
 Toparca, and Murder of Challcuchima. — Manco Capac. — Entry into the Capital. 
 
 — Booty obtained. — Escape of Manco, and General Insurrection. — Siege of Cuzco. 
 
 — Reverses of the Spaniards. — Civil Wars. — Further Hostilities of Manco Ca- 
 pac. —Cruel Treatment of the Natives. — Death of Manco Capac. — Reforms 
 under Pedro de la Gasca. — Tupac Amaru. — Insurrection of 1781. — Present Con- 
 dition of the Peruvian Indians, 635 
 
 THE ABATTCANIAN BACK. 
 
 Chapter I. Their Location, Appearance, &c. — Purchas' Description of Chili. — 
 
 Division of the Tribes. — Peruvian Conquests. — Agriculture, Arts, Sec, among the 
 
 Natives.- Almagro*8 Invasion. — Expedition of Pedro de Valdivia. — Founding 
 
 of St. Jago. — Battles with the Mapochinians. — Destruction of Spanibh Miners. 
 
 — Peace with the Promaiicians, 6^ 
 
 Chapter II. The Araucanians Proiier. — Character and Habits of the Tribe. — 
 
 Houses and Dress. — Sectional Divisions and Government. — System of Warfare. 
 
 — Courage and Military Skill. —Religious Belief and Superstitions. — Patriotism 
 and Public Spirit of the Natives. — Molina's Eulogium, 651 
 
 Chapter III. Army sent to oppose the Progress of the .-Spaniards. — Battle on the 
 Adalien. — Lincoyan's Campaign. -Valdivia's March Southward.— Foundation 
 of Valdivia, and Establishment of Forts in the Araucanian Territory. — The Na- 
 tives roused by Colocolo. — Caupolican made Toqui. — His Successes. — Great 
 Victor)' over the Spaniards. — Death oC Valdivia. — Invasion of Arauco by ViUa- 
 gram. — His Defeat. — Destruction of Conception. — Lautaro's Fatal Expedition 
 against Santiago, 657 
 
 Chapter IV. Don Garcia de Mendoza. — His Establishment at Quinquina.— 
 Fort of Mount Pinto attacked by Caupolican. — Don Garcia's Invasion of Arauco. 
 
 — His Cruelties. — Expedition to Chiloe. — Artful Management of the Cunches. 
 
 — Seizure and Cruel Death of Caupolican. — Subsequent Successes of the Span- 
 iards. — Retreat of the Natives to the Marshes of Lumaco. — Indian Victory at 
 Mount Mariguenu, — General Summary of Succeeding Hostilities, (HM 
 
 CjIAPTEr V. Viceroyalty of Martin Loyola. — Paillamachu. — Renewal of the 
 War. — Loyola slain. — General Insurrection of the Natives. — The Spaniards 
 driven from the Country South of the Bio-Bio. — Bloody Campaigns under several 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 13 
 
 PAOI. 
 
 successive Toquia. — Peace of 1640, — Ten Years' War. — Subsequent Troalics 
 and HoBtiiities. — Preueut Position of the Araucanians, 674 
 
 INDIAN TBIBlilS OF BRAZIL. 
 
 Chapter I. Physical Characteristics. — Piuzon's Discoveries. — Landing of Pedro 
 Alvarez Cabrat upon the Brazilian Coast. — Expedition under Vespucius. — Can- 
 nibalism. — Colonization of the Country, and Wars with the Natives. — Fata of 
 Juan de Solis, at the Estuary of La Plata. — Settlement of Baliia do Todos San- 
 tos by Diogo Alvarez. — The Jesuits. — Particulars of the Cannibal Propensities 
 of the Natives. — Tiie Botocudos,.. 681 
 
 Chapter I(. Success of the Portuguese against the Natives. — Their Cuiitesta 
 with Settlers from other Countries of Europe. — English Colony nt Paraiba. — 
 Expulsion of Guarani Tribes from their Country on La Plata Division of Bra- 
 zilian Mations. — Daily Uoutino of Indian Life in the Forests. — Reductions, 691 
 
 THE FAMFAS INDIANS. 
 
 Their Horsemanship. —Their Mode of Life Sir Francis Head's Description of 
 
 the Race Female Captives among the Indians. — Trading Visits to European 
 
 Settlements. — Classitication of Tribes. — Change in their Condition by the Intro- 
 duction of European Domestic Animals, 696 
 
 THE FATAOONIANS. 
 Early Exaggerated Reports concerning them. — Race to which they l)elong. — Na- 
 ture of the Country. — Terra d .1 Fuego. — General Description and Classification 
 of the Inhabitants. —C.iptain Filzroy's Narrative. — Physical Conformation of 
 the Natives. — Scantiness of their Clothing. — Their Huts, Resources for Food, 
 etc. — Fuegians cavried to England by Fitzroy. — Attempt at the Introduction of 
 Agriculture on the Island. — Pccherais described in Wilkes' Narrative of tho 
 United States' Exploring Expedition, 701 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 Cbaptkb I Condition of tho Tribes previous to the Outbreak.— A Warlike Tribe.- 
 Civilization Commenced.— Churches and Schools.— Causes of the Outbreak. — Injus- 
 ticeof our Government.— Boginning of the M.tssacre. — Inhabitants calling for Help. — 
 Little Crow.— Attack on tho Lower Agency.— Escape of Rev. Mr. Ilindman.— A 
 Noble Ferryman.— Cut Nose.- Twenty-five Massacred.— Iloart-rcndlng Sight.— 
 Flight and Death of Dr. Humphreys.- Whole Family Burned.— Destruction of Capt 
 Marsh's Company 709 
 
 Chapter II. Escipe of Rev. Mr. Riggs and Dr. Williamson.- Clark, Paul and Enos, 
 faithful Indians, aldin; Rlggs and Williamson in their escape. — Arrival at Birch 
 Oooley.- Bui-iiin!» Women Alive.— Destruction of Lower Agency. — Attick on New 
 Ulm.— Boardinan and Judge Flanderan defend Now Ulm.— Attack on Fort Ridge- 
 ley,— Defended by Sergeant Jones.- Indians dispersed by Shells.— Terrible Thnnder 
 Storm.— Little Crow renewing the Attack.— Slaughtering of Men, Women and Chil- 
 dren.— Little Crow re-enforced, making tho second attack.— Evacuation of New Ulm. 
 
 CuAPTEK III. Col. Sibley Marches to the Relief of Fort Ridgcly and New Ulm.— 728 
 Fight at Birch Cooley.— Crow asks for Peace.— Deacon Paul pleads with his Tribe. — 
 Col. Sibley advances to the Yellow Medicines. — Defeats the Indians.— Prisoners 
 rescued.— Oamp release— OulUy Induins.— Marvellous Escapes.- Women of New 
 Ulm attack tho Prisoners.— Their Examination.— Thirty-eight Tried and Executed.— 
 Their Behavior Mounting the Scaffoltl 
 
 CnAi'TBuIV. Bishop Whipple on tho Outbreak and tho Nation's Duty to the Red 784 
 Men.— Frosh Manocuvers in tho Spring.— Death of Little Crow.— Sibley's Expedi- 
 tion into Dacotah.— Defeat of tho Indians at Big Mound.— Civalry Charge averted 
 by a Stroke of Lightning.— Fight nt Buffalo Lake.— Tho Army reaches the Missouri.— 
 Escapo of the Indians.- Return of the Expedition.— Final Results 74C 
 
i 
 
 \ * 
 
 |( 
 
 "« 
 
 1 ♦• 
 
INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 ^.'. 
 
 ■..'NA/VN/WVW^/'^^^"" 
 
 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ORIGIN OP THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS — SOME OF THEIR GEN- 
 ERAL CUSTOMS AND PECULIARITIES. 
 
 O'ti ttrp ^iXJ.uv ytvit'i, roi^lt KOt iviftZv. 
 
 " Like leaves on trees the race of man is found, 
 Now green in youth, now withering on the ground ; 
 Another race the following spring supplies." — Iliad. 
 
 It were far easier to foretell the period when the extinc- 
 tion of the Indian rafces must be consummated, and to ex- 
 plain the causes that must sooner or later terminate their 
 national existence, than to trace back their early history. 
 
 Even a succinct account of the various theories, with 
 the arguments upon which they are based, as to the prob- 
 able sources whence the early inhabitants of the Western 
 hemisphere derived their origin, would furnish matter for 
 a volume : we shall therefore do little more than allude 
 to the different hypotheses upon the subject, leaving the 
 reader to follow up the inquiry, if his inclination so move 
 him, by the examination of works especially devoted to 
 the discussion of this vexed question. 
 
 The want of a written language among the aborigines 
 
 of Americ. ; the blindness of the system of hieroglyphics 
 
 used by the more advanced nations of the continent ; and 
 
 the wild discrepancies in their fanciful oral traditions, leave 
 
 us little hope of satisfactorily elucidating the mystery by 
 
 (15) 
 
 H'^ 
 
i 
 
 1 
 
 16 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 any direct information obtained from the people them- 
 selves. Analogies in physical conformation, customs, archi- 
 tecture, language, and religion, must form our principal 
 clew in deciding the question of their origin. 
 
 That America was first peopled by wanderers from the 
 Old World seems to be a conclusion to which most of those 
 who have treated on the subject have arrived. Exclusive 
 of the supposed necessity for maintaining the truth of Scrip- 
 tural history by deducing all the races of the globe from a 
 cjmmon ancestry, abundant facilities for an intentional or 
 casual migration have been pointed out by geographers. 
 
 The numberless isles of the Pacific offer ready resting- 
 places for adventurous or bewildered navigators, and might 
 have been peopled successively by wanderers from South- 
 eastern Asia. Some of the natives of that portion of the 
 eastern continent possess a skill in nautical affairs which 
 would abundantly qualify them for voyages as hazardous 
 as any to which they would be exposed in crossing the 
 Pacific from island to island in their swift proas. The 
 near aj.proach of the two grand divisions of the globe at 
 Behring's Straits presents still greater facilities for a pas- 
 sage from one to the other, when the waters are closed by 
 ice, during the severe northern winter, o: when they lie 
 open, affording a free passage for canoes. 
 
 That the north-eastern portions of America were visited 
 and probably peopled, at a very early date, by adventurers 
 from the north of Europe seems to be fully established. 
 Many wild and improbable legends indeed exist, touching 
 these early voyages, and we can sympathize with the man- 
 ner in which the old historian of Virginian colonization 
 dismisses the subject : " For the stories of Arthur, Malgo, 
 and Brandon, that say a thousand years ago they were in 
 the north of America, or the friar of Linn, that by his 
 black art went to the north pole in the year 1360. In 
 that I know them not. Let this suffice." 
 
 M: 
 
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 17 
 
 Modern investigation has brought to light abundant 
 evidence of visits by the Northmen to Greenland and the 
 neighboring American coast, at the close of the tenth 
 and in the beginning of the eleventh centuries, and it is 
 not improbable that intercourse had subsisted between the 
 two countries at a much earlier period. The marked dif- 
 ference between the Esquimaux Indians and all other 
 tribes of the Western co oinent points plainly to a separate 
 ancestry. We shall speak more at large upon this subject 
 when we come to treat of the natives of that vast and 
 desolate region lying between the Canadas and the frozen 
 seas of the North. 
 
 Vague accounts of islands or continents at the West are 
 found in the works of many early writers. The Atlantis 
 of Plato, the Hesperidcs, and a host of other uncertain 
 fables have been tortured by ingenious antiquaries into 
 proof of more extensive geographical knowledge than is 
 generally attributed to the ancients. 
 
 Some theorists have indefatigably followed up the idea 
 that we are to search for the lost tribes of Israel among 
 the red men of America, and have found or fancied resem- 
 blances, otherwise unaccountable, between Indian and He- 
 brew words, ceremonies, and superstitions. 
 
 Others have exhibited equal ingenuity in carrying out 
 a comparison between the Moors of Africa and the Amer- 
 icans, claiming to establish a near affinity in character and 
 complexion between the two races. They suppose the 
 Moorish immigrants to have arrived at the West India 
 islands, or the eastern coast of South America, and thence 
 to have spread over the whole continent. 
 
 However variant, in some particulars, the different 
 nations of America may appear, there are peculiarities of 
 language which are noticeable throughout the continent, 
 and which would seem to prove that neither of these 
 nations has subsisted in an entirely isolated condition. 
 
 * ' 
 
 it^' 
 
 -V - . 
 
ijjt!'; 
 •hi 
 
 18 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 According to Humboldt, " In America, from the coun- 
 try of the Esquimaux to the banks of the Orinoko, and 
 again, from these torrid bank* *■ ' " frozen climate of the 
 Straits of Magellan, mother ti ^ .i, entirely different with 
 regard to their roots, have, if we may use the expression, 
 the same physiognomy. Striking analogies of grammat- 
 ical construction have been recognized, not only in the 
 more perfect languages, — as that of the Incas, the Aymara, 
 the Guarani, the Mexican, and the Cora, — but also in lan- 
 guages extremely rude. Idioms, the roots of which do 
 not resemble each other more than the roots of the Scla- 
 vonian and Biscayan, have resemblances of internal mech- 
 anism similar to those which are found in the Sanscrit, the 
 Persian, the Greek, and the German languages." 
 
 Of the primary roots of the different Indian dialects, 
 it is said that there are four more prominent than the rest, 
 and which can be traced over nearly the whole continent. 
 These are tlie Karalit or Esquimaux, the Iroquois, the 
 Lenni Lenape, and that of the Cherokees, Choctaws, and 
 other tribes of the South. 
 
 The great body of the American aborigines, notwith- 
 standing the country over which they are distributed, have 
 many features of physical conformation in common. The 
 exceptions to this general truth, exhibited principally in 
 the persons of the Esquimaux, and in certain white tribes 
 at the West, deserve a separate consideration: at present, 
 our remarks will be confined to the red men, and particu- 
 larly to those of the present United States and territories. 
 The appellation universally bestowed upon this people is 
 in itself a stvange misnomer, and would hardly have obtained 
 so generally, iiad not the error in which it originated been 
 one which early voyage'-s Avere slow to acknowledge. 
 
 The Americans have, indeed, usurped the name of those 
 for whom they were so long mistaken, and whom we are 
 now reduced to distinguish by the title of East Indians. 
 
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 19 
 
 the 
 
 iwith- 
 have 
 The 
 lly in 
 tribes 
 •csent, 
 irticu- 
 tories. 
 
 The general appearance of a North American Indian 
 can be given in few words ; the resemblance between those 
 of different tribes — with the exceptions to which we have 
 referred — being full as close as between different nations 
 of either of the great families into which the human race 
 has been arbitiarily divided. They are about of the aver- 
 age height which man attains when his form is not cramped 
 by premature or excessive labor ; but their erect posture 
 and slender figure give them the appearance of a tall race. 
 Their limbs are avcU formed, but calculated rather for agility 
 than strength, in which they rarely equal the more vigorous 
 of European nations. They generally have small feet. 
 
 The most distinguishing peculiarities of the race are, 
 the reddish or copper color of the skin, the prominence 
 of the cheek bone, and the color and quality of the hair. 
 This is not absolutely straight, but somewhat wavy, and 
 has not inaptly been compared to the mane of the horse 
 — less from its coarseness than from its glossy hue and the 
 manner in which it hangs. Their eyes are universally 
 dark. The women are rather short, with broader faces, 
 and a greater tendency to obesity, than the men ; but many 
 of them possess a symmetrical figure, with an agreeable 
 and attractive countenance. 
 
 It was formerly qnite a general impression that the 
 Indians were destitute of beards. This error resulted 
 from the almost universal custom prevalent among them 
 of eradicating what they esteemed a deformity. Tweezers, 
 made of wood or muscle shells, served to pluck out the 
 hairs as soon as they appeared ; and, cifler intercourse with 
 the whites commenced, a coil of spirr.l wire was applied to 
 the same use. It was esteemed greatly becoming among 
 the men to carry this operation still farther, and to lay 
 bare the whole head, with the exception of a top-knot, 
 or ridge like the comb of a cock, in which feathers or por- 
 cupine quills were fantastically interwoven. 
 2 
 
 vr i. 
 
.lifi* 
 
 11: 
 
 \l 
 
 20 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Of the hideous custom of flattening the head, and the 
 means by which it was accomplished, we shall speak 
 when describing the tribes among whom it was practised. 
 
 No nations on the Eastern continent approach so nearly to 
 the American Indians, in bodily conformation, as do certain 
 tribes of Tartars. A similarity in habits of life, in dress, 
 festivals, and games, is also observable between the two 
 nations. This, combined with the proximity of their coun- 
 tries, and the ease with which a passage could be effected, 
 would seem to afford a rational presumption as to the direct 
 origin of no small portion of the red tribes of North Amer- 
 ica. "Who can undertake to decide, however, as to what 
 admixture of races has here taken place, or how often 
 fresh arrivals, from different portions of Eastern Asia, 
 have given rise to new colonies, or destroyed, by amal- 
 gamation, the distinctive characteristics of the earlier peo- 
 ple ? Above all, can we account for the wonderful remains 
 of antiquity described in another chapter, by referring 
 them to the same races as were found inhabiting these ^ 
 wilds when the white man first ventured to explore them ? 
 
 The difficulty of the subject is sufficiently manifest from 
 the contradictory conclusions drawn by laborious but dog- 
 matic antiquaries ; and still more by the doubt and uncer- 
 tainty in which more candid but equally diligent laborers 
 in the same field have confessed their researches to have 
 resulted. 
 
 There have not been wanting those who have main- 
 tained the theory that the Indians were indigenous to 
 America. Some who have adopted this idea consider that 
 it involves the doctrine of a separate creation, while others, 
 that they might not discard the ordinarily received opin- 
 ion that all mankind have sprung from a single pair, place 
 the seat of paradise somewhere upon the Western con- 
 tinent, and consider the Eastern nations as descendants of 
 emigrants from America. 
 
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 21 
 
 However interesting these speculations may prove to 
 the antiquary, they must appear simply wearisome to the 
 reader who is not willing to give the subject a full inves- 
 tigation. The two hemispheres remained sundered for so 
 long a period, that the history of their former connection by 
 intercourse of their respective inhabitants is now reduced 
 to little more than speculation ; and we will pass to mat- 
 ters of which we can speak with certainty, and which 
 appeal more closely to our sympathies, and attract our 
 attention with more lively interest than such groping amid 
 the dim relics of antiquity. 
 
 ^■4- 
 
 A knowledge of the habits and peculiarities of the In- 
 dians can be acquired in the most pleasing manner by the 
 perusal of their history, interspersed as it is with the quaint 
 descriptions of old chroniclers, who wrote when the events 
 and scenes were vividly impressed upon their minds, and 
 before modem refinements had done away with that direct- 
 ness of expression which marks their narratives. 
 
 Such details make, moreover, a far stronger impression 
 upon the memory than can be effected by a series of dry 
 generalities. We shall therefore refer the reader to the 
 historical portion of this work for most of the information 
 which we shall attempt to convey. 
 
 In this, and in the ensuing chapter, we may frequently 
 speak of usages and characteristics, as belonging to a past 
 age, which are still to be observed among the more remote 
 Western tribes. The difficulty of always drawing the 
 distinction in a series of such general remarks as are here 
 submitted, must form out excuse for such seeming anach- 
 ronisms. 
 
 We notice in the Indian a remarkable gravity and 
 innate dignity which leads him to avoid, with the most 
 

 i li 
 
 ■Hi 
 
 !\ -! 
 
 22 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 scrupulous care, all involuntary or impulsire expression 
 of his feelings. This is not confined to the occasions 
 upon which he calls forth his powers of endurance in suf- 
 fering the most cruel torments with apparent insensibility 
 or even with exultation, but enters into all the acts of his 
 daily life. He betrays no unseemly curiosity or impa- 
 tience under circumstances that would naturally excite 
 both in the highest degree. Has he been long absent from 
 home on a war-path, or on a visit to cities of the whites ; has 
 he learned some great and threatening danger, or has the 
 intelligence reached him of the death of those whom he 
 most values ; his conduct and method of communicating 
 his adventures or his information, are governed by the same 
 deliberation and immobility. 
 
 Eetuining half ilimished from an unsuccessful hunt, he 
 enters his wigwam, and sits down unquestioned, showing 
 no symptom of impatience for food. His wife prepares 
 his refreshment, and after smoking his pipe, and satisfying 
 his hunger, he volunteers an account of his experience. 
 Catlin gives a striking description of the meeting between 
 a chief named Wi-jun-jon, who had just rctui'ned from an 
 embassy to Washington, and his family. He landed from 
 the steamer at his home in the far West, " with a com- 
 plete suit en militaire, a colonel's uniform of blue, pre- 
 sented to him by the president of the United States, with 
 a beavor hat and feather, with epaulets of gold — with 
 sash and belt, and broadsword ; with hi^h-heeled boots — 
 with a keg of whiskey under his arm, and a blue umbrella 
 in his hand. In this plight and metamorphose, he took 
 his position on the bank amongst his friends — his wife 
 and other relations ; not one of whom exhibited, for an 
 half hour or more, the least symptoms of recognition, 
 although they knew well who was before tliem." The 
 conduct of the chief was of the same character, but, half 
 an hour afterwards, " a gradual, but cold and exceedingly 
 
 
 iiy 
 
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 23 
 
 ;;;* 
 
 formal recognition began to take place," after which, all 
 went on as if he had never been absent. — This strange 
 demeanor does not, by any means, result from real indif- 
 ference, but from the supposed propriety of suppressing 
 any outbreak of emotion. No doubt all the parties to 
 the scene above described, were in a state of the greatest 
 curiosity and excitement, and the family doubtless felt 
 the most exuberant joy at the reunion ; but custom, or 
 their ideas of good taste, prohibited the exhibition of a 
 " scene." Those who are best acquainted with the char- 
 acter of the Indians agree that with them the ties of fam- 
 ily affection are exceedingly strong and enduring. The 
 most touching descriptions arc given of the manner in 
 which they mourn for the dead, and of the tender and 
 faithful remembrance of lost relatives that no length of 
 time seems to obliterate. Carver says, *' I can assert that, 
 notwithstanding the apparent indifference with which an 
 Indian meets his wife and children after a long absence, an 
 indifference proceeding rather from custom than insensibility, 
 he is not unmindful of the claims either of connubial or 
 pai'ental tenderness." 
 
 The same author who had witnessed the most bloody 
 and savage scenes of Indian warfare, and who was familiar 
 with the cruelties and unrelenting spirit of revenge peculiar 
 to the race, candidly bears witness to their good qualities : 
 
 *' No people," he says, " can be more hospitable, kind, 
 and free. * * The honor of their tribe and the 
 welfare of their nation is the first and most predominant 
 emotion of their hearts ; and from hence proceed in a great 
 measure all their virtues and their vices. • * * 
 N^o selfish views ever influence their advice or obstruct 
 their consultations. • * They are at once guided 
 by passions and appetites, which they hold in common with 
 the fiercest beasts that inhabit their woods, and are pos- 
 sessed of virtues which do honor to human nature." 
 
 !',/"•■ 
 
24 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 The Indians are naturally taciturn, but fond of set 
 speeches. Their oratory is of no mean order, and is dis- 
 tinguished for a pithiness, a quaintness, and occasionally a 
 vein of dry sarcasm, which have never been surpassed. 
 We have specimens of some of their orations, upon great 
 occasions, which are models of stirring eloquence, adorned 
 with metaphors and similes which breathe the true spirit 
 of poetry. 
 
 The most pleasing traits in the character of these strange 
 people are their reverence for age, their affection for their 
 children, their high notions of honor, and their keen sense 
 of justice. The great stigma upon the whole race is their 
 deliberate and systematic cruelty in the treatment of cap- 
 tives. It is hard to account for this, but it really appears, 
 upon investigation, to be rather a national custom, gradu- 
 ally reaching a climax, than to have arisen from any innate 
 love of inflicting pain. It is perfectly certain that, if the 
 children of the most enlightened nation on earth should be 
 brought up in occasional familiarity with scenes like those 
 witnessed at the execution of a prisoner by the American 
 savages, they would experience no horror at the sight. 
 We need not seek farther than the history of religious and 
 political persecutions in Europe, or the cruelties practised 
 on reputed witches in our own country, to satisfy us that 
 the character of the Indians will suffer little by comparison 
 with that of their contemporaries of our own race. 
 
 Among some of those nations which included an ex- 
 tensive confederacy, where a system of government had 
 become settled by usage, and the authority of the chief 
 had been strengthened by long submission to him and his 
 predecessors, an arbitrary monarchy seems to have pre- 
 vailed ; but among the smaller tribes, the authority of the 
 chief was rather advisory than absolute. There was gen- 
 erally a king who held hereditary office, and exercised 
 the powers of a civil governor by virtue of his descent^ 
 
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 25 
 
 while to lead the warriors in battle, the bravest, most 
 redoubted, and sagacious of the tribe was elected. These 
 two chief offices were not unfrequently united in the 
 same person, when the lawful sachem, from a spirit of 
 emulation, or from natural advantages, showed himself 
 worthy of the position. 
 
 All matters of national interest were discussed at a sol- 
 emn council, consisting of the principal men of the tribe, 
 and at which great decorum and formality were observed. 
 As the debate proceeded, the whole conclave, whenever a 
 remark from the orator speaking excited their approbation, 
 would give expression to their approval by a guttural 
 ejaculation. 
 
 A natural instinct of retributive justice ordained that 
 the crime of murder should be punished by the hand of 
 the deceased person's nearest relative. An interesting 
 incident, connected with this custom, is told in a notice of 
 the public life of the Hon. Pierre A. Eost, of Louisiana, 
 given in the United States Law Magazine, for March, 1852. 
 He is here said to have been the first to suggest the pro- 
 priety of interference in these matters on the part of the 
 State Courts. In a drunken fray, an Indian had been 
 accidentally killed. " The relatives of the deceased were 
 absent at the time ; but they soon heard of his death, and 
 came from the Indian territory to exact blood for blood 
 from the homicide. He was advised to flee, but would 
 not, and, in blind submission to the law of the red man, 
 agreed to deliver himself on a certain day to be shot. 
 The Court was then sitting, and Mr. Rost proposed to the 
 presiding judge to prevent the horrid sacrifice, by giving 
 the victim a fair trial by jury, many members of which 
 were known and respected by the relatives of the deceased, 
 and impressing upon the latter the necessity of abiding 
 by the verdict, whatever it might be." This was done, 
 and every thing was conducted with due form and solem- 
 
 
1 
 
 26 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 nity. The Indian witnesses gave the most satisfactory 
 answers when questioned as to their ideas of the obli- 
 gation of an oath, and. after a full hearing, the defendant 
 was acquitted. The decision was translated to the com- 
 plainants, and they were told that to kill the prisoner 
 would now be murder, and would subject them to the 
 penalties of that crime. 
 
 " Mr. Rest then rose, and stated to the Court that the 
 prosecutors had left their hunting-ground to come and 
 avenge the death of their relative, as it was their duty to 
 do ; that justice had been done to the accused, but that 
 was not sufficient. Justice must also be done to the other 
 side ; they must be indemnified for the inconvenience they 
 had been put to, and the loss they had sustained ; and, as 
 the coffers of the treasury would not unlock at the bidding 
 of his honor, he moved that the bar, jury, and by-standers, 
 contribute a sufficient amount to satisfy them. This was 
 done as soon as proposed, and the prosecutors declared 
 themselves satisfied." 
 
 The institution of marriage among the American Indians 
 is by no means so restrictive a system as that adopted by 
 enlightened nations. It is for the most part dissoluble at 
 the pleasure of the parties, and polygamy is extensively 
 practised. As with other barbarous nations, the woman 
 is compelled to undergo the drudgery of daily labor, 
 while her lord and master lounges indolently about the 
 village, except at times when his energies are called forth 
 for hunting or war. When once engaged in these pur- 
 suits, his fixedness of purpose, and the readiness with 
 which he will undergo the extremes of toil, exposure, 
 hunger, and privation, is marvellous. 
 
 iM 
 
mmk 
 
 atisfactory 
 the obli- 
 
 defendant 
 the com- 
 
 3 prisoner 
 
 im to the 
 
 t that the 
 come and 
 ;ir duty to 
 , but that 
 ) the other 
 lience they 
 a ; and, as 
 he bidding 
 yr-standers. 
 This was 
 s declared 
 
 an Indians 
 dopted by 
 ssoluble at 
 jxtensively 
 he woman 
 aily labor, 
 
 about the 
 lalled forth 
 these pur- 
 liness with 
 
 exposure. 
 
iJl 
 
 ii? 
 
 IJflilAK TOMAHAWK^ SKTTLK, SrOOJUT, PIPKM, «•«. 
 
 IJfL 
 
e«, trc. 
 
 IJfDlJiJf BOtW AMD ARROWS^ HAHVUOM^ POT, 4r: 
 
ii^ii 
 
 (III 
 
 in 
 
 1. -J 
 
 1 "■ 
 k ■ 
 
 ; '' 
 
 1 
 
 terrib 
 fectly 
 two i 
 
 1 
 
 unlik 
 
 1 
 
 notab 
 each ] 
 
 '1 
 
 A 
 
 M 
 
 the bj 
 
 M 
 
 South 
 
 1 
 
 er, aft 
 
 1 
 
 the m 
 
 1 
 
 fear; 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 ' 
 
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 31 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 RELIGION OF THE INDIANS, -THEIR WEAPONS, AND SYSTEM OP WAR- 
 FARE. -THEIR LODGINGS, DRESS, ORNAMENTS, ETC. 
 
 » Yet simple nature to his hope has given, 
 Behind the cloud-topped hill, an humbler heaven ; 
 Some safer world, in depths of wood embraced, 
 Some happier island in the watery waste." — Pope. 
 
 The Indians, before receiving instruction from Euro- 
 peans, generally believed in the existence of a Supreme 
 Deity, embodying a principle of universal benevolence, 
 and that to him their gratitude was due for all natural 
 benefits. 
 
 On the other hand, they stood in fear of a spirit of evil, 
 whose influence upon human affairs they considered as 
 being more direct and familiar. To this being, known 
 among many tribes as Hobamocko, much more assiduous 
 devotion was paid than to the Great Spirit, it being far 
 more essential in their view to deprecate the wrath of a 
 terrible enemy, than to seek the favor of one already per- 
 fectly well disposed towards his creatures. Besides these 
 two superior deities, a sort of fanciful mythology, not 
 unlike that of many ancient Eastern nations, invested every 
 notable object with its tutelary divinity, and bestowed on 
 each individual his guardian spirit. 
 
 A general idea that the good would be rewarded, and 
 the bad punished, was entertained. Far away to the warm 
 South-west, a pleasant land was fabled, in which the hunt- 
 er, after death, should pursue his favorite employment, in 
 the midst of abundance, and a stranger for ever to want or 
 fear; 
 
 "Where everlasting Autumn lies '^ 
 
 On yellow woods and sunny skies." 
 
 .■•'vl 
 
i 
 
 82 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 if 
 
 Their heaven was as far removed from the sensual para- 
 dise of the Mahometans^ as from the pure abstractions of 
 an enlightened religion. Ease, comfort, and a sufficiency 
 for the natural wants, seemed all-sufficient to these simple 
 children of nature, to reader an eternity delightful. 
 
 The description handed down to us of the Indian pow- 
 wows or conjurers, and their medicine-men, derive an 
 additional piquancy and interest from the fact, that those 
 who detail them were generally as superstitious as the 
 poor natives themselves. We might cite pages in which 
 the necromantic performances of the red men are spoken 
 of with all the pious horror that would naturally be excited 
 by what were considered the direct operations of the devil, 
 as displayed in the works of his children. Winslov, tak- 
 ing occasion to explain the meaning of the word " Paniess," 
 often applied to notable warriors in New England, says, 
 " The Panieses are men of great courage and wisdom, and 
 to these also the devil appeareth more familiarly than to 
 others, and, as we conceive, maketh covenan* with them 
 to preserve them from death by wounds with arrows, 
 knives, hatchets, &c." , 
 
 The works of the learned divine. Cotton Mather, are 
 filled with similar extravagances. 
 
 These powwows, says Gookin, " are partly wizards and 
 witches, holding familiarity with Satan, that evil one ; and 
 partly are physicians, and make use, at least in show, of 
 herbs and roots for curing the sick and diseased. These 
 are sent for by the sick and wounded ; and by their dia- 
 bolical spells, mutterings, exorcisms, they seem to do won- 
 ders. They use extraordinary strange motions of their 
 bodies, insomuch that they sweat until they foam ; and 
 thus they continue for some hours together, stroking and 
 hovering over the sick. — These powwows are reputed, 
 and I conceive justly, to hold familiarity with the devil." 
 
 Wherever the Indians have enjoyed free intercourse 
 
 ?i »' 
 
GENERAL CHABACTEBISTICS. 
 
 88 
 
 fnsual para- 
 tractions of 
 I sufficiency 
 tiese simple 
 tful. 
 
 ndian pow- 
 derive an 
 , that those 
 ous as the 
 es in which 
 are spoken 
 r be excited 
 f the devil, 
 nslov, tak- 
 ' Paniess," 
 land, says, 
 isdom, and 
 rly than to 
 with them 
 th arrows, 
 
 [ather, are 
 
 izards and 
 . one ; and 
 1 show, of 
 d. These 
 their dia- 
 ;o do won- 
 8 of their 
 bam; and 
 oking and 
 3 reputed, 
 
 devil." 
 ntercoiirse 
 
 with the whites, they have been no less eager to adopt 
 than apt to acquire the use of their more efficacious 
 weapons. It is of the primitive instruments for offence 
 or defence that we shall now speak. Scattered over the 
 whole country, even at the present day, small triangular 
 bits of wrought flint, quartz, or other stone are turned up 
 by the plough, or seen lying on the surface of the ground. 
 These arrow-heads, with occasionally one of a larger size, 
 which might have served for a lance, a stone tomahawk, 
 a rude pestle, or the fragment of a bowl of the same mate- 
 rial, constitute almost the only marks now visible, in the 
 thickly settled Eastern states, of the race that formerly 
 inhabited them. The opening of a tomb sometimes brings 
 to light other relics, and various specimens of native art 
 have been presfii.ved among us from generation to gen- 
 eration, as curious relics of antiquity ; but until we arrive 
 at the Western tumuli, (commencing at the state of New 
 York) we find but slight impressions upon soil at the 
 hands of the red men, and the few and simple articles to 
 which we have alluded, constitute the most important pro- 
 ductions of their skill, except those formed from a perish- 
 able material. 
 
 How the arrow and lance heads could have been attached 
 with any degree of firmness to the wood, seems almost 
 incomprehensible. Captain Smith describes a species of 
 glue which assisted in accomplishing this object, but the 
 shank or portion of the stone that entered the wood is in 
 some of the specimens so short and ill defined, that it 
 seems impossible that it should have been held firm in its 
 place by such means. The arrow-heads were chipped into 
 shape, presenting something the same surface as a gun' 
 flint, while the tomahawks and pestles, being of a less in- 
 tractable material, were ground smooth, and some of them 
 were highly polished. A handle was commonly affixed 
 to the " tom-hog " or tomahawk by inserting it in a split 
 
 
••l« 
 
 84 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 :| 
 
 sapling, and waiting for the wood to grow ^rmly around 
 it ; after which, it was cut off at the requisite length. 
 
 The Indian bow was shorter than that formerly used in 
 England, and was so stiff as to require great strength or 
 skill to bend it. It became a much more effective weapon 
 after the introduction of steel or iron arrow-heads, which 
 quickly superseded those of stone. Clubs, sometimes 
 armed with flints, with the bow and tomahawk, constitute 
 the principal weapon of the race. Daggers of flint or 
 bone, and shields of buffalo hide, were in use among some 
 of the Western tribes. 
 
 Divided into innumerable petty nations, nearly the whole 
 Indian population lived in a state of insecurity, from the 
 constant hostility which prevailed between different tribes. 
 So strong a clannish spirit as they all exhibited has seldom 
 been noticed in any country, and the bitterest hatred was 
 inherited by every individual towards the members of an 
 unfriendly tribe. War, as in most nations, whether bar- 
 barous or enlightened, was ever esteemed the most honor- 
 able employment. The manner in which hostilities were 
 conducted will appear by a detail of some of the more 
 noted Indian wars, as given in the ensuing chapters of this 
 work. The whole was a system of stratagem and surprise ; 
 a pitched battle in an open field ,,i3 almost unknown, and 
 greater honor was ascribed to the chief who, by a night 
 attack, destroyed his enemies at a disadvantage, and 
 brought away their scalps in triumph, without loss to his 
 own people, than to deeds involving the greatest personal 
 exposure. The remorseless cruelty with which women 
 and children were destroyed in the heat of conflict, has 
 furnished a theme for many a tale of horror. 
 
 Previous to a declaration of war against another tribe, 
 the chief men and councillors of the nation were in the 
 habit of holding solemn consultations, accompanied by 
 numerous fantastic ceremonies. When fully resolved upon 
 
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 35 
 
 hostilities, the first step was to secure the assistance of as 
 many of the neighboring tribes as possible, for which pur- 
 pose ambassadors were sent, to set forth the advantages 
 of the union, and to cement a treaty by exchange of wam- 
 pum. When all was ready, a hatchet or other weapon, 
 painted red, was sent as an intimation to the enemy of 
 what was in store. We are told that the reception of this 
 ominous token frequently excited such rage in the minds 
 of those to whom it was sent, " that in the first transports 
 of their fury, a small party of them would issue forth, with- 
 out waiting for permission from the elder chiefs, and, slay- 
 ing the first of the offending nation they met, cut open the 
 body, and stick a hatchet, of the same kind as that they 
 had just received, into the heart of their slaughtered foe." 
 
 When, weary with the war, eithev party desired to ter- 
 minate hostilities, the message was sent under the protec- 
 tive influence of the calumet, or pipe of peace, which, like 
 a flag of truce among other nations, every where secured 
 the person of those who bore it. This pipe, so widely 
 celebrated, and of such universal use, was most elaborately 
 carved and bedecked. Each nation had its own peculiar 
 style of ornament for this all-important symbol, which 
 was known to A\ the neighboring tribes. A solemn and 
 ceremonious smoking of the calumet, formed the token of 
 ratification to every treaty. When used at the conclusion 
 of a peace, the painted hatchet was buried in the ground, 
 and belts of wampum, so figured and arranged as to com- 
 memorate the essential articles of the pacific agreement, 
 were presented, to be kept as a perpetual memorial. 
 
 The treatment of captives exhibited the opposite ex- 
 tremes of cruelty and kinjduess. Greatly to the credit of 
 the race, it was obsferveJ'lt'that, in most instances, white 
 women who fell into their hand^ .met with* ko outrage or 
 indignity.; •.Thfe5'*TVefef_generaliy/l«iyi«llytifeated, and every 
 respe.ct' *vy4s*,liiia*fco tileh' feelings. The men taken prison- 
 
 « ■ » 
 
 '» «•• 
 
' rMil 
 
 i " 
 
 i 
 
 86 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 ers of war, were either adopted to supply the place of those 
 who had fallen in battle, — in which case they were to 
 undertake all the responsibilities, and were entitled to all 
 the privileges of the one in whose place they stood, — or 
 they were solemnly devoted to death, by the most refined 
 and cruel tormenis that diabolical ingenuity could devise. 
 
 On such occasions, all his native powers of stoical endu- 
 rance were called forth on the part of the doomed warrior. 
 When told what was the fate before him, he would briefly 
 express his satisfaction ; and when led to the stake, and 
 subjected to every torture, by fire and mutilation, he would 
 maintain a proud composure, recounting his exploits, and 
 the injuries which he had inflicted upon his tormentors 
 in former battles, taunting them with their unskilfulness in 
 the art, and describing the superior manner in which he 
 and his friends had tortured their relatives. Not unfre- 
 quently the rage of the surrounding company would be so 
 excited by these expressions of contempt, and by their in- 
 ability to break the warrior's spirit, that some of them 
 would rush upon him, and despatch him at once by a blow 
 of the tomahawk. 
 
 The habitations and clothing of the Indians varied 
 greatly with the te .nperature of the climate. In the warm 
 regions of the Souta, a slight covering proved sufficient, 
 while to resist the severity of a New England winter very 
 efficient precautions were taken. The usual manner of 
 building their wigwams, was by fixing a row of poles 
 firmly in the ground, in the form of a circle, and then 
 bending and confining the tops* tdgotheV in the centre. A 
 hole was Id't.-fof the .^moke of {he fire to escape, at the 
 top of the .'cabiiniVcVaL-y -other pavt • being, warmly and 
 closely covered with mattfrig. A 'tighl. screen. 'awig oyer 
 
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 37 
 
 the doorway, which was raised when any one entered, and 
 then allowed to fall into its place. 
 
 A species of matting was prepared by peeling the bark 
 from trees, and subjecting it, packed in layers, to a heavy 
 pressure. With this material, or with mats woven from 
 rushes,^c., the walls of the huts were so closely thatched, 
 as to effectually resist wind and weather. 
 
 Some of these wigwams were of great size, being from 
 fifty to a hundred feet in length, but the generality were 
 of dimensions suitable to a single family. Their bedding 
 consisted of mattresses disposed in bunks attached to the 
 walls, or upon low movable couches. Bear and deer skins 
 furnished additional covering. Their other furniture and 
 household utensils were simple in the extreme. Clay or 
 earthen pots, wooden platters, bowls and spoons, and pails 
 ingeniously fashioned of birch bark, served their purpose 
 for cookery and the table. They were skilled in basket- 
 making. 
 
 In many of their towns and villages, the wigwams were 
 set in orderly rows, with an open space or court near the 
 centre ; while the whole was surrounded by a strong pali- 
 sade, having but one or two narrow entrances. For spir- 
 ited descriptions and sketches of the modern Indian towns 
 of the extreme West, the reader is referred to the valuable 
 works of Mr. George Catlin. In many respects it will be 
 perceived that old customs are still observed. 
 
 The clothing of the Indians consisted mostly of skins, 
 dressed with no little skill. Lcggins of deer skins, with a 
 hand's breath of the material hanging loose at the side 
 seam, and often highly ornamented with fringe and em- 
 broidery ; moccasins of buck, elk, or buffalo skin ; and a 
 garment of various fashion, from a simple cincture about 
 the loins, to a warm and ornamental mantle or coat, com- 
 pleted the equipment of the men. 
 
 Very rarely, even in our own times, do we find Indians 
 
 I .>v ■ 
 
 
 
 
 ^''6: 
 

 m 
 
 38 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 who are willing to submit to the restraining and incon- 
 venient dress of the whites. They have always been ac- 
 customed to leave the thigh bare, and about the neck they 
 can endure none of the clumsy and disagreeable bandages 
 in such universal use among civilized nations. " Those 
 who wear shirts," says Carver, *' never make them fast, 
 either at the wrist or collar ; this would be a most insuffer- 
 able confinement to them." 
 
 The women wore a short frock, reaching to the knees ; 
 their covering for the legs and feet were similar to that 
 worn by the men. In some portions of the country, very 
 beautiful specimens of ornamental mantles, covered with 
 neatly-arranged feathers, were seen and described by early 
 writers Cole red porcupine quills were in general use, 
 both for stitching and ornamenting the clothing and other 
 equipments of the Indian. 
 
 A fondness for gay colors and gaudy ornaments has 
 ever been conspicuous in the whole race. From pocone 
 and other roots, a brilliant red paint or dye was prepared, 
 with which, and with other pigments — as charcoal, earths, 
 and extracts from the barks of certain trees — they painted 
 their bodies, in different styles, either to make a terrible 
 impression on their enemies, or simply to bedeck them- 
 selves in a becoming manner in the eyes of their friends. 
 The usual savage custom of wearing pendants at the ears 
 was common. The cartilage was frequently stretched and 
 enlarged by weights, and by winding it with brass wire, 
 until it nearly reached the shoulder. Tattooing was prac- 
 tised by some nations, but not so systematically, or to so 
 great an extent as has been observed among the savages of 
 warmer climates, where little clothing is worn. 
 
 One of the most noted species of ornament, which 
 answered all the purpose of a circulating medium among 
 the Eastern Indians, was wampum. This consisted of 
 small circular bits of sea-shell, smoothly ground and pol- 
 

 '■ If 
 
 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 39 
 
 ished, with a hole drilled through the centre of each, by 
 which it might be strung, or attached ornamentally to the 
 belt or other parts of the dress. The " qua-hog " or round 
 clam furnished the principal material for this coin, the 
 variegated purple portions of the shell being much the 
 most valuable. The great labor in preparing it was the 
 boring, which was effected by a sharp flint. When we 
 consider the slow nature of such a process, we can scarce 
 credit the accounts given of the immense quantities of 
 wampum that were procured by the white colonists, while 
 it retained its value, in exchange for European commodi- 
 ties, or which were exacted as tribute, in atonement for 
 national offences. 
 
 " The wompompeague," says Gookin, " is made princi- 
 pally by the Block Islanders and Long Island Indians. 
 Upon the sandy flats and shores of those coasts the wilk 
 shells are found. With this wompompeague they pay 
 tribute, redeem captives, satisfy for murders and other 
 wrongs, pui base peace with their potent neighbors, as 
 occasion requires ; in a word, it answers all occasions with 
 them, as gold and silver doth with us. They delight much 
 in having and using knives, combs, scissors, hatchets, hoes, 
 guns, needles, awls, looking-glasses, and such like necessa- 
 ries which they purchase of the English and Dutch with 
 their peague, and then sell them their peltry for their 
 wompeague." 
 
 The principal articles of food used oy the aborigines of 
 the present United States, were the products of the chase, 
 fish, beans, some species of squashes and pumpkins, and 
 maize or Indian corn. Wild rice, growing in rich, wet 
 land in the interior of the country, furnished a wholesome 
 and easily gathered supply of farinaceous food tq the tribes 
 of the temperate portion of the United States. Shell fish 
 were a very important addition to the resources of those 
 who dwelt near the sea-coast, and in the interior, various 
 3 
 
 ■I- y^. ■..-,■,; .'.••:.r^:K'l ' 
 
 )■'..,. 
 « '■■■■ ■.', ,.■ ■ ■ ' -' 
 
 t:-^:^;v:- ^ ■;■■ 
 
I li 
 
 / } 
 
 40 
 
 INDIAN BACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Species of wild roots, and certain nutritious bark supplied 
 the failure of the cultivated crop, and furnished the means 
 to eke out a subsistence when the hunt was unsuccessful 
 or the last year's stores had been consumed before the sea- 
 son of harvest. 
 
 To effect a clearing, and to secure a crop with such rude 
 implements of stone as they possessed, appears to us almost 
 an impracticable undertaking ; but we are assured, by early 
 writers, that they obtained as large a yield from a given 
 spot of ground as can be produced by the assistance of 
 all modern conveniences and contrivances. Two dishes, 
 greatly in vogue among the Indians, have maintained their 
 popularity among their European successors. Green corn, 
 the ripening of which was celebrated by a national dance, 
 is sought as eagerly as when it supplied a grateful refresh- 
 ment to the led men, emaciated, as Smith describes them, 
 by the spring diet of fish and roots. A preparation, de- 
 nominated " Succotash," consisting of maize, boiled with 
 beans, and flavored with fat bear's meat, or fish, still re- 
 mains (with the substitution of pork for wild meats) a 
 favorite dish in New England. Carver says that, as pre- 
 pared by the : ives, it was " beyond comparison delicious." 
 
 It is singular that the use of milk should have been 
 entirely unknown before the advent of the whites, although 
 there were various animals in the country from which it 
 might have been procured. This fact has been adduced 
 as a strong argument against the hypothesis, that immi- 
 grants from the nomadic tribes of Tartary have mingled 
 with the red race in comparatively modern times. If the 
 ferocity or wildness of the buffalo, deer, or elk, had at first 
 seemed to render their domestication impracticable, yet it 
 is not probable that so important an article of subsistence 
 would have been not only disused, but entirely forgotten, 
 until many generations had passed away. 
 
 With the foregoing brief sketch of some of the more 
 
 marked Indij 
 portion of oi 
 ities, proceed 
 iiations, some 
 intercourse wi 
 for the omissi{ 
 particularity, i 
 belongs rather 
 
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 41 
 
 marked Indian traits and peculiarities, we will dismiss this 
 portion of our subject j and, dealing no more in general- 
 ities, proceed to take up the history of various tribes and 
 nations, somewhat in the order of the dates of their first 
 intercourse with Europeans. We need make no apology 
 for the omission of many minor clans, or for avoiding that 
 particularity, in the delineation of private character, which 
 belongs rather to biography than to general history. 
 
 
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 AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
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 CHAPTER I. 
 
 UNITED STATES TERRITORY, ETC. 
 
 " But what are These, still standing in the midst ? 
 The Earth has rocked beneath ; the Thunder-stone 
 Passed through and through, and left its traces there. 
 Yet sty) they stand as by some Unknown Charter ! 
 O, they are Nature's own ! and, as alUed 
 To the vast Mo tains and the eternal Sea, 
 They want no written history ; theirs a voice 
 Forever speaking to the heart of Man ! " — Eogeks. 
 
 In the absence of any written record of those numerous 
 races which formerly peopled this hemisphere, information 
 must be sought in their monuments, and in the disinterred 
 reHcs of their ancient manner of life. These, considering 
 the almost unbroken wilderness which presented itself 
 to the first white adventurers, are sur^jrisingly numerous. 
 They indicate the former existence of pojyulous nations, 
 excelling in many of the arts of civilization, and capable, 
 by their numbers and combination, of executing the most 
 gigantic works for religion, public defence, and commem- 
 oration of the dead. Such relics, though, for the most part, 
 not immediately pertaining to the history of the Indian 
 tribes, have supported the conjectures advanced by Hum- 
 boldt and other eminent cosmographers, that these races are 
 but the dwindled and degraded remains of once flourishing 
 aid populous nations. The retrograde process to which 
 
 certain forms of incomplete civilization appear doomed, has 
 
 rt2) 
 
 perhaps been 
 to be discove 
 of the red rac 
 nities who occ 
 
 The relics 
 or slightly ben 
 and simple ch 
 common amon^ 
 flint arrow-hea( 
 tomahawk, knii 
 and savage on 
 differ but little 
 their successors. 
 Except amoi 
 stone, and who 
 the constructior 
 architecture can 
 occupying this 
 dian tumuli, or 
 of simple consti 
 supposed that t 
 and civilization, 
 acteristic methoc 
 barrows, which 
 dwindled descen 
 raced pyramids t 
 mus to the lake 
 Mexican Cordille 
 The origin of 
 remains, is to the 
 and pjiplexing ii 
 unknown period 
 ization ; yet the 
 to furnish but a 
 their long-vanishi 
 
AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 43 
 
 perhaps been most strikingly exemplified in the difference 
 to be discovered between the feeble and scattered tribes 
 of the red race, and those powerful and populous commu- 
 nities who occupied the soil before them. 
 
 The relics of the former people, usually discovered on 
 or slightly beneath the surface of the ground, are of a rude 
 and simple character, differing little from the specimens 
 common among their descendants of the present day. The 
 flint arrow-head, chipped painfully into shape — the stone 
 tomahawk, knife, and chisel — the pipe, the rude pottery 
 and savage ornaments, are their only relics ; and these 
 differ but little from the same articles still fabricated by 
 their successors. 
 
 Except among the Esquimaux, who occasionally use 
 stone, and who avail themselves of the arch and dome in 
 the construction of their snow huts, nothing like regular 
 architecture can be assigned to the late or modern tribes 
 occupying this continent northward of Mexico. The In- 
 dian tumuli, or mounds of burial, are generally small and 
 of simple construction. It has, however, been rationally 
 supposed that the force of religious custom, surviving art 
 and civilization, has preserved to the red tribes this char- 
 acteristic method of their forefathers ; and that the rude 
 barrows, which they still erect, are but the puny and 
 dwindled descendants of those mighty mounds and ter- 
 raced pyramids which still rear their heads from the isth- 
 mus to the lakes, and from the shores of Florida to the 
 Mexican Cordilleras. 
 
 The origin of these and of other unquestionably ancient 
 remains, is to the antiq^^arian a question of the most lively 
 and pjrplexing interest. Here, in unknown ages and for 
 unknown periods, have existed wealth, power, and civiU 
 ization ; yet the remains by which these are indicated seem 
 to furnish but a slight clew to the epoch and history of 
 their long-vanished constructors. Within the mounds and 
 
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 44 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
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 mural embankments scattered through a large portion of 
 this country, are found the remains of high mechanical 
 and scientific art. Pottery, the most fragile of man's 
 "works, yet almost indestructible by time, still remains in 
 large quantities and in good preservation. In the compo- 
 sition and coloring of these articles, much chemical skill 
 is evinced ; while in many cases, their grace of form and 
 perfection of finish rival the remains of Grecian or Etrus- 
 can art. Some of these ancient vessels are of immense 
 size ; one, disinterred from a Western mound being eigh- 
 teen feet in length by six in breadth. Glass beads of rare 
 and elaborate construction have been found ; stone orna- 
 ments, skilfully wrought, and brick, much resembling that 
 in modern use, have been often discovered. 
 
 Metallic remains are frequent. Copper, used both for 
 weapons and for ornament, has often been found, and occa- 
 sionally specimens, plated with silver, have been disinterred. 
 At an ancient mound in Marietta, a silver cup finely gilt 
 on the inside, was exposed to view by the washing of a 
 stream. It has been often questioned whether the use of 
 iron was known to these aboriginal races ; but except the 
 occasional presence of rust in the excavations, little has 
 been ascertained with certainty — the perishable nature of 
 that metal peculiarly exposing it to the destroying influ- 
 ence of time and dampness. 
 
 Inscriptions upon rocks, mostly of a hieroglyphic char- 
 acter, are numerous ; and on the walls of several caverns 
 in the west, some extraordinary specimens may be seen. 
 In the same gloomy receptacles have been found numbers 
 of a species of mummy, most carefully prepared, and beau- 
 tifully covered with colored feathers, symmetrically ar- 
 ranged. Stone coffins and burial urns of great beauty have 
 also been disinhumed from the Western mounds. 
 
 « • 
 
 The 
 
 Of tl 
 
 And 
 
 That 
 
 In th 
 
 Answ 
 
 Built 
 
 Heap 
 
 Was! 
 
 Of sy 
 
 Theg 
 
 Nouri 
 
 When 
 
 Andh 
 
 The mural 
 almost incredi 
 tude. It has b 
 rian — "I shoi 
 than five thous 
 more than a 
 he remarks, an 
 ascertained the 
 monuments in 
 other states, m 
 These remains 
 Mississippi and 
 the rivers whic 
 immense antiqi 
 stand upon the 
 in some immem 
 receded. 
 
 It is remarka 
 touch the ocean 
 
AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 MOUNDS AND FORTIFICATIONS. 
 
 45 
 
 (I* 
 
 • • * Are they here — 
 The dead of other days ? — And did the dust 
 Of these fair solitudes once stir with life, 
 And bum with passion ? — Let the mighty mounds 
 That overlook the rivers, or that rise 
 In the dim forest, crowded with old oidts, 
 Answer. A race that long has passed away 
 Built them ; a disciplined and populous race 
 ' Heaped, with long toil, the earth, while yet the Greek 
 Was hewing the Pentelicus to forms 
 Of symmetry, and rearing on its rock 
 The glittering Parthenon. These ample fields 
 Nourished their harvests ; here their herds were fed, 
 When haply by their stalls the bison lowed. 
 And bowed his maned shoulder to the yoke." — Beyant. 
 
 The mural remains, in the United States alone, are of 
 almost incredible number, and of most imposing magni- 
 tude. It has been asserted by an accurate western antiqua- 
 rian — "I should not exaggerate if I were to say that more 
 than five thousand might be found, some of them enclosing 
 more than a hundred acres." The mounds and tumuli, 
 he remarks, are far more numerous. Professor Rafinesque 
 ascertained the existence of more than five hundred ancient 
 monuments in Kentucky alone, and fourteen hundred in 
 other states, most of which he had personally examined. 
 These remains appear most numerous in the vicinity of the 
 Mississippi and its tributaries, and near the great lakes and 
 the rivers which flow into them. A striking proof of their 
 immense antiquity is to be found in the fact that the latter 
 stand upon the ancient margin of the lakes, from which, 
 in some immemorial age, their waters are known to have 
 receded. 
 
 It is remarkable that these peculiar works of antiquity 
 touch the ocean only in Florida at the southern extremity 
 
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 46 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 of the Atlantic coast ; and their greater number and mag- 
 nitude in the south and M^est seem to fortify the supposi- 
 tion that their founders came originally from Mexico, and 
 were, perhaps, a people identical with the builders of Cho- 
 lula and Teotihuacau. 
 
 The extent of some of these works is extraordinary. In 
 New York, (where at least a hundred of them have been 
 surveyed) in the county of Onondaga, formerly existed the 
 remains of a fortification enclosing more than five hundred 
 acres. Three circular forts, disposed as a triangle, and 
 situated about eight miles distant from each other, served 
 as its outworks. In many of these fortified places, con- 
 siderable military skill is evinced ; angles, bastions, and 
 curtains, being frequently traceable. " Though much de- 
 faced by time," says a traveller, of the intrenchments near 
 Lake Pepin, "every angle was distinguishable, and ap- 
 peared as regular, and fashioned with as much military 
 skill, as if planned by Vauban himself." 
 
 Some of the most remarkable of these works have been 
 discovered in Georgia. On the banks of the Little River, 
 near "VVrightsborough, are found the remnants of " a stu- 
 pendous conical pyramid, vast tetragon terraces, and a 
 large sunken or excavated area of a cubical form, encom- 
 passed with banks of earth, and also the remains of an 
 extensive town." Other and similar structures occur in 
 the same region. On the Savannah, among other extensive 
 remains, is a conical mound, truncated, fifty feet in height, 
 and eight hundred in circumference at its base. In other 
 portions of the same region are found excavations, and vast 
 quadrangular terraces. Florida abounds in vestiges of a 
 similar nature. 
 
 At the west, these remains assume a much more perma- 
 nent and imposing character. On a branch of the Musk- 
 ingum river, in Ohio, a series of intrenchments and mounds, 
 two miles in length, and of great solidity of structure, is 
 
AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 47 
 
 found to exist. In Licking county, a most extensive range 
 of fortifications, embracing or protecting an extent of sev- 
 eral miles, has been traced. 
 
 At Circleville, in the same state, were found two exten- 
 sive earthen enclosures, one an exact circle, and the other 
 'a correct square, corresponding precisely to the cardinal 
 points of the compass ; and a mound ninety feet in height. 
 In most of these and other similar ruins, stone was used, 
 though to a limited extent. Parallel walls, communicating 
 with the water, sometimes at a distance of several miles, 
 are features common to many of these structures. Farther 
 west, the extensive use of brick in constructing similar 
 edifices has been ascertained ; and an arched sewer, con- 
 structed of stone, indicates a knowledge of architecture far 
 superior to that possessed by most semi-civilized nations. 
 
 In Missouri, and other regions of the west, the remains 
 of stone buildings have been frequently discovered — in 
 one instance, those of a town, regularly laid out in streets 
 and squares. Upon the Missouri and Arkansas rivers, 
 some of the most extensive fortified works are found. In 
 one of these, on the latter river, are two immense mounds, 
 truncated, each eighty feet high, and one thousand in cir- 
 cumference at the base. 
 
 These gigantic mounds ar"? among the most interesting 
 and thickly scattered relics of the vanished races. Many 
 of them are tumuli, or sepulchres of the dead, others were 
 connected with the defensive fortifications, and others, of • 
 the grandest and most imposing aspect, were probably huge 
 altars of idolatrous worship.* In general, these ancient 
 mounds may be distinguished from those of the Indians 
 by their greater size, and still more certainly by the nature 
 of their contents. Some of these latter have already been 
 described. Beiddes utensils of lead, silver, and copper, the 
 
 * The usual material employed in their construction is earth, though 
 occasionally they have been built of stone. 
 
 
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 48 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 oxydized remains of iron have been found. Mica mirrors 
 of various sizes, with a variety of marine shells, are among 
 the deposits. 
 
 The practice of burning the dead appears to have been 
 common. Masses of ashes and charcoal are often found 
 mixed with incinerated bones. In Fairfield county, Ohio, 
 a huge earthen ware caldron, placed upon a furnace, was 
 disinterred. It was eighteen feet long by six broad ; and 
 contained the skeletons of twelve persons, besides various 
 articles, which had been buried with them. They were in 
 a large mound, fifteen feet below the surftice of the earth. 
 
 In the great mound at Circleville, an immense number 
 of skeletons were found, all laid with their heads toward 
 the centre. 
 
 In Illinois, nearly opposite St.. Louis, within the circuit 
 of a few miles, are more than an hundred and fifty mounds, 
 some of extraordinary size. One of them, formerly occu- 
 pied by monks of the Order of La Trappe, is ninety feet 
 in height and nearly half a mile in circumference. It is 
 a remarkable circumstance that the soil of which these 
 huge cones are constructed, must occasionally have been 
 brought from a great distance.* The occasional exist- 
 ence of terraces or stages of ascent would seem to indi- 
 cate a similarity of origin with the pyramidal structures 
 of Mexico. 
 
 Indeed, it is difficult to suppose that the authors of these 
 extensive remains could have had other than , soiith-west- 
 ern origin. All are ancient in the extreme ; yet probably 
 they were erected by successive races, and the most ven- 
 erable antiquity seems attached to the forest-covered mounds 
 of the West. 
 
 Mr. Bradford, in his interesting Researches into the Ori- 
 gin of the Red Race, (from which many of the foregoing 
 
 * Many others of great size, varying somewhat in form, yet all evincing 
 a striking similarity in construction, might be described. 
 
• I 
 
 AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 49 
 
 facts have been drawn,) adopts with safety the following 
 conclusions in regard to the ancient occupants of our soil. 
 
 1. " That they were all of the same origin, branches of 
 the same race, and possessed of similar customs and insti- 
 tutions. 
 
 2. " That they were populous, and occupied a great 
 extent of territory. 
 
 3. ** That they had arrived at a considerable degree of 
 civilization, were associated in large communities, and lived 
 in extensive cities. 
 
 4. " That they possessed the use of many of the metals, 
 such as lead, copper, gold, and silver, and probably the 
 art of working in them. 
 
 5. " That they sculptured, in stone, and sometimes used 
 that material in the construction of their edifices. 
 
 6. " That they had the knowledge of the arch of reced- 
 ing steps ; of the art of pottery, — producing urns and uten- 
 sils formed with taste, and constructed upon the principles 
 of chemical composition ; and of the art of brick -making. 
 
 7. " That they worked the salt springs, and manufactured 
 that substance. 
 
 8. " That they were an agricultural people, living under 
 Jhe influence and protection of regular forms of government. 
 
 9. *• That they possessed a decided system of religion, 
 and a mythology connected with astronomy, which, with 
 its sister science, geometry, was in the hands of the 
 priesthood. 
 
 10. " That they were skilled in the art of fortification. 
 
 11. ** That the epoch of their original settlement in the 
 United States is of great antiquity ; and. 
 
 Lastly, " That the only indications of their origin, to be 
 gathered from the locality of theix* ruined monuments, 
 point towards Mexico." 
 
 
 ,<;■'•',." 
 
 • ! 
 
Hi 
 
 60 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ANTiaUITIES OF MEXICO, ETC. 
 
 " T' 'y stand between the mountains and the sea ; 
 Awful memorials, but of whom we know not ! 
 — Time was they itood along the crowded streeti 
 ^ Temples of Gods ! " — Rogers. ^ 
 
 The South-western regions of North America present a 
 most extensive and interesting field for antiquarian research. 
 The long-continued existence of powerful, civilized, and 
 populou-^ <aces is fully proved by the occurrence of almost 
 innumerable ruins and national relics. Even in the six- 
 teentii century, the Spanish invaders -found these regions 
 in the possession of a highly prosperous and partially 
 civilized people. Government and social institutions were 
 upon that firm and well-defined basis which betokened 
 long continuance and strong national sentiment. In many 
 of the ovts i:.nd sciences, the subjugated races were equal, 
 and in ethers superior, to their Christian conquerors. 
 Their pubi.'c edirices and internal improvements were on 
 as high a scale, and o^' as scientific a character, as those 
 of most Europoa.1 nations of the day. 
 
 The fanatical zeal of Cortez and his successors destroyed 
 invaluable records of their history and nationality ; and 
 many of their most splendid edifices fell before the ravages 
 of war and bigotry ; yet numerous structures fctill exist, 
 though in ruins, attesting the art and industry of their 
 founders. Pyramids, in great numbers, still rear their 
 terraced and truncated surfaces through the land. In the 
 first fury of the conquest, the great Teocalli, or Temple 
 of the city of Mexico, was levelled to the ground, and 
 we can only learn by the description of its destroyers, with 
 what pomp and ceremony the Mexicans celebrated on its 
 
AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 61 
 
 summit the rites of their sanguinary worship. The colos- 
 sal figures of, the sun and moon, covered with plates of 
 gold, the hideous stone of sacrifice, and the terrible sound 
 of the great war-drum, are mingled with strange fascina- 
 tion of description in the pages of the early chroniclers. 
 
 In the city of Tezcuco, which is said to have contained 
 a hundred and forty thousand houses, are the remains of 
 a great pyramid, built of large masses cf basalt, finely 
 polished and curiously sculptured in hieroglyphics. Other 
 similar edifices in the neighborhood are composed of 
 brick. The enormous structure of Cholula, covering a 
 surface twice larger than the great Egyptian pyramid, but 
 truncated at half its altitude, still, in its ruins, excites the 
 admiration of travellers. 
 
 A still more extraordinary effort of semi-civilized indus- 
 try is to be found in the celebrated Xochicalco, or " House 
 of Flowers," situated on the plain of Cuornavaca, more 
 than a mile above the level of the sea. It appears to be 
 a natural hill, shaped in a pyramidal form by human labor, 
 and divided into four terraces. It is between three and 
 four hundred feet in height, and nearly three miles in cir- 
 cumference. 
 
 Eight leagues from the city of Mexico are the two cele- 
 brated pyramids of Teotihuacan, sacred, according to tra- 
 dition, to the deified sun and moon. The larger has a 
 base nearly seven hundred feet in length, and is a hun- 
 dred and eighty feet in height. They are faced with stone, 
 and covered with a durable cement. These pyramidal 
 structures may be estimated by thousands in the South- 
 western provinces of this continent. 
 
 The ruins of ancient cities, in the same region, are 
 extremely numerous, and every thing evinces the former 
 existence of a swarming and industrious population. In 
 Tezcuco and its vicinity are the remains of very magnifi- 
 cent buildings and aqueducts. At Mitlan, in the district 
 
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 62 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 of Zapoteca, occur specimens of aichitecture of the most 
 imposing character. Six porphyry columns, each nine- 
 teen feet in height, and of a single stone, decorated the 
 interior of the principal building. Elaborate Mosaic work 
 and illustrative paintings abound, strongly resembling 
 some of the classical antiquities. 
 
 The ruins of Palenque, in Chiapa, are among the most 
 extensive and remarkable. Here formerly stood a great 
 city, the remains of which can be traced, it is said, over a 
 space six or seven leagues in circumference. Much elab- 
 orate sculpture, exhibiting curious historical reliefs, is dis- 
 covered in the forsaken apartments of the ancient palaces 
 and temples. These represent human sacrifices, dances, 
 devotion, and other national customs. The richly-carved 
 figure of a cross excites surprise and speculation — the 
 same emblem having been discovered elsewhere, as well 
 as in Northern America. 
 
 Many surprising remains, both of erection and excava- 
 tion, are to be found near Villa Nueva, in the province of 
 Zacatecas. A rocky mountain has been cut into terraces, 
 and extensive ruins of pyramids, causeways, quadrangular 
 enclosures, and massive walls are still standing. 
 
 At Copan, in Honduras, among many other remarkable 
 works, are found numerous stone obelisks, of little height, 
 covered with hieroglyphical representations. The relics 
 of a fantastic idolatry are frequent. " Monstrous figures 
 are found amongst the ruins ; one represents the colossal 
 head of an alligator, having in its jaws a figure with a 
 human face, but the paws of an animal ; another monster 
 has the appearance of a gigantic toad in an erect posture, 
 with human arms and tiger's claws." At the time of the 
 Spanish conquest, Copan was still a large and populous 
 city. It is now utterly deserted. 
 
 The extensive ruins of Uxmal or Itzlan, in Yucatan, 
 have been, ever since the memory of man, overgrown with 
 
 l± 
 
AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 53 
 
 an ancient forest. At this place is a large court, paved 
 entirely with the figures of tortoises, beautifully carved 
 in relief. This curious pavement consists of more than 
 forty-three thousand of these reptiles, much worn, though 
 cut upon very hard stone. A large pyramid and temple 
 are still standing, containing some elegant statues, and, 
 it is supposed, the representation of the elephant. Great 
 mathematical accuracy and adhesion to the cardinal points 
 distinguish the relics of this city. 
 
 Many other extraordinary remains might be cited. The 
 works of the Mexican nation, such as it was found by the 
 Spaniards, were of a massive and enduring character. 
 Extensive walls, designed for a defence against foreign 
 enemies ; large public granaiies and baths, with admira- 
 ble roads and aqueducts, evinced a degree of power and 
 enlightenment to which the colored races have seldom 
 attained. 
 
 Sculpture and elaborate carving were favorite occupa- 
 tions of the Mexicans, as well as of their forefathers, or 
 the races which preceded them. The famous Stone of 
 Sacrifice, the Calendar of Montezuma, and the hideous 
 idol Teoyamique, all still preserved, attest the grotesque- 
 ness and elaborate fancy of their designs. The latter 
 image, as described by a traveller, " is hewn out of one 
 solid bloi of basalt, nine feet high. Its outlines give an 
 idea of a deformed human figure, uniting all that is ter- 
 rible in the tiger and rattle-snake. Instead of arms, it is 
 supplied with two large serpents, and its drapery is com- 
 posed of wreathed snakes, interwoven in the most disgust- 
 ing manner, and the sides terminating in the wings of a 
 vulture. Its feet are those of a tiger, and between them 
 lies the head of another rattle-snake, which seems descend- 
 ing from the body of the idol. For decorations, it has a 
 large necklace composed of human hearts, hands, and 
 skulls, and it has evidently been painted originally in 
 
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 64 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 natural colors.'* Other figures of the deified rattle-snake 
 have been discovered. 
 
 Great skill existed in the art of pottery, and many ves- 
 sels of exquisite design and finish have been disinterred. 
 
 The hieroglyphical paintings and manuscripts of the 
 Mexicans were, with few exceptions, destroyed by their 
 fanatical conquerors. Some choice specimens, however, 
 still exist ; princip; 'ly exhibiting the mipjrations of the 
 Aztecs, their wars, their religious cererii mies, and the 
 genealogy of their sovereigns. Almanacs and other cal- 
 endars of an astronomical nature have been preserved. 
 The material of the manuscript consists of the skins of 
 animals, or of a kind of vegetable paper, formed in a ma - 
 ner similar to the Egyptian papyrus. . h "^ 
 
 Of the numerous cities and temples whose remains are 
 go abundant, many were, doubtless, erected by il 2 Aztec 
 people, whom Cortez found so numerous and flourishing, 
 or by their immediate ancestors. Others were probably 
 constructed at a remote age, and by a people who had at an 
 early period migrated to these regions. A certain resem- 
 blance, however, appears to pervade them all. The pres- 
 ence of enormous pyramids and quadrangles, the peculiar 
 construction of causeways and aqueducts, and the great 
 similarity in mythological representation, appear to indi- 
 cate that their founders were originally of a common stock, 
 and all of certain national prepossessions. 
 
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 AMEBICA.N ANTIQUITIES, 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ANTiaUITIES OF SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 55 
 
 «* 
 
 • We are but where we were, 
 Still wandering in a City of the Dead!" — RoGEKS. 
 
 At the Spanish discovery. South America, like the 
 Northern continent, was, in a great portion, peopled by 
 half-savage tribes, resembling the i'r.dians of our own 
 country. Some powerful and partially-civilized kingdoms, 
 however, yet survived, and of these, the empire of the 
 Peruvian Incas was the first. Under the sway of these 
 powerful sovereigns was comprehended an extensive dis- 
 trict, lying along the Pacific coast for many hundreds of 
 miles. Other nations, in their vicinity, of whose history 
 we are ignorant, also possessed a considerable share of 
 po' ^er and independent government. 
 
 The antiquities of these regions, so similar to those of 
 the Northern continent, appear to prove a r«imilarity of 
 origin in their founders. Very numerous mounds occur, 
 some of them two hundred feet in height, and containing 
 relics of the dead. Urns of fine construction, and human 
 bodies interred in a sitting posture, have been excavated. 
 Embalming has evidently been extensively practised, and 
 in many instances the arid nature of the soil, without this 
 precaution, has preserved the bodies of its ancient inhabit- 
 ants. Caverns appear to have been frequently adopted 
 as cemeteries. In one of these, six hundred skeletons 
 were found, bent double, and regularly arranged in bas- 
 kets. Stone tombs, of a very massive construction, have 
 also been disinhumed. 
 
 In these mounds and graves are found a great variety 
 of ancient implements, of gold, copper, nnd stoiie. Ex- 
 quisite carvings in stone, and jewels evincing great skill in 
 4 
 
 ^;r' ■•••■■■>:•■ ■ >.^.Ml\ 
 
 '^iS'/j.,*' , •■> ,'v-. •>■!'', ,»'i'. .' .r.;,i 
 
 '"r-'ij^i^"".'* 
 
 
 •Qi:"-'-- 
 '.■ •••.■•>t .■..■, J.J ■*•••'»<, ■ 
 
 .. ' * ■ , V/l.' •».:' 
 
 
 
 
 •tJ^M 
 
 .•;^* ■" ■ 
 
66 
 
 INDIAN R .CES OP AMERICA. 
 
 the lapidary, have been discovered. The idols of gold 
 and copper are often of singular construction, being formed 
 of thin plates of metal, hammered into their respective 
 shapes, without a single seam. Stone miiTors and vases 
 of marble, weapons, domestic utensils, cotton cloth of fine 
 texture, and the implements of ancient mining, have also 
 been frequently brought to light. 
 
 The system of ancient agriculture and of artificial irri- 
 gation appears to have been extremely ingenious, and well 
 adapted to the nature of the soil and climate, reminding 
 us strongly of the Chinese industry in effecting similar 
 objects. The steepest mountains were laid out in terraces, 
 and aqueducts of the most solid and durable construction 
 conveyed water for domestic uses, and the fertilization of 
 land. In some instances, the pipes of these aqueducts 
 were of gold — a circumstance which excited the cupidity 
 of the Spaniards, and contributed to their destruction. 
 
 The public roads and causeways laid out by this ancient 
 people, may justly compete with the most celebrated works 
 of the same kind in the old world. Their Cyclopean ar- 
 chitecture, and the ingenuity with which the gif atest nat- 
 ural difficulties have been overcome, excite the admiration 
 of travellers and inquirers. ** Wo were surprised," says 
 Humboldt, " to find at fhi.s place (Assuay), and at heights 
 which greatly surpass the top of the Peak of Teneriffe, the 
 magnificent remains of a road constructed by the Incas of 
 Peru. This causeway, lined with freestone, may be com- 
 pared to the finest Roman roads I have seen, in Italy, 
 France, or Spain. It is perfectly straight, and keeps the 
 same direction for six or eight thousand metres. We ob- 
 tofirved the continuation of this road near Caxamarca, one 
 hundred and twenty leagues to the south of Assuay, and 
 it is believed, in the country, that it led as far as the city 
 of Cuzco." When complete, it extended from Cuzco to 
 Quito, a distance of five hundred leagues. 
 
 '■" ■ i 
 

 AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 67 
 
 *«One of these great roads passed through the plains 
 near the sea, and the other over the mountains in the inte- 
 rior. Augustin de Carate says that for the construction 
 of the road over the mountains, they were compelled to 
 cut away rocks, and to fill up chasms, often from ninety to 
 one hundred and twenty feet deep, and that when it was 
 first made, it was so plain and level, that «\ carriage might 
 easily pass over it ; and of the other, which pursued a less 
 difficult route, that it was forty feet wide, and as it was 
 carried through valleys, in order to avoid the trouble of 
 rising and descending, it was constructed upon a high 
 embankment of earth." * 
 
 The ruins of many edifices, all of massive construction, 
 and all bearing the marks of similarity of origin, are scat- 
 tered throughout a great expanse of countiy. In the an- 
 cient city of Tiahuanaco, built before the days of the 
 Incas, the architecture appears to have been of the most 
 massive character, reminding us of the Cyclopean struc- 
 tures at Baalbec and Mycena;. Immense porches and 
 doorways, each formed of a single stone, and supported 
 on masses of similar magnitude, struck the early travel- 
 lers with astonishment. In Cuzco, the city of the Incas, 
 are many remains of a singular cha/acter. The walls are 
 built of stones of great dimensions, and, though of many 
 angles, fitted so accurately that the interstices can scarcely 
 be seen. On a round mountain near Caxamarca, are the 
 extensive ruins of a city, built in terraces, and constructed 
 of such enormous stones, that a single slab often forms the 
 entire side of an apartment. Above these circular ter- 
 races, seven in number, appear the remains of a great for- 
 tress or palace. Many cities of a similar construction 
 have been discovered. In some instances, pointed or bell- 
 shaped roofs, composed of stones laid in cement, have 
 
 • Bradford's Origin and History of the Red Race. 
 
 •Ut':^'k.' 
 
 t^-<.. 
 
 ^ ■•■■•.•<■• ;v:^'* ' 
 
 4'V "•(■;■■■ . ' .' ■ .''■1, •.-,ji>;j >■-; ■; 
 
 ;!j,V'"-....,-*;v';,;m,.\ ,*t!V-S''> 
 
 I'J ■,.- J . ■■*■«,'" ■■'•7'i.' , 'J' 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 :^-* 
 
 ^'l 
 
•■y. 
 
 58 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 been remarked. Some of the ruins are constructed of 
 unburnt brick, exceedingly hardened by the sun. 
 
 Many sculptures, evincing great skill and delicacy, still 
 exist. These are the more remarkable when it is consid- 
 ered that the chief instruments of the ancient inhabitants 
 were, probably, for the most part, composed only of hard- 
 ened copper. Of this material, their weapons, often of 
 exquisite manufacture, were composed. Far to the north- 
 ward, beyond the dominion of the Incas, inscriptions and 
 figures may be found sculptured on the rocks. " On the 
 banks of the Orinoco, and in various parts of Guiana, there 
 are rude figures traced upon granite and other hard stones, 
 some of them, like those in the United States, cut at an 
 immense height upon the fn.ce of perpendicular rocks. 
 Th^y represent the sun and moon, tigers, crocodiles, and 
 snakes, and occasionally they appear to be hieroglyphical 
 figui'es, and regular characters." 
 
 The surprising number of these ruins and relics, and the 
 great space over which they extend, indicate the existence, 
 for many ages, of a people possessing all the power which 
 regula:' government, settled institutions, and national char- 
 acter cf.n give. " In examining," says Mr. Bradford, 
 " the line of civilization, as indicated at present by these 
 ancient remains, which is found to commence on the plains 
 of Varinas, and to extend thence to the ruins of the stone 
 edifices, wliich were observed about the middle of the last 
 century, on the road over the Andes, in the province of 
 Cujo, in Chili, or to the road described by the Jesuit 
 ImonsfF, or to the ancient aqueducts upon the banks of the 
 river Maypocho, in south latitude thirty-three degrees, 
 sixteen minutes, we are surprised to discover a continuous, 
 unbroken chain of these relics of aboriginal civilization. 
 Reverting to the epoch of their construction, we are pre- 
 sented with the astonishing spectacle of a great race culti- 
 vating the earth, and possessing many of the arts diffused 
 
 at an earlj 
 
 thousand m 
 
 discovery, e 
 
 ulcus tribesj 
 
 sistence, wei 
 
 systems of i 
 
 ernment. J 
 
 ereignties hj 
 
 still, whether 
 
 i'sh invaders, 
 
 the ancient i 
 
 their n^anner 
 
 the general si 
 
 monuments, t 
 
 ily of the huo 
 
 V 
 
"t < .. 
 
 AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 69 
 
 at an early period through an immense territory, three 
 thousand miles in extent. Even up to the time of the 
 discovery, most of this vast region was occupied by pop- 
 ulous tribes, who were dependent upon agriculture for sub- 
 sistence, were clothed, and in the enjoyment of regular 
 systems of religion, and their own peculiar forms of gov- 
 ernment. From conquest, and various causes, some sov- 
 ereignties had increased more rapidly than others ; but 
 still, whether we are guided by the testimony of the Span- 
 ish inva,ders, or by the internal evidence yet existent in 
 the ancient ruins, it is impossible not to trace, alike in 
 their n^anners, customs, and physical appearance, and in 
 the general similitude observable in the character of their 
 monuments, that they were all members of the same fam- 
 ily of the human race, and probably of identical origin." 
 
 .1 
 
 " ■ ■■ ■.!•■•■;•.' '■■'••.' 
 
 !■-,.;.■•■ 1,A-.^ •.•'.■■.v'V' 
 
 : '• ■■■: '. v. 
 
 
 • ■' ■ if •v'' '►• 
 
 ■ I > 
 
 * i. I 
 
 .•. ,■*■ 
 
 .,.'«... 
 
 '.A 'ii,. •'•■''■-«" 
 
 -■Mr.. 
 
tti 
 
 *f 
 
 1^ 
 
 THE ABORIGINES OF MEXICO. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 GENEIIAL REMARKS. — EXPEDITION OF GRIJALVA HERNANDO 
 
 CORTEZ. 
 
 «* * * The Race of Yore ; 
 
 How are they blotted from the things that be ! " — ScoTT, 
 
 The kingdoms of New Spain, as Central America and 
 the adjoining country were first called, presented a far 
 diflferent aspect, when first discovered by Eui-opeans, from 
 that of the vast and inhospitable wilderness at the North 
 and East. Instead of an unbroken forest, thinly inhabited 
 by roving savages, here were seen large and well-built 
 cities, a people of gentler mood and more refined manners, 
 and an advancement in the useful arts which removed the 
 inhabitants as far from their rude neighbors, in the scale 
 of civilization, as they themselves were excelled by the 
 nations of Europe. 
 
 When first discovered and explored by Europeans, Mex- 
 ico was a kingdom of great extent and power. Monte- 
 zuma, chronicled as the eleventh, in regular succession, of 
 the Aztec monarchs, held supreme authority. His domin- 
 ions extended from near the isthmus of Darien, to the 
 undefined country of the Ottomies and Chichimecas, rude 
 nations living in a barbarous state among the mountains 
 of the North. His name signified " the surly (or grave) 
 Prince," a title justified by the solemn and ceremonious 
 homage which he constantly exacted. 
 
 (60) 
 
•V.i.».' 
 
 « 1 
 
 U KRJVJtJ^D O CORTEZ, 
 
 riOM AN OEMIHAL FOETSAIT IT TITIAB. 
 
When t\ 
 natural ten 
 infinitely he 
 the magiciai 
 warnings of 
 sioned that 
 as we shall 
 Comets, con 
 visions, were 
 council, and 
 wisest course 
 The nation 
 icans present 
 witnessed in 
 abstract ideas 
 and social pr 
 pare favorably 
 ized nations, ^ 
 sacrifice was c 
 companied bj 
 cannibalism, n 
 the most barbj 
 A vast amoi 
 in efl^orts to ar 
 causes which _ 
 civilization ove 
 Analogies, so 
 that they musi 
 the first discos 
 religious exert 
 itants of Centr 
 the Old World 
 difference in t 
 Western Conti 
 sufficiently tha 
 
• •• :' 
 
 ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 68 
 
 When the Spaniards first appeared on the coast, the 
 natural terror excited by such unheard-of conquerors was 
 infinitely heightened by divers portents and omens, which 
 the magicians and necromancers of the king construed as 
 warnings of great .ind disastrous revolutions. This occa- 
 sioned that strange, weak, and vacillating policy, which, 
 as we shall hereafter see, he adopted towards Cortez. 
 Comets, conflagrations, overflows, monsters, dreams, and 
 visions, were constantly brought to the notice of the royal 
 council, and inferences were drawn therefrom as to the 
 wisest course to be pursued. 
 
 The national character, religion and customs of the Mex- 
 icans presented stranger anomalies than have ever been 
 witnessed in any nation on the earth. They entertained 
 abstract ideas of right and wrong, with systems of ethics 
 and social proprieties, which, for truth and purity, com- 
 pare favorably with the most enlightened doctrines of civil- 
 ized nations, while, at the same time, the custom of human 
 sacrifice was carried to a scarcely credible extent, and ac- 
 companied by circumstances of cruelty, filthiness, and 
 cannibalism, more loathsome than ever elsewhere disgraced 
 the most barbarous of nations. 
 
 A vast amount of labor and research has been expended 
 in efforts to arrive at some satisfactory conclusion as to the 
 causes which led to the Mexican superiority in the arts of 
 civilization over the other inhabitants of the New World. 
 Analogies, so strong as to leave little doubt upon the mind 
 that they must be more than coincidences, were found, on 
 the first discovery of the country, between the traditions, 
 religious exercises, sculpture, and language of the inhab- 
 itants of Central America, and those of various nations in 
 the Old World. Notwithstanding this, the great distinctive 
 difference in the bodily conformation of all natives of the 
 Western Continent, from the people of the East, proves 
 sufficiently that, previous to the Spanish discoveries, the 
 
 
 
 ••.< 
 
 ':'■;•.«. 
 
 ■'■A^ 
 
 ^ I:-.., 
 
 .hi .- it- 
 
64 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 % 
 
 time elapsed since any direct communication could have 
 existed between the two, must have been veiy great. The 
 obvious antiquity of the architectural remains carries us 
 back to a most remote era : some maintain that portions 
 of these must have been standing for as many centuiies as 
 the groat pyramids of Egypt, while others refer them to a 
 much later origin. The pernicious habit of first adopting 
 a theory, and then searching for such facts or.!y as tend to 
 support it, Mas never m re forcibly exemplified than in the 
 variiUit hypotheses as to the origin of Mexican civilization. 
 The valley and country of Anahuac, or Mexico, was 
 successively peopled, according to tradition and the evi- 
 dence of ancient hieroglyphics, by the Toltecs, the Chi- 
 cliimecas, and the Nahuatlacas, of which last-mentioned 
 people, the Aztecs, who finally obtained the ascendency, 
 formed the principal tribe. These immigrations were from 
 some indeterminate region at the north, and appear to have 
 been the result of a gradual progression southward, as traces 
 of the peculiar architectural structures of the Mexican na- 
 tions are to be found stretching throughout the country 
 between the Rocky Mountains and the sea, as far north as 
 the Gila and Colorado. 
 
 The periods of these several arrivals in Anahuac are set 
 down as follows. That of the Toltecs, about the middle 
 of the seventh century, and of the rude Chichimccas, the 
 year 1070. The Nahuatlacas commenced their migrations 
 about 1170, and the Aztecs, separating themselves from the 
 rest of the nation, founded the ancient city of Mexico in 
 the year 1325. 
 
 The tale of cruelties, oppressions, and wholesale destruc- 
 tion attendant upon the Spanish invasion and conquest, is a 
 long one, and can be here but briefly epitomized ; but enough 
 will be g' en to leave, as far as practicable, a just impres- 
 sion of the real condition of these primitive nations, and the 
 more marked outlines of their history. 
 
 •!?: 
 
 x/* 
 
■■/: 
 
 , '-I- . .; .•|••v.v.• 
 ■.■,,..,■:■ rvt 
 . , ■v.^^^•i- 
 
 . »•■•.• A.r.-\''.> ...<•■'.■ 'T-.»i'^' 
 
 :-v»ii 
 
 .»!';■« 
 
 ^'•■^A-'.1 
 
 ■*.. i^;->. 
 
 •»> •'» 
 
 *:y^\-i^ 
 
 ■> • ♦,'. .'* 
 
 i-<<-V. " 
 
 ^*;•i>■ 
 
 
 MOJfTKZ OMJt. 
 
In the ear 
 shore of Mex 
 by Spanish m 
 by the ordina 
 and silver — '. 
 to the great i 
 dition and eh 
 by these early 
 ity restrained 
 or fanaticism 
 as inclined to 
 the natives th 
 showed himse 
 which he fore 
 contributions 
 The mind 
 and Inflamed 
 groat country ( 
 were laid to i 
 those regions t 
 and petty attei 
 Diego Valai 
 Diego Colon, e 
 an expedition, 
 Yucatan and tl 
 After revenginj 
 of Yucatan, tb 
 river of Tobasc 
 was carried on 
 with wonder at 
 the men and ha 
 without motion 
 the astonishmc 
 them." 
 
 The usual p 
 
ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 67 
 
 In the early part of the sixteenth century, the eastern 
 shore of Mexico and Central America had been explored 
 by Spanish navigators ; and Vasco Nugnez de IJalboa, led 
 by the ordinary attraction — tales of a country rich in gold 
 and silver — had, in September, 1513, crossed the isthmus 
 to the great and unknown ocean of the West. The con- 
 dition and character of the natives was but little noticed 
 by these early explorers, and no motives of policy or human- 
 ity restrained them Jfrom treating those they met as caprice 
 or fanaticism might dictate. Balboa is indeed spoken of 
 as inclined to more humane courses in his intercourse with 
 the natives than many of his contemporaries, but even he 
 showed himself by no means scrupulous in the means by 
 which he forced his way through the country, and levied 
 contributions upon the native chiefs. 
 
 The mind of the Spanish nation was at last aroused 
 and inflamed by accounts of the wealth and power of the 
 great country open to adventure in New Spain, and plans 
 were laid to undertake some more notable possession in 
 those regions than had yet resulted from the unsuccessful 
 and petty attempts at colonization upon the coast. 
 
 Diego Valasquez, governor of Cuba, as lieutenant to 
 Diego Colon, son and successor of the great admiral, sent 
 an expedition, under command of Juan de Grijalva, to 
 Yucatan and the adjoining coast, in April of the year 1518. 
 After revenging former injuries received fi-om the natives 
 of Yucatan, the party sailed westward, and entered the 
 river of Tobasco, where some intercourse and petty trafEc 
 was carried on with the Indians. The natives were filled 
 with wonder at the " make of the ships, and difference of 
 the men and habits," on their first appearance,, and " stood 
 without motion, as deprived of the use of their hands by 
 the astonishment under which their eyes had brought 
 them." 
 
 The usual propositions were made by the Spanish com- 
 
 ■■■■■■■<':' kM^ 
 
 
 
 
 I' =),;:<> ,v- .J 
 
II 
 
 68 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 mander, of submission to the great and mighty Prince of 
 the East, whose subject he professed to be ; but " they heard 
 his proposition with the marks of a disagreeable attention," 
 and, not unnaturally, made answer that the proposal to 
 form a peace which should entail servitude upon them was 
 strange indeed, adding that it would be well to inquire 
 whether their present king was a ruler whom they loved 
 before proposing a new one. 
 
 Still pursuing a westerly course along the coast, Gri- 
 jalva gained the first intelligence received by the Span- 
 iards of the Emperor Montezuma. At a small island 
 were found the first bloodv tokens of the barbarous reli- 
 gious rites of the natives. In a " house of lime and stone " 
 were " several idols of a horrible figure, and a more horri- 
 ble worship paid to them ; for, near the steps where they 
 were placed, were the carcasses of six or seven men, 
 newly sacrificed, cut to pieces, and their entrails laid 
 open." 
 
 Reaching a low sandy isle, still farther to the westward, 
 on the day of St. John the Baptist, the Spaniards named 
 the place San Juan, and from their coupling wit.'i this 
 title a word caught from an Indian seen there, resulted 
 the name of San Juan de Ulloa, bestowed upon the site 
 of the present great fortress. No settlement was attempted, 
 and Grijalva returned to Cuba, carrying with him many 
 samples of native ingenuity, and of the wealth of the 
 country, in the shape of rude figures of lizards, birds, and 
 other trifles, wrought in gold imperfectly refined. 
 
 The Cuban governor, Velasquez, determined to pursue 
 discoveries and conquest at the west, and appointed Her- 
 nando Cortez, a Spanish cavalier, resident upon the island, 
 to command the new expedition. That the reader may 
 judge what strange contradictions may exist in the char- 
 acter of the same individual, — how generosity and cupid- 
 ity, mildness and ferocity, cruelty and kindness, may be 
 
ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 69 
 
 combined, — let him compare the after conduct of this cele- 
 brated hero with his character as sketched by the historian. 
 
 "Cortez was well made, and of an agreeable counte- 
 nance; and, besides those common natural endowments, 
 he was of a temper which rendered him very amiable ; 
 for he always spoke well of the absejit, and was pleasant 
 and discreet in his conversation. His generosity was 
 such that his friends partook of all he had, without being 
 suffered by him to publish their obligations." 
 
 In the words of the poet, he 
 
 K « 
 
 * * Was one in whom 
 Adventure, anu endurance, and emprise 
 Exalted the laind's faculties, and strung 
 The body's sinews. Brave he was in fight, 
 Courteous in banquet, scornful of repose. 
 And bountiful, and cruel, and devout." 
 
 Hida" ..)s of family and wealth crowded eagerly to join 
 the fortunes of the bold and popular leader. " Nothing 
 was to be seen or spoken of," says Bernal Diaz, "but 
 selling lands to purchase arms and horses, quilting coats of 
 mail, making bread, and salting pork for sea store." 
 
 From St. Jago the fleet sailed to Trinidad on the southern 
 coast, where the force was increased by a considerable 
 number of men, and thence round Cape Antonio to 
 Havana. From the latter port the flotilla got under 
 weigh on the 10th of February, 1519. It consisted of a 
 brigantinc and ten other small vessels, whose motley crews 
 are thus enumerated : " five hundred and eight soldiers, 
 sixteen horse ; and of mechanics, pilots, and mariners, 
 an hundred and nine more, besides two chaplains, the 
 licentiate Juan Diaz, and Father Bartholomew De Olmedo, 
 a regular of the order of our Lady de la Merced." The 
 missile weapons of the party were muskets, cross-bows, 
 falconets, and ten small field pieces of brass. The color, 
 
 
 .I'V^^V'.A^ 
 
 
 .<..*.; '.> '<■ • ■ I 
 
 : ';^ ;*■.'■ 3 ^■ ."<■■,■' 
 
 ■■■ ^ .',< ■ 4,', . 
 
 
 
 .■■■,vt^ 
 
70 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 quality, and condition of each of the horses is described 
 with great particularity. 
 
 The first land made was the island of Cozumel, oiF the 
 coast of Yucatan. One of the vessels reached the island 
 two days before the rest ; and finding the habitations of the 
 natives abandoned, the Spaniards ranged the country, and 
 plundered their huts and temple, carrying off divers small 
 gold images, together with clothes and provisions. 
 
 Cortez, on his arrival, strongly reprehended these pro- 
 ceedings, and, liberating three Indians who had been 
 taken prisoners, sent them to seek out their friends, and 
 explain to them his friendly intentions. Their confidence 
 was perfectly restored by this act, and by the restoration 
 of the stolen property ; so that the next day, the chief 
 came with his people to the camp, and mingled with the 
 Spaniards on the most friendly terms. 
 
 No further violence was offered to them or their prop- 
 erty during the stay of the Spaniards, except that these 
 zealous reformers seized the idols in the temple, and rolling 
 them down the steps, built an altar, and placed an image 
 of the Virgin upon it, erecting a wooden crucifix hard by. 
 The holy father, Juan Diaz, then said Mass, to the great 
 edification of the wondering natives. 
 
 This temple was a well-built edifice of stone, and con- 
 tained a hideous idol in somewhat of the human form. *' All 
 the idols," says de Solis, " worshipped by these miseraole 
 people, were formed in the same manner ; for though they 
 dilfered in the make and representation, they were all alike 
 most abominably ugly ; whether it was that these barbarians 
 had no notion of any other model, or that the devil really 
 appeared to them in some such shape ; so that he who 
 struck out the most hideous figure, was accounted the best 
 workman." 
 
 Seeing that no prodigy succeeded the destruction of 
 their gods, the savages were the Liore ready to pay attention 
 
ABORIGINES OF MEXICO. 
 
 71 
 
 to the teachings which were so earnestly impressed upon 
 them by the strangers, and appeared to hold the symbols 
 of their worship in some veneration, offering incense before 
 them, as erstwhile to the idols. 
 
 Cortez heard one of the Indians make many attempts 
 to pronounce the word Castilla, and, his attention being 
 attracted by the circumstance, he pursued his inquiries 
 until he ascertained that two Spaniards were living among 
 the Indians on the main. 
 
 He immediately used great diligence to ransom and re- 
 store them to liberty, and succeeded in the case of one of 
 tlicm, named Jeronimo de Aguilar, who occupies an impor- 
 tant place in the subsequent details of adventure. The 
 other, one Alonzo Guerrero, having married a wife among 
 the Indians, preferred to remain in his present condition. 
 He said to his companion, " Brother Aguilar, I am mar- 
 ried, and have three sons, and am a Cacique and captain in 
 the wars ; go you, in God's name ; my face is marked, and 
 my cars bored ; what would those Spaniards think of me 
 if I went among them ? " , 
 
 Dc Solis says of this man, that his natural affection was 
 but a pretence " why he would not abandon those deplor- 
 able conveniences, which, with him, weighed more than 
 honor or religion. We do not find that any other Span- 
 iard, in the whole course of these conquests, committed 
 the like crime ; nor was the name of this wretch worthy 
 to bo remembered in tliis history , but, being found in the 
 writings of others, it could not be concealed ; and his ex- 
 ample servos to show us the weakness of nature, and into 
 what an abyss of misery a man may fall when God has 
 abandoned him." 
 
 Poor Aguilar had been eight years a captive : tattooed, 
 nearly naked, and browned by sun, he was scarce distin- 
 guishable from his Indian companions j and the only Cas- 
 tiUan words which he was at first able to recall were "Dies, 
 
 ■■■-.:'■ ..-»■; 
 
 r'-, '•,.'•.' ,',.r.'^;,1v«i.:' tv'y . ' 
 ■ • . •• ' t i' .,.,■•■ r ,-' .iVi' . 
 
 ; ,>.-;■».''•■. ■■■■,^.■■'■*•^ 
 
 
 
 
 
72 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Santa Maria," and " Sevilla." Still mindful of his old 
 associations and religion, he bore at his shoulder the tat- 
 tered fragments of a prayer book. 
 
 He belonged to a ship's crew who had been wrecked 
 on the coast, and was the only survivor of the number, 
 except Guerrero. The rest had died from disease and 
 over wc k, oi- hod been sacrificed to the idols of the coun- 
 try. A:::'^-i,r had been "reserved for a future occasion 
 by reasoi; 'i' h j leanness," and succeeded in escaping to 
 another trice and ... -"ther master. 
 
 Cortez sailed with his fleet, from Cozumel, for the river 
 Tabasco, which was reached on the 13th of March, 1519. 
 Urging their way against the current, in the boats and 
 smaller craft, — for the principal vessels were left at anchor 
 near the mouth, — the whole armament entered the stream. 
 As they advanced, the Spaniards perceived great bodies 
 of Indians, in canoes, and on both banks, whose outcries 
 were interpreted by Aguilar to be expressions of hostility 
 and defiance. Night came on before any attack was made 
 qn either side. Next morning, the armament recom- 
 menced its progress, in the form of a crescent : the men, 
 protected as well as possible by their shields and quilted 
 mail, were ordered to keep silence, and offer no violence 
 until ordered. Aguilar, who understood the language of 
 these Indians, was commissioned to explain the friendly 
 purposes of his companions, and to warn the natives of 
 the consequences that would result from their opposition. 
 The Indians, with signs of great fury and violence, refused 
 to listen to him, or to grant permission to the Spaniards 
 to supply themselves with wood and water. 
 
 The engagement commenced by a shower of arrows 
 from the canoes on the river, and an immense multitude 
 opposed the landing of the troops. Numbers and bravery 
 could not, however, avail against the European skill and 
 implements of warfare. Those in the canoes were easily 
 
 driven off, ai 
 
 and marshy s! 
 
 cealed to spri 
 
 made their w 
 
 dians into the 
 
 Tabasco was 
 
 strong palisad 
 
 being left. 
 
 Cortez imm 
 
 through the pj 
 
 men who were 
 
 plete possfssioi 
 
 The town we 
 
 iards had effect 
 
 hind a second b 
 
 whistling and t 
 
 tain.'" They ^ 
 
 woods. 
 
 GREAT BATTLES \V 
 PIlTHERTO a 
 
 powers were asc| 
 and spirit of the 
 chorejo, whom 
 serted from the 
 Tabasco, and ui 
 He explained tl 
 whose flash and 
 abused the simplj 
 of the invulneraj 
 
ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 73 
 
 driven off, and, notwithstanding the difficulties of a wet 
 and marshy shore, where thousands of the enemy lay con- 
 cealed to spring upon them unawares, the Spanish forces 
 made their way to the town of Tabasco, driving the In- 
 dians into the fortress, or dispersing them in the forest. 
 Tabasco was protected in the ordinary Indian style, by 
 strong palisades of trees, a narrow and crooked entrance 
 being left. 
 
 Cortez immediately attacked the town, and, by firing 
 through the palisades, his troops soon drove in the bow- 
 men who were defending them, and, after a time, got com- 
 plete possession. 
 
 The town was obstinately defended, even after the Sprn- 
 iards had effected an entrance. The enemy retreated be- 
 hind a second barricade, " fronting " the troops, " valianth* 
 whistling and shouting * al calachioni,' or * kill the cap- 
 tain.'" They were finally overpowered, and fled t the 
 woods. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 GREAT BATTLES WITH THE NATIVES. — CONCILIATORY INTERCOURSE. 
 
 — DONNA MARINA. 
 
 Hitherto a blind superstition, by which supernatural 
 powers were ascribed to the whites, had quelled the vigor 
 and spirit of the Indians ; but an interpreter named Mel- 
 chorejo, whom Cortez had brought over from Cuba, de- 
 serted from the Spaniards during the first night spent in 
 Tabasco, and urged the natives to another engagement. 
 He explained the real nature of the mysterious weapons, 
 whose flash and thunder had created such terror, and dis- 
 abused the simple savages of the ideas entertained by them 
 of the invulnerable nature of their foes. They proved in 
 
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 • . ••' ' * ' ' I > I ■' ' ■ . 
 
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 74 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 the subsequent battles much more dangerous opponents 
 than before. The narrator mentions, with no little satis- 
 faction, the fate of this deserter. His new allies, it seems, 
 "being vanquished a second time, revenged themselves on 
 the adviser of the war, by making him a miserable sacri- 
 fice to their idols." 
 
 All was as still, upon the succeeding day, as if the coun- 
 try was abandoned by its inhabitants ; but a party of one 
 hundred men, on a scout, was suddenly surrounded and 
 •attacked by such hordes of the enemy, that they might 
 have been cut off from sheer fatigue, but for another com- 
 pany which came to their assistance. As the Spaniards 
 endeavored to retreat to the camp, the Indians would rush 
 upon them in full force, " who, immediately upon their 
 facing about, got out of their reach, retiring with the same 
 swiftness that they were attacked ; the motions of this 
 great multitude of barbarians from one side to another, 
 resembling the rolling of the sea, whose waves are driven 
 back by the wind." 
 
 Two of the Spaniards were killed and eleven wounded 
 in the fray : of the Indians, eighteen were seen lying dead 
 on the field, and several prisoners were taken. From these 
 Cortez learned that tribes from all sides were gathered to 
 assist those of Tabasco in a general engagement planned 
 for the next day, and he accordingly made ihc most dili- 
 gent preparation to receive them. The horses were brought 
 on shore, and care was taken to restore their animation, 
 subdued by confinement on board ship. 
 
 As soon as day broke, mass was said, and the little army 
 was put in motion to advance upon the enemy. They 
 were discovered, marshalled on the vast plain of Cintia, 
 in such numbers that it was impossible to compute them. 
 They extended so far, says Solis, " that the sight could not 
 reach to see the end of them." The Indian warriors were 
 painted and plumed, their arms were bows and arrows, 
 
ABORIGINES OF MEXICO. 
 
 75 
 
 slings, darts, clubs armed with sharp flints, and heavy 
 wooden swords. The bodies of the leaders were protected 
 by quilted coats of cotton, and they bore shields of tor- 
 toise-shell or wood, mounted, in some instances, with gold. 
 
 To the sound of rude drums, and the blast of sea-shells 
 and large flutes, the vast crowd fell furiously upon the 
 Spaniards, and although checked by their more efficient 
 weapons, only retired to a convenient distance for hurling 
 stones and discharging arrows. The field-pieces mowed 
 them down by hundreds ; but concealing the havoc by rais- 
 ing clouds of dust, and closing up their ranks with shouts 
 of "ala — lala" (the precise sound of the Turkish war-cry, 
 viz., a constant repetition of the word Allah), they held 
 their ground with the most determined courage. 
 
 The little handful of cavalry, which, led by Cortez in 
 person, had made a detour to avoid a marsh, now fell upon 
 the Indians from a new quarter, and, riding through and 
 through the crowded mass of savages, so bewildered and 
 amazed them that they fled in dismay. No such animal 
 as the horse had ever before been seen by them. They 
 took the monsters, says Diaz, for centaurs, supposing the 
 horse and his rider to be one. 
 
 On the field of battle, as the conquerors passed over it, 
 lay more than eight hundred dead or desperately wounded. 
 But two of tlie Spaniards were killed, although seventy 
 of their number were wounded at the first rush of the 
 barbarians. 
 
 The victors having rendered thanks " to God and to our 
 Lady, his blessed Mother," for their success, dressed their 
 wounds, and those of the invaluable horses, with the fat 
 of dead Indians, and retired t' refresh themselves by food 
 and sleep. 
 
 Lopez de Gomara affirms that one of the holy apostles, 
 
 under the form of Francisco de Morla, appeared upon the 
 
 field during this bloody engagement, and turned the scale 
 6 
 
 
 
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76 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 of victory. Diaz says, " It mirrht be the case, and I, sin- 
 ner as I am, was not permitted to see it. What I did see 
 was Francisco do Morla, in company with Cortez and the 
 rest, upon a chestnut horse. But aUliough I, unworthy 
 sinner that I am, was unfit to behold either of those holy 
 apostles, upwards of four hundred of us were present ; let 
 their testimony be taken." He adds, that he never heard 
 of the incident until he read of it in Gomara's history. 
 
 Several prisoners were taken in this battle, among them 
 two who appeared to be of superior rank. These were 
 dismissed with presents and favors, to carry proposals of 
 peace to their friends. The residt was highly satisfactory : 
 fifteen sbvcs, with blackened faces and ragged attire, " in 
 token of contrition," came bringing offerings. Permission 
 was given to bury and burn the bodies of those who fell 
 in the terrible slaughter, that they might not be devoured 
 by wild beasts (" lions and tigers," according to Diaz). 
 This duty accomplished, ten of the caciques and principal 
 men made their appearance, clad in robes of state, and 
 expressed desire for peace, excusing their hostility, as the 
 result of bad advice from their neighbors, and the persua- 
 sion of the renegade whom they had sacrificed. Cortez 
 took pains to impress them with ideas of his power and 
 the greatness of the monarch he served ; he ordered the 
 artillery to be discharged, and one of the most spirited of 
 the horses to be brouglit into the reception-room : " it being 
 so contrived that he should show himself to the greatest 
 advantage, .his apparent fierceness, and his action, struck 
 the natives with awe." 
 
 Many more chiefs came in on the following day, bring- 
 ing the usual presents of little gold figures, the material 
 of which came, they said, from " Culchua," and from '* Mex- 
 ico," words not yet familiar to the ears of the Spaniards. 
 
 Twenty women were, moreover, offered as presents, and 
 gladly received by Cortez, who bestowed one upon each 
 
 of his offic 
 the pleasure 
 of his faith 
 Bartholomew 
 
 ing nothin 
 
 ■er 
 
 interpreter, 
 but these ea 
 men of the c 
 Among tl 
 beauty and 
 Marina. SIk 
 parental crue 
 slavery at a i 
 a Mexican fc 
 the hands of 
 Mexican lan^ 
 Tabasco, so tl 
 Aguilcir, to c( 
 terior, throuirl 
 mastered the 
 throughout hij 
 by him, who yy 
 in consideratic 
 Before this coj 
 mander upon 
 ure for Castile.l 
 
 J 
 
 ^■i; 
 
 'U 
 
ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 77 
 
 of his officers. They were all duly baptized, and had 
 the pleasure of listening to a discourse upon the mysteries 
 of his fiiith, delivered for their especial benefit by Father 
 Bartholomew, the spiritual guide of the invaders. Know- 
 ing nothing of the language, and having no competent 
 interpreter, it probably made no very vivid impression; 
 but these captives wcie set down as the first Christian wo- 
 men of the country. 
 
 Among them was one young woman of remarkable 
 beauty and intelligence, whom the Spaniards christened 
 Marina. She Mas said to be of royal parentage, but, from 
 parental cruelty, or the fortunes of war, had been held in 
 slavery at a settlement on the borders of Yucatan, where 
 a Mexican fort was established, and afterwards fell into 
 the hands of the Tabuscan cacique. She spoke both the 
 Mexican language, and that common to Yucatan and 
 Tabasco, so that Cortcz was able, by means of her and 
 Aguiltir, to communicate with the inhabitants of the in- 
 terior, through a double interpretation, until Marina had 
 mastered the Spanish tongue. She accompanied Cortez 
 throughout his eventful career in Mexico, and had a son 
 by him, who was made, says Solis, " a Knight of St. Jago, 
 in consideration of the nobility of his mother's birth." 
 Before this connection she had been bestowed by the com- 
 mander upon one Alonzo Tucrto Carrero, until his depart- 
 ure for Castile. 
 
 
 1 ' 
 
 
 
 
 '^^%\\ 
 
78 
 
 INDIAN KACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE MEXICAN EMPEROR. - THE ZEMPOALLANS 
 
 AND aUIAVISTLANS. 
 
 ' Thou too dost purge from earth its horrible 
 And old idolatries ; — from their proud fanes 
 Each to his grave their priests go out, till none 
 Is left to teach their worship ! " 
 
 Bryant's Hymn to Death. 
 
 Before his departure from Tabasco, Cortez and his 
 priest made strenuous cftbrts to explain the principles of 
 his religion to the chiefs and their people. This, indeed, 
 seems really to have been a purpose uppermost in his 
 heart throughout the whole of his bloody campaign ; but, 
 as may well be supposed, the subject was too abstract, too 
 novel, and too little capable of proofs which appeal to the 
 senses and inclinations, to meet with much favor. *' They 
 only complied," says Solis, " as men that were subdued, 
 being more inclined to receive another God than to part 
 with any of their own. They hearkened with pleasure, 
 and seemed desirous to comprehend what they heard ; but 
 reason was no sooner admitted by the will than it was re- 
 jected by the understanding." They acknowledged that 
 " this must, indeed, be a great God, to whom such valiant 
 men show so much respect." 
 
 From the river Tabasco the fleet sailed direct for San 
 Juan de Ulua, where they were no sooner moored than 
 two large piraguas, with a number of Indians on board, 
 came boldly alongsido. By the interpretation of Marina, 
 Cortez learned tliat these came in behalf of Pitalpitoque 
 and Tcndilc, governor and captain of the district, under 
 Montezuma, to inquire as to his purposes, and to make 
 offers of friendship and assistance. The messengers were 
 
 •* 
 ...i 
 
'-■'' Iv^V^i 
 
 ABORIGINES OF MEXICO. 
 
 79 
 
 handsomely entertained, and dismissed with a few presents, 
 trifling in themselves, but of inestimable value in their un- 
 skilful eyes. 
 
 As the troops landed, Tendile sent great numbers of his 
 men to assist in erecting huts for their accommodation ; a 
 service which, was rendered with remarkable dexterity and 
 rapidity. 
 
 On the morning of Easter-day, the two great officers 
 came to the camp with a lordly company of attendants. 
 Not to be outdone in parade, Cortcz marshalled his sol- 
 diers, and having conducted the chiefs to the rude chapel. 
 Mass was said with due ceremony. He then feasted them, 
 and opened negotiations by telling of his great sovereign, 
 Don Carlos, of Austria, (Charles the Fifth,) and express- 
 ing a desire to hold communion in his behalf with the 
 mighty Emperor Montezuma. 
 
 This proposition met with little favor. Tendile urged 
 him to accept the presents of plumed cotton mantles, gold, 
 &c., which they had brought to offer him, and depart in 
 peace. Diaz says that the Indian commander expressed 
 haughty astonishment at the Spaniard's presumption. 
 Cortez told them that he was fully resolved not to leave 
 the country without obttiining an audience from the em- 
 peror ; but, to quiet the apprehension and disturbance of 
 the Indians, he agreed to wait until a message could bo 
 sent to the court and an answer returned, before com- 
 mencing further operations. 
 
 Painters, whose skill Diaz enlarges upon, now set to 
 work to depict upon rolls of cloth, the portraits of Cor* 
 tez and his officers, the aspect of the army, the arms, and 
 other furniture, the smoke poured forth from the cannon, 
 and, above all, the horses, whose " obedient fierceness " 
 struck them with astonishment. These representations 
 were for the benefit of Montezuma, that he might learn 
 more clearly than he could by verbal report, the nature 
 
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80 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 of his novel visitants. By the messengers, Cortez sent, 
 as a royal present, a crimson velvet cap, with a gold 
 medal upon it, some ornaments of cut glass, and a chair 
 of tapestry. 
 
 Pitalpitoque now settled himself, with a great company 
 of his people, in a temporary collection of huts, built in 
 the immediate vicinity of the Spanish camp, while Ten- 
 dile attended to the delivery of the message to his mon- 
 arch. Diaz says that he went to the royal court, at the 
 city of Mexico, in person, being renowned for his swift- 
 ness of foot; but the most probable account is that he 
 availed himself of a regular system of couriers, established 
 over the more imjoortant routes throughout the empire. 
 However this may be, an answer was returned in seven 
 days' time, the distance between ISIexico and San Juau 
 being sixty leagues, by the shortest road. 
 
 With the messenger returned a great officer of the court, 
 named Quintalbor, who bore a most striking resemblance 
 to Cortez, and one hundred other Indians, loaded with 
 gifts for the Spaniards. Escorted by Tendile, the em- 
 bassy arrived at the camp, and, after performing the usual 
 ceremony of solemn salutations, by burning incense, &c., 
 the Mexican lords caused mats to be spread, and displayed 
 the gorgeous presents tiiey had brought. 
 
 These consisted of beautifully woven cotton cloths ; 
 ornamental work in feathers, so skilfully executed that 
 the figures represented had all the effect of a painting; 
 a quantity of gold in its rough state ; images wrought or 
 cast in gold of various animals ; and, above all, two huge 
 plates, one of gold, the other of silver, fancifully chased 
 and embossed to represent the sun and moon. Diaz says 
 that the golden sun was of the size of a carriage wheel, 
 and that the silver plate was still larger. 
 
 Proffering these rich tokens of good will, together with 
 numerous minor articles, the chiefs delivered their mon- 
 
ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 81 
 
 arch's mission. Accompanied by every expression of 
 good will, his refusal was declared to allow the sti'angers 
 to visit his court. Bad roads and hostile tribes were al- 
 leged to constitute insuperable difficulties, but it was hinted 
 that more important, though unexplainable reasons existed 
 why the interview could not take place. 
 
 Cortez, courteously, but firmly, persisted in his deter- 
 mination, and dismissed the ambassadors with renewed 
 gifts ; expressing himself content to await yet another 
 message from IMontezuma. He said that he could not, 
 without dishonoring the king, his master, return before 
 having personal communication with the emperor. 
 
 He, meantime, sent a detachment farther up the coast, 
 with two vessels, to seek for a more convenient aiid healthy 
 place of enoampmcnt than the burning plain of sand where 
 the army was now quartered. 
 
 Montezuma persisted in objections to the advance of 
 the Spaniards, and Cortez being equally immovable in his 
 determination to proceed, the friendly intercourse hither- 
 to maintained between the natives and their guests now 
 ceased. Tendile took his leave with some ominous threats, 
 and Pitalpitoque with his people departed from their tem- 
 porary domiciles. 
 
 The soldiers, cut off from their former supplies of pro- 
 vision, and seeing nothing but danger and privation in 
 store for them, began to rebel, and to talk of returning 
 home, (yortcz checked this movement by precisely the 
 same policy that was resorted to by Agamemnon and Ulys- 
 ses, under somewhat similar circumstances, as will be found 
 at large in the second book of the Iliad, line 110 ct seq. 
 
 He seemed to assent to the arguments of the spokesman 
 of the malcontents, and proceeded to pioclaim his purpose 
 of making sail for Cuba, but, in the meantime, engaged 
 the most trusty of his friends to excite a contrary feeling 
 among the troops. The effort was signally successful : the 
 
 
 
 • w 
 
82 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 commander graciously consented to remain, and lead them 
 to further conquests, expressing his great satisfaction in 
 finding them of such bold and determined spirit. 
 
 About this time, Bernal Diaz and another sentinel being 
 stationed on the beach, at some distance from the camp, 
 perceived five Indians of a different appearance from any 
 hitherto seen, approaching them upon the level sands. 
 Diaz conducted them to the general, who learned, by 
 Marina's interpretation, that they came in behalf of the 
 cacique of Zempc. or Cempoal, to profier the services 
 of their king and his people. This tribe held the Mexi- 
 cans in great fear and detestation, and rejoiced in the op- 
 portunity now presented for attempting some retaliation for 
 former oppressions and injuries. 
 
 The exploring expedition had discovered a desifol-le 
 location, at the town of Quiavistlan, a few leagues ii. ith 
 of the encampment, and Cortez concluded to move thither 
 immediately. Before takirg further steps, he established 
 himself more firmly in com and ])v resiii;nini( his commis- 
 sion under Valasquez, and taking the vote of liis fviliovvers 
 as to whether he should be their captain. This bein.f- tet- 
 tled to his satisfaction, he mart Led for Quiavistlan, passing 
 the river at the spot where ^ Cruz was afterwards built. 
 
 Zempoalla lay in his rouL.;, and there the army was 
 met by a deputatioii from the cacique, he being too cor- 
 pulent to come in person. Sweet-smelling fiowers were 
 offered as tokens of friendship to the Spanish officers. 
 The town was well built, and ornamented with shade- 
 trees. The inhabitants collected in innumerable but or- 
 derly crowds to witness the entrance of the cavalcade. 
 The " fat cacique " entertained his guests handsomely, 
 making grievous complaints of the oppressions and ex- 
 «' oions suffered by him and his tribes at the hands of 
 Montezuma's oficers. He had been subdued by the great 
 emp'ror, and v/as now his unwilling tributary. 
 
BBH .i-« 
 
 BIB 
 
 am 
 
 ABORIGINES OF MEHCO. 
 
 83 
 
 Quiavistlan was situated upon a rocky eminence, up 
 which the army advanced, prepared to crush any opposi- 
 tion on the part of the inhabitants. These, however, had 
 mostly fled from their homes on the approach of the Span- 
 iards. In the principal square, Cortez was met, and saluted 
 with the usual fumigations of incense, by fifteen of the 
 chief men of the town. They excused the timidity of 
 their people, and promised that they should immediately 
 return, as no injuries were intended by the strangers. 
 
 They came accordingly ; the chiefs, together with the 
 corpulent cacique of Zempoalla, being borne upon litters. 
 All united in lamentations over the cruel state of degrada- 
 tion and servitude to which they were subjected by the 
 tyrant Montezuma. He plundered them of their treasures, 
 seized and carried away their wives and daughters, and 
 sacrificed no small number of them to his gods. 
 
 While they were yet consulting and beseeching assist- 
 ance from the Spaniards, the whole conclave was stricken 
 with terror by the intelligence of the arrival of five royal 
 emissaries or tax-gatherers. These stately personages, to 
 whom the Quiavistlans hastened to minister with cringing 
 servility, did not even condescend to bestow a look upon 
 the Spanish officers. " They were, dressed," says Diaz, 
 " in mantles elegantly wrought, and drawers of the same, 
 their hair shining, and, as it were, tied at the top of the 
 head, and each of them had in his hand a bunch of roses 
 which he occasionally smelt to. They were attended by 
 servants, who fanned them, and each of whom carried a 
 cord and a hooked stick." 
 
 Calling the caciques before them, these dignitaries; re- 
 buked them for entertaining forfigners, who disregarded 
 the expressed will of the emp:?ror, and, as a punishment 
 for the contempt, demanded twenty victims for sacrifice. 
 Cortez, being informed of this, advised the seizure and 
 imprisonment of these emissaries ur il report of their crx- 
 
 
 
 : i ■)•,■:»<■■/. 
 
 II'' •;■•"■;■■' 
 
 
 
* 
 
 84 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 elties and iusolence could be made to their master. The 
 caciques, accustomed to submission, were at first horror- 
 stricken at the proposal, but Cortez persisting boldly and 
 confidently in his opinion, they went to the other extreme. 
 The five magnates were placed, says Solis, "in a kind of 
 pillories, used in their prisons, and very incommodious ; 
 for they held the delinquents by the neck, obliging them 
 continually to do the utmost with their shoulders to ease 
 the weight, for the freedom of breathing." " One of them, 
 also, being refractory, was beaten soundly." 
 
 The exultant Quiavistlans would have gone still farther, 
 and made a speedy end of their prisoners, had not Cortez 
 interfered. Not willing to give immediate offence to Mon- 
 tezuma, but desirous of being in condition at any moment 
 to pick a quarrel, or to claim the rewards and considera- 
 tion due to meritorious services, he contrived to effect the 
 escape of two of these lords, charging them to give him 
 all credit for the act at their ^"n aster's court. To preserve 
 the other three from destruction, he took them on board 
 one of his vessels, (the fieet having come round by sea) 
 under pretence of safe keeping. He, none the less, pro- 
 claimed to the caciques, his allies, that they should there- 
 after be frte from all oppressions and exactions on the part 
 of tlie Mexican authorities. 
 
 The army was now set to work at the foundation of a 
 permanent fortification and town. By the willing assist- 
 ance of the natives, the walls of Vera Cruz rose rapidly. 
 To exc'ttc a spirit of industry and emulation, Cortez com- 
 ?T)enccd iliC work of digging and carrying materials with 
 his own luf.'ds. Thirty caciques, from the mountainous 
 distri^^ts f^f fha Totonaquos, led by reports of Spanish valor 
 and virtues, came in to offer their services and alliance. 
 Their followers are numbered by Herrera (an author who 
 speaks too confidently of particulars) at one hundred thou- 
 sand men j wild mountaineers, but bold and efficient. 
 
 While all hai 
 
f»..'^' 
 
 I I 
 
 L 
 
 ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 85 
 
 While all hands were at work upon the new town, mes- 
 sengers once again appeared from Montezuma. His anger, 
 greatly excited by the first reports of the seizure of his 
 officers, had been mitigated by the favorable report of those 
 •who had been allowed to escape ; and he now sent two of 
 his own nephews, accompanied by four old lords, and a 
 splendid retinue. Acknowledgments were made. by the 
 embassy for the service rendered by Cortez in setting the 
 two tax-gatherers at liberty ; but he was, at the same time, 
 vehemently requested to leave the country, and not hin- 
 der, by the respect due to his presence, the just punish- 
 ment of the rebels with whom he was cohabiting. He 
 was adjured not to dream of making further progress 
 towards the royal court, " for that the impediments and 
 dangers of that journey were very great. On which point 
 they enlarged with a mysterious tediousness ; this being 
 the principal point of their instructions." 
 
 Cortez replied that danger and difficulties would but 
 give zest to the adventure, for that Spaniards knew no 
 fear, and only sought for glory and renown. He enter- 
 tained the ministers handsomely, and dismissed them with 
 presents. 
 
 The Zempoalans thought that the friendship cemented 
 between them and the foreigners could not be taken ad- 
 vantage of better than by engaging them to subdue a 
 neighboring tribe, whose chief town was called Cingapa- 
 cinga. They therefore induced Cortez, by pretending that 
 a troublesome Mexican garrison was quartered there, to 
 assist them in conquering the country. With four hun- 
 dred Spaniards, and a great company of Zempoalans, the 
 Spanish leader entered the mountain district where the 
 enemy was to be sought. As the army approached the 
 town, eight old priests, in black and hooded robes, like 
 friars, came out to deprecate his anger. These function- 
 aries presented, as usual, the most disgusting and horrible 
 
 I; 
 
 ,. %;v 
 
 
 
 ' 1 * ■ 
 
 » 1 ' 
 
 1 -.-'. ■■- •■ ■) 
 
 
 
86 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 appearance. Their long hair was tangled and clotted with 
 human blood, which it was a part of their rules should 
 never be washed off, and their persons were filthy, loath- 
 some, and offensive beyond conception. 
 
 Cortez discovered that he had been deceived, as no Mex- 
 icans were in the vicinity, but he put a good face on the 
 matter,' and succeeded in making a peaceable arrangement 
 between the rival tribes. 
 
 Returning to Zempoala, renewed evidence was brought 
 before the eyes of this zealous Catholic, of the extent to 
 which the custom of human sacrifice was carried ; and 
 especially of the sale and consumption of the bodies of 
 the victims as a " sacred food." He therefore concluded 
 to prostrate the idols, and set up the insignia of the true 
 religion. Long and earnest harangues failed to induce the 
 natives to perform this service themselves : they would be 
 cut to pieces, they said, ere they would be guilty of such 
 sacrilege. The soldiers then broke up and n octroyed the 
 images, purged the temples, and, cover! ; the bloody 
 marks of pagan worship with lime and plaster, erected an 
 altar, and celebrated the rites of Catholicism. As no prod- 
 igy or signal vengeance from Heaven followed the auda- 
 cious act, the pliable natives seemed readily to fall in with 
 the proposed change, and, burning the fragments of their 
 idols, they aped the posture and formula of the devout 
 Spaniards. An old and partially disabled soldier, named 
 Torres, agreed to remain as keeper of the newly-conse- 
 crated temple, on the departure of the troops. 
 
ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 87 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE MARCH TO TLASCALA. — OCCUPATION OP TFIE CITY. — GREAT MAS. 
 SACRE AT CHpLULU. — ENTRANCE INTO THE CITY OF MEXICO, AND 
 INTERVIEW WITH MONTEZUMA. — DESCRIPTION OP THE TEMPLE, 
 ETC. 
 
 " What (livine monsters, O ye gods, are these 
 That float ha air, and fly upon the seas ! 
 Came they alive or dead upon the shore ? " 
 
 Dryden. 
 
 The bold and adventurous leader of the Spaniards now 
 began to set in earnest about his work of conquest. He 
 despatched one ship direct for Spain, to obtain a confirma- 
 tion from the sovereign of his authority in New Spain j 
 and, with the consent of most of his companions, dis- 
 mantled and sunk the rest of the fleet, that all might be 
 nerved to the most desperate efforts by the alternative pre- 
 sented them of death or complete success. 
 
 Leaving a garrison at the coast settlement, he com- 
 menced his march into the interior, accompanied by a body 
 of Zempoalans. The Indians of Jalapa, Socochima, and 
 Texucla, offered them no molestation, and, after enduring 
 great hardships in the passage of the rugged mountains, 
 the army reached Zocothlan. 
 
 Near the religious temples of this town, Diaz affirms, 
 with repeated asseverations, that he saw human skeletons, 
 so orderly arranged, that their numbers could be computed 
 with certainty, and that they could not have amounted to 
 less than one hundred thousand. Beside these were huge 
 piles of skulls and bones : other remnants of mortality 
 were hung from beams. Three priests had chai'ge of 
 these relics. 
 
 Contrary to the advice of the cacique of this province. 
 
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 88 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Cortez determined to pass through the country of Tlascala, 
 whose inhabitants were inimical to Montezuma. 
 
 Four Zempoalan Indians, decked out in the style deemed 
 suitable for ambassadors, and bearing arrows, feathered 
 with white, and carried point downwards, in token of a 
 peaceful mission, were sent to wait on the ^lascalan au- 
 thorities. They were received with respect by the senate 
 or chief council, whose members were ranged in order, in 
 a great hall, seated upon low chairs, each made from a 
 single block of some remarkable wood. 
 
 Great debate ensued as to whether the strangers should 
 be iicrmitted to pass through the country. On the one 
 hand, ancient prophecies M'crc cited of an invincible race 
 that should come from the East. The remarkable fulfil- 
 ment in the landing of these white men, of many attend- 
 ant circumstances foretold, touching the ships, arms, and 
 valor of the invaders, was enlarged upon, and it was pro- 
 nounced madness to cope with them. On the other hand, 
 it was suggested that the Spaniards might be nothing bet- 
 ter than " monsters flung up by the sea upon the coasts," 
 and, if not, that their sacrilege and cruelties forbade the 
 idea that they could be other than evil and avaricious bar- 
 barians, who should be crushed as noxious reptiles. 
 
 It was concluded to try the strength of the whites, and, 
 if they could not be resisted, the assault should be attrib- 
 uted to the intractability of the Ottomics, a nation of rude 
 and warlike mountaineers. 
 
 The result might readily be foreseen : no force, how- 
 ever overwhelming in numbers, could resist the firearms, 
 the discipline, and more especially the horses of the Span- 
 iards. These animals (" «npernatural or monstrous in 
 their imagination ") so terrified the Indians, that they trod 
 one another under foot in efforts to escape from the rush 
 of the little corps of cavalry. In several engagements, 
 although under advantageous circumstances, as in ambus- 
 
 cades and nighl 
 vast numbers of 
 to strike furthei 
 foiirtcta or fiftc( 
 people to rcj)ort 
 were. 
 
 Montr/uma, h( 
 sengers to endeav 
 advance, and at i 
 of a peace bctweci 
 faik'd signally: :S 
 forces, in behalf o 
 settlement of diffi( 
 With great poi 
 army into the towi 
 (1519). The situ; 
 tiiinous, giving the 
 ings were substanti 
 the army tarried tv 
 lula, a great city, c 
 they set out, Mon 
 nounce his final c 
 j for the Spanish tro 
 Several thousand! 
 tarily offered their 
 Choluhi without m 
 tonu met them, o 
 allies, as they had 
 ''greed that the S^ 
 be quartered in the 
 the suburbs. Here 
 and higher attainm. 
 place before visited, 
 furnished provision 
 finally discontinuec 
 
 Jl^i 
 
,:i>'- 
 
 • I, 
 
 ABORIGINES OF MEXICO. 
 
 89 
 
 cades and night attacks, the TlascalaTis were routed, and 
 vast numbers of their warriors were slaughtered. Cortez, 
 to strike further terror, cut off the hands or thumbs of 
 fourtciu or fifteen captives, and sent them to their own 
 people to report what manner of men he and his followers 
 were. 
 
 ]\Iontr'/uma, hearing of these successes, sent more mes- 
 sengers to endeavor to persuade Cortez not to make further 
 advance, and at the same time to obstruct the conclusion 
 of a peace between him and the Tlascalans. These efforts 
 failed signally: Xicotencal, the general of the opposing 
 forces, in behalf of the town and nation, made an amicable 
 settlement of difficulties with the Spaniards. 
 
 With great pomp and ceremony, Cortez marched his 
 army into the town of Tlascala, on the 2od of September, 
 (1519). The situation of the place was rugged and moun- 
 tainous, giving the streets great irregularity ; but the build- 
 ings were substantial, and the fortifications massive. Here 
 the army tarried twenty days, and then marched for Cho- 
 lula, a great city, entirely subject to the emperor. Before 
 they set out, ISIontezuma had again sent heralds to an- 
 nounce his final consent to a meeting, and that quarters 
 for the Spanish troops should be made ready at Cholula. 
 
 Several thousand Tlascalans, arn id and equipped, volun- 
 tarily offered their services, and the whole army reached 
 Cholula without molestation. Here the magnates of the 
 town met them, objecting to the entrance of the Indian 
 allies, as they had been enemies of the nation; and it was 
 agreed that the Spaniards and Zcmpoalans alone should 
 be quartered in the city, while the rest should encamp in 
 the suburbs. Here were seen evidences of greater wealth, 
 and higher attainments in architectural skill, than at any 
 place before visited. The caciques appeared friendly, and 
 furnished provisions for the troops for several days ; but 
 finally discontinued both their visits and supplies. This 
 
 
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 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 aroused the suspicious of Cortez, and he determined to 
 maintain the utmost vigilance. 
 
 At this junctui-e an old woman of rank came to Marina, 
 for whom she had contracted great friendship, and begged 
 her to forsake the Spaniards, and come to live with her 
 and her friends. Marina, ever on the watch to serve her 
 lord and master, pretended compliance, and, by judicious 
 questions, elicited from the old woman all the particulars 
 of a formidable plot for the destruction of the Spaniards. 
 Montezuma had sent twenty thousand men into the vicin- 
 ity, p-^rt of whom were already secretly brought within the 
 walls ; pitfalls with sharp stakes at the bottom had been 
 prepared in the principal highAvays for the destruction of 
 the horses ; and stones were piled on the roofs of the 
 houses to hurl down upon the devoted army. Diaz says : 
 " The recompense which they intended for our holy and 
 friendly services was to kill u.^ and eat us, for which pur- 
 pose the pots were already boiling, and prepared with salt, 
 pepper, and tomatas." Seven human victims had been 
 sacrificed to propitiate the favor of the gods, and it was 
 purposed to devote twenty of the Spaniards to the same 
 fate, as soon as they could be secured. 
 
 All these things were confirmed by a searching exami- 
 nation of some of the caciques, who, surprised at the super- 
 natural penetration of t'le Spaniards, confessed the whole, 
 but attributed it entirely to Montezuma. "With his usual 
 duplicity, Cortez spoke of this conspiracy in confidence to 
 the ambassadors from the court, pretending that he had no 
 suspicion of the part Montezuma had taken. He then 
 gave public orders for marching on the ensuing day, in 
 order to precipitate the hostile movement, but, at the same 
 time, had all his plans arranged for battle, and intelligence 
 con\eyed *) his Tlascalan troops to be ready to assist him 
 at the davvning of day. 
 
 With the first light all was in motion ; the Cholulans 
 
ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 91 
 
 appointed to carry the baggage, and those who came armed 
 on pretence of acting as a guard, but, in reality, to fall 
 upon the rear of the army, poured into the great square. 
 At a given signal from Cortez, a horrible massacre was 
 commenced, which continued for two days. The Tlasca- 
 lans of the party, reenforced by multitudes from their own 
 town, who came at the first news of the attack, ravaged 
 and plundered the city with unrestrained barbarity. Cor- 
 tez at last checked these outrages, and compelling such of 
 the plunder and prisoners as he could discover to be deliv- 
 ered up, proclaimed peace and general amnesty. He set 
 free the unfortunate prisoners, who were confined in cages 
 to be fattened for sacrifice, and vainly endeavored to con- 
 vince the priests and people of the enormity of their reli- 
 gious rites and the truth of his own doctrines. 
 
 Cholula was one of the most noted cities of Mexico, 
 both for its beauty of situation and structure, and its posi- 
 tion as the head-quarters of tie religion of the country. 
 The immense hill or temple of sacrifice has ever been the 
 subject of admiration and astonishment to all beholders. 
 
 Montezuma dared no longer openly oppose the advance 
 of the Spaniards. The terror of their arms and the gloomy 
 prognostications of the priests cowed and subdued his spuit, 
 and he sent messengers with gifts and invitations to Cortez 
 to visit his court. The general impression constantly gained 
 ground among the Mexicans that these white men must be 
 "Teules,*' or supernatural beings, against whom it were 
 hopeless openly to contend. 
 
 Fourteen days after the arrival at Cholula, the army 
 was again put in motion. The Zempoalans were dis- 
 missed at their own request, and their places were supplied 
 by Tlascalans, who were ready by thousands to share the 
 danger and profit of the expedition. On the march over 
 the rough mountainous district through which lay their 
 
 path, strong bodies of Mexicans had been placed in am- 
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 92 
 
 INDIAN BACE3 OP AMERICA. 
 
 bush by the order of the king, but their hearts failed them 
 on the approach of the invaders. Cortez reached Chalco, 
 near the imperial city, not only without serious opposition, 
 but with his forces increased by as many natives of the 
 provinces through which he passed, as he chose to enlist 
 under his banners. Enchantments and conjurations, to 
 which Montezuma applied himself, with hi? whok corps 
 of magicians, proved as ineiFectual as his armies to arrest 
 the enemy. It was still his purpose and hope, as the in- 
 vaders well knew, to overwhelm and destroy them at a 
 disadvantage, when they should enter his city. 
 
 The Spaniards reached Iztapalapa, on the great lake in 
 which the city of Mexico was built, without further blood- 
 shed, except the destruction of a few poor Indians who 
 approached " too near " the encampment at Amemeca, prob- 
 ably from motives of curiosity. The lord of Tezcuco, upon 
 the north-eastern border of the lake, a nephew of the em- 
 peror, visited them on their route with solemn ceremony. 
 
 Iztapalapa was built partly in the lake, although the 
 receding waters have left the site mostly dry. The appear- 
 ance of the place was truly Venetian. Over the broad 
 expanse of water were seen the towers and buildings of 
 numerous towns, at beholding which, together with the 
 great causey which led to the island city, the Europeans, 
 in the words of Diaz, " could compare it to nothing but 
 the enchanted scenes read of in Amadis of Gaul, from the 
 great towers and temples and other edifices of lime and 
 stone which seemed to rise out of the water." " Never 
 yet," he adds, " did man see, hear, or dream of any thing 
 equal to the spectacle which appeared to our eyes on this 
 day." 
 
 The lords of the city assigned splendid buildings of 
 stone for the troops to quaitar in ; and such was their 
 astonishment at the perfection of the architectural skill dis- 
 played in the palaces ; the beauty of the gardens ; the 
 
 ^'■i-- 
 
ABORIOINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 93 
 
 alleys of fruit and aromatic trees ; the fountains, aqueducts, 
 and aitificial pools ; and the vast concourse of curious na- 
 tives, crowding the street and causey to gaze on the novel 
 sight, or skimming the water in their light canoes, that 
 " to many it appeared doubtful whether they were asleep 
 or awake." 
 
 On the morning of the 8th of November, 1519, Cortez 
 led his followers over the main causey into the imperial 
 city. A great deputation of nobles and officers came out 
 to meet him, and escorted the army into the city. The 
 streets were empty, that the ceremony of the royal audi- 
 ence might not be impeded ; but windows and balconies 
 were thronged with eager spectators. 
 
 Montezuma now appear'^d, borne in a glittering palan- 
 quin, and accompanied by his chief officers, magnificently 
 adorned, and displaying in their downcast looks and silent 
 obsequiousness the reverence in which they held their 
 monarch. As he dismounted and walked to meet Cortez, 
 leaning on his relatives, the lords of Tezcuco and Iztapa- 
 lapa, attendants spread carpets before him. 
 
 With unheard-of condescension and expression ol re- 
 spect, the king saluted the Spanish commander in Mexican 
 style, stooping and touching the ground with his hand, 
 and then raising it to his lips. He wore a robe of fine 
 cotton, adorned with gems, golden sandals, and a light 
 crown of gold supporting the ornamental circle of plumes, 
 esteemed the most graceful head-dress. He was about 
 forty years of age, of light complexion, and of majestic 
 aspect and demeanor. 
 
 Cortez advanced, and placing a showy necklace round 
 the monarch's neck, would have embraced him, but was 
 gently restrained by the attendant lords — such familiarity 
 being deemed unsuitable to their sovereign's greatness. 
 
 After mutual friendly speeches, the whole throng pro- 
 ceeded to the palaces set apart for the Spaniards' use, and 
 
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 lNi>IAN BACES O? AMERICA. 
 
 Montezuma, leading Cortez by the hand, conducted him to 
 his apartment, and placed about his neck a golden collar. 
 
 During the week succeeding the entry into Mexico, cere- 
 monious visits were interchanged by Cortez and the em- 
 peror. The Mexican prince conducted his guests through 
 the royal palaces and gardens, and, in their company, 
 visited the great temple of sacrifice. The historians of 
 that day can find no language strong enough to express 
 the wonder and admiration which the magnificent spec- 
 tacle excited in the minds of the Spanish beholders. The 
 pomp and state of the monarch ; his crowd of obsequious 
 attendants ; his pleasure houses, aqueducts, fountains, and 
 gardens of odoriferous shrubs j the ex. .nt of his wealth in 
 jewels and the precious metals ; his stt re of arms, and the 
 number of his skilful aitisans, are described and enlarged 
 upon at great length. 
 
 It remains to this day a matter of astonishment that 
 such huge buildings of hewn stone, as every where met 
 the eye in the ancient city, could have been erected with- 
 out the use of iron. Copper, hardened by an alloy of tin, 
 was the only metal of which the tools were made by which 
 the hard rock was laboriously shaped. 
 
 The indignation and horror excited by the bloody reli- 
 gious rites of the country, led Cortez to strive continually 
 to impress upon the mind of his host the folly and absurd- 
 ity of his religion. The only good effect that is said to 
 have resulted from these arguments was the abandonment, 
 on the part of the king, of the custom of having human 
 flesh set upon his own table. 
 
 The principal temple is minutely described, and must, 
 indeed, have presented a singular scene of horror and 
 magnificence. It was surrounded by a wall, faced with 
 wreathed serpents, carved in stone, the gateways to which 
 were surmounted with statues. The roof of the main 
 building was flat, and paved with beautifully polished 
 
 V Li 
 
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ABORIGINES OF MEXICO. 
 
 95 
 
 stones ; and thereon appeared two hideous idols, seated 
 upon thrones of state, in all the splendor of barbaric orna- 
 ment ; while before them stood the terrible stone of sacri- 
 fice. This was a green mass of rock, five spans high, 
 presenting a sharp angle at the top, over which the miser- 
 able victims were stretched, while the priest gashed open 
 the living body with a rude knife of flint, and tore out the 
 palpitating heart. " I devoted them and all their wick- 
 edness," says Diaz, "to God's vengeance, and thought 
 that the time would never arrive that I should escape from 
 this scene of human butchery, horrible smells, and more 
 detestable sights." He tells of an apartment filled with 
 wild animals and venomous reptiles, who were fed with 
 the sacrificial flesh. Of these, the most dangerous serpents 
 had " in their tails somewhat that sounds like castanets," 
 " These beasts and horrid reptiles were retained to keep 
 company with their infernal gods, and when these animals 
 yelled and hissed, the palace seemed like hell itself." 
 From this elevation, a beautiful view was obtained of the 
 whole of the great salt lake in which the city stood, the 
 towns of the vicinity, the long and well-built causeys 
 connecting them, and the magnificent mountains beyond. 
 
 It would be tedious to relate the ceremonies of the royal 
 court, although many of them are singular, and well worth 
 the examination of those who would obtain a complete 
 knowledge oi a time and people varying so widely from 
 any thing now known on earth. Among Montezuma's 
 means of luxury or relaxation, were the habits of smoking 
 tobacco, drinking a fermented liquor of no little potency, 
 and listening to the remarks of a set of buffoons whom he 
 kept about him, in the same capacity as that of the court- 
 fools of a past age in Europe. 
 
 An analogy to rites and customs of the Old "World, 
 no less striking, was noticed in many of the popular reli- 
 gious observances. " It should seem that the Devil," as 
 
 
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 96 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 De Solis has it, " the inventor of these rites, was ambitious 
 to imitate baptism and circumcisioi, with the same pride 
 with which he endeavored to counterfeit the other ceremo- 
 nies, and even the sacraments of the Catholic church; 
 since he introduced among these barbarians the confession 
 of sins, giving them to understand that thereby they ob- 
 tained the favor of theu" gods. He instituted likewise a 
 ridiculous sort of communion, which the priests adminis- 
 tered upon certain days in the year, dividing into small 
 bits an idol made of flour, mixed up into a paste with 
 honey, whicll they called the God of Penitence^ — "Nay, 
 they even gave their chief priests the title of Papas in 
 their language ; by which we find that this imitation cost 
 Satan a very particular study and application." 
 
 Marriages .vere performed by the priest's tying the veil 
 of the woman to a portion of the man's dress, after certain 
 prescribed preliminaries. In this guise the pair walked 
 home together, and concluded the ceremony by pacing 
 seven times round the domestic hearth. Divorces were at 
 the discretion of the parties, and whon they took place, the 
 sons belonged to the m::n, the daughters to the woman. 
 Hasty separations were guarded against by a provision that, 
 should they again cohabit after having once broken the 
 bond of union, both should be put to death. In some in- 
 stances, on the death of the husband, his wife would im- 
 molate herself, according to the custom until recently so 
 prevalent in India. 
 
 SEIZURE AND IM 
 POPOCA AND I 
 OP PAMPHILO 
 RETURN TO M 
 
 TROUBLES I 
 
 BATTLE OP Oi 
 
 " And sound 
 To freeze 1 
 liung to th 
 
 CoRTEZ was 
 precarious, and 
 plished until h( 
 inhabitants of 
 march to Mexi 
 garrison left at 
 perished in a br 
 prisoner, but dy 
 head to Montezi 
 ror to the king, 
 of manly stren 
 beard betokened 
 Cortez knew « 
 tept them cone 
 adduced them, ii 
 with other matte 
 was to seize the 
 On the eighth 
 took with him I. 
 doval, and Franc 
 His soldiers to ke 
 
 )k^^m 
 
<!' 
 
 ABORIGINES OF MEXICO. 9T 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SEIZURE AND IMPRISONMENT OP MONTEZUMA EXECUTION OP aUAL- 
 
 POPOCA AND HIS COMPANIONS, — OMINOUS PROSPECTS EXPEDITION 
 
 OF PAMPHILO DE NARVAEZ. — SUCCESS OP CORTEZ AGAINST HIM. — 
 RETURN TO MEXICO. — OUTRAGE BY ALVARADO, AND CONSEQUENT 
 TROUBLES. — DEATH OP MONTEZUMA. — THE " NOCHE TRISTE." — 
 BATTLE OF OBTUMBA, AND ARRIVAL AT TLA6JALA. 
 
 " And sounds tha*. mingled laugh, and shout, and scream, 
 To freeze the blood in one discordant jar, 
 Rung to the pealing thunderbolts of war." 
 
 Campbell. 
 
 CoRTEZ was not yet satisfied ; he felt his situation to be 
 precarious, and that his object would not be fully accom- 
 plished until he had acquired complete mastery over the 
 inhabitants of the imperial city. While he was on his 
 march to Mexico, Juan de Escalente, commander of the 
 garrison left at Vera Cruz, had, with six other Spaniards, 
 perished in a broil with the natives. One soldier was taken 
 prisoner, but dying of his wounds, his captors carried his 
 head to Montezuma. The trophy proved an object of ter- 
 ror to the king, who trembled as he looked on the marks 
 of manly strength which its contour and thick curled 
 beard betokened, and ordered it from his presence. 
 
 Cortez knew of these events when at Cholula, but had 
 kept them concealed from most of his people. He now 
 adduced them, in select council of his officers, as reason — 
 with other matters — for the bold step he pui'posed. This 
 was to seize the person of Montezuma. 
 
 On the eighth day after the arrival at the city, Cortez 
 took with him Alvarado, Velasquez de Leon, Avila, San- 
 doval, and Francisco de I<ujo, and, ordering a number of 
 his soldiers to keep in his vicinity, proceeded to the royal 
 
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 98 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMEBICA. 
 
 palace. He conversed with Montezuma concerning the 
 attack on the garrison at the coast, and professed behef in 
 the Mexican prince's asseverations that he had no part in 
 it ; but added that, to quiet all suspicion on the part of the 
 great emperor of the East, it would be best for him to re- 
 move to the Spanish quarters ! Montezuma s£fw at once 
 the degradation to which he was called upon to submit, but 
 looking on the fierce Spaniards around him, and hearing 
 an interpretation of their threats to despatch him immedi- 
 ately if he did not comply, he suffered himself to be con- 
 ducted to the palace occupied by his false friends. 
 
 To hide his disgrace from his subjects, the unhappy 
 monarch assured the astonished concourse in the streets 
 that he went of his own free will. Cortez, while he kept 
 his prisoner secure by a constant and vigilant guard, al- 
 lowed him to preserve all the outward tokens of royalty. 
 
 Meanwhile, Qualpopoca, the governor of the district 
 where Juan de Escalente lost his life, was sent for, together 
 with his associate officers. When they a^riv^d, Cortez 
 was allowed by Montezuma to punish them at hiu own dis- 
 cretion, and the inhuman monster caused them to be 
 burned alive in the sight of the populace. The fuel used 
 for this purpose consisted of the royal stores of arrows, 
 darts, and other warlike implements. Still further to quell 
 the spirit of the king, fetters were placed upon his ankles 
 during the execution of this cruel sentence. 
 
 The people of Mexico could not be blinded to the true 
 position of their sovereign, and it was not long before 
 omuious signs appeared of a general determination to 
 avenge his wrongs, and vindicate the insulted honor of the 
 nation. The young lord of the ancient and powerful city 
 of Tezcuco was foremost in arousing this spirit of resist- 
 ance, but by artifice and treachery he fell into the hands 
 of the Spaniards, and his brother was proclaimed governor 
 in his stead. 
 
rm 
 
 ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 99 
 
 The king was brought so low as to consent to acknowl- 
 edge himself a subject of the Spanish emperor; and he 
 delivered up to Cortez treasures of gold and silver, to the 
 amount, according to computation, of more than six mil- 
 lions of dollars, as a present to his new sovereign. But a 
 small portion of this wealth was reserved to be sent to 
 Spain ; the rest was divided among the conquerors, the 
 chiefs and officers appropriating the lion's share. 
 
 The next movement was to establish the Christian cere- 
 monies of worship upon the very site so long venerated as 
 the palace of the great god of war. After strong opposi- 
 tion, a portion of the area on the summit of the chief tem- 
 ple was set apart for the Spaniards' use in the solemnities 
 of their religion, while the blood-stained idol and the stone 
 of sacrifice maintained their old position. 
 
 At these sacrilegiv. as innovations, the whole populace 
 became more and more exasperated. Montezuma warned 
 his oppressors of the storm that would break upon them, 
 declaring that if he should but give the sign, his whole 
 people would rise as one man to release him and destroy 
 the hated whites. The unfortunate monarch seems to have 
 been distracted and overcome by emotions of the most con- 
 flicting nature. For some of the Spanish officers he had 
 contracted no small degree of personal attachment, while 
 he must have felt continually galled by the restraint 
 placed upon his person, and by the consciousness that he 
 was now but a tool in the hands of the proud invaders of 
 his dominions. The mildness and dignity of his demeanor 
 excited sympathy and respect from his jailers, and Cortez 
 exacted the utmost deference and respect towards his cap- 
 tive from all around him. 
 
 The prudent general saw the nece^^ity for every precau- 
 tion against an attack from the natives, and, to guard 
 against his retreat being cut off, on such a contingency, 
 had two vessels built and furnished from the stores saved 
 
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 100 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 from the dismantled fleet. Living upon an island, it was 
 in the power of the natives at any time to destroy the 
 bridges and causeys, by which alone there was communica- 
 tion with the main. 
 
 At this crisis, when all his energies were required to re- 
 sist the fury of an outraged multitude of barbarians around 
 him, Cortez heard of danger from another source, which 
 moved him more deeply than any hostilities on the part of 
 the Mexicans. 
 
 The jealous Cuban governor, Velasquez, enraged at his 
 presumption in throwing off the authority under which he 
 had sailed, fitted out a formidable armament, to overthrow 
 the newly-acquired power of Cortez. The fleet, under 
 the command of Pamphilo de Narvaez, reached the Mexi- 
 can coast, and news of its arrival were conveyed to Cortez 
 in the month of May, 1520. 
 
 With his usual decision and promptness, the general 
 divided his forces, and leaving the larger portion under 
 Alvarado to maintain possession of the capital, he marched 
 to check the advance of Narvaez. By the boldness of a 
 night attack, followed up by the most consummate policy 
 in winning over the good wishes, and exciting the cupidity 
 of the newly-arrived army, he converted his enemies to 
 friends, and, placing the leader in confinement, hastened 
 back to the city with his powerful auxiliaries. His return 
 was timely indeed. Alvarado had been guilty of an act 
 of barbarity, (whether caused by avarice, by a supposed 
 necessity, or by a desire to ape the valiant achievements of 
 his master, cannot now be ascertained,) which had brought 
 down upon him and his garrison the fury and indignation 
 of the whole Aztec nation. 
 
 Upon an occasion of great public ~ ceremonials at the 
 Teocalli, or temple, at which were gathered a great con- 
 course of the nobility and chiefs, the Spaniards, placing 
 a guard at the gates of the outer wall, mingled with the 
 
 % 
 
M' 
 
 ABORIGINES OF MEXICO. 
 
 101 
 
 unarmed company, and, at an appointed sign, fell upon and 
 murdered every Mexican present. 
 
 A general rush upon the Spanish quarters, which fol- 
 lowed this event, was only checked by the appearance of 
 Montezuma himself upon one of the towers of the build- 
 ing, who, knowing doubtless that his own life could scarcely 
 be preserved in such a melee, requested his subjects to for- 
 bear. They therefore contented themselves with besieging 
 the garrison, and cutting otf supplies of food and whole- 
 some water. 
 
 It was on St. John's day in the month of June, that 
 Cortez reentered the city. The streets were silent and de- 
 serted, and with doubt and apprehension he proceeded to 
 the Spanish palace. The soldiers of the garrison were 
 overjoyed at the sight of the recruits, and received their 
 brethren with open arms. Cortez saw the folly of Alva- 
 rado's conduct, and in his first mood of indignation and 
 petulance, at the probable frustration of his plans, he in- 
 dulged in contemptuous treatment of his royal captive. 
 
 The state of ominous silence observed in the city did not 
 continue long. News came in that the Indians were de- 
 stroying the bridges; and a body of four hundred men, 
 under De Ordas, who were sent out to reconnoitre, were 
 driven back, with a loss of twenty-three of their number. 
 Such crowds of natives poured forth from their places of 
 concealment, that the streets were choked with the living 
 mass, while from balcony and roof-tops, a storm of weap- 
 ons and missiles of every description rained upon the heads 
 of the Spanish troops. 
 
 Surrounding the quarters of the Spaniards, and using 
 every endeavor to burn the wooden portion of the buildings, 
 the wild horde of enraged Mexicans continued the assault, 
 with desperate fury, till nightfall. 
 
 Cortez attempted a sally with the first dawn of the fol- 
 lowing day, but he soon found that he had an enemy to 
 
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 102 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 encounter of far different spirit from those who had here- 
 tofore opposed him. Diaz says, "If we had been ten 
 thousand Hectors of Troy, and as many Eoldans, we 
 could not have beaten them off. — Some of our soldiers 
 who had been in Italy, swore that neither among Chris- 
 tians nor Turks had they ever seen such desperation as 
 was manifested in the attacks of those Indians." The 
 artillery in vain swept them down, for thousands were 
 ready to rush over the fallen bodies of their comrades, and 
 continue the battle with augmented fierceness. The Span- 
 iai'ds were finally forced to retreat. Various expedients 
 were tried by the indefatigable Spanish general to quell the 
 insurrection, and to dislodge the assailants, who shot then* 
 weapons from every high building in the vicinity of the 
 garrison. Moving towers of wood were constructed, to be 
 drawn through the street by companies of Tlascalans, while 
 Spanish warriors from the interior discharged volleys of 
 musketry upon the Indians. Many hundred houses were 
 destroyed by fire, but, being principally of stone, no general 
 conflagration ensued. 
 
 As a last resort, the great king himself, decked in his 
 robes of state, was taken to the tower from which he had 
 before succeeded in quieting the angry populace. The 
 multitude listened with deferential awe, but when they 
 heard again the palpable falsehood that he staid among 
 the Spaniards by his own free will, reverence gave way 
 to contempt and indignation. Revilings and reproaches 
 were followed by a shower of stones and arrows. The 
 attendant soldiers in vain interposed their shields to pro- 
 tect the emperor : he fell, severely wounded upon the head 
 by a stone. The crowd now retired, appalled at the sacri- 
 lege that they had committed. But the work was done : 
 the miserable Montezuma, overcome with rage, mortifica- 
 tion, and despair, would accept of no assistance, either 
 surgical or spiritual, from the Spaniards. In three days, 
 
ABOMGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 103 
 
 says de Solis, " he surrendered up to the devil the eternal 
 possession of his soul, employing the latest moments of his 
 breath in impious th' ^jhts of sacrificing his enemies to his 
 fury and revenge." 
 
 For the particulars of the various sorties, the ceaseless 
 fighting, and, above all, the terrible scene at the storming 
 of the holy temple, the reader must refer to more exten- 
 sive treatises than this ; suffice it that, wea'^iened by con- 
 tinual fatigue, and day by day less able to resist the as- 
 saults of the enemy, the Spaniards finally concluded to 
 evacuate the city. One Botello, a soldier who was reputed 
 a necromancer, as he "spoke Latin, and had been at 
 Rome," announced a certain night as the only time when 
 the army could escape utter destruction. 
 
 Cortez, whether moved by superstition or aware of its 
 influence with the army, and hopeless of longer maintain- 
 ing a hold on the capital under existing circumstances, 
 made preparations to march. He attempted to blind his 
 proceedings by pretended treaties with the Mexicans, pro- 
 posing to evacuate the city peaceably within eight days, 
 while, at the same time, he was ordering every thing for 
 an instantaneous departure. A portable bridge was pre- 
 pared to afford the means for crossing the gaps in the 
 causey made by the enemy. 
 
 On the night of the first of July (1520), the general 
 brought out the immense treasures of gold stored in his 
 chamber, and, having separated the portion allotted to the 
 crown, told the soldiery to take what they would, but 
 cautioned them against encumbering themselves. 
 
 It was near midnight, and dark and rainy, when the 
 troops were put in motion. They were in the act of pass- 
 ing the first breach, over the portable bridge, when tho 
 alarm was given that the " Teules were going," and the 
 cry of " Taltelulco, Taltclulco, (out with your canoes) " 
 resounded over the water. The Spaniards were doomed 
 
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 104 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
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 to greater disaster and misery on this night, knovm as the 
 " noche triste," or night of sorrow, than they had ever yet 
 experienced. An innumerable horde of dusky figures 
 beset the causey, and attacked the fugitives in front, flank, 
 and rear. 
 
 By a complication of misfortune, the bridge broke, and 
 from the struggling mass of men and horses, the few who 
 could obtain footing on the causey were mo&tly killed, or 
 their cries for help were heard by their companions as they 
 were borne off in the canoes of the enemy, doomed victims 
 for sacrifice. The cavalry, who were in advance, hastened 
 forward, hopeless of relieving those whose retreat had been 
 cut off, and who were blindly contending in the darkness 
 with the fierce and enraged Aztecs. 
 
 Alvaraco, dismounted and wounded, came up with the 
 advance, on foot, accompanied by three soldiers and eight 
 Tlascalans. He reported the destruction of the rear-guard, 
 together with their leader, Velasquez de Leon. According 
 to some accounts, Alvarado had made his escape by an 
 extraordinary leap over the gap, but Diaz denies the possi- 
 bilitv of the act. 
 
 The wearied and disabled remnant of the proud army 
 of Cortez pursued their route towards the friendly district 
 of Tlascala, followed by detached companies of Mexicans, 
 who attacked the fugitives in the rear, and, with insulting 
 shouts, bade them hasten to the doom that awaited them. 
 
 Near a place called Obtumba, the Indians were found 
 arrayed upon a plain in countless hosts, to obstruct the 
 march, and finish the work so successfully commenced on 
 the night of the retreat. There was no way to avoid a 
 general engagement, and every Spaniard nerved himself 
 for the desperate struggle. We quote from Bernal Diaz— 
 *' Oh what it was to see this tremendous battle ! how we 
 closed foot to foot, and with what fury the dogs fought 
 us ! such wounding as there was amongst us with their 
 
ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 105 
 
 lances and clubs, and two-handed swords, while our cav- 
 alry, favored by the plain ground, rode through them at 
 will. — Then to hear the valiant Sandoval how he encour- 
 aged us, crying out, * Now, gentlemen, is the day of vic- 
 tory ; put your trust in God ; we shall survive, for he pre- 
 serves us for some good purpose.' " 
 
 The royal standard was taken, its bearer being slain, and 
 the whole multitude were put to flight, and hewn down 
 by hundreds in their retreat. The Spaniards pushed on 
 to Tlascala, not without misgivings as to the reception 
 they should meet with in their present crippled and suffer- 
 ing condition. These fears proved groundless: the friendly 
 Tlascalans embraced them affectionately ; wept over their 
 loss ; and gently rebuked them for trusting the treacherous 
 Mexicans. 
 
 During the " noche triste," and upon the march to Tlas- 
 cala, eight hundred and seventy Spaniards are recorded to 
 have perished in battle, or to have been doomed, as pris- 
 oners, to a far more terrible fate. Of their Tlascalan allies 
 more than a thousand were slain. Only four hundred and 
 forty of the Spanish troops reached Tlascala, and these 
 were many of them wounded and disabled, and were ill 
 supplied with arms. Some accounts state that the Mexican 
 army, at Obtumba, numbered two hundred thousand men, 
 and that twenty thousand of these fell in the engagement 
 or were slaughtered in their tumultuous retreat. 
 
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 106 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PREPARATIONS FOR THE ATTACK ON THE CITY OF MEXICO. — BUILD. 
 INO AND TRANSPORTATION OF BRIGANTINBS. — SIEGE LAID TO THE 
 CITY. — ASSAULT BY THE SPANIARDS, AND THEIR REPULSE.— SAC- 
 RIFICE OF PRISONERS.— CAPTURE OF GUATIMOZIN, AND CONaUEST 
 OF THE CAPITAL. 
 
 " And Aztec priests, upon their teocalKs, 
 Beat the wild war-drum, made of serpents' skin." 
 
 Longfellow. 
 
 On the death of Montezuma, his brother Cuitlahua, gov- 
 ernor of Iztapalapa, had taken the supreme command over 
 the Aztecs. He had been prime mover in the revolt which 
 resulted in the expulsion of the Spaniards from the city, 
 and it was by his orders that their flight had been so "fiercely 
 followed up. At the present juncture, he sent heralds to 
 propose a treaty of peace with the friendly tribe by whose 
 hospitality the Spanish army was now supported, proposing 
 the destruction of the whites, who had brought such woes 
 upon the whole country. A portion of the Tlascalan as- 
 sembly looked approvingly upon the suggestion, but the 
 older and wiser members, reflecting upon the known treach- 
 ery of the Mexicans, and their former acts of oppression, 
 refused to listen to it. 
 
 Cortez, perceiving discontent to be rife among his men, 
 determined not to remain idle, but to keep their attention 
 constantly employed. Some, who were pining for ease and 
 quiet, he allowed to take ship for Cuba, while by eveiy 
 argument he appealed to the honor and valor of his veter- 
 ans, urging them not to desist at the first failure, but to 
 stand by their general and reinstate their fallen fortunes. 
 He engaged in bloody conflicts with Mexican tribes on 
 
ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 107 
 
 either side of Tlascala, with the most distinguished suc- 
 cess ; and taking possession of the town of Tepeaca, a few 
 leagues distant, established his head-quarters there. 
 
 By singular good fortune, several ships, bringing fresh 
 troops to support Narvaez, arrived from Cuba, and the 
 adventurers, learning the true position of affairs, readily 
 joined the popular leader. Another expedition, sent by 
 the governor of Jamaica to form a settlement farther up 
 the coast, only contributed to swell the resources of Cortez ; 
 those engaged in the undertaking deeming it more profit- 
 able to unite with the followers of so renowned a general, 
 than to undergo the dangers and hardship of establishing 
 themselves unassisted among hostile savages. 
 
 Cortez determined to make every preparation for a 
 renewed attack upon the city of Mexico. Keturning to 
 Tlascala, he ';et himself to equip and furnish his troops, 
 and to train the Indian allies in the art of war. Gunpow- 
 der was 'manufactured ; the sulphur being procured from 
 the neighboring volcano of Popocatapetl. The most im- 
 portant part of his schemes, however, was the building a 
 number of small vessels, or brigantines, by means of 
 which his troops could be made independent of the narrow 
 and dangerous causeys. These vessels he ordered to be 
 made in separate pieces, of such a size that they could be 
 transported over the mountains by the Indian carriers : the 
 stores and rigging were brought from the coast by the 
 same means of conveyance. 
 
 On the 28th of December Cortez led his army forth 
 from Tlascala. The Spanish force was less than that with 
 which the first invasion was undertaken, but was superior 
 in martial equipments. The whole army consisted of 
 about six hundred whites, and ten thousand, or upwards, 
 of Tlascalans. Tliey marched direct for Tezcuco, on the 
 great lake of Mexico. No opposition was made during 
 the march, and the city was yielded to them without a 
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 108 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 struggle, nearly all the inhabitants deserting it in their 
 boats. Here it was determined to await the completion 
 and arrival of the brigantines. 
 
 While all these formidable preparations were going on, 
 important changes had taken place in the Aztec monarchy. 
 Cuitlahua, or Quetlavaca, had perished by that terrible 
 scourge, the small-pox, which was introduced from the old 
 country by one of Narvaez's ships, and which spread over 
 all Mexico, carrying off thousands of the natives. The 
 new emperor Guatimozin, a bi*ave and noble youth, was 
 nephew and successor to Montezuma. The beauty and 
 gallant bearing of this prince excited the admiration of 
 all beholders ; while his intelligence and valor, combined 
 with the hatred which he bore towards the whites, made 
 him an enemy to be dreaded. He had devoted his whole 
 attention, since his accession, to fortifying and defending 
 his capital. The unserviceable inhabitants were sent into 
 the country, while warriors from all sides were called to 
 rally round the Aztec banner within the city. 
 
 The remainder of the winter and the early months of 
 spring were occupied by the Spaniards in sallies against 
 neighboring towns and districts ; the reduction of the dis- 
 affected ; the conciliation of those inclined to cooperate 
 with the besiegers ; and, above all, the completion and 
 transportation of the vessels. We must pass over the skir- 
 mishes and battles which occurred during this period. It 
 would be little more than a repetition of scenes of cruelty, 
 horror, and bloodshed. The spirit of the Aztecs was 
 unsubdued, and their new emperor haughtily refused to 
 listen to any terms of treaty, although Cortcz commissioned 
 sundry prisoners of rank to endeavor to move him. Suc- 
 cess in occupying many strong and populous towns, to- 
 gether with the arrival of fresh recruits, served to encourage 
 the Spaniards in the hopes of final triumph. Thousands 
 of natives were employed in digging a canal by which the 
 
 little fleet sliou 
 the vessels read 
 of nautical outfi 
 course of TJascj 
 as a guard of 
 eight thousand 
 while two thousj 
 the last of April 
 service, were Jau; 
 The addition o 
 and oars, could b( 
 of the natives, pn 
 of the vessels, th 
 and the skill wit 
 trolled, must have 
 Near the end of 
 tered upon, by the 
 to the city. The 
 tacks, and a degree 
 of the Spaniards, s 
 only preserved thei] 
 three days togetht, 
 the siege of this g\ 
 every night we wcr] 
 to extend my narra 
 It would bo almost i 
 thatofAmadisand 
 Every expedient, 
 the vessels ; ofpitfj 
 m the causeys, was] 
 severed in with a del 
 by the stern temper [ 
 There was necesi 
 exclusive of the hoj 
 city of provision. 
 
ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 109 
 
 little fleet sliould be launched. The beams and planks of 
 the vessels ready to be joined, with all the paraphernalia 
 of nautical outfit, were carried in state by an immense con- 
 course of Tlascalans, charged with the burden, or acting 
 as a guard of protection. Diaz says that no less than 
 eight thousand men served in each of these capacities, 
 while two thousand more followed with provisions. About 
 the last of April (1521) the thirteen brigantines, fitted for 
 service, were launched into the canal. 
 
 The addition of an armed flotilla, which, urged by wind 
 and oars, could bear down upon and scatter the frail canoes 
 of the natives, proved of incalculable advantage. The size 
 of the vessels, the thunder of their cannons, their speed, 
 and the skill with which they were managed and con- 
 trolled, must have filled the Mexicans with amazement. 
 
 Near the end of May a regular system of siege was en- 
 tered upon, by the occupation of the three great approaches 
 to the city. The inhabitants were unwearied in their at- 
 tacks, and a degree of vigilance and courage on the part 
 of the Spaniards, scarce equalled in any age or country, 
 only preserved them from utter destruction. ** For ninety- 
 three days together," says Diaz, " we were employed in 
 the siege of this great and strong city, and every day and 
 every night we were engaged with the enemy. — Were I 
 to extend my narrative to every action which took place, 
 it would be almost endless, and my history would resemble 
 that of Amadis and the other books of chivalry." 
 
 Every expedient, of driving sunken palisades to entangle 
 the vessels ; of pitfalls for the cavalry ; and of cutting gaps 
 in the causeys, was resorted to by the besieged, and per- 
 severed in with a determination nud obstinacy only rivalled 
 by the stern temper of the obdurate invaders. 
 
 There was necessarily great suffering on both sides, 
 exclusive of the horrors of actual warfare, from the scar- 
 city of provision. Maize was the principal resort ^ but; 
 
 
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 110 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 the hordes of Indian allies sustained existence by a more 
 foul repast, feeding upon the bodies that were every where 
 scattered over the causeys, or floating in tbc lake — ghastly 
 memorials of each day's slaughter. Knowing the insuffi- 
 ciency of their own supplies, the Spaniards dared not for- 
 bid this practice. 
 
 Cortez at last determined upon an assai^lt from three 
 different quarters, with his whole force. Fiercu battles 
 had already been fought within the city walls ; The great 
 Teocally had been a second time carried by storm, and its 
 officiating priests thrown from its summit ; the royal palace, 
 with its adjoining buildings, and the old fortrecs where the 
 Spaniards had formerly quartered, had been destroyed; 
 but no general assault had been made. After some dis- 
 cussion, in which the hazard of risking so much upon a 
 single onslaught was fully discussed, the general deter- 
 mined to undertake it, and issued his orders for a simul- 
 taneous advance — the march over the causeys to be pro- 
 tected by the cooj)eration of the brigantines. 
 
 The three divisions under Cortez, Alvarado, and San- 
 doval, were put in motion on the ensuing morning. Or- 
 ders were given that each party should secure a safe retreat 
 by thoroughly filling up all gaps in the causeys as they 
 made their way towards the heart of the city. Neglect 
 of this prudent arrangement ^roved most disastrous. An 
 advanced force, under Alderete, encouraged by the little 
 show of resistance, pressed oa. nearly to the great square, 
 leaving behind them a breach in the causey, (through 
 which the water from the canal on either side was flowing 
 to a depth of two fathoms) with veiy slight and inefficient 
 means for recrossing. As Cortez came up to this spot, he 
 began to suspect that his men were entrapped j he saw 
 that the causey had been narrowed, and at once perceived 
 the terrible confusion that must ensue, in case of precipi- 
 tate retreat. While endeavoring to atone for this careless- 
 
 ness by fillin 
 the blast of ( 
 followed by a 
 and shortly aft 
 causey in theii 
 natives. At ti 
 Men and hors( 
 the way was re 
 sure of their ( 
 whose canoes fi; 
 of hopeless disc 
 away captive, in 
 ferers from the c 
 and would have i 
 idols, but for the 
 men. His whole 
 making their wa^ 
 5re of the brigani 
 The division u 
 city, after having 
 their first oppone 
 stopped their pro 
 saying that they w 
 the retreat the gr 
 summit of the prir 
 such as may be im 
 and it might be 
 leagues." Diaz, u 
 enemy were then t 
 to their gods. Thi 
 horn -a signal wl 
 We pitch of fury an 
 Sandovil fared lii 
 ish army, complete 
 campments, frightfi 
 
ABORIGINES OF MEXICO. 
 
 Ill 
 
 ness by filling the dike, Cortez and his followers heard 
 the blast of the horn of the Aztec emperor, Guatimozin, 
 Ibllowed by a deafening yell from his enraged wai'riors, 
 and shortly after, Alderete's party were seen crowding the 
 causey in their flight from an overwhelming mass of the 
 natives. At the gap a scene of terrible slaughter ensued. 
 Men and horses, floundering in the deep mud to which 
 the way was reduced, thrust into the water by the pres- 
 sure of their own numbers, and seized by the enemy, 
 whose canoes fiJ (od the canals, presented a miserable scene 
 of hopeless disorder. Cortez himself was nearly borne 
 away captive, in his endeavors to rescue the drowning suf- 
 ferers from the dike. Six stout warriors laid hold of him, 
 and would have secured him as a notable offering to their 
 idols, but for the self-sacrificing devotion of his officers and 
 men. His whole surviving party were obliged to retreat, 
 making their way back to the camp under the protecting 
 fire of the brigantines. 
 
 The division under Alvarado was also driven from the 
 city, after having made some hopeful advance, driving in 
 their first opponents. The second body of natives who 
 stopped their progress, threw down five Spanish heads, 
 saying that they were those of Cortez and his officers. In 
 the retreat the great drum was heard sounding from the 
 pumrait of the principal teocalli : ** Its mournful noise was 
 such as may be imagined the music of the infernal gods, 
 and it might be heard at the distance of almost three 
 leagues," Diaz, who gives this description, says that the 
 enemy were then sacrificing ten of the Spaniards' hearts 
 to their gods. This was just before the blast of the royal 
 horn — a signal which roused the Aztecs to an indescriba- 
 ble pitch of fury and courage. 
 
 Sandovil fared little better than the rest, and the Span- 
 ish army, completely foiled, returned to the several en- 
 campments, frightfully reduced in numbers, deprived of 
 
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112 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 many of their invaluable horses, and, above all, dispirited 
 by the thought that sixty or more of their brethren were 
 alive in the hard" -^f the enemy, destined victims at their 
 infernal orgies 
 
 As night approached, the booming of the great drum 
 on the temple aroused the attention of the Spaniards, and, 
 looking towards the city, they could distinctly perceive 
 several of their unfortunate companions led up for sacri- 
 fice, decked out in gaudy plumes and coronals. A strong 
 light thrown by the fires on the platform upon their white 
 and naked bodies made the sickening sight too palpably 
 distinct, while the shrieks of the victims rose above even 
 the rude din of barbarous music and exultant shouts. 
 The ceremony was followed by a fuiious attack upon the 
 Spanish camps. 
 
 Not even scenes like this could shake the indomitable 
 resolution of these men of iron. They continued to 
 occupy the three causeys by which alone the city could 
 be approached, except in boats, and using every endeavor 
 to cut off supplies of provisions, made a steady and in- 
 trenched advance upon the capital. For ten successive 
 nights they witnessed the butchery of the Spanish prison- 
 ers upon the green stone of sacrifice, without the power 
 to render them the least assistance. As their hearts were 
 torn out and burned before the idol, the priests drew the 
 mangled remains down the stone steps. — Some of the In- 
 dians, mid their taunts and revilings, averred that the 
 Spanish flesh was " too bitter to be eaten ; and truly, 
 it seems that such a miracle was wrought." " Let the 
 reader think," .says the old chronicler, Diaz, " what were 
 our sensations on this occasion. Oh heavenly God ! said 
 we tr ourselves, do not suflfer us to be sacrificed by these 
 wretches." 
 
 To add to the Spaniards' distress, the great body of their 
 Indian allies deserted them at this crisis. They had be- 
 
 gun to lose 
 whites; and 
 within eight i 
 its effect upon 
 Tezcucan chiei 
 ernment of th 
 mained faithfu] 
 When the ei 
 gan to retm-n, w 
 besiegers. Wi 
 their passage, f 
 ital. Securing 
 the buildings as 
 from their granc 
 reduced to the 
 together in the 
 driven, they pei 
 to tame their fi, 
 refused to listen 
 embassies of pri 
 the place. Stor 
 resources, by the 
 ing to a fleet fit 
 destroyed on the 
 After the tlire 
 way completely t 
 people were confi. 
 fury of their sal 
 were finally unab: 
 a last attempt wa 
 or large canoes. 
 
 The brigantine 
 cept and destroy 
 The native^ fou 
 armed vessels of 
 
ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 113 
 
 gun to lose their confidence in the invincibility of the 
 whites; and the prediction of the Mexican priests, that 
 within eight days the besiegers should be destroyed, had 
 its effect upon their superstitious minds. Ixtilxochitl, the 
 Tezcucan chief, who had been raised by Cprtez to the gov- 
 ernment of the city on its abdication by his enemies, re- 
 mained faithful. 
 
 When the eight days were passed, these fickle allies be- 
 gan to retui'n, with fresh confidence, to the assistance of the 
 besiegers. With determined energy the Spaniards forced 
 their passage, foot by foot, towards the centre of the cap- 
 ital. Securing their way behind them, and demolishing 
 the buildings as they proceeded, they more than recovered 
 from their grand reverse. The miserable inhabitants were 
 reduced to the utmost extremity by famine. Crowded 
 together in the quarter of the city to which they were 
 driven, they perished by thousands, but nothing seemed 
 to tame their fierce and unyielding spirit. Guatimozin 
 refused to listen to terms, although Cortez repeatedly sent 
 embassies of prisoners, proposing a peaceable cession of 
 the place. Stores and men were added to the Spanish 
 resources, by the arrival at Villa Rica of a vessel belong- 
 ing to a fleet fitted out by De Aillon, which was mostly 
 destroyed on the reefs of Florida. 
 
 After the three divisions of the army had worked their 
 way completely through the city, and Guatimozin and his 
 people were confined in a limited district on the lake, the 
 fury of their sallies seemed undiminished. When they 
 were finally unable longer to keep their monarch in safety, 
 a last attempt was made to effect an escape in the piraguas 
 or large canoes. 
 
 The brigantines were immediately despatched to inter- 
 cept and destroy the flotilla which now spotted the lake. 
 The native^ fought desperately, as usual, attacking the 
 armed vessels of the Spaniards, regardless of the destruc- 
 
 X. 
 
 
 
 
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 \:- 
 
 • 1>: 
 
 ffc 
 
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114 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 ■1 
 
 t'< ' 
 
 tlon occasioned by the artillery. Sandoval, who com- 
 manded in this service, despatched Garcia Holguin, with 
 the swiftest of the brigautines, to the spot where the em- 
 peror would probably steer, with orders to take him pris- 
 oner alive, if possible. 
 
 The attempt was successful, and the royal barge was 
 taken, containing Guatimozin, his beautiful wife, (a daugh- 
 ter or niece of Montezuma,) and his chief followers. Be- 
 ing brought before Cortez, the king addressed his conqueror 
 in terms of proud but despairing submission, bidding him 
 draw his poniard, and put an end to the life of a monarch 
 who had striven to the last for his people, but in vain. 
 Cortez endeavored to riiassure liim by caresses and kind 
 words, ordering the queen and attendants to be treated 
 with courtesy and respect. 
 
 "While this scene was enacting, and during the previous 
 day, a work of such fearful carnage had been going on in 
 the Mexican quarters as no pen can describe. No one can 
 presume to enumerate those who fell. Diaz reports as fol- 
 lows : " What I am going to mention is truth, and I swear 
 and say amen to it. I have read of the destruction of 
 Jerusalem, but I cannot conceive that the mortality there 
 exceeded this of Mexico ; for all the people from the dis- 
 tant provinces which belonged to this empire, had concen- 
 trated themselves here, where they mostly died. The 
 streets, the squares, the houses, and the courts of the Tal- 
 telulco, (where the Mexicans were last intrenched,) were 
 covered with dead bodies ; we could not step without tread- 
 ing on them ; the lake and canals were filled with them, 
 and the stench was intolerable." 
 
 It is due to the Spanish general to say that he endeav- 
 ored repeatedly to stay this butchery ; but his Indian allies 
 could not be restrained, now that an opportunity was pre- 
 sented for safely wreaking their vengeance on their hered- 
 itary foes. 
 
 The capturt 
 
 conquest of tl] 
 
 gust, 1521. } 
 
 was accomplis] 
 
 men just escap 
 
 ringing about o 
 
 noise of the en 
 
 ing, whistling, 
 
 the temples anc 
 
 timbals and hoi 
 
 drum, and othe 
 
 our cars, so tha 
 
 other speak." 
 
 By Giiatimozii 
 habitants, that it 
 seys were crowd 
 with a horde oi 
 wretches, creepin 
 capital, " that it V 
 The booty dis( 
 equalled their ar 
 quantities of go 
 divers were emp_ 
 effect. The unfo 
 city of Tacuba we 
 Cortez, to extort 
 where they had co 
 to this piece of b 
 cion might not re 
 appropriated the p 
 The young mo 
 dignity and comp 
 mentors with Indi 
 Mictions of the Sp 
 from his companio 
 

 ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 116 
 
 The capture of Guatimozin, which consummated the 
 conquest of the city, took place on the thirteenth of Au- 
 gust, 1521. All contention immediately ceased when this 
 was accomplished. Diaz says : " "We felt like so many 
 men just escaped from a steeple where all the bells were 
 ringing about our ears. — This was owing to the continual 
 noise of the enemy for ninety-three days — shouting, call- 
 ing, whistling, as signals to attack us, &c. — Then, from 
 the temples and adoratories of their accursed idols, the 
 timbals and horns, and the mournful sound of their great 
 drum, and other dismal noises were incessantly assailing 
 our ears, so that day or night we could hardly hear each 
 other speak." 
 
 By Guatiraozin's request, the city was cleared of its in- 
 habitants, that it might be effectually purified. The cau- 
 seys were croAvded for three successive days and nights 
 with a horde of such miserable, diseased, and helpless 
 wretches, creeping slowly away from their former proud 
 capital, " that it was misery to behold them." 
 
 The booty discovered by the conquerors in no degree 
 equalled their anticipations. It was supposed that great 
 quantities of gold had been thrown into the lake, and 
 divers were employed in the search for it, but with little 
 effect. The unfortunate Guatimozin, and the lord of the 
 city of Tacuba were put to. the torture, with the assent of 
 Cortez, to extort from them information as to the places 
 where they had concealed their treasures. Cortez objected 
 to this piece of barbarity, but permitted it that the suspi- 
 cion might not rest upon him of having, by connivance, 
 appropriated the plunder to his own use. 
 
 The young monarch, in this extremity, preserved his 
 dignity and composure, enduring the cruelties of his tor- 
 mentors with Indian fortitude. When the barbarous in- 
 flictions of the Spaniards drew forth groans or complaints 
 from his companion in suffering, Guatimozin silenced him 
 
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116 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA,. 
 
 with the calm interrogative, " Think'st thou, then, that I 
 am taking my pleasure in my bath ? " No!lhing was gained 
 by the inhuman transaction, although the emperor told 
 of a place in the lake where gold had been thrown, and 
 the lord of Tacuba confessed that he had stores at a house 
 in the country. These declarations were probably made 
 merely for the purpose of escaping present anguish. 
 
 "^/WWWWWS/*- 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 BEBUFLDING OP THE CITV. — EXTENSION OP SPANISH POWER THE 
 
 MARCH TO HONDURAS. — EXECUTION OF GUATIMOZIN. — DONNA MA- 
 RINA. — MODERN MEXICO. 
 
 " Now they are gone — gone as thy setting blaze 
 Goes down the west, while night is pressing on, 
 And with them the old tale of better days, 
 And trophies of remembered power are gone." 
 
 Bryant. 
 
 Within a few years after the scenes we have just de- 
 scribed, the royal city of the Aztec monarchs rose from 
 its ruins with renewed splendor ; but under what different 
 circumstances from those which attended its first establish- 
 ment ! The proud-spirited nation, reduced to degrading 
 servitude, was compelled to build and plant for the bene- 
 fit of the victorious Spaniards, whose power daily increased 
 with the multitudes flocking from the Old World to seek 
 wealth or novelty in the sunny climes of New Spain. 
 
 The modern city of Mexico presents a very different as- 
 pect from that of the ancient capital. By the drainage of 
 the lake, it no longer stands upon an island ; and the 
 causeys, which led to it, still used as public roads, arc said 
 to be scarcely distinguishable from the other highways. 
 
ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 117 
 
 All the surrounding tribes who did not yield implicitly 
 to the dictates of the general, when the great city was de- 
 stroyed, were promptly quelled and humbled. Confirmed 
 in his authority by royal commission — for the efforts of 
 his enemies could avail little against the universal acclama- 
 tion which followed the news of his successes — Cortez 
 continued to increase the extent of Spanish dominion, and 
 still more effectually to crush all spirit of opposition among 
 the miserable Mexicans. We cannot detail the terrible ex- 
 amples of vengeance which followed any attempt to throw 
 off the galling yoke. With such coadjutors as Alvarado, 
 Sandoval, and other of his veteran officers, resistance to 
 his supremacy proved worse than vain. The stake or the 
 halter was the ready instrument by which the crime of re- 
 bellion was punished. 
 
 In October of 1524, Cortez, with a small force of Span- 
 iards, and a large body of natives, undertook a long and 
 difficult march to Honduras. His purpose was to chastise 
 the rebellious de Olid, who had thrown ofl his general's 
 authority. Although the details of the dangers, hardships, 
 and adventures in this expedition are minute and interest- 
 ing, we only refer to it as giving occasion for the destruc- 
 tion of the last Aztec monarch. Continually apprehensive 
 of a new revolt, Cortez had, ever since the conquest, kept 
 his royal prisoner a close attendant on his person. To- 
 gether with his fiiithful vassal, the lord of Tacuba, Guati- 
 mozin was taken to accompany the party to Honduras. At 
 Gueyacala, or Aculan, a conspiracy of the Mexicans in the 
 train to fall upon and massacre the Spaniards, was reported 
 to the general, and attributed to the influence of these two 
 nobles. All participation in this plot was denied by the 
 captives ; but slight suspicion was sufficient to furnish an 
 excuse to the unscrupulous Spaniard for ridding himself 
 of a constant source of anxiety. 
 
 Guatiraozin and the Tacuban governor were both hanged 
 
 i 
 
 '"J .j 
 
 
 '^'. 
 
 ./.> ■■\ 
 
 •.■iV''-- 
 
 
 H 
 
*^i-' 
 
 
 118 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 by his orders. Diaz affirms that there was but one opin- 
 ion among the company, that this was "a most unjust 
 and cruel sentence." He proceeds to say that Cortez suf- 
 fered much in his conscience for this act. — " He was so 
 distracted by these thoughts that he could not rest in his 
 bed at night, and, getting up in the dark to walk about, as 
 a relief from his anxieties, he went into a large apartment 
 where some of the idols were worshipped. Here he missed 
 his way, and fell from the height of twelve feet, to the 
 ground, receiving a desperate wound and contusions in his 
 head. This circumstance he tried to conceal, keeping his 
 sufierings to himself, and getting his hurts cured as well as 
 he could." 
 
 An interesting incident occurred on this march relative 
 to the history of the faithful interpreter Donna JMnrina. 
 The course taken led the army through her nativ. prov- 
 ince, and it so chanced that, at a great conclave of chiefs 
 and principal inhabitants to hold conference with the Span- 
 iards, her mother and brother were present. The unnatu- 
 ral parent, who had so long before sold her daughter as 
 a slave, thought the hour of retribution was at hand, but 
 Marina encouraged and caressed her, making her offerings 
 of jewels and other attractive trifles. She avowed her at- 
 tachment to the Spaniards and their religion, expressing 
 great pride and satisfaction in the son and the husband, for 
 both of whom she stood indebted to her noble master and 
 friend. 
 
 We must now take leave of the historical detail of Mex- 
 ican chronicles, with a few remarks upon the condition of 
 the Indians subsequent to the conquest, the changes since 
 wrought by lapse of time, the introduction of a foreign 
 population, and the mixture of races. 
 
 For a long period the mass of the natives were compelled 
 to waste their lives in hopeless toil on the plantations, 
 in the mines, or at the rising cities of their oppressors. 
 
ABORIGINES OP MEXICO. 
 
 119 
 
 Cortez felt and expressed some compunctious visitings of 
 conscience at the adoption of this general system of slavery, 
 but fell in with it as being essential to the maintenance 
 of Spanish power and the speedy growth of the colonies. 
 He saw that the mental capacity of the people was far 
 superior to that of the other North American aborigines, 
 and felt some natural regret that their national pride should 
 be entirely humbled, and their opportunities for civilization 
 and improvement be so entirely cut off. A better state of 
 things was gradually brought about, and the inhabitants 
 of pure native descent are now spoken of as a cheerful, 
 courteous race, busying themselves in the simpler arts of 
 manufiicturc, cultivating their fields, and enjoying the 
 equable freedom from anxiety, so congenial to the mild 
 and delicious climate of their country. 
 
 Pulque, the intoxicating drink of the Mexicans, is pro- 
 ductive of the evil effects that such beverages always pro- 
 duce among the Indians of America ; and, in the large 
 cities, a disgusting horde of lazaroni disfigures the public 
 squares. In the city of Mexico, these beggars are espe- 
 cially numerous. 
 
 The half-breeds, who form at the present day so exten- 
 sive a portion of the population, present every variety of 
 social position. Some of Montezuma's descendants mar- 
 ried into noble families of Spain, and their posterity arrived 
 at great wealth and dignity. The wife of Gua'hnozin, 
 after his execution, married successively no less than three 
 Castilians of honorable family. She is every where spoken 
 of as a woman of charming appearance and attractive 
 manners. A descendant of the former emperor of the 
 Aztecs held the office of Spanish viceroy in Mexico as late 
 as the close of the seventeenth century. 
 
 '•■\i.. 
 
 '•'^fi«,V.,liir-!*-V..,v't^;^V]i 
 
 
 ':ii^-^ 
 
 
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THE FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 EARLY EXPEDITIONS OP SPANISH ADVENTURERS. — PONCE DE LEON.- 
 L. VALASaUEZ DE AYLLON. — PAMPHILO DE NARVAEZ. — FERNANDO 
 DE SOTO. — HIS LANDING AND ESTABLISHMENT AT TAMPA. — STORY 
 OF JOHN ORTIZ, A SPANISH CAPTIVE AMONG THE INDIANS. 
 
 Few portions of the "Western Continent have witnessed 
 such scenes of barbarous warfare between-the natives and 
 European adventurers, or between subjects of contending 
 nations at the East, as the long, low peninsula which lies 
 at the southern extremity of the Atlantic sea-coast of the 
 United States. Its whole history is strangely romantic, 
 and might well tempt us away from our subject, Avere there 
 room to chronicle all the interesting details of its discov- 
 ery, conquest, and settlement. 
 
 The first picture presented to our minds, when we turn 
 back to these early times, is of Juan Ponce de Leon, gov- 
 ernor of Porto Rico, led by Indian fables in 1512 to search 
 amid the low islands of the roast for a fountain that should 
 bestow perpetual youth ; landing upon the green and flow- 
 ery shores, and bestowing upon the cor.atry its pleasing 
 and musical appellation. All of North America, to the 
 northward and eastward of Mexico, went by the name of 
 Florida, before English settlements were made upon the 
 coast. Failing in his first search, liCon undertook a second 
 expedition into the unknown world, in hopes of finding 
 mines of the precious metals, but was killed in a fight with 
 the natives. 
 
 (120) 
 
FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 121 
 
 The perfidious Luke Valasquez de Ayllon, in 1518, vis- 
 ited the coast to the northward of Florida, to procure gold 
 and slaves. The kindly natives, whom he tempted on 
 board, were shut under hatches, and conveyed to Cuba, 
 lleturning again to the country, he and his party were 
 justly punished for their treachery, nearly all of them 
 being slain by the inhabitants, who, mindful of former 
 injuries, rose upon them unawares, after putting them off 
 their guard by demonstrations of friendship. Those who 
 had been carried into servitude mostly perished, some by 
 volimtary starvation, and others from grief and despair. 
 
 The Indians of Florida are represented by all early his- 
 torians as a high-spirited and courageous race, showing 
 considerable skill in agriculture, and exhibiting marks of 
 far greater civilization than those of the North. It seems 
 not improbable, judging from their traditions, appearance, 
 and customs, that they, as well as the Natchez, had emi- 
 grated from Mexico, perhaps at no very remote period. 
 They resided in towns and villages of considerable extent, 
 and showed a degree of resolution and desperate valor, 
 in defending their homes against the murderous Spaniards, 
 which has seldom been equalled. Unappalled by the ter- 
 rible execution of the unknown weapons of their enemies, 
 who, mounted upon horses (hitherto unknown in the coun- 
 try) and clad in defensive armor, presented a novel and 
 unaccountable spectacle to their wondering eyes, they dis- 
 puted the invaded territory inch by inch. 
 
 Like most of their red brethren, they could not long 
 brook the indignity of slavery ; the proud spirit of the 
 Indian can never, like that of the African, be so humk .jd 
 that his race can continue and multiply in servitude. 
 
 The old Portuguese narrator of De Soto's conquest, 
 speaking of the Indian slaves of Cuba, says that their 
 custom was to hang themselves, to escape the toil and 
 degradation of working the mines. He tells of an over- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 122 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 seer in the service of Vasco Porcalho, (afterwards De Soto's 
 lieutenant-general,) who, " knowing the Indians under his 
 charge had resolved to hang themselves, went and staid 
 for them at the place Avhere they intended to put this dis- 
 mal resolution into execution, with a rope in his hand : he 
 told them they must not imagine that any of their designs 
 were hid from him, and that he was come to hang himself 
 with them, that he might torment them in the other world 
 an hundred times more than he had done in this." His 
 expedient had the desired effect upon their superstitious 
 and credulous minds, and, giving up their purpose, they 
 returned submissively to their tasks. 
 
 Pamphilo de Narvacz, in April, 1528, with a commission 
 from Charles the Fifth to conquer and take possession, 
 landed four hundred men and forty or fifty horses at East 
 Florida. Penetrating the wilderness, they crossed the 
 country to Appalache, sometimes experiencing kind treat- 
 ment from the Indians, at other times in danger from their 
 attacks. Finding no gold, and but little provision at this 
 town, from which they drove out the inhabitants on their 
 first arrival, the Spaniards shaped their course to the south 
 towards Ante. Tormented by hunger ; beset by hidden 
 foes J disheartened by the terrible difficulties which beset 
 their path, from the almost impassable natural conforma- 
 tion of the country ; and worn out by incessant exertion, 
 Narvaez and his men reached Aute only to find it burned 
 and deserted by its inhabitants. 
 
 Many of the party having already perished, the rest, 
 hopeless of making further progress by land, set to work 
 to construct boats in which they might reach a port of 
 safety. With singular ingenuity they prepared tools from 
 the iron of their accoutrements ; and, with no further mate- 
 rials than were furnished by the productions of the forest, 
 and the manes, tails, and skins of their horses, five small 
 boats were built. They embarked and set sail, but nearly 
 
T^LORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 123 
 
 all perished either by famine or by the dangers of the sea. 
 Only a handful of the number were ever heard from, 
 among whom was Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca. With 
 only four companions he kept on his course to the West, 
 and, after years of peril, hardship, and servitude, reached 
 the Spanish settlements of Mexico. 
 
 The next Spanish expedition to Florida was of far more 
 importance and interest than either that had preceded it. 
 The celebrated Fernando de Soto, after acquiring an im- 
 mense fortune as a companion of Pizarro, at Peru, was 
 moved by the restless spirit of adventure to undertake a 
 more complete examination of the New World opened to 
 Spanish cupidity and curiosity. 
 
 With seven ships of his own providing, and accompa- 
 nied by from six hundred to one thousand warlike and 
 energetic adventurers, many of whom were of noble rank, 
 De Soto set sail, in the month of April, 1538. Upwards 
 of a year was spent, mostly upon the island of Cuba, before 
 the fleet set sail for the Florida coast. In the latter part 
 of I^Iay, 1539, the vessels came to anchor olF the bay of 
 Espiritu Santo, now Tampa Bay, on the western sea-board, 
 and a large division of soldiers, both horse and foot, were 
 landed. The Indians had taken the alarm, and, although 
 the smoke of their fires had been seen from ship-board in 
 various directions, all had fled from the district, or lay con- 
 cealed in the thickets. De Soto appears to have been 
 deshous to proceed upon peaceable terms with the natives, 
 but hostilities soon followed. Some skiimishes took place 
 near the point of landing, and the Spaniards speedily pos- 
 sessed themselves of the nearest village, where were the 
 head-quarters of the cacique Ucita or Hiriga. Here De 
 Soto established himself in " the lord's house," which was 
 built upon a mound by the sea-shore ; while the soldiers 
 used the materials of the other buildings in constructing 
 
 barracks. ■ . 
 
 8 
 
 
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 "■ •..■•.•! 
 
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 ':■:^•■.^viH 
 
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 124 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 At the inland extremity of the town stood the temple 
 devoted by the Indians to religious observances. Over the 
 entrance of this building was the wooden figure of a fowl, 
 having the eyes gilded — placed there for the purpose of 
 ornament, or as symbolic of the tutelary deity of the place. 
 
 Clearings were now made around the village, to give free 
 scope to the operations of the cavalry, and parties were 
 sent out to explore the country, and to make prisoners who 
 should serve as guides or hostages. 
 
 The remembrance of horrible outrpgcs committed upon 
 himself and his people by Narvaez, had so embittered the 
 old chief Hiriga against the whites, that no professions of 
 friendship and good will could appease his hatred. De 
 Soto released prisoners who were taken by his scouting 
 parties, cliarging them with presents and conciliatory mes- 
 sages for their chief, but all in vain. 
 
 In the tangled forests and marshes the Indians were 
 found to be no conteriptible opponents. They were de- 
 scribed as being " so dexterous fierce and nimble that foot 
 can gain no advantage upon them." Their bows and arrows 
 were so effective that coats of mail did not prove a suffi- 
 cient protection against their force. The arrows were 
 headed, as usual, with stone, or with fish-bones ; those 
 which were made of canes or reeds produced the deadliest 
 eifect. 
 
 A party under G alleges, scouring the country a few 
 miles from the camp, attacked a small body of Indians and 
 put them to flight ; but, as a horseman was charging with 
 his lance at one of the number, he was amazed to hear 
 him cry out, " Sirs, I am a Christian ; do not kill me, nor 
 these poor men, who have given me my life." 
 
 Naked, sun-burned, and painted, this man was scarce 
 distinguishable from his wild associates. His name was 
 John Ortiz, and he had lived with the Indians twelve 
 years, being one of the few followers of Narvaez who 
 
 escaped destri 
 expedition he 
 and had returr 
 in quest of the 
 the crew on si 
 among the nun 
 mediate death, 
 pedients to terr 
 by the comman( 
 stakes, and kind 
 even in this ext; 
 persuasions of a 
 ing been healed 
 temple where th 
 defend them fro 
 resolution, in d, 
 (according to one 
 child of one of tj 
 ing towards him 
 At the end of tl 
 %ht with Moscoj 
 a disi.-.nce of tw( 
 expedient to maJ 
 the devil. « Seel 
 devil holds these] 
 accustomed to offj 
 subjects, or of anj 
 Forewarned of] 
 Ortiz fled in the 
 Upon first meeting 
 in great danger frl 
 whence he came, 
 finding an IndiaiJ 
 people with whoi 
 of his hosts, and 
 
FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 m 
 
 125 
 
 escaped destruction. Since the disastrous failure of that 
 expedition he had made his way to Cuba in a small boat, 
 and had returned again to Florida in a small vessel sdht 
 in quest of the lost party. The Indians enticed a few of 
 the crew on shore, and made them prisoners. Ortiz was 
 among the number, and was the only one who escaped im- 
 mediate death. After amusing themselves by various ex- 
 pedients to terrify and torment their captive, the savages, 
 by the command of their chief, Hiriga, bound him to four 
 stakes, and kindled a fire beneath him. He was preserved, 
 even in this extremity, by the compassionate entreaties and 
 persuasions of a daughter of the cacique. His burns hav- 
 ing been healed, he was deputed to keep watch over the 
 temple where the bodies of the dead were deposited, to 
 defend them from attacks of wolves. His vigilance and 
 resolution, in despatching a wolf, panther, or a "lion," 
 (according to one account) which had seized the body of a 
 child of one of the principal chiefs, aroused a kindly feel- 
 ing towards him, and he was well used for three years. 
 At the end of that time Hiriga, having been worsted in 
 fight with Moscoso, a hostile chief whose dwelling was at 
 a disLince of two days' journey, thought it necessary or 
 expedient to make a sacrifice of his Christian subject to 
 the devil. ** Seeing," says our Portuguese historian, " the 
 devil holds these people in deplorable bondage, they are 
 accustomed to offer to him the life and blood even of their 
 subjects, or of any body else that falls into their hnnds." 
 
 Forewarned of this danger by his former benefactress, 
 Ortiz fled in the night towards the country of Moscoso. 
 Upon first meeting with the subjects of this chief, he was 
 in great danger from the want of an interpreter to explain 
 whence he came, and what was his errand j but, at last, 
 finding an Indian who understood the language of the 
 people with whom he had lived, he quieted the suspicions 
 of his hosts, and remained with them in friendship no less 
 
 .*, ^^•* .• . ■}■■■■ , '■»* C> ,■!'. . 
 
 • ■,•'•■ ' ■ -v^ ■^.■•\r. > 
 
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i 
 
 
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 126 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 than nine years. Moscoso, hearing of the arrival of De 
 Soto, generously furnished his captive with an escort, and 
 give him free permission to return to his countrymen, in 
 accordance with a promise made when Ortiz first came to 
 his territory. 
 
 The long-lost Spaniard was joyfully received, with his 
 companions, at Dc Soto's camp ; his services as guide boing 
 considered invaluable. In answer to the first inquiry, 
 however, where gold was to be sought, he could give no 
 satisfactory information. 
 
 The cacique Moscoso being sent for, soon presented him- 
 self at the Spanish encampment, and after spending , some 
 days in familiar intercourse with the wonderful strangers, 
 departed, exulting in the possession of a shirt and other 
 tokens of royal munificence. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 PROGRESS NORTHWARD. - CONTESTS WITH THE NATIVES. -VITACHU- 
 CO. —EXPEDITION TO CUTIFACIIIQUI DEPARTURE FOR TJE WEST. 
 
 «(«■ 
 
 * * * The long bare arms 
 Are heaved aloft, bows twang and arrows stream ; 
 Each makbb a tree his shield, and every tree 
 Sends forth its arrow. Fierce the fight and short 
 As is the whuhvind." — Buy^int. 
 
 De Soto now concluded to send his vessels back to Cuba, 
 and leaving a strong guard in Hiriga's country, to proceed 
 northward. Favorable accounts were brought by his emis- 
 saries from the adjoining district of Paracoxi, and delud- 
 ing hopes of procuring gold invited to still more distant 
 exploration in Cale. Vasco Porcalho, wearied and dis- 
 gusted with hopeless and desulto:;' skirmishing among the 
 
 swamps and 
 
 with the squa 
 
 The Spanii 
 
 with great dil 
 
 the "Wahoo S\ 
 
 tion of Alachu 
 
 large, and gav 
 
 into the woodi 
 
 prisoners. TJ 
 
 and ravaged th 
 
 ished men. 
 
 Leaving Cal( 
 forward to the 
 pretence of cor 
 inhabitants, and 
 thtir attack. ^ 
 brothers, one oi 
 The second broi 
 of friendly mes 
 elder, Vitachucc 
 sponses to all e 
 Appearing, at h 
 his two brothers, 
 meeting. With 
 proceeded to De 
 ity, entered into 
 took themselves 
 royal entertainm( 
 The treacheroi 
 strations, gathere 
 the town, with 
 Spaniards; but 
 catastrophe. 
 
 Preparations 
 and so successful! 
 
t 'I 
 
 FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 12T 
 
 ewamps and morasses, resigned his commission, and left 
 with the squadron. 
 
 The Spanish force, proceeding up the country, passed 
 with great difficulty the extensive morass now known as 
 the Wahoo Swamp, and came to Cale in the southern por- 
 tion of Alachua. The inhabitants of the town, which was 
 large, and gave tokens of thrift and abundance, had fled 
 into the woods, except a few stragglers who were taken 
 prisoners. The troops fell upon the stored provisions, 
 and ravaged the fields of maize with the eagerness of fam- 
 ished men. 
 
 Leaving Cale on the 1 1th of August, De Soto pressed 
 forward to the populous town of Ochile. Here, without 
 pretence of coming as friends, the soldiers fell upon the 
 uihabitants, and overpowered them by the suddenness of 
 thtir attack. The country was under the rule of three 
 brothers, one of whom was taken prisoner in the town. 
 The second brother came in afterwards upon the receipt 
 of friendly messages from the Spanish general, but the 
 elder, Vitachuco, gave the sternest and most haughty re- 
 sponses to all embassies proposing conciliatory measures. 
 Appearing, at last, to be convinced by the persuasion of 
 his two brothers, who were sent to him, he consented to a 
 meeting. With a large company of chosen warriors, he 
 proceeded to De Soto's encampment, and, with due formal- 
 ity, entered into a league of friendship. Both armies be- 
 took themselves to the principal village of Vitachuco, and 
 royal entertainment vras prepared. 
 
 The treacherous cacique, notwithstanding these demon- 
 strations, gathered an immense force of his subjects around 
 the town, with a viev/ of surprising and annihilating the 
 Spaniards; but the vigilance of John Ortiz averted the 
 catastrophe. 
 
 Preparations were at once made to anticipate the attack ; 
 and so successfully were they carried out, that the principal 
 
 
 W' 
 
 ■' '■■■ '■ ',•■•. /'t 
 
 i 'T 
 
 '■L. 
 
 >..t 
 
 it 
 
 'i, ! 
 
 ■'^y 
 
I ' ». 
 
 128 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 cacique was secured, and his anny routed. Many of the 
 fugitives were driven into a lake, where they concealed 
 themselves by covering their heads with the leaves of 
 water lilies. The lake was surrounded by the Spanish 
 troops, but such was the resolution of the Indians, that 
 they remained the whole night immersed in water, and, on 
 the following day, when the rest had delivered themselves 
 up, " being constrained by the sharpness of the cold that 
 they endured in the Avater," twelve still held out, resolving 
 to die rather than surrender. Chilled and stupefied by the 
 exposure, these were dragged ashore by some Indians of 
 Paracoxi, belonging to Dc Soto's party, who swam after 
 them, and seized them by the hair. 
 
 Although a prisoner, with his chief warriors reduced to 
 the condition of servants, Vitachuco did not lay aside his 
 daring purposes of revenge. He managed to circulate the 
 order among his men, that on a day appointed, while the 
 Spaniards were at dinner, every Indian should attack the 
 one nearest him with whatever weapon came to hand. 
 
 When the time arrived, Vitachuco, who was seated at 
 the general's table, rallying himself for a desperate effort, 
 sprang upon his host, and endeavored to strangle him. 
 " This blade," say the Portuguese narrator, " fell upon 
 the general ; but l^eibre he could get his two hands to his 
 throat, he gave him such a furious blow with his fist upon 
 the face that he put him all in a gore of blood." De Soto 
 had doubtless perished by the unarmed hands of the mus- 
 cular and determined chief, had not his attendants rushed 
 to his rescue, and despatched the assailant. 
 
 All the other prisoners followed their cacique's example. 
 Catching at the Spaniards' arms, or the " pounder where- 
 with they pounded the maize," each " set upon his master 
 therewith, or on the first that fell into his hands. They 
 made use of the lances or swords they met with, as skil- 
 fully as if they had been bred to it from their childhood ; so 
 
 that cno of th 
 fifteen or tweu 
 ' by the govern 
 rior, with only 
 the Indian coi 
 He was shot tl 
 were at last o 
 in the struggle 
 Their executior 
 them with arroi 
 Napetaca, th( 
 iards in the latt 
 through the va 
 streams that in 
 attacks of the re 
 to the town of I 
 river, midway I 
 Encumbered wi 
 were, their prog 
 by the Indians, { 
 ion left by the uj 
 Marauding pa 
 many prisoners, 
 by the neck, and 
 commenced their 
 every method t( 
 chains in two wit 
 an opportunity o 
 tached to their 
 were cruelly pun 
 The natives o 
 evinced no little 
 struction of their 
 ture. The house 
 houses of Spain," 
 

 ^'-iM'-': 
 
 FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 129 
 
 that one of them, with sword in haud, made head against 
 fifteen or twenty men in the open place, until he was killed 
 by the governor's halbardicrs." Another desperate war- 
 rior, with only a lance, kept possession of the room where 
 the Indian corn was stored, and could not be dislodged. 
 He was shot through an aperture in the roof. The Indians 
 were at last overpowered, and all who had not perished 
 in the struggle, were bound to stakes and put to death. 
 Their executioners were the Indians of I'aracoxi, who shot 
 them with arrows. 
 
 Napetaca, the scene of this event, was left by the Span- 
 iards in the latter part of September. Forcing their way 
 through the vast swamps and over the deep and miiy 
 streams that intercepted their path, and exposed to the 
 attacks of the revengeful proprietors of the soil, they came 
 to the town of Uzachil, somcT here near the present Oscilla 
 river, midway between the Suwanne and Appalachicola. 
 Encumbered with horses, baggage, and armor as they 
 were, their progress is surprising. Uzachil was deserted 
 by the Indians, and the troops revelled in store of provis- 
 ion left by the unfortunate inhabitants. 
 
 Marauding parties of the Spaniards succeeded in seizing 
 many prisoners, both men and women, who were chained 
 by the neck, and loaded with baggage, when the army re- 
 commenced their march. The poor creatures resorted to 
 every method to effect their escape ; some filing their 
 chains in two with flints, and others running away, when 
 an opportunity offered, with the badge of slavery still at- 
 tached to their necks. Those who failed in the attempt 
 were cruelly punished. 
 
 The natives of this north-western portion of Florida 
 evinced no little skill and good management in the con- 
 struction of their dwellings and in their method of agricul- 
 ture. The houses were pronounced " almost like the farm- 
 houses of Spain," and some of the towns Avere quite populous. 
 
 
130 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Making a halt at Anhayca, the capital town of the dis- 
 trict of Palache, De Soto sent a party to view the sea-coast. 
 The men commissioned for this service discovered tokens 
 of the ill-fated expedition of Narvaez at Ante, where the 
 five boats were built. These were a manger hewn from 
 the trunk of a tree, and the bones of the horses who had 
 been killed to supply the means of outfit. 
 
 De Soto, about the last of November, sent a detachment 
 back to the bav of Espiritu Santo, with directions for two 
 caravels to repair to Cuba, and the other vessels, which 
 had not already been ordered home, to come round by sea 
 and join him at Palache. Twenty Indian women were 
 sent as a present to the general's wife, Donna Isabella. 
 
 In one of the scouting expeditions, during the stay at 
 Palache, a remarkable instance of self-devotion was seen 
 in two Indians, whom the troops came upon as they were 
 gathering beans, with a woman, the wife of one of them, 
 in their company. *' Though they might have saved them- 
 selves, yet they chose rather to die than to abandon the 
 woman." " They wounded three horses ; whereof one 
 died," before the Spaniards succeeded in destroying them. 
 
 Early in March, 1540, the Spanish forces were put in 
 motion for an expedition to Yupaha, far to the north-east. 
 Gold was still the object of search. A young Indian, who 
 •was made prisoner at Napetaca, alleged that he had come 
 from *hat country, and that it was of great extent and 
 richness. He said that it was subject to a female cacique, 
 and that the neighboring tribes paid her tribute in gold, 
 " whereupon he described the manner how that gold was 
 dug, how it was melted and refined, as if he had seen it 
 done a hundred times, or as if the devil had taught him ; 
 inasmuch that all who understood the manner of working 
 in the mines, averred that it was impossible for him to 
 speak so exactly of it, without having seen the same." 
 
 It would be foreign to our present subject to follow De 
 
* 
 
 ■A 'Ki^'- 
 
 •in ', ■,. 
 
 :^<i-^-i^ 
 
 ■:.» 
 
 ' !• i>.'ii 
 
 'e'i§ 
 
 'j:..'^x. 
 
 
 
 ^..Vv 
 
 
Soto in this toi 
 localities whic] 
 distances and 
 journeyings, mi 
 jecture. It ma 
 the accounts pr 
 tribes through v 
 turn to the nort] 
 As he movec 
 ceived in the 
 huts which serve 
 peninsula, the p 
 canes placed to 
 Some had the v, 
 woven, that they 
 They could be 1 
 was there pretty 
 were roomy and i 
 uous by a balcoi 
 shown by these p 
 grass or fibrous 
 made leggins an 
 dressed and dyed. 
 The most rcmi 
 Northern explorat 
 been situated far 
 erned by a female, 
 dignity and refine 
 De Soto reminds 
 Anthony, as dcscr 
 brought down to t 
 in the stern of a cj 
 pavilion overhead, 
 skins to the genera 
 about his neck. 
 
FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 133 
 
 Soto in this tour ; and, indeed, the position of many of the 
 localities which are described by his historians, and the 
 distances and directions of his wearisome and perilous 
 journeyings, must, at the present day, be matters of con- 
 jecture. It may not, however, be amiss to mention briefly 
 the accounts preserved of the appearance of some of the 
 tribes through whose dominions he passed before his re- 
 turn to the north-western districts of modern Florida. 
 
 As he moved northward, a marked change was per- 
 ceived in the buildings. Instead of the grass-covered 
 huts which served well enough in the genial climate of the 
 peninsula, the people of Toalli had " for their roof little 
 canes placed together like tile; they were very neat. 
 Some had the walls made of poles, so artificially inter- 
 woven, that they seemed to be built of stone and lime.'* 
 They could be thoroughly warmed in the winter, which 
 was there pretty severe. The dwellings of the caciques 
 were roomy and commodious, and were rendered conspic- 
 uous by a balcony over the entrance. Great skill was 
 shown by these people in the manufacture of cloth from 
 grass or fibrous bark, and the deer skins, of which they 
 made leggins and other articles, were admirably well 
 dressed and dyed. 
 
 The most remarkable of the countries visited on this 
 Northern exploration, was Cutifachiqui, supposed to have 
 been situated far up the Chatahoochee, which was gov- 
 erned by a female. The Spaniards were astonished at the 
 dignity and refinement of the queen. Her reception of 
 De Soto reminds one of Cleopatra's first meeting with 
 Anthony, as described by the great dramatist. She was 
 brought down to the water in a palanquin, and there seated 
 in the stern of a canoe, upon cushions and carpets, with a 
 pavilion overhead. She brought presents of mantles and 
 skins to the general, and hung a necklace of large pearls 
 about his neck. ' ' 
 
 il 
 
 \s 
 
 
 
 ;-;:i>'- 
 
 if! 
 
 ■* 1 
 * 1 ' 
 
 
 *- t 
 
 1 
 
 • i-' . . . • 
 
 
 
 
 ^i'-v 
 
 ■»;,. 
 
 
 \l «- . - ■ - . 
 
 ■i .,'■» ' 
 
 
 ^:'l 
 
 
 ' .-I* 
 
 ^'. i ■'/"'■' 
 
 4 
 
 *T' .4 
 
 ■■:■'' ' 
 
 H* , ■■ • 
 
 ■fi- 
 
 
 . / • ■ / St- •, " ;•>■ . -■ I 
 ■ '• '.;•, v->i.'. 'i ■ 
 
 'K ■ 
 
134 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 The Indians of the country were represented as " tawny, 
 well-shaped, and more polite than any before seen in Flor- 
 ida." Their numbers had been greatly reduced, two years 
 previous, by a pestilence, and many deserted dwellings 
 were to be seen around the town. The accounts given of 
 the quantity of pearls obtained here, by searching the 
 places of sepulture, are incredible. 
 
 Departing from Cutifachiqui, De Soto had the ingrati- 
 tude to carry the queen along with him, compelling her 
 even to go on foot. " In the mean time, that she might 
 deserve a little consideration to be had for her still," she 
 induced the Indians by whose houses the cavalcade passed, 
 to join the party, and lend their aid in carrying the bag 
 gage. She succeeded, finally, in making her escape. 
 
 We must now dismiss De Soto and his band upon their 
 long journey through the western wilderness. He died 
 upon the Red River, and those of his companions who 
 escaped death from exposure, disease, or savage weapons, 
 years after the events above described, made their Avay 
 down the Mississippi to the gulf, and thence reached the 
 .'Spanish provinces of INIexico. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 FROM THE CONQUEST BY DE SOTO TO THE YEAR 1818. — MISSIONARY 
 OPERATIONS nV THE SPANIARDS. — MOORE'S INVASION OF FLORIDA. 
 — BOWLES. — WARS OF 1812. — DEFEAT OF THE SEMINOLES BY GEN- 
 ERAL JACKSON. 
 
 We can but briefly touch upon the incidents of Florida 
 history for nearly two centuries after De Soto's invasion. 
 The French Huguenot refugees, who settled upon St. 
 John's river in 15 02, found the natives placable and 
 
 generous. Ali 
 Gated by the c 
 between the U 
 of the Indians 1 
 reduced, by th 
 Spaniards. 
 
 In the brutal 
 and Spanish co] 
 at settlement, th 
 uous part, were 
 most important 
 that of the estal 
 of instruction. 
 
 The central p( 
 of St. Helena, sit 
 iiendez de Avilla 
 town, and who Y 
 Spain to spread t 
 was indefatigable 
 tions. The succes 
 among the variou] 
 ness of central 
 I buildings erected 
 Their efforts were I 
 onies: emissaries 
 the Mississippi ; aj 
 the north, they 
 dians, and assiduo] 
 rehgious creed, but! 
 The Spanish in| 
 tained over the Int 
 hnt for the jealouj 
 governor in 1680. 
 the Yemasees, or 
 accusation of haviJ 
 

 FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 135 
 
 generous. Although their kindness was but ill recipro- 
 cated by the colony, no very serious difficulties occurred 
 between the two races. The power and self-confidence 
 of the Indians had been broken, and their numbers greatly 
 reduced, by the desolating ravages committed by the 
 Spaniards. 
 
 In the brutal and murderous wars between the French 
 and Spanish colonies, which succeeded the new attempts 
 at settlement, the Indians, although they took no conspic- 
 uous part, were occasionally involved in hostilities. The 
 most important era in the native history of this period, is 
 that of the establishment of a regular missionary system 
 of instruction. 
 
 The central point of these operations was the convent 
 of St. Helena, situated at St. Augustine. Don Pedro Me- 
 nendez de Avilla, the Spanish governor who founded this 
 town, and who had been commissioned by the king of 
 Spain to spread the Catholic religion among the Indians, 
 was indefatigable in carrying out his sovereign's inten- 
 tions. The success met with by the ecclesiastics sent forth 
 among the various tribes, is astonishing. In the wilder- 
 ness of central Florida may still be seen the ruins of 
 buildings erected by theu- means for religious exercises. 
 Their efforts were not confined to the vicinity of the col- 
 onies: emissaries penetrated the western forests, even to 
 the Mississippi ; and amid the rough mountain districts of 
 the north, they were to be found living with the In- 
 dians, and assiduously instructing them, not only in their 
 religious creed, but in language and useful arts. 
 
 The Spanish influence might perhaps have been main- 
 tained over the Indians during the existence of the colony, 
 but for the jealous suspicions of Cabrana, who was made 
 governor in 1680. He put to death the principal chief of 
 the Yemasccs, or inhabitants of East Florida, upon an 
 accusation of having given aid and comfort to the English 
 
 "■ " ' i ■ ■■ •' ;• Fa! ■<» " ■ "I 
 
 V 1; -, '.,■■' ,, .1! ^.»- k'. ■'T-'"''"t- ■» 
 
 i: 
 
 
 
 
 '0-HT' 
 
 I: 
 
 :. ,1 
 
 ■ : :4 
 
# 
 
 136 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 settlers on the St. John's, then called May river. The con- 
 sequence of this act was a long and troublesome war. 
 
 The unfortunate Indians were for many years after this 
 event mode the tools of the hostile European colonies : 
 first in the French and Spanish wars, and afterwards, in 
 1702 and 1704, when Governor Moore, of South Carolina, 
 invaded Florida. 
 
 In the north-western districts of the peninsula dwelt the 
 Appalachees ; the rest of the country was inhabited by 
 the Yemasees. These two nations had formerly been upon 
 terms of the bitterest enmity, but had been reconciled by 
 the mediation of the Spaniards. Moore, followed by a con- 
 siderable body of English, and a large force of Creek 
 Indi'"-s, ravaged nearly the v,'hole country, beginning at 
 Api- iiachee, and proceeding south-easterly to the Atlantic 
 sea-board. He carried away many Indians of tho con- 
 quered tribes to the English plantations as slaves. 
 
 After a long period of hopeless and profitless warfare, 
 in which they had nothing to gain by success, and by 
 means of which they were disabled from agriculture and 
 deprived of a settled abode, the scattered remnants of the 
 Indian tribes gradually took up their quarters in the heart 
 of the country, and l.irther towards the south. In the 
 latter part of the eighteenth century they acquired the 
 name of Seminoles, said to signify " wanderers." 
 
 In the year 1792, an unprincipled adventurer from Eng- 
 land, named Bowles, made strenuous attempts to excite 
 the hostility of the Indians against the Spanish settlers. 
 Failing in a direct attempt to plunder an Indian trading- 
 house on the St. John's, and finding himself abandoned by 
 his associates, he betook himself to the Creeks, married a 
 woman of that tribe, and persuaded the Indians that the 
 store of goods which he had attacked belonged rightfully 
 to them. He met with considerable success in deceivin? 
 the simple-minded natives, and, assisted by several chiefs 
 
'!i'^*'' 
 
 FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 137 
 
 of the Creek nation, he got possession of the fortress of 
 St. Marks. Delivering himself up to riot and drunken- 
 ness, with his followers, it proved no difficult task for the 
 Spanish troops to retake the fort. Bowles was allowed to 
 escape, but was afterwards delivered up by his Indian 
 allies, and taken to Cuba a prisoner. The Seminoles were 
 partially involved in the wars of 1812 and the two succeed- 
 ing years, when the Americans invaded Florida. Their 
 cliief leaders were King Payne and his brother, the noted 
 Boleck or Bowlegs. Having done no little damage by 
 burning buildings and plundering the plantations in their 
 vicinity, they purposed to march northward, but were en- 
 gaged and routed nearer home, by General Newman, with 
 a body of troops from Georgia. This force having crossed 
 the St. John's, marched into Alachua, and encountered 
 Payne within a few miles of his head-quarters. The Indians 
 ought bravely, but could not resist the superior skill of 
 the whites. Payne was killed, and his men were driven 
 off in the first engagement ; but they rallied, and returned 
 to the attack with redoubled energy. They possessed them- 
 selves of the body of their chief ; and afterwards, surround- 
 ing the American forces, kept them in a state of siege for a 
 number of days, imperfectly protected by a structure of logs. 
 
 After this period, and previous to the cession of the Fior- 
 idas to the United States, the affairs of the Seminoles and 
 their American neighbors were unsettled, and some bloody 
 scenes were enacted. Fugitive slaves from the adjoining 
 states found a secure asylum among the immense wilds of 
 the marsh ' and uninhabited territory of the Floridas, and 
 conflicting claims of Indians and whites respecting negroes 
 long after formed a fertile source of quarrel and complaint. 
 Some of the Seminoles became possessed of large numbers 
 of slaves, holding them by undisputed title. 
 
 In the month of March, 1818, General Jackson, with 
 more than three thousand men, over one half of whom were 
 
 ■ ' ' '> ■ -y.*' "i. ,7''" ■ 
 
 
 L'.' ' 
 
 '.: ■ ■ •■;•■■ ■•• ' 
 
 ,(•' -H "» 
 
 ■i" '.' • ■ 
 * 1 ' ' 
 ■1: ' 
 
 
I 
 
 1 , ■ ■ 
 
 ■ 
 
 ! 
 
 1 ^ t : ^ 
 
 1 ' ^ -*• 
 
 138 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Creelc warriors, marched into West Florida to punish and 
 check the ravages of the Seniinoles. With little opposition 
 from the inhabitants, the towns surrounding the lake of 
 Miccosukie were destroyed, and much booty, in corn and 
 cattle, was secured. The Indian villages upon the Oscilla 
 and St. Mark's rivers, known as the Fowel towns, met with 
 a similar fate. St. Mark's was soon after occupied by the 
 invaders, and, in the ensuing month, the great body of the 
 Seminoles, aided by large numbers of negroes, was defeated 
 on the borders of the Suwanec, and several hundred were 
 taken prisoners. The rest fled into East Florida. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 COMMENCEMENT OF THE LATE FLORIDA WAR TREATY OP MOUL- 
 
 TRIE CREEK. — TREATY OF PAYNE'S LANDING. — OSCEOLA. — DE- 
 STRUCTION OF DADE'S COMMAND. — BATTLE OF THE OUITIILA- 
 COOCHIE. — CONFERENCE WITH INDIAN CHIEFS, BY GENERAL 
 GAINES. 
 
 " * * * Hark, that quick, fierce crj', 
 That rends the utter silence ; 'tis the whoop 
 Of battle, and a thronjj of savage men, 
 AVith naked arms, and faces stained like blood, 
 Fill the green wilderness. • ♦ * 
 * * * • Soon the conquerors 
 And conquered vanish, and the dead remain, 
 Gashed horribly with tomaliawks." — Bkyant. 
 
 After the whole country had passed into the hands 
 of the American government, it was thought necessary to 
 take steps to secure the frontiers of the white settlements 
 from the incursions of the Indians, and to confine the lat- 
 ter to certain specified districts. In the year 1823, there- 
 fore, on the 18th of September, a treaty was concluded 
 
 at the camp o 
 
 from the Unite 
 
 whereby it was 
 
 by the articles 
 
 that the Indian 
 
 trict described 
 
 peninsula ; that 
 
 the reasonable ( 
 
 for; and that c( 
 
 ment to compens 
 
 and to establish 
 
 ters. Various i 
 
 treaty, which wa 
 
 of the Seminole 
 
 Tuske Hajo, En 
 
 (known as Hick 
 
 Blunt, Mulatto E 
 
 others, possessed | 
 
 An exception \ 
 
 ' of six of the sigr 
 
 of former service 
 
 by them. 
 
 Micanopy is d( 
 rather obtuse in ir 
 
 The Indians 
 
 provisions of the 
 
 hostilities took p 
 
 plaints were, ind 
 
 wrongs and out 
 
 cattle, and attrib 
 
 other hand, the I 
 
 berless impositioi 
 
 exposed in their 
 
 and speculators. 
 
 To quiet all di 
 
FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 139 
 
 at the camp on Moultrie Creek, between commissioners 
 from the United States and a number of Seminole chiefs, 
 whereby it was stipulated, that all territory not reserved 
 by the articles should pass to the American government ; 
 that the Indians should confine themselves to a large dis- 
 trict described by courses and bounds in the heart of the 
 peninsula; that fugitive slaves should be delivered up, 
 the reasonable expenses of securing them being provided 
 for ; and that certain sums should be paid by the govern- 
 ment to compensate for the expenses and losses of removal, 
 and to establish the Indians comfortably in their new quar- 
 ters. Various minor particulars were embodied in the 
 treaty, which was signed with mark and seal, on the part 
 of the Seminolcs, by the principal chief INIicanopy ; by 
 Tuskc Hajo, Emathlochce, Eccrrhacimico, Tokosemathla 
 (known as Hicks), Charley Amathla, Tustenugge, John 
 Blunt, Mulatto King, Philip, Nea Mathla, and twenty-one 
 others, possessed of or claiming the authority of chiefs. 
 
 An exception was made, by an additional article, in favor 
 of six of the signers ; who were allowed, in consideration 
 of former services, to remain upon the lands then occupied 
 by tliem. 
 
 Micanopy is described by Williams as a " large fat man, 
 rather obtuse in intellect, but kind to his people and slaves." 
 
 The Indians were removed in accordance with the 
 provisions of the agreement, and, until 1835, no serious 
 hostilities took place between them and the whites. Com- 
 plaints were, indeed, made on both sides of unredressed 
 wrongs and outrages. The Alachuan settlers lost their 
 cattle, and attributed the thefts to the Indians : on the 
 other hand, the Indians complained, wi*h justice, of num- 
 berless impositions and deceptions to which they were 
 exposed in their intercourse with unprincii)led traders 
 and speculators. 
 
 To quiet all disi^uibauce it was at last deemed expedient 
 
 
 If.: 
 
 
 '■■■l.V /■.• ■»• ' ■•••:» J ■• ■ ■> ■■ ' 
 
 1^- Iv- .• ':'^y.^^\..- ■; 
 
 ;•:,( 
 
 )t: 
 
 |i* ■ 
 
 *' - 
 
 •^'V. V 
 
 '.'*■ ,',•'■ 
 
 
 ,1:1. 
 
 4 
 
 :i->^ 
 
140 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 by the American government, to effect an entire removal 
 of the Seminoles to the west of the Mississippi. Accord- 
 ingly, a meeting was appointed by Micanopy and the gov- 
 ernment emissaries, to be held at Payne's Landing, on the 
 Ocklawaha river, on the eighth of May, 1832. Fifteen 
 chiefs were present, and, after much argument, signed an 
 agreement, in behalf of themselves and their people, to 
 accede to the proposals of government ; provided the new 
 lands assigned them should prove acceptable to a deputa- 
 tion from their number who should first go to make exam- 
 ination. The United States were to pay the tribe fifteen 
 thousand four hundred dollars, and the removal was to 
 take place within three years. The authority of the sign- 
 ers of this treaty to bind the whole of the Seminole tribes 
 has been frequently, and with no little reason, called in 
 question. Certain it is, that to a majority of the nation 
 the proposition was highly distasteful. 
 
 Several chiefs, with Micanopy's prime counsellor, Abra- 
 ham, an astute negro, undertook the survey of the western 
 reserve, and signed a writing expressive of their satisfac- 
 tion with its appearance. It was claimed by the Indians, 
 and their partisans, that some deception was used both 
 in the wording of this certificate, and generally as to the 
 conclusiveness of the arrangements entered into at Payne's 
 Landing. 
 
 As the end of the term prescribed, within which they 
 must leave their homes, drew near, opposition to removal 
 and determination to resist it, continued to gain force 
 among the Indians. They complained of the accounts 
 brought them of the belligerent character of the savages 
 who would be their near neighbors, and strenuously ob- 
 jected to a plan, set on foot at Washington, for uniting 
 their tribe with that of their old enemies the Creeks. 
 
 Serious disturbances commenced in 1835. Some months 
 previously, whites had been, upon one or two occasions, 
 
 ■I 
 
•<.."?•. 
 
fired upon by 
 and injuries, ha 
 two nations. Ir 
 eral Indians wer 
 pond, not far fn 
 seven whites, y 
 beating them wit 
 several were woi 
 dians were killed 
 the commencemcr 
 but was soon folk 
 upon his route fro 
 King, fell a victiir 
 hacked and mutila 
 It now appeared 
 tain their ground, 
 hoarding great stc 
 numbers were cons 
 known to be bold 
 sidercd themselves 
 circumstances, com 
 tlie impassable wih 
 ment retire, con vine 
 must be fraught wit 
 indefinitely protrac 
 The young chie 
 matcly associated t 
 that succeeded, no 
 acuteness, energy, a 
 He was a quadroon 
 French « Baton Roi 
 ^eing a half-breed, 
 hshman named Pov 
 chief. Osceola had 
 vious councils, witl 
 9 
 
 •tCMmi.^. 
 
FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 143 
 
 fired upon by the Indians, and mutual wrongs, insults, 
 and injuries, had excited general ill-feeling between the 
 two nations. In the month of October, of this year, sev- 
 eral Indians were detected in killing a cow near Kenapaha 
 pond, not far from Miccosukie. They were set upon by 
 seven whites, who seized their arms, and commenced 
 beating them with whips. An affray succeeded, in which 
 several were wounded on both sides, and two of the In- 
 dians were killed outright. This may be considered to be 
 the commencement of the war : it was the first blood shed, 
 but was soon followed by other outrages. The mail rider, 
 upon his route from Fort Brooke, on Tampa Bay, to Fort 
 King, fell a victim to Indian revenge ; his body was found 
 hacked and mutilated. 
 
 It now appeared that the Seminolcs, determined to main- 
 tain their groun'l, had been, for some time, purchasing and 
 hoarding great stores of arms and ammunition. Their 
 numbers were considerable ; they had among them leaders 
 known to be bold, determined, and sagacious ; they con- 
 sidered themselves wronged and oppressed ; and all these 
 circumstances, combined with their intimate knowledge of 
 the impassable wilderness to which they could at any mo- 
 ment retire, convinced the discerning that a war with them 
 must be fraught with danger and difficulty, and might be 
 indefinitely protracted. 
 
 The young chief, Osceola, whose name is more inti- 
 mately associated than any other with the bloody events 
 that succeeded, now began to attract attention for his 
 acuteness, energy, and determined hostility to the whites. 
 He was a quadroon of the Red Stick (anglicized from the 
 French " Baton Rouge ") tribe, of Miccosukie ; his mother 
 being a half-breed, and his father supposed to be an Eng- 
 hshman named Powel — a name ordinarily borne by the 
 chief. Osceola had opposed the plan of removal at pre- 
 vious councils, with great vigor, and on one occasion 
 t 
 
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144 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA 
 
 demeaned himself with such violence that he was seized 
 by General Thompson, the government agent, and kept for 
 a day or two confined in fetters. Dissembling his rage, 
 he, for a time, managed to disarm suspicion ; bringing iu 
 a great number of his followers, and solemnly ratifying the 
 treaty. 
 
 His true purposes and feelings were first known by the 
 part he took in the murder of John Hicks and Charley 
 Amathla, two chiefs who had been prominent in forwarding 
 the treaty of removal. He obtained great ascendency for 
 himself and followers among the whole nation of the Semi- 
 noles ; and mainly through his influence, instead of col- 
 lecting their cattle and stock for appraisal, at the time when 
 they were notified that they must leave the country, the 
 warriors of the tribe secreted their women and children in 
 swamps remote from white settlements, and scoured the 
 country in hostile attitude. 
 
 Troops were ordered to Florida from various quar- 
 ters. Major Dade, ariiving at Tampa Bay, with a com- 
 pany of United States' infantry, being reenforced, with two 
 other companies, started on the 24:th of December, to 
 the relief of General Clinch, at Tort King. His force 
 consisted of over one hundred regular troops, supplied 
 with ten days' provision : they took with them a small 
 field-piece. Some delay occurred upon the march, owing 
 to the difiiculty of transporting the cannon, and on the 
 28th they had advanced no farther than a few miles to 
 the northward of the forks of the Ouithlacoochee. Here 
 they were attacked by an unknown multitude of Indians, 
 under the command of Micanopy, and his brother-in-law, 
 the celebrated Jumper, who had avoided signing the 
 treaty of Moultrie Creek. The savages were crouching 
 among the long wire-grass, and protected by the trunks 
 of the pine-trees, when they commenced their fire. The 
 eflfect was deadly ; Major Dade and a great number of 
 
 J 
 
 his men were ] 
 continued to fi 
 as possible beh 
 poured in their 
 the field. Eve] 
 slight protection 
 pines. The In 
 force, and, surro 
 nearly every mar 
 possession of the 
 Indians retired, I 
 to have come u] 
 knocking out the 
 escaped, being pas 
 they Jay wounded 
 One of these was 
 deavoring to mak( 
 three, cautiously tl 
 ness, arrived safe a 
 On the same da 
 niand, Osceola revo 
 ^Viley Thompson, 
 before mentioned. 
 eral Thompson, wcj 
 within fifty rods of 
 k Indians, and a 
 Thompson and fou: 
 to the fort. 
 
 In the course of 
 
 destroyed in diflibre, 
 
 Indian reserve, and 
 
 Jast day of Decemb, 
 
 tionod at Fort Dran^ 
 
 ^^Jng on his march . 
 
 considerable foi-ce of 
 
FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 145 
 
 his men were killed at the first discharge. The soldiers 
 continued to fight bravely, sheltering themselves as well 
 as possible behind trees j and, as the Indians rose up, 
 poured in their fire so briskly as to drive the enemy from 
 the field. Every instant was now occupied in forming a 
 slight protection by cutting and piling up the trunks of 
 pines. The Indians, however, soon returned in great 
 force, and, surrounding the little intrenchment, destroyed 
 nearly every man of the company. After they had taken 
 possession of the arms which lay scattered around, the 
 Indians retired, but a body of mounted negroes are said 
 to have come up and finished the murderous work by 
 knocking out the brains of the wounded. Only four men 
 escaped, being passed over by the negroes and Indians, as 
 they lay wounded and motionless among the dead bodies. 
 One of these was killed on the following day, Wi.ile en- 
 deavoring to make his way back to the fort: the other 
 three, cautiously threading their path through the wilder- 
 ness, arrived safe at Tampa Bay. 
 
 On the same day with the destruction of Dade's com- 
 mand, Osceola revenged himself upon his hated foe. General 
 Wiley Thompson, by whom he had been imprisoned, as 
 before mentioned. A company of nine, among them Gen- 
 eral Thompson, were dining at the house of a Mr. Rogers, 
 within fifty rods of Fort King, when the house was beset 
 by Indians, and a volley poured in upon the company. 
 Thompson and four others were killed ; the rest escaped 
 to the fort. 
 
 In the course of the month, various plantations were 
 destroyed in different parts of the country bordering on the 
 Indian reserve, and some skirmishing took place. On the 
 last day of December, General Clinch, who had been sta- 
 tioned at Fort Drane, thirty miles north-west of Fort King, 
 being on his march towards Osceola's head-quarters with a 
 considerable force of Florida volunteers and about two hun- 
 
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 146 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 dred regular troops, encountered the enemy upon the left 
 bank of the Ouithlacoochee. 
 
 The Indians, numbering, as was supposed, about six 
 hundred, headed by Osceola, fell upon the first division 
 of the American army that had efiected the passage of the 
 river. The stream, contrary to expectation, was in no 
 place fordable, and the only means of crossing was by a 
 single canoe ; the horses passed the river by swimming. 
 The Indian commander evinced great bravery and con- 
 summate marksmanship, and his men, firing from the cover 
 of a thick growth of underwood, and from behind trees, 
 proved difficult opponents to dislodge. The troops, with 
 one or two slight exceptions, stood firm, and after repeated 
 charges, drove the Indians from the field. In this engage- 
 ment more than fifty Americans' were wounded, and several 
 killed ; the loss of the enemy was reported to have been 
 over one hundred. 
 
 Additional troops from Louisiana, and forces connected 
 with the marine service, were collected at Tampa Bay ; and 
 a large detachment, under General Gaines, marched to Fort 
 King, where they arrived on the 22d of February. Pro- 
 visions being scarce, and the state of the roads being such 
 that supplies could not be easily procured, Gaines and his 
 force commenced their return to Tampa, by the route for- 
 merly taken by Clinch, across the Ouithlacoochee. On the 
 bank of the river, no great distance from the scene of the 
 last battle, the army was, in a manner, surrounded and be- 
 sieged for more than a week, by Indians, appaicntly to the 
 number of from one to two thousand. A galling fire was 
 kept up at every exposed point. Word was sent to Fort 
 Drane, where General Clinch was stationed, for relief, as 
 the provisions of the army were nearly expended. 
 
 On the 6th of March, a conference was held between 
 the American officers and three of the principal Indian 
 chiefs — Osceola, Jumper, and Alligator. The camp had 
 
FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 147 
 
 been hailed during the previous night, and a v/ish for a 
 parley expressed on the part of the savages. The chiefs 
 professed a desire for peace ; said they were weary of war, 
 and that, if they could be allowed to retire quietly beyond 
 the Ouithlacoochee, and could remain there unmolested, 
 they would create no further distui'bance. They were 
 informed that the general had no authority to conclude 
 any agreement with them, and that their only course was 
 to comply with the requisitions of the government, as 
 forces, which it would be impossible for them to resist, 
 were on their way to enforce submission. The Indian 
 chiefs wished for an opportunity to take counsel with their 
 great King Micanopy, before returning an answer j but 
 General Clinch appearing, with the desired relief, and 
 engaging with a detachment of the Indians, the meeting 
 was broken up. They agreed, however, before retiring, 
 to draw off their warriors to the south bank of the river, 
 and to hold themselves ready to attend further council 
 when notified. 
 
 Nothing further was effected, and the combined Ameri- 
 can forces returned to Fort Drane. 
 
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 148 
 
 INDIAN BACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 CONDITION OP EAST FLORIDA. — GENERAL SCOTT'S CAMPAIGN. — GAH- 
 KTSON BESIEGED ON THE OUITHLACOOCirRE, — OCCURRENCES DUR. 
 ING THE SUMMER OF 183C — RRIVAL OF CREEK ALLIES. — COLONEL 
 LANE'S EXPEDITION FROM TAMPA. — BATTLES OF THE WAHOO 
 SWAMP. — GENERAL JESSUP APPOINTED TO THE COMMAND LV 
 FLORIDA. 
 
 « * 
 
 And there are tales of sad reality 
 In the dark legends of thy bordr war." 
 
 Halleck. 
 
 By this time grievous injury had been done by the In- 
 dians to the settlements in East Florida. Philip was the 
 principal leader in the devastations that took place in that 
 region. New Smyrna, at Mosquito Inlet, was destroyed, 
 and the plantations upon Halifax river, to the northward 
 of the town, were ravaged and the settlers driven oflf. The 
 white inhabitants of the interior were every where obliged 
 either to abandon their homes, or to erect defences and to 
 establish a regular watch. 
 
 General Scott having been appointed to the command of 
 the ai-my in Florida during the spring of this year (1836), 
 formed a plan to penetrate the heart of the country, with a 
 large force, from three different quarters simultaneously, 
 and thus surround the Indians and cut off their retreat. 
 Generals ClincTi and Eustice, and Colonel Lindsey were 
 appointed to lead the three divisions. General Clinch's 
 party was attended by General Scott in person. The army 
 was put in motion in the latter part of the month of March. 
 
 The service was accomplished, but with little good 
 effect. The Indians, possessing perfect knowledge of the 
 country, instead of opposing the advancing columns in 
 force, hung about the flanks and rear of the army, and kept 
 
 up a vexation 
 
 took place, and 
 
 days ai/ Tampa 
 
 tachments were 
 
 to attack the er 
 
 to ravage the cc 
 
 and another to 
 
 Little benefit 
 
 paign: a carefu 
 
 laid down, at an 
 
 of New Englan 
 
 ginia. Captain J( 
 
 more decided. 
 
 A small detac 
 middle of March 
 in a rude build 
 Not having bee; 
 were supposed t 
 no attempt was 
 latter part of M 
 to escape the vi" 
 intelligence of 
 party had been 
 than two months 
 house had been 
 that they were ex 
 and their provisio 
 Was sent to the ri^ 
 down to it in a hi 
 
 As the season 
 climate produced 
 fevers of the cou] 
 mated, and the 
 arduous campaigi 
 ceased; the volu 
 
FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 149 
 
 up a vexatious skirmishing. No important engagement 
 took place, and the three divisions, after lying for a few 
 days ai. Tampa, were again put in motion. Separate de- 
 tachments were ordered to proceed, one to Fort Drane, one 
 to attack the enemy at Pease Creek, to the southward, one 
 to ravage the country in the vicinity of the Ouithlacoochee, 
 and another to march to Volusia. 
 
 Little benefit appears to have resulted from the cam- 
 paign : a careful attention to the plans of Indian warfare 
 laid down, at an earlier age, by Captain Benjamin Church, 
 of New England, or by the redoubtable pioneer of Vir- 
 ginia, Captain John Smithy might have produced eflfects far 
 more decided. 
 
 A small detachment of troops had been left, about the 
 middle of March, to guard a quantity of provision, stored 
 in a rude building fifteen miles up the Ouithlacoochee. 
 Not having been heard from for many weeks after, they 
 were supposed to have been cut off by the Indians, and 
 iio attempt was made to relieve them until towards the 
 latter part of May, when three of the garrison managed 
 to escape the vigilance of their besiegers, and to convey 
 intelligence of their condition to Tallahassee. The small 
 party had been defending their post gallantly for more 
 than two months against hosts of the enemy ; their block- 
 house had been partially destroyed over their heads, so 
 that they were exposed to the inclemencies of the weather, 
 and their provision consisted entirely of corn. A steamer 
 was sent to the river's mouth, and the company was brought 
 down to it in a barge. 
 
 As the season advanced, the enervating influence of the 
 climate produced its natural effect upon the troops. The 
 fevers of the country attacked those who were not accli- 
 mated, and the rest were but poorly conditioned for an 
 arduous campaign. Active operations far the most part 
 ceased ; the volunteers were discharged, and the regular 
 
 
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150 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 soldiers distributed among the different forts extending 
 from St. Augustine across the country to the Suwanne. 
 The Indians were free to roam where they listed through the 
 immense wilderness to the southward, and to lay plans of 
 secret attack upon every exposed settlement or plantation. 
 
 About the end of April, a terrible massacre took place 
 at Charlotte Harbor ; and in May and June, the country 
 between the St. Johns and the Atlantic, nearly as far north 
 as St. Augustine, was generally ravaged by the Indians. 
 Their attacks extended to the vicinity of Mandarin, only 
 sixteen or eighteen miles south of Jacksonville. A Mr. 
 Motte, residing at that place, was murdered, and nis estab- 
 lishment was destroyed. 
 
 Early in June, the Indians, emboldened by success in the 
 destruction of plantations, and the expulsion of the whites 
 from such extensive districts, beset the fort at Micanopy, 
 which was garrisoned by a company under the command 
 of Major Heillman, then at the head of the army west of 
 St. John's river. Thev were driven off, but not without 
 some loss on the part of the w^iites. 
 
 In July, Fort Drane had lecome so unhealthy that it 
 was thviught necessary to abandon it. As the troops were 
 on their march upon the evacuation of the place, they 
 had a sharp brush with some hundreds of Indians who 
 lay in wait for them near Welika Pond, in the vicinity of 
 Micanopy. Towards the close of the month the light- 
 house at Cape Florida was destroyed. The keeper, named 
 Thompson, was singularly preserved by clinging to the top 
 of the stone wall of the building, while the wood-work 
 was burned out from within. After the Indians had, by 
 their own act, cut off the means of access to the summit, 
 they descried the unfortunate man, half dead with the heat 
 and smoke, and shot at him a long time without effect. 
 He was able to crouch in such a manner upon the top of the 
 wall as to elude their aim, until they took their departure. 
 
 Miiik 
 
, ^ ■ .' * ; ■ , ^ ; " ■. -^ 4. • ■ 
 
 FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 151 
 
 It would be impracticable, in a sketch of this kind, to 
 give full particulars of the skirmishing, plundering, and 
 murders which were to be heard of on every side during 
 the summer of 1836. About the middle of August, it was 
 ascertained that Osceola and a large company of his fol- 
 lowers were staying in the vicinity of the abandoned Fort 
 Drane, for the sake of securing the corn growing upon the 
 neighboring plantations. They were attacked and defeated 
 by Major Pierce. 
 
 In September a marauding party of Indians made their 
 way to within seven miles of Jacksonville, where they 
 attacked the house of Mr. Higginbolham. There were 
 only two men in the house, but, having a number of guns, 
 and receiving resolute assistance from the women of the 
 family, they successfully resisted the assault. After the 
 Indians had retired, Higginbotham hastened with all speed 
 to Jacksonville, and procured a party of twelve men, 
 under Major Hart, to pursue them. Taking the Indian 
 trail, the company followed it to the house of Mr. Johns, 
 ten miles distant from the scene of the attack. The build- 
 ing had been reduced to ashes, and the half-burned body 
 of its proprietor \ry among the ruins. Mrs. Johns had 
 been scalped, and left to perish. Before their departure, 
 one of the savages set fire to her clothes, but she managed 
 to extinguish the flame, and to creep away from the burning 
 building. In this miserable condition she was discovered, 
 lying by the border of the swamp, and kindly cared for. 
 
 The perpetrators of this outrage, having secured good 
 horses, effected their escape. 
 
 Before the end of this month, additional forces from 
 Tennessee were brought into Florida, and a body of nearly 
 a thousand Creeks, led by the chiefs Paddy Carr and Jim 
 Boy, came to lend their aid against the Indians of the penin- 
 sula. An army of from one to two thousand men, includ- 
 ing the Tennessee brigade, under Governor Call, marched. 
 
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 152 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 in the beginning of October, to the deserted Fort Drane, 
 but found that the Indians had recently left their quarters 
 in that neighborhood. The trail of the fugitives was fol- 
 lowed towards the Ouithlacoochee, but the pursuit of sav- 
 ages, in their own country, especially in such a country as 
 Florida, by regular troops, encumbered with baggage, and 
 ignorant of the fastnesses of the enemy, proved as futile 
 in that instance as upon former and subsequent occasions. 
 Little was accomplished against the enemy, who were ena- 
 bled, at any time, to retreat beyond the reach of their 
 pursuers, and only showed themselves where they could 
 attack the whites at a disadvantage. Under existing cir- 
 cumstances, the main force was obliged to return to Fort 
 Drane, not without the loss of a great number of their 
 horses from hard service upon indifferent food. 
 
 Colonel Lane, with a strong force of Creek Indians and 
 regular troops, made an excursion into the enemy's country 
 from Tampa Bay, during the early part of this month. 
 Near the Ocklikany Lake, called the Spotted Lake, from 
 the great number of small wooded islands which cover its 
 surface, about sixty miles from Tampa, an Indian trail 
 was struck. The party followed this track to the south- 
 ward, and came successively upon several considerable 
 Indian villages deserted by the inhabitants. Large corn 
 fields were seen in the vicinity of these settlements, and 
 some hundreds of cattle were secured by the Creek Indians 
 of the company. At one advantageous post, where the 
 thick underwood on the borders of a small lake offered 
 protection to an ambush, the Seminoles attempted, unsuc- 
 cessfully, to resist the invaders. They were driven out 
 into the open country and dispersed. Lane and his detach- 
 ment joined General Call at Fort Drane on the 19th. He 
 survived this service but a few days, being found in his 
 tent, nearly dead, with the point of his sword thrust into 
 the brain over his eye: there was little doubt among those 
 
v/'^> . 
 
 FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 153 
 
 conversant with the circumstances of his death, but that it 
 occurred accidentally. 
 
 The combined army, of more than two thou? and men, 
 inarched to the Ouithlacoochee in November. This region, 
 which had been a favorite resort of the Seminoles through- 
 out the war, was now found entirely abandoned, and trails 
 were discovered trending towards the great Wahoo Swamp. 
 That the main body of the enemy had moved in that 
 direction, was also affirmed by an old negro, found at an 
 abandoned village on the river. Taking up the pursuit, 
 a portion of the American forces followed the trail, and 
 had a sharp engagement with the Indians on the borde" 
 of the swamp. There was, however, abundant space for 
 the fugitives to retreat into, where the whites were unable 
 to follow them, and no heavy loss occuried on either side. 
 
 Another battle took place on the 21st, in which the 
 Seminoles displayed more resolution, and stood the charge 
 of the regular troops with greater firmness, than had ever 
 before been observed *in them. The dangers of the exten- 
 sive morass to which they retreated proved more insur- 
 mountable than those attendant upon the contest with the 
 savages themselves. 
 
 Provisions being nearly exhausted, and it being impos- 
 sible to procure supplies in such a wilderness, the army 
 proceeded to Volusia, between Lake George and Dexter's 
 Lake. There it was joined by General Jessup, who had 
 been appointed to the chief command in Florida, with four 
 hundred mounted volunteers from Alabama. 
 
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 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PURSUIT OF piE SEMINOLES SOUTHWARD.— ENCOUNTER ON THE 
 HATCHEE LUSTEE. — CONFERENCE AND TRUCE WITH THE INDIANS. 
 — RENEWAL OF THE TREATY OP PAYNE'S LANDING. —NEGLECT 
 ON THE PART OF THE INDIANS TO COMPLY Wi TH ITS PROVig. 
 IONS.— CAPTURE, SURRENDER, AND TREACHEROL,^ SEIZURE OP 
 VARIOUS CHIEFS. — DEATH OF OSCEOLA. — COLONEL TAYLOR'S 
 CAMPAIGN. 
 
 We have already given more spnce to the details of the 
 Florida campaign, than such ill-advised, ill-conducted, and 
 trivial operations deserve. We would be the last to en- 
 deavor to detract from the deserved laurels of many of 
 the brave men who were engaged in them, while we can 
 but lament that their lives should have been sacrificed; 
 less by the weapons of the savages than by the diseases of 
 the country ; that the public money should have been 
 squandered ; and the whole peninsula so long kept in a 
 state of agitation and suspense, when pacific measuies 
 might have kept matters comparatively at rest. 
 
 Before the first of January, General Jessup, marching 
 with his troops from Volusia, with the cooperation of Colonel 
 Foster, despatched from Tampa, ranged the whole country 
 on the Ouithlacoochee and other haunts of the Seminoles, 
 and examined the deep recesses of the Wahoo morass, 
 without finding an enemy. The Indian trails which were 
 observed, all led to the unexplored wilderness of the south. 
 Thither he started in pursuit of the fugitive Seminoles, 
 on the 22d of January (1837). On the succeeding day, a 
 detachment, under Colonel Cawfield, surprised Osuchee or 
 Cooper, a Seminole chief, then encamped at Ahapopka 
 Lake, from which flows the Ocklawaha. The chief and 
 
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 n-.^} ■ 
 
 < • 
 
 FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 155 
 
 several of his warriors were killed, and a number of pris- 
 oners were taken. 
 
 The main army, still following the course of the Lidian 
 track, now came to the high ridge of sandy hills lying di- 
 rectly south of Lake Ahapopka. The second day after 
 passing these hills, cattle of the Indians were seen, and 
 shortly after a scouting party, under Colonel Henderson, 
 discovered the enemy upon the borders of the stream of 
 Hatchee Lustec. The troops instantly charged, and drove 
 them into the swamp, taking twenty or thirty prisoners, 
 mostly women and children. 
 
 On the same day, another large body of Indians was 
 discovered a little farther to the westward, who fled pre- 
 cipitately upon the approach of troops. One of the Seuii- 
 nolcs was found watching by his sick wife, who had been 
 left as unable to travel. This Indian was sent the next 
 morning (January 28th) to invite the Seminole chiefs to a 
 conference. The army was marched to the border of To- 
 hopekaliga Lake, (into which empties the Hatchee Lustce 
 Creek,) and encamped between its Avaters and the Big 
 Cypress swamp, to await the return of the messenger. He 
 made his appearance on the following day, bringing intelli- 
 gence from the hostile chiefs, who agreed to have a parley. 
 The first who presented himself, on the part of the Semi- 
 noles, was Abraham, Micanopy's negro counsellor. Hav- 
 ing held a consultation with General Jessup, he returned 
 to his people ; but three days after, February 3d, escorted 
 Jumper, Alligator, and two other chiefs to the camp. It 
 was concluded that a grand talk should be held, and a new 
 treaty entered into on the 18th of the month, at Fort 
 Dade, on the Big Ouithlacoochee. To that establishment 
 the army immediately repaired, as it was agreed that hos- 
 tilities should be suspended until after the council. 
 
 On the 8th of the month, several hundred Indians, led 
 by Philip, the chief who had long been the terror of the 
 
 
 
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 156 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 eastern portion of the peninsula, attacked Colonel Fanning, 
 then in the occupation of a station on Lake Monroe, with 
 a mixed garrison of regulars, volunteers, and Creeks. The 
 Creek chief Paddy Carr was of the company. The as- 
 sailants were driven off with loss, and, in their retreat, met 
 a messenger sent by Micanopy to convey intelligence of 
 the truce. 
 
 Some delays occurred in bringing about the conference 
 assigned for the 18th, but at last most of the principal Semi- 
 nole chiefs signed a treaty similar to that of Payne's Land- 
 ing, whereby they agreed to remove west of the Missis- 
 sippi. The United States government was to make remu- 
 neration for the stock which must necessarily be left behind, 
 and to pay stipulated annuities, as before agreed. There 
 can be but little doubt that, even on this occasion, the In- 
 dians had no real intention of complying with the requisi- 
 tions of government. Few came in on the days appointed, 
 and rumors were circulated among them — whether actually 
 believed, or only used as an excuse for absenting them- 
 selves, does not appear — that the whites intended to de- 
 stroy the whole tribe as soon as they should be secured on 
 board the government vessels. 
 
 Osceola and Coe Hajo, still pretending that their en- 
 deavor Avas to collect their people for transportation, held 
 a great festival or game at ball near Fort Mellon, upon 
 Lake Monroe, at the eastern part of the peninsula. They 
 doubtless chose this place for gathering their followers, as 
 being at a safe distance from the point of embarkation on 
 Tampa Bay. On the 2d of June, Osceola took two hun- 
 dred of his warriors to Tampa Bay, and, either by force or 
 persuasion, induced the old king Micanopy, and all the 
 other Indians who had rendezvoused there in pursuance of 
 the treaty, to move off again to the wilderness. 
 
 Hearing of this, the commandant at Fort Mellon, 
 Colonel Harney, made up his mind to entrap such of the 
 
 llyii 
 
■■'.■' • • 
 
 FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 157 
 
 chiefs as were in his vicinity, under pretence of a confer- 
 ence ; and retaliate upon the Seminoles for their breach of 
 faith at Tampa, by seizing those who should appear. Os- 
 ceola got wind of the design, and it consequently proved 
 futi'e. 
 
 Fort Mellon and Volusia were abandoned during this 
 month, the sickness attendant upon the season having 
 commenced its ravages among the troops, and the Indians 
 were left free to roam over that whole portion of the coun- 
 try, while the settlers whose dwellings were exposed to 
 their assaults, were forced to fly to places of protection. 
 
 The last of the month. Captain Walton, keeper of the 
 floating light on Carysford reef, was killed, together with 
 one of his assistants, at Key Largos, the most considerable 
 of the Florida Keys. He had a garden at this island, and 
 had just landed, coming from the light, when he and his 
 party were fired upon. The whole south-eastern sea-coast 
 was then in undisturbed possession of the hostile In- 
 dians. • 
 
 In September, General Hernandez, stationed at Fort 
 Peyton, a few miles from St. Augustine, made tin expedi- 
 tion to the southward, and captured the dreaded Philip, 
 Uchee Billy, and nearly one hundred other Indians and 
 negroes. Philip's son, coming with a flag of truce to St. 
 Augustine, was taken prisoner, and retained in captivity. 
 
 Other chiefs and warriors — among them Tustenugge — 
 delivered themselves up at Black Creek, and several cap- 
 tures were made at other points ; but the most important 
 transaction of this autumn — whether justifiable or not — 
 was the seizure of Osceola, Alligator, and six other of the 
 leading Seminoles. They had come into the neighborhood 
 of Fort Peyton, and sent word to General Jessup that they 
 desired a parley. 
 
 General Hernandez was deputed to hold the conference, 
 but the talk of the Indians being pronounced *• evasive and 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 % 
 
 4! 
 

 !;• n 
 
 
 158 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 unsatisfactory," the commander-in-chief despatched a force 
 to capture the whole body ; these chiefs accordingly, with 
 over sixty followers, fell into the hands of their enemies. 
 The excuse given for this act was, that the treachery of 
 the Indians upon former occasions had deprived them of 
 all claims to good faith on the part of the whites. Osceola 
 was removed to Charleston, and died in confinement on 
 the 80th of January, 183d. If he had survived, he was 
 to h .ve been taken, with other Seminoles, to the west of 
 the Mississippi. 
 
 In the same month, various other captures were 
 made, until the Indians in bondage at St. Augustine 
 numbered nearly one hundred and fifty. The United 
 States forces, consisting of regulars, volunteers, seamen, 
 and Indian allies, distributed among the various posts in 
 Florida at this time, are set down at little short of nine 
 thousand men! 
 
 Sam Jones, or Abiaca, was, after the capture of Osceola, 
 one of the most forward of the Seminole chiefs. He ap- 
 pears to have been spokesman at a conference held, not far 
 from this time, between his tribe and deputies from the 
 Creek nation, bearing proposals and advice fi"om their cel- 
 ebrated chief John Ross. 
 
 We must next proceed to the campaign of Colonel 
 Zachary Taylor, the hero of many battles, and afterwards 
 the distinguished president of the United States. He left 
 Fort Gardner, a station sixty miles due east from Fort 
 Brooke, on Tampa Bay, with some six hundred troops, to 
 follow the enemy into their hidden retreats at the south. 
 Pursuing the course of the Kissimee, the army had ad- 
 vanced within fifteen miles of the great lake Okeechobee, 
 on the northern borders of the unexplored everglades, 
 when intelligence was obtained from a prisoner, that the 
 Seminoles were encamped in force on the eastern shore of 
 the Kissimee lake. With a portion of his army, Colonel 
 
FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 159 
 
 Taylor crossed the river, and hastened to attack the In- 
 dians in the hammock where they were posted. Never 
 before had the Indian rifles done more deadly execution, 
 and never had their warriors evinced more determined 
 courdge. They were with great difficulty dislodged and 
 dispersed : the number of killed and wounded on the part 
 of the whites considerably exceeded that of the Indians, 
 no less than one hundred and eleven of Col. Taylor's men 
 being wounded, and twenty-eight killed. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 V^\BIOUS MINOR ENGAGEMENTS. — SURRENDER OP LARGE NUMBERS OP 
 INDIANS. — CONTINUANCE OF DEPREDATIONS. — BLOODHOUNDS FROM 
 CUBA. — ATTACK UPON A COMPANY OF ACTORS. — SEMINOLE CHIEFS 
 BROUGHT BACK FROM THE WEST TO REPORT THEIR CONDITION TO 
 THEIR COUNTRYMEN. -COL. HARNEY'S EXPEDITION TO THE EVER- 
 GLADES.— END OF THE WAR. — INDIANS SHIPPED WEST. — NUMBERS 
 STILL REMAINING IN FLORIDA. 
 
 During December, (1837,) several encounters of minor 
 importance took place in different parts of the country. 
 Many prisoners were taken in the district between Fort 
 Mellon and Lake Poinsett, near the head waters of the St. 
 John's, and a small skirmish occurred as far north as the 
 Smvannc. There was a more severely contested action 
 near Fort Fanning, on this river, early in January, (1838,) 
 in which the whites met with some loss, but succeeded in 
 taking a number of prisoners. 
 
 On the eastern sea-coast, not far from Jupiter Inlet, a 
 company under Lieutenant Powell was worsted in an en- 
 gagement, and retreated with loss. The Indians had been 
 driven into a swamp on Lochahatchec Creek, where they 
 10 
 
 
 
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 160 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 made a spirited resistance until their pursuers found it 
 necessary to retreat. 
 
 General Jessup attacked and broke up this encampment 
 of the Indians, towards the end of January. He was him- 
 self wounded in the action. Toskegec was the chief who 
 commanded the Seminoles in both these battles. 
 
 The general was now anxious to conclude a treaty with 
 the Indians, by which they should be allowed to remain in 
 their own country, confining themselves to specified dis- 
 tricts. But the government refused assent to any such 
 proposition. He nevertheless proceeded to bring about 
 parleys with his savage opponents, as it was evident that 
 desultory hostilities might be indefinitely protracted. 
 
 The Seminoles, miserably reduced by the troubled life 
 they had led so long, and weary of profitless warfare, hard- 
 ship and exposure, were induced to surrender in large 
 numbers. They apparently expected to be allowed to re- 
 main in the country, as they were assured by the officers 
 with whom they treated that every endeavor would be 
 made to procure that permission from the government. 
 
 AVhen General Jessup left Florida, in April, 1838, leav- 
 ing General Taylor in command, more than two thousand 
 of the dangerous tribe were in the power of the whites. 
 Part of these had been captured, but the larger portion 
 had delivered themselves up upon fair premises. 
 
 Philip and Jumper both died on their route to the west, 
 the former on board the vessel in which he was embarked, 
 and the latter at New Orleans. 
 
 The hopes entertained, after these events, that the war 
 was substantially at an end, proved faUacious. Murders 
 were committed during the summer and fall, by prowling 
 parties of Indians in widely distant parts of the country. 
 On the Ocklikoni and Oscilla rivers, in West Florida, 
 small establishments suffered from the depredations of the 
 savages ; and their hostile feeling was manifest whenever 
 
 a vessel was i 
 southern coast. 
 This desulto 
 horrible details 
 until the sprin 
 tained with the 
 where lurking ; 
 itary traveller, c 
 isohited plantatic 
 General Maco 
 ing April and I 
 with some of th 
 the tribe should i 
 could be brought 
 dition of the ci 
 Tallahassee chief 
 concern with this 
 skirmishes and 
 on every side. 
 
 The governmei 
 hundred dollars 
 cannot even enun 
 sanguinary transa 
 In March, 1840, 
 from Cuba, to aid| 
 from their lurkin 
 thorized, during 
 novel addition to 
 tives of the islan 
 the dogs. There 
 justly, at this bar 
 to have resulted 
 a valuable breed o] 
 the supplying of 
 ists, who made th 
 
 a 
 
FLORIDA INDIANS. 
 
 161 
 
 a vessel was in distress upon the dangerous eastern and 
 southern coast. 
 
 This desultory warfare, marked by many painful and 
 horrible details of private suffering and disaster, continued 
 until the spring of 1839. No conference could be ob- 
 tained with the leading chiefs, and Indians were every 
 where lurking in small bands ready to fire upon the sol- 
 itary traveller, or to rush at an unguarded hour upon an 
 isolated plantation. 
 
 General Macomb, who had command of the army dur- 
 incr April and May, succeeded in bringing about a parley 
 with some of the Seminoles, in which it was agreed that 
 the tribe should stay peaceably in Florida until intelligence 
 could be brought of the safe arrival and prosperous con- 
 dition of the captives already shipped westward. The 
 Tallahassee chief, Tigcrtail, and Abiaca, having had no 
 concern with this treaty, refused to abide by it, and bloody 
 skirmishes and assassinations continued to be heaid from 
 on every side. 
 
 The government of Florida now offered a bounty of two 
 hundred dollars for each Indian secured or killed. We 
 cannot even enumerate one half the petty engagements and 
 sanguinary transactions of the ensuing >vinter and spring. 
 In March, 1840, bloodhounds were brought into Florida 
 from Cuba, to aid in tracking and ferreting out the savages 
 fiom their lurking places. General Taylor had been au- 
 thorized, during the preceding autumn, to procure this 
 novel addition to the efficient force of the army, and na- 
 tives of the island were also secured to train and manage 
 the dogs. There was a great outcry raised, and perhaps 
 justly, at this barbarous plan of warfare, but little seems 
 to have resulted iiom the operation except the furnishing 
 a valuable breed of the animal for future domestic use, and 
 the supplying of excellent subject matter for the caricatur- 
 ists, who made the war a theme for ridicule. 
 
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 162 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMEBIC A. 
 
 Before the 1st of June, many more families -vrere mas- 
 sacred, and several bloody engagements occurred between 
 comparatively small companies of whites and Indians. 
 Near the close of May, a ludicrous though tragical inci- 
 dent took place on the road between Picolata and St. 
 Augustine. 
 
 A company of play-actors, en route for the latter town, 
 were set upon by the noted chief Wild Cat, with a large 
 body of Indians. Four were killed, and the " property " 
 of the establishment fell into the hands of the savages. 
 Nothing could have delighted them more than an acquisi- 
 tion so congenial to their tastes. The tawdry red velvet, 
 spangles, and sashes, which every where obtain as the ap- 
 propriate costume of the stage, were now put to a new use, 
 and served as royal appendages to the dusky forms of the 
 Seminole warriors. Decked in this finery, they made their 
 exultant appearance before Fort Searle, challenging the lit- 
 tle garrison to an engagement. 
 
 The month of August was markc:' by scenes of terrible 
 interest. On the Suwanne, clevon families were driven 
 from their homes, and many of thsir members murdcrod : 
 the settlement on Indian Key was almost totally destroyed, 
 six persons being massacred. Nothing was accomplished 
 in any way tending to bring the war to an end, or to miti- 
 gate its horrors, until autumn. 
 
 It was resolved, at lust, to try fair measures, since foul 
 proved of so little avail, and a number of the principal 
 Seminoles who had experienced the realities of a western 
 life, among whom were old Mlcanopy and Alligator, were 
 brought buck to Florida, for the purpose of pointing out 
 to their brethren the advantages of their new ho»7ies, and 
 inducing peaceable compliance with the intended removal. 
 A meeting was obtained at Fort King, early in November, 
 with Tigertail and other Seminole chiefs ; but after a few 
 days of profitless parley, the whole of the hostile party 
 
"'. ii'- 
 
 FLOBIDA INDIANS. 
 
 163 
 
 disappeared, and with them all prospect of an amicable 
 settlement of difficultL:. 
 
 The Indians continued their depredations, mmdering 
 and plundering with greater boldness than ever. In De- 
 cember, Colonel Harnejr attacked the enemy in quarters, 
 which they had till then occupied in undisturbed securi- 
 ty, viz. : the islands and dry spots of that waste of " grass- 
 water," as the natives term it, the Everglades. He had 
 obtained a negro guide, who knew of the haunts of the 
 chief Chaikika and his people, and, taking a considerable 
 company in boats, he proceeded to beat up his quarters. 
 The party came upo-i the Indians most unexpectedly : 
 Chaikika was shot by a private after he had thrown down 
 his arii-s, and his men, with their families, were surrounded 
 and taken before they had time to escape. Nine of the 
 men were hanged ! on the ground that they were concerned 
 in the Indian Key massacre ; some of the property plun- 
 dered on that occasion being found in the camp. 
 
 The only other important event of the month was the 
 surrender of a son and a brother of the old and implaca- 
 ble chieftain Tigertail. They delivered themselves up at 
 Fort King. In Middle Florida, travelling continued as 
 unsafe as ever, unless in well-armed companies, of force 
 sufficient to keep the lurking savages in awe. 
 
 We have now chronicled the principal events of this 
 tedious, harassing; and most expensive war. Hostilities 
 did not, indeed, cease at the period under our present con- 
 sideration, but a knowledge of the true policy to be pur- 
 sued towards these ignorant and truly unfortunate savages 
 began to be generally diffused, and more conciliatory meas- 
 ures were adopted. 
 
 John C. Spencer, Secretary of War, In November, 1842, 
 reporte:! that, during the current year, four hundred and 
 fifty Indians had been sent west of the IMississippi from 
 Florida, and that two hundred more were supposed to have 
 
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 164 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 surrendered. This report proceeds : " The number of 
 troops has been gradually diminished, leaving an adequate 
 number to protect the inhabitants from the miserable rem- 
 nants of tribes, still remaining. "VVe have advices that 
 arrangements have been made with all but a very few of 
 those Indians for their removal west of the Mississippi, or 
 to the district in the southern part of the peninsula as- 
 signed them for their habitation ; and it is believed that, by 
 this time, all the bands north of that district, have agreed 
 to cease hostilities and remove there. Two or three instan- 
 ces of outrages have occurred since the orders were issued 
 for the termination of hostilities, but they are ascertained 
 to have been committed by bands who were ignorant of 
 the measures adopted, or of the terms offered." 
 
 Some difficulty arose from the extreme dislike which 
 the Seminoles, who were moved westward, -entertained of 
 being located upon the same district with the Creeks, and 
 a deputation from their body of a number of warriors, in- 
 cluding Alligator and Wild Cat, repaired to the seat of 
 government for redress. Measures were taken to satisfy 
 them. 
 
 The Indians who still keep possession of a district in 
 Southern Florida, consisting of Seminoles, Micasaukies, 
 Creeks, Uchees, and Choctaws, are variously estimated as 
 numbering from three hundred and fifty to five hundred, 
 including women and children. Seventy-six were shipped 
 to the west in 1850. 
 
 As a tribe, they have long been at peace with their 
 white neighbors, although some individuals of these people 
 have, and at no distant date, given proof that the spirit of 
 the savage is liot yet totally extinct. 
 
 THi 
 
 EXPEDITrON OP AB 
 -OP BARTFJOLO 
 WENT AT JAMEl 
 AND DIPFICULTI 
 I CIllCKAFIOMINY. - 
 THE INDIANS. 
 
 "Heliv 
 
 Thatr 
 Was is 
 Heliv 
 
 The most con 
 ners, appearance, 
 of Virginia, pari 
 portion of that 
 Chesapeake Bay, 
 doubted Captain 
 pioneer, after mi 
 or sea ; " still a 
 service; and inu 
 captivity among t 
 Bartholomew G( 
 England on the 
 a settlement on tl 
 Former attemi 
 terminated disast 
 
THE INDIANS OF VIRGINIA. 
 
 CHAPTEK I. 
 
 EXPEDITION OP AMIDAS AND BARLOW— OF SIR RICHARD GRENVILLE 
 — OF BARTHOLOMEW GOSNOLL, WITH CAPTAIN SMITH. — SETTLE- 
 MENT AT JAMESTOWN. — VISIT TO POWHATAN. — IMPROVIDENCE 
 AND DIFFICULTIES OP THE COLONISTS. — EXPLORATION OP THE 
 » CIllCKAHOMINY. — SMITH TAKEN PRISONER. — HIS TREATMENT BY 
 TUB INDIANS. 
 
 " He Hvod, the impersonation of an age 
 That never shall return. His soul of fire 
 Was kindled by the breath of the rude times 
 He Uvea in," — Bryant. 
 
 The most complete and veracious account of the man- 
 ners, appearance, and history of the aboriginal inhabitants 
 of Virginia, particularly those who dwelt in the eastern 
 portion of that district, upon the rivers and the shores of 
 Chesapeake Bay, is contained in the narrative of the re- 
 doubted Captain John Smith. This bold and energetic 
 pioneer, after many " strange adventures, happed by Ian,', 
 or sea ; " still a young man, though a veteran in military 
 service ; and inured to danger and hardship, in battle and 
 captivity among the Turks, joined his fortunes to those of 
 Bartholomew Gosnoll and his party, who sailed from 
 England on the 19th of December, 1606, (0. S.) to form 
 a settlement on the "Western Continent. 
 
 Former attempts to establish colonies in Virginia had 
 terminated disastrously, from the gross incompetence, ex- 
 
 (166) 
 
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 I 
 
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 :,.■ ■» 
 
 166 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 travagant expectations, improvidence, and villanous con- 
 duct of those engaged in them. 
 
 In 1584, Sir Walter Ealeigh and his associates, under 
 a patent from Queen Elizabeth, had sent out two small 
 vessels, commanded by Amidas and Barlow. By the cir- 
 cuitous route then usually adopted, the exploring party 
 passed the West Indies, coasted along the fragrant shores 
 of Florida, and entered Ocrakoke Inlet in the month of 
 July, enraptured with the rich and fruitful appearance of 
 txi<> country. Grapes grew to the very borders of the sea, 
 overspreading the bushes and climbing to the tops of trees 
 in luxurious abundance. 
 
 Their intercourse with the natives was friendly and 
 peaceful ; as they reported, " a more kind, loving people 
 could not be." They carried on trade and barter with 
 Granganimeo, brother to Winginia, king of the country, 
 and were royally entertained by his wife at the island of 
 Roanoke. 
 
 Wingandacoa was the Indian name of the country, and, 
 on the return of the expedition, in the ensuing September, 
 it was called Virginia, in honor of the queen. 
 
 Sir Richard Grenville, an associate of Raleigh, visited 
 Virginia the next year, (1585,) and left over one hundred 
 men to form a settlement at Roanoke. Being disappointed 
 in their anticipations of profit, or unwilling to endure the 
 privations attendant upon the settlement of a habitation 
 in the wilderness, all returned within a year. A most un- 
 justifiable outrage was committed by the English of this 
 party, on one of their exploring expeditions. In the words 
 of the old narrative, " At Aquascogoc the Indians stole a 
 silver cup, wherefore we burnt the town and spoiled their 
 corn ; so returned to our fleet at Tocokon." This act is but 
 a fair specimen of the manner in which redress has been 
 sought for injuries sustained at the hands of the natives, 
 not only in early times, but too often at the present day. 
 
•■.•; V- 
 
 , «i'f • 
 
 cjiftjum" joum- smith. 
 
It is not sur] 
 
 have assumed a 
 
 and Winginia, w 
 
 pan, formed a p 
 
 his dominions. 
 
 skirmishing ; an( 
 
 Francis Drake a 
 
 concluded to retu 
 
 Mr. Thomas I 
 
 settlement is pros 
 
 stitions, customs, 
 
 among the savag 
 
 were used for foo 
 
 savages sometime! 
 
 chides hL narrat 
 
 of the company " 
 
 some of the peop] 
 
 part might have b 
 
 Grenvillc, in t 
 
 the desertion of 
 
 America, well fur 
 
 whom he had left 
 
 place abandoned, 
 
 returned home. 
 
 village was again 
 
 the plantations ov 
 
 man were seen, bi 
 
 of the colony. It 
 
 of the savages, th< 
 
 and other Indian 
 
 whites, and massat 
 
 The experimen 
 
 again failed : of o 
 
 females, who land^ 
 
 went in search o; 
 
 ■p 
 
INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 169 
 
 It is not surprising that thereafter the Indians should 
 have assumed a hostile attitude. Granganimco was dead, 
 and Winginia, who had now taken the name of Pemissa- 
 pan, formed a plan to cut off these disorderly invaders of 
 his dominions. This resulted only in some desultory 
 skirmishing ; and, a few days afterwards, the fleet of Sir 
 Francis Drake appearing in tlie offing, the whole colony 
 concluded to return to England. 
 
 Mr. Thomas Heriot, whose journal of this voyage and 
 settlement is preserved, gives a brief account of the super- 
 stitions, customs, and manner of living which he observed 
 among the savages. In enumerating the animals which 
 were used for food by the Indians, he mentions that " the 
 savages sometimes killed a lion and ate him." He con- 
 cludes hL narrative by very justly remarking, that some 
 of the company " showed themselves too furious in slaying 
 some of the people in some towns upon causes that on our 
 part might have been borne with more mildness.'* 
 
 Grcnvillc, in the following year, knowing nothing of 
 the desertion of the settlement, took three ships over to 
 America, well furnished for the support and relief of those 
 whom he had left on the preceding voyage. Finding the 
 place abandoned, he left fifty settlers to reoccupy it, and 
 returned home. On the next arrival from England the 
 village was again found deserted, the fort dismantled, and 
 the plantations overgrown with weeds. The bones of one 
 man were seen, but no other trace appeared to tell the fate 
 of the colony. It afterwards appeared, from the narrations 
 of the savages, that three hundred men from Aquascogoc 
 and other Indian towns had made a descent upon the 
 whites, and massacred the whole number. 
 
 The experiment of colonization was again tried, and 
 again failed : of over one hundred persons, including some 
 females, who landed, none were to be found by those who 
 went in search of them in 1589, nor was their fate ever 
 
 >■ V'. . I i 
 
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 r • 
 
 '•■*ik^^;: 
 
 : ^ K-^^^ 
 
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 ,r 
 
 T-J]* 
 
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 S'.^ ' 
 
 i I*' 'I ' 
 
 I f ci; ;., 
 
 1 j ■'•hU , 
 
:,k^ 
 
 
 I I 
 
 i !: . i 
 
 170 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 ascertained. It is recorded that, before the departure of 
 the ships that brought over this colony, on the 18th of 
 August (O. S.), the governor's daughter, EUinor Dare, gave 
 birth to an infant, which was named Virginia, and was the 
 first white child born in the country. 
 
 We now return to GosnoU and his companions, num- 
 bering a little over one hundred, who, as we before men- 
 tioned, visited the country in 1G06. They sailed from 
 England with scaled orders, which were not to be opened 
 until their arrival in America. Landing on Cape Henry, 
 at the entrance of the Chesapeake, the hostile feelings of 
 the Indians were soon made manifest ; ** thirty of the 
 company recreating themselves on shore were assaulted 
 by five savages, who hurt two of the English very dan- 
 gerously." The box containing the orders from the author- 
 ities in England being opened. Smith was found to be one 
 of the number appointed as a council to govern the colony ; 
 but he was, at that time, in close custody, in consequent o 
 of sundry absurd and jealous suspicions which had beeu 
 excited against him on the voyage, and he was therefore 
 refused all share in the direction of the public affairs. 
 Before the return of the ships, however, which took place 
 in June, the weak and ill-assorted colony were glad to 
 avail themselves of the services and counsel of the bold 
 and persevering captain. His enemies were disgraced, 
 and his authority was formally acknowledged. Meantime, 
 the settlement was commenced at Jamestown, forty miles 
 up the Powhatan, now James River. The Indians appeared 
 friendly, and all hands fell to work at the innumerable 
 occupations which their situation required. A few ruins, 
 and the picturesque remains of the old brick church-tower 
 still standing, utterly deserted amid the growth of shrubs 
 and willows, are all that remains of the intended city. 
 
 Newport and Smith, with a company of twenty men, 
 were sent to explore the upper portioa of the river, and 
 
INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 171 
 
 made their way to the town of Powhatan, situated upon 
 a bluff just below the falls, and at the head of navigation — 
 the same spot afterwards chosen for the site of the capital 
 of the state. The natives were peaceable and kind to the 
 adventurers, receiving them with every demonstration of 
 interest and pleasure, and rejoiced at the opportunity for 
 traffic in beads and ornaments. As they approached 
 Jamestown, on their return, they perceived some hostile 
 demonstrations ; and arriving there, found that seventeen 
 men had been wounded, and that one boy had been killed 
 by the Indians during their absence. 
 
 Wingficld, the president of the colony, had injudiciously 
 neglected to make any secure fortifications, and the people, 
 leaving their arras stored apart, set to work without a 
 guard ; thus giving to the lurking foe convenient oppor- 
 tunity for an assault. 
 
 After Captain Newport had sailed for England, the 
 colonists, left to their own resources, were reduced to great 
 straits and privation. Most of them were men utterly 
 unfitted for the situation they had chosen, and unable to 
 endure labor and hardship. Feeding upon damaged wheat, 
 with such fish and crabs as they could catch ; worn out by 
 unaccustomed toil ; unused to the climate, and ignorant of 
 its diseases ; it is matter of little wonder that fifty of the 
 company died before the month of October. 
 
 Smith, to whom all now looked for advice, and who 
 was vu'tually at the head of afifairs, undertook an expe- 
 dition down the river for purposes of trade. Finding 
 that the natives " scorned him as a famished man," deri- 
 sively offering a morsel of food as the price of his arms, 
 he adopted a very common expedient of the time, using 
 force where courtesy availed not. After a harmless dis- 
 charge of muskets, he landed and marched up to a village 
 where much corn was stored. He would not allow his 
 men to plunder, but awaited the expected attack of th 
 
 ■'•Vir>-; 
 
 « •< ■ ■ 
 
 •i 
 
 
 
 .« 
 
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 '-*# 
 
 1 
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 1? 
 
 
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 I 
 
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 I, '' ••"■ 
 
 172 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 natives. A party of sixty or seventy presently appeared, 
 " with a most hideous noise — some black, some red, some 
 white, some parti-colored, they came in a square order, 
 singing and dancing out of the woods, with their Okee 
 (which was an idol made of skins stuffed with moss, all 
 painted and hung with chains and copper,) borne before 
 them." A discharge of pistol shot from the guns scattered 
 them, and they fled, leaving their Okee. Being now ready 
 to treat, their image was restored, and beads, copper, and 
 hatchets were given by Smith to their full satisfiiction, in 
 return for provisions. 
 
 The improvident colonists, by waste and inactivity, 
 counteracted the efforts of Smith : and Wingfield, the 
 former president, with a number of others, formed a plan 
 to seize the pinnace and return to England. This con- 
 spiracy was not checked without some violence and blood- 
 shed. As the weather grew colder with the change of 
 season, game became fat and plenty, and the Indians on 
 Chickahamauia River were found eager to trade their corn 
 for English articles of use or ornament j so that affairs 
 began to look more prosperous. 
 
 During the ensuing winter. Smith, with a barge and 
 boat's crew, undertook an exploration of the sources of 
 the Chickahamauia, (Chickahominy,) which empties into 
 James River, a few miles above Jamestown. After making 
 his Avay for about fifty miles up the stream, his progress 
 was so impeded by fallen trees and the narrowness of the 
 channel, that he left the boat and crew in a sort of bay, 
 and proceeded in a canoe, accompanied only by two Eng- 
 lishmen, and two Indian guides. The men left in charge 
 of the boat, disregarding his orders to stay on board till 
 his return, were set upon by a great body of the natives, 
 and one of their number, George Cassen, was taken pris- 
 oner. Having compelled their capiivc to disclose the 
 intentions and position of the captain, these savages pro- 
 

 I' "J 
 
 INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 173 
 
 ceeded to put him to death in a most barbarous manner, 
 severing his limbs at the joints with shells, and burning 
 them before his face. As they dared not attack the armed 
 company in the boat, all hands then set out in hot pursuit 
 of Smith, led by Opechancanough, king of Pamaunkee. 
 
 Coming upon the little party among the marshes, far up 
 the river, they shot the two Englishmen as they were 
 sleeping by the canoe ; and, to the number of over two 
 hundred, surrounded the gallant captain, who, accompa- 
 nied by one of his guides, was out with his gun in search 
 of game. Linding the Indian fast to his arm, with a gar- 
 ter, as a protection from the shafts of the enemy. Smith 
 made such good use of his gun that he killed three of his 
 assailants and wounded several others. The whole body 
 stood at some distance, stricken with terror at the unwonted 
 execution of his weapon, while he slowly retired towards 
 the canoe. Unfortunately, attempting to cross a creek 
 with a miry bottom, he stuck fast, together with his guide, 
 and, becoming benumbed with cold, for the season was 
 unusually severe, he threw away his arms, and surren- 
 derco himself prisoner. 
 
 Dclightetl with their acquisition, the savages took him 
 to the fire, and restored animation to his limbs by warmth 
 and friction. He immediately set himself to conciliate the 
 king, and presenting him with an ivory pocket compass, 
 proceeded to explain its use, together with many other 
 scientific matters groatly beyond the comprehension of the 
 wild creatures who gathered around him in eager and 
 astonished admiration. Perhaps with a view of trying his 
 courage, they presently bound him to a tree, and all made 
 ready to let fiy their arrows at him, but were stayed by a 
 sign from the chief They then carried him to Orapaks, 
 where he was well fed, and treated with kindness. 
 
 When they reached the town, a strange savage dance 
 was performed around Opechancanough and his captive. 
 
 
 
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 174 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 by the whole body of warriors, armed and painted ; while 
 the women and children looked on with wonder and curi- 
 osity. The gaudy color of the oil and pocones with which 
 their bodies were covered, " made an exceeding handsome 
 show," and each had *' his bow in his hand, and the skin 
 of a bird with her wings abroad, dried, tied on his head, 
 a piece of copper, a white shell, a long feather, with a 
 small rattle growing at the tails of their snakes tied to it, 
 or some such like toy." 
 
 Although the Indians would not, as yet, eat with their 
 prisoner, he was so feasted that a suspicion arose in his 
 mind that they " would fat him to eat him. Yet, in this 
 desperate estate, to defend him from the cold, one Mocas- 
 satcr brought him his gown, in requital of some beads 
 and toys Smith had given him at his first arrival in Vir- 
 ginia." One of the old warriors, whose son had hcen 
 wounded at the time of the capture, was with difficulty 
 restrained from killing him. The young Indian was at 
 his last gasp, but Smith, wishing to send 'aformation to 
 Jamestown, said that ho had there a m( cine of potent 
 effect. The messengers scut on this erran made their way 
 to Jamestown, " in as bitter weather as could be of frost 
 and snow," carrying a note from Smith, written upon " part 
 of a table book." They returned, bringing with them 
 the articles requested in the letter, ** to the Avonder of all 
 that heard it, that he could either divine, or the paper could 
 speak." 
 
 A plan was at that time on foot to make an attack upon 
 the colony, and such rewards as were in their power to be- 
 stow — *< life, liberty, land, and women " — Avere proffered 
 to Smith by the Indians, if he would lend his assistance. 
 
 They now made a triumphal progress with their illus- 
 trious captive, among the tribes on the Kappahanock and 
 Potomac Rivers, and clsewliere ; exhibiting him to the 
 Youthtanunds, the Mattapamients, the Payankatanks, the 
 
 Na.-itaughtacund 
 niiiunkee, a solei 
 to ascertain his i 
 Having seated 
 the larger cabin 
 ping in a great 
 mingled with oi 
 stuffed Avith mos 
 they met on the ( 
 about the tassel \ 
 iiig round about 
 maimer covered 1 
 in his hand." ] 
 fire, and commenc 
 devils," then en 
 "Mutchatos'^ (M 
 having danced ab( 
 wild song to the ; 
 The chief conji 
 and proceeded to 
 violence of gestun 
 tion started from 
 gave a short groan 
 Tlic operation Avas 
 the fire," and Avas 
 corn. All these 
 tion, Avhich Avas in 
 Three days Aver 
 each day being pas 
 regularly ushered 
 entertained Avith t 
 pam, brother to th 
 of the men Avouh 
 feast Avero given 1 
 and children. 
 

 INDIANS OF VIRGINIA. 
 
 175 
 
 Nantaughtacunds, and Onawmanients. Returning to Pa- 
 niuunkce, a solemn incantation was performed, with a view 
 to ascertain his real feelings towar:ls them. 
 
 Having seated him upon a mat before a fire, in one of 
 the larger cabins, all retired, " and presently came skip- 
 mncr in a great grim fellow, all painted over with coal 
 min"'led with oil ; and many snakes and weasels skins 
 stuffed with moss, and all their tails tied together, so as 
 they met on the crown of his head in a tassel ; and round 
 about the tassel was a coronet of feathers, the skins hang- 
 iii'r round about his head, back, and shoulders, and in a 
 manner covered his face ; with a hellish voice and a rattle 
 in bis hand." He sprinkled a circle of meal about the 
 fire, and commenced his conjuration. Six more " such like 
 devils," then entered, fantastically bedaubed with red 
 "Mutcluitos" (Mustaches) marked upon their faces, and 
 having danced about him for a time, sat down and sang a 
 wild song to the accompaniment of their rattles. 
 
 The chief conjurer next laid down five keru'^ls of corn, 
 and proceeded to make an extravagant oration with such 
 violence of gesture that his veins swelled and the pers]^''-a- 
 tion started from his body. " At the conclusion they all 
 gave a short groan, and then laid down three grains more." 
 The operation was continued " till they had twice encircled 
 the fire," and was then varied by using sticks instead of 
 corn. All these performances had some mystic significa- 
 tion, wliich was in part explained to the captain. 
 
 Three days were spent in these wearisome barbaritie.", 
 each day being passed in fasting, and the nights being as 
 regularly ushered in with feasts. Smith was, after this, 
 entertained with the best of cheer at the house of Opltcha- 
 pani, brother to the king. lie still observed that not one 
 of the men would eat with him, but the remains of the 
 feast were given him to be distributed among the Avomen 
 and children. 
 
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 I 
 
 176 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF ..xViiiltlC^ 
 
 lie was here shown a bag of gunpowder, carefully pre- 
 served as seed against the next planting season. 
 
 Z 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 COURT OF POWHATAN. — SMITH'S PRESERVATION BY POCAHONTAS. „ 
 SUPPLIES FURNTtHED BY THE INDIANS. — NEWPORT'S ARRIVAL.- 
 SMITH'S EXPEDITIONS UP THE CHESAPEAKE. 
 
 The great monarch of the country, Powhatan, at this 
 period, was holding his court at Werowocomoco, on the 
 left bank of York river, and thithor Smith was conveyed 
 to await the royal pleasure. 'I'hv reception of so impor- 
 tant a captive was conducted with suitable solemnity and 
 parade. Powhatan sat upon a raised seat before a fire, in 
 a lav 'c house, clothed wit]i a robe of raccoon .skins, the 
 tails ..anging in ornamental array. He was an old man, 
 about sixty years of age, of noble figure, and that com- 
 manding presence' natural in or.e born to rule with undis- 
 puted f ■*^iiority over all around him. A young girl sat 
 on ea» 'e of the king, and marshalled around the room 
 were rows of warriors and women, bedecked with beads, 
 feathers, and ])aint. 
 
 Smith's entrance was hailed by a shout ; the queen of 
 Appamatuck brought him water to wash, and he was nuig- 
 nificently entertained, as a distinguished guest of the king. 
 The strange scene which ensued, so replete witli pathos 
 and poetic interest, must be given in the simple language 
 of the old historian. 
 
 Having ended his repast, ** a long consultation was held, 
 but the conclusion was, two great stones were brought 
 before Powhatan : then as manv as could, laid hands on 
 him, dragged him to them, and thereon laid his head, and, 
 
 
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 Iieiiig ready wit! 
 
 hontas, the king 
 
 prevail, got his 
 
 his to save hin 
 
 contented he sh 
 
 bells, beads, and 
 
 all occupations a: 
 
 The worthy c; 
 
 ance and state of 
 
 " They say he bor 
 For who can pie, 
 
 Entertaining h 
 now held long c 
 accounts of the \ 
 Smith responded • 
 age monarch, of t 
 After two days of 
 that he should r< 
 pieludo to the con 
 PowJiatan was at 
 that should impres 
 a huge cabin. Sir 
 Rightful noises frc 
 nently, Powhatan, 
 like himself, in h 
 He appointed twe 
 ment, requesting 
 should be sent ba 
 iavors received at 1 
 
 Captain Smith, 
 ofhis captors, felt 
 restored to his com 
 iiis absence had 
 sension were rife ai 
 11 
 
INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 179 
 
 lieing ready Avith their clubs to beat out his brains, Poca- 
 hontas, the king's dearest daughter, when no entreaty could 
 prevail, got his head in her arms, and laid her own upon 
 his to save him from death : whereat the emperor was 
 contented he should live to make him hatchets, and her 
 bells, beads, and copper ; for they thought him as well of 
 all occupations as themselves." 
 
 The worthy captain's own rhymes describe his appear- 
 ance and state of mind at this crisis: 
 
 " They say he bore a pleasant show, but sure his heart was sad ; 
 For who can pleasant be and rest, that lives in fear and dread ? " 
 
 Entertaining his captive as a privileged guest, Powhatan 
 now held long consultations with him, giving wonderful 
 accounts of the vast western country and its inhabitants. 
 Smith responded with details, equally amazing to the sav- 
 age monarch, of the power and magnificence of the East. 
 After two days of friendly intercourse, Smith was informed 
 that ho should return in safety to Jamestown ; but as a 
 prelude to the conveyance of this satisfactory intelligence,, 
 Powliatan was at much pains to get up a theatrical scene 
 that should impress or terrify his prisoner. Left alone in 
 a large cabin, Smith's ears were saluted by strange and 
 frightful noises from behind a mat partition, and, inconti- 
 nently, Powhatan, with some hundreds of attendants, all 
 like himself, in hideous disguises, made his appearance. 
 He appointed twelve Indians to guide him to the settle- 
 ment, requesting that a grindstone and two great guns 
 should be sent back, by them, in return for liberty and 
 lavors received at his hands. 
 
 Captain Smith, well knowing the capricious disposition 
 of his captors, felt little security or ease, until he was safely 
 restored to his companions at Jamestown. 
 
 1 lis absence had been severely felt : confusion and dis- 
 sension were rife among the inhabitants of the colony, and 
 II 
 
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 180 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 the strong arm and determined will of the bold captain 
 were required to keep order, and restrain those who were 
 again inclined to effect an escape in the pinnace. 
 
 The two guns (demi-culverins), together with a mill- 
 stone, were brought out, and proffered to the guides ; but, 
 seeing the terrible effect of a discharge of stones among 
 the branches of an ice-covered tree, the poor savages were 
 greatly terrified, and thankfully accepted divers toys iu 
 place of so weighty and dangerous a present. 
 
 So reduced were the settlers at this time, that all must 
 have perished with starvation but for the intercourse estab- 
 lished by Smith between them and the people of Powhatan. 
 Every four or five days, his noble and generous little pro- 
 tectress, Pocahontas — she was then only about ten years 
 of age — would make her appearance, accompanied by 
 attendants laden with provisions. Part of these supplies 
 came as presents from the king -^r his daughter ; for the 
 rest, the price paid in toys and articles of use was left 
 entirely at Smith's discretion, " so had he enchanted these 
 poor souls, being their prisoner." 
 
 Captains Newport and Nelson now arrived from Eng- 
 land, with two ships, laden with necessaries and articles 
 of traffic. Rejoiced at the arrival of friends and provis- 
 ions, the colonists allowed the sailors to hold what inter- 
 course thoy pleased with the natives, and the consequence 
 was that the market was soon spoiled by the irregularity 
 of prices offered by the English for the Indian commodi- 
 ties. Smith had possessed Powhatan and his people Avith 
 extravagant ideas of the power and majesty of Newport, 
 whose speedy arrival he predicted, and preparations were 
 now made to give a still more forcible impression. Mes- 
 sengers were sent to inform the Indian monarch that the 
 great captain of the seas had reached Jamestown, and 
 would make a visit of state to his royal friend and ally. 
 The pinnace was made ready for this purpose, and " a great 
 
 i\\ 
 
■ ''!■ 
 
 INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 181 
 
 coyle there was to set him forward." When they had 
 arrived at Werowocomoco, Newport was wary and cau- 
 tious, fearing treachery on the part of the savages, and 
 Smith therefore volunteered to go forward, with a small 
 company, and .^ee that the coast was clear. Over the 
 creeks which meandered through the marshy country, 
 bridges were found, but of so frail a structure, being com- 
 posed of poles bound with bark, that some suspicions 
 were entertained that they might be intended as traps. 
 Smith therefore kept some of the chief Indians, who acted 
 as guides, in the midst of his' company, for security against 
 attack. 
 
 All their suspicion proved groundless : Powhatan re- 
 ceived the officers with the greatest distinction, entertained 
 them hospitably, and celebrated their coming with feasts 
 and dances. The great king " carried himself so proudly 
 yet discreetly (in his savage manner) as made all admire 
 his natural gifts." He declined any petty traffic, but 
 requested Newport to bring forward at once all the goods 
 that he had brought for trade, expressing his willingness 
 to give full return. His desire was complied with, New- 
 port wishing to outdo the king in generosity and show of 
 munificence ; but the result hardly equalled his expecta- 
 tion, for the cunning savage, says the narrator, " valued 
 his corn at such a rate that I think it better cheap in 
 Spain." A few blue beads in the possession of Smith 
 now caught the eye of Powhatan, and aroused his curiosity 
 and avarice. The wary captain pretended to be loath to 
 part with them, as being of a " most rare substance of the 
 color of the skies, and not to be worn but by the greatest 
 kings in the world. This made him half mad to be the 
 owner of such strange jewels," and, to obtain them, he 
 readily paid an immense quantity of corn, esteeming him- 
 self still the gainer. The trade in blue beads, after this, 
 became a royal monopoly. 
 
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 182 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 The party returned to Jamestown ; but only to experi- 
 ence greater privation and hardship than over. 
 
 The town took fire, and much of their provisions, cloth- 
 ing, and other means of comfort was destroyed. The win- 
 ter was bitterly cold, and nearly the whole colony, together 
 with the crews of the ships, were possessed with an insane 
 desire to search for gold, to the neglect of the labors neces- 
 sary to secure health and prosperity. From these causes 
 more than half their number perished. 
 
 The Indians, seeing their weakness, became insolent and 
 exacting, and, but for Smith, whose prompt and energetic 
 action, without actual bloodshed, subdued and brought 
 them to terms, they might have completely overawed, 
 f»nd perhaps have extirpated the colony. Those whom 
 the English took prisoners insisted that the hostilities 
 were in accordance with the orders of Powhatan : but 
 he, on the other hand, averred that it was the work of 
 some of his unruly subordinates. The conciliatory mes- 
 sage was brought by '* his dearest daughter Pocahontas," 
 whose appearance ever had the most potent influence with 
 the brave man for whom she felt such filial attachment, 
 and who was bound to her by every tie of gratitude and 
 affection. 
 
 Upon the 2d of June, 1(508, Captain Smith, with four- 
 teen companions — one half " gentlemen," the rest "sol- 
 diers " — undertook his celebrated explo ation of Chesa- 
 peake Bay. Their conveyance was a large open barge. 
 
 They first shaped their course for the isles lying off 
 Cape Charles, still known as Smith's Isles, and thence 
 reentered the bay. Passing Cape Charles, they saw " two 
 grim and stout savages," armed with bone-headed lances, 
 who fearlessly questioned them as to whence they came 
 and whither they were bound. They were subjects of 
 the Werowance of Accomack, on the eastern shore of 
 the bay; and, being kindly entreated, responded with 
 
INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 183 
 
 equal civility, and directed the English to their king's 
 head-quarters. 
 
 They found the chief to be the " comeliest, proper, civil 
 savage " that they had ever held communion with. He gave 
 a most singular account of a pestilence which had not long 
 before carried off the greater portion of his people. Two 
 chiklren had died, probably of some infectious disease, and 
 " some extreme passions, or dreaming visions, phantasies, 
 or affection moved their parents again to revisit their dead 
 carcasses, whose benumbed bodies reflected to the eyos of 
 the beholders such delightful countenances as though they 
 had regained their vital spirits." Great crowds gathered 
 to see this spectacle, nearly all of whom, shortly after, died 
 of some imknown disease. 
 
 These Indians spoke the Powhatan dialect, and enter- 
 tained Smith with glowing descriptions of the beauties and 
 advantages of the bay, to the northward. Proceeding on 
 their voyage, the navigators entered the river of Wighco- 
 comoco, on the eastern shore, where the inhabitants ex- 
 hibited great rage and hostility, but perceiving that no harm 
 was intended them, with true savage caprice, fell to dancing 
 and singing, in wonder and merriment at the novel spec- 
 tacle. No good water was to be obtained here, and Smith 
 with his crew made short tarrying. Still coasting along 
 the eastern portion of the bay, they reached the Cuskarawaok, 
 where great troops of savages followed them along the bank, 
 cUmbing into the trees, and discharging their arrows with 
 "the greatest passion they could express of their anger." 
 As the party could not by signs give them to understand 
 that they came peacefully, a discharge of pistol-shot was 
 directed, which produced the usual effect, scattering the 
 Indians in every direction. On landing, not a native 
 could be found : the English therefore left a few beads, 
 bells, looking-glasses, and bits of copper in the huts, and re- 
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 184 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Next morning the poor simple savages, dismissing all 
 fear, gathered round them to the number, as appeared, of 
 two or three thousand, eager to offer whatever was in their 
 power to bestow for " a little bead " or other trivial toy. 
 These people were the Sarapinagh, Nause, Arseek, and 
 Mantaquak, and they showed such readiness to trade, that 
 Smith pronounced them the " best merchants of all other 
 savages.'* They gave wonderful accounts of the powerful 
 and warlike Massawomekes, who lived to the northward, 
 and were identical with the Iroquois or Six Nations. 
 
 Some of the crew falling sick, and the rest becoming 
 weary and discontented with their unaccustomed fatigue 
 and exposure. Smith, much against his inclination, turned 
 towards home, " leaving the bay some nine miles broad, at 
 nine and ten fathom water." Entering the Potomac, on 
 the 16th of June, it was determined to explore it, as the 
 sick men had recovered. No Indians were seen until the 
 company had passed thirty miles up the river j but, ar- 
 riving at a creek in the neighborhood of Onawmanient, 
 '* the woods were laid with ambuscades, to the number of 
 three or four thousand savages, so strangely painted, grimed, 
 and disguised, shouting, yelling, and crying as so many 
 spirits from hell could not have showed more terrible. 
 Many bravados they made," but a discharge of bullets, over 
 the surface of the water, quickly changed their mood. 
 Arms were flung down, hostages given, and courtesy and 
 kindness succeeded the truculent demeanor which was first 
 exhibited. By the account of the Indians, Powhatan had 
 directed this intended attack j and, if their representation 
 was true, he was stimulated to such a course by sundry of 
 Smith's enemies at Jamestown. 
 
 The boat's crew made their way as far up as the river 
 was navigable, encOv".r)„ering various other tribes, some of 
 whom were friendly, and others hostile. The thunder of 
 the English weapons never failed to awe and subdue them. 
 
INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 185 
 
 Ever hankering after the precious metals, the adventurers 
 were attracted by glittering particles in the bed of various 
 streams ; and, making it a constant object of inquiry, they 
 were led by some Indians, subject to the king of Pataw- 
 omeke, to a noted mine, on the little stream of Quiough. 
 It was on a rocky mount, and the material sought, when 
 dug out with shells and hatchets, sparkled like antimony. 
 The Indians were accustomed to wash and cleanse it, and 
 then, putting it in small bags, '* sell it all over the country, 
 to paint their bodies, faces or idols ; which made them look 
 like blackamoors dusted over with silver.'* Newport as- 
 serted that the contents of some of those bags, when assayed 
 in England, proved to be exceedingly rich in silver ; but 
 all that Smith and his men collected was worthless. 
 
 On the way towards Jamestown, as the barge lay in 
 shoal water, the crew amused themselves by spearing fish, 
 which were exceedingly plenty. Captain Smith, using his 
 sword for this purpose, drew up a fish, (" not knowing her 
 condition,) being much of the fashion of a thornback, 
 but a long tail like a riding rod, whereon the middle 
 is a most poisoned sting, of two or three inches long, 
 bearded like a saw on each side, which she struck into the 
 wrist of his arm near an inch and a half." The swelling 
 and pain consequent upon this, were so great that the 
 brave captain, despairing of recovery, ordered his own 
 grave to be dug ; which was accordingly done on a neigh- 
 boring island. His time, however, had not yet come : the 
 physician of the party succeeded in relieving him, inso- 
 much that, that veiy night, "he ate of the fish to his 
 supper." 
 
 As they returned to their old quarters, the Indians 
 judged from their appearance that they had been engaged 
 in notable wars ; an idea which they failed not to encour- 
 age, averring that all the spoil brought home was taken 
 from the redoubtable Massawomekes. 
 
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 186 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 At Jamestown all was found in disorder and misery, as 
 was generally the case when the master-spirit was absent. 
 Thus ended the first exploration of the unknown waters 
 of the Chesapeake, leaving the English still in doubt as to 
 its extent, and still hopeful of eventually finding a passage 
 thereby to the South Seas ! 
 
 On the 24th of July, a second expedition was undertakeu 
 up the bav, by Smith, with a boat's crew of twelve man. 
 The Indians of Kecoughtan, with whom they spent several 
 days, exulted greatly in the supposition that the English 
 we*e out on a war expedition against their dreaded enemies, 
 the Massawomekes. 
 
 Proceeding up the bay, more than half the party were 
 prostrated by the diseases of the climate, and in this crip- 
 pled condition they came upon seven or eight canoes, filled 
 with Indians of the warlike tribe they were supposed to be 
 in search of. Seeing that the English showed no fear, but 
 prepared briskly for an engagement, these Massawomekes 
 concluded that discretion was the better part of valor, and 
 fled to the shore. Being tempted by the offer of some 
 trifling toys, they at last came out to the barge unarmed, 
 bringing presents of provisions, targets, skins, and rude 
 implements of warfare. They had been engaged in war 
 with the Indians of the Tockwogh or Sassafras river, as 
 their fresh wounds bore witness. 
 
 They disappeared during the following night, and the 
 explorers made their way into the river of Tockwogh. 
 Seeing the Massawomeke weapons, the Tockwoghs were 
 in ecstasy, supposing that their enemies had been defeated ; 
 and led Smith up to their fortified town : " Men, women, 
 and children, with dances, songs, fruit, furs, and what 
 they had, stretching their best abilities to express their 
 loves." 
 
 Here Smith made some stay, sending messengers to 
 invite a deputation from the renowned Sasquesahanocks 
 
 ingly came do 
 
 
INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 187 
 
 to visit him. Sixty of " those giant-like people," accord- 
 ingly came down from their country, bringing presents, 
 and holding bold and familiar intercourse with the stran- 
 gers. The daily devotional exercises of praj'ers and psalms, 
 which our pious captain regularly observed, were responded 
 to, on the part of the wondering savages, by strar^ge cere- 
 monies of their own. 
 
 " They began in a most passionate manner, to hold up 
 their hands to the sun, with a most fearful song, then 
 embracing our captain, they began to adore him in like 
 manner : though he rebuked them, yet they proceeded till 
 their song was finished : which done, with a most strange 
 furious action, and a hellish voice, began an oration of their 
 loves." 
 
 They then clothed him with rich skins and mantles, and 
 proffering beads and toys, declared that they, and all they 
 had, were at his service, if he woulu but lend his assistance 
 against the terrible Massawomekes. 
 
 Returning to examine the river Rapahimock, Smith fell 
 in with a former acquaintance, one Mosco, of Wighcoco- 
 moco. He was doubtless a half-breed, and was supposed 
 to be some Frenchman's son, as he rejoiced in the distin- 
 guishing mark of a " thick, black, bush beard, and the sav- 
 ages seldom have any at all." 
 
 The English fortified their boat by making a breastwork 
 around the gunwale, of the Massawomeke shields, which 
 were so thickly plated as to resist the arrows of the savages. 
 This stood them in good stead in divers skirmishes with 
 the Rapahanocks. On one occasion, tliirty or forty of that 
 tribe so disguised themselves with bushes and branches, that, 
 as they stood discharging their arrows upon the edge of the 
 river, the English supposed their array to be a natural 
 growth of shrubs. 
 
 Mosco accompanied Smith in his visits to many nations 
 on the Chesapeake, and proved of no little service, whether 
 
 
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 188 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 the reception at their hands was friendly or hostile. The 
 good will of a patry of Manahocks was gained by means 
 of favor shown to a wounded prisoner, whom Mosco would 
 fain have despatched — "never was dog more furious 
 against a bear, than Mosco was to have beat out his 
 brains." They questioned this captive, who was called 
 Amorolock, about his own and the adjoining tribes, and 
 demanded of him why his people had attacked peaceful 
 strangers. " The poor savage mildly answered," that they 
 had heard that the English were "a people come from 
 under the world to take their world from them." He de- 
 sciiiBcd the Monacans as friendly to liis tribe, and said that 
 they lived in the mountainous country to the west, " by 
 small rivers, living upon roots and fruits, but aiefly by 
 hunting. The Massawomeks did dwell upon a great water 
 and had many boats, and so many men that they made war 
 with all the world." 
 
 In this, and the preceding voyage, the whole of the ex- 
 tensive bay of Chesapeake, was explored, together with the 
 lower portions of the principal rivers emptying into it ; and 
 an accurate chart of the whole country still bears witness 
 to the skill and perseverance of the brave commander. 
 Curious sketches of native chiefs, and of encounters between 
 them and the English, accompany the maps which illustrate 
 the quaii^ic and interesting narrative from which this por- 
 tion of our histoiy is diawn. 
 
 Before returning to Jamestown, the party sailed for the 
 southern shores, and passed up the Elizabeth river into 
 the " Chisapeack " countiy. They saw but few dwellings, 
 surrounded by garden plots, but were struck with the 
 magnificent growth of pines which lined the banks. Thence 
 coasting along the shore, they came to the mouth of the 
 Nandsamund, where a few Indians were engaged in fish- 
 ing. These fled in affright, but the English landing, and 
 leaving some attractive trifles where they would find them, 
 
 mies' power, t( 
 
 Ii- the ensui] 
 
 
INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 189 
 
 their demeanor was soon changed. Singing and dancing, 
 they invited the party to enter the river, and one of them 
 came on board the barge. Complying with the request. 
 Smith went up the stream seven or eight miles, when ex- 
 tensive corn fields were seen. Perceiving some signs of 
 treachery, he would not proceed farther, but endeavored to 
 regain the open water with all possible expedition. His 
 fears proved to be well grounded ; for on the way down, 
 arrows were poured into the boat from either side of the 
 river by hundreds of Indians, while seven or eight canoes 
 filled with armed men followed " to see the conclusion." 
 Turning upon these, the English, by a volley from their 
 muskets, soon drove the savages on shore and seized the 
 canoes. , 
 
 The Indians, seeing their invaluable canoes in the ene- 
 mies* power, to save them from destruction readily laid 
 down their arms ; and, upon further communication, agreed 
 to deliver up their king's bow and arrows, and to furnish 
 four hundred baskets of corn to avert the threatened ven- 
 geance of the terrible strangers. 
 
 ^^I^^^^^/^V^^A^^M 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 CORONATION OP POWHATAN. — SMITH'S VISIT TO WEROWOCOMOCO 
 
 FOB SUPPLIES. — TREACHERY OP POWHATAN SMITH A SECOND 
 
 TIME PRESERVED B\ POCAHONTAS VISIT TO PAMUNKY. — FIGHT 
 
 WITH THE KINO OF PASPAHE6H ASCENDENCY OP THE ENGLISH. 
 
 Ii; the ensuing September, Smith was formally made 
 president of the colony at Jamestown, and set himself 
 promptly to correct abuses and perfect the company in 
 the military exercises so suited to his own inclinations, 
 and so essential in their isolated and dangerous position. 
 
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 190 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 The wandering savages would collect in astonishment to 
 see the«e performances, standing *' in amazement to behold 
 how a file would batter a tree, where he would make them 
 a mark to shoot at." 
 
 Newport, soon after, made his appearance, bringing out 
 from England many adventurers ill-suited to the life before 
 them in the new country: "thirty carpenters, husband- 
 men, gardeners, fishermen, blacksmiths, masons, and dig- 
 gers up of trees' roots," says Smith, would have been 
 worth a thousand of them. By the same arrival, came a 
 large boat, brought out in five pieces, to be used in further 
 explorations in search of the South Sea, and a crown, with 
 brilliant trappings and regalia, for the solemn coronation 
 of Powhatan. Smith speaks with great contempt of this 
 transaction : the " costly novelties had been much better 
 well spared than so ill-spent," for they had the king's 
 " favor much bettor only for a plain piece of copper, till 
 this stately kind of soliciting made him so much overvalue 
 himself that he respected us as much as nothing at all." 
 
 The captain, with four companions, volunteered to go to 
 Werowocomoco, and invite Powhatin to come to James- 
 town and receive his presents, jf^rrivmg at the village, 
 they found that the chief was thirty miles away from 
 home J but a messenger was despatched for him, and, 
 meanwhile, his daughter Pocahontas exerted herself, to the 
 best of her ability, to divert and entertain her guests. This 
 was done after a strange fashion. A masquerade dance 
 of some thirty young women, nearly naked, was ushered 
 in by such a " hideous noise and shrieking," that the Eng- 
 lish seized on some old men who stood by, as hostages, 
 thinking that treachery was intended. They were relieved 
 from apprehension by the assurances of Pocahontas, and 
 the pageant proceeded. The leader of the dance was decked 
 with a " fair pair of buck's horns on her head, and an 
 otter's skin at her girdle." The others were also horned, 
 
 and painted am 
 devices. These 
 rushing from ai 
 about the fire, si 
 variety." After 
 wigwams, " all 
 ever with crowd 
 tediously crying 
 
 Upon Powha 
 Jamestown for ] 
 a king ; and the 
 round to Werow 
 must have been 
 were brought h 
 ture set up, his 
 put on him, bei 
 not hurt him : b 
 kneel to receive 
 jesty nor meanii 
 endured so man 
 as tired them al] 
 ders, he a little 
 their hands, put 
 pistol the boats 
 that the king sta 
 was well." 
 
 After this, Ne 
 made some uni 
 among uie Mona 
 mines of the pre 
 tions and discovc 
 
 The Indians r 
 hatan seemed to 
 the colony. Wi 
 in enforcing sup 
 
 
INDIANS OP VIROINIA. 
 
 191 
 
 and painted and equipped, " every one with their several 
 devices. These fiends with most hellish shouts and cries, 
 rushing from among the trees, cast themselves in a ring 
 about the fire, singing and dancing with most excellent ill 
 variety." Afterwards, when ? mith had entered one of their 
 wigwams, " all these nymphs more tormented him than 
 ever with crowding, pressing and hanging about him, most 
 tediously crying. Love you not me ? love you not me ? " 
 
 Upon Powhatan's return, he proudly refused to go t^ 
 Jamestown for his presents, standing upon his dignity aii 
 a king ; and the robes and trinkets were accordii^gly sent 
 round to Werowocomoco by water. The coronation scene 
 must have been ludicrous in the extreme : " the presents 
 were brought him, his basin and ewer, bed and furni- 
 ture set up, his scarlet cloak and apparel with much ado 
 put on him, being persuaded by Namontack, they would 
 not hurt him : but a foul trouble there Avas to make him 
 kneel to receive his crown, he neither knowing the ma- 
 jesty nor meaning of a crown, nor bending of the knee, 
 endured so many persuasions, examples and instructions 
 as tired them all ; at last, by leaning hard on his shoul- 
 ders, he a little stooped, and three having the crown in 
 their hands, put it on his head, when, by the warning of a 
 pistol the boats were prepared with such a volley of shot, 
 that the king start up with a horrible fear till he saw all 
 was well." 
 
 After this, N ewport, with one hundred and twenty men, 
 made some unimportant exploicitions, above the falls, 
 among ilie Monacans. Their continual greedy search for 
 mines of the precious metals interfered with useful opera- 
 tions and discoveries. 
 
 The Indians now became unwilling to trade, and Pow- 
 hatan seemed to have adopted the policy of starving out 
 the colony. We can hardly justify the course of Smith 
 in enforcing supplies, on any other plea than that of ne- 
 
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 192 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 cessity ; but certain it is, that he alone seemed to have that 
 power and influence ver the simple savages which could 
 secure at once their love and fear. 
 
 Powhatan having at last agreed to furnish a ship-load 
 of corn, if the English would build him a house, and fur- 
 nish him with a grindstone, a cock and hen, some arms 
 copper and beads, five men were sent to Werowocomoco 
 to commence operations. Three of these were Dutchmen. 
 
 To carry out this contract, and procure the promised 
 corn, Smith started for the camp of Powhatan towards the 
 last of December, (1608,) accompanied by twenty- seven 
 men in the barge and pinnace, while a number of others 
 crossed the country to build the proposed house. At War- 
 raskoyack, the friendly king cautioned him against being 
 deceived by Powhatan's expressions of kindness, insisting 
 that treachery was intended. 
 
 Christmas was spent by the party at Kecoughtan, on the 
 left bank of James* river, near its mouth; and merry 
 cheer was made upon game and oysters. They reached 
 Werowocomoco on the 12th of January, and landed with 
 much difficulty, as the river was bordered with ice, to break 
 through which they were obliged to wade waist-deep, "a 
 flight-shot through this muddy frozen oase.'* 
 
 Powhatan gave them venison and turkeys fov their im- 
 mediate use, but when the subject of the corn was broached, 
 he protested that he and his pf ople had little or none, and 
 demanded forty swords in case he should procure forty 
 baskets. Smith replied sternly, upbraiding him for du- 
 plicity and faithlessness, and cautioning him not to pro- 
 voke hostilities where friendship only was intended. The 
 wily chief, on the other hand, made many deprecatory 
 speeches, continually urging Smith to direct his men to 
 lay down their arms, that the conference should appear to 
 be peaceful, and the Indians feel at ease and in safety, 
 while bringing in their corn. 
 
 "S: 
 
fm 
 
 INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 193 
 
 After much bargaining and haggling, a small quantity 
 of corn was procured, and Powhatan made a most plausi- 
 ble and characteristic speech to persuade Smith that noth- 
 ing could be farther from his intention than hostility. Can 
 you suppose, said he, that I, a man of age and experience, 
 having outlived three generations of my people, should 
 be " so simple as not to know it is better to eat good meat, 
 lie well and sleep quietly with my women and children, 
 laugh and be merry with you, have copper, hatchets, or 
 what I want being your friend : than be forced to fly from 
 all, to lie cold in the woods, feed upon acorns, roots, and 
 such trash, and be so hunted by you that I can neither 
 rest, eat, nor sleep ; but my tired men must watch, and 
 if a twig but break, every one crieth, there comes Captain 
 Smith ? " 
 
 Thus the time was spent in uselct 5 discourse, and Smith, 
 perceiving that the Indians were only watching for an op- 
 portunity to attack him unawares, ordered the barge to be 
 brought to shore, and the pittance of corn to be stowed on 
 board. Powhatan then disappeared, but immediately sent 
 his warriors to surround the house and cut off Smith while 
 the body of the English were engaged with the barge. 
 
 Aided only by one companion, the valiant captain rushed 
 forth, " with his pistol, sword and target," and " made 
 such a passage among these naked devils, that, at his first 
 shoot, they next him tumbled one over another." Seeing 
 that Smith had rejoined his company, Powhatan pretended 
 that he had sent his people to guard the corn from being 
 stolen, and renewed his protestations of friendship. 
 
 The boats being left ashore by the tide, the captain was 
 obliged to spend the night on shore. Powhatan now con- 
 ceived himself sure of his victims, and gatherea all his 
 people, with the intention of surprising Smith under cover 
 of the night. *' Notwithstanding the eternal all-seeing God 
 did prevent him, and by a strange means. For Poca- 
 
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 194 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
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 hontas, his dearest jewel and daughter, in that dark nipht 
 came through the irksome woods, and told our captain 
 great cheer should be sent us by and by ; but Powhatan 
 and all the power he could make, would after come and 
 kill us all, if they that brought it could not kill us with 
 our own weapons when we were at supper. Therefore if 
 we would live, she wished us presently to be gone. Such 
 things as she delighted in he would have given her ; but 
 with the tears running down her cheeks, she said she durst 
 not be seen to have any; for if Towhatan should know 
 it she were but dead, and so she ran away by herself as 
 she came." 
 
 One can readily imagine the distress of the poor child 
 at feeling thus compelled, by her affection for her English 
 friend, to become unfaithful to her Hither and her own 
 people. 
 
 The feast was sent in shortly after, by a number of 
 strong warriors, who were very earnest in their invitation 
 to the party to lay down their arms and fall to. The 
 matches which the English kept burning met with their 
 decided disapproval, the smoke, as they averred, making 
 them sick. Smith, being forewarned, did not fail to spend 
 the night in vigilance, and sent word to Powhatan that he 
 fe]*^^ well convinced of his villanous intentions, and should 
 be prepared for him. The Dutchmen, who were with the 
 king, were all along supposed to be implicated in his treach- 
 ery, being inimical to Smith, and glad of an opportunity 
 to destroy him. After his departure from Werowocomoco, 
 two of them hastened to Jamestown, and, by various pre- 
 tences, obtained a quantity of arms, which, with the assist- 
 ance of some Indian companions, they carried off to Pow- 
 hatan. In return for this assistance, he promised them 
 immunity from the havoc that should overtake the colony, 
 and high office and power in his own service. 
 
 Continuing his search for provision, Smith arrived at 
 
INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 195 
 
 pamunky, where Opechancanough received him with ap- 
 parent kindness, but showed no readiness to trade. Smith 
 reminded him of former promises and injuries, and ex- 
 pressed a determination to obtain supplies ; proffering just 
 payment. The chief managed to decoy the captain and 
 his " old fifteen " into his house, exhibiting some baskets 
 of corn, which he alleged were procured with great diffi- 
 culty, but in the meantime some seven hundred armed 
 warriors, by his orders, surrounded the building. 
 
 Our brave captain, first exhorting his men to show no 
 si^ns of fear, now sternly addressed the king, challenging 
 him to single combat, with equal arms, upon an island in 
 the river. Opechancanough still pretended good will and 
 friendship, and attempted to entice Smith out at the door, 
 by promises of munificent presents : " the bait was guarded 
 with at least two hundred men, and thirty lying under a 
 great tree (that lay thwart, as a barricade) each his arrow 
 nocked ready to shoot." 
 
 Smith, perceiving that prompt action was now necessary, 
 sprang upon the king, and, holding him by the fore-lock 
 with one hand, while, with the other, he held a cocked 
 pistol to his breast, he led him forth among his people. 
 Opechancanough, completely cowed, delivered up his arms, 
 and all his warriors, amazed at the Englishman's audacity, 
 laid theirs upon the ground. 
 
 Still keeping hold of the chief's hair. Smith made a 
 brief oration, threatening terrible vengeance if a drop of 
 English blood should be spilt, and declaring that if they 
 would not sell him corn he would freight his ship with 
 their carcasses. He promised, moreover, continued friend- 
 ship if no further cause for complaint were given. All 
 now made friendly protestations, and brought in abundance 
 of provision ; but, as Smith lay down to recruit himself 
 with a little sleep, a great number of the savages rushed 
 
 in to overpower him. This attack was repelled as success^ 
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 196 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 fully and promptly as the first. The king in a lengthy 
 speech excused and explained the movement, and the day 
 ended in peaceful trade and barter. 
 
 At this time arrived one Richard WyfEn, who had ven- 
 turously made his way alone through the wilderness to 
 r.nnounce to Smith a great loss which the colony had met 
 with in the death of Gosnoll and eight companions. They 
 had started in a skiff for the Isle of Hogs, and were upse* 
 by a gale " (that extreme frozen time) '* and drowned. 
 Wyffin iiad stopped at Powhatan's head-quarters^ and only 
 escaped destruction by the kindness of the Englishman's 
 fast friend Pocahontas. Site •'* hid him for a time, and 
 sent them who pursued him the clean contrary way to 
 seek him." 
 
 Concealing this disastrous intelligence from his followers, 
 Captain Smith set Opechancanough at liberty, and again 
 embarked, intending, ere his return to Jamestown, to se- 
 cure the person of Powhatan. That chief had isf ued gen- 
 eral orders for the destruction of Smith, and every where, 
 as the boat passed along the river bank, crowds of Indians 
 would appear, bringing corn in baskets, and offering it to 
 the company if they would come for it unarmed. Their 
 intention was evidently to draw the English into an am- 
 buscade. The captain succeeded in surprising one of these 
 parties, and obtaining their provision. 
 
 Some of them, who consented to trade, supplied the 
 English with poisoned food, which was eaten by Smith and 
 others, but the poison did not prove sufficiently potent to 
 destroy their lives. Suspicion fell upon a vigorous young 
 warrior named Wecuttanow, as the author of this treach- 
 ery ; but he, having forty or fifty companions with hira, 
 " so proudly braved it as though he expected to encounter 
 a revenge. Which the president (Smith) perceiving in the 
 midst of his company, did not only beat, but spurned hira 
 like a dotj, as scorning to do him any worse mischief." 
 
INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 197 
 
 At other places where provision was sought, it was plain 
 that the Indians were themselves in want, and " imparted 
 that little they had with such co plaints and tears from 
 the eyes of women and children as he had been too cruel 
 to have been a Christian that would not have been satisfied 
 and moved with compassion." 
 
 Powhatan, cautioned by "those damned Dutchmen," 
 had left Werowocomoco, with all his effects, before Smith 
 arrived there, and the plan of making him prisoner was 
 therefore abandoned. Here Smith breaks out into a spir- 
 ited justificatio- . of his conduct and purposes, complaining 
 that fault had been found with him, by some, for cruelty 
 and harshness, and by others for want of energy and de- 
 termination. He draws a strong contrast between the pro- 
 ceedings of the English colony and the manner in which 
 the Spaniai-ds usually followed up their discoveries. It 
 was not pleasing, he says, to some, that he had temporized 
 with such a treacherous people, and " that he washed not 
 the ground with their bloods, nor showed such strange in- 
 ventions in mangling, murdering, ransacking, and destroy- 
 ing, (as did the Spaniards,) the simple bodies of such ig- 
 norant souls." 
 
 The renegade Dutchmen had a place of rendezvous near 
 Jamestown, known as the "glass house," whither they 
 resorted, with their Indian associates, to carry on their sys- 
 tem of pilfering arms and other articles from the colony. 
 Captain Smith making a visit to this spot, with the inten- 
 tion of arresting one of them, named Francis, whom ho 
 had heard to be there, was set upon, as he returned alone, 
 by the king of Paspahegh, " a most strong stout savage," 
 and a terrible personal encounter ensued. The Indian 
 closed upon him, so that he could make no use of his fal- 
 chion, and, by sheer strength, dragged him into the river. 
 After a desperate struggle, Smith ouccceded in grasping 
 the savage by the throat, and in drawing his weapon. 
 
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 198 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 " Seeing how pitifully he begged for his Hfe, he led him 
 prisoner to Jamestown, and put him in chains." Hia 
 women and children came every day to visit him, bringing 
 presents to propitiate the English. Being carelessly 
 guarded, the king finally made his escape. In attempts to 
 recover him, some fighting and bloodshed ensued, and two 
 Indians, named Kemp and Tussore, ** the two most exact 
 villains in all the country," were taken prisoners. Smith, 
 with a corps of soldiery, proceeding to punish the Indians 
 on the Chickahominy, passed by Paspahegh, and there 
 concluded a peace with the natives. They at first ven- 
 tured to attack him, but unable to resist the English 
 weapons, they threw down their arms, and sent forward a 
 young warrior, called Okaning, to make an oration. 
 
 He represented that his chief, in effecting an escape, had 
 but followed the instincts of nature j that fowls, beasts, 
 and fishes strove to avoid captivity and snares, and why 
 should not man be allowed so universal a privilege ? He 
 added that, if the English would not live at peace with 
 them, the tribe must abandon the country, and the supplies 
 which the colony had heretofore obtained from them be 
 thereby cut off. 
 
 The power and influence of Smith among the savages 
 was infinitely increased by a circumstance which occurred 
 immediately after his return to Jamestown. A pistol had 
 been stolen by a Chickahominy Indian, and his two broth- 
 ers, supposed to be privy to the theft, had been seized, to 
 secure its return. One of them was sent in search of the 
 missing article, assured that his brother should be hanged 
 if it was not forthcoming within twelve hours. Smith, 
 *' pitying the poor naked savage in the dungeon, sent him 
 victuals, and some charcoal for a fire ; ere midnight, his 
 brother returned with the pistol, but the poor savage in the 
 dungeon was so smothered with the smoke he had made, 
 and so piteously burned," that he appeared to be dead. 
 
INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 199 
 
 His brother, overwhelmed with grief, uttered such touch- 
 ing lamentations over the body, that Captain Smith, 
 although feeling little hope of success, assured him that 
 he would bring the dead Indian to life, provided he and 
 his fellows would give over their thieving. Energetic 
 treatment restored the poor fellow to consciousness, and, 
 his burns being dressed, the simple pair were sent on their 
 way, each with a small present, to spread the report, far 
 and near, that Captain Smith had power to restore the dead 
 to life. Not long after, several Indians were killed by the 
 explosion of a quantity of powder, which they were at- 
 tempting to dry upon a plate of armor, as they had seen 
 the English do. "These, and many other such pretty 
 accidents, so amazed and frighted both Powhatan and all 
 his people," that they came in from all quarters, returning 
 stolen property, and begging for favor and peace : " and 
 all the country," says the narrator., " became absolutely as 
 free for us as for themselves." 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 DISTRESS OP THE COLONIES. — MARTIN AND WEST'S SETTLEMKNTS 
 
 ARRIVAL OF LORD DE LA WARRE. — RETALIATIONS UPON THE NA- 
 TIVES.— SEIZURE OF POCAHONTAS: HER MARRIAGE. — PEAC WITH 
 THE INDIANS. — POCAHONTAS VISITS FNOLAND: HER DEATH.— 
 DEATH OF POWHATAN. — PORY'S SETTLEMENT. 
 
 While Captain Smith remained in America, and con- 
 tinued in power, he maintained his authority over the na- 
 tives. In a grievous famine that succeeded the events we 
 have just detailed, they proved of infinite service in pro- 
 viding the wild products of the forest for the starving 
 
 
 
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 200 
 
 INDIAN BACES'OP AMERICA. 
 
 colonists. Many of the English were sent out to live with 
 the savages, and learn their arts of gathering and prepar- 
 ing the roots and other edibles that must take the place of 
 corn. These were treated with every kindness by the In- 
 dians, " of whom," says Smith, " there was more hope to 
 make better Christians and good subjects than the one half 
 of those that counterfeited themselves both." Kemp and 
 Tussore, who had been set at liberty, remained thereafter 
 stanch adherents to the English interests. Sundry mal- 
 contents belonging to the colony had fled into the woods, 
 thinking to live in ease among the natives, whom they 
 promised revenge upon their old conqueror, the president. 
 Kemp, however, instead of giving ear to these persuasions, 
 fed them " with this law, who would not work must not 
 eat, till they were near starved indeed, continually threat- 
 ening to beat them to death ; " and finally carried them 
 forcibly back to Captain Smith. 
 
 In the early part of the summer of 1609, large supphes 
 came over from England, and a great number of factious 
 and disorderly adventurers were brought into the new set- 
 tlement. Unwilling to submit to the authority of the 
 president, insatiate after mines of gold and silver, cowardly 
 in battle, and cruel and treacherous in peace, their distress 
 proved commensurate with their unthrift. At Nansemund, 
 a company, under one Captain Martin, after wantonly pro- 
 voking the ill will of the natives, was unable to resist 
 their attacks ; and another division under "West, which at- 
 tempted a settlement at the falls of James* river, proved 
 equally inefficient and impolitic. "The poor savages 
 that daily brought in their contributions to the presi- 
 dent, that disorderly company so tormented those poor 
 souls, by stealing their corn, robbing their gardens, beat- 
 ing them, breaking their houses and keeping some 
 prsoners, that they daily complained to Captain Smith, 
 he had brought them for protectors worse enemies 
 
INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 201 
 
 than the Monacans themselves : they desired pardon if 
 hereafter they defended themselves." 
 
 Carrying out this intention, the Indians fell upon the 
 fort immediately after Smith's departure, he having set 
 sail for Jamestown. His vessel taking ground before he 
 had proceeded far, he was called upon to interfere, and 
 brought matters to an amicable conclusion, removing the 
 English from the inconvenient spot they had cjlected for 
 their habitation into the pleasant country of Powhatan. 
 
 Before reaching Jamestown, Captain Smith met with so 
 severe an accident by the firing of a bag of gun-powder, 
 that he was thereafter incapacitated from further service in 
 the colony. So terribly was his flesh torn and burned, 
 that, to relieve the pain, he instantly threw himself into 
 the river, from which he was with difficulty rescued. It 
 being impossible to procure the necessary medical assist- 
 ance for the cure of so extensive an injury, he took pas- 
 sage for England by the first opportunity, and never again 
 revisited the colony he had planted and supported with 
 such singular devotion, energy, and courage. The fate of 
 the two principal of the Dutch conspirators against his 
 life, is thus chronicled : " But to see the justice of God 
 upon these Dutchmen : — Adam and Francis were fled 
 again to Powhatan, to whom they promised, at the arrival 
 of my Lord (La Warre), what wonders they would do, 
 would he suffer them but to go to him. But the king, see- 
 ing they would be gone, replied ; you that would have be- 
 trayed Captain Smith to me, will certainly betray me to 
 this great lord for your peace ; so caused his men to beat 
 out their brains." 
 
 Smith's departure was the signal for general defection 
 among the Indians. They seized the boats of the settlers 
 under Martin and West ; who, unable to keep their ground, 
 returned to Jamestown, with the loss of nearly half their 
 men. A party, of thirty or forty, bound upon a trading 
 
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 202 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 expedition, was set upon by Powhatan and his warriors, 
 and all except two were slain. One of these, a boy, named 
 Henry Spilman, was preserved by the intervention of 
 Pocahontas, and sent to live among the Patawomekes. 
 Reduced to the greatest extremity, the ^English were 
 obliged to barter their very arms for provisions, thus add- 
 ing to the power of the enemy in the same ratio that they 
 weakened their own resources. Famine, pestilence, and 
 savage invasion reduced the colony, which before had 
 numbered five hundred inhabitants, to about sixty miser- 
 able and helpless wretches, within the short space of six 
 months from the time that Smith set sail. The crude prod- 
 ucts of the forest formed their principal food ; " nay, so 
 great was our famine," proceeds the narrative, ** that a 
 savage we slew and buried, the poorer sort took him up 
 again and eat him, and so did divers one another, boiled 
 and stewed with roots and herbs and one amongst the 
 rest did kill his wife, powdered her, ind had eaten part of 
 her before it was known, for which he wa: executed as he 
 well deserved." 
 
 Upon the arrival of a ship, with Sir Thomas Gates and 
 company, all the unfortunate settlers, abandoning their 
 town, took passage with him for England. At the com- 
 mencement of the voyage, they fell in with Lord La 
 Warre, who was on his way to Jamestown, bringing with 
 him large supplies of men and necessaries ; and all re- 
 turned together to Jamestown. 
 
 Fortunately the Indians had not, as yet, destroyed the 
 fort, and the numbers and efficiency of the whites were so 
 far increased, that they were " able to tame the fury and 
 treachery of the savages." 
 
 On the 15th of June (1010) Captain Argall, being en- 
 gaged in a trading expedition among the Patawomekes, 
 found there the young prisoner, Henry Spilman, who had 
 met with kind treatment, and by whoso intervention 
 
'■r, 
 
 INDIANS OP VIRGIANIA. 
 
 203 
 
 abundance of corn was procured. Frequent mention is 
 made of Spilman in subsequent portions of Virginian his- 
 tory. He was killed by the Potomac Indians, in 1623, 
 while on a trading expedition up the river. Having gone 
 on shore with some of his company, some difficulty arose, 
 ard, after a short skirmish, those on board the boat " heard 
 a great bruit among the savages ashore, and saw a man's 
 head thrown down the bank, whereupon they weighed 
 anchor and returred home ; but how he was surprised or 
 slain is uncertain." 
 
 That the colonists were not slow in making use of their 
 newly-acquired power over the natives in their vicinity, 
 sufficiently appears from the manner in which they re- 
 venged some injuries received from those of Paspahegh. 
 Not satisfied with burning their town, they deliberately 
 put to death the queen and her children, who had fallen 
 into their hands. 
 
 In the following year the Appomatuck Indians, for 
 some offences, were diiven from their homes, and their 
 corn was seized, " without the loss of any except some few 
 savages." The manner in which peaceful intercourse was 
 at last established with Powhatan, however it may be jus- 
 tified upon the plea of necessity, reflects but little credit 
 upon the English. Argall, in the year 1613, (according 
 to some chronicles,) while up the Potomac in search of 
 corn, heard from the sachem Japazaws that Pocahontas, 
 who had not been seen at Jamestown since Smith's depart- 
 ure, was residing among his people. The captain deter- 
 mined not to lose the opportunity to secure so valuable a 
 hostage, and having, by the assistance of Japazaws, de- 
 coyed her on board his ship, he made her prisoner. The 
 treacherous Potomac sachem pretended great distress; 
 " the old Jew and his wife began to howl and cry as fast 
 as Pocahontas, " but appeared pacified when Argall told 
 them that the princess should be well treated, and restored 
 
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 204 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 as soon as Powhatan would make restitution of the goods 
 he had purloiued and plundered from the colony. 
 
 When the emperor learned of this transaction, the " un- 
 welcome news much troubled him, because he loved both 
 his daughter and the EngHsh commodities well ; " and he 
 left Pocahontas in the enemies' hands for several months 
 before he deigned to pay the least attention to their d^- 
 mands. It has been supposed, and with great show oi' 
 reason, that the kind-hearted girl had lost favor with her 
 father by her sympathy with the English, and by endeav- 
 oring to save them at the time of the massacres which pie- 
 ceded the last arrival ; and that this was the cause of her 
 retirement to Potomac. 
 
 When Powhatan at last consented to treat, his offers 
 were entirely unsatisfactory to the English, and another 
 long interval elapsed without any communication from 
 him. Meantime, an ardent attachment had sprung up be- 
 tween Pocahontas and a young Englishman of the colony 
 named John Rolfe, " an honest gentleman and of good be- 
 havior." When it was at last concluded to use open force 
 to reduce Powhatan to compliance with the English re- 
 quisitions, a large force proceeded to the chief's head-quar- 
 ters, by water, taking the princess with them. The Indians 
 exhibited an insolent and warlike demeanor, but were easily 
 put to flight, and their town was burned Pursuing their 
 advantage, the invading party proceeded up the river to 
 Matchot, where, a truce being agreed upon, two of Pow- 
 hatan's sons came to visit their sister, and, overjoyed at 
 finding her well and kindly cared for, promised their best 
 endeavors to bring matters to a peaceful issue. Rolfe, with 
 one companion, had an interview with Opechancanough, 
 who also declared that he would strive to persuade the 
 king to compliance with the English proposals. 
 
 When Powhatan heard of the proposed marriage of his 
 daughter, his anger and resentment towards the whites 
 
 
INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 205 
 
 seemed to be appeased. He sent his brother Opitchapan, 
 and others of his family, to witness the ceremony, and 
 readily permitted the old terms of trade and intimacy to be 
 renewed. Pocahontas and John Rolfe were married about 
 the 1st of April, 1613. 
 
 The Chickahominies, hearing that Powhatan was in 
 league with the colony, felt little inclined to be upon ill 
 terms with so pov/erful a confederacy ; and, having made 
 advances, a treaty of friendship was entered into with all 
 due forms and ceremonies. 
 
 Not contented with the security against Powhatan*8 hos- 
 tility which the possession of his beloved daughter af- 
 forded, the colonial governor. Sir Thomas Dale, sought 
 yet another hostage from the king ; and in 1614 sent John 
 Kolfe and Ralph Hamor to his court for this purpose. 
 
 The aged chief received them with courtesy and kind- 
 ness, and appeared pleased and gratified at the accounts 
 which they gave him of Pocahontas* satisfaction with her 
 new alliance, and the religion and customs of the English. 
 When the purpose of the mission was made known to him, 
 which was no other than the obtaining possession of his 
 youngest daughter, upon pretext of marrying her nobly, 
 Powhatan gravely refused compliance. He would never 
 trust himself, he said, in the power of the English ; and, 
 therefore, if he should send away his child, whom he now 
 loved as his life, and beyond all his other numerous off- 
 spring, it would be never again to behold her. " My 
 hrother," he added, " hath a pledge, one of my daughters, 
 which so long as she lives shall be sufficient ; when she 
 dies he shall have another : I hold it not a brotherly part 
 to desire to bereave me of my two children at once." 
 
 Pocahontas was carefully educated in the Christian 
 religion, which she appeared sincerely to embrace. She 
 nourished the warmest affection for her husband, — upon 
 his part faithfully returned ; and what with these new ties. 
 
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 206 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 and the enlarged ideas attendant upon education and inter- 
 course with intelligent Europeans, she seemed entirely to 
 lose ail desire of associating with her own people. 
 
 Rolfe and his wife sa .r England in 1G16, and 
 
 reached Plymouth on the 12th of June. Great interest 
 was excited by their arrival, both at court and among 
 many people of disj;inction. Captain Smith prepared an 
 address to the queen upon this occasion, setting forth in 
 quaint, but touching language, the continued kindness and 
 valuable services received by himself and the colony at 
 large from Pocahontas. He commended her to his royal 
 mistress, as " the first Christian ever of that nation, the 
 first Virginian ever spoke English, or had a child in mar- 
 riage by an Englishman, a matter surely worthy a prince's 
 understanding." 
 
 When Smith met with his preserver at Branford, where 
 she was staying with her husband after her arrival in Eng- 
 land, his demeanor did not at first satisfy her. Etiquette, 
 and the restraints of English customs, prevented him per- 
 haps from making such demonstration of affection as she 
 had expected from her adopted father. " After a modest 
 salutation," he says, " without any word, she turned her- 
 self about, obscured her face as not seeming well con- 
 tented; and in that humor, her husband, with divers 
 others, we all left her two or three hours, repenting myself 
 to have writ she could speak English." 
 
 This pique, or whatever emotion it may have been, soon 
 passed off, and she began to converse freely upon old times 
 and scenes. She said she would always call Smith her 
 father, that he should call her child, and ever consider her 
 as his " countryman." It seems that she had been told 
 that he was dead and only learned the truth on reaching 
 England. Powhatan had been anxious to get intelligence 
 of his old rival, and specially commissioned an Indian of 
 his council, named Uttomatomakkin, whom he sent over 
 
 J 
 
INDIANS OP VIKOINIA. 
 
 207 
 
 to England, to find out Captain Smith ; to see the Eng- 
 lishmen's God, their queen, and their prince ; and to 
 ascertain the number of the country's inhabitants. 
 
 This last direction he endeavored to perform by carrying 
 a stick with him, and making a notch for every man he 
 saw, " but he was quickly weary of that task." 
 
 Captain Argall, Rolfe, and others, having been furnished 
 with an outfit for Virginia, in 1617, Pocahontas (known 
 as Rebecca, since her baptism and conversion,) was about 
 to revisit her native country, but was taken suddenly ill, 
 and died at Gravesend. " She made not more sorrow for 
 her unexpected death, than joy to the beholders to hear 
 and see her make so religious and godly an end." She 
 left one child, Thomas Kolfe, who afterwards resided in 
 Virginia, and from whom many families in that state still 
 trace their origin. The celebrated John Randolph, of 
 Roanoke, was one of his descendants. 
 
 At Jamestown, Argall found matters in a bad state. 
 Little was attended to but the raising of tobacco, which 
 was seen growing in the streets and market place. The 
 savages had become bold and familiar, " as frequent in the 
 colonists' houses as themselves, whereby they were become 
 expert in the English arms." They broke out, in some 
 instances, into open murder and robbery, but the old chief 
 Opcchancanough, when redress was demanded, disclaimed 
 all knowledge of or participation in the outrages. 
 
 The venerable Powhatan died in April, of the year 
 1618, and was succeeded by his second brother, Itopatin. 
 The new king, as well as the formidable Opcchancanough, 
 seemed desirous of continuing at poa:e with the whites. 
 Despite his protestations of friendship, and renewal of 
 solemn leagues and covenants, the old king of Pamaunky 
 was still held in sore suspicion, and it is plain that Indian 
 power, if roused against the colony, Avas growing formida- 
 ble. The historian expresses his amazement " to understand 
 
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 208 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 how strangely the savages had been taught the use of 
 arms, and employed in hunting and fowling with our fowl- 
 ing pieces, and our men rooting in the ground about 
 tobacco like swine." 
 
 John Pory, secretary of the colony, undertook a settle- 
 ment on the eastern shore in 1621 Namenacus, king of 
 Pawtuxent, visited him, and expressed his good will in 
 style characteristic of Indian metaphor. Baring his breast, 
 says Pory, he asked " if we saw any deformity upon it ; 
 we told him, No ; No more, said he, is the inside, but as 
 sincere and pure ; therefore come freely to my country 
 and welcome. " The English were accompanied by Thomas 
 Savage as interpreter ; a youth who, sixteen years before, 
 had been left with PoAvhatan for the purpose of acquiring 
 the Indian language, and who afterwards proved of great 
 service to the colony. 
 
 "When the party req^hcd the dwelling of Namenacus 
 aiid hif brother Wamanato, they were most hospitably 
 received and entertained. Boiled oysters were set before 
 them in a "brass kettle as bright without as within," 
 and the alliance was cemented by exchange of presents. 
 Wamanato promised to keep what he had received 
 " whilst he lived, and bury thera with him being dead. 
 He much wondered at our Bible,'* proceeds Pory, " but 
 much more to hear it was the law of our God, and the 
 first chapter of Genesis expounded of Adam and Eve, 
 and simple marriage ; to which he replied he was like 
 Adam in one thing, for he never had but one wife at 
 once ; but he, as all the rest, seemed more willing of other 
 discourses they better understood.' 
 
 »» 
 
 THE VIRGINIA I 
 
 Hi'\ 'W 
 
INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 209 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE VIRGINIA MASSACRES OF 1622, AND OP 1641, (OR 1044.) — DEATH 
 
 OF OPECHANCANOUOII. 
 
 The spring of 1622 was memorable for a deep-laid and 
 partially successful plot, attributed in no small measure to 
 the contrivance of Opechancanough, for the extermination 
 of the English colony. The settlers had come to look 
 upon the Indians with a mixture of condescension and 
 contempt ; they admitted them freely into their houses ; 
 suffered them to acquire the use of English weapons ; and 
 took little or no precautions against an outbreak. The 
 plantations and villages of the whites were widely sepa- 
 rated and ill-protected, offering an easy opportunity for a 
 sudden and concerted attack. 
 
 No suspicions whatever were entertained of any hostile 
 intent upon the part of the savages until just before the 
 massacre commenced, and then there was neither time nor 
 opportunity to convey the intelligence to the distant set- 
 tlements. The plot was so arranged that upon a day 
 appointed, the 22d of March, the Indians spread them- 
 selves throughout the settlements, and, going into the 
 houses, or joining the laborers in the field, on pretence of 
 trade, took the first opportunity to kill those with whom 
 they were communicating, by a blow from behind. 
 
 No less than three hundred and forty-seven of the Eng- 
 lish perished, the most extensive massacre at any one spot 
 being that in Martin's Hundred, only seven miles from 
 Jamestown. The savages spared not their best friends, 
 with whom they had held amicable intercourse for years, 
 but availed themselves of that very intimacy to carry out 
 their bloody design with, the greater secrecy and impu- 
 nity. One only showed signs of relenting. " The slaugh- 
 ter had been universal if God had not put it into the 
 
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 210 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 heart of an Indian, who, lying in the house of one Pace 
 was urged by another Indian, his brother, that lay with 
 him the night before, to kill Pace as he should do Perry, 
 which was his friend, being so commanded from their king." 
 
 Instead of complying, he rose, and made known to his 
 host the plan of the next day's attack. Pace carried the 
 intelligence to Jamestown with the utmost expedition 
 and the caution was spread as far as possible. Wherever 
 the Indians saw the English upon their guard, no attempt 
 was made upon them, even where there was a gross dis- 
 parity in numbers. One of Smith's old guard, Nathaniel 
 Causie, after receiving a severe wound, seized an axe, and 
 put those to flight who had set upon him. In anotlicr 
 instance, two men repelled the attack of sixty savages, 
 and a Mr. Baldwin, at Warraskoyack, defended his house 
 and its inmates single handed, the Indians being unwilling 
 to stand his fire. Women, children, and unarmed men ; all 
 who "ould be taken unawares, were murdered, and their 
 bodies hacked and mutilated. No tie of friendship or 
 former favor proved strong enough to stay the hand of the 
 remorseless foe. A Mr. Thorp, who had shown every kind- 
 ness to the Indians, and especially to the king, was one 
 of the victims, his " dead corpse being abused with such 
 spite and scorn as is unfit to be heard with civil ears." 
 He had formerly built a convenient house for the sachem, 
 " afvcr the English fashion, in which he took such pleasure, 
 especially in the lock and key, which he so admired as 
 locking and unlocking his door a hundred times a day, he 
 thought no device in the world comparable to it." 
 
 It was supposed that tlie motive which operated most 
 forcibly upon Opcchancanough, in urging him to these 
 enormities, was the death of Nemattanow, one of his favor- 
 ites, styled *' Jack of the Feather, because he commonly 
 was most strangely adorned witli t||rm." Tliis Indian was 
 shot, about a fortnight before the massacre, for the mur- 
 
 a nation far to 
 
INDIANS OF VIRGINIA. 
 
 211 
 
 der of a man named Morgan, whom he enticed from home 
 on pretence of trade. 
 
 Little active efforts were made to revenge the uprising 
 of the Indians. After the bloody day in March, no gen- 
 eral engagement took place between the English and the 
 savages until the ensuing autumn, when an army of three 
 hundred colonists marched to Nandsamund, and laid waste 
 the country. 
 
 The bitterest animosity prevailed for many years be- 
 tween the rival claimants to the country — the Indians and 
 the pale faces, who were supplanting them, insidiously, or by 
 open warfare. The old chief, Opechancanough, remained 
 long a thorn in the sides of the colonists ; and, as late as 
 1641, nine years after the conclusion of a settled peace, he 
 organized a conspiracy, which resulted in the destruction of 
 even a larger number of the whites than fell in the mas- 
 sacre of 1622. The time of the second uprising is fixed, 
 by some, three years later than the date above mentioned. 
 
 After that event, the war was pursued with the energy 
 that the dangerous circumstances of the colony required ; 
 and the aged chief, falling into the hands of the English, 
 was carried captive to Jamestown. Regard to his infirmi- 
 ties and age restrained the authorities from showing him 
 indignity or unkindness, but he was shot by a private sol- 
 dier, in revenge, as is supposed, for some former injury. 
 Although so enfeebled by the weight of years as to be 
 utterly helpless, and unable even to raise his eyelids with- 
 out assistance, the venerable chief sfill maintained his dig- 
 nity and firmness ; and, just before his death, rebuked 
 Berkley, the governor, for suffering his people to crowd 
 around and gaze upon him. 
 
 It is said by some historians that he was not a native of 
 Virginia, but that ho was reputed among his subjects and 
 the neighboring tribes, to have been formerly a king over 
 a nation far to the south-west. 
 
 13 
 
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 212 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SMITH'S ACCOUNT OP THE NUMBERS, APPEARANCE, AND HABITS OP 
 
 THE INDIANS. 
 
 «* * * To the door 
 The red man slowly drags the enormous bear, 
 Slain in the chestnut thicket, or flings down 
 The deer from his strong shoulders." — Bryant. 
 
 Virginia, like every other division of the eastern coast 
 of North America, was but thinly inhabited when the 
 white settlements first commenced. As hunting formed 
 the chief means of subsistence to the natives during. a 
 considerable portion of the year, it was impracticable for 
 them to live closely congregated. There were computed 
 to be, within sixty miles of the settlement of Jamestown, some 
 five thousand Indians, of whom not quite one-third were 
 men serviceable in war. The lower portion of the Pow- 
 hatan or James' river, below the falls, passed through the 
 country of the great king and tribe who bore the same name : 
 among the mountains at its source dwelt the Monacans. 
 The great nations were subdivided into a number of small- 
 er tribes, each subject to its own Werowance, or king. 
 
 The stature and general appearance of different races 
 among them presented considerable discrepancy. Of the 
 Sasquesahanocks, Smith says : " Such great and well-pro- 
 portioned men are seldom seen, for they seemed hke 
 giants to the English. For their language, it may well 
 beseem their proportions, soifliding from them as a voice 
 in a vault." One of their chief Werowanccs measured 
 three-quarters of a yard about the calf of his leg, " and 
 all the rest of his limbs so answerable to that proportion, 
 that he seemed the goodliest man we ever beheld. His 
 hair, the one side, was long, the other shore close, with a 
 ridge like a cock's comb." 
 
 iK^BBl 
 
INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 213 
 
 These people were dressed in bear and wolf-skins . " some 
 have cassacks made of bears' heads and skins, that a man's 
 head goes through the skin's neck, and the ears of the bear 
 fastened to his shoulders, the nose and teeth hanging down 
 his breast, another bear's face split behind him, and at the 
 end of the nose hung a paw. One had the head of a wolf 
 hanging in a chain for a jewel ; his tobacco pipe, three quar- 
 ters of a yard long, prettily carved with a bird, a deer, or 
 some such device, at the great end, sufficient to beat out 
 one's brains." 
 
 Farther to the South, upon the Rappahanock, and other 
 adjacent rivers, dwelt an inferior people, of small stature. 
 The Monacans, Mannahocks, Sasquesahanocks, and other 
 tribes, which environed the Powhatan country, were so 
 dissimilar in their language that they could only commu- 
 nicate by interpretation. 
 
 The clothing of all these Indians consisted principally 
 of skins, dressed with or without the hair, according to 
 the season. Occasionally would be seen a mantle neatly 
 and thickly covered with feathers, so fastened as to appear 
 like a natural growth ; but many of the savages contented 
 themselves with very simple and primitive habiliments, 
 woven from grass and leaves. Tattooing was common, es- 
 pecially among the women, and the red powdered root of the 
 pocone, mixed with oil to the consistency of paint, served 
 to satisfy their barbaric taste for fancifully coloring the 
 body. He was " the most gallant who was the most mon- 
 strous to behold." Their cars were generally bored, and 
 pendants of copper and other ornam-ints were attached. 
 '* Some of their men wear in those holes a small green 
 and yellow-colored snake, near half a yard in length, 
 which, crawling and lapping herself about his neck, often- 
 times would familiarly kiss his lips." 
 
 Their wigwams were much after the usual fashion, warm, 
 but smoky, and stood in the midst of the planting grounds 
 
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 214 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 where they raised their beans, corn, and pompions. About 
 the dwellings of some, mulberry-trees were planted, and 
 fine groves of the same grew naturally in various parts of 
 the country. The English made an attempt to raise silk 
 here, " and surely the worms prospered excellent well till 
 the master-workman fell sick. During which time they 
 were eaten with rats.'* To effect a clearing, the custom 
 of the natives was to girdle the trees by bruising and burn- 
 ing the bark near the root ; and, in the ensuing year, the 
 soil was rudely loosened for the reception of the seed. 
 
 During a great part of the year they were obliged to 
 resort to the natui'al productions of the forest, sea, and 
 rivers for their support ; and, as their diet varied with the 
 season, " even as the deer and wild beasts, they seemed 
 fat and lean, strong and weak." In the spring they re- 
 lied chiefly upon fish and small game ; in summer, before 
 the green corn was ready for use, they were obliged to eke 
 out a subsistence with roots, acorns, and shell-fish. Some 
 species of acorns, besides being useful as food, furnished an 
 oil with which the natives anointed their heads and joints. 
 
 Smith enumerates many of the wild fruits and game 
 which were sought by the Indians, describing them in 
 quaint and forcible language. It is singular to observe 
 how the original Indian names of plants and animals have 
 been altered and corrupted on their adoption by the Eng- 
 lish. All will recognize the " putchamin," whose " fruit is 
 like a medlar; it is first green, then yellow, then red, 
 when it is ripe ; if it be not ripe, it will draw a man's 
 mouth awry, with much torment." Broth or bread made 
 from the " chechinquamin," (chincopin,) was considered a 
 great dainty. 
 
 With a slight change of orthography, the " aroughcun, 
 a beast much like a badger, but which useth to live on 
 trees, as squirrels do," becomes familiar, as do also the 
 ** opassum " and " mussascus." 
 

 INDIANS OP VIRGINIA. 
 
 215 
 
 Among the fish, a kind of ray attracted the worthy cap- 
 tain's special admiration, being " so like the picture of St. 
 George his dragon as possible can be, except his legs and 
 wings." 
 
 The Indians fished with nets, woTen with no little skill ; 
 with hooks of bone ; with the spear ; and with arrows 
 attached to lines. For other game, the principal weapon 
 was the bow and arrow. The arrows were generally 
 headed with bone or flint, but sometimes with the spur 
 of a turkey or a bird's bill. It is astonishing how the stone 
 arrow-heads, which are, to this day, found scattered over 
 our whole country, could have been shaped, or attached 
 to the reed with any degree of firmness. Smith says that 
 a small bone was worn constantly at the " bracert " for the 
 purpose of manufacturing them, — probably to hold the 
 flint while it was chipped into shape by another stone, — 
 and that a strong glue, obtained by boiling deer's horns 
 and sinews, served to fasten them securely. Very soon 
 after intercourse with Europeans commenced, these rude 
 implements were superseded by those of iron. 
 
 Deer were hunted with most effect by driving in large 
 companies, dispersed through the woods. When a single 
 hunter undertook the pursuit, it was usual for him to dis- 
 guise himself in the skin of a deer, thrusting his arm 
 through the neck into the head, which was so stuffed as 
 to resemble that of the living animal. Thus accoutred, he 
 would gradually approach his prey, imitating the motions 
 of a deer as nearly as possible, stopping occasionally, and 
 appearing to be occupied in licking his body, until near 
 enough for a shot. 
 
 In war these Indians pursued much the same course as 
 the other eastern nations. On one occasion, at Mattapa- 
 nicnt, they entertained Smith and his companions with a 
 sham fight, one division taking the part of Monacans, and 
 the other of Powhatans. After the first discharge of 
 
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 216 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 arrows, he says, "they gave such horrible shouts and 
 screeches as so many infernal hell-hounds could not have 
 made them more terrible." During the whole perform- 
 ance, " their actions, voices, and gestures, were so strained 
 to the height of their quality and nature, that the strange- 
 ness thereof made it seem very delightful." Their martial 
 music consisted of the discordant sounds produced by rude 
 drums and rattles. 
 
 CONDUCT OP E 
 SAMOSET. _ ' 
 CAUNBITANT' 
 MORTON. — DI 
 SIGN OF Pllli 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 ■.^V%^*rt/\^^A/WN.V 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CONDUCT OP EARLY VOYAGERS. -ARRIVAL OF THE MAY-FLOWER 
 
 SAMOSET. — TISaUANTUM. — MASSASOIT. — WESTON'S COLONY. — 
 CAUNBITANT»S CONSPIRACY. - TRADE IN FIRE-ARMS. ^ THOMAS 
 MORTON. — DEATH OP MASSASOIT AND ALEXANDER, AND ACCES- 
 SION OF PHILIP. 
 
 " Erewhile, where yon gay spires their brightness rear, 
 Trees waved, and the brown hunter's shouts were loud 
 Amid the forest ; and the bounding deer 
 Fled at the glancing plume, and the gaunt wolf yelled near." 
 
 Bryant. 
 
 It is lamentable to reflect that in the primitive dealings 
 between the venturous Europeans and aborigines of Amer- 
 ica, the kindly welcome and the hospitable reception were 
 the part of the savage, and treachery, kidnapping, and 
 murder too frequently that of the civilized and nominally 
 Christian visitor. 
 
 It appears to have been matter of common custom 
 among these unscrupulous adventurers to seize by force 
 or fraud on the persons of their simple entertainers, and 
 to carry them oflt as curiosities to the distant shores of 
 Europe. Columbus, with kindly motives, brought several 
 of the West Indian natives to the Spanish court ; — others, 
 whom his follower Pinzon had kidnapped, he restored 
 to their friends. Cabot, in his memorable expedition, 
 followed the same example, and the early French discov- 
 
 (217) 
 
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 218 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 erers were peculiarly culpable in this respect. Most atro- 
 cious of all was the conduct of Thomas Hunt, who, in 
 1614, at Monhigon, enticed twenty-four of these unfor- 
 tunate people on board his vessel, and carried them to 
 Malaga, as slaves — an inhuman piece of treachery, to 
 which the English were probably indebted for much of 
 the subsequent hostilities evinced by the Indians of New 
 England. 
 
 On the 6th of September, 1620, the May-Flower, freight- 
 ed with forty-one adventurous enthusiasts, the germ of a 
 western empire, sailed from Plymouth, in England j and 
 on the 9th of the following November arrivcu on the 
 barren and inclement shores of Cape Cod. A few days 
 afterwards a reconnoitring party caught sight of a small 
 number of the natives, who, however, fled at their ap- 
 proach. On the 8th of December a slight and desultory 
 action occurred, the Indians attempting to surprise the 
 Pilgrims by night, "^'^ey were, however, discomfited, and 
 compelled to retr aving, among other trophies, eigh- 
 
 teen arrows, " headed with brass, some with harts' horns, 
 and others with eagles' claws." '■'■-■' - 
 
 On the 11th of December (0. S.), memorable in the 
 annals of America, the little band of Pilgrims landed, and 
 fixed their first settlement at Plymouth. The Indians, it 
 would appear, looked with evil eyes upon the pious colo- 
 nists ; for, says an old narrator, *' they got all the powwows 
 in the countiy, who, for three days together, in a horrid 
 and devilish manner, did curse and execrate them with 
 their conjurations, which assembly and service they held 
 in a dark and dismal swamp. Behold how Satan labored 
 to hinder the gospel from coming into New England." 
 
 The appearance of the friendly chief Samoset, at the 
 settlement ; his welcome in broken English ; his manners 
 and discourse, are quaintly detailed by the historians of 
 the colony. He had acquired some knowledge of the 
 
 IJfTEHyiRn 
 
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 l/fTKKyiK fV OF SJtMOSKT l¥ I T U TUR PILORIJUS. 
 
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 ii 
 

 NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 221 
 
 English language by intercourse with the crews and mas- 
 ters of vessels employed in fishing upon the coast, and 
 readily communicated such information as the settlers re- 
 quii'ed concerning the nature of the country and its inhab- 
 itants. He informed them of the manner in which the 
 district where they were located had been depopulated only 
 four years previous, by some incurable disease ; a circum- 
 stance to which the feeble colony not improbably owed its 
 preservation. 
 
 Before the bold and friendly advances made by Samoset, 
 the only communication between the colonists and the 
 original inhabitants had been of a hostile character. The 
 natural fears and jealousy of the savages, and the supersti- 
 tious horror of the English at the heathenish powwaws 
 and incantations which they witnessed, together with the 
 want of a common language, had kept the little company of 
 adventurers in a state of complete isolation during the whole 
 of the cold and dreary winter that succeeded their arrival. 
 
 It was in the month of March that a peaceful communi- 
 cation was established with the natives, through the inter- 
 vention of Samoset. He introduced, among other of his 
 companions, the noted Tis quantum, or Squanto, who was 
 one of the twenty-four kidnapped by Hunt, at a former 
 period. By his knowledge of the country and coast, and 
 his acquaintance with their language, Squanto became of 
 great service to the colonists, and continued their friend 
 until his death, which took place in 1622, while ho was 
 on his passage down the coast, ir. the capacity of pilot to 
 an expedition fitted out for the purpose of purchasing 
 supplies of corn and other necessaries. Much of romantic 
 interest attaches to the history and adventures of this ser- 
 viceable Indian, both during his captivity and after his 
 restoration to his own country. Escaping by the as- 
 sistance of certain kindly-disposed monks, from Spain, 
 where he, with his companions, had been sold in slavery. 
 
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 222 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 he reached England, and was taken into the employment 
 of a London merchant, named Slancy, by whom hb was 
 sent as pilot, or in some other capacity, to various places 
 on the eastern coast. 
 
 He was brought back to Patuxet, the Indian name of 
 the country in which the pilgrims first landed, by Captain 
 Thomas Dermer, who sailed in the employ of Sir Ferdi- 
 nando Gorges, during the summer preceding the arrival 
 of the May-Flower. After his introduction by Samoset, 
 he remained with his new allies, instructing them in the 
 mode of raising corn, to which they were strangers ; in the 
 best methods of fishing ; and making himself of inestima- 
 ble service. 
 
 By the friendly influence of Squanto and Samoset, who 
 acted as interpreters, a league of amity and mutual protec- 
 tion was eflfected between the colony and the powerful 
 sachem Massasoit, father of the still more celebrated Philip. 
 Massasoit's head-quarters were at Mount Hope, on Narra- 
 gansett bay, overlooking the present town of Bristol ; a 
 striking feature in a landscape of remarkable beauty, and 
 commanding from its summit a magnificent prospect of 
 island, bay and ocean. His authority extended over all 
 the Indian tribes living in the vicinity of the Plymouth 
 colony, and he held an uncertain but influential sway over 
 portions of other nations f'lr into the interior. 
 
 In the month of July, 1621, some of the principal in- 
 habitants of the settlement, among others, Edward Wins- 
 low and Stephen Hopkins, went on an embassy to the court 
 of this chief, as well to observe his power and resources 
 as to renew the amicable treaties before entered into. They 
 carried such attractive ornaments and apparel as would 
 please the eye of a savage. 
 
 They were accompanied by Squanto ; and although their 
 entertainment, both as respects food and lodgings, was but 
 sorry, yet they were received in a spirit of friendliness. 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 223 
 
 They obtained much useful information concerning the sur- 
 rounding tribes, and also learned the power and numbers 
 of the Narragansetts. 
 
 The ship Fortune arrived at Plymouth, in the month of 
 November, bringing out thirty-five emigrants ; but no pro- 
 visions for their support ; in consequence of which, the 
 colony was not long after greatly distressed by want. To 
 add to their troubles and fears, the Narragansetts sent 
 them a hostile message, expressed by a bundle of arrows 
 tied with a snake skin. The skin was returned filled with 
 bullets, and the governor made the spirited reply — "that, 
 if they loved war rather than peace, they might begin when 
 they would." 
 
 The houses were thenceforth enclosed in palings, and 
 every precaution was taken, by watch and ward, to guard 
 against a sudden attack. 
 
 During the ensuing year, 1G22, two ships were sent over 
 from England by a Mr. Thomas Weston, with a consider- 
 able number of colonists ; in one of them came " sixty lusty 
 A new settlement was formed by them at Wesagus- 
 
 men. 
 
 quaset, on Massachusetts Bay, known as "Weston's colony. 
 
 The dishonesty and wastefulness of these new comers 
 produced very injurious effects upon the welfare of the col- 
 ony at large. The hostility of the Indians was excited 
 by their depredations, and, if we may believe the old nar- 
 rations, they were even base enough to circulate among the 
 natives false reports of an intention on the part of the 
 Plymouth authorities to attack them, and forcibly seize their 
 corn and provisions, the time being one of great scarcity. 
 
 AVeston's men were in possession of a small vessel, in 
 which they proposed to their Plymouth neighbors to un- 
 dertake an expedition round Cape Cod, for the purpose of 
 trading for supplies from the natives. After two unsuccess- 
 ful attempts, having been delayed by rough weather, they 
 succeeded in reaching Nauset and Mattachiest, where they 
 
 I 
 
 ■i'-' 
 
 ■uk 
 
■f,.%-VK. 
 
 .>.• 
 
 '^^m 
 
 224 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 obtained a quantity of corn and beans. It was on this 
 voyage that they lost their guide and interpreter Squanto. 
 He had been a highly useful and faithful coadjutor to the 
 colonists ; his only faults being a natui'al inclination to pre- 
 sume upon his importance in his intercourse with his coun- 
 trymen. This led him to exalt himself in their eyes by 
 tales of his great influence over the English, and exagge- 
 rated reports of their powers and skill. He affirmed that 
 they had the plague buried in the ground, which they 
 could, at pleasure, let ^oose for the destruction of the In- 
 dians. On one occasion he was believed, for some purpose 
 of his own, to have raised a false alarm of an attack by the 
 Narragansetts, accompanied by Massasoit. This sachem 
 became at last so exasperated against Squanto, that, on di- 
 vers occasions, he sought to put him to death, and the colo- 
 nists had no small difficulty in preserving their interpreter. 
 
 Great rivalry and jealousy existed between Squanto and 
 Hobamak, another friendly Indian, who served the settlers 
 in a similar capacity. 
 
 In the year 1623, the people at Weston's plantation, 
 principally, as appears, from their own folly and improvi- 
 dence, were reduced to a state of extreme misery and des- 
 titution. They became scattered in small parties, obtaining 
 a precarious subsistence by gathering shell-fish, and by 
 working for or pilfering from the natives. On one occa- 
 sion they actually hanged a man for stealing, in order to 
 pacify the Inc'^'ans ; and although it appears probable that 
 he whom they executed was, in reality, guilty, yet they 
 have been accused of sparing the principal offender, as an 
 able-bodied and serviceable member of the community, 
 and hanging, in his stead, an old and decrepit weaver. 
 See " Hudibras " upon this point. 
 
 An extensive conspiracy was formed among various 
 tribes of the Massachusetts Indians, and others, extending, 
 as some supposed, even to the inhabitants of the island 
 
fl 
 
 '^"^■/V 
 
 .< ...VA. 
 
 "«..»? 
 
 TISqUJI/rTUM, OK SqUAMTOt 
 
 TMS aUiPK AND INTRRrRKTIft OT THE OCI.ONiyTt. 
 
i ■<: 
 
 .»:!*• 
 
 of Capewack, 
 destroying We 
 also. Caunbi 
 distinguished i 
 plot. He had 
 the English, a 
 of fatal tender 
 design was ma 
 outh, by Mass 
 had endeavore 
 their having re 
 Having been, 
 sent for assista 
 low and John 
 been the same 
 for his resistar 
 as interpreter, 
 In order to ( 
 Standish, with 
 set, and atticki 
 men, over^*ow 
 among the rej 
 This chief had 
 the arrival of 
 declared that h 
 man's intcntior 
 he is come to 
 Not long after 
 their knives bcf 
 amongst the res 
 knife that on th 
 I have one that 
 that hath a mai 
 must marry ; b 
 and by eat but 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 227 
 
 of Capewack, or Martha's Vineyard, for the purpose of 
 destroying Weston's colony, and perhaps that at Plymouth 
 also. Caunbitant, or Corbitant, one of Massasoit's most 
 distinguished subordinate chiefs, was a prime mover in this 
 plot. He had always entertained hostile feelings towards 
 the English, and regarded their increase and prosperity as 
 of fatal tendency to the welfare of his own people. The 
 design was made known to some of the chief men of Plym- 
 outh, by Massasoit, (whom the leaders of the conspiracy 
 had endeavored to draw into their plans,) in gratitude for 
 their having restored him from a dangerous fit of sickness. 
 Having been, as he supposed, at the point of death, he 
 sent for assistance to the colony, and Mr. Edward Wins- 
 low and John Hamden, (supposed by some writers to have 
 been the same afterwards so celebrated in English history 
 for his resistance to royal encroachments) with Hobamak 
 as interpreter, were despatched to his assistance. 
 
 In order to check the purposed uprising. Captain Miles 
 Standish, with only eight men, proceeded to Wesagusqua- 
 set,and attacking the Indians, in conjunction with Weston's 
 men, over^<owcred them, killing six of their number ; 
 among the rest, the noted and dangerous Wittuwamat. 
 This chief had displayed great boldness and spirit. On 
 the arrival of Standish, he, with others of his company, 
 declared that he was in no wise ignorant of the English- 
 man's intentions. '* * Tell Standish,' said he, * we know 
 he is come to kill us, but let him begin when he dare.* 
 Not long after, many would come to the fort, and whet 
 their knives before him, with many braving speeches. One 
 amongst the rest was by Wittuwamat's bragging he had a 
 knife that on the handle had a woman's face, but at home 
 I have one that hath killed both French and English, and 
 that hath a man's face upon it, and by and by these two 
 must marry ; but this here by and by shall see, and by 
 and by eat but not speak." Of the manner of this In- 
 
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 228 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 dian's death, and that of Peksuot, one of his principal com- 
 panions, killed by Standish himself in a desperate hand to 
 hand struggle, Winslow says : " But it is incredible how 
 many wounds these two panieses received before they died 
 not making any fearful noise, but catching at their weap- 
 ons and striving to the last." Wittuwamat had often ex- 
 pressed great contempt of the English for their want of 
 fortitude, declaring that " they died crying, making sour 
 faces, more like children than men." A brother of this 
 chief, only eighteen years of age, they hanged. 
 
 The Weston plantation was, however, broken up, the 
 survivors, much reduced in numbers by sickness and want 
 setting sail in their vessel for the eastward, to join the 
 fishing squadron on the coast : as the old historian has it, 
 " here see the effects of pride and vain-glory." Thomas 
 Weston himself, nftcr a singular series of misfortunes 
 oi:ly arrived at Plymouth to learn ihc disastrous fate of his 
 colony. 
 
 The system of ^.orking the land in common was this 
 year abandoned by the Plymouth colonists, and a portion 
 of land set apart to each man ; a change >vhich produced 
 the most ^ivorablc results. 
 
 In tl:! course of a few years from the formation of the 
 "Plymouth colony, the Indians, in spite of a royal procla- 
 ni ition forbidding the traffic, began to supply themselves 
 with firearms and ammunition, the use of which they ac- 
 quired with singular facility. The trade for these danger- 
 ous articles first commenced upon the eastern coast, where 
 they were brought by English, French and Dutch fishing 
 vessels, and was further extended into the interior in 1G28, 
 by one Thomas Morton, a notable contemner of godliness, 
 and long a thorn in the side of the sober colonists. Besides 
 his capital offence of teaching the Indians the use of fire- 
 arms, and driving a profitable trade with them in these 
 deadly weapons, he became, as Morton has it, " a lord of 
 
 it: 
 
!!,,J"!\ j 
 
 
 NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 229 
 
 misrule," with a set of disorderly companions who had 
 been brought out in the same ship with him. They spent 
 what they gained by unlawful trade in " vainly quaffing 
 and drinking both wine and strong liquors to great excess 
 — setting up a May-pole, drinking and dancing about it, 
 and frisking about it like so many fairies, or furies rather." 
 This May-pole was cut down by Endicott, and Morton 
 was seized and sent to England, where he wrote an " in- 
 famous and scurrilous book * (The New Canaan),' against 
 many godly and chief men of the country." In 1633, a 
 year memorable for the first English settlement "^n the 
 Connecticut, by William Holmes, in spite of the opposi- 
 tion of the Dutch, a " pestilent fever " carried off many, 
 lyOth of the colonists and Indians thereabout. 
 
 Morton, in his " New England's Memorial," says that 
 " It is to be observed that, the spring before this sickness, 
 tliere was a numerous company of flies, which were like, 
 for bigness, unto wasps or bumble-bees ; they came out of 
 little holes in the ground, and did eat up the green things, 
 and made such a constant yelling noise as made the woods 
 ring of them, and ready to deafen the hearers." The In- 
 dians prophesied sickness from this sign. 
 
 No very serious hostilities occurred between the Plvm- 
 outh colonists and the natives, from the period of which 
 we have been speaking, until the year 1G37, memorable 
 for the extirpation of the Pequots. The causes and con- 
 duct of this campaign, marked as it was by the most sav- 
 age ferocity on the part of both Indians and English, will 
 be detailed in a succeeding chapter. 
 
 In the year 1639, Massasoit, or, as he is generally styled 
 at this period, Woosamequen, brought his eldest son Mooa- 
 iiam, otherwise called Wamsutta, to the court at Plymouth, 
 and solemnly renewed the former league of peace and 
 amity with the colony. 
 
 V, 
 
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 230 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 After the death of the friendly and powerful sachem 
 his sons Wamsutta and Metacomet contmued their profes- 
 sion of good-will towards the English. About 1656, they 
 presented themselves to the court at Plymouth, and, by 
 their own request, received English names. Wamsutta 
 was denominated Alexander, and Metacomet, Philip, lonw 
 after a name of terror to the colonies. 
 
 In 1662, Alexander, having been suspected of being 
 engaged with the Narragansetts in plans hostile to the 
 English settlers, was taken by surprise, and forcibly car- 
 ried to Plymouth. This indignity is said so to have chafed 
 his proud spirit, that it threw him into a fever, of which 
 he died shortly after. Contradictory reports have been 
 handed down to us concerning the manner of his treatment 
 during this brie^ -aptivity, and the circumstances attending 
 his death. 
 
 Shortly after this event, Philip, now sachem of Pocanoket, 
 came to the court at Plymouth, with renewed acknowl- 
 edgments of subjection to the king of England, and prom- 
 ises to fulfil all engagements theretofore entered into by 
 himself, his father, and brother. He covenanted, more- 
 over, not to sell any of his lands to strangers without the 
 knowledge and consent of the authorities at Plymouth. 
 
' ■>-..•• •■../■■•,'• f I 
 
 "i- ■.<■»..■•.■ .•■; 
 
 
 Ti/ff coAo.v/srs aoij^o to church jirmkd 
 
 DURINO THE rERIOD OF THE EARLY INDIAN WARS. 
 
THE NARRAGA 
 OLDHAM. — E 
 STRUCTION < 
 SUBDUED. 
 
 "Dark t 
 The In 
 Here c 
 Here h 
 Speare( 
 And sli 
 Here h 
 Singing 
 Here st 
 And wt 
 
 The islanc 
 which still hei 
 European sett 
 powerful trib( 
 extended thirt 
 the country o: 
 rated by the P 
 Their chief 
 governed the t 
 nephew Miantc 
 founder of the 
 always noted 
 towards the na 
 and exercised 
 power might h 
 Canonicus, he 
 of his death. 
 Mr. Willian 
 
 wm 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 233 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE NARRAGANSETTS. — THE PEaUOTS. — MURDER OP STONE AND 
 OLDHAM. — ENDICOTT'S EXPEDITION. — THE PEQUOT WAR. — DE- 
 STRUCTION OF THE PEaUOT FORT. — THE TRIBE DISPERSED AND 
 SUBDUED. 
 
 " Dark as the frost-nipped leaves that strew the ground, 
 The Indian hunter here his shelter found ; 
 Here cut his bow, and shaped his arrows true, 
 Here built his >vigwam and his bark canoe, 
 Speared the quick salmon leaping up the fall. 
 And slew the deer without the rifle ball ; 
 Here his young squaw her cradling-tree would choose, 
 Singing her chant to hush her swart pappoose ; 
 Here stain her quills, and string her trinkets rude. 
 And weave her warrior's wampum in the wood.'' 
 
 Brainard. 
 
 The islands and western shores of the beautiful bay 
 which still bears their name were, at the time of the first 
 European settlement, in the possession of the great and 
 powerful tribe of the Narragansetts. Their dominions 
 extended thirty or forty miles to the westward, as far as 
 the country of the Pequots, from whom they were sepa- 
 rated by the Pawcatuck river. 
 
 Their chief sachem was the venerable Canonicus, who 
 
 governed the tribe, with the assistance and support of his 
 
 nephew Miantonimo. The celebrated Roger "Williams, the 
 
 founder of the Rhode Island and Providence plantations, 
 
 always noted for his kindness, justice, and impartiality 
 
 towards the natives, was high in favor with the old chief, 
 
 and exercised an influence over him, without which his 
 
 power might have been fatally turned against the English. 
 
 Canonicus, he informs us, loved him as a son to the day 
 
 of his death. 
 
 Mr. William? had been obliged to leave the colony at 
 14 
 
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 234 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 the eastward, in consequence of his religious opinions 
 which did not coincide with those so strictly interwoven 
 with the government and policy of the Puritans. He was 
 a man of whose enterprise and wisdom the state which he 
 first settled is justly proud, and whose liberal and mag- 
 nanimous disposition stands out in striking relief when 
 compared with the intolerant and narrow-minded prejudices 
 of his contemporaries. 
 
 Miantonimo is described as a warrior of a tall and 
 commanding appearance ; proud and magnanimous ; " sub- 
 tile and cunning in his contrivements ; " and of undaunted 
 
 courage. 
 
 The Pequots and Mohegans, who formed but one tribe, 
 and were governed during the early period of English 
 colonization by one sachem, appear to have emigrated 
 from the west not very long before the first landing of 
 Europeans on these shores. They were entirely discon- 
 nected with the surrounding tribes, with whom they were 
 engaged in continual hostilities, and were said to have 
 reached the country they then inhabited from the north. 
 They probaidy formed a portion of the Mohican or Mohe- 
 gan nation on the Hudson, and arrived at the sea-coast by 
 a circuitous route, moving onward in search of better hunt- 
 ing grounds, or -desirous of the fiicilities for procuring sup- 
 port offered by the productions of the sea. 
 
 In various warlike incursions they had gained a partial 
 possession of extensive districts upon the Connecticut 
 river, and from them the early Dutch settlers purchased 
 the title to the lands they occupied in that region. 
 
 In the year 1634:, -^ne .Captain Stone, a trader from Vir- 
 ginia, of whom the early narrators give rather an evil report, 
 having put into the Connecticut river in a small vessel, was 
 killed, together with his whole crew, by a party of Indiaus 
 whom he had suffered to remain on board his vessel. 
 
 Two years later, a Mr- John Oldham was murdered at 
 
^•?l!^-v*i.| 
 
 NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 235 
 
 Block Island, (called Manisscs in the Indian tongue,) by a 
 body of natives. They were discovered in possession of 
 the vessel, and endeavoring to make their escape, were 
 most of them drowned. 
 
 The Narragansetts and Pequots both denied having 
 participated in this last outrage, and, as respects Stone and 
 his companions, although the Pequots afterwards acknowl- 
 edged that some of their people were the guilty parties, 
 yet they averred that it was done in retaliation for the 
 murder of one of their own sachems by the Dutch, deny- 
 ing that they knew any distinction between the Dutch and 
 English. 
 
 To revenge the death of Oldham, an expedition was 
 fitted out from "Massachusetts, with the avowed determina- 
 tion of destroying all the male inhabitants of Block Island, 
 and of enforcing heavy tribute from the Pequots. Those 
 engaged in the undertaking, under the command of Endi- 
 cott, landed on the island, ravaged the corn-fields, and 
 burned the wigwams of the inhabitants ; but the islanders 
 succeeded in concealing themselves in the thickets, so that 
 few were killed. Endicott thence proceeded to the Pcquot 
 country, notwithstanding the remonstrances of Gardiner, 
 commander of the garrison at Saybrook, who told him that 
 the cohsequence would only be to ** raise a hornet's nest 
 about their ears." 
 
 Disembarking near the mouth of the Thames, the ad- 
 venturers were surrounded by a large body of savages, 
 mostly unarmed, who questioned them of their purposes 
 with much surprise and curiosity. The English demanded 
 the murderers, whom they allege;; to be harbored there, 
 or their heads. The Indians replied that their chief sa- 
 chem, Snssa;us, was absent, and sent or pretended to send 
 parties in search of the persons demanded. Endicott, im- 
 patient of delay, and suspecting deceit, drove them off, 
 after a slight skirmish, and proceeded to ^.ay waste their 
 
 
'. A 
 
 , V '« 
 
 
 
 236 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 corn-fields and wigwams, destroying their canoes and dointf 
 them incalculable mischief. 
 
 The same operations were carried on the next day, upon 
 the opposite bank of the river, after which the party set 
 sail for home. 
 
 The effect of procedures like these, was such as might 
 have been expected. The hostility of the Pequots toM'ards 
 the whites was from this period implacable. 
 
 For several years the tribe had been engaged in a desul- 
 tory war with the Narragansctts, arising from a quarrel 
 in 1632, respecting the boundary of their respective do- 
 mains. Sassacus at once perceived the necessity or policy 
 of healing this breach, and procuring the assistance of his 
 powerful neighbors in the anticipated struggle. He there- 
 fore sent ambassadors to Canonicus, charged with proposals 
 of treaty, and of union against the usurping English. 
 
 A grand council of the Narragansett sachems was called, 
 and the messengers, according to Morton, " used many 
 pernicious arguments to move them thereunto, as that the 
 English were strangers, and began to overspread their 
 country, and would deprive them thereof in time, if they 
 were suffered to grow and increase ; " that they need not 
 *' come to open battle with them, but fire their houses, kill 
 their cattle, and lie in ambush for them," all with little 
 danger to themselves. 
 
 The Narragansctts hesitated, and would not improbably 
 have acceded to the proposals but for the intervention and 
 persuasion of their friend Roger Williams. His influence, 
 combined with the hope, so dear to an Indian heart, of 
 being revenged upon their old adversaries, finally pre- 
 vailed. Miantonimo, with a number of other chiefs and 
 warriors, proceeded to Boston ; was received with much 
 parade ; and concluded a treaty of firm alliance with the 
 English, stipulating not to make peace with the Pequots, 
 without their assent. 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 237 
 
 Meantime, during this same year (1637), the Pcquots 
 had commenced hostilities by attacking the settlers on the 
 Connecticut. They lay concealed about the fort at Say- 
 brook, ready to seize any of the little garrison who should 
 be found without the walls. 
 
 In several instances they succeeded in making captives, 
 whom they tortured to death with their usual savage cru- 
 elty. Among the rest, a " godly young man of the name 
 of Butterfield," was taken, and roasted alive. 
 
 The boldness, an-d even temerity of the few occupants 
 of the fort, with these horrors staring them in the face, is 
 surprising. Gardiner, their governor, on one occasion, ex- 
 asperated a body of Indians who had come forward for a 
 species of parley, by mocking, daring, and taunting them 
 ia their own style of irony and vituperation. 
 
 The colonists appear to have been even more horror- 
 stricken and enraged at the blasphemous language of their 
 wild opponents, than at their implacable cruelty. When 
 they tortured a prisoner, they would bid him call upon his 
 God, and mock and deride him if he did so, in a manner not 
 unlike that recorded in the case of a more illustrious sufferer. 
 
 They told Gardiner that they had " killed. Englishmen, 
 and could kill them like mosquitoes ; " and that there was 
 one among them who, " if he could kill one more English- 
 man, would be equal with God." 
 
 Joseph Tilly, commander of a trading vessel, a man de- 
 scribed as " brave and hardy, but passionate and wilful,'* 
 going on shore, incautiously, and against the advice of 
 Gardiner, was taken by the savages, and tortured to death 
 in the most lingering and cruel manner, being partially 
 dismembered, and slowly burned to death by lighted 
 splinters thrust into his flesh. His conduct in this extrem- 
 ity excited the lasting admiration of his tormentors ; for, 
 like one of their own braves, he endured all with silent 
 fortitude. 
 
 

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 'ill 
 
 238 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 The Indians were accustomed to imitate and deride the 
 cries and tokens of pain which they usually elicited from 
 the whites, as being unworthy of men, and tolerable only 
 in women or children. 
 
 In April of this year (1637), an attack was made upon 
 the village of Wothersfield, by a body of Pequots, as- 
 sisted or led by other Indians of the vicinity, whose enmi- 
 ty had been excited by some unjust treatment on the part 
 of the white inhabitants. Three women and six men of 
 the colonists were killed, and cattle and other property 
 destroyed or carried off to a considerable extent. Tm^o 
 young girls, daughters of one Abraham Swain, were taken 
 and carried into captivity. Their release was afterwards 
 obtained by some Dutch traders, who inveigled a number 
 of Pequots on board their vessel, and threatened to throw 
 them into the sea if the girls were not delivered up. Dur- 
 ing the time that these prisoners were in the power of the 
 Indians, they received no injury, but were treated with 
 uniform kindness, a circumstance which, with many others 
 of the saw nature, marks the character of the barbarians 
 as being by no means destitute of the finer feelings of 
 humanity. 
 
 The settlers on the Connecticut now resolved upon ac- 
 tive operations against the Pequot tribe. Although the 
 whole number of whites upon the river, capable of doing 
 military service, did not exceed three hundred, a force of 
 ninety men was raised and equipped. Captain John Ma- 
 son, a soldier by profession, and a bold, energetic man, was 
 appointed to the command of the expedition, and the Rev- 
 erend Mr. Stone, one of the first preachers at Hartford, 
 who had accompanied his people across the wilderness, at 
 the time of the first settlement of that town, undertook the 
 office of chaplain — a position of far greater importance 
 and responsibility, in the eyes of oui" forefathers, than is 
 accorded to it at the present day. 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 239 
 
 Letters were written to the authorities of Massachusetts, 
 requesting assistance, inasmuch as the war was owing, in 
 no small measure, to the ill-advised and worse-conducted 
 expedition sent forth, as we have before described, by that 
 colony. The required aid was readily furnished, and a 
 considerable body of men, under the command of Daniel 
 Patrick, was sent to the Narragansett. sachem, to procure 
 his cooperation, and afterwards to join the forces of Mason. 
 
 The little army was further increased by the addition 
 of a party of Indians, led by a chief afterwards so cele- 
 brated in the annals of the colony, as to deserve more 
 than a casual mention upon the occasion of this, his first 
 introduction to the reader. 
 
 Uncas, a sachem of the Mohegans, whom we have be- 
 fore mentioned as forming a portion of the Pequot tribe, 
 had, some time previous to the events which we are now 
 recording, rebelled against the authority of Sassacus, his 
 superior sachem, to whom he was connected by ties of 
 affinity and relationship. 
 
 He is described as having been a man of great strenayi 
 and courage, but grasping, cunning, and treacherous, ami 
 possessed of little of that magnanimity which, though 
 counterbalanced by faults peculiar to his race, distinguished 
 his implacable foe, Miantonimo the Narragansett. 
 
 With his followers, a portion of whom were Mohegans, 
 and the rest, as is supposed, Indians from the districts on 
 the Connecticut, who had joined themselves to his fortunes, 
 Uncas now made common cause with the whites against 
 his own nation. Gardiner, the commandant at Saybrook, 
 to test his fidelity, despatched him in pursuit of a small 
 party of hostile Indians, whose position he had ascertained. 
 Uncas accomplished his mission, killing a portion of them, 
 and returning with one prisoner. This captive the In- 
 dians were allowed by the English to torture to death, and 
 they proceeded to pull him asunder, fastening one leg to 
 
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 240 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 a post, and tying a rope to the other, of which they laid 
 hold. Underhill, elsewhere characterized as a " bold, bad 
 man," had, on this occasion, the humanity to shorten the 
 torment of the victim by a pistol-shot. 
 
 The plan of campaign adopted by Mason, after much 
 debate, was to sail for the country of the Narragansetls, 
 and there disembarking, to come upon the enemy by land 
 from an unexpected direction. 
 
 Canonicus and Miantonimo received the party in a 
 friendly manner, approving the design, but proffering no 
 assistance. ^ 
 
 Intelligence was here received of the approach of Cap- 
 tain Patrick and his men from INIassachusetts ; but Mason 
 determined to lose no time by waiting for their arrival, 
 lest information of the movement should in the meantime 
 reach the camp of the Pequots. The next day, therefore, 
 which was the 4th of June, the vessels, in which the com- 
 pany had arrived from Saybrook, set sail for Pequot river, 
 manned by a few whites and Indians, while the main body 
 proceeded on their march across the country. About sixty 
 Indians, led by Uncas, were of the party. 
 
 A large body of Narragansetts and Nchantics attended 
 them on their march, at one time to the number, as was 
 supposed, of nearly five hundred. In Indian style, they 
 made great demonstration of valor and determination ; but 
 as they approached the head-quarters of the terrible tribe 
 that had held them so long in awe, their hearts began to 
 fail. Many slunk away, and of those who still hung in the 
 rear, none but Uncas and Wequash, a Nehantic sachem, 
 were ready to share in the danger of the first attack. 
 
 The Pequot camp was upon the summit of a high 
 rounded hill, still known as Pequot hill, in the present 
 town of Groton, and was considered by the Indians as 
 impregnable. The people of Sassacus had seen the Eng- 
 
A 
 
 "t •: -1- 
 
 NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 241 
 
 Hsh vessels pass by, and supposed that danger was for the 
 present averted. After a great feast and dance of exulta- 
 tion at their safety and success, the camp was sunk in sleep 
 and silence. Mason and his men, who had encamped 
 among some rocks near the head of Mystic river, ap- 
 proached the Pequot fortification a little before day, on the 
 5th of June. 
 
 The alarm was first given by the barking of a dog, 
 followed by a cry from some one within, of "Owanux, 
 Owanux " — the Indian term for Englishmen — upon 
 which the besiegers rushed forward to the attack. 
 
 The fort was, as usual, encloued with thick palisades, a 
 narrow entrance being left, which was barred by a pile of 
 brushwood. Breaking through this, Mason and his com- 
 panions fell upon the startled Pequots, and maintained for 
 some time an uncertain hand to hand conflict, until, all 
 order being lost, he camo to the savage determination to 
 fire the wigwams. This was done, and the dry materials 
 of which these rude dwellings were composed blazed with 
 fearful rapidity. 
 
 The warriors fought desperately, but their bow-strings 
 snapped from the heat, and the Narragansetts, now coming 
 up, killed all who attempted to escape. The scene within 
 was ^ orrible beyond description. The whole number de^ 
 stroyeel (mostly by the flames) was supposed to be over 
 four hundred, no small portion of which consisted of wo- 
 men and children. 
 
 The spirit of the times cannot be better portrayed than 
 by citing the description of this tragedy given by Morton : 
 " At this time it was a fearful sight to see them thus fry- 
 ing in the fire, and the streams of blood quenching the 
 same ; and horrible was the stink and scent thereof ; but 
 the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice, and they gave the 
 praise thereof to God, who had wrought so wonderfully 
 for them, thus to enclose their enemies in their hands, and 
 
 
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 242 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 give them so speedy a victory over so proud, insulting, and 
 blasphemous an enemy." Dr. Increase Mather, in much 
 the same vein, says : " This day we brought six hundred 
 Indian souls to hell." 
 
 In looking back upon this massacre, although much 
 allowance mast be made for the rudeness of the age, and 
 the circumstances of terror and anxiety which surrounded 
 the early set'ors, yet we must confess that here, as on 
 other occasions, they exhibited thi- itmost unscrupulous- 
 ness as to the means by which a desired end should be ac- 
 complished. 
 
 The loss of the attacking party in this engagement was 
 trifling in the extreme, only two of their numl r bein^ 
 killed, and about twenty wounded. Captain Patrick with 
 his soldiers from Massachusetts, did not reach the scene of 
 action in time to take part in it — Underbill, however, with 
 twenty men, was of the party. 
 
 The result of this conflict was fatal to the Pequots as a 
 nation. After a few unavailing attempts to revenge their 
 wrongs, they burned their remaining camp, and commenced 
 their flight to the haunts of their forefathers at the west- 
 ward. 
 
 They were closely pursued by the whites and their In- 
 dian allies, and hunted and destroyed like wild beasts. 
 The last important engagement was in a swamp at Fair- 
 field, where they were completely overcome. Most of the 
 warriors were slain, fighting bravely to the last, and the 
 women and children were distributed as servants among the 
 colonists or shipped as slaves to the West Indies ; "We 
 send the male children," says Winthrop, " to Burmuda, 
 by Mr. William Pierce, and the women and maid children 
 are dispersed about in the towns." It is satisfactory to re- 
 flect that these wild domestics proved rather a source of 
 annoyance than service to their enslavers. 
 
 Sassacus, Mononotto, and a few other Pequot warriors, 
 
■iV'jri 
 
 ^■•-if.;«.-.Vl. 
 
 NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 243 
 
 succeeded in effecting their escape to the Mohawks, who, 
 however, put the sachem and most of his companions to 
 death, either to oblige the English or the Narragansetts. 
 
 The members of the tribe who still remained in Con- 
 necticut were finally brought into complete subjection. 
 Many of them joined the forces of the now powerful Un- 
 cas; others were distributed between the Narragansetts 
 and Mohegans ; and no small number were taken and de- 
 liberately massacred. ii 
 
 The colonial authorities demanded that all Pequots who 
 had been in any way concerned in shedding English blood 
 should be slain, and Uncas had no small difficulty in re- 
 taining his useful allies, and at the same time satisfying 
 the powerful strangers whose patronage and protection 
 he so assiduously courted. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 '^t 
 
 aUARRELS BETWEEN THE NARRAGANSETTS AND MOHEGANS. — (JNCAS 
 AND MIANTONIMO. — THE MOHEGAN LAND CONTROVERSY. —SUBSE- 
 QUENT CONDITION OF THE PEQUOTS AND MCHEGANS. 
 
 A SMALL body of the Pequots made one more futile 
 attempt 10 settle in their old country ; but a company was 
 sent against them, and they were driven off; their provis- 
 ions were plundered, and their wigwams destroyed. 
 
 The destruction of this powerful tribe left a large extent 
 of country unoccupied ; to no small portion of which Un- 
 cas laid claim by virtue of his relationship to Sassacus. 
 The power and influence of this subtle and warlike chief 
 had become, by this time, vastly extended, not only by 
 treaty and alliance with the Europeans, but by continual 
 addition to the number of his warriors ; a^ many straggling 
 
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 244 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Pequots, and wanderers from other tribes, were eager to 
 join his rising fortunes. 
 
 Between him and Miantonimo, old feelings of jealousy, 
 rivalry, and national antipathy were now aroused anew by 
 various acts of petty hostility and mutual treachery. Un- 
 cas and his followers succeeded in exciting in the minds of 
 the English a deep and abiding mistrust of the Narragan- 
 setts, which Miantonimo, upon repeated citations before 
 the court at Plymouth, was unable wholly to remove. His 
 wisciom, cautiousness, and sagacity, excited the admiration 
 of all who heard him, but, with al^ his tact, he failed to 
 convince the authorities of his good faith and innocent in- 
 tentions. 
 
 The animosity of the two chiefs at last broke out into 
 open hostilities. Miantonimo, accompanied, as was com- 
 puted, by over nine hundred warriors, came suddenly upon 
 Uncas, who was supported by only about half that number 
 of effective followers. Before joining battle, the Mohcgan 
 sachem challenged his opponent to single combat, propos- 
 ing that the vanquished party should, with his men, submit 
 to the victor. 
 
 Miantonimo recusing to accede to this proposal, Uncas, 
 according to a preconcerted signal, prostrated himself; and 
 his warriors, disc^iarging a flight of arrows, rushed forward 
 with such impetuosity that, despite the disparity of num- 
 bers, they completely routed the Narragansetts, and drove 
 them from the field. 
 
 The chief of the invaders was taken prisoner in his 
 flight by Uncas himself, assisted by two other warriors. 
 He had been impeded in his motions by an old corselet, a 
 piece of defensive armor which had been presented to liim 
 by an English friend, but which proved fatal to him. See 
 ing that resistance was hopeless, he seated himself upon 
 the ground, with true Indian stoicism and silence. 
 
 Uncas took his prisonei to Hartford, and requested the 
 

 ^•;^i!P.-i»^';^r;\''j> 
 
 NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 245 
 
 advice of the authorities as to what course he should pur- 
 sue respecting him. They referred the question to the 
 general court of commissioners for New England, which 
 sat at Boston, in September, (1643). The court, unwilling 
 to undertake the responsibility of ordering the death of the 
 illustrious c. ptive, submitted the matter to the decision of 
 the clergy, then in high council at the same city. These 
 worthies, less scrupulous than the laity, came to the con- 
 clusion that his life must pay the forfeit of his attacks 
 upon Uncas, and his general turbulence, not to mention 
 the fact that he had, in one instance, beaten a follower of 
 a sachem who was allied to the English ! 
 
 The unfortunate sachem was therefore redelivered into 
 the hands of the Mohegans for execution, and two of the 
 English were appointed to attend the proceeding, and see 
 that he was put to death without torture. There is some 
 discrepancy in the accounts as to the place where Mian- 
 tonimo met his llxtc, but it appears to have been in the 
 township of Norwich, where a pile of stones was long after 
 pointed out as marking his grave. The manner of his 
 death was this : Uncas, with his brother Wawequa, and a 
 party of other Indians, accompanied by the two whites, 
 was leading his prisoner along a path, when, at a silent 
 signal from the chief, Wawequa buried his tomahawk in 
 the skull of the captive from behind. It is said that Un- 
 cas cut a portion of flesh from the shoulder of his fallen 
 enemy, and ate it, declaring that it was the " sweetest meat 
 he ever ate ; it made his heart strong." 
 
 The Narragansetts lamented bitterly over the untimely 
 end of their famous and beloved sachem, and complained 
 of the treachery of Uncas, averring that large quantities 
 of wampum had been sent as ransom to the Mohegans, and 
 appropriated by them, regardless of the conditions attend- 
 ing its mission. 
 
 Pessacus, a brother of Miantonimo, continued to make 
 
 
 
 , ■■■■: ■..-■»«.: 
 
 .» 
 
 ♦ 1 
 
-w^ 
 
 
 * 
 
 
 246 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 troublesome inroads upon the Mohegan domains, but the 
 English still held Uncas in favor, and warned the Narra- 
 gan setts that they would support him should he req[uire 
 their aid. 
 
 In 1G44, the complaints and mutual recriminations of 
 the rival tribes were heard and examined by the commis- 
 sioners of the colonies, who decided that Pessacus had not 
 proved his charges, and enforced a temporary treaty. This 
 was soon violated by the Narragansetts, who continued 
 their depredations as heretofore ; and in the ensuing spring, 
 Pessacus, having done great damage to his opponent by 
 predatory excursions, finally besieged him in a fort on the 
 Thames, where he would probably have reduced him by 
 famine, had hot supplies been secretly furnished by certain 
 of the English. 
 
 The tyranny and exactions of Uncas over the Pequots 
 who had become subject to him, aroused their indignation ; 
 while his treachery towards his own people, and alliance 
 with the whites, secured 'him the hostility of every neigh- 
 boring tribe. He was engaged in perpetual quarrels with 
 Ninigret, a celebrated Nchantic sachem ; with Sequassen, 
 whose authority at an earlier date extended over the Tunxis 
 tr'be, at the westward of the Connecticut ; and with the 
 grieved and revengeful Narragansetts. 
 
 Whenever these interminable disputes were brought be- 
 fore the court of the New England commissioners, the 
 decisions of that body appear to have favored the Mohegan. 
 Assisted by the counsel of a crafty and subtle Indian, 
 named Foxun or Poxen, who served him in the capacity 
 of chief advocate and adviser, and whose wisdom and sa- 
 gacity were widely noted, he generally managed to explain 
 away his iniquities ; at least so far as to satisfy an audience 
 already prejudiced in his ftivor. When his crimes were 
 not to be concealed, a reprimand and caution were gen- 
 erally the extent of his punishment. 
 
INDIAN8 OP NEW ENGLAND. 
 
 247 
 
 On the other hand, when suspicions arose against the Nar- 
 ragansetts, the most prompt and violent proceedings were re- 
 sorted to : the payment of an immense amount of wampum 
 was exacted ; the delivery of hostages from among the prin- 
 cipal people of the tribe was demanded ; and threats of war 
 and extermination were used to humble and humiliate them. 
 
 In Scptembor, 1655, a few of the scattered Pequots who 
 had not joined the forces of Uncas, were allowed a resting- 
 place by the commissioners, upon a portion of the south- 
 eastern sea-coast of Connecticut, and their existence as a 
 separate tribe was formally acknowledged. 
 
 This little remnant of the crushed and overthrown na- 
 tion had been, for some time, under the guidance of two 
 self-constituted sachems, one commonly called Robin Cas- 
 sinament, a Pequot, and the other Cushawashet, a nephew 
 of Ninigrct, known among the EngliGh as Hcrmon Garret. 
 
 They had formed small settlements upon the tract now 
 allotted to them, which they were allowed to retain upon 
 payment of tribute, in wampum, to the colonies, and the 
 adoption of a prescribed code of laws. Their governors 
 were to be chosen by the English ; and Cushawashet and 
 Cassinament received the first appointment. 
 
 It Avill readily be perceived to what an extent the power 
 and control of the colonists over the affairs of the Indians 
 in their vicinity, had increased, even at this early period. 
 The natives were now glad to settle down under the pro- 
 tection of their masters ; to pay yearly tribute as amends 
 for former hostilities ; and to hire the lands of which they 
 had been so short a time previous the undisturbed possessors. 
 
 It is pitiful to read of the coarse coats, the shovels, the 
 hoes, the knives, and jews-harps, in exchange for which 
 they had parted with their broad lands. Uttei-ly improvi- 
 dent, and incapable of foreseeing, or hopeless of averting 
 the ascendency of the whites, they yielded to their exac- 
 tions, and submitted to their dictation. . 
 
 fe'4' ■ 
 
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 f! " ;'.t' 
 
 >!,.■■ 
 
 248 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Sauntering indolently about the settlements, and wasting 
 their energies by excess in the use of the novel means of 
 excitement offered by " strong waters," they lost much of 
 that native pride, dignity, and self-respect which distin- 
 guished them when intercourse with foreigners first com- 
 menced. Their numbers, which appear to have been 
 grossly exaggerated, even in their most flourishing days, 
 were rapidly diminishing ; their game was becoming scarce ; 
 and the refinements and comforts of civilization, rude indeed 
 as compared to what now exists, presented to their eyes at 
 th<3 white settlements, only aggravated the consciousness 
 of their own poverty and distress. 
 
 The Tunxis and Podunk Indians, who inhabited either 
 side of the Connecticut, in the vicinity of the English set- 
 tlements ; the Quinnipiacs on the sound, where New Haven 
 now stands ; the Nehantics, to the eastward of the river ; 
 and the feeble Pequot settlement, were subject to, or in 
 effect, under the control of the colonists : Uncas was their 
 " friend and fust ally ; " and the Narragansetts, though under 
 suspicion of various treacherous plans, were nominally at 
 peace with the whites, and quelled by the terror of their arms. 
 
 This condition of affairs continued, with the exception 
 of the great and final struggle between the colonists and 
 the natives, known as Philip's war — to be detailed in a 
 succeeding article — until the death of Uncas, about the 
 year 1682. He left the title to his extensive domains in- 
 volved in inextricable confusion. In consequence of deeds 
 and grants from himself and his sons Owenoco and Attawan- 
 hood, to various individuals among the white settlers, and 
 for various purposes, the effect of which conveyances were 
 probably unknown to the grantors, numerous contradictory 
 claims arose. The same tracts were made over to different 
 persons ; one grant would extend over a large portion of 
 another ; and, to crown all, Uncas, in the year 1659, had 
 aliened his whole possessions by deed, regularly witnessed, 
 
 11 
 
,«■ t. 
 
 . • • ' 
 
 NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 249 
 
 to John Mason, of Norwich. This conveyance was evi- 
 dently intended by the sachem merely to confer a general 
 power as overseer or trustee upon a man whom he con- 
 sidered as friendly to his interests, and whose knowledge 
 would prove a protection against the overreaching of pro- 
 posed purchasers. According to the Indian understand- 
 ing of the transaction was the claim of Mason and his 
 heirs, who arrogated to themselves no further interest or 
 authority than that above specified. The Connecticut 
 colony, by virtue of a general deed of " surrender of juris- 
 diction," obtained from Mason, insisted on an unqualified 
 property in the whole domain. 
 
 Owenoco succeeded his fiither as sachem of the Mohe- 
 gans, and pursued a similar course to secure his lands, 
 conveying them to the sons of Mason as trustees. His 
 Indian improvidence and intemperance led him to disre- 
 gard this arrangement, and to give deeds of various tracts 
 included in the trust conveyance, without the knowledge 
 or assent of the overseer. In July, of the year 1704, in 
 order to settle the conflicting claims of the whites and In- 
 dians, and to restore to the tribe the portions illegally 
 obtained from them, a royal commission was obtained from 
 England, by some friends of the Mohegans, to examine 
 and settle the disputed questions. 
 
 The colony protested against the proceeding, denying 
 the authority of the crown to determine upon the matter, 
 and refused to appear before the commissioners. The 
 conduct of the case being ex parte, a decision was given in 
 favor of the Mohegans, restoring them to a vast extent of 
 territory alleged to have been obtained from their sachems 
 when intoxicated, or by other under-hand and illegal 
 courses. From this decree the* Connecticut colony ap- 
 pealed, and a new commission was granted, but with no 
 decisive result, and the case remained unsettled for more 
 than half a century from the time of its commencement. 
 1.5 
 
 Si ' 
 
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f • 
 
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 '1 
 
 250 
 
 INDIAN RAGES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Owenoco lived to an advanced age, becoming, before his 
 death, a helpless mendicant, and subsisting, in company 
 with his squaw, upon the hospitality of the neighboring 
 settlers. His son Ca)sar was his successor as sachem. 
 
 Ben, the youngest son of Uncas, of illegitimate birth, 
 succeeded Caesar, to the exclusion of the rightful heir, 
 young Mamohet, a grandson of Owenoco. 
 
 Mason now renewed his claims, and, accompanied by 
 his two sons, carried Mamohet to England, that he might 
 present a new petition to the reigning monarch. A now 
 commission was awarded, but both the applicants died 
 before it was made out. When the trial finally came on 
 in 1738, distinguished counsel were employed on botn 
 sides, in anticipation of an arduous and protracted contest ; 
 but by a singular course of collusion and artifice, which 
 it were too tedious to detail, the decision of 1705, on the 
 first commission, was repealed, and the Connecticut claims 
 supported. This was appealed from by the INIasons, and 
 good cause appearing, a new trial was decreed. 
 
 Five commissioners, men of note from New York and 
 New Jersey, met at Norwich in the summer of 1743, and 
 the great case brought in auditors and parties in interest 
 from f\\r and near. The claims, and the facts offered in 
 support of them, were strangely intricate and complex: 
 counsel appeared in behalf of four sets of parties, viz. : 
 the Connecticut colony ; the two claimants of the title of 
 Sachem of the jNlohegans, Ben and John, a descendant of 
 the elder branch ; and those in possession of the lands iu 
 question. 
 
 The decree was in favor of the colony, which was sus- 
 tained on the concluding examination of the case in 
 England. Two of the commissioners dissented. The 
 Mohegans still retained a reservation of about four thou- 
 sand acres. 
 
 Their number reduced to a few hundred ; distracted by 
 
 the uncej 
 the j-ival 
 the merit 
 hcndin 
 
 them; th 
 Kcstrictiv( 
 Indians, w 
 
 Of the 
 and Pcqu( 
 upon tJicir 
 blood, and 
 bo seen in 
 scantily sur 
 and ap])rop 
 gans removi 
 •ars since, 
 lartcrs of t 
 names ol 
 
 the col 
 
 loni 
 Much into 
 lade for the 
 the Moil 
 
 •graphy 
 the f( 
 
 o 
 
 lew 
 
 cc of 
 
 Plication. 
 I'eviewiii 
 most of the n 
 and hopeless 
 cannot but fe 
 
 Tlieir crueltic 
 vices disgust 
 
 u 
 
 gn 
 
 tokens of 
 that this has°n 
 ^ith the whit 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 251 
 
 the uncertain tenure of their property, and the claims of 
 the rival sachems ; mingled -svith the whites in contentions, 
 the merits of which they were little capable of compre- 
 hending ; with drunkenness and vice prevalent among 
 them J the t-ibe was fast dwindling into insignificance, 
 llcstrictive laws, forbidding the sale of ardent spirits to the 
 Indians, were then, as now, but of little effect. 
 
 Of the celebrated and warlike tribes of the Mohcgans 
 and Pcquots, only a few miserable families now remain 
 upon their ancient territory. These are mostly of mixed 
 blood, and little of the former character of their race is to 
 be seen in them except its peculiar vices. They are 
 scantily supported by the rents of the lands still reserved 
 and appropriated to their use. A number of the ]\[ohe- 
 gans removed to the Oneida district, in New York, some 
 years since, but a few still remain near the former head- 
 quarters of their tribe, and individuals among them retain 
 the names of sachems and warriors noted in the early ages 
 of the colonies. 
 
 Much interest attaches to the cffbits which have been 
 made for the instruction and improvement of this remnant 
 of the Mohegan nation ; especially as connected with the 
 biography of Samuel Occum, their native preacher ; one 
 of the few Indians who have been brought under the 
 influence of civilization, and have acquired a liberal 
 education. - 
 
 In reviewing the character and history of these, as of 
 most of the native tribes, and reflecting upon their steady 
 and hopeless decline before the European immigrants, we 
 cannot but feel influenced by contradictory sympathies. 
 Their cruelties strike, us with horror ; their treachery and 
 vices disgust us ; but, with all this, we still may trace the 
 tokens of a great and noble spirit. It is painful to reflect 
 that this has more and more declined as their communion 
 with the whites has become the more intimate. They 
 
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 'I S', 
 
 I I- 
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 I' 
 
 252 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 have lost their nationality, and with it their pride and 
 self-respect ; the squalid and poverty-striclcen figures hang- 
 ing about the miserable huts they inhabit, convey but a 
 fiiint idea of the picture that the nation presented when in 
 a purely savage state ; when the vices of foreigners had 
 not, as yet, contaminated them, nor their superior power 
 and knowledge disheartened them by the contrast. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 KING PHILIP'S WAR. 
 
 THE INDIANS FURNISHED WITH FIREARMS. — SHUATION OP THE COL- 
 ONISTS.— PHILIP'S ACCESSION. — HIS TREATIES WITH THE W.'HTES 
 
 HIS TRtrE PLANS. — EMISSARIES SENT TO SOGKONATE. — CAPTALX 
 BENJAMIN CHITRCH. — HIS INTERVIEW WITH AVVOSIIONKS. — MURDER 
 OF JOHN SASSAMON. 
 
 The events of Avhich we shall now proceed to give a 
 brief synopsis, were of more momentous interest, and 
 fraught M'ith more deadly peril to the New England colo- 
 nies, than aught that had preceded them. The wild 
 inhabitants of the forest had now become far more danger- 
 ous opponents than when they relied upon their rude flint- 
 headed arrows, or heavy stone tomahawks, as the only 
 efficient weapons of offence. Governor Ihadford, many 
 years before the breaking out of the hostilities which we 
 are about to detail, had given a graphic description of the 
 effect produced upon their deportment and self-confidence 
 by the introduction of European weapons. We quote 
 from Bradford's verse, as rendered in pro;:e in tlie appeudi.x 
 to Davis' edition of the New England Memorial. 
 
 "liicsc fierce natives," says he, " are now so furni:5hed 
 
 with gu 
 they kee 
 when th( 
 abundan( 
 screw-phi 
 and skill 
 stock thei 
 He dci 
 over the 
 sciousness 
 they plea; 
 and finally 
 folly and 
 them with 
 "Many," 
 arms and 
 them if, w 
 this means, 
 fiiiy, shall I 
 The En_E 
 widely scatt 
 nature of t 
 how necessn 
 spots most 
 pitablo wild( 
 protected vil 
 The who 
 New Englan 
 broke out, 
 which would 
 thousand mci 
 It were bi 
 of the miinl) 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 253 
 
 with guns and muskets, and are so skilled in them, that 
 they keep the English in awe, and give the law to them 
 when they please ; and of powder and shot they have such 
 abundance that sometimes they refuse to buy more. Flints, 
 screw-plates, and moulds for all sorts of shot they have, 
 and skill how to use them. They can mend and new 
 stock their pieces as well, almost, as an Englishman." 
 
 lie describes the advantages which they thus obtained 
 over the whites in the pursuit of game ; their own con- 
 sciousness cf power, and boasts that they could, when 
 they pleased, '* drive away the English, or kill them ; " 
 and finally breaks out into bitter upbraidings against the 
 folly and covctousuess of the traders who had supplied 
 them with arms. His forebodings were truly prophetic : 
 " Many," says he, *' abhor this practice," (the trade in 
 arms and ammunition,) '* whose innocence will not save 
 them if, which God forbid, they should come to see, by 
 this means, some sad tragedy, when these heathen, in their 
 fury, shall cruelly shed our innocent blood." 
 
 The English settlements were small, ill defended, and 
 widely scattered. Whoever is acquainted with the rough 
 nature of the New England soil, must at once perceive 
 how necessary it became for the first settlers to select the 
 spots most favorable for cultivation, and what an inhos- 
 pitable wilderness must have separated their small and ill- 
 protected villages. 
 
 The whole number of the European inhabitants of 
 New England, in 1G75, when the memorable Indian war 
 broke out, has been computed at about fifty thousand, 
 which would give an effective force of not fiir from eight 
 thousand men. 
 
 It were but wild conjecture to attempt a computation 
 of the number and force of the native tribes who took 
 part in the war. Old historians frequently speak positively, 
 and in round numbers, when enumerating the aborigines ; 
 
 
 '.fii 
 
 ■i 
 
 ■» ■', y 
 
 * I '.■■,■* '■ii f 
 'i^ •'<<■ 'i.^ •■'i?.'4 
 
 ,«i.-V"i. A'-"l' .''■ 
 
 " ■■:■•■ "".Y • 
 
j^- ::. 
 
 
 t » 
 
 
 ' ■' 7 
 
 254 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 but, in many instances, we can perceive, with tolerable 
 certainty, that they have been guilty of gross exaggeration, 
 such as the whole circumstances of their intercourse with 
 the savages would naturally lead to. 
 
 An enemy whose appearance was sudden and unex- 
 pected ; who, in secret ambuscade or midnight assault, 
 used every device to increase the teiTor and bewilderment 
 of their victims, might well be over-estimated by those 
 whose all was at stake, and who were waiting in fearful 
 uncertainty as to where the danger lay, or when they 
 should next be called to resist it. 
 
 In 1662, Philip, Mctacomct, or Pometacom, as wc have 
 already seen, succeeded liis brother Alexander, within a 
 few months of the death of their father, Massasoit. Upon 
 the occasion of his assuming the dignity of sachem over 
 the Wampanoags, there was a great collection of sachems 
 and warriors from all parts of the country, to unite in a 
 feast of rejoicing at Mount Hope, Avhere he held his court. 
 
 Although the new chief renewed his treaty with the 
 English, and for nine years after his accession made no 
 open demonstrations of hostility, yet his mind appears 
 from the first to have been aliened from the intruders. 
 Whether from anger at the proceedings attendant on the 
 death of his brother, or from sympathy with his injured 
 allies, the Narragansetts, or that his natural sagacity sug- 
 gested to him the rui-i which must fall upon his people by 
 the spread of the whites ; certain it is that his feelings of 
 enmity were nourished and brooded over, long before their 
 final exhibition. 
 
 Like his father before him, he never inclined an car to 
 the teachings of the Christian religion. Mather mentions 
 a signal instance of his contempt for this species of in- 
 struction. The celebrated preacher, Eliot, had expounded 
 the doctrines of Christianity, and urged their acceptance 
 upon Philip, with his usual zeal and sincerity ; but the 
 
 sachem, 
 
 his coal 
 
 than for 
 
 In th 
 
 trespassc 
 
 to Hubb 
 
 ginning, 
 
 with em 
 
 ready to 
 
 of Plymc 
 
 in his pla 
 
 This m 
 
 appearing 
 
 substantia 
 
 1671, at \ 
 
 of his wa 
 
 commissio 
 
 j able to ace 
 
 I proved to 
 
 j haps intiir 
 
 i the wrouif, 
 
 ; ness of his 
 
 king of Ei 
 
 arms to tin 
 
 long as th 
 
 clause, the 
 
 were with 
 
 The eoI( 
 during the 
 tribes of an 
 enactments 
 failed to cai 
 the Plymo 
 authorities 
 to Boston, 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 255 
 
 sachem, approaching him, and laying hold of a button on 
 his coat, told him that he cared no more for his Gospel 
 than for that button. 
 
 In the year 1671, Philip made grievous complaints of 
 trespasses upon the planting-lands of his people : according 
 to Hubbard, " the devil, who was a murderer from the be- 
 ginning, had so filled the heart of this savage miscreant 
 with envy and malice against the English, that he was 
 ready to break out into open war against the inhabitants 
 of Plymouth, pretending some trifling injuries done him 
 in his planting-land." 
 
 This matter was for the time settled, the complaints not 
 appearing to the colonial authorities to be satisfactorily 
 substantiated. A meeting \vas brought about, in April, 
 1()T1, at Taunton, between Philip, accompanied by a party 
 of his warriors, in war paint and hostile trappings, and 
 commissioners from Massachusetts. The Indian chief, un- 
 able to account for the hostile preparations in which he was 
 proved to have been engaged, became confused, and per- 
 haps intimidated. He not only acknowledged himself in 
 the wrong, and that the rebellion originated in the " naughti- 
 ness of his own heart," but renewed his submission to the 
 king of England, and agreed to surrender all his English 
 arms to tlie government of New Plymouth, " to be kept as 
 long as they should see reason." In pursuance of this 
 clause, the guns brought by himself and the party who 
 were with him were delivered up. 
 
 The colonists, now thoroughly alarmed, made efforts 
 during the succeeding summer to deprive the neighboring 
 tribes of arms and ammunition, making further prohibitory 
 enactments as to the trade in these articles. Philip having 
 failed to carry out his agreement to surrender his weapons, 
 the Plymouth government referred the matter to the 
 authorities of Massachusetts ; but Philip, repairing himself 
 to Boston, excited some feeling in his iavor, and the 
 
 iii;!'. 
 
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 III I 
 
 --V1 
 
 256 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 claims of Plymouth were not fully assented to. Another 
 treaty was concluded in the ensuing September, whereby 
 Philip agreed to pay certain stipulated costs ; to consider 
 himself subject to the king of England ; to consult the 
 governor of Plymouth in the disposal of his lands, as also 
 in the making of war ; to render, if practicable, five wolves' 
 heads yearly ; and to refer all differences and causes of 
 quarrel to the decision of the governor. The arms put in 
 possession of the English at the time of the meeting in 
 April, were declared forfeit, and confiscated by the Plym- 
 outh government. 
 
 There can be but little doubt as to Philip's motive for 
 signing these articles. Foelings of enmity and revenge 
 towards the whites had obtained complete possession of 
 him, and he evidently wished merely to quiet suspicion 
 and avert inquiry. It is almost universally allowed that 
 he had long formed a deep and settled plan to exterminate 
 the white settlers, and, in pursuance of it, had made use 
 of all his powers of artful persuasion in his intercourse with 
 the surrounding tribes. The time for a general uprising 
 was said to have been fixed a year later than the peiiod 
 when hostilities actually commenced, and the premature 
 development of the conspiracy, brought about in a manner 
 to which we shall presently advert, has been considered the 
 salvation of the colonics. 
 
 Hubbard, indeed, who is ever unwilling to allow t'.iat 
 the Indians were possessed of any good or desirable quali- 
 ties, and who can see no wrong in any of the outrages of 
 the whites, suggests that Philip's heart would have failed 
 him, had he not been pressed on to the undertaking by 
 force of circumstances. He tells us that, when the great 
 sachem succumbed to the English demands, in the spring 
 previous, " one of his captains, of far better courage and 
 resolution than himself, when he saw his cowardly temper 
 and disposition, flung down his arms, calling him a white- 
 
•t • „ 
 
 
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 if 
 
 
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 4- ' ■ 
 
 
 
 ■i-.y 
 
 yif-: 
 
 fijio rnii.fp 
 
:.»w 
 
 ;■:■?> 
 
 f 
 
 %; 
 
 i\- :tv 
 
 livered cur, 
 
 never own ] 
 
 time, hath i 
 
 this day, a i 
 
 Philip ha 
 
 acquainted ^ 
 
 fifty years t 
 
 colonists an 
 
 to adopt the 
 
 notice, were 
 
 selves of the 
 
 nearly upon 
 
 To rouse 
 
 struggle ; to 
 
 out the dp.n< 
 
 spread, requi 
 
 pro\ed him Si 
 
 the concurrc 
 
 nation alway 
 
 than most o 
 
 league far t( 
 
 necticut and 
 
 every directi* 
 
 Six of hii 
 
 spatchcd to 
 
 ern shores o 
 
 sea-coast, to 
 
 tribe, conceri 
 
 pointed a grc 
 
 at the same t 
 
 of the procc( 
 
 George, who 
 
 Benjamin Cli 
 
 that part of tl 
 
 This remar 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 259 
 
 livered cur, or to that purpose, and saying that he would 
 never own him again or fight under him ; and, from that 
 time, hath turned to the English, and hath continued, to 
 this clay, a faithful and resolute soldier in their quarrel." 
 
 Philip had mingled much with the whites, and was well 
 acquainted with their habits, dispositions, and force. For 
 fifty years there had been comparative peace between the 
 colonists and their savage neighbors, who, although slow 
 to adopt the customs and refinements now brought to their 
 notice, were apt enough, as we have seen, in availing them- 
 selves of the weapons which put the contending nations so 
 nearly upon terms of equality. 
 
 To rouse a Avidely-scattered people to such a desperate 
 struggle ; to reconcile clannish animosities, and to point 
 out the dp.nger of allowing the colonies to continue their 
 spread, required a master-spirit. The Wampanoag sachem 
 pio\ed himself qualified for the undertaking: he gained 
 the concurrence and cooperation of the Narragansetts, a 
 nation always more favorably disposed towards the English 
 than most others of the Indian tribes ; he extended his 
 leasjue far to the westward, among the tribes on the Con- 
 necticut and elsewhere ; and sent diplomatic embassies in 
 every direction. 
 
 Six of his warriors, in the spring of 1675, were de- 
 spatched to Sogkonatc, now Little Compton, upon the east- 
 ern shores of Narragansett bay, and extending along the 
 sea-coast, to treat with Awoshonks, squaw sachem of the 
 tribe, concerning the proposed uprising. The queen ap- 
 pointed a great dance, calling together all her people, but, 
 at the same time, took the precaution to send intelligence 
 of the proceeding, by two Indians, named Sassamon and 
 George, who understood English, to her friend. Captain 
 Benjamin Church, the only white settler then residing iu 
 that part of the country. ' 
 
 This remarkable man, whose name occupies so prominent 
 
 '•.■••' ■ ' ' ' I 
 
 
•••I < 
 
 .''S-':,.!.- 
 
 r.f.3,;vl-"n>'^iv;,' 
 
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 i 
 
 ■ 
 
 I 
 
 
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 '^, 
 
 1 
 
 
 260 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 a place in the list of our early military heroes, had moved 
 from Duxbury into the unsettled country of the Sogkonatcs 
 only the year before, and was busily and laboriously en- 
 gaged, at this time, in building, and in the numerous cares 
 attendant upon a new settlement. He was a man of cour- 
 age and fortitude unsurpassed : bold and energetic ; but 
 with til the rough qualities of a soldier, possessing a heart 
 s jp-ii t) kindly emotions and the gentler feelings of iiu- 
 ii ;^ ; V ' . to excite our surprise, when we consider the stern 
 agt .1 ■\\hiob he lived, and the scenes of savage conflict in 
 which he bo^c- so conspicuous a part. 
 
 True courage is generally combined with generosity and 
 magnanimity. The brave man seldom oppresses a fallen 
 foe ; a fact strikingly exemplified in Church's treatment 
 of his prisoners. He seems to have harbored none of those 
 feelings of bitterness and revenge which led the colonists 
 to acts of perfidy and cruelty hardly surjDassed by the 
 savages themselves. The manner in which he was able 
 to conciliate the good-will of the Indians, known as he was 
 among them for their most dangerous foe, is truly aston- 
 ishing. It was his custom to select from his captives such 
 as took his fancy, and attach them to himself, and never 
 was officer attended by a more enthusiastic and faithful 
 guard than they proved. His son tells us that ** if he 
 perceived they looked surly, and his Indian soldiers called 
 them treacherous dogs, as some of them would sometimes 
 do, all the notice he would take of it would only be to 
 clap them on the back, and tell them, * Come, come, you 
 look wild and surly, and mutter, but that signifies nothing ; 
 these, my best soldiers, were, a little while ago, as wild and 
 surly as you are now ; by the time you have been but one 
 day with me, you will love me too, and be as brisk as any 
 of them.' And it proved so, for there was none of them 
 but, after they had been a little while with him, and seen 
 his behavior and how cheerful and successful his men 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 261 
 
 were, would be as ready to pilot him to any place where 
 the Indians dwelt or haunted, though their own fathers or 
 nearest relations should be among them, or to fight for him, 
 as any of his own men." 
 
 Captain Church was in high favor and confidence with 
 Awoshonks and her tribe ; he therefore accepted her invi- 
 tation to attend at the dance, and started for the camp, 
 accompanied by a son of his tenant, who spoke the Indian 
 language. 
 
 He found the queen leading the dance, " in a muck of 
 sweat," surrounded by a great body of her subject She 
 received her visitor hospitably, told him of Philip's 'hi> ts, 
 and inquired concerning the purposes of the EngLi-ih. 
 Church told her that no injuries had been meditated by 
 the whites, as Philip averred, but that the sachem 'as the 
 aggressor. He advised her to keep iipon goo'^' terms with 
 the English, asking her whether it was a projable thing 
 that he should have come down into the wilderness to set- 
 tle, if there were warlike preparations in progress among 
 his ijeople ; and silenced the six Mount Hope ambassadors 
 by recommending that they should be knocked on the head. 
 A stormy discussion ensued among the Indians, and one 
 Little Eyes, a man of importance, endeavored to draw 
 Church aside to despatch him quietly ; but the captain was 
 unmoved, and upbraided the Mount Hopes for their bloody 
 intention, assuring them that, if they would have war, he 
 would prove a thorn in their sides. Awoshonks inclined 
 to his advice, and, having appointed two men to guard his 
 house during his absence, desired him to go to Plymouth, 
 and make known her good faith to the colonies. 
 
 Church started on his mission, and, on the way, gained 
 further information concerning Philip's movements from 
 Peter Nunnuit, the husband of Weetamore, queen of Po- 
 casset, now Tiverton. Philip, it seems, had been holding 
 a protracted dance for a number of weeks, rousing a mar- 
 
 
 m 
 
 ♦ i .*■ 
 
 '' V.'.'. ^.r 
 
 <&' : 
 
 / •■ '■■ 
 
; 'I 
 
 :;.!♦•: 'I 
 
 262 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 tial spirit in the minds of the young warriors who were 
 gathered about him from far and near. He had finally 
 promised them that, on the succeeding Sabbath, they mi'Tht 
 plunder the English settlements, while the people were en- 
 gaged in religious services. 
 
 We may here mention a circumstance which was con- 
 sidered, by Hubbard and others, as having an important 
 bearing upon the premature commencement of hostilities 
 on the part of Philip : this was the murder of John Sas- 
 samon, and the subsequent execution of the guilty parties. 
 Sassamon was one of the few Indians who, at that time, 
 had received the rudiments of an English education. He 
 was a professor of Christianity, and had been employed 
 among his people in the capacities of schoolmaster, preacher, 
 and royal secretary. In 1662, he occupied this latter post 
 under Philip, to whom he was subject, although born a 
 Massachusett — and specimens of his imperfect communi- 
 cations with the colonies, in behalf of his sachem, are still 
 preserved. 
 
 Becoming aware of the dangerous conspiracy fomented 
 by Philip, he disclosed the whole plot to the officers of the 
 colony ; and, not long after, his body was found in Assa- 
 womsett pond, with the neck broken, and presenting other 
 marks of violence. His gun and hat were so disposed as 
 to give the impression that he had accidentally fallen 
 through the ice, and been drowned. The matter was 
 strictly inquired into, and three Indians, of Philip's party, 
 falling, under suspicion, were regularly tried before a jury, 
 in part at least of their peers, as it was composed of whites 
 and Indians. The culprits were convicted and executed, 
 two of them upon what would appear to us as very insuf- 
 ficient evidence. Mather speaks of the blood oozing from 
 the murdered body on the approach of the accused ; but 
 whether this circumstance made a part of the evidence 
 before the court does not appear. 
 
 cises, " ni a w 
 
NEW England Indians. 
 
 263 
 
 Philip himself did not come forward to attempt to clear 
 himself of the charge of being concerned in this murder, 
 but kept his warriors in preparation for battle, receiving 
 and entertaining all the roving and unsettled Indians who 
 would resort to him, and *• marching up and down" con- 
 tinually during the pendency of the trial. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ATTACK ON SWANSEV COLLECTION OF TROOPS. — FIGHT AT MILE3' 
 
 nniDGE. — I'HILIP DRIVEN FROM THE NECK. — CIIURUU AT PUNKA- 
 TESB. — DESTRUCTION OF BROOKFIELD. 
 
 It was on the 24th of June, 1G75, that the first open 
 attack was made upon the colonies. The small village of 
 Swanscy lay within a few miles of Mount Hope, and here 
 the first blood was shed. Some days previous, a party of 
 the natives had committed a few slight depredations at this 
 place, and conducted themselves with insolence, evidently 
 desirous of provoking a quarrel. 
 
 The squaws and children of Philip's active force were 
 sent, for safety, to the country of the Narragansetts, before 
 any open demonstration of hostilities. 
 
 Some little discrepancy occurs in tho early accounts of 
 the first fatal attack, but it is certain that, on the day above 
 mentioned, eight or nine men were killed in different parts 
 of Swansey. A company returning from religious exer- 
 cises, " in a way of humiliation," were fired upon with fatal 
 effect, one being killed nd several Avounded. Two more, 
 who had started in quest of a surgeon, were slain, scalped 
 and mangled ; and six men were killed at a dwelling-house 
 situated in another part of the settlement. 
 
 From this period all was terror and confusion. Swan- 
 
 
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 ■ '.y^-t' 
 
 :■ ■•» 
 
 1 • 
 
 f' 
 
. V '• ;: 
 
 
 
 ; ■■■■ 
 
 ,• f r ? 
 
 Il 
 
 264 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Bey was deserted by its inhabitants, and mostly reduced to 
 ashes by the Indians. Deputations were sent to Boston, 
 to lay the case before the Massachusetts authorities, and 
 to solicit some prompt and efficient protection in this ter- 
 rible emergency. 
 
 A party of horse and foot were at once despatched in 
 the direction of Mount Hope, under the command of Cap- 
 tains Henchman and I'rentice. Samuel Mosely, a bold 
 and martial character, who had pursued the calling of a 
 privateer, raised a volunteer company of one hundred and 
 ten soldiers, and joined the expedition. He was, it is said, 
 accompanied by several buccaneers of his own class, witli 
 a number of dogs ; and the feats performed by them, upon 
 divers occasions, savor rather of the marvellous. 
 
 The head-quarters of the united forces were at the house 
 of a minister of Swanscy, named Miles, and hard by was a 
 bridge, affording convenient access to the domains of riiilip. 
 
 Captain Church, with the Plymouth troops under Major 
 Cutworth, were now acting in concert with the men from 
 Massachusetts. The Indians lay concealed or skulking 
 about the garrison, and succeeded in killing a number by 
 shots from covert, but showed themselves wary of coming 
 to open combat. 
 
 A detachment of Prentice's men, led by a Mr. Gill and 
 one Belcher, made an attempt upon the enemy in their 
 own quarters, but, upon crossing Miles' bridge, Avcre fired 
 upon by some of the Indians lying in ambush, and one 
 of their number was killed. Gill was struck by a ball, 
 which would have proved mortal but for a singular species 
 of defensive armor, viz. : a quantity of thick brown paper 
 which he had inserted under his clothes. The troops re- 
 treated, leaving Church, Gill, and another to bring off the 
 dead man ; which, being accomplished, Church pursued 
 and regained his horse, under the full fire of the enemy. 
 
 The next day the bridge was crossed by a larger force, 
 
.-•i- 
 
 ,.'-v-':( ' 
 
 NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 265 
 
 and, after some skirmishing, in M'hich "Ensign Savage, 
 that young martial spark, scarce twenty years of age," was 
 shot through the thigh — as Church says, by an accidental 
 ball from his own party — the neck of Mount Mope was 
 cleared of Indians. The English there found Philip's de- 
 serted wigwam, and the mutilated remains of a number 
 of the murdered whites. 
 
 It was now proposed to secure the ground already gained 
 by the erection of a fort. Church ridiculed the plan, and 
 urgently advocated a brisk pursuit of the enemy in the 
 Tocasset country, whither they had doubtless fled. From 
 disregard to this advice, l^hilip had free scope to extend 
 his devastations unchecked toward the east, and terrible 
 destruction ensued, as we shall see hereafter. 
 
 Early in July, Captains Church and Fuller, with six 
 files of soldiers, Avcre sent across to Ehodc Island, thence 
 to cross Sogkonate river, and endeavor to communicate 
 rtith the Pocasset and Sogkonate Indians. About the same 
 time, Captain Hutchinson, from Boston, arrived at the 
 English encampment, having been commissioned to treat 
 with and gain over the Narragansetts. In pursuance of 
 this purpose, Hutchinson, with Mosely and the Massachu- 
 setts troops, proceeded in arms to the Narragansett country, 
 vhcre, in concert with commissioners from Connecticut, 
 they concluded a futile and inoperative treaty of amity 
 with certain Indians claiming to be chief counsellors of the 
 prominent sachems. The Narragansetts were bound, by 
 the stipulations of this alliance, to render up all of Philip's 
 subjects who should be found in their country — receiving 
 two coats for every prisoner, and one coat for every head — 
 and to carry on active war against the enemies of the whites. 
 Hostages were given to ensure the performance of the en- 
 gagement. 
 
 While this child's play was enacting, Fuller and Church, 
 with their little band of thirty-six men, had penetrated 
 
 ■-^••^i 
 
 ■"i^'". 
 
1:4 ;'^ ^- :\ 
 
 I ; 
 
 266 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 into the country of the Pocassets. After some unsuccess- 
 ful attempts to entrap the enemy by means of ambuscade, 
 (the coiicealed company being betrayed by incautiously 
 gratifying their " epidemical plague, lust after tobacco,") 
 Church and fifteen or twenty companions, with the consent 
 of Captain Fuller, left the rest at Pocasset, and marched 
 southward. 
 
 They struck an Indian trail leading towards an extensive 
 pine swamp, but the company becoming alarmed by the 
 numbers of rattlesnakes which abounded there, left the 
 track, and went down into Punkatese neck. At this place, 
 which is situated on the south-western part of the modern 
 toAvn of Tiverton, they encountered a large body of the 
 natives in and around a pease-field of Captain Almy. They 
 numbered, as Church was afterwards told by some of then* 
 own party, about three hundred ; but, as they pursued the 
 usual course of savage warfare, firing from behind trees 
 and thickets, the English could form no estimate of the 
 force with which they were to contend. 
 
 In this extremity the courage, coolness, and self-posses- 
 sion of the gallant captain were eminently conspicuous. 
 As forcibly expressed in Church's narrative, " the hill 
 seemed to move, being covered over with Indians, with 
 their bright guns glittering in the sun." 
 
 A detachment had been sent down the river in boats to 
 support the troops on land, and could be plainly seen, 
 landed upon the Rhode Island shore, across the river. 
 Church bade his men strip to their shirt-sleeves, and fire 
 signal guns to attract attention, and show their allies that 
 the party engaged was English. This course succeeded, 
 and a boat put out, and approached the combatants ; but, 
 on approaching the shore, the crew received such a volley 
 from the guns of the Indians, that they pulled off again. 
 Church, enraged at tlicir pusillanimity, finally ordered the 
 boat off, and threatened to fire into her himself. These 
 
cess- 
 
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 :ade, 
 
 ■ 
 
 )usly 
 
 1 
 
 CO,") 
 
 1 
 
 11 sent 
 
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 L'ched 
 
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 'nsive 
 
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 ly the 
 
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 ft the 
 
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 place. 
 
 ■ 
 
 odcni 
 
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 of the 
 
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 They 
 
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 f their 
 
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 ed the 
 
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 1 trees 
 
 H 
 
 of the 
 
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 posses- 
 
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 icuous. 
 
 H 
 
 le hill 
 
 ^^1 
 
 , with 
 
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 oats to 
 
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 f seen, 'J g 
 
 ! river. 
 
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 nd fire 
 
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 cs that 
 
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 :ecded. 
 
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 voUoy 
 
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 atjfiun. 
 
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 red the 
 
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 i^'-^^i-r 
 
 
 NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 267 
 
 few men, thus left to shift for themselves, now seemed to 
 he in a desperate condition. They were faint for want of 
 food, as they had neglected to bring any provisions, other 
 than a few cakes of rusk, and had been driven from the 
 pease-field while endeavoring to allay their hunger with 
 the crude nourishment within their reach. The Indians 
 beset them on all sides, and, gaining possession of the ruins 
 of an old stone-house, poured their bullets upon the Eng- 
 lish from its shelter. The ammunition of Church's party 
 was nearly expended, and their powder was poor and in- 
 efficient. In the midst of these difficulties, the captain 
 succeeded in preserving the courage and spirit of his men, 
 pointing out to them how providentially the balls seemed 
 to be directed. 
 
 They were finally relieved from their perilous situation 
 by the arrival of a sloop of Captain Golding, an acquaint- 
 ance of Church. ^Mooring the vessel at a short distance, 
 he cast off a canoe, and suffered it to drive ashore. In 
 this slight vehicle, which would carry but two at a time, 
 the wliolc of the party got off to the sloop, by a repetition 
 of the same operation. Church, who had left his hat at a 
 spring, declared that the enemy should not have it as a 
 trophy ; and, loading his gun Avith his last charge of pow- 
 der, he went up alone, in the face of the Indians, and re- 
 covcicd it. AVhen going on board in the canoe, » ball 
 struck a small stake just before his breast, and anotheir 
 passed through his hair. 
 
 Joining company next day with Fuller's party, who had 
 also been engaged with the Indians at Pocasset, they all 
 returned to the encampment at Mount IIopt>, where the 
 army, as Church averred, "lay still to cover the people 
 from nobody, while they were building a fort for nothing." 
 
 Shortly after this, being upon Rhode Island, in pursuit 
 
 of supplies for the garrison, Church fell in with Alderman, 
 
 a deserter from the forces of Weetamorc, queen of Pocas- 
 16 
 
 
 

 jW^KK^r iL ' ''■;'■** ■ ■', 
 
 
 ■;<:■:>■. 
 
 I 
 
 268 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 set. By conversation with this Indian, he learned the 
 precise spot at which the squaw sachem was encamped, 
 and, in pursuance of his suggestion, an expedition was im- 
 mediately set on foot against her. The attempt terminated 
 in an unimportant skirmish ; the chief ofEcer of the Plym- 
 outh men being timid, and the Indians retiring to a swamp 
 of difficult access. 
 
 On the 18th of July, the united forces of the colonists 
 drove Philip, with a large body of his warriors, into an 
 extensive swamp in Pocasset. After an imperfect exami- 
 nation of the Indians' place of retreat, the forces were 
 drawn off, having sustained considerable loss by the fiie 
 of the lurking enemy. It was averred, indeed, by some, 
 that half an hour more of energetic pursuit would have 
 secured Philip, and perhaps have ended the war. One 
 hundred newlv-erected Avii^wams were found deserted in 
 the vicinity of the swamp ; and an old man, who had been 
 left behind in the precipitate retreat, confirmed the suppo- 
 sition that Philip had but lately fled from the canip. 
 
 Not far from this time, the town of Dartmouth lun ^ 
 been, in great measure, destroyed by the enemy, a large 
 number of Indians, no less tb vn one luuulred and sixty, 
 who had dwelt in the couniry thereabout, and were not 
 active partakers in the destruction of the towii, delivered 
 themselves up to one Captain Eels, upon promises of good 
 treatment. Tbey were, nevertheless, taken ti Plymouth; 
 sold by the colonial authorities as slaves ; and transported 
 to foreign parts. Captains Church and Eels made, u])on 
 this occasion, the most vehement remonstrances, expresM-d 
 by Church Avith his characteristic energy and spirit ; but 
 all to no purpose, as it only secured him the ill-will of the 
 government. The act was grossly impoliti , as well as 
 perfidious and cruel. 
 
 The English entertained hopes of being able to confine 
 Philip within the limits of the swamp to which he had 
 

 NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 269 
 
 retired, and proceeded to erect another fort at Pocasset, 
 an expedient which seems to have been as ill-advised and 
 futile as the garrisoning of Mount Hope. The sachem 
 had abundant leisure to prepare canoes, an opportunity of 
 which he diligently availed himself, and secretly passed 
 the river with all his warriors. They were seen by the 
 people of Rehoboth, crossing the open country, which ex- 
 tended for some distance, and offered no means of protec- 
 tion or concealment to the fugitives. 
 
 A party was speedily sent in pursuit, under Captain 
 Henchman, accompanied by Owenoco, the son of Uncas 
 the Mohegan, and a considerable band of warriors. Un- 
 cas had sent this detachment to Boston, upon the summons 
 of the Massachusetts authorities, to renew his assurances of 
 good faith, and proffer assistance in the campaign against 
 rhllip. 
 
 Henchman's company proceeded up the river to Provi- 
 dence, and being there somewhat reenforced, hastened at 
 once on the trail of the Wampanoag. Coming up with a 
 portion of the enemy, a sharp engagement ensued, and 
 about thirty of Philip's warriors were killed, but the Mo- 
 hcgans stopping for plunder, the principal force escaped, 
 and from that time were no more seen by the pursuers. 
 Henchman returned with his men to the eastern colonies, 
 while the Mohegans took their way southward to their 
 own country, leaving Philip to piu'sue his course towards 
 the Hudson, and to rouse up the war among the western 
 settlements of Massachusetts. 
 
 The Nipmucks, a large tribe inhabiting the north-eastern 
 portion of the present state of Connecticut, and the adjoin- 
 ing Massachusetts districts, appear, ere this period, to have 
 become involved in Philip's undertaking. ISIenclon, a 
 small town, twenty-four miles westward from Providence, 
 and standing at some distance from any other settlement, 
 had been attacked on the Hth of July» and a number of 
 
•1 ' ,•■ 
 
 
 '<il 
 
 * 
 
 270 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMEruOA„ 
 
 men killed by shots from an unseen enemy. The whole 
 of the inhabitants deserted the place in terror, and it was 
 reduced to ashes by the assailants. 
 
 The colonies attempted, after this, to treat with the Nip- 
 muck sachems, but found them reserved and "surly." A 
 meeting was, however, appointed between them a, d an 
 embassy from ' the Massachusetts government. Captains 
 Wheeler and Hutchinson, with a considerable body of 
 mounted men, repaired to the place of meeting at the time 
 designated, ■^. : the 2d of August ; but, instead of cominor 
 forward in friendly conference, the Indians, to the number of 
 two or three hundred, formed an ambuscade, and, firing sud- 
 denly from their cover, killed eight of the whites at the first 
 discharge. Hutchinson was killed and Wheeler wounded. 
 
 The company, avoiding the other spots wbne they sus- 
 pected the enemy to be lying in ambubh, made the best of 
 their way to Biookfield, a solitary village near the prin- 
 cipal head-quarteri= of the Nipnuicks. 'J'he Indians, in 
 great numbers, pur^ 2d them into the town. They found 
 the terrified inlu'bitants collet-ted in a single iiouse, which 
 stood on a rising ground, wlw-re they had J'jitified them- 
 selves as well as po'sible, uiyon such an cmei'gency, hy 
 piling logs and ha 1 • feather beds against the walls. 
 Wheeler and his conij);inions also entered the house, and 
 the savages, after burning all the buildings in the town, 
 with the exception of a few immediately adjoining that 
 where the whites hud retreated, laid close siege to the frail 
 fortification. Seventy people, including woni.n and chil- 
 dren, were here crowded together, with such slight de- 
 fences as we have mentioned ; while an enraged and 
 remorseless enemy was pouring showers of bullets through 
 the walls, and using every endeavor to fire the house. 
 The Indians shot burning arrows upon the roof, and, 
 attachin'T rags dipped in brimstone to long poles, they sot 
 fire *.o tnem, and thrust them against the walls. From the 
 
NEW ENGLiND INDIANS. 
 
 271 
 
 afttrnoon of Monday the 2d of August, till Wednesday 
 evening, these assaults continued ; and, as a last attempt, 
 the besiegers loaded a cart with hemp and other inflam- 
 mable materials, and binding together a number of poles, 
 so attached to the vehicle that it could be moved from a 
 safe distance, wheeled it blazing against the building. This 
 was in the evening, and, according to Wheeler's account, 
 nothing could have preserved the unfortunate inmates, had 
 not a heavy shower of rain suddenly extinguished the 
 burning mass. In the words of Hubbard, by " this devil- 
 ish stratagem," but for the rain, "all the poor people 
 would either have been consumed by merciless flames, or 
 else have fallen into the hands of their cruel enemies, like 
 wolves continually yelling and gaping for their prey.'* 
 
 To exclude all assistance from without, the Indians had 
 placed watchers and ambuscades upon all sides of the 
 town; but Major Willard, who had been despatched 
 against the Indians west of Grpton, hearing of the prob- 
 able condition of Brookficld, marched to its relief, and 
 succeeded in efiecting an entrance to the fortified house on 
 this same night, lie had wuh him forty-six men, but it 
 is said that, as they passed through the ruins of the town, 
 a large number of terrified cattle, who had not been de- 
 stroyed in the conflagration, followed them for protection ; 
 and that, in the darkness, the Indians were deceived by 
 this circumstance, as to the number of the p tty, and 
 accordingly drew^ oflf their forces early the next morning. 
 They retired to a swamp, twelve miles distant, where they 
 mot Philip with a band of his warriors. Only one of the 
 whites was killed on this occasion, while the Indians lost, 
 it is said, nearly eighty. 
 
 A garrison was maintained at the only remaining house 
 for some months, but was finally drawn off, the building 
 was burned by the savages, and the town left entirely 
 desolate. 
 
 |,-««i' . 
 
 
 
 :!...: ;:-,i«5^' 
 
 \e< 
 
 
 H , 
 
 
\ 'T, ■!■ 
 
 272 INDIAN BACE3 OP AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTEK VI. 
 
 PHILIPMOVES WESTWARD. — ATTACKS ON HADLEY AND DEERPIELD.- 
 COFFE TIID REGICIDE. — DESTRUCTION OF LATHROP'S COMMAND.- 
 ASSAULTS ON SPRINGFIELD AND HATFIELD. — EXPEDITION AGAINST 
 THE NARRAGANSETTS: OUTRAGEOUS CRUELTIES IN THEIR RKDUC- 
 TION. — PHILIP ON THE HUDSON. — DESTRUCTION OP LANCASTER, 
 MEDFIELD, SEEKONK, GROTON, WARWICK, MARLBOROUGH, ETC.- 
 CANONCHET TAKEN AND PUT TO DEATH. — FURTHER INDIAN RAV- 
 AGES. 
 
 " All died — the wailing babe — the shrieking maid^ 
 And in the flood of fire that scathed the glade, 
 The roofs went down." — Bryant. 
 
 "VVe can do little more, in continuing this account of 
 Indian ravages, than enumerate the towns and settlements 
 destroyed, and the little communities massacred or driven 
 from tlieir homes in utter destitution. 
 
 The terrible uncertainty which attended these calamities 
 rendered them the more distressing. No one could tell, 
 for many months from this time, where Philip was to be 
 found, or at what point he meditated the next attack. He 
 C'uitinucd his westward progress, as is supposed, nearly to 
 the Hudson, tlu'ough tlu; Mohcgan country. He was 
 thought to bo present at many of the successful and mur- 
 aerous assaults that were made upon the white settle- 
 ments ; but, if so, he was enabled so to disguise himself 
 as not to be distinctly recognized. 
 
 '^losely and others in vain scoured the country in pur- 
 »?nit of the Indians. The enemy, neglecting agriculture, 
 and deserting their usual haunts, concealed themselves in 
 swamps and thickets, retiring imperceivcd at the approach 
 of regular troops, and ever ready to take advantage of any 
 weak and unprotected quarter. . 
 
 The Indians in the vicinity of Iladley and Springfield, 
 
 J 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 273 
 
 on the Connecticut, were relied upon by the whites as 
 friendly and well-disposed ; but ere long it was sufficiently 
 plain that they had made common cause with Philip. 
 
 On the 1st of September, Hadley and Deerfield were 
 both fiercely assaulted, and the latter town in great meas- 
 ure destroyed. At Hadley the Indians were driven off 
 after much hard fighting. The inhabitants were engaged 
 in religious exercises at the meeting-house, with arms, as 
 usual, by their sides, when the Indians came upon them. 
 So sudden and desperate was the attack, that they became 
 confused, and might have been totally discomfited, but for 
 a strange and unlooked-for champion. This was an old 
 man, with white and flowing locks, and unusual costume, 
 who appeared from some unknown quarter, and at once 
 assumed the command of the panic-stricken congregation. 
 With military skill and coolness he directed every ma- 
 noeuvre, and so reestablished their confidence and spirit, 
 that the enemy was speedily put to flight. He disappeared 
 immediately after the engagement, and many of the aston- 
 ished inhabitants were persuaded that an angel from heaven 
 had bron miraculously sent for their deliverance. 
 
 The old warrior was no other than Major General GofFe, 
 who, with his companion, Whalley, lay for a long time con- 
 cealed at the house of Mr. Russell, the minister of Hadley. 
 
 Ten men were killed at Northficld about this time, and 
 a party of thirty-six, under a Captain Beers, who had been 
 sent to relieve the toAvn, were nearly all cut off by an 
 ambush. The bodies were nmtilated, and the heads set 
 on poles. "One, (if not more,") says Hubbard, "was 
 found with a chain hooked into his under jaw, and so hung 
 up on the bough of a tree, (it is feared he was hung up 
 alive.") 
 
 Several thousand bushels of corn had been stored at 
 Deerfield, and a company of nearly one hundred young 
 men, " the flower of the country," under the command of 
 
 '^ I* .♦ 
 
 ' ' ■*.-;¥ 
 
■>{•". 
 
 !!■ 1 
 
 1 
 
 il 
 
 274 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 a youthful and gallant officer. Captain Lathrop, marched 
 to secure it. On their way, an immense body of Indians 
 fell upon them, and slew nearly the whole party ; among 
 the rest, the brave commander ; only seven or eight sur- 
 vived. This defeat is attributed to the circumstance that 
 Lathrop, aware of the disadvantages which a compart 
 body of troops must labor under, when contending with 
 an enemy who always fired from cover, ordered his men 
 to separate, and take to the trees, like their opponents. 
 This being done, the disproportion of numbers proved so 
 great, that the Indians were enabled to surround the Eng- 
 lish, and cut them off separately. 
 
 The Springfield Indians had pretended unbroken friend- 
 ship for the whites, and had given hostages as pledges of 
 good faith ; but the hostages succeeded in escaping, and 
 the whole body joined the hostile confederacy, with those 
 of Hadley, " hanging together like serpents' eggs." The 
 town of Springfield received great injury from their attack, 
 more than thirty houses being binned ; among the rest, 
 one containing a " brave library," the finest in that part of 
 the country, which belonged to the Eev. Pelatiah Glover. 
 Hubbard considers that this act " did, more than any other, 
 discover the said actors to be tlic childien of the devil, full 
 of all subtilty and malice," as tlicy had been upon friendly 
 terms with the whites for more than forty years. 
 
 On the 19th of October, seven or eight hundred of 
 Philip's coadjutors made an attempt upon Hatfield ; hut. 
 the place being well defended, by Mo.sely and others, the 
 enemy *' were so well entertained on all hands, that they 
 found it too hot for them." 
 
 This was the last important engagement at the westward 
 part of the colony. Most of Philip's men are supposed 
 to have betaken themselves, before winter, to the Narra- 
 gansett country ; and whether the great sachem himself 
 remained concealed among them during that season, or 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 275 
 
 wandered to the west, hatching new plots in the vicinity 
 of the Hudson, is not certainly known. 
 
 The condition of the hostile Indians, notwithstanding 
 their signal successes, must by this time have become suf- 
 ficiently miserable. Living almost exclusively upon an- 
 imal food ; ill protected from the inclemencies of the 
 wcatlier ; and continually shifting their quarters, it is sur- 
 prising that they should so long have retained their energy 
 and fixedness of purpose. 
 
 In September of this year, 1675, the commissioners of 
 the united colonies of Plymouth, Connecticut, and Massa- 
 chusetts, being in session at Boston, concluded arrange- 
 ments by which the war should be jointly .ind systemati- 
 cally prosecuted. One thousand men were to be levied and 
 equipped ; the proportion which each colony should furnish 
 being settled according to their comparative population and 
 resources. 
 
 On the 2d of November it was agreed, by the same 
 body, that an additional force should be raised, and active 
 measures be taken against the Narragansetts. The reasons 
 alleged for attacking this tribe were, that the stipulation 
 made by those sachems, who had treated with the colonies 
 to deliver up all of Piiilip's party who should take refuge 
 at Narragansett, had not been fulfilled ; but that women, 
 children, and wounded men had been succored and received 
 hy them ! In addition to this, some of the tribe had ex- 
 pressed satisfaction upon hearing of the Indian successes 
 at Ihulloy, and it was "credibly reported" that they had 
 killed and taken away many cattle from the neighboring 
 English. These, wdth a detention of a Mr. Smith and his 
 family, for a short time, — no other harm being done 
 them, — were all the ostensible grounds upon which a for- 
 midable armv was sent to exterminate the Narragansetts 
 with fire and sword ! 
 
 No doubt their sympathies were with those of their own 
 
 
 
 ' • 
 
 i^^^l-. 
 
 
 ' i -'■ . , ■ 
 
 
 
 » 
 
 
 *, 
 
' -m 
 
 liiiiiPl'S-V' 
 
 
 > t 
 
 
 276 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 race, and, had they fully joined the conspiracy, the addition 
 of so numerous a tribe to the enemy might have turned the 
 scale, and resulted in the annihilation of the whites. 
 
 Josias Winslow, governor of Plymouth colony, was 
 chosen commander-in-chief of the English force. Church, 
 at the request of Winslow, joined the expedition, although 
 he would not accept of a connuission. A considerable body 
 of Mohegans, subjects of Uncas, accompanied the detach- 
 ment from Connecticut. 
 
 After destroying many deserted wigwams, and taking a 
 considerable number of prisoners in desultory warfare, a 
 guide was obtained to pilot the invades to the chief fort 
 of the Narragansetts. The encampment covered hvc or 
 six acres of elevated ground, forming an island in the 
 midst of an extensive swamp. In addition to the natural 
 defences of the place, the whole village was surrounded 
 by a strong palisade, and the only means of approach was 
 by crossing the marsh upon a huge fallen tree. The M'ig- 
 wams within, to the number of five or six hundred, were 
 rendered, to a great extent, bullet-proof by piling up tubs 
 of grain and other stores about the sides. 
 
 It was upon the 1 9th of December, early in the after- 
 noon, that the English forces reached this place of retreat. 
 With determined and desperate courage they rushed to the 
 attack. File after file of soldiers, with their officers at 
 their head, was swept from the narrow bridge by t.ic fire 
 of a party within, posted in a log hut, from which the 
 approach was commanded. They continued to press on, 
 and succeeded in driving the Indians from this covert into 
 the main enclosure. A scene of terrible carnage ensued 
 for several hours ; but the assailants steadily gained 
 ground, driving many of the enemy into the swamp, and 
 covering the area within with dead bodies. 
 
 Church, who had made an excursion, with a small party, 
 into the swamp, to attack the Indians in the rear, and who, 
 
^■.Vl^ 
 
 ■■'A » 
 
 ir.!\ ■ 
 
 NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 277 
 
 after doing good service, was severely wounded in the 
 thigh, seeing some setting fire to the wigwams, made 
 strenuous efforts to prevent their destruction. The weath- 
 er was intensely cold ; night was coming on ; many of the 
 troops were destitute of provisions ; a heavy snow storm 
 was brooding ; and sixteen miles must be traversed by 
 the army, encumbered by their wounded, before they could 
 reach shelter. He represented all these circumstances to 
 the general, pointing out the advantages of obtaining plen- 
 tiful supplies of food, and a warm cover where the wounded 
 could receive requisite attention. We will hope that some 
 feelings of humanity towards the unfortunate women and 
 children, with which the huts were crowded, formed a part 
 of his motives for this advice. 
 
 The geneial inclined to Church's counsel, but other 
 officers, fearing that the Indians would rally and attack 
 them in force, should the army take up their quarters for 
 the night, vehemently opposed him, and the work of de- 
 struction proceeded. Now was reenacted the terrible scene 
 at the fort of the Pcquots. Great numbers of old men, 
 women, and children were burned alive in the blazing wig- 
 wams, or mercilessly slain in their attempts to escape. 
 Hubbard, the reverend historian of the Indian wars, speaks 
 of this " firing of at least five or six hundred of their 
 smoky cells," as follows : The Indians were about pre- 
 paring their dinner when " our sudden and unexpected 
 assault put them beside that work, making their cook- 
 room too hot for them at that time, when they and their 
 mitchin fried together ; and probably some of them ate 
 their suppers in a colder place that night : most of their 
 provisions, as well as huts, being then consumed with fire, 
 and those that were left alive forced to hide themselves in 
 a cedar swamp, not far off, where they had nothing to de- 
 fend them from the cold but boughs of spruce and pine 
 trees." The whole town was reduced to ashes ; and, leav- 
 
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 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 ing the enclosure a smoking ruin, every where strewn with 
 burned and mangled corpses, the army commenced a re- 
 treat, worn out by cold, fatigue, and hunger. Many per- 
 ished by the way, and many more must have died from 
 starvation, but for the fortunate arrival at their rendezvous 
 of a vessel from Boston with provisions. 
 
 Eighty of their number were killed, and one hundred 
 and fifty wounded in the engagement. Besides an untold 
 number of the helpless occupants of the wigwams who 
 perished in the flames, it was supposed that not far from 
 three hundred xndian warriors were slain outright, and 
 seven hundred wounded, of whom many died from expo- 
 sure during the storm and cold of that terrible night. 
 
 Most of the survivors of the tribe fled to the Nipmucks, 
 after some inconclusive negotiation for peace with the Eng- 
 lish. The old sachem Ninigret seems to have been inclined 
 to make terms, but Canonicus, or Canonchet, a son of Mian- 
 tonimo, and a brave and energetic chief, nourished the most 
 unyielding hostility towards the destroyer of his people. 
 
 On the 10th of January, an Indian was found concealed 
 in a barn, "but after he was brought to the head-qunr- 
 ters " (in the words of Hubbard) " he would own nothing 
 but what was forced out of his mouth by the woolding of 
 his head with a cord, wherefore he was presently judged to 
 die, as a Wampanoag.'* 
 
 One Tift, an English renegade, who had joined the In- 
 dians, married one of their women, and assisted them in 
 their battles with the whites, was taken and put to death. 
 
 Winslow, in the latter part of January, pursued the 
 Narragansetts into the Nipmuck country, whither they had 
 fled, committing divers depredations on the route, and 
 killed about seventy of those whom he could come up 
 with. The largei portion, however, succeeded in joining 
 the forces of the Nipmucks, while the English were com- 
 pelled to return to the settlem,?nt for want of provisions. 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 279 
 
 Philip is supposed to have fled about this time as far 
 west as the Hudson river, where, it is said, " the Mohags 
 (Mohawks) made a descent upon him, and killed many of 
 his men, which moved him from thence." Some authors, 
 notwithstanding, speak of him as having been present at 
 various places in Massachusetts, attacked by Indians dur- 
 ing the latter part of the winter. 
 
 About the 10th of February, (old style,) Lancaster was 
 destroyed by a large force of the enemy, consisting of Nip- 
 mucks, Nashawas, and Narragansetts, under the noted Sag- 
 amore Sam. The house of Mr. Rowlandson, the minis- 
 ter, which was garrisoned, and contained fifty-five persons, 
 was set on fire, and the inmates were killed or made cap- 
 tives. More than twenty women and children fell into 
 the hands of the assailants. They were, most of them, 
 well treated during their captivity, the Indians " offering 
 no wrong to any of their persons save what they could 
 not help, being in many wants themselvcij." Mrs. Row- 
 landson, wife of the minister, was among the prisoners, 
 and her account of Indian manners and peculiarities, wit- 
 nessed during the three months of her captivity, are ex- 
 ceedingly interesting. . 
 
 Church says that Philip's next " kennelling place " was 
 at the falls on the Connecticut, and he probably gave di- 
 rections concerning many of the devastations committed in 
 February and March, if not personally present at them. 
 
 On the 21st of February, the town of Medficld, only 
 about twenty miles from Boston, was mostly destroyed. 
 The Indians had concealed themselves, during the previous 
 night, in every quarter of the place, and, at early da^vn, 
 fired about fifty buildings simultaneously. One hundred 
 and sixty soldiers were quartered in the town, but so sud- 
 den and well concerted was the attack, that it was impos- 
 sible to save the buildings which had been set on fire. 
 Nearly forty of the inhabitants were killed or wounded. 
 
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 280 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Being compelled, at last, to retreat across Charles river 
 the Indians burned the bridge behind them, and left a 
 paper, written by some of their number who had received 
 education from the English, to the following effect : 
 " Know, by this paper, that the Indians whom thou hast 
 provoked to wrath and anger, will war this 21 years if you 
 will. There are many Indians yet. We come 300 at this 
 time. You must consider the Indians lose nothing but 
 their life : you must lose your fair houses and cattle." 
 
 One account states that Philip himself was seen at this 
 ciction, " riding upon a black horse, leaping over fences, 
 and exulting in the havoc he was making.'* 
 
 Through the months of February and March, the sav- 
 ages met with signal success. Seekonk, Groton, and War- 
 wick were destroyed ; Northampton was assaulted ; one 
 house was burned in the very town of Plymouth, and a 
 number of buildings at Weymouth, only eleven miles from 
 Boston, shared a similar fate. Thirty houses were burned 
 at Providence. Captain Pierce, of Scituate, who had been 
 sent with a party of fifty whites and a number of friendly 
 Indians on an excursion against the enemy, was slain, with 
 the entire company of English. Only a few of the Indian 
 allies escaped. 
 
 On the same day, Marlborough was destroyed, with the 
 exception of the houses which had been garrisoned. This 
 attack was probably made by Philip himself, with the Nip- 
 muck and Narragansett Indians. Continuing their march, 
 they did much damage at Sudbury, and " met and sMal- 
 lowed up valiant Captain Waaswcrth and his company," 
 consisting of fifty men, with whom he was hastening to the 
 relief of the town. 
 
 One of the first severe reverses experienced by Philip, 
 was the capture and execution of the younger Canonicus 
 or Canonchet, the noblest and most influential of the Nar- 
 ragansett sachems. This was accomplished by a party 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 281 
 
 led by Captain Dennlson, from Connecticut, consisting of 
 English, Nehantic Indians, subject to Ninigret, and Mohe- 
 gans, under the command of Owenoco, son of Uncas. 
 Canonchet, with a small band of warriors, came to Narra- 
 gansett early in April, for the purpose of procuring seed- 
 corn for his people in the western settlements. Dennison, 
 having heard from a captive squaw, of the sachem's prox- 
 imity, pursued and took him. 
 
 The proud chief, upon his capture, being addressed by 
 a young man of the party, according to Hubbard, " look- 
 ing, with a little neglect upon his youthful face, replied in 
 broken English : * you much child : no understand matters 
 of war ; let your brother or your chief come : ' acting herein 
 as if, by a Pythagorean metempsychosis, some old Roman 
 ghost had possessed the body of this western Pagan." He 
 was carried to Stonington, and there shot : his head was 
 sent to Hartford as a trophy. He approved his sentence, 
 savincr that " he should die before his heart was soft, and 
 before he had spoken any thing unworthy of himself." 
 He had been Philip's faithful ally to the last, and ever 
 refused to ** deliver up a Wampanoag, or the paring of a 
 Wampanoag's nail," to the English. Dennison and his 
 men afterwards made further spoil of the enemy, killing 
 and capturing a large number of the Narragansetts. 
 
 During the months of April and May, twenty or thirty 
 buildings were burned in Plymouth ; Taunton and Scituate 
 were attacked, and Bridgewatcr sustained no small injury 
 from an assault by three hundred Indians, under the 
 sachem Tisguogen. 
 
 Great numbers of hostile Indians having congregated at 
 the fills of the Connecticut, during the month of May, for 
 the purpose of fishing, a strong force of soldiers and inhab- 
 itants of the towns on the river, under the command of 
 Captains Holyoke and Turner, made a descent upon them. 
 The Indians were encamped in careless security, and, the 
 
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 282 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 attack being made in the night, some two hundred were 
 killed, or drowned in attempting to escape across the river. 
 In the midst of this success it was reported to the English, 
 by an Indian, that Philip in person, Avith an immense force, 
 was coming upon them. Commencing a retreat, upon this 
 news, the Indians recovered from thei; panic, and pursuing 
 the party from which they had so recently fled in con- 
 fusion, killed from thirty to forty of their number. 
 
 On the 30th of May, six hundred Indians attacked 
 Hatfield, and burned many buildings, but the place was 
 bravely defended, and the enemy was driven off. A still 
 larger number, about a fortnight later, assaulted Hadley, 
 but, by the assistance of troops from Connecticut, the in- 
 habitants successfully repelled them. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 PHILIP'S RETURN TO POKANOKET. — MAJOR TALCOTT'S SUCCESSES.-. 
 CHURCH COMMISSIONED BY THE COURT AT PLYMOUTH. - HIS m. 
 TERVIEW WITH AWOSHONKS ; WITH THE SOGKONATES AT SAND- 
 WICH.— HIS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INDIANS. — PHILIP SEEN : IHS 
 WIFE AND SON TAKEN. — DEATH OF WEETAMORE, QUEEN OF PO- 
 CASSLT. — DEATH OF PHILIP. 
 
 Philip's power was now upon the decline : his forces 
 were discontented, and in separate bodies wandered about 
 the country, undergoing much hardship and privation. 
 liOsing influence with the river Indians, and unable to 
 concentrjitc the various tribes, with effect, he returned to 
 his old quarters in the vicinity of Narragansett bay, ac- 
 companied by the trusty warriors who still adhered to 
 him. 
 
 Major Talcott, from Connecticut, with a body of mounted 
 men, accompanied by many Mohegaus and Pequots, sig- 
 
tm M -^tilv''. 
 
 NLiW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 283 
 
 nalized himself during the month of June, by several 
 incursions into Narragansett. On a single occasion, he 
 killed a great number of the enemy, and took from one to 
 two hundred prisoners. To the everlasting disgrace of 
 the whites of this company, they allowed their Moliegan 
 allies, upon one occasion, to torture to death a young 
 warrior who was made prisoner. " The English," says 
 Hubbard, " at this time were not unwilling to gratify their 
 humor, lest, by a denial, they might disoblige their Indian 
 friends — partly, also, that they might have an ocular 
 demonstration of the savage, barbarous cruelty of the 
 heathen." This young warrior had killed, as he averred, 
 many Englishmen, and now, the narrative proceeds, " this 
 monster is fallen into the hands of those that will repay 
 him seven-fold." 
 
 The Mohegans cut round the joints of his fingers and 
 toes successively, and then "broke them off, as was for- 
 merly the custom to do with a slaughtered beast." The 
 victim bore all unflinchingly ; replying to their taunts, 
 with asseverations that he " liked the war well, and found 
 it as sAveet as the Englishmen do their sugar." They 
 compelled him to dance and sing in this condition, till he 
 had " wearied himself and them," and then broke his legs. 
 Sinking, in silence, on the ground, he sat till they finished 
 his miseries by a blow. Meamvhile, the English stood by, 
 and, although the sight brought tears into the eyes of some 
 of them, none offered to interfere. 
 
 Famine, disease, and exposui;^ had, by this time, begun 
 to do their work upon the miserable outcasts who had so 
 long kept New England in terror. 
 
 A large body fled westward, pursued by troops from 
 Connecticut, and, after sustaining considerable loss, suc- 
 ceeded in joining the Mohicans of the Hudson, with whom 
 they united, and formed thereafter a portion of that tribe. 
 
 The colonial authorities now offered terms of peace to 
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 284 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 the enemy, promising good treatment to all who should 
 surrender and deliver up their arms, with the exception 
 of notorious offenders. Within a few weeks from this 
 proclamation, five or six hundred of the Indians came in 
 and submitted to the English. Some of their chiefs, and 
 noted warriors, and those who had been chiefly concerned 
 in the outrages upon the settlements, were put to death ; 
 the others had lands assigned them ; were disarmed, and 
 kept under the surveillance of overseers. 
 
 As Church took so prominent a part in the final reduc- 
 tion of Philip and his chief sachems, we will now briefly 
 review his proceedings during this summer until the death 
 of Philip and the close of the war. He had been sum- 
 moned to Plymouth in the spiing, to assist at the coinicil 
 of war, and, at that time, proffered advice, which, if ap- 
 proved by his associates, might have saved much havoc 
 and bloodshed. His plan was to " make a business of the 
 war, i\.i the enomy did ; " to employ large forces ; to enlist 
 all the friendly Indians who were available, and to pursue 
 their opponents into their own country, and fight them in 
 their own manner. Not being able to persuade the author- 
 ities to his views, he remained inuc ive, with his fiimily, at 
 Duxbury and on Rhode Island, until early in June, when 
 he again betook himself to Plymou<-h, where he was gladly 
 welcomed by the general court, then in session. The 
 members " told him they were glad to see him alive. He 
 replied, he was as glad to see them alive, for he had seen so 
 manv fires and smokes towards their side of the country, 
 since he left them, that he could scarce eat or sleep with 
 any comfort, for fear they had all been destroyed. For all 
 travelling Avas stopped, and no news had passed for a long 
 time together." 
 
 The court had now concluded, according to Church's 
 plan, to raise a large force of English and Indians, and 
 eagerly accepted the captain's offer of cooperation. He 
 
 was to ] 
 for the 
 find no ( 
 by two ] 
 (commoi 
 which ji 
 Awoshor 
 fishing u] 
 be furth( 
 friend, tl 
 counsel w 
 nations, h 
 konates hi 
 The cai 
 so heavily 
 heard. T 
 pieter, th( 
 M'here Chi 
 piised, an 
 Awoshonk 
 conference 
 for a mce 
 permit, at 
 None weje 
 and Nomji; 
 Arriving 
 authorities, 
 risking hin 
 en«.my. H 
 opportunity 
 but that he 
 determined 
 He accor 
 appointed, 
 Indian who 
 
.(; ,i;::jl»|' 
 
 NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 285 
 
 was to return to Rhode Island, and there enlist a company 
 for the campaign. Reaching Elizabeth's Island, he could 
 find no conveyance homeward other than a canoe, manned 
 by two Indians. Their course took them near Sogkonate 
 (commonly called Seac )nnet) point, the wild mass of rocks 
 which juts into the ocean, at the southern extremity of 
 Awoshonk's domains. Church saw some of the Indians 
 fishing upon the rocks, and bethought him that here might 
 be further opportunity of communicating with Ms old 
 friend, the squaw sachem. Notwithstanding her early 
 counsel with Church, she, or her people, against her incli- 
 nations, had been drawn into Philip's plans, and the Sog- 
 konates had taken active part in the hostilities. 
 
 The canoe was soon hailed from shore, but the surf beat 
 60 heavily against the rocks that the reply could not be 
 heard. Two Indians, one of whom was George, the inter- 
 preter, therefore came out upon a long point of sand, 
 where Church could land without danger of being sur- 
 prised, and, on his approach, they informed him that 
 Awoshonks had left Philip, and would be glad to have a 
 conference with him. An appointment was therefore made 
 for a meeting, on the next day that the weather would 
 permit, at a well-known rock, upon the Richmond farm. 
 None were to be present except the queen, her son Peter, 
 and Nompash, an Indian known to Church. 
 
 Arriving at Newport, and detailing his plans to the 
 authorities, they pronounced him demented to think of 
 risking himself unprotected among such a body of the 
 enemy. He replied that he had always wished for an 
 opportunity to confer with the Sogkonates, not doubting 
 but that he could secure their friendship, and that he was 
 determined to prosecute the adventure. 
 
 He accordingly crossed over the next day, to the place 
 appointed, accompanied only by " his own man," and the 
 Indian who had paddled him from Elizabeth's. He was 
 
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 286 
 
 INDIAN BACE9 OP AMERICA. 
 
 met by the queen and the other two, who had been desig- 
 nated ; but, upon retiring a short distance, to a convenient 
 spot for discussion, a crowd of armed and painted warriors 
 sprang up from amid the long grass around them. 
 
 Church betrayed no signs of surprise or fear, but, having 
 first obtained directions from Awoshonks that the Indians 
 should lay down their guns, he pulled out a bottle of rum, 
 and opened the conference by proffering her a dram, ask- 
 ing, " if she had been so long at Weetuset as to forget to 
 drink Occapeches." Having first swallowed some himself, 
 from the hollow of his hand, to quiet any suspicions of 
 treachery that she might entertain, he distiibuted the rest, 
 together with some tobacco that he had brought, among 
 those standing by. He then answered her inquiries as to 
 the reasons why he had absented himself so long, using all 
 his powers of persuasion to revive her old friendship for 
 the English ; promising favor and protection from the gov- 
 ernment, if she would enlist her forces against Philip ; and 
 by his bold and frank demeanor, disarming the suspicions 
 and softening the surliness of the warriors. 
 
 At one time, as related by Church, ** there arose a mighty 
 murmur, confused noise and talk among the fierce-looking 
 creatures ; and, all rising up in a hubbub, a great surly- 
 looking fellow took up his tomhog, or wooden cutlass, to 
 kill Mr. Church, but some others prevented him." 
 
 This man had lost a brother in the fight at Punkatese, 
 but Church explained how, with only a handful of men, 
 he had been suddenly set upon, and how his intentions 
 were, even then, friendly to the Sogkonates. 
 
 His counsels finally prevailed, and it was agreed that an 
 oflTer of services should be made at Plymouth, in behalf of 
 the tribe ; five men being chosen to accompany Church on 
 the embassy. ' 
 
 Having returned to Rhode Island, and, with much dif- 
 ficulty, procured a vessel, Captain Church set sail for Sog- 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 287 
 
 konate, whence the Indians espied him, and stood waiting 
 upon the rocks with an old canoe, ready to come on board. 
 The sea ran so high that no one but Peter Awoshonks was 
 able to reach the vessel ; and when, after much danger and 
 trouble, he was taken in, a strong head wind prevented 
 the prosecution of the voyage, and all returned to New- 
 port, making the circuit of Rhode Island. 
 
 Church, after this delay, — the arrival of the army at 
 Pocassct being shortly expected, — was unwilling to leave 
 the Island, and accordingly sent Peter back to Sogkonate, 
 with directions to take the selected number of his com- 
 panions, and proceed across the country to Plymouth, with 
 letters for the governor. 
 
 The Plymouth forces reached Pocasset, under command 
 of Major Bradford, and, having been joined by Church, 
 marched to Punkatese. Awe honks and most of her war- 
 riors, having been notified to attend, came to this place, 
 and proffered their services ; but, to their great grief and 
 disappointment, were ordered to repair to Sandwich, on 
 the coast to the eastward, and await further directions 
 from the government at Plymouth. Church advised them 
 to comply quietly, and promised to join them himself, 
 within a week, with a commission to employ them, if he 
 could obtain it. , • . 
 
 During the ensuing week, according to the opinion of 
 some, an opportunity was lost of surprising and destroy- 
 ing nearly the whole of Philip's remaining force, who had 
 gone to Wepoiset, in search of clams ; provisions being 
 very scarce with thoux. 
 
 Captain Church, with only one companion, rode from 
 Rehoboth to Plymouth, starting at sunset, and reaching 
 the town early in the morning. He there yaw the gov- 
 ernor, who had received the messengers from Sogkonate 
 with favor, and who readily promised him the desired 
 commission, and ratified his agreement with Awoshonks. 
 
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 288 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Not finding the Inditms at Sandwich, Captain Church, 
 with a few companions, proceeded along the coast, and 
 finally came upon the whole tribe, scattered over the level 
 sand-beach, engaged in various occupations and diver- 
 sions — ** A vast company of Indians, of all ages and sexes, 
 some on horse-back running races, some at foot-ball, some 
 catching eels and flat-fish, some clamming, &c." 
 
 He was received by Awoshonks and her chiefs, and 
 royally entertained. When night came on, an immense 
 heap of dry pine branches and other fuel was set on fire, 
 and all the Indians, gathering round it, commenced those 
 dances and ceremonies deemed by them so essential in 
 cementing a league, or in entering upon any important 
 adventure. 
 
 A stout chief would step within the circle, armed with 
 spear and hatchet, and appear to fight the fire, with every 
 gesture and expression of energy' and fury, naming suc- 
 cessively the several hostile tribes ; " and, at the naming of 
 every particular tribe of Indians, he would draw out and 
 fight a new fire-brand, and at finishing his fight with each 
 particular fire-brand, would bow to him and thank him." 
 He would then retire, and another would repeat the same 
 operation, " with more fury, if possible, than the first." 
 
 Awoshonks and the chiefs told Church that hereby they 
 were his sworn soldiers, and, one and all, at his service. 
 He therefore selected a number of them, and took them to 
 Plymouth, the next day, where he was regularly commis- 
 sioned, by Governor Winslow, to raise volunteers, both 
 English and Indian ; to fight the enemy at his discretion ; 
 and to make treaty and composition with any, as he should 
 see reason, " provided they be not murderous rogues, or 
 such as have been principal actors in those villanies." The 
 commission was given, under the public seal, the 24th day 
 of July, 1676. 
 
 Being now furnished with a sufficient force, and being 
 
NEW ENOLAND INDIANS. 
 
 289 
 
 at liberty to carry out his own plans, Church commenced 
 a vigorous and effective campaign. Spreading through 
 the forest with his men, keeping himself continually in- 
 formed by scouts of the position and number of the en- 
 emy, and following up his advantages with unwearied 
 energy, he reduced his opponents to the greafest straits. 
 The army, under Bradford, remained at Taunton and vi- 
 cinity, cutting off Philip's return from the eastward, while 
 Church and his corps scoured the woods, surprising and 
 killing, or taking captive, large numbers of hostile Indians. 
 
 On one occasion, he fell in with Little Eyes, the Sog- 
 konate who attempted to make way with him at the first 
 interview with Awoshonks, and who had separated from 
 the rest of the tribe with a few companions. His Indian 
 allies urged Church to take this opportunity for revenging 
 himself; but he refused, and showed the unfriendly chief 
 quarter and protection. 
 
 Philip and his party, chiefly Narragansetts, anxious to 
 effect a retreat to the Narragansett country, came to the 
 banks of Taunton river, and felled a large tree over the 
 stream for the purpose of crossing. At this spot. Church, 
 with his company and a detachment from Bridgewater, 
 attacked him on the 1st of August. As the English 
 secretly approached the fallen tree, a single warrior was 
 seen seated upon the stump across the river, and as Church 
 was taking aim at him, one of his Indian followers called 
 to him not to fire, thinking that it was a man of their own 
 party. At this moment the Indian sprang from the stump, 
 and effected his escape down the river-bank ; but as he 
 turned his face, he was distinctly recognized to be Philip 
 himself. 
 
 The whole body of the enemy then scattered and fled 
 through the woods, but succeeded in effecting a passage 
 of the river at a ford, some distance beyond, hotly pur- 
 sued by the English. Many women and children were 
 
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 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 captured ; among the rest, Philip's wife, Wootonekanuske, 
 and his son, a lad only nine years of age. The Sogko- 
 nates, following closely upon the fugitives, killed several, 
 and made thirteen prisoners. 
 
 As the flight was continued, the women and children 
 became wearied, and, being unable to keep pace with the 
 company, fell into the hands of the pursuers. They were 
 ordered to follow the trail, and were assured that, if sub- 
 missive and obedient, they should be the more favorubly 
 treated. 
 
 PlJip and his band, being suddenly surprised, while 
 they were busily engaged in preparing breakfast, fled into 
 a swamp, leaving " their kettles boiling, and meat roasting 
 upon their wooden spits." Here they were hemmed in, 
 and, after some hard fighting, no less than one hundred 
 and seventy-three, including those who had followed the 
 party, as directed, were taken prisoners or killed. A large 
 division of these were so surprised and panic-struck by the 
 number and determination of the pursuers, that they " stood 
 still and let the English come and take the guns out of their 
 hands, when they were both charged and cocked." Philip, 
 and some of his principal chiefs, escaped. 
 
 The prisoners, having been well supplied with food, 
 were confined in the pound, at Bridgewater, and passed 
 the night in merriment, expressing little despondency or 
 apprehension. They reported Philip's condition and frame 
 of mind as being miserable in the extreme. His wife and 
 son made prisoners ; his allies overpowered, or treach- 
 erous ; reverses coming thick upon him ; and his force 
 dwindling to a handful of warriors, nothing but destruc- 
 tion seemed to await him. 
 
 On the 6th of August, Weetamore, queen of Pocassct, 
 and widow of Alexander, Philip's eldest brother, who 
 throughout the war had been a most valuable and faithful 
 coadjutor to her brother-in-law, perished in attempting to 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 291 
 
 escape over the Tehticut river, into her own country, upon 
 a raft. She had been surprised, with twenty-six of her 
 subjects, who were all take prisoners. The dead body 
 of the poor queen was found stark naked, near the river 
 bank, where she had probably crouched, half drowned, and 
 died from exposure and famine. Her head was cut off by 
 those who discovered her, and fixed upon a pole at Taun- 
 ton, where it was recognized by some of her loving subjects 
 kept there in captivity. Their burst of unrestrainable grief 
 at the sight, is characterized by Mather as " a most horrid 
 and diabolical lamentation." 
 
 Church returned to Plymouth, where he received the 
 thanks and gratulations of the authorities, but was allowed 
 little rest, as some of the enemy, under the great sachem 
 Totoson, Averc lurking around Dartmouth, and his aid was 
 required to dislodge them. The expedition was successful, 
 but Totoson, with an old squaAv and his little son, escaped. 
 The squaw afterwards came to Sandwich, and reported the 
 chief's death, saying that, *' reflecting upon the miserable 
 condition he had brought himself into, his heart became a 
 stone within him, and he died." She said that she had 
 covered his body with a few leaves and brush. 
 
 Worn out by hard service, hard fare, and exposure. Cap- 
 tain Church now sought to recruit his strength by rest ; 
 but, being urged by the government to pursue Philip to 
 the death, and receiving promises of satisfaction for former 
 neglect, he marched to Pocassct with a company of volun- 
 teers, and thence crossed over to Rhode Island. 
 
 He there visited his wife, whom he had left at a Mrs. 
 Sandford's, and Avho fainted with surprise and joy at 
 meeting him alivo ; but hardly had the first greetings 
 been exchanged, when tidings came post that Philip was 
 to be found at his old quarters in Mount Hope neck. The 
 horses upon which Church and his companions had just 
 arrived stood at the door ; and, telling Mrs. Church that 
 
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 292 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 **she must content herself with a short visit when such 
 game was ahead," they all mounted and spui'red oflf. 
 
 They learned from the deserter who had brought the 
 intelligence, that Philip was encamped upon a spot of dry 
 land in a swamp hard by the mount ; and Church, being 
 well acquainted with the locality, lost no time in taking 
 advantage of his information. He crossed the ferry with 
 his men, and approached the spot during the night. Hav- 
 ing distributed a portion of the force in such a manner as 
 to command all the places where the enemy would be like- 
 ly to attempt escape, another detachment, under Captain 
 Golding, proceeded to " beat up Philip's head-quarters ; " 
 with directions to make all the noise possible, while pur- 
 suing the fugitives, that they might be known by those 
 who lay in ambush. 
 
 The Indians, startled by the first fire, rushed into the 
 swamp, with Philip at their head. Half clothed, and 
 flinging his " petunk '* and powder-horn behind him, the 
 doomed chief came, at full speed, fully within range of the 
 guns of an Englishman and an Indian, who lay concealed 
 at one of the points of ambuscade. 
 
 The white man's gun snapped, but the fire of his com- 
 panion was ftvtal. Philip fell upon his face in the mire, 
 shot through the heart. This event took place early in 
 the morning of Saturday, the 12th of August, 1676. 
 
 Thus the main object of the campaign was accomplished j 
 but most of the hostile party managed to escape. Among 
 them was the old chief, Annawon, a great captain under 
 Philip, and Massasoit, his father. He «* seemed to be a 
 great surly old fellow," hallooing, with a loud voice, 
 " lootash — lootash ! " Peter, Church's man, said that he 
 Was calling on his men to fight bravely, and hold their 
 ground. 
 
 Several of Church's Indians dragged the body of poor 
 Philip out of the mire, " and a doleful, great, naked beast 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 293 
 
 he looked." By the direction of the captain, who averred 
 that, having " caused many an Englishman's body to be 
 unburied and to rot above ground, not one of his bones 
 should be buried," one of the Indians beheaded and quar- 
 tered the body of the fallen sachem, as was the custom 
 towards traitors. The old executioner, who was appointed 
 to this office, first made a short speech, which, but that it 
 was rather more coarsely expressed, might remind one of 
 the exultation of the heroes of Homer over a conquered foe. 
 However far removed from that absurd and morbid sen- 
 sibility which perceives greater tokens of depravity in an 
 indignity offered to a senseless carcass than in acts of cru- 
 elty and injustice towards the living, we do not care to de- 
 fend this act of Church. One of Philip's hands, which 
 had been formerly marred by the bursting of a pistol, was 
 given to Alderman, the Indian who shot him. The exhi- 
 bition of it proved a source of no small profit. The head 
 was long exposed at Plymouth, and the devout Mather 
 exults in having, with his own hand, displaced the jaw from 
 the skull of " that blasphemous leviathan." 
 
 ■.•N^yv\/V^^\>VV>VN^«^''— 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 PURSUIT OF ANNA WON AND HIS PARTY.— DARINO PROCPnURE OP CAP- 
 TAIN CHURCH. — END OF THE WAR, AND FINAL DISPOSAL OF PRIS- 
 ONERS. — SUMMARY OF THE COLONIAL LOSSES. 
 
 After the death of Philip, the company returned to 
 Plymouth, and received, as premium for their services, 
 thirty shillings for each Indian killed or taken. 
 
 Toward the end of August, Church was again called 
 from Plymouth to go in pursuit of Anna won, who, with 
 the feeble remains of his force, was scouring the country 
 
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 294 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 around Rehoboth and Swansey. He accordingly took a 
 few faithful soldiers, with his brave and tried lieutenant, 
 Jabez Howland, and hastened through the woods to Pocas- 
 set. He intended passing the Sabbath on Rhode Island, 
 but hearing that Indians had been seen crossing from 
 Prudence Island to Poppasquash Neck, he hastened at 
 once in quest of them. As they were passing the river iu 
 canoes, so heavy a gale sprang up that, after the captain 
 and fifteen or sixteen Indians were over, the boats could 
 no longer venture. Without waiting for their EngHsh 
 companions, this little company marched round through 
 the northern part of the present town of Bristol, and 
 spreading across the* narrow portion of the neck, sent 
 scouts to ascertain the position of the enemy. They there 
 passed " a vei j solitary, hungry night," having no provis- 
 ions. Early in the morning, Nathaniel, an Indian of the 
 scouting party, appeared, and told how he, with his com- 
 panion, had taken ten prisoners, by lying concealed, and 
 attracting the enemy's attention, by howling like a wolf. 
 One after another, they would run to see what caused the 
 noise, and Nathaniel, " howling lower and lower, drew 
 them in between those who lay in wait." They afterwards 
 secured the wives and chiklren of these captives, all of 
 whom said that Annawon never ** roosted twice in a place," 
 but continually shifted his quarters. They represented 
 Annawon as the bravest and most subtle of all Philip's 
 warriors, and said that the men who still adhered to him 
 were valiant and resolute. 
 
 An old Indian, accompanied by a young squaw", were 
 next taken, both of whom had come direct from the great 
 chief's encampment, which was in Squannaconk swamp, 
 in the south-easterly part of Rehoboth. The old man, in 
 consideration that his life was spared, agreed to pilot 
 Church to the spot, but begged that he might not be com- 
 pelled " to fight against Captain Annawon, his old friend." 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 295 
 
 It was a bold act, iiuleed, on the part of Church, to under- 
 take the capture of such a warrior, with so small a force ; 
 for, having been obliged to send some back with the pris- 
 oners, only half a dozen Indians now accompanied him. 
 He was not a man to let slip an opportunity, and started 
 at once for the camp, having much ado to keep pace with 
 the hardy old Indian who led the way. 
 
 Annawon's "camp or kennelling place," was pitched in 
 a recess in a ledge of precipitous rocks, which stood upon 
 a rising ground in the swamp, and the only way to ap- 
 proach it unperceived was by clambering down the cliff. 
 It was night when Church arrived there; stopping the 
 guide with his hand, he crawled to the edge of the rock, 
 and looked down upon the scene below. Annawon's hut 
 consisted of a tree felled against the wall of rock, with 
 birch bushes piled against it. Fires were lit without, over 
 which meat was roasting, and kettles were boiling, and the 
 light revealed several companies of the enemy. Their 
 arms were stacked together, and covered with a mat, and 
 in close proximity to them lay old Annawon and his son. 
 An old squaw was pounding corn in a mortar, and, as the 
 noise of her blows continued. Church, preceded by the 
 guide and his daughter, and followed by his Indian allies, 
 let himself down by the bushes and twigs which grew in 
 the crevices of the rock. With his hatchet in his hand, 
 he stepped over the younger Annawon, Avho drew himself 
 into a heap, with his blanket over his head, and reached 
 the guns. The old chief sat up, crying out " Ilowoh ! " 
 but, seeing that he was taken, lay down again in silence. 
 The rest of the company made no resistance, supposing 
 that the English were upon them in force. Church's In- 
 dians, going among thorn, enlarged upon his benevolence 
 and kindness, and advised them to submit quietly, which 
 they did, delivering up all their arms. 
 
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 296 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Church and his men, and they all supped together in har- 
 mony. The captain, wearied out by long watc^:ing and 
 labor, now tried to get a little sleep, but was unable to 
 compose himself. Looking round, he saAV the v/holc party, 
 friends and foes, sleeping soundly, with the exception of 
 Annawon ; and there lay the two rival leaders, looking at 
 each other for near an hour. 
 
 Annawon then got up and retired a short distance, ond, 
 as he did not immediately return. Church suspected that he 
 might have secured a gun, with intent to despatch him, and 
 therefore crept close to young Annawon, as security. The 
 old man soon reappeared, bringing with him Philip's re- 
 galia, and, kneeling down before Church, to his great sur- 
 prise addressed him in English : " Great captain, you have 
 killed Philip and conquered his country ; for I believe that 
 I and my company are the lust that war against the Eng- 
 lish, so suppose the war is endev! by your means, and there- 
 fore these things belong to you." He then handed him 
 two broad belts elaborately worked m wampum, one of 
 which reached from the shoulders nearly to the ground, 
 " edged with red hair, from the Mahog's country ; " two horns 
 of powder, and a red cloth blanket. He said that Philip 
 used to ornament himself with these upon great occasions. 
 
 All night long the two captains continued their converse, 
 and Aunawon detailed his adventures, and " gave an ac- 
 count of what mighty success he had formerly, in wars 
 against many nations of Indians, when he served Asum- 
 equiu (Mussasoit), Philip's father." 
 
 The next day the party proceeded to Taunton, and 
 Church, with Annawon in his company, went to Rhode 
 Island, and so on to Plymouth. There, to his great sor- 
 row, the authorities refused to spare the old chief, but put 
 him to death. At the same time they executed Tispaquin, 
 the last of Philip's great sachems, who had surrendered 
 himself upon promise of mercy. 
 
NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 297 
 
 The war was now at an end, with the exception of a few 
 "hunting excursions," after some stragglers of Philip's 
 men who yet lurkeu in the woods. Such of the prisoners, 
 now in the hands of the English, as had been active in 
 hostilities, were put to death : the rest were sold in slavery 
 in the colonies, or sent to toil in the West Indies. It was 
 much discussed whether the poor boy who was so culpable 
 as to be the son of Philip, should die. The clergymen 
 seemed incliied to the belief that such should be his fate; 
 Increase Mather cited the case of Hadad, saying that, 
 " had not others fled away with him, I am apt to think 
 that David would have taken a course that Hadad should 
 never have proved a scourge to the next generation." He 
 was finally sent a slave to Bermuda. 
 
 Baylies thus sums up the disasters of the eventful period 
 of Philip's hostilities : " In this war, which lasted but little 
 more than a year and a half, six hundi-ed Englishmen were 
 killed. Thirteen towns in Massachusetts, Plymouth, and 
 Rhode Island, were destroyed, and many others greatly 
 injured. Almost every family had lost a relative. Six 
 hundred dwelling-houses had been burned. A vast amount, 
 in goods and cattle, had been destroyed, and a vast debt 
 created. But the result of the contest was decisive ; the 
 enemy was extinct ; the fertile wilderness was opened, and 
 the rapid extension of settlements evinced the growing 
 prosperity of New England." 
 
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 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
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 ''iTSt 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE EASTERN INDIANS. —TIIKIR FRIENDLY DISPOSITION. - SEIZURE 
 OF THOSE IMPLICATED L\ PHILIP'" CONSPIRACy.— FREN(;H ANi< IN- 
 DIAN WAR OF 16H9,— ATTACK ON COC II ECO. — MURDER OP MAJOR 
 
 WALDRON. — WAR OF 1700. — CHURCH'S LAST CAMPAIGN WAR OP 
 
 1722.— CAPTAIN JOHN LOVEWELL. 
 
 The services of Cr.ptaia Benjamin Church, ir the early 
 Indian campaigns, did not end with the death of Philip 
 and the reduction of the hostile tribes united by that cbief 
 in enmity against the colonists. In the war which after- 
 wards broke out with the Indians of New Hampshire and 
 Maine, the old soldier was again called upon to take the 
 field. 
 
 Our accounts of the early history of these Eastern tribes 
 ai'e not vory voluminous or connected. Some description is 
 given, in Captain John Smith's narrative, of the government 
 and division of the nations and tribes on the coast ; and, 
 in f ubsequent times, talcs of noted sagamores and warriors, 
 with detached incidents of adventure, arc nat wanting in 
 interest. 
 
 The first English settlers in Maine and New Hampshire 
 had little to complain of in the trei ment they received 
 from the aboriginal inhabitants : according to Hubbard, 
 " Ever since the first settling of any English plantation 
 in those parts about Kennebeck, for the space of about fifty 
 years, the Indians always carried it fiiir, and held good 
 correspondence with the English, until the news came of 
 Philip's rebellion and rising against the inhabitants of 
 Plymouth colony in the end of June, 1675 ; after which 
 time it was apprehended by such as had the examination 
 of the Indians about Kennebeck, that there was a general 
 surmise amongst them that they should be required to 
 
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 NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 801 
 
 assist the said Philip, although they would not own that 
 they were at all engaged in the quarrel." 
 
 "When Philip's forces were destroyed or dispersed, many 
 of them took refuge at the East, and the search for and 
 seizure of these served to arouse and keep alive hostile 
 feelings which might otherwise have slumbered. By the 
 contrivance of Major Waldron, a noted character among 
 the first settlers at Cocheco (afterwards Dover) in New 
 Hampshire, some four hundred Indians, of various tribes, 
 were decoyed into the power of the colonial troops by 
 the pretence of a sham-fight exhibition. They were then 
 examined, and all who were adjudged to have been con- 
 nected with the war, to the number of over two hundred, 
 were sent to Boston, where eight or ten of them were 
 hanged, and the rest were sold as slaves. 
 
 Many scenes of depredation and bloodshed are described 
 by historians of those early times previous to the regular 
 campaigns of 1689 and the years ensuing, against the 
 French and Indians. During the war of 1675-6, connected 
 with Philip's conspiracy, the most important afiairs were 
 the burning, by the Indians, of the towns of Casco and 
 Saco. Under the administration of Sir Edmund Andross, 
 the conflicting claims to territory in Maine, between the 
 Baron of St. Castine and English proprietors, brought 
 about a war in which the neighboring Indian tribes were 
 involved. With their usual success, the French excited 
 the eastern Indians to espouse their cause, and a series of 
 depredations upon the English colonists ensued. 
 
 At Cocheco (Dover), Major Waldron was still in author- 
 ity, with a considerable force urder his command, occu- 
 pying five fortified buildings. In the summer of 1689, a 
 party of Indians planned an attack upon this post, as well 
 to strike a signal blow in behalf of their white allies, as 
 to revenge the former wrong done to their friends by Wal- 
 dron. The English considered themselves perfectly secure, 
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 802 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 and kept no watch — a circumstance which had been ob* 
 served by the enemy. On the 27th of June, two squaws 
 obtained leave to sleep in each of the garrisoned housca. 
 During the night they rose quietly, unbarred the doors, 
 and, by appointed signals, announced to the warriors lurk- 
 ing without that the time was propitious for an attack. 
 
 The English Avere completely overpowered, fifty-two 
 were killed or carried away captive ; among the former 
 was Major Waldron. The old "varrior (he was eighty 
 years of age) defended himself with astonishing strength 
 and courage, but was finally struck down from behind. 
 Bruised and mangled, he was placed in a chair upon a 
 table, and the savages, gathering round, glutted their long- 
 cherished vengeance by cutting and torturing the helpless 
 captive. He was in bad odor with the Indians for having, 
 as they alleged, defrauded them in former trading trans- 
 actions. It was reported among them that he used to 
 " count his fist as weighing a pound, also that his accounts 
 were not crossed out according to agreement." Placed as 
 above mentioned, upon a table, some of them " in turns 
 gashed his naked breast, saying, * I cross out my account.' 
 Then cutting a joint from his finger, would say, * AVill 
 your fist weigh a pound now ? '" — (Drake's edition of 
 Churches Indian Wars.) They continued these cruelties 
 until he fainted from loss of blood, when they despatched 
 him. It is said, by the above author, that one of the 
 squaws, to whom was assigned the duty of betraying Wal- 
 dron's garrison, felt some compunction at the act of treach- 
 ery, and endeavored, ineflfectually, to warn the command- 
 ant by crooning the following verse : — 
 
 « O, Major Waldo, 
 You great sagamore, 
 O, what will you do ? 
 Indians at your door ! ' 
 
 In September of this year (1689) Captain (now styled 
 
NEAV ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 803 
 
 Major) Church was commissioned by the authorities of the 
 United Colonies to • prosecute the war in Maine, and ho 
 sailed accordingly with his forces for Casco Bay. lie had 
 with him two hundred and fifty volunteers, English and 
 friendly Indians, and two companies from Massachusetts. 
 His arrival was seasonable, sis a large party of Indians 
 and French \\'as ascertained to be in the vicinity, intend- 
 ing to destroy the place. Some smart skirmishing took 
 place upon the succeeding day, but the enemy finally 
 drew off. 
 
 When afterwards ordered home with his troops. Church 
 bestirred himself to bring about some action on the part 
 of the government for the more effectual protection of the 
 unfortunate inhabitants of Casco (the country in the vicin- 
 ity of the present town of Portland), but in vain ; and in 
 the ensuing spring the Avhole district was ravaged by the 
 enemy. The English settlers at the East, after the event, 
 no longer dared to remain exposed to attacks of the sav- 
 ages, and, deserting their homes, collected at the fortified 
 post at Wells, in the south of Maine. 
 
 Church's second eastern expedition, in September, 1690, 
 was against the Indian forts on the Androscoggin. With 
 little resistance he drove off the occupants, released several 
 English captives, and took prisoners several members of 
 the families of the noted sachems Warombo and Kanka- 
 magus. A number of Indian prisoners were brutally mur- 
 dered by the successful party ; but two old squaws were 
 left to deliver a message to their own people that Captain 
 Church had been there, and with him many Indians, for- 
 merly adherents of King Philip ; and to report further, as 
 a warning, what great success he had met with in the war 
 against the great sachem. Word was also left that if the 
 fugitives " had a mind to see their wives and children, they 
 should come to Wells' garrison." With respect to the mas- 
 sacre of prisoners on tliis occasion, we are left to infer that 
 
 
 
 
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 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 a portion of them, at least, consisted of women and children. 
 The old narrative here as elsewhere ' is rather blind, and 
 deficient in detail, but if the facts were as above suggested, 
 the whole history of these Indian wars does not present 
 a more revolting instance of cold-blooded barbarity. That 
 the act was done by Church's orders, or that it was coun- 
 tenanced by him, seems utterly incredible when compared 
 with his usual course towards prisoners. Of one man, 
 who was captured in the taking of Warombo's fort, it is 
 said : ** The soldiers being very rude, would hardly spare 
 the Indian's life while in examination ; " and it is possible 
 that they might have committed the wanton butchery 
 above mentioned without their commander's concurrence. 
 We would not, however, endeavor to screen the guilty ; 
 and if Church is to be held responsible for the murder, 
 it certainly must leave a black and indelible stain upon his 
 character. 
 
 From the plundered fort Church proceeded to Casco, 
 where he engaged the enemy, and beat them off, but not 
 without the loss of about thirty of his own men in killed 
 and wounded. 
 
 In August, 1692, Church was again commissioned by 
 Sir William Phipps to undertake an expedition against 
 the Indians at Penobscot ; and, although he failed to sur- 
 prise the enemy, who escaped in their canoes, he destroyed 
 a quantity of their provision, and brought away a consid- 
 erable amount of plunder. 
 
 A force, sent into Maine, in 1693, under Major Convers, 
 was opposed by none of the natives, and, within a short 
 time after, these miserable people were glad to conclude a 
 treaty of peace with the English at Pemmaquid, where a 
 strong fort had been erected in 1690. At this negotiation 
 the hostile tribes delivered hostages as a security that they 
 would cease depredations and renounce their allegiance to 
 the French. Many of them were, notwithstanding, in- 
 
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 lldren. 
 d, and 
 jested, 
 )resent 
 That 
 ; coun- 
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 guilty ; 
 murder, 
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 Casco, 
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 against 
 to sur- 
 ■itroved 
 consid- 
 
 onvers, 
 a short 
 Lclude a 
 where a 
 otiation 
 ;iat they 
 iance to 
 ling, in- 
 
 -NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 305 
 
 duced to join the invasion under M. de Villiere, in the 
 following year. 
 
 In this campaign, the first object was the destruction of 
 the settlement on Oyster river, near Dover, New Hamp- 
 shire, where twelve houses had been garrisoned and put 
 in a state of defence. Five of these were forced, and 
 nearly one hundred persons were killed or taken prisoners ; 
 the other strongholds made a successful defence, but fifteen 
 unprotected houses were burned. Nothing of special 
 interest occurred in connection with the Eastern Indians 
 from this time until 1696. During the summer of that 
 year, some blood was shed by the savages at Portsmouth 
 and Dover ; but the most important occurrence of the 
 season was the reduction of the strong fort at Pemmaquid 
 by the enemy. Church was also engaged in another east- 
 ern campaign in the months of August and September, 
 but owing to orders received from the colonial authorities, 
 he was impeded in the prosecution of his plans, and noth- 
 ing of special moment was effected. 
 
 In January, 1699, the war with the French being at an 
 end, the Indians of Maine and New Hampshire entered 
 into a treaty of peace with the English colonies — acknowl- 
 edging, by their principal sachems, allegiance to the King 
 of England. 
 
 When war was again declared, in May, 1702, the old 
 difficulties with the Indians were speedily renewed. Gov- 
 ernor Dudley, of Massachupjtts, endeavored to preserve 
 peace with these tribes, and concluded a negotiation with 
 many of their chiefs, at Casco, in June of the following 
 year. This appears to have been a mere blind on the part 
 of the savages, then, as ever, favorable to the French ; for 
 only a few weeks subsequent to the treaty, a simultaneous 
 attack was made upon the eastern English settlement . 
 Every thing fell before the enemy ; houses were burned, 
 property of every kind was destroyed or plundered, and 
 
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 306 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 one hundred and thirty of the inhabitants were slain or 
 captured. 
 
 The neM'S of the terrible calamities attendant on the 
 destruction of Deerfield, in the winter of 1703-4, combined 
 with what he had himself witnessed of Indian cruelties, 
 incited Major Church to volunteer his further services 
 against the enemy. *' His blood boiled within him, mak- 
 ing such impulses on his mind that he forgot all former 
 treatments, which Avere enough to hinder any man, espe- 
 cially the said Major Church, from doing any further ser- 
 vice." His offers Avere gladly accepted, and a very con- 
 siderable force was put under his command, with a good 
 supply of whale-boats, the necessity for whicli he had seen 
 in former campaigns along the irregular and indented coast 
 of Maine. 
 
 This was the last military duty undertaken by the old 
 soldier, and it was performed with his usual skill and 
 energy. The Indian towns of Minas and Chignecto were 
 taken, and the enemy was successfully engaged at other 
 points. The most noted event of the expedition was the 
 night attack at Passamaquoddy. In the midst of the con- 
 fusion incident to the marshalling of disorderly and undis- 
 ciplined troops, an order was issued by Church for the 
 destruction of a house, and of its inhabitants, who had 
 refused to surrender. In his own words : " I hastily bid 
 them pull it down, and knock them on the head, never ask- 
 ing whether they were French or Indians — they being all 
 enemies alike to me." In a note to this transaction, Mr. 
 Drake says : " It does not appear, from a long career of 
 useful services, that Church was ever rash or cruel. From 
 the extraordinary situation of his men, rendered doubly 
 critical by the darkness of the night, and the almost cer- 
 tain intelligence that a great army of the enemy M'cre at 
 hand, is thought to be sufficient excuse for the measure." 
 The major, in his own account, adds : " I most certainly 
 

 NEW ENGLAND INDIANS. 
 
 307 
 
 know that I was in an exceeding great passion, but not 
 with those poor miserable enemies ; for I took no notice 
 of a half a dozen of the enemy, when at the same time I 
 expected to be engaged with some hundreds of them. 
 * * In this heat of action, every word that I then spoke 
 I cannot give an account of; and I presume it is impossi- 
 ble." Quarter was shown to all who came out and sub- 
 mitted, upon requisition. 
 
 From the close of the war, and the conclusion of peace 
 with France, in 1713, until 1122, there was httle to disturb 
 the eastern frontier, further than some contentions between 
 the colonists and Indians arising out of disputed titles to 
 land. A Frenchman named Ralle, of the order of Jesuits, 
 resided, in 1721, among the Indians at Norridgewock, and 
 being suspected by the English of exerting a pernicious 
 influence over his flock, a party was sent, by the Massa- 
 chusetts government, to seize upon his person. Kalle 
 escaped, and the undertaking only hastened hostilities. 
 
 Indian depredations soon commenced, and war was reg- 
 ularly declared by Massachusetts. For three years the 
 frontier settlements suffered severely. The English suc- 
 ceeded in breaking up the principal head-quarters of Ae 
 enemy, viz : at the Indian castle some distance up the 
 Penobscot, and at the village of Norridgewock. 
 
 At the taking of the latter place, Riillc, with from fifty 
 to a hundred of his Indian comrades, perished. 
 
 One of the most noted among the English campaigners 
 during this war, was the famous Captain John Lovewell, 
 of Dunstable. liis adventures, and particularly the fight 
 at rigwackct, on the Saco, in which ho lost his life, were 
 widely celebrated in the rude verse of the times. 
 
 This engagement was the last important event of the 
 war ; the Indians were greatly reduced in numbers, and, 
 when no longer stimulated and supported by the French, 
 were incapable of any systematic warlike operations. 
 
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 THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 GENERAL OUTLINES OF CHARACTER, ETC. — IMPRESSIONS OF THE IN- 
 HABITANTS OF NEW ENGLAND RESPECTING THE IROaUOIS.— GA- 
 RANGULA : HIS SPEECH TO M. DE LA BARRE. 
 
 None of the Indian nations of the United States have 
 occupied a more important place in our national history, 
 than the renowned confederacy which forms the subject of 
 our present consideration. 
 
 Various New England tribes were reduced to a disgrace- 
 ful tribute to the imperious Moluvgs, Mawhawks, Mohawks 
 or Maquas ; the great nation of Powhatan stood in awe of 
 the warlike Massawomekes ; and those associated in this 
 powerful league had become ? terror co all against whom 
 they had lifted up their arms. They were called Iroquois 
 by the French, who found their head-quarters on the St. 
 LaAvrence, where Montreal now stands, at the beginning 
 of the seventeenth century. Their native appellation was 
 Aganuschioni (variously spelt and translated), ';ud they 
 were divided originally into five tribes. These were the 
 Mohawks, the Oneidas, the Cayugas, the Onondagas and 
 the Senecas. The Tuscaroras, from the south, were after- 
 wards united with them, and formed the sixth nation. 
 Each tribe was subdivided into classes, distinguished by 
 the " totems," or symbols of the tortoise, the bear, the wolf, 
 the beaver, the deer, the falcon, the plover, and the crane. 
 
 (306) 
 
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THB^IROQUOTg, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 811 
 
 Some very singular usages were connected with this clas- 
 sification. Among other things, marriage was prohibited 
 between individuals bearing the same totem, a restriction 
 which operated strongly to extend the ties of family con- 
 nection. Each of the nations was divided in the same 
 manner, and the distinctive badge gave its bearer peculiar 
 privileges among those of his own class, when away from 
 home. 
 
 The first military exploits recorded of the Iroquois, with 
 the exception of native tradition, are their battles with 
 the Adirondacks, in which they were engaged when first 
 known by the French. Becoming skilled in war, and be- 
 ing of a bold, adventurous spirit, after finally defeating 
 the Adirondacks, the five nations extended their conquests 
 to the south and west. The Mohawks, although not the 
 most numerous portion of the united tribes, furnished the 
 fiercest and most redoubted warriors. To give an idea of 
 the estimation in which they were held by the Indians of 
 New England, we cite the following account, given by 
 Gookin, in his histoiical collections, written in 1674, of 
 the first of the tribe with whom the eastern colonists held 
 any intercourse. 
 
 " These Maquas are given to rapine and spoil ; and had 
 for several years been in hostility with our neighbor In- 
 dians, as the Massachusetts, Pautuckets, &c., &c. And, 
 in trtith, they were, in time of war, so great a terror to all 
 the Indians before named, though ours were far more in 
 number thari they, the appearance of four or five Maquas 
 in the woods, would frighten them from their habitations 
 and cornfields, and reduce many of them to get together 
 in forts." In September, of 1665, «♦ there were five Maw- 
 hawks or Maquas, all stout and lusty young men, and well 
 armed, that came into one John Taylor's house, in Cam- 
 bridge, in the afternoon. They were seen to come out 
 from a swamp not far from the house." Each had a gun. 
 
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 312 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 pistol, hatchet, and long knife, and " the people of the 
 house perceived that their speech was different from our 
 neighbor Indians ; for these Maquas speak hollow and 
 through the throat, more than our Indians ; and their lan- 
 guage is understood but by very few of our neighbor 
 Indians." 
 
 It seems these Mohawks came with the intention of 
 being apprehended, that they might see the ways of the 
 English, and display, at the same time, their own courage 
 and daring. They made no resistance when a party came 
 to seize them, but, " at their being imprisoned, and their 
 being loaden with irons, they did not appear daunted or 
 dejected : but as the manner of those Indians is, they sang 
 night and day, when they were awake.'* 
 
 On being brought before the court at Boston, they disa- 
 vowed any evil intent towards the English, saying that 
 they were come to avenge themselves upon their Indian 
 enemies. ** They were told that it was inhumanity, and 
 more like wolves than men to travel and wander so far 
 from home merely to kill and destroy men, women, and 
 children, — for they could get no riches of our Indians, 
 who were very poor, '■ — and to do this in a secret skulking 
 manner, lying in ambushment, thickets, and swamps, by 
 the way side, and so killing people in a base and ignoble 
 manner," &c. — " To these things they made answer short- 
 ly : * It was their trade of life : they were bred up by their 
 ancestors to act in this way towards their enemies.' " 
 
 All the Indians, in the vicinity of Boston, were eager 
 that these captives should be put to death, but the court 
 adopted the wiser policy of sending them home in safety, 
 with presents and a letter to their sachem, cautioning him 
 against allowing any of his people to make war against 
 the peaceable Indians under the protection of the English. 
 
 About the middle of the seventeenth century, the Iro- 
 quois, having annihilated the powerful nation of the Eries, 
 
 :p:p|^;|t 
 
■t 
 
 THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 313 
 
 occupied no small portion of that vast extent of country, 
 lying between the St. Lawrence and the great lakes, and 
 the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. They even extended 
 their hostile incursions far south and west of these great 
 boundaries. The present state of New York contained 
 their principal establishments, and the picturesque river 
 and lakes upon -which they dwelt, still perpetuate the names 
 of the confederate tribes. These people held intercourse 
 with the whites, of a very different nature from that which 
 characterized the reduction and humiliation of the unfor- 
 tunate natives of New England. Placed as they were be- 
 tween powerful colonies of contending European nations; 
 their favor courted upon terms of equality by emissaries 
 from either party ; the authority of their chiefs acknowl- 
 edged, and the solemnity of their councils respected by 
 the whites j and conscious of proud superiority over all 
 surrounding native tribes, it might well be expected that 
 they would entertain the highest sense of their national 
 importance. 
 
 No American tribe ever produced such an array of re- 
 nowned warriors and orators as those immortalized in the 
 history of the Six Nations. Such a regular system of 
 federal goverment, where the chief-men of each member 
 of the league met in one grand council, to sustain the in- 
 terests of their tribe, or enforce the views of their constit- 
 uents upon subjects of state policy, in matters of vital 
 importance to the whole nation, elicited all the powers of 
 rude native eloquence. Never in the history of the world 
 has the stirring effect of accomplished oratory been more 
 strikingly displayed than in the councils of these untaught 
 sages. The speeches of Logan, Red-Jacket, and others, 
 fortunately preserved, have been long considered master- 
 pieces of forcible declamation. 
 
 The address of Garangula, or Grand Gueule, to the 
 Canadian governor, M. de la"~Barre, has been often tran- 
 
 
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 314 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 scribed, but is so strikingly characteristic of Indian style, 
 that we must find place for at least a portion of it. About 
 the year 1684, the French, being at peace with the Iro- 
 quois, took the opportunity to strengthen and enlarge their 
 dominions by fortifying and adding to their posts upon the 
 western waters. In carrying out this purpose, they sent 
 large supplies of ammunition to their Indian allies ; tribes 
 hostile to the confederacy. The Iroquois took prompt 
 measures to check this transfer of means for their destruc- 
 tion, and the French governor, angry at their interference, 
 determined to humble them by a decisive campaign. He 
 collected a strong force at Cadaraqui fort ; but, a sickness 
 breaking out among his troops, he was obliged to give 
 over, or delay the prosecution of his purpose. He there- 
 fore procured a meeting with the old Onondaga sachem, 
 and other Indian deputies at Kaihoage, on Lake Ontario, 
 for a conference. He commenced by recapitulating the 
 injuries received from the Five Nations, by the plunder of 
 French traders, and, after demanding ample satisfaction, 
 threatened the destruction of the nation, if his claims >verc 
 disregarded. He also falsely asserted that the governor of 
 New York had received orders from the English court to 
 assist the French army in the proposed invasion. 
 
 The old chief, undisturbed by these menaces, having 
 taken two or three turns about the apartment, stood before 
 the governor, and, after a courteous and formal prologue, 
 addressed him as follows : (we cite from Drake's Book of 
 the North American Indians) " Yonondio ; you must have 
 believed, when you left Quebeck, that the sun had burnt up 
 all the forests which render our countrv inaccessible to the 
 French, or that the lakes had so far overflown the bunks, 
 that they had surrounded our castles, and that it was im- 
 possible for us to get out of them. Yes, surely you must 
 have dreamt so, and the curiosity of seeing so great a 
 wonder has brought you so far. Now you are undeceived. 
 

 THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 315 
 
 since that I, and the wairiors here present, are come to as- 
 sure you that the Scnecas, Cayugas, Onondagas, Oneidas, 
 and Mohawks are yet alive. I thank you in their name, for 
 bringing back into their country the calumet which your 
 predecessor received from their hands. It was happy for 
 you that you left under ground that murdering hatchet 
 that has been so often dyed in the blood of the French. 
 
 " Hear, Yonondio ; I do not sleep ; I have my eyes 
 open ; and the sun which enlightens me, discovers to me 
 a great captain, at the head of a company of soldiers, who 
 speaks as if he were dreaming. He says that he only came 
 to the lake to smoke on the great calumet with the Onon- 
 dagas. But Grangula says, that he sees the contrary ; that 
 it was to knock them on the head if sickness had not weak- 
 ened the arms of the French. I see Yonondio raving in a 
 camp of sick men, whose lives the Great Spirit has saved 
 by inflicting this sickness upon them. 
 
 " Hear, Yonondio ; our women had taken their clubs, 
 our children and old men had carried their bows and 
 arrows into the heart of your camp, if our warriors had not 
 disarmed them, and kept them back when your messenger, 
 Akouessan, came to our castles. It is done, and I have 
 said it. 
 
 " Hear, Yonondio ; we plundered none of the French, 
 but those that carried arms, powder and ball to the 
 Twightwies and Chictaghicks, because those arms might 
 have cost us our lives. Herein we follow the example of 
 the Jesuits, who break all the kegs of rum brought to our 
 castles, lest the drunken Indians should knock them on the 
 head. Our warriors have not beaver enough to pay for all 
 those arms that they have taken, and our old men are not 
 afraid of the war. This belt preserves my words." 
 
 The orator continued in the same strain, asserting the 
 independence and freedom of his nation, and giving sub- 
 stantial reasons for knocking the Twightwies and Chic- 
 
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 816 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 taghicks on the head. lie concluded by magnanimously 
 offering a present of beaver to the go"ernor, and by inviting 
 all the company present to an entertainment. At the end 
 of each important section of a speech, it was usual for the 
 speaker to proffer a belt of wampum, to be kept in perpetual 
 memory of that portion of his oration, a circumstance ex- 
 planatory of the concluding words of the above quotation. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 iRoauois TRAmrioNs relative to their former history. -a 
 
 BRIEF account OF THE DIFFERENT TRIBES BELONGINa TO THE 
 CONFEDERACY, AND THE MANNER OF THEIR UNION. — INCIDENTS OP 
 EARLY WARFARE. 
 
 Some fanciful tales of a supernatural origin from the 
 heart of a mountain ; of a migration to the eastern sea- 
 bowd ; and of a subsequent return to the country of lakes 
 and rivers where they iinally settled, comprise most that 
 is noticeable in the native traditions of the Six Nations, 
 prior to the grand confederation. Many of the ancient 
 fortifications, the remains of which arc still visible through 
 the state of New York were said to have been built for 
 defence wliile the tribf;3 were disjoined, and hostile to each 
 other. 
 
 The period when it was finally concluded to adjust all 
 differences, and to enter into a league of mutual protection 
 and defence, is altogether uncertain. The most distin- 
 guished authors who have given the subject their attention, 
 incline to the opinion that this took place "within less than 
 a century anterior to the English colonization in the east. 
 Whatever may have been the precise time of the new 
 organization, its results were, as we have seen, brilliant in 
 the extreme. None of the ruder nations of Eastern 
 
 ;-i-ffi! 
 
THE lUOQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 817 
 
 America have ever displayed such a combination of quali- 
 ties that command respect as those of whom we are now 
 treating. The nature of the league was decidedly demo- 
 cratic ; arbitrary power was lodged in the hands of no 
 ruler, nor was any tribe allowed to exercise discretional 
 authority over another. A singular unanimity was gen- 
 erally observable in their councils ; the rights and opinions 
 of minorities were respected ; and, in no instance, were 
 measures adopted which met the sanction of but a bare 
 majority. 
 
 We are told that for a long period before the revolution, 
 the Iroquois chiefs and orators held up their own confed- 
 eration as an example for the imitation of the English 
 colonies. 
 
 Each tribe had one principal sachem, who, with an un- 
 defined number of associates, took bis post in the great coun- 
 cils of the nation. A grave and decent deliberation was 
 seen in all their assemblies, forming a striking contrast to 
 the trickery and chicane, or noisy misrule too often visible 
 in the legislative halls of enlightened modern nations. 
 
 The Mohawks were esteemed the oldest of the tribes, 
 and, as they were always the most noted in warlike trans- 
 actions, one of their sachems usually occupied the position 
 of commander-in-chief of the active forces of the united 
 people. The settlement of this tribe was in eastern New 
 York, upon the Mohawk river, and along the shores of the 
 Hudson. From their villages, in these districts, their war- 
 parties ravaged or subdued the feebler nations at the east 
 and south, and their favor was only obtained by tribute and 
 submission. 
 
 Next in order, proceeding westward, dwelt the Oneidas, 
 whose central locality, supplying the place of a stale capital 
 for the national council, was the celebrated Oneida stone. 
 This mass of rock, crowning the summit of a hill which 
 commands a beautiful view of the valley, is still pointed 
 
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 my. 
 
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 .-•;■■••»■ 
 
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 :;r.:»-.'.^:*i 
 
 
 318 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 out in the town of Stockbridge, about fifteen or twenty 
 miles south-east of the Oneida lake. This tribe is supposed 
 to have been the last of the Five Nations to have adopted 
 a separate name and government, in early ages, prior to the 
 grand union. It produced bold and enterprising warriors, 
 who extended their excursions far to the south, and by 
 some of whom the sixth tribe — the Tuscaroras — was first 
 conducted northward. 
 
 The Onondagas occupied the country between the Oneida 
 and Cayuga lakes. According to some theories, all the 
 other tribes were derived from this, and certain it is that 
 the civil ruler of the confederacy was always from Onon- 
 daga, and here was ever the grand central council-fire. Mon- 
 archs of the tribe were said to have reigned, in regular 
 succession, from the first period of its nationality to the 
 time of European colonization. 
 
 In near proximity to each other, upon the beautiful lakes 
 which still bear their name, were settled the Cayugas and 
 Senecas. The last-mentioned tribe has always been by f\r 
 the most numerous of those united by the league. 
 
 The Tuscaroras were, by their own account, a branch 
 from the original stock of the Iroquois. Migrating first 
 to the west, and thence south-easterly, they had finally set- 
 tled upon the Neuse and Tar rivers, in North Carolina. 
 Surrounded by hostile Indians, who proved unable to cope 
 with the interlopers, these warlike people maintained their 
 position until early in the eighteenth century. They then 
 endeavored to exterminate the English colonists of their 
 vicinity. On an appointed day, (September 22, 1711,) 
 divided in small parties, they entered the villages of the 
 whites, in a manner intended to ward off suspicion, anJ 
 attempted a general massacre. Other coast Indians were 
 involved in the conspiracy. 
 
 ' One hundred and thirty whites are said to have perished 
 on that day ; but so far from being a successful blow against 
 
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 twenty 
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 perished 
 w against 
 
 
Vrt' 
 
 
 THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 321 
 
 the advance of the colonies, the plot only arouse a spirit 
 of retaliation, which resulted in the expulsion of the tribe. 
 With the assistance of forces from South Carolina and Vir- 
 ginia, the war was carried on vigorously ; and in March of 
 1713, the main fort of the Tuscaroras, upon Tar river, to 
 which they had retreated, was stormed by Colonel Moore, 
 and eight hundred prisoners were taken. 
 
 Being now reduced to submission, such of the tribe as 
 remained in Carolina yielded to the requirements and 
 regulations of their conquerors. The major portion moved 
 to New York, and formed the sixth nation of the Iroquois. 
 They were established in the immediate neighborhood of 
 the Oneidas. 
 
 Many strange legends of early warfare between the Iro- 
 quois and distant tribes at the south and west have been 
 preserved. The particulars of some of these narratives can 
 be relied upon, while others are evidently exaggerated and 
 di>torted in the tradition. At the south, the most famous 
 of tlieir opponents were the great nation of the Delawares, 
 the Cherokees, and the ancient tribe from whom our prin- 
 cipal chain of mountains derive a name. They always 
 claimed that the Leuni Lenape, or Delawares, were a con- 
 quered people, and assumed the haughtiness of superiors in 
 all their conferences and dealings with them. No hostilities 
 took place between the two nations after European settle- 
 ments were established in the country. 
 
 The Cherokee war gave rather an opportunity for dis- 
 plays of individual energy and daring, than for any decisive 
 exhibition of national power. The distance to be traversed 
 was so great, that it was never undertaken by any large 
 body of warriors. Small parties, who could make their 
 way unperceived into the heart of the enemies' country, and 
 retire as stealthily with their trophies of scalps, frequently 
 
 sought such opportunity of proving their hardihood. One 
 19 
 
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 822 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 of the stories told of these early exploits, is that of the 
 Seneca warrior, Hiadeoni. He is said to have started alone 
 on a war-path, and to have penetrated the country of the 
 Cherokees, supported by such provisions as he could pro- 
 cure on the route, and a little parched corn which he car- 
 ried with him when he set out. 
 
 Prowling about the enemies' villages, he managed to 
 despatch two men and to secure their scalps. He then 
 started on his return, and, late in the evening, killed and 
 scalped a young man whom he saw coming out of a retired 
 wigwam. The hut appeared to be empty, and he could 
 not resist the temptation to enter it in search of plunder ; 
 especially that he might satisfy his craving for tobacco. 
 
 While there, the young man's mother entered the wig- 
 wam, and, mistaking Hiadeoni, who had thrown himself 
 upon the bed, for her son, told him that she was going away 
 for the night. The weary Seneca, seduced by the ease of 
 a long unaccustomed couch, fell into a sound slumber, from 
 which he was only awakened by the old woman's return in 
 the morning. Taking advantage of a moment when she had 
 left the hut, to slip out, he made the best of his way north- 
 ward, ' ;* the alarm had been given, and it was only by 
 his great swiftness that he escaped. He carried the three 
 scalps in triumph to his own people. 
 
 Many similar legends are preserved among the Indians, 
 of the bravery and determined spirit of revenge in which 
 their forefathers gloried. One of those which has been 
 given with the greatest particularity, is the noted expe- 
 dition of the Adirondack chief Piskaret and his four asso- 
 ciates. In the long and bloody war between that tribe and 
 the Five Nations, the latter had attained the ascendency 
 by a series of victories, and the five warriors alluded to 
 undertook to wipe away the disgrace of defeat. Proceed- 
 ing up the Sorel, in a single canoe, they fell in with five 
 boat-loads of the enemy, and immediately commenced their 
 
THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 323 
 
 death-song, as if escape were impossible and resistance 
 useless. As the Iroquois approached, a sudden discharge 
 from the Adirondack muskets, which were loaded with 
 small chain-shot, destroyed the frail birch-bark canoes of 
 their opponents. At such a disadvantage, the Iroquois 
 were easily knocked on the head as they floundered in the 
 water : as many as could be safely secured were taken 
 aUve, and tortured to death at their captors"leisure. None 
 of Piskaret's companions would accompany him upon a 
 second war-path which he proposed. They had acquired 
 glory enough, and were content to remain in the enjoy- 
 ment of a well-earned reputation, without undergoing 
 further hardships and danger. The bold chief therefore 
 started alone for the heart of the enemies' country. Using 
 every precaution for concealment and deception known to 
 savages ; reversing his snow-shoes to mislead a pursuing 
 party as to the direction he had taken ; and carefully 
 choosing a route where it would be difficult to track him, 
 he reached one of the Iroquois towns. Lying closely con- 
 cealed during the day, he stole into the wigwams of his 
 enemies on two successive nights, and murdered and scalped 
 the sleeping occupants. The third night a guard was sta- 
 tioned at every lodge, but Piskaret, stealthily waiting an 
 opportunity, knocked one of the watchmen on the head, 
 and fled, hotly pursued by a party from the village. His 
 speed was superior to that of any Indian of his time, 
 and, through the whole day, he kept just sufficiently in ad- 
 vance of his pursuers to excite them to their utmost exer- 
 tions. At night, they lay down to rest, and, wearied with 
 the day's toil, the whole party fell asleep. Piskaret, per- 
 ceiving this, silently killed and scalped every man of them, 
 and carried home his trophies in safety. 
 
 The Iroquois were generally at enmity with the French, 
 and, within a few years after the futile attempt on the part 
 of De la Barre, which we have mentioned in a preceding 
 
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 324 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 chapter, scenes of frightful cruelty and bloodshed were 
 enacted on both sides. The confederacy was then, as long 
 afterwards, in the English interest, and the conquered 
 Hurons, or Wyandots, whom they had driven far west- 
 ward, naturally espoused the cause of the French. Hav- 
 ing, however, no cause for ill-will against the English, 
 except as being allies of their foes, the Hurons were not 
 unwilling to hold intercourse with them for purposes of 
 profitable traffic. 
 
 A strange piece of duplicity, conducted with true In- 
 dian cunning by Adario, or the Rat, sachem of the Dinon- 
 dadies, a TV yandot tribe, was the immediate cause of hos- 
 tilities. He left his head-quarters, at Michilimackinac, 
 with one hundred warriors, whether with intent to make an 
 incursion upor be Iroquois, or merely upon a sort of scout, 
 to keep himself informed of the movements of the con- 
 tending parties, does not appear. He stopped at the 
 French fort of Cadaraqui, and learned from the officer in 
 command that a peace was about to be concluded between 
 the French and Iroquois ; deputies for which purpose were 
 even then on their way from the Six Nations to Montreal. 
 
 Nothing could be more distasteful to the F.at than a 
 treaty of this character, and he promptly determined to 
 create a breach between the negotiating parties. He there- 
 fore lay in wait for the ambassadors ; fell upon them ; and 
 took all who were not slain in the conflict prisoners. He 
 pretended, in discourse with these captives, that he was 
 acting under the direction of the French authorities, and 
 when the astonished deputies made ansM'er that they were 
 bound upon peaceful embassy, in accordance with the invi- 
 tation of the French, he assumed all the appearance of 
 astonishment and indignation at being made an instrument 
 for so treacherous an act. He immediately set his prison- 
 ers at liberty, gave them arms, and advised them to rouse 
 vp their people to avenge such foul injustice. 
 

 THg IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 325 
 
 By this, and other equally artful management, Adario 
 stirred up the most uncontrollable rage in the minds of the 
 Iroquois against the French, and a long and disastrous 
 war followed. It was in vain that the Canadian governor 
 attempted to explain the true state of affairs. The Iroquois 
 ever held the French in suspicion, and would not be dis- 
 abused. They invaded Canada with an irresistible force. 
 We have no record of any period in the history of Amer- 
 ica in which the arms of the natives were so successful. 
 Twelve hundred warriors passed over to the island upon 
 which Montreal is situated, and laid waste the country. 
 Nearly a thousand of the French are said to have been 
 slain or reserved for death by fire and torture. Neither 
 age nor sex proved any protection, and the scenes described 
 surpass in horror any thing before or since experienced by 
 the whites at the hands of the Indians. 
 
 Tiie war continued for years, and the name of Black 
 Kattle, the most noted war-chief of the leagued nations, 
 became a word of terror. He fought successfully against 
 superior numbers of the French ; and it is astonishing to 
 read of the trifling loss which his bands sustained in many 
 of their most desperate engagements. 
 
 The great orator of the nation, at this period, was named 
 Decanisora ; he appeared more preeminently than any other 
 in all the public negotiations of the tribe, and was one of 
 the deputies who were duped by the subtle contrivance of 
 Adario. 
 
 We have already mentioned that the Six Nations gen- 
 erally favorec the English, and that between them and the 
 French, feelings of the bitterest animosity prevailed. The 
 recollection of the scenes which attended the sack of Mon- 
 treal must constantly have strengthened this hatred on the 
 part of the Canadians, while, on the other hand, the In- 
 dians could point to acts of equal atrocity and cold-blof^ded 
 cruelty exercised towards some of their own number when 
 
 
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 326 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 taken captive. Meanwhile, the English agents were as- 
 siduous in cultivating the friendship of the powerful con- 
 federacy whose sagacity and good faith in council, and 
 whose strength in battle, had been so thoroughly tested. 
 In the year 1710, three Iroquois and two Mohegan sachems 
 were invited to visit the English court, and they sailed 
 for England accordingly. The greatest interest was felt 
 by high and low in their appearance and demeanor. They 
 were royally accoutred, and presented to Queen Anne M'ith 
 courtly ceremony. The authenticity of the set speeches 
 recorded as having been delivered by them on this occa- 
 sion, has been shrewdly called in question. The Specta- 
 tor, of April 27th, 1711, in a letter written to show how 
 the absurdities of English society might strike a foreigner, 
 gives a sort of diary as having been written by one of 
 these sachems. The article opens thus : " When the four 
 Indian Kings were in this country, about a twelvemonth 
 ago, I often mixed with the rabble, and followed them a 
 whole day together, being wonderfully struck with the sight 
 of every thing that is new or uncommon." The writer 
 particularizes *' our good brother E. Tow O. Koam, king 
 of the Rivers," and speaks of "the kings of Granajah 
 (Canajoharie) and of the Six Nations." This latter ap- 
 pellation, as observed by Mr. Drake, seems to call in ques- 
 tion the correctness of the date usually assigned to the 
 event of the annexation of the Tuscaroras. 
 
TUB IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 327 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 IMPORTANT CHARACTERS AND EVENTS OP THE EIOHTrSNTH CEN- 
 TURY.— BRANT.— CRESAP'S WAR, AND HISTORY OF LOGAN. 
 
 During the long and bloody wars between the English 
 and French, the Six Nations were continually involved in 
 hostilities, occupying, as they did, a position between the 
 contending parties. To describe all the part they took in 
 these transactions, would be to give a history of the war. 
 This is far from our purpose to undertake, and, in bring- 
 ing down events to the period of the American revolution, 
 we shall bestow but a passing notice upon some of the 
 more prominent incidents in which the Iroquois, as a na- 
 tion, or distinguished individuals of their tribe, bore a con- 
 spicuous part. 
 
 Joseph Brant, — Thayendanagea, (as he usually signed 
 himself,) Avas born in the year 1742. It has been a matter 
 much disputed whether he was a half-breed, or of pure In- 
 dian descent, and also whether he was entitled to the dig- 
 nity of a chief by birth, or rose to it by his own exertions. 
 His biographer. Stone, pronounces him to have been the 
 son of " Tehowaghwengaraghkwin, a full-blooded Mo- 
 hawk, of the Wolf tribe." His parents resided in the 
 valley of the Mohawk, but were upon an expedition to the 
 Ohio river when Joseph was born. Young Brant was 
 early taken under the patronage of Sir William Johnson, 
 the English colonial agent for Indian affiiirs, under whose 
 command he gained his first knowledge and experience of 
 military affairs. Many have expressed the opinion that 
 Brant was a son of Sir William ; but we cu;\ account for 
 their mutual interest in each other's welfare upon other 
 grounds than those of natural affection. Sir William 
 Johnson was idolized by the whole Mohawk tribe for the 
 favor aud respect which he had shown them, and for his 
 
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 328 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 princely hospitality. With the iiiinily of Brant he was 
 more closely connected by a union with Molly, a sister of 
 Joseph's, who lived with him as a mistress until his death. 
 
 In the year 1755, Brant, then but thirteen years of age, 
 took part with his tribe in the battle at Lake George, 
 where the French, under Baron Dieskaru, were defeated 
 by Sir William Johnson and his forces. Old king Hen- 
 drick or Soi-en-ga-rah-ta, the noted sachem of the Mo- 
 hawks, perished on this occasion. Hendrick was nearly 
 seventy years of age, but years had not diminished his 
 energy or courage. Historians vie with each other in the 
 praises which they bestow upon the eloquence, bravery, 
 and integrity of this old chief. lie was intimate with his 
 distinguished English commander, and it was between 
 them that the amusing contention of dreams occurred, that 
 has been so often naiTated. With the Iroquois a dream 
 was held to import verity, insomuch that it must be fulfilled 
 if practicable. Sir William (then general) Johnson had 
 displayed some splendid and costly uniforms before the 
 eyes of his admiring guests, at one of his munificent en- 
 tertainments. Old Hendrick came to him one morning, 
 shortly afterwards, and gravely affirmed that he had 
 dreamed of receiving one of these gorgeous suits as a 
 present. The general instantly presented it to him, but 
 took the opportunity to retaliate by dreaming of the cession 
 of three thousand acres of valuable land. The sachem 
 was not backward in carrying out his own principles, but 
 at the same time avowed his intention of dreaming no more 
 with one whose dreams were so hard. 
 
 To return to young Brant : after accompanying his patron 
 in further campaigns of the bloody French war, he was 
 placed by him, together with several other young Indians, 
 at an institution in Lebanon, Connecticut, called the Moor 
 School, after its founder, to receive an English education. 
 This was about the year 1760. After attaining some pro- 
 
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 JOSEPH B HJlJfr-TllA Y KA'UJUfKti RA 
 
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THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 831 
 
 ficicncy in the first rudiments of literature, which he after- 
 wards turned to good account, Brant left the seminary, and 
 again engaged in a life of active warfare. He was em- 
 ployed in the war with Pontiac and the Ottawas, but the 
 particulars of his services are not handed down to us. In 
 17()5, we find him married, and settled in his own house 
 at the Mohawk valley. Here ho spent a quiet and peace- 
 ful life for some years, acting as interpreter in negotiations 
 between his people and the whites, and lending his aid to 
 the efforts of the missionaries who were engaged in the 
 work of teaching and converting the Indians. Those who 
 visited his house spoke in high terms of his kindness and 
 hospitality. 
 
 On the death of Sir William Johnson, in June, 1774, 
 his son-in-luw, Colonel Guy Johnson, held his office as 
 Indian agent ; ^\ aile his son and heir. Sir John Johnson, 
 succeeded to the paternal estates. Colonel Guy continued 
 the favor shown by his father to Brant, and appointed him 
 his secretary. 
 
 In the spring of this same year a war commenced, the 
 causes of which have been variously represented, but 
 whose consequences were truly disastrous. We allude to 
 the scenes in western Virginia and Pennsylvania, so inti- 
 mately connected with the names of Logan and Cresap. 
 Colonel Michael Cresap has been, for many years, held up 
 to public odium by nearly every historian, as the cruel and 
 wanton murderer, whose unscrupulous conduct was the sole 
 or principal cause of the bloody Indian war of which we 
 are now to speak, and which is still spoken of as Cresap's 
 war. On the other hand, some recent investigations, 
 made public by Mr. Brantz Mayer, of Baltimore, in an 
 address delivered before the Maryland Historical Society, 
 seems to remove no little portion of this responsibility 
 from the shoulders of Cresap, or at least prove that the 
 acts with which his name has been so long associated were 
 
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 332 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 not directly attributable to him. He is shown to have 
 been a prudent and cautious man, who exerted his influ- 
 ence to restrain the reckless adventurers under his com- 
 mand from wanton outrages upon the Indians. We shall 
 n t attempt to decide upon the question as to how far he 
 was blamable, but give, in few words, the circumstances 
 which brought about hostilities. 
 
 Logan was the son of Shikcllimus, a Cayuga chief, who 
 had removed to the banks of the Susquehanna, and ruled 
 over those of the Iroquois who had settled in that vicin- 
 ity. Logan himself had attained authority farther to the 
 .vestward, upon the Ohio, in the Shawancse country. He 
 had ever been of a peaceful disposition, and friendly to the 
 whites. 
 
 A party of land-hunters, who had chosen Cresap as 
 their leader, are said to have committed the first direct 
 acts of hostility, in retaliation for a supposed theft of some 
 of their horses. We are told that they fell upon and 
 treiicherously murdered several of a party of Indians whom 
 they fer in with, on the bank of the Ohio, below the spot 
 where vVheeling now stands, and that among the slain 
 were some relatives of Logan. With the next rupture, 
 Cresap had certainly no connection. It occurred at a white 
 settlement, thirty or forty miles farther up the river. Two 
 men, named Greathouse and Tomllnson, were the prin- 
 cipal leaders in the affair. They had ascertained that the 
 Indians, then encamped on the other side of the river, 
 intended an attack upon the place, in retaliation for the 
 murders committed by Cresap's men. Finding, on exam- 
 ination, that the Indians were too numerous to be safely 
 assaulted in their camp, Greathouse opened a communica- 
 tion with them, and invited them to come and drink and 
 feast at his house. A party of armed whites lay concealed 
 in a separate apartment, and when the Indians became in- 
 toxicated, slaughtered the whole number, of both sexes, 
 
THE IROQUOIS, OB SIX NATIONS. 
 
 333 
 
 sparing only one child. A brother and sister of Logan 
 were among the slain. Mr. Mayer's account (in which 
 the scene is laid at the house of "Baker," instead of 
 Greathouse,) is as follows : 
 
 " The evening before the tragedy, a squaw came over to 
 Baker's, and aroused the attention of the inmates by her 
 tears and manifest distress. For a long time she refused 
 to disclose the cause of her sorrow, but at last, when left 
 alone with Baker's wife, confessed that the Indians had 
 resolved to kill the white woman and her family the next 
 day ; but as she loved her, and did not wish to see her 
 slain, she had crossed the river to divulge the plot, so as to 
 enable her friend to escape." Next day four unarmed 
 Indians, with three squaws and a child, came over to 
 Baker's house, where twenty-cue men were concealed, in 
 anticipation of attack, as above mentioned. The party 
 became intoxicated, and Logan's brother was insulting and 
 abusive : at the same time canoes filled with painted and 
 armed warriors were seen starting from the opposite shore ; 
 upon which the massacre commenced as above stated. 
 After this savage murder of women and unarmed men, the 
 whites left the house, and, firing upon the canoes, pre- 
 vented their landing. 
 
 These occurrences, with the death of the old Delaware 
 chief, Bald Eagle, who was causelessly murdered, scalped, 
 and set adrift down the river in his canoe, and the murder 
 of the Shawanees sachem, Silver Heels, brought down the 
 vengeance of the aggrieved parties upon the devoted set- 
 tlements. ^ 
 
 The ensuing summer witnessed terrible scenes of sur- 
 prise and massacre, the chief mover in which was the in- 
 jured Logan. Stirred as he was by revenge, the natural 
 kindness of his heart was shown in his disposition towards 
 captives, whom, in various instances, he favored and saved 
 from Indian cruelties. 
 
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 334 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 The hostile tribes were those of the Iroquois who dwelt 
 in the western country, the Shawanees, the Delawares, the 
 lowas, and other nations of the west. Indecisive skir- 
 mishes occupied the summer, and not until the 10th of 
 October was any general engagement brought about. On 
 that day a battle was fought at Point Pleasant, where the. 
 Great Kanawha empties into the Ohio, between the com- 
 bined forces of the Indians, and the Virginia troops, under 
 Colonel Andrew Lewis. Lord Dunmore, governor of 
 Virginia, was to cooperate by a movement upon the other 
 bank of the river, but did not actually take any part in the 
 contest. 
 
 The Indians numbered probably over a thousand, and 
 were led by Logan and the great warrior Cornstock. 
 Never had the natives fought more desperately, qr made a 
 stand against European troops with more determined firm- 
 ness. They had prepared a sort of breast-work, behind 
 which they maintained their position, in spite of the re- 
 peated charges of the whites, until night. They were at 
 last driven from their works by a company detached to full 
 upon their rear, and, crossing the Ohio, the survivors re- 
 treated westward. 
 
 At Chilicothe, on the Sciota, the chiefs held a grand 
 consultation ; and their principal warrior, Cornstock, seeing 
 that the rest were determined upon no certain plan of pro- 
 ceeding, expressed his own intention of concluding a peace. 
 He accordingly sought Lord Dunmore, who was approach- 
 ing the camp on the Sciota, and brought about a sciics 
 of conferences, whereby hostilities were for the time 
 stayed. 
 
 Logan vrould take no part in these negotiations ; he is 
 reported to have said that "he was yet like a mad dog; 
 his bristles were up, and were not yet quite fallen ; but 
 the good talk then going forward might allay them." A 
 messenger Avas sent by Lord Dunmore to strive to ap- 
 
3 dwelt 
 res, the 
 e skir- 
 Oth of 
 at. On 
 itre the» 
 Lie com- 
 s, micler 
 rnor of 
 he other 
 ,rt in the 
 
 and, and 
 ornstock. 
 r made a 
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 »f the re- 
 were at 
 ted to fall 
 avers re- 
 
 a grand 
 ck, seeing 
 in of pvo- 
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 approach- 
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 the time 
 
 ns; he is 
 nad dog; 
 Icn; but 
 ^em." A 
 re to ap- 
 
 THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 335 
 
 pease him, and it was upon that occasion that the Indian 
 chief delivered himself of those eloquent expressions that 
 have attained such a world-wide celebrity. He walked 
 into the woods with Gibson, who had been sent to visit 
 him, and, seating himself upon a log, " burst into tears," and 
 gave utterance to his feelings in these words, as they were 
 written down and reported at the time : 
 
 " I appeal to any white man to say if ever he entered 
 Logan's cabin hungry, and he gave him not meat ; if ever 
 he came cold and naked, and he clothed him not ? During 
 the course of the last long and bloody war, Logan re- 
 mained idle in his camp, an advocate for peace. Such was 
 my love for the whites, that my countrymen pointed as I 
 passed, and said, ' Logan is the friend of the white man ! ' 
 I had even thought to have lived with you, but for the in- 
 juries of one man. Colonel Cresap, the last spring, in cold 
 blood and unprovoked, murdered all the relations of Logan, 
 not even sparing my women and children. There runs not 
 a drop of my blood in the veins of any living creature. 
 This called on me for revenge. I have sought it. I have 
 killed many. I have fully glutted my vengeance. For 
 my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace ; but do not 
 harbor a thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never 
 felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. 
 Who is there to mourn for Logan ? Not one ! " 
 
 The subsequent history of this renowned warrior is soon 
 told. He led a wandering, intemperate life for several 
 years, and took part in the wars at the west in 1779 and 
 1780. He is described as having become melancholy and 
 wretched in the extreme, and as being deprived of the full 
 use of his reason by the pernicious habit of indulging in 
 strong drink. He came to his death in the latter year 
 under singular circumstances. He had, as he supposed, 
 killed his wife during a fit of intoxication, and fled from 
 Detroit, where he had been present at an Indian council, 
 
 
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 836 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 to evade the punishment awarded by the native code. On 
 his way towards Sandusky, he fell in with a large party of 
 Indians, among whom was a relative of his, named Tod- 
 kah-dchs, and whom he took to be the one appointed to 
 avenge the murder. According to Mr. Mayer's account, 
 " rashly bursting forth into frantic passion, he exclaimed, 
 that the v hole party should fall beneath his weapons. 
 Tod-kah-dohs, seeing their dcu :er, and observing that 
 Logan was well armed, told Ins companions that their only 
 safety was in getting the advantage of the desperate man 
 by prompt action. Whilst leaping from his horse, to ex- 
 ecute his dreadful threat, Tod-kah-dohs lev^'\ed a shot- 
 gun within a few feet of the savage, and killed him on the 
 spot." 
 
 It may well be supposed the whole of the Iroquois tribe 
 should have been roused to indignatioi. by the occurrence 
 which we have described, and in which some of their own 
 brethren had borne so conspicuous a part. We are told 
 that this was the case M'ith all of them except the Oneidus, 
 and that disaffection towards the colonies had become gen- 
 eral among the western tribes. 
 
 — -^-^A/N/^-VN. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 t 
 
 IHSTORY OP BRANT CONTINUED: CONNECT [ON OP THE BIX NATIONS 
 WITH THE WAR OP THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 
 
 In the year 1775, when difficulties between the Ameri- 
 can colonies and the old country were rife, and the pros- 
 pect of a long and desperate contention kept the minds of 
 all in fear and anxiety, it was felt to be necessary on the 
 part of the Americans, and politic on the part of the English, 
 to use every endeavor to secuie the services of the Six 
 
 1) 
 

 IX NATIONS 
 
 THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 337 
 
 Nations. The remembrance of their noble patron. Sir 
 "William Johnson, caused the Mohawks and many others 
 of the confederacy to adhc-e firmly to his son-in-law and 
 successor, Guy Johnson, and when he fled westward to the 
 lakes, to avoid the danger of capture by the Americans, 
 Brant and the principal warriors of the tribe accompanied 
 him. A great meeting was held by them, to discuss the 
 policy which they should pursue ; after which, Johnson 
 and his chiefs proceeded to Montreal, followed by a strong 
 body of Indian warriors. Sir Guy Carleton encouraged 
 the Iroquois sachems to accept commissions under the king, 
 and, what with his promises, ' heir attachment to the John- 
 son family, and the remembrance of old pledges, they were 
 thoroughly confirmed in their puipode of taking a decided 
 stand in favor of the royal cause. 
 
 The efforts of the Americans proved less successful. By 
 the aid of a Mr. Kirkland, missionary to the Oneidas, the 
 fiivor of that tribe was greatly conciliated. His efforts 
 were assisted by the influence of the Inaians of Stock- 
 bridge, a town in western Massachusetts. These were the 
 remains of various celebrated tribes which had long ceased 
 to maintain a separate national existence. The principal 
 portion of them were descendants of the ancient Mohea- 
 kannuk, Mohicans, or River Indians, who dwelt on the 
 banks of the Hudson in the early times of American colo- 
 nization ; but with them were associated many of the Nar- 
 ragansetts and Pequots, from Rhode Island and Connecticut. 
 They were entirely under the influence of the Americans, 
 and favorable to their cause. 
 
 A very touching incident of private history, connected 
 with this collection of dismembered tribes after their re- 
 moval westward, has been immortaii/cd in the beautiful 
 poetical legenu by Bryant, entuled *' Monument Mountain." 
 The mountain stands in Great Barrington, (western Mas- 
 sachusetts,) overlooking the rich and picturesque valley of 
 
 
 ii 
 
 ^.•.•.•■J"K»'.. . 
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,. 
 
 
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 f > ■ 
 
 
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 ! I 
 
 UM^t 
 
 *j 
 
 338 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 the Housatonic. The following note is appended to the 
 poem. " Until within a few years past, small parties of 
 that tribe used to arrive, from their settlement, in the 
 western part of the state of New York, on visits to Stock- 
 bridge, the place of their nativity and former residence. 
 A young woman, belonging to one of these parties, related 
 to a friend of the author the story on v/hich the poem of 
 Monument Mountain is founded. An Indian girl had 
 formed an attachment for her cousin, which, according to 
 the customs of the tribe, was unlawful. She was, in con- 
 sequence, seized with a deep melancholy, and resolved to 
 destroy herself. In company with a female friend, the 
 repaired to the mountain, decked out for the occasion in 
 all her ornaments, and after passing the day on the sum- 
 mit, in singing, with her companion, the traditional songs 
 of her nation, she threw herself headlong from the rock, 
 and was killed." 
 
 « • 
 
 * Here the friends sat them down, 
 And sanfj all day old songs of love and death, 
 And decked the poor wan victim's ha.r with flowers, 
 And prayed that safe and swift mighr be her M'ay 
 To the "^alm world of sunshine, where no grief 
 Makes ti:e heart heavy, and the eyelids red." 
 
 A conical pile of stones marks tlie spot where she was 
 buried, on the southern slope of the mountain. 
 
 The regular successor to old king Hcndric, among the 
 Mohawks, was Little Abraham, a chief Avell disposed to- 
 wards the Americans, and who remained in the Mohawk 
 valley when Johnson and his followers fled to Canada. 
 He appears to have possessed but little authority during 
 the subsequent difficulties, and Brant, by a sort of univer- 
 sal consent among those in the English interest, obtained 
 the position of principal chief. Ho was commissioned as 
 a captain in the British army, and, in the fall of 1775, 
 

 to the 
 :ties of 
 
 in the 
 ) Stock- 
 sidence. 
 , related 
 poem of 
 ^irl had 
 rding to 
 i, in con- 
 solved to 
 lend, the 
 casion in 
 
 the sum- 
 nal songs 
 
 the rock, 
 
 [e she was 
 
 liniong the 
 sposcd to- 
 Ib Mohawk 
 lo Canada, 
 l-ity during 
 lof univer- 
 t, obtained 
 Issioncd as 
 of 1775, 
 
 THE IROQUOW, OB SIX NATIONS. 
 
 339 
 
 sailed to England, to hold personal conference with the 
 officers of government. 
 
 He was an object of much curiosity at London, and at- 
 tracted the attention of persons of high rank and great 
 cele'irity. His court dress was a brilliant equipment mod- 
 elled upon the fashions of his own race ; but ordinarily he 
 appeared in the usual citizen's dress of the time. 
 
 Confirmed in his loyalty to the English crown, Brant 
 returned to America in the ensuing spring. He w^as se- 
 cretly landed at some spot near New York, and made the 
 best of his way to Canada. The journey was fraught with 
 danger to such a traveller, through a disturbed and excited 
 community, but the native sagacity and watchfulness of the 
 Indian enabled our chief to avoid them. 
 
 Brant was gladly received, and the services of his war- 
 like Mohawks were promptly called into requisition. He 
 led his people at the affair of " the Cedars," which termi- 
 nated so disastrously for the American interests. We can- 
 not minutely follow his movements, nor those of the several 
 Iroquois tribes, for a considerable period subsequent to 
 these events. Those were stirring times, and in the mo- 
 mentous detail of the birth of American independence, it 
 is not always easy to follow out any private history. 
 
 Colonel Stone, in his life of Brant, gives us the follow- 
 ing speech, as coming, at the beginning of the ensuing 
 year, from the chiefs of the Oneidas to Colonel Elmore, 
 commandant at fort Schuyler. He does not attempt to ex- 
 plain the full import of it : 
 
 " Fort Schuyler, Jan. 19th, 1777. 
 
 " Speech of the Oneida Chiefs to Colonel Elmore. 
 
 " Brother : We are sent here by the Oneida chiefs, in 
 
 conjunction with the Onondagas. They arrived at our 
 
 village yesterday. They gave us the melancholy news 
 
 that the grand council-fire at Onondaga was extinguished. 
 
 We have lost, out of their town, by death, ninety, among 
 20 
 
 
 
 "lii ■" *>.'!■ •i''r ' '. 
 
 
 
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 •:>^:. 
 
 I|rj ■ > 
 
 
 840 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 whom are three principal sachems. We, the remaining 
 part of the Caondagas, do now inform our brethren that 
 there is no longer a council-fire at the capital of the Six 
 Nations. However, we are determined to use our feeble 
 endeavors to support peace through the confederate na- 
 tions. But let this be kept in mind, that the council-fire 
 is extinguished. It is of importance to our well-being, 
 that this be immediately communicated to General Schuy- 
 ler, and also to our brothers the Mohawks. In order to 
 effect this, we deposit this belt with Tekeyanedonhotte, 
 Colonel Elmore, commander at Fort Schuyler, who is sent 
 here by General Schuyler to transact all matters relative 
 to peace. We therefore request him to forward this intel- 
 ligence, in the first place to General Herkimer, desiring 
 him to communicate it to the Mohawk Castle near to him, 
 and then to Major Fonda, requesting him to immediately 
 communicate it to the lower cas^e of the Mohawks. Let 
 the belt then be forwarded to General Schuyler, that he 
 may know that our council-fire is extinguished, and. can no 
 longer burn." 
 
 Towards the close of the winter of 1777, it was found 
 that the Indians were collecting in force at Oghkwaga, on 
 the Susquehanna, and the fears of the colonial population 
 of the vicinity were justly excited, although no open dem- 
 onstrations of hostility had been made by them. In tlie 
 course of the spring. Brant and his followers proceeded 
 across the country, from Canada to Oghkwaga. He had 
 disagreed with his superior, Guy Johnson. The whites 
 were in great doubt as to what course this renowned chief 
 would take in the struggle then going forward, but he 
 seemed only to occupy himself in collecting and disciplin- 
 ing his warriors. It was afterwards ascertained that he 
 was the leader of a party of Indians who threatened the 
 little fortification at Cherry-Valley, in the month of May. 
 
laining 
 311 that 
 ;he Six 
 r feeble 
 ■ate na- 
 ncil-fire 
 [l-being, 
 LSchuy- 
 or'ler to 
 lonhotte, 
 LO is sent 
 \ relative 
 his intel- 
 , desiring 
 ir to him, 
 mediately 
 vks. Let 
 , that he 
 nd can no 
 
 ras found 
 cwaga, on 
 population 
 [pen dem- 
 In the 
 Iproceeded 
 He had 
 fhe whites 
 Incd chief 
 Jd, but he 
 disciphn- 
 Id that he 
 [itened the 
 of May. 
 
 THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 341 
 
 The only blood shed upon the occasion was that of Lieu- 
 tenant Wormwood, a young officer whom the Indians 
 waylaid and shot, as he was leaving the place, accompa- 
 nied by a single companion, bearing despatches. Brant is 
 said to have scalped him with his own hand. The Indian 
 chief vas deceived as to the strength of the place, by the 
 duplicity of the despatches, and by the circumstance that 
 a number of boys were going through military evolutions 
 at the settlement, whom he mistook, in the distance, for 
 soldiers. He therefore retired without making any further 
 demonstration. 
 
 In June, he visited Unadilla, on the small river of the 
 same name, which empties into the Susquehanna, forming 
 the boundary between Otsego and Chenango counties. 
 His purpose was to procure provisions, which were per- 
 force furnished him ; as he avowed his intention to take 
 them by violence, if necespary. At a conference held, at 
 this time, with some of the authorities. Brant expressed 
 himself decidedly in favor of the royal cause, alluding to 
 the old covenants and treaHes which his nation had in for- 
 mer times entered into with the king, and complaining of 
 ill-treatment received at the hands of the colonists. 
 
 Shortly after, during this same month. General Herki- 
 mer, of the American militia, took a strong force Avith him, 
 and started for Brant's head-quarters, whether with inten- 
 tion of attacking him, or merely to treat upon terms of 
 equality, hardly appears. 
 
 Brant was very cautious of trusting himself in the ene- 
 mies' hands. He did not show himself for a week after 
 Herkimer's arrival, and when he finoVy appeared, and 
 consented to a conference, he was accompanied and de- 
 fended by five hundred Indian warriors. Every precau- 
 tion was taken against treachery ; the meeting was held at 
 a temporary buikling erected midway between the two 
 encampments, and the respective parties were to assemble 
 
 - " *'• •- »V .<■",* I' VI 
 
 
 
 -vi 
 
 
 

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 ■ft. I ■ 
 
 
 842 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 at the spot unarmed. The Indian chief took with him a 
 guard of about forty warriors, and was accompanied by 
 one Captain Bull, of the Englioh party, and by his nephew, 
 William Johnson, a son of Molly Brant by Sir William. 
 
 General Herkimer had long been on terms of friendship 
 with Brant, before the troubles arose between England and 
 the American colonies, and he vainly hoped to be able to 
 influence and persuade him into complaisance towards the 
 new government. Thayendanegea was suspicious, and 
 looked with an evil eye upon the hostile array of troops, 
 shrewdly questioning the necessity for such preparations 
 for a mere meeting of conference. He fully confirmed the 
 supposition that he was determined to support the king, 
 and evinced a proud dependence upon the power and 
 courage of his own tribe. 
 
 The parley terminated most unsatisfactorily, and another 
 appointment was made. We are sorry to record an in- 
 stance of such unpardonable treachery as Herkimer is said 
 to have planned at this juncture. One of his men, Joseph 
 Waggoner, affirmed that the general privately exhorted 
 him to arrange matters so that Brant and his three prin- 
 cipal associates might be assassinated when they should 
 present themselves at the place of meeting. The Indian 
 chief, when he came to the council, kept a large body of 
 his warriors within call, so that the design, even if it had 
 been seviously entertained by Waggoner, could not be 
 safely carried out. 
 
 Brant counselled the general to go quietly home, as he 
 could nol; but perceive how much he was out-numbered if 
 his intent was hostile. He disavowed any present inimi- 
 cal design. Herkimer accordingly took his departure, 
 and Brant, not long after, marched his warriors to the 
 British place of rendezvous, at Oswego. Here a great 
 council was held with the Indian tribes by English emissa- 
 ries, who enlarged upon the ingratitude and rebellious 
 
 II 
 
him a 
 Led by 
 ephew, 
 liam. 
 jndship 
 ind and 
 able to 
 Lvds the 
 as, and 
 ' troops, 
 larations 
 med the 
 he king, 
 wer and 
 
 1 another 
 ■d an in- 
 er is said 
 1, Joseph 
 exhorted 
 ree prin- 
 fy should 
 [le Indian 
 body of 
 lif it had 
 not be 
 
 le, as he 
 libered if 
 ent inimi- 
 ^eparture, 
 rs to the 
 a great 
 Ih emissa- 
 Irebellious 
 
 THE mOQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 343 
 
 spirit of the provinces, and compared the power and wealth 
 of their own monarch with the poverty of the Americans. 
 
 Abundance of finery and warlike implements were 
 spread before the greedy eyes of the warriors, and they 
 were told that " the king was rich and powerful, both in 
 money and subjects. His rum was as plenty as the water 
 in Lake Ontario, and his men as numerous as the sands 
 upon its shore ; and the Indians were assured that, if they 
 would assist in the war, and persevere in their friendship 
 for the king until its close, they should never want for 
 goods or money." 
 
 The bargain was struck accordingly, and each warrior 
 who pledged himself to the royal cause received, as earn- 
 est of future favors, a suit of clothes, a brass kettle, a 
 tomahawk, a scalping-knife, and a supply of ammunition, 
 besides a small present in money. The sagacity and 
 enterprise of the chief, whose power was now almost 
 universally submitted to by those of the Six Nations that 
 favored the cause of the king, rendered the alliance a 
 formidable one. 
 
 The gloomy prospects of the colonies, disheartened as 
 they were by reverses and pecuniary distress, grew tenfold 
 darker at the apprehension of such a bloody and cruel 
 border warfare as they might now anticipate. Exaggerated 
 tales were every where circulated of the extent of Indian 
 depredations and cruelties. There was, indeed, sufficient 
 foundation in truth for the greatest apprehension and dis- 
 tress. It is due to many of the British commanding 
 officers to say that they bitterly regretted the association 
 of their party with a horde of murderous savages, over 
 whose acts they could exercise no control, when out of 
 their immediate influence. Burgoyne refused to pay the 
 expected bounty for scalps, to the intense disgust of his 
 Indian forces ; and, to the remonstrance on the part of 
 the American general, against the permission of the bloody 
 
 
 
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 ■'fe«r^i?w' 
 
 344 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 scenes which were continually enacting, he returned an 
 eloquent disclaimer of participation in or encouragement 
 of such acts. 
 
 A large population of those who resided in the districts 
 more immediately exposed, Avere driven from their dwell- 
 ings by the fear of Indian cruelties. During Burgoyne's 
 advance, an incident occurred which excited the strongest 
 emotions of horror and indignation throughout the country. 
 We allude to the well-known tale of the murder of Miss 
 Jane McCrea. Few incidents have attracted more notice 
 in the whole course of Indian warfare than this, and few 
 have been reported in so variant and distorted a style. 
 Miss McCrea was the daughter of a gentleman of New 
 Jersey, and was residing, at the period of our present 
 narrative, with her brother John, near Fort Edward, upon 
 the Hudson, within a few miles of Saratoga. Her family 
 was of the royal party, and she was herself engaged to 
 marry a young officer by the name of Jones, then on duty 
 in Burgoyne's army. 
 
 The promised husband commissioned a few Indians to 
 go to the young lady's dwelling, and escort her thence to 
 the British camp. Against the urgent entreaties of her 
 friends, she put herself under the protection of these un- 
 certain messengers, and started for the encampment. Her 
 lover, anxious that his errand should be faithfully per- 
 formed, despatched a second party to join the convoy. The 
 two companies met a short distance from Fort Edward, 
 and were proceeding together when they were attacked 
 by a party of Americans. " At the close of the skirmish," 
 says Stone, " the body of Miss McCrea was found among 
 the slain — tomahawked, scalped, and tied to a pine-tree, 
 yet standing by the side of the spring, as a monument of 
 the bloody transaction. The name of the young lady is 
 inscribed on the tree, the trunk of which is thickly scarred 
 with the bullets it received in the skirmish. It also bears 
 
 ■m-nn, 
 

 THE IROQUOIS, Oil SIX NATIONS. 
 
 345 
 
 the date 1777." He cites further from Silliman : " Tradi- 
 tion reports that the Indians divided the scalp, and that 
 each party carried half of it to the agonized lover." 
 
 The account usually received of the manner in which 
 her death was brought about is, that the chiefs of the two 
 Indian companies, quarrelling as to which should receive 
 the reward (a barrel of rum) promised by Jones, one of 
 them, to end the dispute, buried his tomahawk in the head 
 of their charge. ; 
 
 During this month, (July,) General Barry St. Leger 
 marched from Oswego, with nearly two thousand whites 
 and Indians — the latter led by Thayendancgca — to the 
 investiture of Fort Stanwix. This stronghold of the pro- 
 vincial party occupied the spot where Rome now stands, 
 in Oneida county, near the head-waters of the INIohawk. 
 The post was afterwards called Fort Schuyler. The forces 
 of St. Leger beset the fort on the 3d of August. 
 
 The most interesting event connected with the part 
 taken by the Indians in this siege, is the bloody battle of 
 Oriskany. The brave old soldier. General Herkimer, with 
 from eight hundred to a thousand militia and volunteers, 
 hastened to relieve the garrison as soon as the news of St. 
 Leger's design was brought. Unfortunately, the English 
 commander obtained information of the approach of reen- 
 forcements in sufficient season to prepare an ambuscade at 
 a spot the most disadvantageous possible for the advancing 
 troops. Where a marshy ravine, over which the path of 
 the American army was carried by a causeway, partially 
 enclosed a dry and level tract. Brant and his warriors, with 
 a body of English troops, lay concealed. Before Herkimer 
 and his men were aware of danger, the main portion of 
 their number v/as completely surrounded, and cut off from 
 the baggage and reav-guard. 
 
 Broken and disordered by the murderous and unex- 
 pected fire of the enemy, the Americans met with terrible 
 
 
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 846 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 loss. Retreat was out of the question, and gradually, en- 
 couraged by the exhortations of their brave commander, 
 who, although severely wounded, sat supported by a tree, 
 coolly issuing his orders, they formed defensive circles. 
 Such scenes of desperate hand to hand fighting as ensued 
 have seldom been recorded. The destruction on both 
 sides was great, more than two hui dred of the Americans 
 being killed on the spot. Both parties laid claim to a vic- 
 tory ; but it appears sufficiently certain that the Indians 
 were dispersed, while the provincial militia held their 
 ground. The purpose of the advance was, indeed, dfefeated, 
 except so far as it gave opportunity for a successful sally 
 from the fort, in which the British were driven from their 
 encampment, and a great quantity of valuable booty was 
 obtained. 
 
 One who passed the spot where the battle of Oriskany 
 was fought, a few days afterwards, writes : " I beheld the 
 most shocking sight I had ever witnessed. The Indians 
 and white men were mingled with one another, just as 
 they had been left when death had first completed his 
 work. Many bodies had also been torn to pieces by wild 
 beasts." The veteran commander of the provincials died 
 in consequence of the wound he had received. The loss 
 experienced by the Mohawks and others of the Six 
 Nations who took part in the engagement, was long re- 
 membered and lamented by their tribes. 
 
 Notwithstanding the reverses that followed ; the discom- 
 fiture of the English ; the growing power and confidence 
 of the Americans ; and the long and eloquent appeal of 
 mingled warning and conciliation communicated to them 
 by Congress, all of the Six Nations except the Oneidas 
 and the Tuscaroras remained, at the close of the year, fast 
 fixends of the king. The poverty of the colonies prohib- 
 ited that display of rewards which the loyalists could 
 profifer, and constant intimacy enabled the politic officers 
 
THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 347 
 
 of the crown to sway the ignorant minds of the Indians, 
 and to teach them to look upon their white countrymen as 
 an unprincipled people, engaged in a hopeless as well as 
 causeless rebellion. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 CONTINUATION OP REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS. 
 
 The year 1778 opened unfavorably for American in- 
 fluence over the border savages. Johnson and Butler, 
 aided by Joseph Brant, in behalf of the crown, had been 
 unwearied in their efforts to win over the Indians of the 
 west to their master's cause. In vain was a council called 
 by the provincial congress for the purpose of making one 
 more eftbrt to induce the Six Nations to adopt a neutral 
 policy. An incomplete deputation, from all the tribes 
 except the Senecas, did indeed assemble at Johnstown, in 
 Tryon county, during the month of March, the result of 
 which meeting only strengthened the conviction that noth- 
 ing but enmity was to be looked for on the part of the 
 great body of the nation. There was too great reason to 
 fear that the Indians of the far west were successfully 
 dealt with by emissaries on the part of the loyalists. 
 
 Brant returned to his old quarters at Oghkwaga, and its 
 vicinity, and lent himself heart and soul to the work of 
 harassing and plundering the colonists. Although, as 
 the chief of his nation, no small portion of the enormities 
 committed by the Indian predatory bands, was attributed 
 to his direct influence, it is due to Brant to say, that few 
 among his companions-in-arms showed an equal regard for 
 the laws of humanity. Many an instance is recorded of 
 his interference, even in the heat of conflict, to stay the 
 hand uplifted against the feeble and helpless. He was, it 
 
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 348 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 is true, a fierce partisan warrior, and, in one of his letters, 
 avowed his intent to ♦* fight the cruel rebels," as well as he 
 could ; but he seldom, if ever, evinced tl at savage cruelty 
 towards a conquered foe which disgraced his Indian and 
 white associates. 
 
 While the war lasted, there was no rest or safety for the 
 inhabitants of that extensive district bordering on the 
 enemies' country — from Saratoga, south-westward to the 
 Susquehanna. Brant commenced operations in person, by 
 an attack on Springfield, a small place at the head of Ot- 
 sego lake. He drove off or took prisoners all the men, and 
 assembling the women and children for safety, burned all 
 the town except the house where they were collected. He 
 then retired, offering them no injury. . 
 
 In the latter part of June, a descent was planned upon 
 the settlements in the valley of Wyoming, upon the Sus- 
 quehanna, in the north-eastern part of Pennsylvania. 
 Some three hundred British regulars and tory volunteers, 
 accompanied by about five hundred of their Indian allies, 
 marched from Niagara. They were led by Colonel John 
 Butler. It has been a commonly received opinion that 
 Brant was the chief under whom the Indian portion of the 
 army was mustered, but it is now believed that he had as lit- 
 tle share in this campaign as in many other scenes of blood 
 long coupled with his name. There is no proof that he was 
 present at any of the scenes that we are about to relate. 
 
 No portion of the whole history of the revolution has 
 been so distorted in the narration as that connected with 
 the laying waste of the valley of Wyoming. No two ac- 
 counts seem to agree, and historians have striven to outdo 
 each other in the violence of their expressions of indigna- 
 tion at cruelties and horrors which existed only in their 
 own imaginations, or which came to them embellished 
 with all the exaggeration incident to reports arising amid 
 scenes of excitement and bloodshed. 
 
THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 349 
 
 Wyoming had, for many years, been the scene of the 
 . bitterest hostility between the settlers under the Connecti- 
 cut grant and those from Pennsylvania. Although these 
 warlike operations were upon a small scale, they were con- 
 ducted with great viudictiveness and treachery. Blood 
 was frequently shed ; and, as either party obtained the as- 
 cendency, small favor was shown to their opponents, who 
 were generally driven from their homes in hopeless desti- 
 tution. We cannot go into a history of these eaily trans- 
 actions, and only mention them as explanatory of the 
 feelings of savage animosity which were exhibited between 
 neighbors, and even members of the same families, who 
 had espoused opposite interests in the revolutionary contest. 
 
 As John Butler and his forces entered the north-west- 
 ern portion of the valley, having descended the Susque- 
 h-'nna upon rafts, the inhabitants of the several towns 
 made the best preparations in their power to resist the in- 
 vasion. Colonel Zebulon Butler was in command of a 
 company of regular continental troops, and with about 
 three hundred of the militia, collected in the valley, he 
 marched on the 3d of July, to check, and, if possible, dis- 
 perse the invaders. It was intended to take the enemy 
 by surprise at their encampment, (at Fort Wintermoot,) 
 but the vigilance of the Indian sentinels betrayed the ad- 
 vancing forces. They found the royalists drawn up, and 
 ready to give them battle. Their line was extended from 
 the river, on their left, to a marsh, beyond which rose the 
 mountain range which bounded the valley. The Indian 
 warriors were stationed at the right by the borders of the 
 swamp. 
 
 The whole line was simultaneously attacked by the pro- 
 vincials, as they came i:.p. Colonel Dennison, who com- 
 manded the left wing of the American army, perceiving 
 that a strong body of the Indians had forced their way 
 through the marsh, and were about to attack him in the 
 
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 350 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 rear, gave an order to fall back, that his troops might not 
 be surrounded. This command was mistaken for an order 
 to retreat, and the result was a complete rout and a disor- 
 derly flight. The Indians, now completely in their ele- 
 ment, fell upon the helpless stragglers with tomahawk and 
 knife. About fifty of the Americans are said to have 
 escaped by swimming the river, or by clambering the 
 mountains, and concealing themselves in the forest : the 
 rest all perished upon the field. 
 
 Most of the inhabitants of the valley sought safety from 
 the victorious army in flight. Those who remained betook 
 themselves to Fort Wyoming. On the next day, July 4th, 
 the British colonel approached the fort, and demanded an 
 unconditional surrender. A capitulation was finally agreed 
 upon, by the terms of which the occupiers of lands in the 
 valley were to be protected in the peaceable enjoyment of 
 their property. Colonel Zcbulon Butler and the remnant 
 of his regulars had made their escape, and it was agreed, 
 by the officer remaining in command, that the fort should 
 be demolished. The result, however, wae the almost en- 
 tire destruction of the settlement. The rapacity of the 
 undisciplined Indian forces, tempted by the opportunity 
 for plunder, could not be restrained ; and the long-cherished 
 rancor of partisan enmity between fellow-countrymen had 
 full opportunity to satiate itself. 
 
 The rich and highly-cultivated farms were laid waste, 
 and their unfortunate proprietors, flying from their burning 
 homes, were reduced to the greatest extremities. Many 
 are said to have perished in the wilderness, whither they 
 had fled for safety. From the tales of the wretched out- 
 casts who were dispersed over the country, as published 
 at the time, many incidents have been copied into modern 
 histories, which we know to be false or grossly exagger- 
 ated. War is every way an enormous evil, and when 
 carried on by an ignorant and barbarous people, to whom 
 
 !v1 
 
 'f !■-::'.• 
 
THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 351 
 
 the refinements of so-cailo'd civilized warfare are unknown^ 
 must necessarily involve scenes of terror and desolation ; 
 but at the time of which we are now speaking, the greatest 
 atrocities appear to have been committed by whites. We 
 will give a single incident as illustrative of the spirit of 
 the times. Several of the loyalists had pursued some fu- 
 gitives of the provincial militia to an island in the river. 
 One of these being ferreted out from his place of conceal- 
 ment, recognized his own brother among the enemy, and, 
 falling upon his knees, begged humbly for his life. The 
 greeting and response ot the unnatural brother are thus re- 
 corded : " So it is you, is it ? " — " All this is mighty fine, 
 but you iire a damned rebel." — Saying which, he delib- 
 erately levelled his rifle, and shot him dead upon the spot. 
 
 At the north. Brant and his Indians continued to be a 
 source of terror and annoyance. Besides many minor 
 depredations, they burned and plundered the rich and 
 thriving settlement of the German Flatts, upon the upper 
 waters of the Mohawk. The inhabitants had sufficient 
 rotice of the attack to be able to secure themselves in the 
 neighboring forts, but they could do nothing to preserve 
 their homes, or to save the fruits of a summer's toil from 
 plunder or destruction. This injury was retaliated by the 
 invasion of the noted establishments of the Indian chief 
 at Oghkwaga and Unadilla. A party of friendly Oneidas 
 lent themselves to this service, and succeeded in bringing 
 off some booty and prisoners. A more important inroad 
 was made by Colonel William Butler, with a Pennsylvania 
 regiment. He entered the towns of Unadilla and Oghk- 
 waga, and, finding them deserted by the Indians, burned 
 and destroyed the buildings, together with large stores of 
 provision Intended for winter use. 
 
 The Indians were greatly exasperated at this heavy loss, 
 and it was not difficult for the English to excite them to 
 prompt exertions for revenge. The Senec-'s were discov- 
 
 
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 852 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 ered to be In arms, and assuming a hostile attitude very 
 shortly after these events ; and one of their chiefs, " The 
 Great Tree," who had been spending the summer with the 
 Americans, and had associated during that time upon 
 friendly terms with General Washington, had now re- 
 turned to his people with altered demeanor and purposes. 
 Eeports had been circulated among the Indians of this anc^ 
 other tribes that the Americans were planning an invasion 
 of their country. 
 
 Early in November, (1778,) the younger Butler, Walter, 
 led a force of seven hundred men from Niagara to attack 
 the settlement at Cherry- Valley. The majority of the 
 party consisted of Indians under the command of Thaycn- 
 danegea. The place of their destination, a beautiful and 
 prosperous village, not far from Otsego lake, was defended 
 by a fortification garrisoned by troops under Colonel Ich- 
 abod Alden. The commander received intimation, from an 
 Oneida messenger, of the dangerous position of the place, 
 but, being incredulous, or supposing that there was abun- 
 dance of time for preparation, he was in no condition for 
 resistance when the blow fell. The inhabitants, instead of 
 seeking the protection of the fort, were scattered among 
 their several habitations. 
 
 The Indian savages made the first onslaught, and throw- 
 ing aside all restraint, massacred men, women and children 
 indiscriminately. Iklany of ihe tories belonging to the 
 party are said to have shown a spirit of ferocity equal to 
 that of the worst of barbarians. The officer in command, 
 Walter N. Butler, repeatedly asserted, in after communi- 
 cations, that he used his best endeavors to stay the destruc- 
 tion of the helpless children and females, and there is no 
 doubt but that Brant's inclinations turned in the same 
 direction. Specific instances are reported in which the 
 Mohawk chief interfered, and successfully, to arrest the 
 murderous tomahawk. "According to their account, the 
 
now re- 
 
 luvasion 
 
 THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 853 
 
 Indians were exasperated at their losses at Oghkwaga and 
 Unadilla, and, becoming heated with the excitement of the 
 attack, were in complete disorder, and in no degree ame- 
 nable to discipline. Wherever the blame lay, the result 
 was terrible : about fifty soldiers and inhabitants fell by 
 the tomahawk, among the latter of whom the larger portion 
 consisted of women and children. The whole village waa 
 burned to the ground, and the rich stores of provisions 
 were destroyed. Thirty or forty prisoners were taken, 
 but of these, the women and children, with a few excep- 
 tions, were shortly after set at liberty, as unable to endure 
 the march. 
 
 Mrs. Campbell, one of those who was retained as a 
 hostage, because of the prominent part taken by her hus- 
 band in the American cause, has given very interesting 
 descriptions of Indian ceremonies and manner of life. 
 
 The Onondagas, throughout these campaigns, while, as 
 a tribe, they did not openly profess themselves inimical to 
 the Americ^tins, were individually concerned in no small 
 number of the forays and scalping expeditions whereby 
 the border country was harassed. In April, of 1779, it 
 was determined to destroy their settlements, and Colonel 
 Van Schaick, with a sufficient force, was despatched for 
 the purpose. He was ordered utterly to lay waste the 
 whole of their towns ; to destroy all their cattle and prop- 
 erty ; and to take as many prisoners as possible. He 
 did not succeed in surprising the Indians, as he had pur- 
 posed ; their scouts carried intelligence of his advance in 
 season for most of them to escape to the woods ; but their 
 improvements and dwellings were left undefended, at the 
 mcicy of the assailants. The colonel obeyed his orders to 
 the letter, and left nothing but blackened ruins behind 
 him in his progress through the Indian villages. The 
 dwellings, the horses, cattle, and stored provisions of the 
 unfortunate tribe were all destroyed, and the Americans 
 
 
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 Mr •-.r-j ■■•'- ^ 
 
 
 
 354 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 returned to their quarters, without the loss of a man, taking 
 with them thirty-three prisoners. About twelve of the 
 Onondagas were killed during the expedition. 
 
 The friendly Oneidas were closely connected with this 
 tribe, and they felt and expressed a natural sympathy with 
 their misfortunes. The Onondagas were greatly exasper- 
 ated, 8nd their war-parties continued to hover around the 
 iiorJer settlements, ever ready to take advantage of any 
 ai V iriness on the part of the whites. 
 
 Ih the months of July and August, of this year, (1TT9,) 
 Brant o^gnalized himself by various successful expeditions. 
 He plundered and destroyed the little town of Minisink, 
 near the Delaware river, in Orange county, New York, 
 and defeated a body of the militia who undertook to follow 
 his trail, in hopes of recovering the booty he had secured, 
 and of avenging the ruin he had caused. Some interest- 
 ing incidents are recorded as connected with this battle. 
 So skilfully did the Mohawk chief anticipate and oppose 
 the movements of his pursuers, that he secured an advan- 
 tage in position which gave him a signal victory. A large 
 proportion of the whites were slain. We are told that, 
 after the battle. Brant saw a wounded officer lying upon 
 the field, in a hopeless condition, but retaining sufficient 
 strength to converse. Unwilling to leave the unfortunate 
 man to be torn in pieces by wolves, who would be sure to 
 collect as night came on, he determined, from motives of 
 humanity, to -despatch him. He therefore commenced a 
 conversation with him, and, watching his oppoitunity, 
 put an end to his sufferings unawares, by a blow of the 
 tomahawk. 
 
 On this, as on most other occasions in which the Mo- 
 hawk chief was engaged in active hostilities, the most 
 contradictory reports have been recorded concerning his, 
 conduct and demeanor. The leader is generally compelled 
 to bear the blame of all the excesses committed by his 
 
t.?.^.'A' 
 
 , taking 
 of the 
 
 ith this 
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 sxasper- 
 und the 
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 (editions, 
 klinisink, 
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 old that, 
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 sufficient 
 lifortunate 
 
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 )ortunity, 
 
 )W of the 
 
 the Clo- 
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 :om polled 
 jd by his 
 
 THE IROQUOIS, OB SIX NATIONS. 
 
 355 
 
 followers, and it is no easy task, at this distance of time, 
 to decide upon the truth of many tales reported under cir- 
 cumstances of confusion and excitement. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 GENERAL SULLIVAN'S CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE IROQUOIS. — SUBSE- 
 aUENT WARLIKE OPERATIONS OP THE iV\TION. 
 
 "While the events which we have just dc vibed were 
 transpiring, preparations were going on ^.or a more formi- 
 dable invasion of the Indian territory than had before been 
 attempted by the Americans. The annoyance of an un- 
 certain border warfare had become s intolerable that it 
 was deemed necessary to put a stop to it by the entire 
 destruction of the Iroquois towns and settlements. In 
 pursuance of a resolution of Congress, the commander-in- 
 chief, General Washington, made arrangements, in the 
 spring of 1779, to send a large force into the heart of the 
 enemies' country, with directions to burn and destroy all 
 their towns ; to lay waste their fields and orchards ; to take 
 as many prisoners as practicable ; and, in a word, to do 
 the enemy all the injury possible. The command of the 
 expedition was bestowed upon General Sullivan, who was 
 directed to ascend the Susquehanna, with troops from 
 Pennsylvania, and to form a junction with the northern 
 forces at Tioga, near the mouth of the Chemung. The 
 detachment from the north, under General Clinton, con- 
 sisting of fifteen hundred men, marched from Canajoharie, 
 on the Mohawk, for Otsego Lake, (from which flows the 
 Susquehanna) about the middle of June. They carried 
 with them, over-land, two hundred bateaux, in which to 
 descend the river to Tioga. 
 
 21 
 
 I 
 
 
 
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 856 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 It was intended that Clinton should talce with him a 
 body of Oneida warriors, but this purpose was frustrated 
 by the efforts of General Huldimand, on behalf of the king 
 of Great Britain. This officer sent a letter, written in their 
 own tongue, to the Oneidas, upbraiding them with the 
 breach of ancient treaties, and threatening, if they presumed 
 to engage in open warftire against the royalists, to let loose 
 upon them such a horde of his Indian allies as should utterly 
 destroy them. The effect of this epistle was to keep the 
 Oneida warriors, with very few exceptions, at home, that 
 they might be in readiness to guard their families and home- 
 steads from the threatened invasion. 
 
 Owing to delays at the south, Clinton did not receive 
 orders to remove from Otsego until August. He had, in the 
 mean time, dammed the outlet of the lake, so that a great 
 body of water had accumulated. When his troops were 
 embarked, the obstruction was removed, and, aided by the 
 unusual flow, the flotilla swept rapidly and smoothly down 
 the stream. On the 22d of August the meeting at Tioga 
 was effected. Five thousand men, well armed and provis- 
 ioned, were now concentrated, and ready to pour upon the 
 devoted towns of the hostile Iroquois. 
 
 The attempt to keep the expedition a secret from the 
 enemy would have been utterly useless, from the length 
 of time required for the preparatory movements. The 
 campaign was anticipated, but no adequate force was pro- 
 vided to resist the American army. The only battle which 
 took place was at Newtown on the bank of the Chemung, 
 near the present town of Elmira. Here a force, variously 
 estimated at from eight to fifteen hundred, and consisting 
 of Indians under Thayendanegea, and whites commanded 
 by the two Butlers, and by Sir John and Guy Johnson, 
 was advantageously intrenched. 
 
 A brave and obstinate resistance was made to the ad- 
 vance of the Americans, but superior numbers prevailed, 
 
:.\p- 
 
 THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 857 
 
 and the enemy was driven across the river, after suffering 
 considerable loss. This was the only attempt of any im- 
 portance that was made to defend the country from ravage 
 and destruction. Pursuing his course westward. General 
 Sullivan obeyed his orders to the letter. Every where 
 the well-built towns and flourishing corn-fields of the con- 
 federate nations were reduced to utter ruin. These Indian 
 tribes had made no little advance in the arts of civilization. 
 The Mohawks had mostly fled to Canada in the early times 
 of the revolution, but others of the Iroquois, particularly 
 the Cayugas and Senecas, had continued to cultivate their 
 fields and maintain possession of the homes of their fore- 
 fathers. Immense orchards of apple and other fruit-trees 
 were growing luxuriantly around their habitations, but all 
 fell beneath the axe of the destroyers. The movement of 
 60 large a body of troops was necessarily slow, and as no 
 precautions were taken to conceal their operations, the In- 
 dians were every where enabled to escape to the woods. 
 It must have been with feelings of the bitterest rage and 
 despair that they saw the labor of so many years rendered 
 useless, and thought of the coming winter, which must over- 
 take them, a wandering and destitute people, who must 
 perish, or rely for aid upon their Canadian allies. 
 
 The wholQ month of September was spent in the work 
 of destruction. The course of the march, after the battle 
 of Newtown, was first to Catharine's Town, near the head 
 of Seneca lake ; thence to Kanadaseagca, the principal town 
 of the Senecas ; to Canandagua ; and to Genesee, which 
 was the farthest point reached at the westward. From 
 Sullivan's account : " The town of Genesee contained one 
 hundred and twenty-eight houses, mostly large and very 
 elegant. It was beautifully situated, almost encircled with 
 a clear flat extending a number of miles ; over which, ex- 
 tensive fields of corn were waving, together with every kind 
 of vegetable that could be conceived." • 
 
 
 , 1 • 
 
 
 -^>.; 
 
 ■T., 
 
I • ( '' ■' ' '■ 
 
 
 
 
 * (' 
 
 
 868 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 " The entire army," says Stone, " was immediately en- 
 gaged in destroying it, and the axe and the torch soon 
 transformed the whole of that beautiful region from the 
 character of a garden to a scene of drear and sickening 
 desolation. Forty Indian towns were destroyed. Corn, 
 gathered and ungathered, to the amount of one hundred 
 and sixty thousand bushels, shared the same fate ; their 
 fruit trees were cut down ; and the Indians were hunted 
 like wild beasts, till neither house, nor fruit tree, nor field 
 of corn, nor inhabitant, remained in the whole country." 
 
 In a suffering and destitute condition, the scattered tribes 
 of the Iroquois were driven to seek protection and sup- 
 port during the hard winter that succeeded their overthrow 
 from the English at their posts in the vicinity of Niagara. 
 Nothing could now be expected at their hands, by the 
 Americans, but acts of vindictive retaliation. Brant led 
 his warriors, in pursuance of Haldimand's ominous predic- 
 tion, against the settlements of the Oneidas, and reduced 
 them to a condition as desolate as that of the habitations 
 of his allies. The whole tribe was compelled to fly to the 
 eastward, and seek shelter and support from the provincials. 
 
 Thayendanegea was ever ready and watchful for oppor- 
 tunity to harass and weaken the American posts, or to 
 plunder their unprotected villages. Passing over his 
 minor exploits and adventures, of which many strikingly 
 characteristic anecdotes are preserved, we come to his 
 irruption into the Mohawk valley, in August of 1780. He 
 managed, at this time, to circulate a report among the 
 settlers in the valley, that he was meditating an attack upon 
 Forts Plain and Schuyler, for the purpose of getting pos- 
 session of the stores collected at those posts. The militia 
 of the valley hastened to defend the threatened points, 
 leaving their villages a prey to the cunning Mohawk. He 
 carefully avoided the reenforcements on their way to the 
 forts, and fell upon Canajoharie. 
 
 }fr i ■,. vs.' ,»>._ 
 
TUE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 859 
 
 His course was marked by the entire destruction of 
 houses, provisions, and crops ; of every thing indeed that 
 could not be profitably carried away. No barbarities were 
 permitted upon the persons of the defenceless women and 
 children, but a large number of them were borne away 
 into captivity. Brant effected his retreat unmolested ; 
 his men laden with plunder, and driving before them the 
 valuable herds of the white settlers. Accounts, published 
 shortly after the transaction, represent that the whole num- 
 ber of houses and barns burnt in this invasion, at Cana- 
 joharie,, Schoharie, and Norman's Kill, was one hundred 
 and forty ; and that twenty-four persons were killed, and 
 seventy-three made captives. The mind is little impressed 
 by such bare enumeration, unless the imagination be 
 excited to fill up the outline. No language could express 
 the amount of misery and terrible anxiety which such an 
 inroad must have caused. To the distracting uncertainty 
 respecting the fate of their wives and children, prisoners 
 in the hands of a barbarous and exasperated enemy, was 
 added the mortification of a consciousness, on the part of 
 the provincial militia, that they had been duped. They 
 had left their defenceless homes to be ravaged by the 
 enemy, while they were busying themselves in the defence 
 of a fortified post, against wh;ch no attack had been 
 meditated. 
 
 The invasion of the Mohawk valley by Sir John John- 
 son, in October of this year (1780), was productive of 
 results still more extensively disastrous. The Indians con- 
 nected with the expedition were led by Brant, and by the 
 gi at Seneca warrior, Corn-Planter. This chief was a half- 
 breed, being a son of a white trader, named O'Bail, and a 
 Senec;: squaw. During this campaign, he took old O'Bail 
 prisoner. Making himself known to his father, Corn- 
 Planter enlarged upon his own position and consequence, 
 offering the old man his choice, whether he would live in 
 
 
 

 ■ . ; V' 
 
 ^^i 
 
 ( ... 
 
 1! ! ' 
 
 360 
 
 INDIAN BACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 ease and plenty among his son's followers, or return to the 
 settlements of the whites. O'Bail preferred the latter course, 
 ail J was escorted accordingly to a place of safety. "We 
 shall speak further of this noted warrior, in describing his 
 successful rival, the great orator Red-Jacket. 
 
 The usual horrors attendant upon Indian warfare marked 
 this campaign of Johnson's : but we are not without evi- 
 dence that the principal leader of the savages was inclined 
 to no cruelty further than that necessarily incident to the 
 Indian mode of conducting hostilities. On one occasion, 
 he sent one of his runners to return a young infant that had 
 been carried off with other captives and plunder. The mes- 
 senger delivered a letter from Brant, directed ** to the com- 
 manding officer of the rebel army," in which the Mohawk 
 chief avers that " whatever others might do," he made no 
 war upon women and children. He mentioned the two 
 Butlers, and other tory partisans, as being "more savage 
 than the savages themselves." 
 
 The Indians of the Six Nations, engaged in the royal 
 cause, made Niagara their winter head-quarters. Thence 
 their scouts and war-parties continued to molest the bor- 
 der country through the ensuing spring and summer, but 
 no very important engagement took place until October 
 (1781). On the 24th of that month, the inhabitants of 
 the country south of the Mohawk, near the mouth of Scho- 
 harie creek, were astonished by the unexpected inroad of 
 an overwhelming force of the enemy. The army, under 
 the command of Major Ross, amounted to nearly a thou- 
 sand men, including Indians. They had made their way 
 from Buck's Island, in the St. Lawrence, to Oswego, and 
 thence, by Oneida lake, to th(5 Mohawk valley, so sud- 
 denly and secretly, that no news of their approach had pre- 
 ceded them. ' "^^ ♦ * 
 
 The invaders commenced the usual course of ravage 
 and destruction, but their success was but of short dura- 
 
THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 361 
 
 tion. They were disastrously routed and put to flight by 
 the provincials, under Colonel Willet, aided by a body of 
 Oneida warriors. The notorious Walter N. Butler perished 
 during the last engagement with the Americans. He was 
 shot and scalped by an Oneida Indian. 
 
 This was the last important procedure connected with 
 the war of the revolution, in which the Iroquois bore a 
 part. They proved, throughout the contest, most danger- 
 ous and efficient allies, rendering an immense extent of the 
 richest and most beautiful portion of the state of New 
 York unsafe for the Americans. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 CONDITION OF THE SIX NATIONS SUBSEQUENT TO THE REVOLU- 
 TION. — CONCLUSION OF BRANT'S HISTORY. — RED JACKET AND 
 CORN-PLANTER. 
 
 After the conclusion of peace and the recognition of 
 the independence of the United States, arrangements were 
 made between the British government and those of the 
 Six Nations who still wished to reside under the jurisdic- 
 tior of the parent country, to secure them an asylum in 
 Canada. Thaycndancgea was the principal negotiator on 
 the part of the Indians, and, at his instance, the country 
 bordering on Grand River, which empties into Lake Erie, 
 about thirty miles westward from Buffalo, was granted by 
 the crown to " the Mohawks, and others of the Six Na- 
 tions, who had either lost their possessions in the war, or 
 wished to retire from them to the British." They were 
 to be secured in the possession of a tract extending six 
 miles in breadth, on each side of the river, from its mouth 
 to its source. 
 
 The couise to be taken by the United States respecting 
 
 
 
 
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 |'.^--.V>i,-.'. 
 

 
 ^! 
 
 
 362 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 the Iroquois resident within their limits, was a subject 
 which led to much discussion and dissension. A confer- 
 ence was finally held at Fort Stanwix, between deputies 
 from all the six tribes and United States commissioners ; 
 and, after much violent debate, in which the celebrated 
 Red-Jacket took a prominent part, it Avas settled that the 
 Indians should cede to the government all jurisdiction over 
 lands in eastern New York, and confine themselves to a dis- 
 trict specified at the west. All prisoners were to be deliv- 
 ered up, and several hostages were given to secure perform- 
 ance of their stipulations on the part of the Six Nations. 
 
 Many of the Indians were greatly dissatisfied with this 
 treaty. Red- Jacket (in opposition to Corn-Planter j stren- 
 uously advocated a continuance of hostilities. His speech 
 at Fort Stanwix upon the subject gained him a wide repu- 
 tation for oratory. Brant, who was then about starting for 
 England to push the claims of his tribe for remuneration 
 for their losses in the war, postponed his embarkation, and 
 wrote a letter of remonstrance to Colonel Monroe, com- 
 plaining especially of the retention of one of his ir tives, 
 a Captain Aaron Hill, as one of the hostages. 
 
 The Mohawk chief did not lay aside his purpose of vis- 
 iting the royal court in his people's behalf. He arrived in 
 England in the month of December, 1785, and never was 
 ambassador received with more flattering attention. Ills 
 intelligence and dignity, together with the remembrance of 
 his long and faitliful services, commended him to all. He 
 was feted by the nobility and gentry ; his acquaintance 
 was sought by the most learned and celebrated dignitaries 
 of the age ; and the native shrewdness evinced in his 
 speeches and remarks drew forth universal applause. His 
 attempt to awaken an inteiest at couit. in favor of the 
 claims of his nation, was successful ; and a royal order was 
 obtained for the indemnity of those whose losses had been 
 specified, and for an examination of further demands. 
 
 pron 
 Deti 
 
 plan 
 the ] 
 unfri 
 mote 
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 Oswe 
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 blood 
 tlie M 
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 iioners ; 
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 ide repu- 
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 uneration 
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 Yc tives, 
 
 THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 363 
 
 In the United States, Indian affairs continued unsettled, 
 and ominous prospects of future disturbance on the western 
 frontier called for wise and cautious action. A great 
 council was held in December, 1786, by many tribes of 
 Indians, among whom the Six Nations were the most 
 prominent, at Huron village, not far from the mouth of 
 Detroit river. The object was to concert some general 
 plan of resistance to encroachments upon their lands by 
 the inhabitants of the United States. It is said that an 
 unfriendly feeling towards the new government was pro- 
 moted by English officials in their commimications with 
 the Indians, in reference to the retention, by the croAvn, of 
 Oswego, Detroit, Niagara, and other posts. 
 
 For many years, subsequent to the peace with England, 
 bloody skirmishes, and scenes of plunder and rapine, kept 
 the Avestern border in continual distress ; and when the 
 United States undertook the reduction of the hostile tribes 
 in 1790 and 91, it was found that the feeling of disaffec- 
 tion on tlie part of the red men was indeed exten^sive. 
 Upon the occasion of St. Clair's disastrous defeat by the 
 Miamis and their associates, under the renowned chief, 
 Little Turtle, it is asserted by the biographer of Brant 
 that the old Mohawk warrior and the warlike tribe to 
 which he belonged bore a conspicuous part. 
 
 No nian, born of a savage stock, has ever associated 
 with the enliglitened and intelligent upon terms of greater 
 equality than did Thaycndancgea. AVhile he retailed all 
 his partiality for his own people, and never lost sight of 
 their interests, he fully appreciated the advantages of edu- 
 cation and civilization. A long life, spent for the most 
 part amid scenes of strife and danger, in which the whole 
 powers of his activ'c mind and body seemed called forth 
 by the stirring scenes in which he mingled, did not unfit 
 him for the pursuits of literature and the arts of peace. 
 He was indefatigable in his endeavors to elevate the social 
 
 
 
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,""'",■' *' ■' 
 
 
 
 
 Ifcf 
 
 864 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICi. 
 
 I 
 
 position of his tribe, and devoted no little tirai' and atten- 
 tion to the translation of scriptural and other works into 
 the Mohawk tongue, for their benefit. His earlier speci- 
 mens of composition, which have been preserved, are, as 
 might be expected, rudely and imperfectly expressed, but 
 they evince great shrewdness and intelligence. The pro- 
 ductions of his latter years are strikingly forcible and 
 elegant. 
 
 "We cannot go into a detail of the tedious and some- 
 what ' scure negotiations with the American government 
 in which the chief of the Six Nations took part in behalf 
 of his people, nor chronicle the events of private interest 
 and domestic troubles which disturbed his declining years. 
 The old warrior died in November, 1807, at the age of 
 sixty-four. 
 
 In the war of 1812, the Mohawks, unler John Brant, 
 son and successor of Thayen J; negca, took the part ol their 
 old friends and allies, the English, and did good service 
 in various engi' sments upon the northern frontier. 
 
 In the early part of the ninetocnth century, few names 
 stand more prominent in Indian annals tlian that of the 
 Seneca chief and orator, Saguoaha, or liod-Jacket. We 
 hear of him, iLvi- r,'u, in much earlier times, as opposed to 
 Brant, at the tin ^,f Sullivan's campaign. The Mohawk 
 chief always regarded him with contempt and dislike, 
 speaking of him as an arrant coward, and a man of words 
 merely. Saguoaha held the whites generally in suspicion, 
 and his great effort appears ever to have l^en for the pres- 
 ervation of his nation's independence and individuality. 
 
 We have already mentioned the part which he took at 
 the treaty of Fort Stanwix, and his opposition to the 
 cession by his nation of their eastern lands. Corn- Planter 
 or O'Bail, who favored the proposal, was high in authority 
 at that time among the Senocas ; but Red-Jacket, more by 
 his eloquence and sagacity in council than by any warlike 
 
:he ir oquois, or six nations. 
 
 365 
 
 achievements, was gradually supplanting him. Corn- 
 Plantcr was a veteran warrior, and had fought in former 
 times against the English, in behalf of the French. He 
 is said to have been attached to the French and Indian 
 army, upon the occasion of Braddock's defeat, in 1755. 
 He could ill brook the rivalry of a young man, noted for 
 no warlike achievements, and only prominent among his 
 people by virtue of his natural gift of eloquence. To 
 check, therefore, this advance of the young orator, O'Bail 
 endeavored to work upon the credulity of his people by 
 announcing his brother as a prophet, and, for a time, suc- 
 ceeded in exciting their reverence and superstitious fears. 
 Red-Jacket, however, in open council, eloquently pro- 
 claimed him an imposior, and harangued the tribie with 
 such power and effect as to create a complete diversion in 
 his own favor. He was chosen chief of his tribe, and ex- 
 ercised, from that time forth, a control over his numerous 
 followers seldom surpassed by any Indian ruler. He was 
 a steady opposcr of Christianity, holding the missionaries 
 who endeavored to effect the conversion of the Six Na- 
 tions, in great suspicion. As a specimen of his style oj 
 oratory, we will give some extracts of Saguoaha's speeches 
 upon these religious questions, as they are to be found ; . 
 Thatcher's Indian Biography^ It must be observed that, 
 with characteristic obstinacy, the speaker would never use 
 the English language, but communicated his remarks by 
 means of an interpieter, so that due allowance must be 
 made for the change in style and loss of force almost al- 
 ways attendant upon a translation. 
 
 At a Seneca council in May, 1811, held at Buffalo 
 Creek, he answered a missionary from New York, sub- 
 stantially as follows : " Brother! — we listened to the talk 
 you delivered us from the Council of Blaok-Coats in New 
 York. We have fully considered your talk, and the offers 
 you have made us We now return '•ur answer, which 
 
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 366 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 we wish you also to understand. In making up our minds, 
 we have looked back to remember what has been done in 
 our days, and what our fathers have told us was done in 
 old times. 
 
 " Brother ! — Great numbers of Black-Coats have been 
 among the Indians. With sweet voices and smiling faces, 
 they offered to teach them the religion of the white people. 
 Our brethren in the East listened to them. They turned 
 from the religion of their fathers, and took up the religion 
 of the white people. What good has it done ? Are they 
 more friendly one to another than we are ? No, brother ! 
 They are a divided people ; — we are united. They quarrel 
 about religion ; — we live in love and friendship. Besides, 
 they drink strong waters. And they have learned how to 
 cheat, and how to practise all the other vices of the white 
 people, without imitating their virtues. Brother ! — If you 
 wish us well, keep away ; do not disturb us. 
 
 '* Brother ! — We do not worship the Great Spirit as the 
 white people do, but we believe that the forms of worship 
 are indifferent to the Great Spirit. It is the homage of 
 sincere hearts that pleases him, and we worship him in that 
 manner." 
 
 After arguing the matter a little more at length, and 
 expressing a decided preference for the " talk " of Mr. 
 Granger, an Indian agent, and for that of the emissaries 
 of the Society of Friends, the orator concluded : 
 
 *' Brother ! — For these reasons we cannot receive vovu 
 offers. We have other things to do, and beg you to make 
 your mind easy, without troubling us, lest our heads should 
 De too much loaded, and by and by burst." lied-Jackot 
 icmained, through life, consistent with the ground first 
 taken by him upon religious and political questions. To 
 the clergy he was ever courteous and civil, and appears 
 to have been ready to hold argument with them upon 
 their creed. In conversation with one of the cloth, he is 
 
:missanes 
 
 JHE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 367 
 
 said to have strenuously denied any responsibility on the 
 part of the red men for the death of Christ. ** Brother," 
 said he, " if you white people murdered * the Saviour,* 
 make it up yourselves. We had nothing to do with it. 
 If he had come among us, we should have treated him 
 better." 
 
 In the war of 1813, the Senecas espoused the American 
 interests, and, Brant's assertions to the contrary notwith- 
 standing, their chief, with his subordinates — Farmer's 
 Brother, Little Billy, Pollard, Black Snake, Young O'Bail, 
 (a son of Corn-Planter,) and others — gained honorable 
 notice for courage and activity from the commanding 
 officers of the army to which they were attached. It is 
 still more pleasing to reflect that these Indians readily 
 conformed to the more human usages of modern warfare. 
 General Boyd reported that, " the bravery and humanity 
 of the Indians were equally conspicuous." 
 
 In his old age, Red-Jacket became very intemperate, 
 and in so many instances conducted himself in a manner 
 unbecoming the dignity of a chief, that his opponents, the 
 Christian portion of the tribe, succeeded in passing a reso- 
 lution, in council, for his deposition. This was effected in 
 September, of the year 1827, and a formal written procla- 
 mation of the charges said to be substantiated against him, 
 was promulgated. The old chief immediately bestirred 
 himself to obtain a revocation of this decree. He caused a 
 grand council of the Six Nations to be held, and, with all 
 his former fire and energy, made answer to his accusers. 
 After enumerating and ridiculing the charges against him, 
 (many of them really trifling,) he proceeded to speak of his 
 long-continued services and care for his people : " I feel 
 sorry for my nation," said he ; " when I am gone to the 
 other worlds, — when the Great Spirit calls me away, — 
 who among my people can take my place ? Many years 
 have I guided the nation." 
 
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 868 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 The eloquence of the speaker, and a remembrance of 
 his faithful zeal for the welfare of his tribe, produced their 
 due effect : he was fully restored to his former position and 
 authority. During the latter years of his life, Red-Jacket 
 resided at the Seneca settlement, in the vicinity of Buffalo. 
 He made several visits to the Eastern cities, where his ap- 
 pearance always attracted much interest and attention. 
 A traveller who visited the Seneca country a few years 
 before the death of the old chief (which took 'place in 
 January, 1830,) speaks of his residence and appearance in 
 the following terms : ** My path grew more and more in- 
 distinct, until its windings were only intimated by the 
 smoothness of the turf, which often left me in perplexity, 
 till it at last brought me to the view of the abode of the 
 chief. He had penetrated, like a wild beast, into the 
 deepest recesses of the forest, almost beyond the power of 
 a white man to trace him. A wild beast ! but I found him 
 in a calm, contemplative mood, and surrounded by a cheer- 
 ful family. Old and young, collected about the door of 
 the log hut where he was seated, seemed to regard him 
 with affection ; and an infant, which one of the females 
 held in her arms, received his caresses with smiles. It 
 was a striking scene — a chief! Yet some of his inferiors, 
 who cultivate the soil in other parts of the Seneca lands, 
 had abundant fields and well-filled store-houses, while he 
 was poor, but bore his privations with apparent equanim- 
 ity. If he had power, he did not exert it ; if he had pas- 
 sions, they were quiescent ; if he had suffered injuries, they 
 were buried in his breast. — His looks, his motions, his at- 
 titudes, had that cast of superiority which convinced me that, 
 whether justly or not, he considered no man his superior 
 in understanding. — He appeared to regard himself as the 
 only one of his nation who retained the feelings and opin- 
 ions of his ancestors, and to pride himself in preserving 
 them." Halleck's address to " Red-Jacket, on looking at 
 
•■.*V-,.r.» 
 
 THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 369 
 
 his portrait, by Wier," although not in all respects strictly 
 accordant with facts, contains a beautiful summary of In- 
 dian characteristics. The poem concludes as follows : 
 
 "The monarch mind, the mystery of commanding, 
 The birth-hour gift, the art Najjolcon, 
 Of winning, fettering, moulding, wielding, banding 
 The hearts of millions, till they move as one } 
 
 Thou hast it. At thy bidding men have crowded 
 The road to death as to a festival ; 
 And minstrels, at their sepulchres, have shrouded 
 With banner-folds of glory the dark pall. 
 
 Who will believe ? Not I — for in decei\ing 
 Lies the dear charm of life's delightful dream 5 
 I cannot spare the luxury of believing 
 That all things beautiful are what they seem. 
 
 Who will believe that, with a smile whose blessing 
 Would, like the patriarch's, soothe a dying hour, 
 With voice as low, as gentle and caressing. 
 As e'er won maiden's lip in moonlit bower; 
 
 With look like patient Job's, eschewing evil ; 
 With motions graceful as a bird's in air ; 
 Thou art, in sober truth, the veriest devil 
 That e'er clinched fingers in a captive's hair ! 
 
 That in thy breast there springs a poison fountain, 
 Deadlier than that where bathes the Ujjas-tree ; 
 And in thy wrath, a nursing cat-o'-mountain 
 Is calm as a babe's sleep, compared with thee ! 
 
 And underneath that face, like Summer Ocean's, 
 Its lip as moveless, and its cheek as clear, 
 SFumbers a whirlwind of the heart's emotions — 
 Love, hatred, pride, hope, sorrow, — all save fear. 
 
 Love, for thy land, as if she were thy daughter, 
 
 Her pipe in peace, her tomahawk in wars ; ' 
 
 Hatred — of missionaries and cold water : 
 
 Pride — in thy lifle-trophies, and thy scars | ; .- .. 
 
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 870 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Hope — that thy wrongs may be by the Great Spirit 
 Remembered and revenged when thou art gone ; 
 Sorrow — that none are left thee to inherit 
 Thy name, thy fame, thy passions, and thy throne ! " 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 The information contained in this chapter is drawn from 
 Mr. Schoolcraft's abstracts and statisLlos, presented in his 
 *' Notes on the Iroquois." 
 
 In taking the census, ordered by the New York legis- 
 lature in 1845, and procuring statistics of the agricultural 
 operations of the Iroquois, the author informs us that great 
 objection was made by the Indians to what they considered 
 an officious intermeddling in their affiiirs. Their suspicions 
 were excited by the novelty of the requisition, and the 
 matter was discussed at great length in their councils. 
 They could not persuade themselves that the government 
 should take such a step from any of the motives urged by 
 those to whom the business was intrusted. It appeared to 
 them most probable that the measure was but a prelim- 
 inary step to the laying a tax upon their property, and 
 they consequently opposed continual obstacles to r. satisfac- 
 tory completion of the duty assigned. The entire popula- 
 tion of the Six Nations, about the middle of the eighteenth 
 century, was computed at six or eight thousand. By 
 other calculations, made a few years later, at the period of 
 the American Revolution, it was supposed to exceed nine 
 thousand. 
 
 Conscious as we are of the many causes constantly oper- 
 ating to reduce the numbers of the Indian population, it 
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THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 373 
 
 that there has been no veiy material decrease in the Iro- 
 quois nation since the extension of civilization over their 
 ancient country. It is pleasing to reflect that some por- 
 tion of the strange race that formerly held undisturbed 
 possession of the wilds of America, should be preserved to 
 show what advance they are, as a people, capable of mak- 
 ing, when aided by the light of civilization. 
 
 The tribes of the ancient confederacy are widely scat- 
 tered. The larger portion of the Oneidas are settled upon 
 a reservation in the vicinity of Green Bay, Wisconsin : 
 smaller villages of the tribe are situated farther southward, 
 near Winnebago Lake. The number of these emigrants 
 was stated in 1844 to be seven hundred and twenty-two. 
 The Senecas who have moved westward, were put down 
 at about two hundred and thirty. Fifty-one of the last- 
 mentioned tribe, were resident at Corn-Planter's settlement 
 in Pennsylvania. 
 
 The Mohawks, Cayugas, and others on Grand River, in 
 Canada, probably number over two thousand. We now 
 come to the more certain statistics of the New York cen- 
 sus, given as follows, by Mr. Schoolcraft : 
 
 "Senecas 2,441 
 
 Onondagas, 393 
 
 Tuscaroras, 281 
 
 Oneidas 210 
 
 Cayugas, 123 
 
 Mohawks, 20 
 
 St. Regis Canton, 260." 
 
 He estimates the whole nation, in Canada and the United 
 States, at nearly seven thousand. He supposes, and it 
 would seem very justly, that there has been a period, within 
 the last century, at which their numbers were reduced much 
 below those presented by recent returns ; " and that, for 
 some years past, and since they have been well lodged and 
 clothed, and subsisted by their own labor, and been ex- 
 
 22 
 
 
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 If* . / ' ' '^ 
 
 374 
 
 INDIAN BAGES OF AMERICA. 
 
 empted from the diseases and casualties incident to savage 
 life, and the empire of the forest, their population has re- 
 covered, and is noio on the increase.** 
 
 Many satisfactory evidences of thrift and good manage- 
 ment, in the shape of saw-mills, school-houses, puhlic 
 buildings, and well-kept farms, appear m the Indian set- 
 tlements of New York. Nothing seems so conducive to 
 the welfare of this species of our population as a depend* 
 ence upon their own resources, where the means of advan- 
 tageous labor are supplied them. The evils of the annuity 
 system, and of the custom of farming out their lands to 
 the whites by the Indians, have been fully and eloquently 
 set forth. The first of these practices has the effect to 
 bring a horde of unprincipled sharpers about the place 
 where the yearly payment is made, who, by the tempta- 
 tions of useless finery, and, far worse, by the offer of the 
 red-man's greatest bane, intoxicating liquora, render the 
 assistance of the government oft-times rather a curse than 
 a blessing. The latter usage is productive of evil by its 
 encouragement of idleness, and by strengthening that sense 
 of pride and self-importance which distinguishes the race. 
 Where the change in the face of the country, and the in- 
 troduction of domestic animals have rendered the chase iio 
 longer necessary or profitable, the Indian still prefers rang- 
 ing the w^oods with his dog and gun, to the endurance of 
 what he esteems seivile labor. 
 
 Striking exceptions to the above remarks are to be seen 
 in the conduct and employments of many inhabitants of 
 Indian villages in New York. Good husbandry is evident 
 in the management of their farms, and artisans of no mean 
 skill are frequently met with. Some of these Indians, who 
 have turned their attention to the art of working in silver, 
 are said to produce very beautiful specimens of ornamental 
 work, especially in the in-laying of gun-stocks, handles to 
 tomahawks, &c. 
 
THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS. 
 
 875 
 
 A portion of the Senecas, settled upon the Alleghany, 
 occupied themselves in rafting and boating upon the river, 
 and others are engaged in the lake navigation. There 
 seems, indeed, to be no want of bodily or mental capacity 
 in the North American Indian, for the successful pursuit 
 of nearly every trade, profession, and occupation, followed 
 by the whites. 
 
 One most beneficial reformation has taken place among 
 some of the Iroquois, in a movement which, if universally 
 encouraged, would do more to regenerate the red-men, than 
 all other influences combined. We allude to the introduc- 
 tion and formation of temperance societies. 
 
 The returns of agricultural products given, at the time 
 of taking tiie census before-mentioned, in 1845, are ex- 
 tremely gratifying, and may well convince us of the steady 
 and hopeful advance made by the New York Indians in 
 self-reliance and honest industry. 
 
 Communications from the missionaries, engaged in the 
 instruction and religious guidance of the Indians dwelling 
 on the difibrent reservations, bear witness to the docility 
 and aptness of their pupils. The Rev. Asher Bliss, in a 
 letter, published in the appendix to Mr. Schoolcraft's notes, 
 observes : " As to the capacity of Indian children for im- 
 provement, my own impression is, that there is no essen- 
 tial difference between them and white children." Of the 
 influence of the Christian religion upon the worldly pros- 
 perity of the people among whom he was stationed, (the 
 Senecas of the Cataraugus reservation,) Mr. Bliss speaks 
 enthusiastically. He contrasts "the framed houses and 
 barns, the horses, cattle, sheep and hogs, the acres of im- 
 proved land ; the wagons, buggies and sleighs j the clocks, 
 watches, and various productions of agriculture," with the 
 destitution and poverty of former times, and exclaims, nat- 
 urally enough, " What an astonishing change I 
 
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 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FRENCH INFLUENCE OVER THE INDIANS. — BRITISH OCCUPATION OP 
 THE WESTERN POSTS PC TIAC AND HIS PLANS FOR EXTERMI- 
 NATING THE ENGLISH. 
 
 Early in the eighteenth ''entury the French had com- 
 menced extending their influence among the tribes who 
 inhabited the country bordering on the great western lakes. 
 Always more successful than the other European settlers 
 in conciliating the affections of the savages among whom 
 they lived, they had obtained the hearty good-will of na- 
 tions little known to the English. The cordial familiarity 
 of the race, and the terms of easy equality upon which 
 they were content to share the rude huts of the Indians, in- 
 gratiated them more readily with their hosts, than a course 
 of English reserve and formality could have done. The 
 most marked instances of the contrast between the two 
 great parties of colonists may be seen in the different 
 measure of success met with in their respective religioUs 
 operations. While the stern doctrines of New England 
 divines, as a general rule, were neglected or contemned 
 by their rude hearers, the Jesuits met with signal success 
 in acquiring a spiritual influence over the aborigines. 
 Whether it was owing to the more attractive form in 
 %hich they promulgated their creed and worship, or 
 whether it was due to their personal readiness to adapt 
 themselves to the habits, and to sympathize with the feelings 
 
 (376) 
 
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 PONTIAC'S WAR. 
 
 379 
 
 of their proselytes, certain it is that they maintained a 
 strong hold upon the affections, and a powerful influence 
 ov6r the conduct of their adopted brethren. 
 
 Adair, writing with natural prejudice, says that, " instead 
 of reforming the Indians, the monks and friars cor-upted 
 their morals : for in the place of inculcating love, peace, 
 and good-will to their red pupils, as became messengers of 
 the divine author of peace, ♦hey only impressed their flex- 
 ible minds with an implacable hatred against every British 
 subject, without any distinction. Our people will soon dis- 
 cover the bad policy of the late Quebec act. and it is to be 
 hoped that Great Britain will, in due time, send those black 
 croaking clerical frogs of Canada home to their infallible 
 Mufti of Rome." The Ottawas, Chippewas, and Potta- 
 watomies, who dwelt on the Great Lakes, proved as stanch 
 adherents to the French interests as were the Six Nations 
 to those of the English, and the bitterest hostility pre- 
 vailed between these two great divisions of the aboriginal 
 population. 
 
 When English troops, in accordance with the treaty of 
 1760, were put in possession of the French stations on the 
 lakes, tl.ey found the Indians little disposed to assent to 
 the change. The great sachem who stood at the head of 
 the confederate western tribes was the celebrated Ottawa 
 chief Pontiac. 
 
 The first detachment, under Major Rogers, which entered 
 the western country on the way to Detroit, the most im- 
 portant post on the lakes, was favorably received by the 
 Indian chief, but not without a proud assertion of his own 
 rights and authority. He sent a formal embassy to meet 
 the English, and to announce his intention of giving an 
 audience to their commander. Rogers describes him as a 
 chief of noble appearance and 'Signified address. At the 
 conference he inquired by what right the English entered 
 his country ; and upon the major's disavowing all hostile 
 
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 380 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 intent towards the Indians, seemed more placable, but 
 checked any further advance, until his pleasure should be 
 made known, with the pithy observation : " I stand in the 
 path you travel until to-morrow morning." He finally 
 allowed the forces to proceed, and even furnished men to 
 protect them and their stores. 
 
 Pontiac assisted and protected this garrison for a period, 
 but probably even then was pondering in his mind the 
 great scheme of restoring his French allies and extermi- 
 nating the intruders. He has been frequently compared 
 to Philip, the great Wampanoag sachem, both for his 
 kingly spirit and for the similarity of their plans to crush 
 the encroachments of the English. Pontiac had an im- 
 mense force under his control, and could well afford to dis- 
 tribute it in as many different detachments as there were 
 strongholds of the enemy to be overthrown. It was in 
 the year 1763 that his arrangements were completed, and 
 the month of June was fixed upon for a simultaneous on- 
 slaught upon every British post. The eloquent and saga- 
 cious Ottowa chief had drawn into his conspiracy, not only 
 the people of his own nation, with the Chippewas and Pot- 
 tawatomies, but large numbers from other western tribes, 
 as the Miamies, the Sacs and Foxes, the Hurons and the 
 Shawanees. He even secured the alliance of a portion of 
 the Delawares and of the Six Nations. 
 
 In vain were the officers of the garrisons at Michili- 
 mackinac antl other distant forts warned by traders, who 
 had ventured among the Indians, that a general disaffection 
 was observable. They felt secure, and no special means 
 were taken to avert the coming storm. 
 
 So well concerted were the arrangements for attack, and 
 such consummate duplicity and deception were used in 
 carrying them out, that nearly all the English forts at the 
 west were, within a few days from the first demonstration, 
 in the hands of the savages, the garrisons having been 
 
PONTIAC'S WAR. 
 
 881 
 
 massacred or enslaved. No less than nine trading and 
 military posts -weve destroyed. Of the seizure of Michili- 
 ma'ckinac, next to Detroit the most important station on 
 the lakes, we liave the most particular account. 
 
 Hundreds of Indians, mostly Chippewas and Sacs, had 
 been loitering about the place for some days previous, and 
 on the 4th of June they proceeded to celebrate the king's 
 birthday by a great game at ball. This sport, carried on, 
 as usual, with noise and tumult, threw the garrison off their 
 guard, at the same time that it afforded a pretext for clam- 
 bering into the fort. The ball M'as several times, as if by 
 accident, knocked within the pickets, the whole gang rush- 
 ing in pursuit of it with shouts. At a favorable moment 
 they fell upon the English, dispersed and unsuspicious of 
 intendr-d harm, and before any eflfectual resistance could 
 be made, murdered and scalped seventy of the number. 
 The remainder, being twenty men, were taken captive. A 
 Mr. Henry, who, by the good offices of a Pawnee woman, 
 was concealed in the house of a Frenchman, gives a mi- 
 nute detail of the terrible scene. From his account, all 
 the fury of the savage seems to have been aroused in the 
 bosoms of the assailants. He avers that he saw them 
 drinking the blood of their mangled victims in a transport 
 of exulting rage. 
 
 Over an immense district of country, from the Ohio to 
 the lakes, the outbreak of the combined nations spread 
 desolation and dismay. 
 
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 882 INDIAN RAGES OF AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 SIEGE OP DETROIT. — IlATTLE OF BLOODY BRIDGE. 
 
 PoNTiAC himself turned his attention to the reduction 
 of Detroit. He well knew that a rich booty awaited him 
 if he could possess himself of this important place, and 
 laid his plans with caution and care suitable to the magni- 
 tude of the enterprise. The town was fortified by pickets 
 and block-houses, and contained a garrison of one hun- 
 dred and thirty men. The other inhabitants consisted of 
 only a few traders. 
 
 Pontiac's intention was to demand a conference with 
 Major Gladwyn, the commandant, taking with him as many 
 of his wariiors as could obtain admittance ; and at a given 
 signal to fall upon and kill the officers of the garrison. 
 The work of destruction was to be completed by the aid 
 of his followers from without the fort. Those whom he 
 had chosen to share with him tlie danger of the first on- 
 slaught, were each furnished with a rifle, having the barrel 
 so shortened that it could be concealed under the blanket 
 usually worn by an Indian as his outer garment. 
 
 The account generally received of the manner in which 
 Major Gladwyn became acquainted with the plot, and of 
 the means resorted to by him to ward off the danger, is 
 as follows : Pontiac, with several hundred warriors, pre- 
 sented himself without the camp, and requested an au- 
 dience. On the evening of the same day, a squaw came 
 to deliver to the major a pair of moccasins which he had 
 engaged her to make from an elk-skin. After he had 
 praised her work, paid her handsomely, and dismissed her, 
 with directions to convert the rest of the skin into similar 
 articles, she continued to linger about the premises, appar- 
 ently in an unsatisfied frame of mind. Her answers to 
 those who questioned her were so singular, particularly a 
 
PONTIAC'S WAR. 
 
 883 
 
 hint that she dropped respecting the difficulty she should 
 have in " bringing the skin back," that the major exam- 
 ined her closely, and succeeded in obtaining full particu- 
 lars of the impending danger. The poor woman, affected 
 by his kindness, had been unwilling to see her patron mur- 
 dered, but fear of the vengeance of her own people, or a 
 natural feeling of interest In their success, had restrained 
 her from sooner betraying their deadly purpose. 
 
 Through the night, and previous to the morning's con- 
 ference, the Indians were distinctly heard performing their 
 war-songs and dances j but no intimation was given them 
 of any suspicion, and the party deputed for the grand talk 
 was admitted within the pickets. Pontiac saw that the 
 garrison was under arms, and he at once asked the reason 
 for such precautions. The major represented that it was 
 merely to discipline his soldiers. 
 
 The Ottawa chief opened the council with a haughty 
 and threatening speech, and was about to give the signal 
 for attack — by some peculiar mode of delivering a wam- 
 pum belt to the commandant — when a sudden change in 
 the demeanor of the English quelled and discomposed him. 
 He heard the drums beat, and saw every soldier's musket 
 levelled, and the swords of the officers drawn and readv for 
 use. Major Gladwyn, stepping to the warrior nearest him, 
 lifted his blanket, and disclosed the shortened rifle. He 
 then upbraided the sachem for his intended villany, and, 
 taking no advantage of the opportunity for securing him, 
 gave proof of his own high-minded sense of honor by 
 dismissing the whole party unharmed. The premeditated 
 treachery of Pontiac would have fully justified the com- 
 mandant iu taking his life, had he deemed it necessary for 
 the protection of himself and people. 
 
 Immediately subsequent to the failure of this undertak- 
 ing, the Indians began openly to attack the town. They 
 barbarously murdered a Mrs. Turnbell and her two sons. 
 
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 384 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 who lived a short distance from the fort ; and killed or 
 took prisoners the occupants of an establishment belonging 
 to a Mr. James Fisher, still farther up the river. 
 
 From five hundred to a thousand Indians were now 
 seen collected to lay siege to the town. The condition of 
 the garrison appeared perilous in the extreme, not only 
 from the insufficient supply of provisions, but from the 
 necessity for keeping constant watch throughout the whole 
 extent of the stockade. The soldiers were wearied by 
 being continually on duty, by the loss of their natural 
 rest ; but their courage and spirit appeared to be unsub- 
 dued, and the commandant abandoned his first intention 
 of evacuating the place. The French who were residing 
 in Detroit brought about a negotiation, but Pontiac insisted 
 upon the surrender of the town, and of all the valuable 
 goods stored there, as the only condition upon which he 
 would discontinue hostilitios. The major was equally 
 determined in his intention of maintaining his position. 
 
 The siege commenced early in May, and no succor or 
 supplies reached the garrison for more than a month. 
 About the end of May an attempt had been made to land 
 forces and provisions by boats sent from Niagara, but the 
 vigilance of the Indians rendered it abortive. Many of 
 the English were slain, and many more were reserved to 
 glut the vengeance of the savages at the stake. 
 
 In the month of June, a vessel, also from Niagara, made 
 her way up the river, in spite of the attacks of the Indians, 
 who exposed their lives with the utmost temerity in at- 
 tempts to board her. Fifty soldiers were landed at the 
 fort, and a timely supply of provision gave new courage 
 to the weary garrison. Mr. Thatcher, in his " Indian 
 Biography," gives extracts from various letters, written 
 from the fort during the siege, which quaintly enough 
 portray the condition of its inmates. We quote the fol- 
 lowing from a letter of July 9th (1763): 
 
' *;-i 
 
 PONTIAC'S WAR. 
 
 885 
 
 " You have long ago heard of our pleasant situation, but 
 the str 11 has blown over. Was it not very agreeable to 
 hear every day of their cuttingj carving, boiling, and eat- 
 ing our companions ? To see every day dead bodies 
 floating down the river, mangled and disfigured? But 
 Britons, you know, never shrink ; we always appeared 
 gay to spite the rascals. They boiled and ate Sir Robert 
 Devers ; and we are informed by Mr. Pauly, who escaped, 
 the other day, from one of the stations surprised at the 
 breaking out of the war, and commanded by himself, that 
 he hud seen an Indian have the skin of Captain llobert- 
 son's arm for a tobacco-pouch ! " 
 
 A reenforcement of some three hundred men, under 
 Captain Dalyell, reached Detroit the last of July. Thus 
 strengthened, the commander deemed it advisable to make 
 an immediate sally, and, if possible, break up the Indian 
 encampment. Pontiac heard of the intended movement, 
 and was well prepared for the English when they made 
 their sortie in the evening. So deadly and unexpected 
 was the fire of the Indians, who lay concealed on either 
 side of the path, near the bridge over Bloody Run, that 
 more than one hundred of the troops were said to have 
 been killed or wounded. 
 
 Subsequent to this period we have no reliable history of 
 the acts of the great sachem of the Ottawas. His people 
 hung round Detroit until the ensuing spring, keeping the 
 inhabitants in continual alarm. The strong force which 
 was led into the western country by General Bradstreet in 
 the early part of the summer of 1764, effectually overawed 
 and quieted the hostile Indians. 
 
 Pontiac is said to have been assassinated by a Peoria 
 Indian, in the English interest, while attending a council 
 in 1767. Considerable uncertainty, however, attends the 
 recital of the latter events of his life, and of the causes 
 which led to his death. ' " 
 
 
 

 
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 if 
 
 THE DELAWARES, SHAWANEES, 
 
 AND OTHER TRIBES OF THE MIDDLE AND WESTERN STATES. 
 
 -^./WVN/N/VSA/WVN.^ 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE DELAWARES. — WILLIAM PENN. — ST. TAMMANY. — THE MORA- 
 VIANS. — THE SHAWANEES.— FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. — BRAD- 
 DOCK'S DEFEAT. — MASSACRE OF THE CANESTOGA INDIANS... 
 DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 " A noble race ! but they are gone 
 With their old forests wide and deep, 
 And we have built our homes upon 
 Fields where their generations sleep." 
 
 Bryant. 
 
 Associated with the early history of the Delawares are 
 thoughts of William Penn, and of his peaceful intercourse 
 with, and powerful influence over, the wild natives with 
 whom he treated. At the first settlement of the country 
 by Europeans, the tribes of this nation occupied no small 
 portion of the present state of Pennsylvania, but their 
 principal settlements lay between the Potomac and the 
 Hudson. Situated between the great northern and south- 
 ern confederacies, they were in turn at enmity and engaged 
 in wars with either party ; but, at an early day, they were 
 in a measure subdued and reduced to a state of inferiority 
 by the Six Nations. 
 
 The conduct of Penn towards the Indians has ever been 
 spoken of with high admiration ; and we are assured that 
 his care for their interests, and anxiety to secure their 
 
 (386) 
 
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 THE MORA- 
 AR. — BRAD- 
 INDIANS. - 
 
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 intercourse 
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 no small 
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 WIllUM PENK. 
 
 
 
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THE DELA WARES, SHAWANEES, ETC. 
 
 389 
 
 rights, and to protect them from wrongs and aggression, 
 caused his name to be idolized among the Delawares. 
 Upon obtaining the immense grant from the crown, named 
 Pennsylvania at the time of its bestowment, his j&i-st 
 thought was to draw up a table of " conditions and con- 
 cessions," for the government of those who should adven- 
 ture with him in the settlement of the wilderness. He 
 expressly stipulated, in behalf of the Indians, that their 
 persons and property should be protected by the same 
 laws and penalties as those of the whites ; that overreaching 
 in trade should be avoided by the conduct of all sales in 
 market overt ; that a jury of six whites and pix Indians 
 should pass upon matters in dispute between individuals 
 of the different races ; and that the interest of the Indian 
 should be made the special care of every magistrate. 
 
 In the autumn of 1682, Penn came over from England 
 to regulate his new colony, and especially to confirm the 
 friendly relations existing with the Indians inhabiting his 
 territory. In Clarkson's Memoirs of Penn, the following 
 mention is made of his grand treaty with these native pro- 
 prietors. From religious scruples, he did not consider his 
 claim, by virtue of the king's grant, to be valid without 
 the assent of the occupants, and he determined to make 
 honorable purchases of all that he should require. Ar- 
 rangements had been made, by commissioners, previou' 
 to Penn's arrival, for a great meeting, for the purpose of 
 ratifying the proposed sale. " He proceeded, therefore, 
 (at the appointed time,) accompanied by his friends, con- 
 sisting of men, women, and young persons of both sexes, 
 to Coaquannoc, the Indian name for the place where 
 Philadelphia now stands. On his arrival there he found 
 the sachems and their tribes assembling. They were seen 
 in the woods, as far as the eye could carry, and looked 
 frightful, both on account of their number and their arms. 
 The Quakers are reported to have been but a handful in 
 
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 390 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 comparison, and these without an;'- weapon — so that dis- 
 may and terror had come upon them, had they not con- 
 fided in the righteousness of their cause." 
 . The conference took place upon the site afterwards 
 occupied by the town of Kensington, a few miles above 
 Philadelphia, and called, by the Indians, Sbackermaxon. 
 ** There was, at Sbackermaxon, an elm-tree of prodigious 
 size. To this the leaders, on both sides, repaired, approach- 
 ing each other under its widely-spreading branches." 
 Penn wore no ornament, or symbol of authority, except a 
 blue sash. Standing up before the assembly, he directed 
 the articles of merchandise brought for the purchase, to be 
 spread before him, and, displaying the engrossed copy of 
 the treaty, aAvaited the movements of the Indian chiefs. 
 
 " One of the sachems, who v,'as chief among them, put 
 upon his own head a kind of chaplet, in which there ap- 
 peared a snail horn. This, as among the primitive Eastern 
 nations, ana, according to scripture language, was an em- 
 blem of kingly power. * * Upon putting on this horn, 
 the Indians threw down their bows and arrows, and seated 
 themselves round their chiefs, in the form of a half-moon 
 upon the ground." 
 
 The interpreter now announced the readiness of the 
 chiefs to listen, and Penn proceeded to read and explain 
 the provisions of the treaty. He premised that he and his 
 people used no warlike implements, but that all their 
 desire was for peace and concord. By the articles of 
 agreement, the Indiana were to be allowed to retain pos- 
 session, for all needful purposes, even of the land sold, 
 and particular specifications were inserted, touching the 
 manner in which their rights should be enforced. 
 
 He then made the stipulated payments ; distributed ad- 
 ditional presents ; and, laying the parchment on the ground, 
 proceeded to say that " he would not do as the Marylanu- 
 ers did, that is, call them children or brothers only ; for 
 
THE DELAWAKES, SHAWANEES, ETC. 
 
 391 
 
 often parents were apt to whip their children too severely, 
 and brothers sometimes would differ : neither would he 
 cotnpare the friendship between him and them to a chain, 
 for the rain might sometimes rust it, or a tree might fall 
 and break it ; but he should consider them as the same 
 flesh and blood with the Christians, and the same as if one 
 man's body were to be divided into two parts." Handing 
 the parchment to the chief sachem, Penn then desired him 
 nnd his associates " to preserve it carefully for three gen- 
 erations, that their children might know what had passed 
 between them, just as if he had remained himself with 
 them to repeat it. * * ' This,' says Voltaire, * was the 
 only treaty between those people and the Christians that 
 was not ratified by an oath, and that never was broken.' " 
 
 After-accounts of the Indians, as given by Penn and his 
 associates, in which the estimable points of native character 
 are pleasingly portrayed, contrast strangely with the mal- 
 edictions and bitter expressions of hatred which too many 
 of the early chroniclers heap upon their Indian enemies. 
 Never was a truer saying than the Spanish proverb, ** he 
 who has injured you will never forgive you." 
 
 The name by which these Indians have ever been desig- 
 nated, was bestowed upon them by the English, from Lord 
 Do la War : in their own tongue they were called the 
 Lenni Lenape, (Original People,) as the chief and principal 
 stock from which mankind in general had sprung. 
 
 Conspicuous among the traditions of the Delawares ap- 
 pears the name of their old chief Tamanend, or Tammany. 
 We have no very specific accounts of the history of this 
 renowned sachem, but the veneration with which the In- 
 dians recounted his wisdom and virtues served to raise his 
 character so high with the colonists that he was, in a man- 
 ner, canonized. The "Home Journal," of June 12th, 
 1852, makes the following mention of the singular respect 
 paid to his memory : 
 
 ■'*•.'■ •'■4 . 
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 892 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 « 
 
 St. Tammany is, we believe, our only American saint. 
 He was the chief of an Indian tribe which inhabited Penn- 
 sylvania, while that state was still a colony, and excited so 
 much respect by his virtues and exploits, both among the 
 white and red men, that, after his death, he was canonized, 
 and the day of his birth, the fiist of May, regarded as a 
 holiday. 
 
 " * All Christian countries,' says the Savannah Republi- 
 c?.n, * have their tutelar saint. England has her St. George ; 
 Scotland her St. Andrew ; Irekrd her St. Patrick j France 
 her St. Crispan ; and Spain her St. Jago. In this country 
 we have St. Tammany. Througnout the revolutionary 
 war, the natal-day of this saint was observed with great 
 respect, by the army as well as by the people. It was not 
 till Mr. Jefferson's administration, when General Dearborn 
 was secretary of war, that the observance of it by the army 
 was dispensed with, and the change was made then only 
 with the view of cariying out the system of retrenchment 
 which the president sought to introduce in the administra- 
 tion of the government. The first fort built at St. Mary's, 
 Camden county, and perhaps the first fort in the state, was 
 called Fort St. Tammany. A gentleman now residing in 
 this city was present, while a boy, at a celebration, by the 
 officers and soldier ; stationed at the fort, of St. Tammany's- 
 day. The May -pole iised on this occasion was a tree, with 
 its branches and bark removed ; and around that the sol- 
 diers danced and celebrated the day.' " 
 
 It was among the Delawares thfit one of the most inter- 
 esting communities of Christian Indians ever existing in 
 America, was established by the efforts of the Moravian 
 mission. The venerable Count Zinzendorf, David Zeis- 
 berger, and John Heckewelder, were zealous and promi- 
 nent partakers in the work of converting and instructing 
 the Indians. From Heckewelder we have received much 
 minute and interesting detail of the habits of the people 
 
a,n saint, 
 jd Penn- 
 scited so 
 long the 
 monized, 
 ded as a 
 
 Republi- 
 . George ; 
 ; ; France 
 is country 
 olutionary 
 vith great 
 It was not 
 Dearborn 
 f the army 
 then only 
 renchment 
 idministra- 
 t. Mary's, 
 state, was 
 esiding in 
 on, by the 
 ammany's- 
 tree, with 
 t the sol- 
 
 lost inter- 
 3xisting in 
 Moravian 
 )avid Zeis- 
 Jind promi- 
 I instructing 
 ^ived much 
 I the people 
 
 THE DELAWARES, SHAWANEES, ETC. 
 
 893 
 
 among whom he labored, and the humanizing and endur- 
 ing influence of Christian doctrine, enforced by good ex- 
 am^ple on the part of its preachers. 
 
 The circumstances under which the missionaiy work was 
 carried on were extremely adverse. During the long and 
 bloody French and Indian wars, every tale of border cruel- 
 ties and massacre, committed by the savages, would in- 
 stantly arouse a spirit of retaliation against the whole race, 
 which frequently resulted in the most brutal outrages 
 , jainfjt the peaceful Moravian Indians. A population of 
 lawless whites inhabited the border country, whom Hecke- 
 welder mildly rebukes in the following terms '. 
 
 " I have yet to notice a class of people generally known 
 to us by the name of * backwoods-men,' many of whom, 
 acting up to a pretended belief, that * an Indian has no 
 more soul than a buffalo ; ' and that to kill either is the 
 same thing ; have, from time to time, by their conduct, 
 brought great trouble and bloodshed on the country. Such 
 then I wish to caution, not to sport in that manner with 
 the lives of God's creatures. * * * * Believe that a time 
 will come when you must account for such vile deeds! 
 When those who have fallen a sacrifice to your wickedness 
 will be called forth in judgment against you ! nay, when 
 your own descendants will testify against you.*^ 
 
 The Shawanees were a very extensive and warlike tribe. 
 They were, according to Indian tradition, originally from 
 the south, having inhabited the country in the vicinity of 
 Savannah, in Georgia, and a portion of "West Florida. 
 Being engaged in continual war with the Creeks and other 
 southern nations, and being of an adventurous and roving 
 disposition, they finally emigrated northward, and were re- 
 ceived upon terms of friendship by the Delawares. They 
 
 settled in Western Pennsylvania, extending themselves 
 23 
 
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 894 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 gradually farther west, and mingling with other neighbor- 
 ing nations. Their head-quarters were, in early times, not 
 f? ** Pittsburgh. In their *new homes they prospered 
 ai^^ ...creased, and long remained one of the most formi- 
 dable nations of the west. They united with the Dela- 
 wares in hostilities against the southern tribes. 
 
 In after-times, thrilling legends of war and massacre in 
 " the dark and bloody ground," and throughout the west- 
 ern border, attest the active and dangerous spirit of this 
 warlike and implacable tribe. In the French and Indian 
 wars, and in the long struggle which resulted in our na- 
 tional independence, they were so mingled with other 
 western tribes, that we shall not attempt to distinguish 
 them, nor shall we devote that space to the biography of 
 many of their chiefs and warriors which their prowess 
 might demand in a more extended work. We shall give, 
 in their order, some of the more celebrated Indian cam- 
 paigns at the west, with various incidents connected with 
 the first settlement of the western states. 
 
 About the middle of the eighteenth century, the French, 
 as already mentioned, had, in strengthening their cordon 
 of posts between their settlements in Canada and Louis- 
 iana, formed alliance with many Indian tribes to whom 
 they were brought in proximity. Their nearest and most 
 dangerous approach to the English establishments, was in 
 the erection of the military stronghold called Fort Du- 
 quesne, at the confluence of the Alleghany and Mononga- 
 hela. In the attempt to dislodge them from this post the 
 military talents of George Washington were first exhibited. 
 After distinguishing himself by his bravery and prudence 
 in contests with the Indians and French, which, owing to 
 an insufficiency of force, resulted in nothing decisive or 
 materially advantageous, he was attached to the powerful 
 army under General Braddock, in the capacity of aid-de- 
 camp to the commanding ofiSicer. 
 

 ■f 
 
 THE DELAWARES, SHAWANEES, ETC. 
 
 896 
 
 With a force of more than two thousand men, besides 
 some Indian allies, the British general set systematically 
 ahput the reduction of the French fort. Leaving a large 
 body of troops under Colonel Dunbar, at Great Meadows, 
 he marched in compact military array to the attack. No 
 one doubts the courage of General Braddock, or his capa- 
 city to have conducted a campaign in an open and inhab- 
 ited country, but his dogmatic obstinacy and adherence to 
 established tactics proved, upon this occasion, the destruc- 
 tion of himself and his army. 
 
 When Washington, then only twenty-two years of age, 
 respectfully represented to his superior the danger of an 
 exposed march through a country like that they were trav- 
 ersing, and suggested the necessity for providing a suffi- 
 cient party of scouts acquainted with the locality to guard 
 against surprise, he was insultingly checked by the ejacu- 
 lation : " High times ! high times ! when a young Buck- 
 skin teaches a British general how to fight." 
 
 It was on the 9th of July, 1755, that the engagement 
 took place. Captain Contracccur, who had command of 
 the fort, had obtained information of the advance upon the 
 previous day, and despatched !M. de Beaujeu, with all the 
 troops he could muster, to meet the enemy. His whole 
 available force consisted of from five hundred to one thou- 
 sand men, of whom the majority were Indians, but a 
 knowledge of the ground, and the gross error of the Eng- 
 lish commander, more than compensated for the disparity 
 in numbers and discipline. An ambush was formed where 
 a ravine led from a plain into a high wooded piece of 
 ground. "J 'he advancing column had no sooner penetrated 
 into this defile than the attack commenced. 
 
 A most appalling carnage ensued : the Indians, firing 
 from covert upon the closely marshalled ranks of the reg- 
 ulars, soon threw them into utter confusion. M. Beaujeu 
 was, indeed, killed at the first onset, but his lieutenant, 
 
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 896 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Dumas, continued to inspire his troops, and cheer them on 
 to their now easy victory. A complete rout ensued, and 
 the Indians, rushing from their places of concealment, fell 
 upon the panic-stricken fugitives with their deadly toma- 
 hawks. The Virginians alone proved in any degree effec- 
 tive in resisting the enemy and covering the disorderly 
 retreat. The loss, on the part of the British, in killed, 
 wounded and prisoners, was not far from eight hundred. 
 All the artilleiy and baggage fell into the hands of the 
 French, who, with their Indian allies, remained in undis- 
 puted possession of the field. 
 
 Falling back upon Colonel Dunbar's reserve, instead of 
 making a renewed stand, the whole army continued a pre- 
 cipitate retreat into Virginia. In this action most of the 
 Virginia troops, who, adopting the Indian manner of war- 
 fare, betook themselves to sheltered positions when the 
 fight commenced, fell victims to their constancy and bra- 
 very. Colonel Washington had not fully recovered from 
 a severe attack of illness at the time, and was with great 
 difficulty able to undergo the fatigues incident to his posi- 
 tion. He had two horses shot under him, and received 
 four bullets through his coat, but escaped from the conflict 
 unwounded. General Braddock died a few days after, of 
 a wound in the lungs. 
 
 The Delawares, and more especially the Shawanees, were 
 implicated in the extensive conspiracy excited by the re- 
 nowned Pontiac, in the year 1763. It was in this year 
 that a cruel and disgraceful outrage was perpetrated upon 
 a peaceful community of Indians at Canestoga, near Lan- 
 caster. No sooner had news of Indian murders and rav- 
 ages been spread among the white settlements, than a de- 
 termination was evinced by certain miscreants to destroy 
 these harmless people, upon suspicion or pretence that they 
 
 ■ii 
 
THE DELAWARES, 8HAWANEES, ETC. 
 
 897 
 
 were concerned, in some way, in the recent border out- 
 rages. 
 
 The Canestoga Indians were few in number, and per- 
 fectly peaceful and inofTcnsivc. They had inhabited the 
 same little settlement for more than a century, and, ac- 
 cording to Hcckeweldcr, " their ancestors had been among 
 those who had welcomed William Pcnn, on his first arrival 
 in this country ; presenting him, at the time, with ven- 
 
 ison, &c." 
 
 In the month of November, (17G3,) fifty-seven white 
 savages started from Paxton to destroy this establishment. 
 They murdered all whom they could find, to the number 
 of fourteen, of every age and sex : the remainder (fifteen 
 or twenty) escaped to Lancaster, and were locked up, for 
 safety, in the jail. Hither the " Paxton boys," as they 
 were termed, pursued the poor creatures, and, breaking 
 into the enclosure, brutally massacred the whole of them. 
 The following is extracted from the letter of an eye-witness 
 to this transaction. 
 
 " • * I ran into the prison-yard, and there, O what a 
 
 horrid sight presented itself to my view ! ! Near the 
 
 back door of the prison, lay an old Indian and his squaw, 
 (wife,) particularly well known and esteemed by the people 
 of the town, on account of his placid and friendly conduct. 
 His name was Will Sock ; across him and his squaw lay 
 two children of about the age of three years, whose heads 
 were split with the tomahawk, and their scalps all taken 
 off. Towards the middle of the jail-yard, along the west 
 side of the wall, lay a stout Indian, whom I particularly 
 noticed to have been shot in the breast ; his legs were 
 chopped with the tomahawk, his hands cut off, and finally 
 a rifle-ball discharged in his mouth ; so that his head was 
 blown to atoms, and the brains were splashed against, and 
 yet hanging to the wall, for three or four feet around. * * 
 In this manner lay the whole of them, men, women and 
 
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 398 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 children, spread about the prison-yard : shot — scalped — - 
 hacked — and cut to pieces." 
 
 The events of Cross p's war, in which the Shawanees 
 and Delawares were so largely concerned, have been al- 
 ready briefly described, in connection with the history of 
 the Iroquois. After the great battle at Point Pleasant, in 
 which they and their allies were defeated, a short cessation 
 of hostilities between them and the colonists ensued. The 
 breaking out of the revolutionary war revived old animosi- 
 ties, and suggested new motives for contention. The 
 Shawanees were early won over to espouse the British in- 
 terests : the division of the Delawares upon the question 
 will be hereafter explained. 
 
 The best information handed down to us concerning the 
 Shawanees, at this period, is to be found in the adventures 
 of the bold pioneer, Daniel Boone. Impatient of the re- 
 straints or competitions of an inhabited country, and led 
 by a roving, adventurous spirit, and by an enthusiastic ad- 
 miration of the beauties and grandeur of the unsettled 
 western wilderness, he forced his way into the trackless 
 solitudes of Kentucky, and laid the foundation of a settle- 
 ment whose growth and prosperity are almost unparalleled. 
 
 On the 8th of February, 1778, Boone was taken pris- 
 oner by a strong force of these Indians, then on their 
 march against the settlement at Boonesborough. He Avas 
 carried to their principal town, Old Chilicothe, on the Little 
 Miami, and there had abundant opportunity for observing 
 their native peculiarities and usages. His character, some- 
 what analogous to that of Captain John Smith, Benjamin 
 Church, and others, noted for their successes with the In- 
 dians, was bold, frank, and fearless. Men oi such nature 
 and disposition, however rude and uncultivated, are always 
 the best able to conciliate the affections, as well as exercise 
 control over the minds of savages. ' " "*' 
 
 Boone's captors took such a liking to him that they 
 
 
'I: 
 
 r : K.t-i- 
 
 THE DELAWARES, SHAWANEES, ETC. 
 
 399 
 
 positively refused to deliver him up to the English, at 
 Detroit, whither he was conveyed with his companions. 
 Leaving the rest of their prisoners at that post, they took 
 him back to Chilicothe, refusing the governor's offer of one 
 hundred pounds if they would part with their favorite. 
 The king of the tribe treated Boone with great courtesy 
 and respect, and he had no reason to complain of liis ac- 
 commodations, as he enjoyed whatever comforts were with- 
 in the reach of his masters. He was adopted into a family, 
 according to the usual Indian custom ; in which position he 
 says : " I became a son, and had a great share in the affec- 
 tion of my new parents, brothers, sisters, and friends. I 
 was exceedingly famiUar and friendly with them, always 
 appearing as cheerful and satisfied as possible, and they 
 put great confidence in me." 
 
 His captivity lasted until the month of June, when, re- 
 turning from a salt-making excursion, on the Scicto, he 
 found four hundred and fifty Shawanee warriors, collected 
 with arms and war-paint, and bound on an expedition 
 against Boonesborough. This incited him to attempt an 
 escape, that he might forewarn the settlement of the intent. 
 He fled a little before day, on the IGth, and made the jour- 
 ney, of one hundred and sixty miles, supported by a single 
 meal. 
 
 The bold and astonishing defence of the little fort at 
 Boonesborough, in the month of August, against a large 
 force o(* Indians, accompanied by certain Frenchmen, is 
 simply and unostentatiously described in the > .uto-biogra- 
 phy of this redoubted pioneer. The enemy, after a siege 
 of twelve days, in which every expedient of force and 
 treachery failed to dislodge the garrison, were forced to re- 
 tire without effecting their purpose. One of their strata- 
 gems was as follows : A treaty was proposed by the assail- 
 ants, and after the articles were Urawn up, in front of the 
 fort, and formally signed, in the words of the narrative : 
 
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 400 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 ** the Indians told us it was customary with them on such 
 occasions for two Indians to shake hands with every white 
 man on the treaty, as an evidence of entire friendship. 
 We agreed to this, but were soon convinced their policy 
 was to take us prisoners. They immediately grappled us ; 
 but, though surrounded by hundreds of savages, we extri- 
 cated ourselves from them, and escaped all safe into the 
 garrison, except one that was wounded, through a heavy 
 fire from their army." 
 
 Boone took a prominent part in many of the contests 
 which preceded the quiet occupation of the land of his 
 choice, and underwent toils, dangers, and privations sel- 
 dom awarded to any one man ; but he lived to enjoy the 
 fruits of his labors. An old Indian, upon the occasion of 
 one of the more important treaties of ce? 'on, after signing 
 the articles, took Boone by the hand, saying : " Brother, 
 we have given you a fine land, but I believe you will have 
 much trouble in settling it." The old settler adds, speak- 
 ing of the former appellation bestowed on.this " debatable 
 ground " : " My footsteps have often been marked with 
 blood, and therefore I can truly subscribe to its original 
 name. Two darling sons and a brother have I lost by 
 savage hands. * * Many dark and sleepless nights 
 have I been a companion for owls, separated from the 
 cheerful society of men, scorched by the summer's sun, 
 and pinched by the winter's cold — an instrument ordained 
 to settle the wilderness. But now the scene is changed : 
 peace crowns the sylvan shade." 
 
 ■'■') 
 
 -'"■I -*^ 
 
THE DELAWARES, SHAWANEES, ETC. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 401 
 
 
 DIVISION OF THE DELAWARES. — WHITE-EYES, AND PIPE. —INDIAN 
 CONFEDERACY OF 1781. — ATTACK ON BRYANT'S STATION, AND 
 
 BATTLE NEAR THE BLUE LICKS GENERAL CLARKE'S EXPEDI- 
 
 TION. — DISASTROUS CAMPAIGNS OP HARMAR AND ST. CLAIR 
 
 MILITARY OPERATIONS OF GENERAL WAYNE. — DECISIVE BATTLE 
 NEAR THE MAUMEE RAPIDS, AND SUBSEaUENT TREATY OF PEACE. 
 
 • 1 
 
 " They waste us — ay — like April snow 
 In the warm noon, we shrink away ; 
 And fast they follow as we go 
 Towards the setting day — 
 Till they shall fill the land, and we 
 Are driven into the westom sea." 
 
 Bryant. 
 
 As the settlements of the Europeans continued to in- 
 crease, the Delawares gradually removed from their old 
 quarters, on the river and bay which bear their name, to 
 the wilderness of the west. No small portion of th*j tribe 
 was, at the breaking out of the revolutionary war, settled 
 in Ohio, on the banks of the Muskingum, and in the adja- 
 cent country. 
 
 Every influence was brought to bear, by the English 
 emissaries among the Delawares, tO induce them to take 
 up the hatchet against the rebellious Americans. The ef- 
 fort was, in part, successful : a large party, headed by the 
 celebrated Captain Pipe, a chief of the Wolf tribe, de- 
 clared for the king, while those inclined to peace and 
 neutrality, or whose sympathies were on the side of the 
 colonies, remained under the guidance of Koguethagechton 
 — Anglice, Captain White-Eyes. The disasters and per- 
 plexities in which the nation was involved by such a divis- 
 ion might readily be foreseen. Both the opposing leaders 
 
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 402 
 
 INDIAN BACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 were men of talent, energy, and boldness, and each was 
 heart and soul enlisted in the cause to which he had united 
 himself. 
 
 It is recorded of "White-Eyes that, early in the war, he 
 met with a deputation of the Senecas, (then, as we have 
 seen, in the English interest,) and boldly avowed his own 
 opinion. In reply to the old taunt, thrown out by one 
 of the Iroquois, of former subjection and humiliation, the 
 chief broke forth indignantly : ** I know well that you 
 consider us a conquered nation — as women — as your in- 
 feriors. You have, say you, shortened our legs, and put 
 petticoats on us ! You say you have given us a hoe and 
 a corn-pounder, and told us to plant and pound for you — 
 you m^n^ you warriors ! But look at me. Am I not full- 
 grown, and have I not a warrior's dress ? Ay, I am a 
 man, and these are the arms of a man, — and all that 
 country (pointing towards the Alleghany) on the other side 
 of the water is mine ! " White-Eyes was signally success- 
 ful in hit* efforts to undeceive the Indians within his influ- 
 ence, who had been tampered with and imposed upon by 
 English agents, or excited by sympathy with the war-party. 
 His death, which took place at Tuscarawas, in the winter 
 of 1779—80, was a very unfortunate event for the Amer- 
 icans. He died of that great scourge of the Indian races, 
 the small-pox. 
 
 The spring of 1781 was a terrible season for the white 
 settlements in Kentucky and the whole border country. 
 The savages who surrounde^l them had never shown so 
 constant and systematic a determination for murder and 
 mischief. Early in the summer, a great meeting of In- 
 dian deputies from the Shawanees, Delawares, Cherokees, 
 Wyandots, Tawas, Pottawatomies, and divers other tribes 
 from the north-western lakes, met in grand council of war 
 at Old Chilicothe. The persuasions and influence of two 
 iuiamous whites, one McKce, and the notorious Simon 
 
THE DELAWARES, SHAWANEES, ETC. 
 
 403 
 
 Girty, " inflamed their savage minds to mischief, and led 
 them to execute every diabolical scheme." 
 
 Bryant's station, a post five miles from Lexington, was 
 fixed upon, by the advice of Girty, as a favorable point for 
 the first attack. About five hundred Indians and whites 
 encompassed the place accordingly, on the 15th of August. 
 Stratagem and assault alike failed to efiect an entrance : a 
 small reiinforcement from Lexington managed to join the 
 garrison, and the besiegers were compelled to retire on the 
 third day, having lost thirty of their number. When 
 Girty came forward, on one occasion during the siege, 
 bearing a flag of truce, and proposing a surrender, he was 
 received with every expression of disgust and contempt. 
 His offers weie spurned, and he retired " or.-;- ag and 
 cursed," to his followers. 
 
 The enemy were pursued, on their return, by Colonels 
 Todd and Trigg, Daniel Boone, and Major Harland, with 
 one hundred and seventy- six men. The rashness of ";ome 
 individuals of this party, who were unwilling to listen to 
 the prudent advice of Boone, that an engagement should 
 be avoided until a large expected reenforcement should 
 arrive, led to their utter discomfiture. They came up 
 with the Indians at a bend in Licking river, beyond the 
 Blue Licks, and had hardly forded the stream when they 
 were attacked by an overpowering force. The enemy 
 had cut off all escape, except by recrossing the river, 
 in the attempt to accomplish which, multitudes were 
 destroyed. Sixty-seven of the Americans were killed ; 
 among the number, the three principal officers and a t^on 
 of Boone. 
 
 The outrages of the savages were, soon after this, sig- 
 nally punished. General Clarke, at the head of a thousand 
 men, rendezvousing at Fort Washington, where Cincinnati 
 now stands, invaded the Indian territory. The inhabitants 
 fled, in terror, at the approach of so formidable an ai-my, 
 
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 'if 
 
 
 
 404 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 leaving their towns to be destroyed. ** "We continued our 
 pursuit," says Boone, who was with the army, " through 
 five towns on the Miami river — Old Chilicothe, Pecaway, 
 New Chilicothe, "Willis' Towns, and Chilicothe — burnt 
 them all to ashes, entirely destroyed their corn, and other 
 fruits, and every where spread a scene of desolation in the 
 country." 
 
 After hostilities between England and America had 
 ceased, these western tribes of Indians still continued to 
 molest the border inhabitants of the colonies. Attempts 
 to bring about conferences failed signally in producing any 
 marked or permanent benefit, and it was determined by 
 the government to humble them by the force of anns. 
 
 In the autumn of 1791, General Harmar marched into 
 the Indian territories, at the head of nearly fifteen hundred 
 men. The campaign was signally unsuccessful. The army 
 returned to Fort Washington, dispirited and broken down, 
 having sustained a heavy loss in men and ofncers, and with 
 the mortifying consciousness of an utter failure in the ac- 
 complishment of the end in view. 
 
 Major-General Arthur St. Clair was appointed to the 
 command of the next expedition. With a force of more 
 than two thousand men, he marched towards the Indian 
 settlements, and on the 3d of November, (1791,) encamped 
 within fifteen miles of the Miami villages. On his way 
 from Fort Washington to this point, he had built and gar- 
 risoned Forts Hamilton and JfefFerson. By this reduction 
 of his troops, and by a more extensive loss from the deser- 
 tion of some hundreds of cowardly militia, he had, at the 
 time of which we are speaking, but about fourteen hundred 
 effective soldiers. 
 
 The confederate Indian tribes kept themselves perfectly 
 informed, by their scouting parties, of all the enemy's 
 movements, and, emboldened by recent success, prepared 
 to give the advancing army a warm reception. The prin- 
 
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 I' i.. ",-"#■. ', '■■■,'.• 
 
 1 
 
 i .1 
 
 CHIEF OF TH£ DELAWARIid 
 
THE DELAWARE3, SHAWANEE8, ETC. 
 
 407 
 
 cipal leader of the united nations, was the celebrated 
 Miami chief, Michikinaqua, or Little Turtle. He was one 
 of^he greatest warriors and most sagacious rulers ever 
 known among the red men, and he had now an oppor- 
 tunity for the full display of his abilities. An immense 
 horde of fierce savages, impatient for war, was under his 
 control, and his movements were seconded by able subor- 
 dinates. Among these, the most noted were Buckonga- 
 helas, now war chief of the Delawares, and Blue-Jacket, 
 the Shawanee. According to Colonel Stone, the great 
 Mohawk chief, Joseph Brant, Thayendanegea, was also 
 present, lending the assistance of his counsel and arms. 
 Hurons or Wyandots, Iroquois, Ottawas, Pottawatomies, 
 Chippewas, Miamies, Delawares, and Shawanees, with a 
 host of minor tribes, were collected to repel the common 
 enemy. The number of their warriors assembled on the 
 present occasion is estimated to have been about fifteen 
 hundred, although some have set it down at twice that force. 
 
 Before the rising of the sun, on the following day, (No- 
 vember 4th,) the savages fell upon the camp of the whites. 
 Never was a more decisive victory obtained. In vain did 
 the American general and his officers exert themselves to 
 ^naintain order, and to rally the bewildered troops. The 
 Indians, firing from covert, thinned the ranks and picked 
 off the officers by a continuous and murderous discharge. 
 A disorderly retreat was the result. Artillery, baggage, 
 and no small portion of the small arms of the militia, fell 
 into the hands of the exultant pursuers. Fort Jefferson 
 was nearly thirty miles distant, and thither the defeated 
 army directed its flight. The Indians followed close upon 
 the fugitives, cutting down and destroying at will, until, 
 as is reported, one of their chiefs called out to them to 
 " stop, as they had killed enough ! " 
 
 The temptation offered by the plunder to be obtained at 
 the camp induced the Indians to return, and the remnant 
 
 
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 II 
 
 408 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 of the invading army reached Fort Jefferson about sunset. 
 The loss, in this battle, on the part of the whites, was no 
 less than eight hundred and ninety-four ! in killed, wounded, 
 or missing. Thirty-eight officers, and five hundred and 
 ninety-three non-commissioned officers and privates were 
 slain or missing. The Indians lost but few of their men, 
 judging from a comparison of the different accounts, not 
 much over fifty. 
 
 At the deserted camp the victorious tribes took up their 
 quarters, and delivered themselves up to riot and exulta- 
 tion. General Scott, with a regiment of mounted Kentucky 
 volunteers, drove them from the spot a few weeks later, 
 with the loss of their plunder and of some two hundred of 
 their warriors. 
 
 No further important movement was made to overthrow 
 the power of the Indians for nearly three years from this 
 ■ period. Negotiation proved utterly fruitless with a race 
 of savages inflated by their recent brilliant successes, and 
 consequently- exorbitant in their demands. When it was 
 finally evident that nothing but force could check the 
 continuance of border murders and robbery, an army was 
 collected, and put under the command of General Wayne, 
 sometimes called " Mad Anthony," in a rude style of com- 
 pliment to his energy and courage, not uncommon in those 
 times. The Indians denominated him the " Black-Snake." 
 
 The winter of 1793—4 was spent in fortifying a military 
 post at Greenville, on the Miami, and another, named Fort 
 Recovery, upon the field of St. Clair's defeat. The last- 
 mentioned station was furiously attacked by the Indians, 
 assisted by certain Canadians and English, on the 30th of 
 the following June, but without success. It was not until 
 August, (1794,) that General Wayne felt himself sufficiently 
 reenforced, and his military posts sufficiently strengthened 
 and supplied, to justify active operations in the enemy's 
 country. 
 

 • ;>•/• • •* 
 
 le enemy s 
 
 THE DELAWARES, SHAWANEE9, ETC. 409 
 
 When the army was once put in motion, important and 
 decisive events rapidly succeeded. The march was di- 
 rected into the heart of the Indian settlements on the 
 Miami, now called Maumee, a river emptying into the 
 western extremity of Lake Erie. Where the beautiful 
 stream Au Glaise empties into this river, a fort was imme- 
 diately erected, and named Fort Defiance. From this post 
 General Wayne sent emissaries to invite the hostile na-r 
 tions to negotiation ; but the pride and rancor of the In- 
 dians prevented any favorable results. Little Turtle, 
 indeed, seemed to forebode the impending storm, and ad- 
 vised the acceptance of the terms offered. " The Ameri- 
 cans," said he, ** are now led by a chief who never sleeps : 
 the night and the day are alike to him. * * Think well 
 of it. There is something whispers me it would be pru- 
 dent to listen to his offers of peace.'* 
 
 The British, at this time, in defiance of their treaties 
 with the United States, still maintained possession of va- 
 rious military posts at the west. A strong fort and garri- 
 son was established by them near the Miami rapids, and 
 in that vicinity the main body of the Indian warriors was 
 encamped. Above, and below the American camp, the 
 Miami, and Au Glaise, according to Wayne's despatches, 
 presented, for miles, the appearance of a single village, 
 and rich corn-fields spread on either sido. " I have never 
 seen," says the writer, " such immense fields of corn in 
 any part of America, from Canada to Florida." 
 
 Negotiations proved futile : the Indians were evidently 
 bent on war, and only favored delay for the purpose of 
 collecting their full force. General Wayne therefore 
 marched upon them, and, on the 20th of the month, a ter- 
 rible battle was fought, in which the allied tribes were 
 totally defeated and dispersed. The Indians greatly out- 
 numbered their opponents, and had taken their usual pre- 
 cautions in selecting a favorable spot for defence. They 
 
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 410 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 could not, howevc, resist the attack of brave and disci- 
 plined troops, directed by so experienced and skilful a 
 leader as Wayne. The fight terminated — in the words of 
 the official despatch — " under the guns of the British gar- 
 rison. * * The woods were strewed, for a considerable dis- 
 tance, with the dead bodies of Indians and their white 
 auxiliaries ; the latter armed with British muskets and 
 bayonets." 
 
 Some days were now spent in laying waste the fields 
 and villages of the miserable savages, whose spirit seemed 
 to be completely broken by this reverse. By the first of 
 January following, the influence of Little Turtle and Buck- 
 ongahelas, both of whom saw the folly of further quarrels 
 with the United States, and the hopelessness of reliance 
 upon England, negotiations for peace were commenced, 
 and, in August, (1795,) a grand treaty was concluded at 
 Greenville. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 CONDITION OP THE INDIANS SUBSEQUENT TO THE PEACE.— THE 
 PROPHET EL8KWATAWA.— TECUMSEH: HIS PLANS AND INTRIGUES. 
 
 — GENERAL HARRISON'S EXPEDITION AGAINST THE PROPHET'S 
 TOWN. — DEFEAT OF THE INDIANS AT TIPPECANOE.— WAR OF 1812. 
 
 — HARRISON'S INVASION OP CANADA. — BATTLE OF THE THAMES, 
 AND DEATH OF TECUMSEH. 
 
 Nearly ten years of peace succeeded the treaty of 
 Greenville, an interval which proved little less destructive 
 to the tribes of the north-west than the desolations of their 
 last calamitous war. The devastating influence of intem- 
 perance was never more fearfully felt than in the experi- 
 ence of these Indian nations at the period whose history 
 
 II ^ 
 
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 PEACE.— THE 
 
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 PROPHET'S 
 
 WAR OF 1812. 
 
 THE THAMES, 
 
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THE DELAWARES, SHAWANEES, ETC. 
 
 413 
 
 we are now recording. General Harrison, then commis- 
 sioner for Indian affairs, reported their condition in the 
 following terms : " So destructive has been the progress 
 of intemperance among them, that whole villages have 
 been swept away. A miserable remnant is all that rexnains 
 to mark the names and situation of many numerous and 
 warlike tribes. In the energetic language of one of their 
 orators, it is a di'eadful conflagration, which spreads misery 
 and desolation through their country, and threatens the 
 annihilation of the whole race." 
 
 While tliis deadly evil was constantly increasing, in the 
 year 1804, a distinguished Indian orator began to excite a 
 wide-spread discontent among the nations of the former 
 north-western confederacy. This was the self-styled proph- 
 et, Elskwatawa, Olliwayshila, or Olliwachaca. About the 
 year 1770, a woman of one of the southern tribes, domes- 
 ticated with the Shawanees, according to report, became 
 mother to three children at a single birth, who received 
 the names of Tecumseh, Elskwatawa, and Kumshaka — 
 the last being unknown to fame. Their father, a Shawa- 
 nee warrior, perished in the great battle at Point Pleasant. 
 By the time that Tecumseh had attained the age of man- 
 hood, he had already become noted as a bold and sagacious 
 warrior. For years before the overthrow of the Indian 
 power by General Wayne, he had been foremost in the 
 incursions which spread desolation throughout the western 
 settlements ; and when the peace, concluded at Greenville, 
 deprived him of a field for warlike enterprise, he only 
 retired to brood over new mischief, and, in conjunction 
 with his brother, the Prophet, to excite a more extensive 
 conspiracy than had ever before been perfected. 
 
 With consummate art, Elskwatawa exposed the evils 
 attendant on the white man's encroachments, exhorting to 
 sobriety and a universal union for resis lance. He pro- 
 claimed himself especially commissioned by the Great 
 24 
 
 
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 414 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Spirit to foretell, and to hasten, by his own efforts, the de- 
 struction of the intruders, and by various appeals to the 
 vanity, the superstition, and the spirit of revenge, of his 
 auditors, he acquired a strong and enduring influence. 
 The chiefs who opposed or ridiculed his pretensions were 
 denounced as wizards or sorcerers, and proofs, satisfactory 
 to the minds of the Indians, being adduced in support of 
 the accusation, numbers perished at the stake, leaving a 
 clear field for the operations of the impostor. 
 
 Tecumseh, meanwhile, -.ras not idle. It is said that the 
 noted Seneca chief, Red-Jacket, first counselled him to set 
 about the work to which he devoted his life, holding out 
 to him the tempting prospect of a recovery of the rich 
 and extensive valley of the Mississippi from the posses- 
 sion of the whites. Whatever originated the idea in his 
 mind, he lent all the powerful energy of his character to 
 its accomplishment. The tribes concerned in the proposed 
 outbreak were mostly the same that had in earlier times 
 been aroused by Pontiac, and had again united, under 
 Michikinaqua, as we have seen in the preceding chc {)tcr. 
 The undertaking of Tecumseh and his brother was not of 
 easy or speedy accomplishment, but their unwearied efforts 
 and high natural endowments gradually gave them both 
 an unprecedented ascendency over the minds of the Indians. 
 In 1807, the now movement among the Western Indians 
 called for attention on the part of the United States, and 
 General, then Governor, Harrison despatched a message of 
 warning and reproach to the leading men of the Shawa- 
 nee tribe. The Prophet dictated, in reply, a letter, in which 
 he denied the charges circulated against him, and stren- 
 uously asserted that nothing was farther from his thoughts 
 than any design of creating a disturbance. In the sum- 
 mer of the following year this subtle intriguer established 
 himself on the Tippecanoe river, a tributary of tae Wa- 
 bash, in the northern part of the state of Indiana. 
 
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 THE DELAWARES, SHAWANEES, ETC. 
 
 417 
 
 From this place, where he lived surrounded by a crowd 
 of admiring followers, the Prophet proceeded shortly after 
 tb Vincennes, and spent some time in communication with 
 Governor Harrison, for the purpose of disarming suspicion. 
 He continually insisted that the whole object of his preach- 
 ing to the Indians was to persuade them to relinquish their 
 vices, and lead sober and peaceable lives ; and to this effect 
 he often exhorted his people in the presence of the United 
 States' government officials. 
 
 In September, of 1809, while Tecumseh was pushing 
 his intrigues among various distant tribes. Governor Har- 
 rison obtained a cession, for certain stipulated annuities, 
 of a large tract of land on the lower portion of the 
 "Wabash, from the tribes of the Miamis, Delawares, Potta- 
 watomies, and Kickapoos. On Tecumseh 's return in the 
 following year, he, with his brother, made vehement re- 
 monstrances against this proceeding, and a somewhat 
 stormy interview took place between the great chief and 
 Governor Harrison, each party being attended by a pow- 
 erful armed force. Upon this occasion, Tecumseh first 
 openly avowed his design of forming an universal coali- 
 tion of the Indian nations, by which the progress of the 
 whites westward should be arrested, but he still insisted 
 that it was not his intention to make war. One great 
 principle which he endeavored to enforce was that no In- 
 dian lands should be sold, except by consent of all the con- 
 federate tribes. Two days after this conference he started 
 for the south, with a few attendant warriors, to spread dis- 
 affection among the Creeks, Cherokees, and other tribes of 
 the southern states. 
 
 In the following year, (1811,) during the prolonged 
 absence of Tecumseh, and contrary, as is supposed, to his 
 express instructions, bold and audacious depredations and 
 murders were committed by the horde of savages gathered 
 at the Prophet's town. Representations were forwarded 
 
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 418 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 to "Washington of the necessity for active measures in re- 
 straint of these outrages, and a regiment, under Colonel 
 Boyd, was promptly marched from Pittsburg to Vincennes, 
 and placed under the command of Harrison. With this 
 force, and a body of militia and volunteers, the v;hole 
 amounting to about nine hundred men, the governor 
 marched from Fort Harrison, on the Wabash, for the 
 Prophet's town, on the 28th of October. He had previ- 
 ously made various attempts, through the intervention of 
 some friendly Delaware and Miami chiefs, to bring about 
 a negotiation, a restoration of the stolen property, and a 
 delivery up of the murderers ; but his emissaries were 
 treated with contempt, and his proposals spurned. 
 
 The march was conducted with the greatest military 
 skill. A feint was made of taking up the line of march 
 on the south bank of the river ; after which, the whole 
 army crossed the stream, and hastened towards the hostile 
 settlement through the extensive prairies, stretching farther 
 than the eye could reach towards the west. On the 5th 
 of November, having met with no opposition on the route, 
 Harrison encamped within nine miles of the Prophet's 
 town. Approaching the town on the ensuing day, various 
 futile attempts were made to open a conference. Menaces 
 and insults were the only reply to these overtures. Before 
 the troops reached the town, however, messengers from 
 Elskwatawa came forward, proposing a truce, and the ar- 
 rangement for a conference upon the following day. The 
 chief averred that he had sent a pacific embassy to the gov- 
 erned', but that those charged with the mission had gone 
 down the river on the opposite bank, and thus .nissed him. 
 Harrison assented to a cessation of hostilities until the next 
 day, but took wise precautions for security against a treach- 
 erous night attack. 
 
 The suspicions of the prudent general proved to be well- 
 founded. The darkness of the night favored the designs 
 
THE DELAWARES, 8HAWANEES, ETC. 
 
 419 
 
 of the Indians, and, before day-break, about four o'clock, 
 the alarm of an attack was given. In the words of one of 
 Harrison's biographers : " The treacherous Indians had 
 stealthily crept up near our sentries, with the intention of 
 rushing upon them and killing them before they could 
 give the alarm. But fortunately one of the sentries dis- 
 covered an Indian creeping towards him through the grass, 
 and fired at him. This was immediately followed by the 
 Indian yell, and a furious charge upon the left flaiik." 
 
 The onset of the Indians, stimulated as they were by 
 the assurances of their prophet, that certain success awaited 
 them, was unprecedented for fury and determination. 
 They numbered from five hundred to a thousand, and 
 were led by White Loon, Stone-Eater, and a treacherous 
 Pottawatomie chief named Winnemac. The Prophet took, 
 personally, no share in the engagement. The struggle 
 continued until day-light, when the assailants were driven 
 off and dispersed. Great praise has been deservedly 
 awarded to the commanding officer of the whites for his 
 steady courage and generalship during the trying scenes 
 of this night's encounter. The troops, although no small 
 number of them were now, for the first time, in active 
 service, displayed great firmness and bravery. The In- 
 dians immediately abandoned their town, which the army 
 proceeded to destroy, tearing down the fortifications and 
 burning the buildings. The object of the expedition being 
 thus fully accomplished the troops were marched back to 
 Vincennes. 
 
 In the battle at Tippecanoe, the loss of the victors was 
 probably greater than that of the savages. Thirty-eight 
 of the la*.ter were left dead upon the field : of the whites, 
 fifty were killed, and nearly one hundred wounded. It 
 is not to be supposed that the Prophet's influence main- 
 tained its former hold upon his followers after this defeat. 
 He takes, indeed, from this time forward, a place in his- 
 
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 420' 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 tory entirely subordinate to his warlike and powerful 
 brother. 
 
 An interval of comparative quiet succeeded this over- 
 throw of the Prophet's concentrated forces, a quiet des- 
 tined to be broken by a far more extensive and disastrous 
 war. When open hostilities commenced between England 
 and the United States, in 1812, it was at once evident that 
 the former country had pursued her old policy of rousing 
 up the savages to ravage our defenceless frontier, with un- 
 precedented success. Tecumseh proved a more valuable 
 coadjutor, if possible, than Brant had been during the 
 Kevolution, in uniting the different nations against the 
 American interests. 
 
 To particularize the part taken by this great warrior 
 and statesman in the war, would involve too prolonged a 
 description of the various incidents of the western cam- 
 paigns. By counsel and persuasion ; by courage in battle ; 
 and by the energy of a powerful mind devoted to the 
 cause he had espoused, he continued until his death to aid 
 his English allies. A strong British fortress at Maiden, 
 on the eastern or Canada shore of Detroit river, proved a 
 rendezvous for the hostile Indians, of the utmost danger to 
 the inhabitants of the north-western frontier. The place 
 was under the command of the British General Proctor ; 
 the officer whose infamous neglect or countenance led to 
 the massacre of a body of wounded prisoners at French- 
 town, on the river Raisin, in January, 1813. This post 
 was abandoned by the British and Indians, about the time 
 of the invasion of Canada, in September, of the above year, 
 by the American troops urder Harrison. The invading 
 army encamped at the deserted and dismantled fortress, 
 "from which had issued, for years past, those ruthless 
 bands of savages, which had swept so fiercely over our 
 extended frontier, leaving death and destruction only in 
 their path.' 
 
 »> 
 
THE DELAWARES, SHAWANEES, ETC. 
 
 421 
 
 General Harrison hastened in pursuit of the enemy up 
 the Thames river, and, on the 4th of October, encamped a 
 few miles above the forks of the river, and erected a slight 
 fortification. On tho 5th, the memorable battle of the 
 Thames was fought. General Proctor awaited the ap- 
 proach of the American forces at a place chosen by him- 
 self, near Moravian town, as presenting a favorable position 
 for a stand. His forces, in regulars and Indians, rather 
 outnumbered those of his opponents, being set down at 
 two thousand eight hundred ; the Americans numbered 
 twenty-five hundred, mostly militia and volunteers. The 
 British army " was flanked, on the left, by the river Thames, 
 and supported by artillery, and on the right by two exten- 
 sive swamps, running nearly parallel to the river, and oc- 
 cupied by a s<^rong body of Indians. * * The Indians 
 were commanded by Tecumseh in person." 
 
 The British line was broken by the first charge of Colonel 
 Johnson's mounted regiment, and being thrown into irre- 
 trievable disorder, the troops were unable to rally, or op- 
 pose any further effective resistance. Nearly the whole 
 army surrendered at discretion. Proctor, with a few com- 
 panions, effected his escape. The Indians, protected by 
 the covert where they were posted, were not so easily dis- 
 lodged. They maintained their position until after the 
 defeat of their English associates and the death of their 
 brave leader. By whose hand Tecumseh fell, does not 
 appear to be decisively settled ; but, according to the or- 
 dinarily received account, he was rushing upon Colonel 
 Johnson with his tomahawk, when the latter shot him dead 
 with a pistol. 
 
 This battle was, in effect, the conclusion of the north- 
 western Indian war. Deputations from various trib;i8 
 appeared suing for peace ; and during this and t^c en- 
 suing j'ear, when Generals Harrison and Cass, with Gov- 
 er»iGi Shelby, were appointed commissioners to treat 
 
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 422 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 with the North-western tribes, important treaties were 
 effected. 
 
 Teeumseh was buried near the field of battle, and a 
 mound still marks his grave. The British government, 
 not unmindful of his services, granted a pension to his 
 widow and family, as well as to the Prophet Elskwatawa. 
 
 ''Si'W^•WWw1•^''^i— 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ACaUISITION AND SALE, BY THE UNITED STATES, OF INDIAN LANDS 
 IN ILLINOIS. — BLACK HAWK. — THE SACS REMOVED WEST OF THE 
 MISSISSIPPL -RETURN OF BLACK HAWK AND HIS FOLLOWERS.-, 
 DEFEAT OF MAJOR STILLMAN. -THE HOSTILE INDIANS PURSUED 
 BY ATKINSON AND DODGE— THEIR DEFEAT ON THE BANK OF THE 
 MISSISSIPPL — BLACK HAWK'S SURRENDER.- HE IS TAKEN TO WASH- 
 INGTON.— HIS SUBSEaUENT CAREER. 
 
 With the rapid increase of a white population betweeh 
 the Lakes and the Mississippi, which followed the con- 
 clusion of hostilities with England and her Indian allies, 
 new difficulties began to arise between the natives and 
 the settlers. Illinois and Wisconsin were inhabited by 
 various tribes of Indians, upon terms of bitter h istility 
 among themselves, but united in their suspicions and ap- 
 prehensions at the unprecedented inroads of emigrants 
 from the east. 
 
 The Winnebagos, dwelling in Wisconsin ; the Pottawat- 
 omies, situated around the southern extremity of Lake 
 Michigan; and the Sacs, (afterwards mingled with the 
 Foxes, and usually coupled with that tribe,) of lUinois, 
 principally located upon Rock river, were the most coa- 
 siderable of these north-western tribes. By various ces- 
 sions, the United States acquired, in the early part of the 
 present century, a title to extensive tracts of country, lying 
 east of the Mississippi, and included in the present state of 
 
ties were 
 
 tie, and a 
 vernment, 
 ion to his 
 skwatawa. 
 
 [DIAN LANDS 
 EST OF THE 
 •LLOWERS. -, 
 N8 PURSUED 
 ANK OF THE 
 iN TO WASH- 
 
 >n betweeh 
 I the con- 
 lian allies, 
 atives and 
 habited by 
 h »stility 
 18 and ap- 
 emigiants 
 
 5 Pottawat- 
 y of Lake 
 with the 
 of Illinois, 
 most coi- 
 arious ces- 
 5art of the 
 mtry, lying 
 ;nt state of 
 
 ,t* 
 
 
 1 
 
 i-1 
 
 BLACK HAWK. 
 
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 'ft ';»;V 
 
 'tf-~f 
 
THE DELAWARES, SIIAWANEE9, ETC. 
 
 425 
 
 
 Illinois. The tribes who sold the land were divided in 
 opinion ; great numbers of the occupants of the soil were 
 utterly opposed to its alienation, and denied the authority 
 of the chiefs, by whose negotiation the sales or cessions 
 were effected ; and upon the parcelling out and the sale 
 by the United States government of this public property 
 to private ii^dividuals, conflicting claims soon led to serious 
 disturbances. 
 
 In July, of 1830, a treaty was formed at Prairie du 
 Chien, between United States commissioners and the tribes 
 of the lowas, Sioux, Omawhas, Sacs and Foxes, &c., for the 
 purpose of finally arranging the terms upon which the 
 lands east of the Mississippi should be yielded up. The 
 Sac chief, Keokuk, was present, and assenting to the ar- 
 rangement in behalf of his people; but a strong party, 
 headed by the celebrated Black-Hawk, utterly refused to 
 abide by it. This chief was then between sixty and seventy 
 years of age, and had been, from early youth, a noted war- 
 rior. He was born at some Indian settlement upon the 
 Rock river, and retained through life a strong attachment 
 to the place of his nativity and the stream upon whose banks 
 he so long resided. He was a Pottawatomie, but his whole 
 life was spent among the Sacs. 
 
 To enforce the removal of the Sacs from their villages, 
 on Eock river. General Gaines visited that locality in 
 June, 1831. He proceeded up the river in a steamer, with 
 several pieces of artillery and two companies of infantry. 
 The general spoke of his visit as follows : ** Their village 
 is immediately on Rock river, and so situated that I could, 
 from the steamboat, destroy all their bark houses, (the 
 only kind of houses they have,) in a few minutes, with the 
 force now with me, probably without the loss of a man. 
 But I am resolved to abstain from firing a shot without 
 some bloodshed, or some manifest attempt to shed blood, 
 on the part of the Indians. I have already induced nearly 
 
 /tltjr- 'V. 
 

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 426 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 one-third of them to cross the Mississippi to their own land. 
 The residue, however, say, as the friendly chiefs report, 
 that they never will move ; and, what is very uncommon, 
 the women urge their hostile hushands to fight rather than 
 to move, and thus abandon their homes." 
 
 Before the close of the month the forces of the United 
 States and the state militia took possession of the settlement. 
 The Indians made no attempt at resistance, and betook 
 themselves to the western bank of the Mississippi. In the 
 spring of the following year, the Sacs began to straggle 
 back to their old towns in Illinois ; and Black-Hawk, with 
 a considerable force of his warriors, marched up Hock 
 river, with the avowed intent of spending the summer, and 
 raising a supply of corn among the Pottawatomies, in 
 accordance with an invitation from that tribe. He pro- 
 ceeded quietly and peaceably up the river, offering no vio- 
 lence to either the persons or property of the white inhabit- 
 ants. A body of mounted militia, under Major Stillman, 
 set out in pursuit of the Indians about the middle of May. 
 On their approach to his temporary quarters, Black-Huwk 
 sent a number of his followers to meet and confer with the 
 commanding officer; but it so happened, either through 
 mistake as to their intentions, or from a reckless depravity 
 on the part of certain of the whites, that several of these 
 emissaries were killed. 
 
 Boused by this injurious treatment, the Indian chief pre- 
 pared to fall upon hi^ pursuers at a point where an ambus- 
 cade could be rendered most effective. It is said that 
 when the militia came up, he had but about forty warriors 
 with him, (the rest of his men being off in pursuit of game,) 
 while the whites numbered no less than two hundred and 
 seventy ! As these undisciplined troops were crossing 
 Sycamore creek, in entire disorder, and without any pre- 
 caution against a surprise, they were fiercely attacked by 
 the Indians. The rout was complete : unable to form, or 
 
THE DELAWARE8, SHAWANEES, ETC. 
 
 427 
 
 to offer any effectual resistance, the whites were driven oflf, 
 leaving eleven of their number dead upon the field. As 
 they again rendezvoused at Dixon's Ferry, thirty miles 
 below, they gave the most extravagant accounts of the num- 
 bers of the enemy. 
 
 Great excitement was produced by the skirmish, and a 
 large army of militia was called into service by Governor 
 Reynolds, and ordered to meet by the 10th of June, at 
 Hennepin, in Putnam county, on the Illinois. Agents 
 were sent to confirm the good will of the Winnebagos, 
 and other tribes, and the services of several hundred of the 
 Menomonies and Sioux were enlisted against the dangerous 
 intruders. 
 
 Black-Hawk and his party, feeling themselves now fully 
 committed, were not slow in following up the advantage 
 gained by the terror inspired by the engagement at Syca- 
 morf^ Creek. 
 
 Between the breaking out of the war and the beginning 
 of the month of August the Indians committed many mur- 
 ders, and various skirmishes took place between them and 
 the troops sent in pursuit. On the 20th of May, a little 
 settlement on Indian Creek was plundered. Fifteen of the 
 inhabitants were killed, and two young girls, by the name 
 of Hall, one sixteen and the other eighteen years of age, 
 were carried into captivity. According to the almost uni- 
 versal custom of the North American Indians, these female 
 prisoners were not exposed to the slightest insult or out- 
 rage, but were as well cared for as circumstances would 
 allow. They were afterwards ransomed, at a large price, 
 and returned to their friends. 
 
 Little mercy was shown to any of Black-Hawk's follow- 
 ers upon any occasion of success on the part of the whites. 
 Five persons were killed near Galena on the 14th of June, 
 and, shortly after, twelve Indians, supposed to be connected 
 with the attacking party, were pursued and driven into a 
 
 ^; 
 
 *!.V/''iV:-^:.,,.| 
 
 •» •'1 
 
 .-M'). ..rv. 
 

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 'l^^l 
 
 
 
 428 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 neighboring swamp. "When overtaken, although they 
 made no resistance, they were every one killed and scalped 
 by the whites. 
 
 The condition of Black-Hawk and his band grew daily 
 more miserable, from destitution, exposure, and starvation. 
 An end would speedily have been put to their operations, 
 but for that terrible disease, the cholera, by which the 
 United States troops, on their route from the east to the 
 scene of action, were almost wholly disabled. 
 
 Driven from this encampment at the Four Lakes by thc^ 
 approach of General Atkinson, Black-Hawk retreated 
 down the Wisconsin, expecting to find provisions and as- 
 sistance among the Indians in that direction. General 
 Dodge, with a strong force of militia, followed close on his 
 trail. He came up with the fugitives on the 21st of July. 
 The Indians were about crossing the river when they were 
 attacked, and, but for the coming on of night, could hardly 
 have escaped entire destruction or capture. They lost in 
 the encounter not far from forty men. 
 
 The discomfited savages continued their flight down 
 the river in their boats, beset on every side by ener>ies, 
 and with an overwhelming force — Dodge's army having 
 been joined by Atkinson and his troops in hpt pursuit. 
 " Some of the boats," says Drake, " conveying tl se poor 
 wretches, were overset, and many of those in them drowned ; 
 the greater number, however, fell into the hands of their 
 enemies in their passage. Many of the children were 
 found to be in such a famished state that they could not 
 be revived." 
 
 Having reached the mouth of the river, on the first of 
 August, Black-Hawk prepared to cross the Mississippi, but 
 was prevented by a force on board the steamboat Warrior. 
 He ** did not wish to fight, but to escape ; and wnen the 
 steamboat fell in with him, he used every means to give 
 the captain of her to understand that he desired to surren- 
 
■ f , "■'• ^ <■ <■ 1-. • 
 
 THE DELAWABES, SHAWANEES, ETC. 
 
 429 
 
 der. He displayed two white flags, and about one hundred 
 and fifty of his meu approached the river without arms, 
 and made signs of submission." The only reply was a 
 discharge of canister and musketry from the boat, which 
 was returned from the shore. After about an hour's 
 firing, which resulted in the destruction of more than 
 twenty of the Indians, the boat moved off to procure a 
 supply of wood. 
 
 Next morning General Atkinson, with the whole force 
 in pursuit, (sixteen hundred men) came up with the rem- 
 nant of the enemy. Eetreat was cut off on every side, 
 and the half-starved and dispirited savages were shot and 
 cut down at the pleasure of the irresistible numbers who 
 surrounded them. The following is extracted from an 
 account published shortly after this decisive and final en- 
 gagement. "The battle lasted upwards of three hours. 
 About fifty of the enemy's women and children were taken 
 prisoners, and many, by accident, in the battle, were 
 killed. When the Indians were driven to the bank of the 
 Mississippi, some hundreds of men, women, and children 
 plunged into the river, and hoped, by diving, &c., to escape 
 the bullets of our guns ; very few, however, escaped our 
 sharp-shooters." 
 
 Historians generally speak of an action in which the 
 Indians prove successful as a " massacre," but the above- 
 described proceeding is dignified by the name of a battle ! 
 Black-Hawk, who, with a few followers, managed to eflfect 
 his escape, afterwards declared that, upon the approach 
 of the American army, he and his warriors made no 
 attempt at resistance, offering to surrender themselves un- 
 conditionally, and that they only used their arms when it 
 was apparent that the successful pursuers had no intention 
 of showing quarter. It is hard to decide upon the true 
 state of the case. 
 
 His cause now being palpably hopeless, and most of his 
 
 
 . ..|. * >!••■. -'•■•(5 •■ 
 
 .V 
 
 ..» 
 
•/"■r>''''i /' v ■■*^''■■> '-^ **■•■ 
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 'r 
 
 430 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 remaining warriors having yielded themselves prisoners, 
 or been taken by the various bands of Indians friendly to 
 the whites, Black-Hawk surrendered himself at Prairie du 
 Chien, on the 27th of August. With several other chiefs 
 he was taken to Washington, and after holding conference 
 with President Jackson, was confined, for a period, at Fort 
 Monroe, on an island near Old Point Comfort, on the Chesa- 
 peake. Her the captive warriors were well and kindly 
 treated, and m June, of the ensuing year (1833), there 
 being no longer any necessity for detaining them as host- 
 ages, they were set at liberty. 
 
 Before returning to the west, these chiefs visited several 
 of the principal eastern c ies, and were every where re- 
 ceived with the greatest enthusiasm and interest. They 
 were shown the fortifications, navy yards, &c., and every 
 effort was made to impress them with the irresistible power 
 of the government. They were afterwards escorted back 
 to their homes at the west, and dismissed with valuable 
 presents and tokens of good will. 
 
 Black-Hawk lived thenceforth in peace with the whites. 
 He settled upon the Des Moines river, where he died in 
 1838. The body of the old warrior, in accordance with his 
 own wishes, expressed shortly before his death, was dis- 
 posed in Indian style. According to Drake : " No grave 
 was made ; but his body was placed in a sitting position, 
 with his cane between his knees and grasped in his hands ; 
 slabs or rails were then piled up about him. Such was the 
 end of Black-Hawk. Here, however, his bones did not 
 long rest in peace, but they were stolen from their place of 
 deposit some time in the following winter j but about a year 
 after, it was discovered that they were in possession of a 
 surgeon, of Quincy, Illinois, to whom some person had sent 
 them to be wired together. When Governor Lucas, of 
 Iowa, became acquainted with the facts, they were, by his 
 requisition, restored to his friends." 
 
INDIANS OF THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 EARLY LOCATION, NUMBERS, CHARACTER, ETC., OP THE CATAWBAS ; 
 OP THE UPPER AND LOWER CHEROKEES; OF THE MUSCOGEES OR 
 CREEKS; OP THE CHOCTAWS ; OF THE CHICKASAWS.— FRENCH 
 WAR WIT.i THE NATCHEZ AND CHICKASAWS. 
 
 ' ■ '' ' - "^ "■■■-■' ^ ,; ' ' - 
 
 We shall not undertalic to assign definite boundaries to 
 the several tracts of country occupied by the extensive tribes 
 of the Creeks, Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Catawbas, 
 Uchees, &c., nor to pursue their history, separately. There 
 are no sufficient distinctions in their general habits and 
 character to render such a detail necessary, and as they 
 were nearly all more or less affected by the same political 
 events and changes, they can be best considered collec- 
 tively. The name of Creeks, (an English term, taken 
 from the character of the country they inhabited,) has been 
 applied to all the tribes above mentioned. 
 
 James Adair, a trader and resident among the Southern 
 Indians for forty years, in his History of the American 
 Indians, published in 1775, gives the most complete ac- 
 count of these races to be found in the early writers. The 
 principal portion of his book is devoted to a laoored dis- 
 quisition upon the origin of the red men, and arguments 
 to prove thoir descent from the Jews : the rest consists of 
 separate details of the manners and history c i the southern 
 tribes, witl* observations and anecdotes connected with the 
 race in general. 
 
 (431) 
 
 n 
 
 f 
 
 iHk 
 
 
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 1 
 
 
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 432 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 He commences with the Catawbas, who then dwelt be- 
 tween the Carolinas and the country of the Cherokees. 
 By intercourse with the whites, they had become more 
 degraded than the other nations of which we are now to 
 speak, and drunkenness, indolence, and poverty were ob- 
 viously prevalent. They were a numerous and warlike 
 people when South Carolina was first settled, mustering 
 about fifteen hundred warriors ; but small-pox and the use 
 of ardent spirits had, at this time, reduced them to less 
 than one-tenth of their former numbers. 
 
 They were old enemies of the Iroquois, with whom they 
 had waged long ai)d savage wars : with the English thoy 
 had generally been upon good terms. Adair describes an 
 old waste field, seven miles in extent, as one of the evi- 
 dences of their former prosperity, when they could ** cul- 
 tivate so much land with their dull stone-axes." Of these, 
 as of other Indians, he says : " By some fatality they are 
 much addicted to excessive drinking ; and spirituous li- 
 quors distract them so exceedingly, that they will even eat 
 live coals of fire." 
 
 The Upper Cherokees inhabited the high and mountain- 
 ous region of the -/Appalachian range, and that upon the 
 upper portions of the Tennessee. The Lower tribe occu- 
 pied the country around the head waters of the Savannah 
 and Chatahoochee, to the northward of the Muscogees or 
 Creeks proper. When Adair first became acquainted with 
 the Cherokees, about the year 1735, they were computed 
 by old traders to number six thousand fighting men. They 
 had sixty-four populous towns. In 1738, nearly half of 
 them perished by the small-pox. 
 
 Like all the other untaught nations of America, they 
 were driven to perfect desperation by the ravages of this 
 disease. The cause to which they ascribed it, and the 
 strange remedies and enchantments used to stay its prog- 
 ress, are alike remarkable. One course was to plunge the 
 
INDIANS OP THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 483 
 
 patients into cold running water — (it is elsewhere men- 
 tioned that those afflicted will frequently leap into the 
 river themselves to allay the fever and torment) — the re- 
 sult of which operation was speedily fatal. "A great 
 many killed themselves ; for, being naturally proud, they 
 are always peeping into their looking-glasses. — By which 
 means, seeing themselves disfigured, without hope of re- 
 gaining their former beauty, some shot themselves, others 
 cut their throats, some stabbed themselves with knives, and 
 others with sharp-pointed canes ; many threw themselves 
 with sullen madness into the fire, and there slowly ex- 
 pired, as if they had been utterly divested of the native 
 power of feeling pain." One of them, when his friends 
 had restrained these frantic efforts, and deprived him of 
 his weapons, went out, and taking " a thick and round hoe- 
 helve, fixed one end of it in the ground, and repeatedly 
 threw himself on it till he forced it down his throat ! when 
 he immediately expired." 
 
 These tribes were formerly continually at war with the 
 Six Nations, at the north, and with the Muscogees at the 
 south ; but previous to their war with the English colonies 
 they had been for some time comparatively at peace, and 
 were in a thriving and prosperous condition. They were 
 excellently well supplied with horses, and were "skilful 
 jockies, and nice in their choice." 
 
 The lower settlement of the Muscogees or Greeks, was 
 in the country watered by the Chatahoochee and Flint ; 
 the upper Creeks dAvelt about the head waters of the 
 Mobile and Alabama rivers. Their neighbors, on the west, 
 were the Choctaws and Chickasaws. i' 
 
 The Creeks were a nation formed by the union of a 
 number of minor tribes with the Muscogees, who consti- 
 tuted the nucleus of the combination. About the middle 
 of the eighteenth century, they were computed to number 
 no less than three thousand five hundred men capable of 
 25 
 
 
 
 
 it; 
 
 '\' 
 
i^mm^^:: 
 
 484 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 bearing amis. They had learned the necessity of seclud- 
 ing those infected with the small-pox, so as to avoid the 
 spread of the contagion, and their general habits and 
 usages were such that they were fast increasing, instead of 
 diminishing, like all the surrounding tribes. 
 
 While the Floridas were in the possession of Spain, the 
 Creeks were surrounded by belligerent powers, both native 
 and European, and they appear to have adopted a very 
 shrewd and artful policy in their intercourse with each. 
 There was a French garrison in their country ; the English 
 settlemerts lay to the north and east, and those of the 
 Spaniards to the south ; and the old sages of the tribe 
 " being long informed by the opposite parties of the dif- 
 ferent views and intrigues of those foreign powers, who 
 paid them annual tribute under the vague appellation of 
 presents, were become surprisingly crafty in every turn of 
 low politics." The French were very successful in their 
 efforts to con lliate the good-will of the Muscogees, and in 
 alienating them from the English. 
 
 The country of the Choctaws extended from that of the 
 Muscogees to the Mississippi, reaching northward to the 
 boundaries of the Chickasaws : their lower towns on the 
 river were about two hundred miles north of New Orleans. 
 Adair gives these people a very bad character, as being 
 treacherous, dishonest, ungrateful, and unscrupulous ; but 
 he bears witness to their admirable readiness of speech. 
 They were "ready-witted, and endued with a surprising 
 flow of smooth, artful language on every subject withi.i the 
 reach of their ideas." 
 
 The strange custom of flattening the head, prevalent 
 among some other American tribes, obtained with the 
 Choctaws. The operation was performed by the weight 
 of a bag of sand kept upon the foreheads of the infants 
 before the skull had hardened. This process not improb- 
 ably affected the powers of the mind : at all events, Adair 
 
of seclud- 
 
 avoid the 
 habits and 
 , instead of 
 
 Spain, the 
 both native 
 )ted a very 
 
 with each, 
 the English 
 lose of the 
 if the tribe 
 
 of the dif- 
 owers, who 
 pellation of 
 ery turn of 
 ful in their 
 ^ees, and in 
 
 that of the 
 vaxd to the 
 wns on the 
 ew Orleans. 
 !r, as being 
 pulous ; but 
 
 1 of speech. 
 a surprising 
 3t withi.i the 
 
 i, prevalent 
 d with the 
 the weight 
 ' the infants 
 not improb- 
 vents, Adair 
 
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 -"^.t .WITS 
 
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 THAPP IJfO rUK MKAH, 
 
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 f«H( 
 
 
INDIANS OP THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 487 
 
 says : " their features and mind exactly correspond to- 
 gether ; for, except the intense love they bear to their na- 
 tive country, and their utter contempt of any kind of 
 danger in defence of it, I know no other virtue they are 
 possessed of : the general observation of the traders among 
 them is just, who affirm them to be divested of every prop- 
 erty of a human being, except shape and language." 
 
 The French had acquired great influence over the Choc- 
 taws, as, indeed, over nearly every tribe in North Amer- 
 ica with whom they had maintained friendly intercourse. 
 Adair enlarges upon the artful policy with which they con- 
 ciliated and bribed the leaders and orators of the nation. 
 Besides this, he says : " the masterly skill of the French 
 enabled them to do more with those savages, with trifles, 
 than all our experienced managers of Indian aflairs have 
 been able to effect by the great quantities of valuable 
 goods they gave them with a very profuse hand. The 
 former bestowed their small favors with exquisite wisdom ; 
 and their value was exceedingly enhanced by the external 
 kindly behavior and well-adapted smooth address of the 
 giver. 
 
 The nation of the Chickasaws, at the time of which we 
 are speaking, was settled near the sources of the Tombigbee, 
 a few miles eastward of the head waters of the Tallahache. 
 They numbered about four hundred and fifty warriors, but 
 were greatly reduced since their ancient emigration from 
 the west. They were said to have formerly constituted one 
 family with the Choctaws, and to have been able to bring 
 one thousand men into the field at the time of their re- 
 moval. Due allowance must of course be made for mistake 
 and exaggeration in these early traditions. 
 
 The Chickasaws were ever inimical to the French and 
 friendly to the English colonists. It was by their efforts 
 that the neighboring tribe of the Natchez was stirred up 
 to attack the French settlements, in 1729. The French 
 
 •".if* 
 
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 /' ■ t : •:: '"■ /:...■. .•*■•• ■, 
 
 ■'/ 
 
 
 438 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 had, unadvisedly, imposed a species of tax upon the 
 Natchez, demanding a dressed buck-skin from each man of 
 the tribe, without rendering any return ; but, as some of 
 that people afterwards reported to Adair, " the warriors* 
 hearts grew very cross, and loved the deer-skins." 
 
 The Chickasaws were not slow to foment a disturbance 
 upon intelligence of this proceeding, and sent messengers, 
 with presents of pipes and tobacco, to counsel an attack 
 upon the exercisers of such tyranny. Nothing so strongly 
 excites an Indian's indignation as any attempt at taxation, 
 and the Natchez were easily persuaded that the French had 
 resolved to crush and enslave them. It took about a year to 
 ripen the plot, as the Indians are " slow in their councils on 
 things of great importance, though equally close and intent." 
 
 It was in the month of November, (1729,) that the In- 
 dians fell upon the French settlement. The commandant 
 had received some intimation of the intended attack from 
 a woman of the tribe, but did not place sufficient depend- 
 ence upon it to take any efficient steps for the protection 
 of his charge. The whole colony was massacred: men, 
 women, and children, to the number of over seven hun- 
 dred — Adair says fifteen hundred — perished by the weap- 
 ons of the savages. The triumph of the Natchez was, 
 however, but of short duration. The French came upon 
 them in the following summer with a large army, consisting 
 of two thousand of their own soldiers and a great array of 
 their Ghoctaw allies. The Natchez were posted at a strong 
 fort near a lake communicating with the Bayou D'Argent, 
 and received the assailants with great resolution and cour- 
 age. They made a vigorous sally, as the enemy approach- 
 ed, but were driven within their defences, and *• bombarded 
 with three mortars, which forced them to fly off different 
 ways." The Choctaws took many prisoners, some of whom 
 were tortured to death, and the rest shipped to the "West 
 Indies as slaves. 
 
warnors 
 
 INDIANS OP THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 4S9 
 
 The remnant of the Natchez fled for safety to the Chick- 
 asaws. This brought about a war between the French and 
 the last- mentioned tribe, in which, if we may believe Adair, 
 the Indians had decidedly the advantage. He tells of 
 one engagement, in which the French and their Indian 
 allies had surrounded the Chickasaw settlements in the 
 night, with the exception of one, which stood at some dis- 
 tance from the rest, called Amalahta. The besiegers beset 
 every house, and killed all who came out : " but at the 
 dawn of day, when they were capering and using those 
 flourishes that are peculiar to that volatile nation, the other 
 town drew round them, stark naked, and painted all over 
 red and black ; thus they attacked them, killed numbers 
 on the spot, released their brethren, who joined them like 
 enraged lions." The Indians belonging to the Trench 
 party fled, but the whites were all killed except two, " an 
 officer, and a negro, who faithfully held his horse till he 
 mounted, and then ran along side of him. A couple of 
 swift runners were sent after them, who soon came up 
 with them, and told them to live and go home, and inform 
 their people, that as the Chickasaw hogs had now a plenty 
 of ugly French carcasses to feed on till next year, they 
 hoped then to have another visit from them and their red 
 friends ; and that, as messengers, they wished them safe 
 home." 
 
 On another occasion, the same historian informs us that 
 the French approached the Chickasaw stockade, strangely 
 disguised, and protected from the balls of the enemy by 
 paddings of wool. The Indians were to the last degree 
 astonished both at their appearance and invulnerability, 
 and were about to desist from active resistance, and resort 
 to the skill of their own necromancers to oppose what 
 they thought must be " wizards, or old Frenchmen carry- 
 ing the ark of war against thom." As the enemy ap- 
 proached, and began to throw hand-grenades into the fort, 
 
 
 
 t » * 
 
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 \ ^ 
 
 
 v-4: 
 

 ,^' )"> '.'{ ■ -V ' *'' .'•■ '•'■.■ . 
 
 ',-■'• " . ■'»'",■" ■■■■'. ' - ' 
 
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 440 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 they were quickly undeceived, and set in earnest about 
 the work of defence. They pulled the matches out of the 
 grenades, or threw them back among the French ; and, 
 sallying forth, directed an effective fire at the legs of the 
 enemy, who were speedily driven off. "I have two of 
 these shells," says Adair, " which I keep with veneration, 
 as speaking trophies over the boasting Monsieurs and 
 their bloody schemes." 
 
 *»^/VWV\.'\/\/>-'V\/S^*— 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 COLONIZATION OP GEORGIA. -EARLY INTERCOURSE WITH THE NA- 
 TIVES. — TOMOCM^fH. — INTRIGUES OP THE REVEREND TIIO.MAS 
 BOSOM WORTH. — CHEROKEE WAR OP 1759. — ATTAKULLAKULLA AND 
 OCCONOSTOTA. — MURDER OF INDIAN HOSTAGES. — COLONEL MONT- 
 GOMERY'S EXPEDITION. — DESTRUCTION OP THE EASTERN CHERO- 
 KEE TOWNS. — BATTLE NE.\R ETCHOE. — C.\PITULAT10N AT FORT 
 LOUDON. — INDIAN TREACHERY. —CAMPAIGN OP COLONEL GRANT, 
 AND COMPLETE REDUCTION OF THE CHKROKEES. 
 
 "When the little colony of one hundred and fourteen 
 souls, under the guidance of James Edward Oglethorpe, 
 commenced the settlement of Georgia, in the winter of 
 1733, the upper and lower Creeks laid claim to the whole 
 territory south-west of the Savannah. The only natives 
 residing in the vicinity — at Yamacraw — were peaceably 
 disposed towards the settlers, but the governor of the in- 
 fant colony thought it advisable to put himself upon safe 
 grounds as respected the Indian claims. lie therefore 
 secured the services of a half-breed woman, named Mary 
 Musgrove, who could speak English, and, by her media- 
 tion, brought about a conference with the chiefs of the 
 tribe at Savannah, the seat of the new settlement. 
 
 Mary had formerly married a white trader from Caro- 
 
INDIANS OF THE SOUTHEIIN STATES. 
 
 441 
 
 linac Besides her usefulness as an interpreter, she had 
 such influence over her tribe, that Oglethorpe thought it 
 worth his while to purchase her services at the rate of one 
 hundred pounds a year. She became afterwards, as we 
 shall see, a source of no little danger and annoyance to the 
 English. 
 
 Fifty chiefs of the Creek nation were assembled at the 
 place of conference, and Tomochichi, the most noted 
 among those then known to the settlers, made an amicable 
 speech, proffering at the same time a present of a buffalo- 
 skin, adorned with eagles' feathers. A treaty was con- 
 cluded, subject to the ratification of the English crown, 
 by virtue of which the Indians were to consider them- 
 selves the subjects of the king, and to live in peace and 
 friendship with his white colonists. The lauds lying be- 
 tween the Savannah and Altamaha, were made over to 
 the English, with all the islands on that coast, except 
 St. Catharine's and two others, which were reserved for 
 the use of the Indians as bathing and fishing stations. 
 A tract was also set apart for them to encamp upon when 
 they visited their white friends, a little above the Yama- 
 craw bluff*, where Savannah now stands. Various other 
 stipulations, respecting terms of trade, the punishment of 
 offences, &c., were entered into, to the satisfiiction of both 
 parties. 
 
 In April, 1734, Oglethorpe took Tomochichi, his queen, 
 and several other Indians with him to England. They 
 were presented to the king, and every pains was taken to 
 produce a strong impression upon their minds of the Eng- 
 lish power and magnificence. All the Indians with whom 
 the first governor of Georgia held intercourse seem to have 
 formed a great attachment for him, styling him their "be- 
 loved man." If others in authority among the English 
 colonies had pursued as honest a course towards the natives, 
 much bloodshed would doubtless have been averted. 
 
 lit 
 
 Ml 
 
 il|;i 
 
 : 
 fe 
 
 
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 442 
 
 INDIAN BACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 When difficulties arose in 1738, connected with the con- 
 flicting claims of England and Spain to jurisdiction over 
 the new country, Spanish agents were despatched to win 
 over the Creeks. They decoyed a body of them to Au- 
 gustine, by pretences that Oglethorpe was there, and that 
 he was desirous of seeing them. On their arrival, the In- 
 dians were told that the English governor was sick on 
 board one of the ships ; but they had begun to suspect 
 deception, and, refusing to go out to the vessel, left the 
 town in great disgust. Their suspicions were confirmed 
 when they reached home, and the transaction only strength- 
 ened their dislike to the Spaniards. ' ' . ^ ' 
 
 In the following year, Oglethorpe attended a great as- 
 sembly of Creeks, Cherokees, and Chickasaws, at the 
 Coweta town, several hundred miles from Frederica, and 
 confirmed their good-will towards the English by presents, 
 and friendly communion. He smoked the calumet with 
 the chiefs, and solemnly renewed the original treaty of 
 amity and mutual protection. This year old Tomochichi 
 died, not far from Yamacraw, expressing to the last his 
 love for his first English patron, and urging upon his 
 people the policy of maintaining their place in his good- 
 will. The chief was nearly ninety-seven years of age. 
 
 The year 1749 was memorable for a most audacious 
 attempt on the part of one Thomas Bosomworth to ag- 
 £;randize himself by attaining a supremacy over the Creeks. 
 He had been formerly a chaplain in Oglethorpe's regiment, 
 and had married Mary Musgrove, his half-breed interpre- 
 ter. In December, of 1747, this man fell in with a com- 
 pany of chiefs, belonging to the nation, then on a visit to 
 Frederica ; and persuaded them to sign certain articles, 
 acknowledging one of their number, named Malatche 
 Opiya Meco, as rightful king over the whole Creek nation. 
 Bosomworth then procured from Malatche a conveyance, 
 for certain considerations — among other things, a large 
 
INDIANS OP THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 443 
 
 quantity of ammunition and clothing, — of the islands for- 
 merly reserved by the Indians, to himself and his wife 
 Mary, their heirs and assigns, " as long as the sun shall 
 shine, or the waters run in the rivers, forever." This deed 
 was regularly witnessed, proved before a justice of the 
 peace, and recorded in due form. Bosomworth made some 
 efforts to stock and improve these islands, but, his ambi- 
 tion becoming aroused by success in his first intrigue, he 
 entered upon one much more extensive. By his persua- 
 sions, his wife now made the extraordinary claim that she 
 was Malatche's elder sister, and entitled to regal authority 
 over the whole Creek territory. 
 
 A great meeting of the tribe was procured, and, what- 
 ever of truth Mary's claims might be founded upon, she 
 appears to have succeeded in persuading large numbers of 
 the Creeks to espouse her cause, and acknowledge her as 
 an independent queen. Accompanied by a strong force of 
 her adherents, she proceeded incontinently to Savannah, 
 sending emissaries before her to demand a surrender of all 
 lands south of the Savannah river, and to make known 
 her intention of enforcing her claim by the entire destruc- 
 tion of the colony, should her demands be resisted. 
 
 The militia were called out by the president and council, 
 and the Indians were kept quiet by a display of confidence 
 and firmness, that matters might be fully discussed by 
 their leaders and the colonial authorities. " Bosomworth," 
 says McCall, " in his canonical robes, with his queen by 
 his side, followed by the kings and chiefs, according to 
 rank, marched into the town on the 20th of July, making 
 a most formidable appearance. — The inhabitants were 
 struck with terror at the sight of this ferocious tribe of 
 savages." ' ''' • ' 
 
 Lengthy discussions ensued, between Bosomworth and 
 Mary on the one hand, and the president and council 
 on the other. The fickle and impressible savages leaned 
 
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 444 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 alternately to either opinion according as they were ha- 
 rangued by their new leaders, or listened to the explana- 
 tions of the other party. They were told that Mary's 
 claims to royal descent were entirely falsr ; that she was 
 the daughter of a white man by a squaw of no note, and 
 that the mad ambition of her reprobate husband had led 
 to the whole movement. They expressed themselves con- 
 vinced, but no sooner had Mary obtained another opportu- 
 nity to communicate with them, than she succeeded in 
 inflaming and bewildering their minds. It was found 
 necessary to confine her and her husband before the sav- 
 ages could be quietly dispersed. 
 
 Before this was accomplished, the town was in a situa- 
 tion of the most imminent danger, as the Indians vastly 
 outnumbered the whites ; and a very 'slight matter might 
 have so roused their fury that the whole colony would have 
 been annihilated. The intriguing chaplain had a brother, 
 Adam Bosomworth, agent for Indian affairs in Carolina, 
 who afterwards espoused his interests, so far as ^ ^e claim 
 to the islands of St. Cathcilne, Ossabaw, and Sapelo was 
 concerned. This coadjutor visited the Creek nation, pro- 
 cured a new conveyance, and prosecuted the claim before 
 the courts of Great Britain. The case proved almost as 
 tedious and complex as that of the celebrated Mohegan 
 land question in Connecticut. Bosomworth and his M'ife 
 obtained a decision in their favo , in 1759, Yy virtue of 
 which they took possession of St. Catharine's island, and 
 resided upon it the remainder of their lives. Ossabaw and 
 Sapelo were decreed to be sold for the benefit of the suc- 
 cessful parties, but furtVier litigation arose from the claims 
 of one Isaac Levy, to whom they had sold, as was asserted, 
 a moiety of that portion of the grant. 
 
 The breaking out of the Cherokee war, in the winter of 
 this year, (1759,) is the next event of special interest, con- 
 nected with the affairs of the Southern Indians. They 
 
 ■hX' 
 
INDIANS OP THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 445 
 
 seen generally to have been peaceably disposed, and hon- 
 est ir the fulfilment of their national engagements, and 
 probably would have continued so, had they met with fair 
 treatment at the hands of the English colonists. Parties 
 of Cherokees, under British commanders, had been engaged 
 with the English in campaigns against the French fortifi- 
 cations at the west. Upon the evacuation of Fort Du- 
 qiiesne, numbers of these Indian warriors, whose services 
 were no longer required, set out upon their return home. 
 Having been ill-supplied with provisions, and having lost 
 their horses, some of them caught and availed themselves 
 of su i of those animals as they found loose in the woods. 
 In revenge for this theft, the German settlers of Virginia 
 fell upon them, and murdered and scalped a considerable 
 number. They even imitated, in several instances, the 
 horrible cruelties of the savages in thfe manner of butch- 
 ery — at least, so says Adair, who further reports, that 
 " those murderers were so audacious as to impose the 
 scalps on the government for those of French Indians ; 
 and that they actually obtained the premium allowed at 
 that time by law in such a case." 
 
 The Cherokees did not, for a long time, attempt any 
 retaliation for this act, but made peaceable applications to 
 the authorities of Virginia and the Carolinas ; but all was 
 in vain, and fresh insults and injuries, received from cer- 
 tain officers at Fort St. George, finally excited the nation 
 to fury. Adair says truly : *' When the Indians find no 
 redress of grievances, they never fail to redress themselves, 
 either sooner or later. But when they begin they do not 
 know where to end. Their thirst for the blood of their 
 reputed enemies is not to be quenched with a few drops. 
 The more they drink, the more it inflames their thirst. 
 When they dip their finger in human blood, they are rest- 
 less till they plunge themselves in it." 
 
 The French, and, at their instance, the Muscogees, were 
 
 
 
 
 
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 446 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 not s!ow in availing themselves of the above circumstances 
 to stir up a war against the English. The Cherokees 
 determined upon direct retaliation for the massacres by 
 the Germans. A party, bound on this errand, first killed 
 two soldiers near Fort Loudon, on the south bank of Ten- 
 nessee river, and afterwards spread themselves among the 
 western settlements of North Carolina, killing such of the 
 whites as fell in their power. It was thjir first intention 
 to take scalps only equal in number to that of their mur- 
 dered kinsmen, but once having their hand in, they could 
 not resist the temptation of going much farther. " Soon 
 after they returned home, they killed a reprobate old 
 trader." 
 
 The young warriors, now thoroughly roused and excited, 
 would listen to no proposals of restraint : " Nothing but 
 war-songs and waf-dances could please them, during this 
 flattering period of becoming great warriors, * by killing 
 swarms of white dung-hill fowls, in the corn-fields, and 
 asleep,* according to their war-phrase.*' 
 
 William H. Lyttleton, governor of South Carolina, set 
 himself strenuously both to prepare for the defence of 
 the colonies, and to bring about an adjustment of difficul- 
 ties. At Fort St. George, on the Savannah, he held a con- 
 ference with six Cherokee chiefs, on the 26th of December 
 (1759), and formed a treaty of peace, secured by the de- 
 livery of thirty-two Indian hostages. These were placed 
 in close confinement in a small and miserable hut, and the 
 governor returned to Charleston. 
 
 According to the usual course of events, the Cherokees 
 denied the authority of the chiefs who had concluded the 
 above treaty, and hostilities broke out afresh. The two 
 most celebrated chiefs and leaders among them, at this 
 time, were old AttakullakuUa, a promoter of peace, and 
 long the fast friend of the English, and Occonostota, a 
 noted war-chief. Captain Coytmore, commandant at Fort 
 
 iS.i''"^ 
 
INDIANS OP THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 447 
 
 George, was an object of the bitterest hatred on the part 
 of the Indians, and a large body of them, led by Occonos- 
 tota, besieged the fort in February of 1760. 
 
 The place was too strong to be taken by assault, but the 
 Indian chief managed to entice Coytmore out of the de- 
 fences into an ambush, where he was shot dead, and lieu- 
 tenants Bell and Foster, who accompanied him, were 
 wounded. The hostages who were confined within the 
 works, shouted to encourage their friends without, and 
 when an attempt was made to put them in irons, resisted 
 manfully, stabbing one soldier, and wounding two others. 
 Upon this, a hole was cut in the roof over their heads, and 
 the cowardly garrison butchered them by shooting down 
 from above. 
 
 This war now commenced in earnest, and Indian ravages 
 extended far and wide upon the frontier. Troops were 
 ordered from New York by General Amherst, commander- 
 in-chief of the British forces in America ; and the neigh- 
 boring colonies appropriated liberal sums for the purpose 
 of buying the aid of the Creeks, Chickasaws, and Catawbas. 
 
 Colonel Montgomery reached Carolina in April, (1760,) 
 and hastened, in command of the regulars and provincials, 
 to make an effective inroad upon the hostile Indians. His 
 progress through the lower Cherokee country was marked 
 by the entire destruction of the Indian towns. The first 
 place attacked, called Keowee, was surrounded, and the 
 men of the town were put to the sword. Estatoe, con- 
 taining two hundred houses, with great . uantities of pro- 
 visions, was entirely destroyed ; but the inhabitants were 
 saved by a timely flight. " Every other settlement east of 
 the Blue Ridge," says McCall, " afterwards shared the 
 same fate." 
 
 The army made some stay at Fort Prince George, and 
 useless endeavors were put forth to bring about a pacifica- 
 tion with the upper portion of the Cherokees. In the 
 
 
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 448 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 month of June the troops were again on their advance 
 into the wilderness of the interior. Near the Indian town 
 of Etchoe, the native warriors prepared a most skilful am- 
 buscade to check the advancing forces. It was in a deep 
 valley, through which ran a muddy stream, with steep 
 banks ; on either side of which the way was completely 
 choked with tangled brushwood. Some hard fighting 
 took place at this spot, in which twenty of the whites 
 were killed and seventy-six wounded. The loss on the 
 side of the Indians was much less, and, although driven 
 from the spot where the first stand was made, they en- 
 trenched themselves a little farther on. Under these cir- 
 cumstances, Montgomeiy determined to secure the safety 
 of his troops, and to provide for the requisite attention to 
 his Avounded men, by a retreat. He soon after sailed for 
 New York, leaving four cr)mpanies of regulars, under 
 Major Hamilton, for the protection of the frontier. 
 
 The garrison at the isolated Fort Loudon was now in a 
 state of imminent peril. The provisions of the place were 
 nearly exhausted, and the redoubtable Occonostota was 
 laying close siege to it with his fierce and enraged warriors. 
 After suffering great extremes of privation, and experi- 
 encing disappointment in all their hopes of relief, the two 
 hundred men stationed at this place were obliged to ca- 
 pitulate, and trust to the honor of their savage enemy. 
 Captain Steuart, an officer greatly in favor with all the 
 friendly Indians, arranged the terms upon which the fort 
 should be evacuated. The troops were to be allowed a 
 free and unmolested passage to Virginia, or Fort Prince 
 George, and a detachment of Indians was to accompany 
 them for the purpose of supplying provisions by hunting. 
 
 The garrison marched out on the 7th of August (1760). 
 Occonostota himself, with a number of other natives, kept 
 company with the whites, during the first day's march of 
 fifteen miles ; but these all disappeared when they reached 
 
 4,: 
 
1 .•! K'A 
 
 INDIANS OP THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 449 
 
 the place of encampment, near an Indian town called 
 Taliquo. On the next morning, just before day, (the time 
 generally selected by Indiana for a surprise, as men sleep 
 more soundly then than at any other hour,) a s ./ge body 
 of armed savages in war-paint, were seen bj > sentinel, 
 creeping through the bushes, and gathering about the 
 camp. Hardly was the alarm given when the attack was 
 made : twenty-six of the feeble and half-starved soldiers 
 were killed outright, and the rest were pinioned and 
 marched back to the fort. 
 
 Captain Steuart was among the prisoners, but his evil 
 fortune was alleviated bv the staunch friendship of the 
 benevolent Attakullakuli .. ^'his chief, as soon as he heard 
 of Steuart's situation, h'^stei.u.l to Fort Loudon, " and pur- 
 chased him of the Indian who took him, giving him his 
 rifle, clothes, and all thrt he could command by way of 
 ransom : be then too)' possession of Captain Demere's house, 
 where he kept his ^ .isoner as one of his family, and hu- 
 manely shared with him the little provisions his table 
 afforded, until an opportunity should oflfer of rescuing him." 
 
 A quantity of ammunition was discovered by the In- 
 dians buried in the fort, and Occonostota determined to 
 proceed at once to lay siege to Fort Prince George. Captain 
 Steuart was informed that the assistance of himself and 
 his men would be required in the management of the great 
 guns, and that, furthermore, if the garrison should refuse 
 to capitulate, all the prisoners now in the hands of the 
 Indians should, one by one, be burned in sight of the fort. 
 Perceiving the difficulty of his situation, the captain begged 
 his kind old proprietor to assist him in effecting an escape, 
 and AttakuUakulla readily lent his aid. Upon pretence 
 of taking his prisoner out for a hunt, he left Fort Loudon, 
 with his wife and brother, and two English soldiers, and 
 took a direct course for the Virginia frontier. After a 
 most toilsome and dangerous march, they fell in with a 
 
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 450 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 party of three hundred men, sent out for the relief of such 
 of the garrison at Fort Loudon as might have effected their 
 escape. Being now in safety, Captain Steuart dismissed 
 his Indian friends with handsome rewards, to return and 
 attend to the welfare of his former fellow-prisoners. Such 
 of them as had survived were afterwards ransomed and 
 delivered up at Fort Prince George. 
 
 This post was immediately supplied with provisions in 
 anticipation of the siege ; and care was taken, through the 
 mediation of AttakullakuUa, to impress the Cherokees with 
 the idea that it was totally impregnable. 
 
 Matters appeared now to be, in some manner, at rest ; 
 but the majority of the Cherokee nation remained thor- 
 oughly inimical, and emissaries from the French colonies 
 were busy in their midst. A French officer, of the name 
 of Latinac, was especially successful in rousing up their 
 hostile feelings. As an instance of his style of proceeding, 
 it is related that, at a great conclave of the tribe, he 
 stepped out, and drove his hatchet into a log, calling out : 
 ** ' Who is the man that will take this up for the king of 
 France ? ' Saloud, a young warrior of Estatoe, laid hold of 
 it, and cried out, * I am for war ! the spirits of our brothers 
 who have been slain still call upon us to revenge their 
 death — he is no better than a woman who refuses to fol- 
 low me.* '* 
 
 In the following spring. Colonel James Grant, who had 
 succeeded to the command of the Highlanders employed 
 in British service in America, commenced active operations 
 against the belligerent nation. What with the aid of the 
 provincials and friendly Indians, he was at the head of 
 about twenty-six hundred men. The Chickasaws and 
 Catawbas lent some assistance to the English ; but the 
 Creeks are said to have alternately inclined to the French 
 or English, according as they received or hoped for favors 
 and presents. 
 
INDIANS OP THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 451 
 
 The army reached Fort Prince George on the 27th of 
 May, (1761,) and there old Attakullakulla made his ap- 
 pearance, deprecating the proposed vengeance of the whites 
 upon his people. He was told that the English still felt 
 the strongest regard for him individually, but that the ill- 
 will and misconduct of the majority of the nation were too 
 palpable and grgss to be suffered to go longer unpunished. 
 Colonel Grant marched from the fort in the month of June, 
 and advanced nearly to the spot where Montgomery's 
 progress had been arrested, before coming to an engage- 
 ment. Here the Cherokees, on the 10th, made a desperate 
 but unavailing stand ; they were routed and dispersed, leav- 
 ing their towns and villages of the interior to be destroyed 
 by the invaders. Etchoe was burned on the day following 
 the battle ; and, according to McCall, " all the other towns 
 in the middle settlement, fourteen in number, shared the 
 same fate : the corn, cattle, and other stores of the enemy, 
 were likewise destroyed, and those miserable savages, with 
 their families, were driven to seek shelter and subsistence 
 among the barren mountains.'* 
 
 Upon the return of the army to Fort Prince George, 
 after this campaign, Attakullakulla again visited the camp, 
 bringing with him a number of other Cherokee chiefs. 
 Broken down by their disastrous losses, and disgusted with 
 the deceitful promises of the French, they gladly acceded 
 to such terms as Colonel Grant thought fit to impose, and 
 a treaty of peace was formally concluded. .w. 
 
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 452 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 CAPTAIN STEU ART'S AOENCY, -DISTURBANCE IN 1767. — VISIT OP TE- 
 CUMSEri TO THE SOUTHERN TRIBES. —WEATIIERFORD.- SACK OP 
 FORT M1.MM8.— WAR OF 1813. — GENERAL JACKSON'S CAMPAIGN.— 
 BATTLES ON THE TALLUSAHATCHEE ; AT TALLADEGA, AUTOSSEB, 
 ETC.— THE HALLIBEES. -DEFEAT OP THE INDIANS AT HORSE-SHOE 
 BEND.— END OP THE WAR. 
 
 In the year 1762, it was thought advisable by the Eng- 
 Ksh government to appoint a general agent and superin- 
 tendent of Indian affairs at the south. Partly through the 
 earnest intervention of AttakuUakuUa, but especially be- 
 cause of his known sagacity and influence over the native 
 tribes, this office was conferred upon Captain John Steuart. 
 Upon entering on the duties of his appointment, he called 
 a great council of deputies, from all the southern tribes, at 
 Mobile. Addressing the assembled chiefs in their own 
 style of oratory, he explained to them the rela^'ions then 
 existing between France and England, impressing upon 
 them the idea that all residing east of the Mississippi, must 
 now look to the English for supplies and protection. He 
 directed his harangue to the several nations in separate 
 succession, promising entire amnesty to all who had taken 
 np the hatchet in behalf of the French ; commending those 
 who had remained faithful to the English ; and excusing 
 those who had sided with the enemy, as the victims of 
 deception. 
 
 It was proposed to adopt, at this time, a more just ind 
 equable policy towards the Indians than had heretoi.re 
 been used, and to take the necessary steps to secure them 
 against the deception of unprincipled speculators. Affairs, 
 accordingly, looked peaceful and prosperous for some 
 years. The natives made over a large additional tract of 
 
INDIANS OP THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 453 
 
 land to the growing colony of Georgia, to be sold, and the 
 avails applied to the discharge of the heavy debts they 
 had incurred for supplies of ammunition, clothing, &c. 
 The following circumstance sufficiently evinces the policy 
 of mild measures towards the Indians : In 1767, the whites 
 having made encroachments upon the Indian lands, some 
 of the Creek warriors began to retaliate by stealing horses 
 which they found upon their own territory. A party of 
 them also attacked a store at Trader's Hill, on the St. 
 Mary's, belonging to one Lemmons, and after plundering 
 it of its contents, burned the buildings. Some of the 
 whites pursued these marauders; recovered the stolen 
 horses ; laid hands upon what valuable goods they could 
 discover, and destroyed the villages of the offenders. Far 
 less important affairs have often led to long and bloody 
 wars with the natives ; but, in this instance, Governor 
 Wright, at Savannah, restored perfect quiet by decreeing 
 mutual restorations and compensation. 
 
 No events of very striking interest connected with the 
 Indians of the Southern States, call for our attention from 
 this period to that of the wars with the western tribes in 
 the early part of the present centuiy. Until they became, 
 to a certain extent, involved in those hostilities, they re- 
 mained in comparative peace with the American whites. 
 After the termination of the Revolutionary "War, and the 
 establishment of the independence of the United States, the 
 intrigues of opposing parties no longer operated to foment 
 disturbance, or to tempt the unfortunate savages to engage 
 in quarrels where they had nothing to gain, and which ever 
 resulted in their final discomfiture. 
 
 By a steady increase of numbers, and the adventurous 
 spirit of pioneers, the white settlers every where made ad- 
 vances upon the Indian territory. Sometimes large acqui- 
 sitions would be made by a government purchase ; but to 
 no small extent, the opinion that the occu?>ation of a few 
 
 
 
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 454 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 roving savages could give no notural title to lands, as op- 
 posed to the claims of those who had reclaimed, enclosed, 
 and improved the wilderness, satisfied the consciences of 
 the encroachers. The argument in favor of this conclusion 
 is by no means without force ; but who can take upon him- 
 self to draw the line of demarcation which shall decide, 
 upon any principle of universal application, the bounds of 
 so artificial a right as the ownership of land ? 
 
 In the autumn of 1811, the great Shawanee chief Te- 
 curaseh, in pursuance of his bold and extensive plans for 
 a universal association of the Indians against the whites, 
 made a tour among the southern tribes. His eloquent 
 appeals, and the overpowering energy which distinguished 
 this truly great man, proved successful in the winning 
 over to his views of no small number of the Indian war- 
 riors, even among those who had long maintained a friendly 
 intercourse with the Americans and the government of the 
 United States. 
 
 At the time of the declaration of war with England, 
 (June 18th, 1812,) the whole western border of the United 
 States was in a position of the greatest danger and inse- 
 curity. The machinations of Tecumseh and the Prophet 
 had roused an extensive flame of vindictive ferocity 
 throughout the Indian nations, while British agents, it is 
 said, were widely dispersed, and, by munificent promises 
 and artful persuasions, had still farther widened the breach 
 between the savages and their white countrymen. Fright- 
 ful scenes of depredation and murder called for a prompt 
 and decisive check. Many minor forays are recorded, but 
 the destruction of Fort Minims in the Tensau settlement 
 of Mississippi, in the summer of the year following, may 
 be considered the first important part taken by the south- 
 ern tribes in the wars of this period. We shall not under- 
 take, in our brief account of the Indian campaign of 1813, 
 to keep up a distinction between the different tribes of 
 
 i. .•-; 
 
INDIANS OP THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 455 
 
 Creeks, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Cherokees, &c., who were 
 drawn into hostilities. 
 
 Prominent among the chiefs and leaders of the southern 
 confederacy, was the celebrated Weatherford. His mother 
 was said to have been a Seminole, but he was born among 
 the Creeks. He was, beyond question, possessed of many 
 noble and commanding qualities, but these were combined 
 with cruelty, avarice, and degrading vices. A party of 
 about one thousand warriors, led by this popular chief, 
 fell upon the devoted Fort Mimms, on the 30th of Au- 
 gust, 1813. The post was garrisoned by one hundred and 
 sixty efficient soldiers ; the rest of its occupants, to the 
 number of one hundred and fifteen, consisted of old men, 
 women and children. The forces were under the com- 
 mand of Major Beasly. No regular preparations had been 
 made for the reception of so powerful an enemy, and al- 
 though the soldiers did their duty manfully, they were 
 overpowered, and all slain except seventeen. The women 
 and children having ensconced themselves in several block- 
 houses, met with a .lOre terrible fate. The savages set 
 fire to the buildings, and consumed them, together with 
 their inmates. 
 
 The settlers inhabiting exposed districts were now 
 obliged to fly for safety to places of protection, and the 
 hostile hordes of Indians were collecting their warriors for 
 further inroads upon the frontier. To resist them, a large 
 force was called into requisition in Tennessee, and the com- 
 mand bestowed upon General Andrew Jackson. Colonel 
 Coffee, at the head of a considerable body of troops, and 
 such volunteers as could be immediately collected, hastened 
 forward to defend the country in the vicinity of Huntsville. 
 General Jackson, although disabled at this time, by a 
 broken arm, determined to take the field in person, and 
 pushed on tlie necessary preparations with all that zeal and 
 energy which marked his character through life. 
 
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 456 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 News was brought by some runners from the establish- 
 ment of the friendly old Creek chief Chinnaby, that the 
 enemy was approaching Huntsville, or Fort Hampton, in 
 full force. The report was erroneous, but, as other rumors 
 seemed, at the time, to confirm it, the general hurried his 
 army on to relieve the post. This was on the 10th of Oc- 
 tober (1813). From Hunts ville, Jackson, with his forces, 
 crossed the Tennessee, and joined Colonel Coffee, who was 
 posted upon a high bluff on the south bank of the river. 
 
 From this place. Colonel Coffee was despatched, with 
 seven hundred men, to beat up the enemies' quarters on 
 the Black Warrior river, while the commander of the 
 army turned all his attention to securing some supplies of 
 provision for his famishing troops. Encamped in the 
 enemies' country, whither they had arrived by forced 
 marches, the troops were necessarily exposed to great hard- 
 ship and want. While awaiting supplies at this encamp- 
 ment. General Jackson had an interview with Shelocta, a 
 son of Chinnaby, who had come to request assistance for 
 his father and friends, blockaded in their fort by the hos- 
 tile Creeks. He said that a co' iderable force of the 
 enemy was now in the vicinity of ae Ten Islands, on the 
 Coosa. 
 
 The news was confirmed by other messengers, and the 
 commander proceeded towards the Coosa, to protect his 
 Indian allies, notwithstanding the straits to which his men 
 were reduced from want of provisions. The troops reached 
 the Islands without encountering an enemy. On the route, 
 Colonel Dyer was detaclied, with two hundred mounted 
 men, to fall upon Littafutchee, at the head of Canoe Creek, 
 a western tributary of the Coosa. He accomplished the 
 service, destroyed the town, and brought back to the camp 
 twenty-nine prisoners. 
 
 While encamped at the Ten Islands, the general ascer- 
 tained the real rendezvous of the enemy to be upon the 
 
 I , .-■ 
 

 INDIANS OP THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 457 
 
 Tallussahatchee Creek, emptying into the Coosa about 
 thirteen miles below the encampment. Colonel Coffee, 
 with nine hundred men, was promptly ordered upon the 
 duty of engaging them. He forded the Coosa at the Fish- 
 Dams, and approaching the Indian camp, so disposed his 
 forces as to partially surround it, while everal companies, 
 under Captain Hammond and Lieutenant Patterson, were 
 marched in to beat up the enemies' quarters. The savages 
 fought boldly and desperately, but wcie overpowered and 
 driven into their buildings, where one hundred and eighty- 
 six of their number perished, fighting hand to hand. 
 Eighty-four women and children weio taken prisoners, and 
 a number were killed, as is said, by accident, during the 
 melee. This battle was fought on the 3d of November 
 (1813). 
 
 A species of fortification was now prepared at the islands, 
 and named Fort Strother. On the 7th of the month, in- 
 formation was received that the enemy was collecting in 
 force to attack Talladega, — a post about thirty miles be- 
 low, occupied by friendly Indians, — and General Jackson, 
 with nearly his whole army, consisting of twelve hundred 
 infantry and eight hundred mounted men, hastened to its 
 relief. The baggage, the sick, and the wounded, were left, 
 under a guard of protection, at Fort Strother. 
 
 The river was forded by the mounted men, each carrying 
 one of the infantry behind him, a process which was con- 
 tinued till the whole army was safely landed on the oppo- 
 site shore. It was about midnigli^ when the march com- 
 menced, and on the evening of the ensuing day, a spot 
 only six miles from Talladega was reached. By four 
 o'clock, on the following morning, the troops were again in 
 motion ; and, acting upon intelligence obtained by recon- 
 noitring during the night, General Jackson was enabled 
 so to dispose his troops as partially to surround the camp 
 before the action commenced. It is unnecessary to give 
 
 
 
 s 
 
 
 
 I i; 
 

 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 \ , 
 
 458 
 
 INPIAN KAOIrS 01- . MERICA. 
 
 the details of this batcie- The Indians displayed both 
 courage and firmness, and by the impetuosity of their 
 attack, broke through the line of the advancing forces at a 
 point occupied by General Roberts' brigade. They were 
 driven in again by a body of reserved troops, but succeeded 
 in making their escape to the mountains, three miles dis- 
 tant, through an opening left by i ome miscalculation in the 
 direction of the Americans' advance. "In this battle," 
 according to Cobbett, "the force of the enemy was one 
 thousand and eighty, of whom two hundred and ninety- 
 nine were left dead on the ground ; and it is believed that 
 many were killed in the flight, who were not found when 
 the estimate was made. Their loss, on this occasion, as 
 stated since by themselve-j, was not less than six hundred. 
 That of the Americans vas fifteen killed and eighty 
 wounded, several of whoin .d'terwards died." 
 
 The friendly Indians, \/ho had been besieged in their 
 fort at this place, dej» rived even of water, expressed the 
 Hveliest gratitude and exultation at their release. The 
 idtigue, exposure, and want which the army were compelled 
 to undergo, now began to arouse a spirit of discontent and 
 mutiny. Few men ha\e ever possessed that self-devotion 
 2" ' noble spirit of endurance, combined with an inflexibil- 
 it'- f purpose never surpassed, which enabled Jackson to 
 quell the disturbances which arose, and to preserve the 
 forces under his charge in a condition for active and useful 
 service. 
 
 After the battle at Talladega, the Hallibee Indians, who 
 were largely concerned in that transaction, sued for peace. 
 They were told by the American general that this should 
 be accorded, upon condition of the restoration of plundered 
 property, and the delivering up of those who had taken 
 part in the massacre at Fort Mimms. Unfortunately, 
 while these negotiations were pending, General White, 
 acting under orders independent of General Jackson, 
 
mi>IAi;3 OP THE SOUTHERN STATES, 
 
 4C->9 
 
 attacked the towns of these Indians, destroyed ma'^T of 
 their warriors, and carried off several hundred ' iptives, 
 Supposing that this was by Jackson's orders, thoy e s pected 
 no further lavor, and fought thereafter with the civ. pcrutlon 
 of men to whom no quarter was to be given. 
 
 The result of this Indian campaign was the entire reduc- 
 tion of the hostile nations. We need not recount the va- 
 rious battles in which they were defeated and destroyed. 
 The most noted of these were at Autossee, where ssome 
 two hundred were massacred, on the 29th of November, 
 and that of the great bend in the Tallapoosie, known as 
 Horse-Shoe Bend. At this latter point, the Indians forti- 
 fied themselves for a last and desperate stand. 
 
 They were supposed to be about one thousand in num- 
 ber, and had been, for some time, strengthening their posi- 
 tion by every means within their reach. This was in the 
 month of March, 1814. On the 27th, General Jackson, 
 with a force of whites and friendly Indians, three times 
 the number of the enemy, commenced operations against 
 the fort. General Coffee, with most of the cav?'ry and 
 Indian allies, wan directed to surround the bend, in order 
 to cut off all retreat across the river. TLj place v- as then 
 carried by storm, under a heavy fire fror,i viihiti. More 
 than half the Indians were killed at tb hit, and an un- 
 known number perished in their endcavoio to escape by 
 crossing the river, beset as it was by the asbailants. Some 
 have asserted that pro ibly not more ^! an twenty ever 
 reached a place of safety. At a time vhen it ^vas evident 
 that the fortune of the day was decided, Geiu^ral Jackson 
 sent a messenger, with a flag of truce, to invite a surrender, 
 but, from ignorance or desperation, the savages fired upon 
 the bearer of the flag. After this, no meuy was shown: 
 until night put an end to the work of destruction, they 
 were shot or cut down wherever they could be found, and 
 even on the following morning, a considerable number " cie 
 
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 1.1:1 vi 
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 460 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 ferreted out from the " caves and reeds," where they had 
 sought concealment, and remorselessly put to death. Sev- 
 eral hundred women and children were made captives. 
 The loss of the attacking army in this battle was fifty-five 
 killed, and one hundred and forty-six wounded. 
 
 In the ensuing month, (April,) General Jackson having 
 effected a junction with the troops from Georgia, under 
 Colonel Milton, received a deputation from the principal 
 hostile tribes, expressing a wish for peace. The general 
 demanded, as one condition upon which he would treat, 
 and as a test of the sincerity of the proposal, that the 
 great but notorious Weatherford should be delivered up 
 for punishment. This chief, hearing of the requisition, 
 and hopeless of further success in resistance, came volun- 
 tarily to the American camp, and presenting himself before 
 the commander, with characteristic dignity and composure, 
 requested peace foi his people, and announced his own sub- 
 mission to his fate, whatever it might be. 
 
 His speech on this occasion is given as follows : " I am 
 in ) -ar power — do with me as you please — I am a sol- 
 dier. I have done the whites all the harm I could. I 
 have fought them, and fought them bravely. If I had an 
 army, I would yet fight — I would contend to the last : 
 but I have none. My people are all gone. I can only 
 weep over the misfortunes of my nation." 
 
 On being told that he was still at liberty to depart, and 
 that no favor would be shown to him or his nation unless 
 they should submit to whatever terms the whites should see 
 fit to impose, he replied : " You can safely address me in 
 such terms now. There was a time wlien I could have 
 answered you — there was a time when I had a choice — I 
 have none now. I have not even a hope. I could once 
 animate my warriors to battle ; but I cannot animate the 
 dead. My warriors can no longer hear my voice. Their 
 bones are at Talladega, Tallusshatchee, Emuckfaw, and 
 
 J" 
 
INDIANS OF THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 461 
 
 Tohopeka. * * * * You are a brave man ; 1 rely upon 
 your generosity. You will exact no terms of a conquered 
 people but such as they should accede to." 
 
 This was the last important incident of the campaign. 
 The Indians submitted to the dictation of the whites, and 
 retired to the districts assigned them, eastward of the Coosa. 
 
 -■•w^-r,/w^•'^ 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE REMOVAL OF THE CHEROKEES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. — PRES- 
 ENT LOCATION AND CONDITION OP THE OTHER TRIBES OP THE 
 SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 " Bearing a people with all its household gods into exile, 
 Exile without an end, and without an example in story." 
 
 Longfellow. 
 
 But a few years have passed since the Cherokees were 
 in the peaceful occupation of an immense and fertile terri- 
 tory in the northern part of Georgia. They numbered not 
 far from eighteen thousand, and were increasing in a ratio 
 which attested their power of self-support and improve- 
 ment. They had made advances far beyond most of their 
 red brethren in the arts of agriculture and manufactures. 
 A system of legislation adapted to their capacities and 
 wants had been established, and, generally speaking, the 
 nation exhibited a praiseworthy spectacle of sobriety, in- 
 dustry, and good order. They were in possession of about 
 eight millions of acres of land, and their ability and incli- 
 nation to cultivate it may appear from the statistics of their 
 stock and agricultural implements. In 1826, they were 
 the owners of seven thousand six hundred horses, twenty- 
 two thousand cattle, forty-six thousand swine, and two 
 thousand five hundred sheep. There were in use among 
 
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 462 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 them two thousand nine hundred and forty-three ploughs, 
 and one hundred and seventy-two wagons. They occupied 
 their territory under the treaties entered into, and within 
 the bounds assigned, at the negotiations between the con- 
 federate states and the Indian tribes of the south, at the 
 close of the revolutionary war. 
 
 In the year 1802, when the long- vexed question of the 
 boundaries of the state of Georgia was finally settled, the 
 United States stipulated to extinguish the title of the 
 Cherokees to the lands then in their possession, " as early 
 as the same could be peaceably obtained, upon reasonable 
 terms." 
 
 As the states of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi 
 increased in power and population, they became more and 
 more impatient of the existence of self-governing and 
 independent tribes within their boundaries, and began to 
 exert a control over them in some instances exceedingly 
 unjust and oppressive. Strong efforts were made to induce 
 an emigration of these Indians to the west, which were in 
 some measure successful, and, prior to 1829, a cession or 
 sale of a very large district had been obtained from the 
 Cherokees. The members of this tribe, naturally attached 
 to the beautiful country in which they had passed their 
 lives, finally determined to retain possession of what re- 
 mained of their lands, and to allow of no further sales 
 to whites. 
 
 In December, of the above year, the state of Georgia 
 passed a series of acts which justly aroused the fears and 
 indignation of the Indians, and excited a feeling of sym- 
 pathy in their behalf, as powerful as extensive. The laws 
 of the state were declared to be in full force over all the 
 Aborigines within its limits ; the regulations and pro.vis- 
 ions of the Cherokee council were declared invalid and 
 void ; heavy penalties (amounting to years ol imprison- 
 ment at hard labor) were awarded against any Cherokee 
 
 1 
 
1 
 
 INDIANS OF THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 463 
 
 who should " endeavor " to oppose emigration ; and it was 
 even enacted, by the fifteenth section, " that no Indian, or 
 descendant of an Indian, within the Cherokee nation of 
 Indians, shall be a competent witness in any court of 
 Georgia, in a suit in which a white man is a party, unless 
 such white man resides within said nation." 
 
 Notwithstanding the adverse opinions of many of the 
 ablest jurists in the country, as to the constitutionality or 
 validity of these and other provisions of the Georgia legis- 
 lature, and even a decision against them in the Supreme 
 Court of the United States, they were, to a certain extent, 
 enforced. The situation of the Indians became, in con- 
 sequence, so precarious and uncomfortable, that a con- 
 siderable party was formed among them of those favorable 
 to migration. At the head of this faction was Major 
 Ridge, while the celebrated John Ross was the leader of 
 those opposed to the movement — a very large majority 
 of the nation. 
 
 Matters continued in a disturbed and unquiet state, until 
 1835. At this time, the Rev. J. T. Schermerhorn was de- 
 puted by the United States executive to bring about a treaty 
 whereby the Cherokees should remove peaceably, receiving 
 a reasonable compensation for the improvements which 
 they should leave behind them. ■ i ' r '"• 
 
 The negotiation appears to have been conducted as most 
 Indian treaties have been, wherever a specific object was to 
 be gained. Notice was given of a council to be held, and 
 a collection of those favorable to the proposed emigration 
 ratified a treaty by which the whole tribe was bound to 
 remove within two years. Notwithstanding the obvious 
 want of authority on the part of those individuals to bind 
 the nation, and a remonstrance signed by the thousands 
 who opposed the treaty, it was ratified by Congress. An 
 appropriation was made for the indemnification of those 
 who should suffer loss by being torn from th( homes, and 
 
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 464 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 
 for the other expenses attending the iniquitous transaction, 
 and nothing was left to the unhappy Cherokees but sub- 
 mission. 
 
 No resistance was made, as, indeed, any opposition 
 would have been utterly fruitless. The United States' 
 forces, sent to overawe the Indians and enforce compliance 
 with the cruel edict, found no call for their services. With 
 a commendable spirit of energy and perseverance, the 
 Cherokees, with their brethren of the neighborii' ; tribes 
 of the south, have pursued the arts and refinements of 
 civilization in their new homes at the west. They are now 
 set down as numbering not far from twenty-six thousand, 
 of whom by far the lar^ir portion is located west of the 
 Mississippi. A considerable settlement, however, is still 
 existing in North Carolina. 
 
 The Creeks or Muscogees have been continually emi- 
 grating westward since the era of the difficulties between 
 the southern states and the Indians within their limits, in 
 1828-9, et seq. They enjoy a tolerably systematic form of 
 government, and are in many respects prosperous. 
 
 Without going into a particular description of the con- 
 dition of the other emigrating nations, we will conclude 
 this subject with the remarks of Mr. Schoolcraft, upon 
 " The problem of civilization," to be solved in the future 
 iiistory of these races. " Whatever doubts have existed, 
 heretofore, in regard to the satisfactory solution of this 
 question, they must now give way before the cheering re- 
 sults that have attended the philanthropic efforts that have, 
 from time to time, been made, and are at present going on 
 among the Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Creeks. 
 These tribes yielded their country east of the Mississippi, 
 rendered dear to them by the associations of youth, their 
 traditions, and the graves of their fathers. They had 
 learned the great truths of Christianity, and the arts 
 of agriculture, and of civilized life ; yet they gave up 
 
INDIANS OP THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
 
 465 
 
 all, and sought a new home in the far-ofF wilderness, and 
 have made in that wilderness fruitful and rich farms, and 
 flou 1 ishing villages. Some of their schools are of a high 
 order. The gospel ministry is well attended. Some of 
 their constitutions are purely republican. The people are 
 increasing in numbers. Peace dwells within their limits, 
 and plenteousness within their borders ; civilization upon 
 Christian principles ; agriculture and the mechanic arts ; 
 and schools. "With these primary and fundamental prin- 
 ciples of human happiness, civilization among them is no 
 longer problematical." 
 
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 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE ESatnUAUX; THEIR MANNERS AND PERSONAL APPEAUANCE 
 
 ACCOUNTS OP EARLY VOYAGER 5 — ESUUIMAUX HABITATIONS, FOOD, 
 
 ETC. — THE KAIAK OR CANOE. — SEALING THE REINDEER. — USES 
 
 OP THE DOG. — PATRIARCHAL GOVERNMENT. — EFFECTS OP FOREIGN 
 INTERCOURSE. 
 
 " Semper hyems ; semper spirantes &igora Cauri." 
 
 Virgil. 
 
 There is little, besides some analogies in language, to 
 connect the uncouth race which forms the subject of this 
 chapter with the inhabitants of the more genial climates 
 of North America. The Esquimaux are spread over a 
 vast region at the north, dwelling principally upon the 
 sea-coast, and upon the numbenebs inlets and sounds with 
 which the country is intersected. There is a striking simi- 
 larity in the language, habits and appearance of all the 
 tribes of the extreme north, from Greenland to Bhering's 
 Straits. 
 
 Charlevoix gives a very uninviting description of their 
 personal aspect. He tells us that there are none of the 
 American races who approach so nearly to the idea usu- 
 ally entertained in Europe of " savages " as do the Esqui- 
 maux. In striking contrast to the thin beard (for the 
 most part artificially eradicated) of other American abo- 
 rigines, these people have that excrescence " si dpaisse 
 jusq^aux yeux, qu*on a peine d decouvrir quelques traits 
 
 (4G6) 
 
NOBTHEBN RACES. 
 
 467 
 
 de leur visage.** It covers their faces nearly to the eyes ; 
 so that one can scarcely distinguish some features of their 
 countenance. They have, moreover, he says, something 
 hideous in their general aspect and demeanor — small, wild- 
 looking eyes, large and very foul teeth, the hair generally 
 black, but sometimes fair, and always in extreme disorder, 
 and their whole exterior rough and brutish. Their man- 
 ners and character do not falsify this unprepossessing 
 physiognomy. They are savage, rude, suspicious, unquiet, 
 and always evil-disposed towards strangers. He considers 
 ^ their fair hair and skin, with the slight general resemblance 
 they bear towards, and the limited intercourse they carry 
 on with, the neighboring natives, as indisputable evidence 
 of a separate origin. 
 
 Prichard says, that " the description given by Crantz of 
 the Greenlanders, may well apply to the whole race. They 
 are, for the most part, under five feet in stature. They have 
 well-shaped and proportioned limbs. Their face is com- 
 monly broad and flat, with high cheek-bones, but round 
 and plump cheeks ; their eyes are little and black, but de- 
 void of sparkling fire j their nose is not flat, but small, and 
 projecting but little ; their mouth is little and round, and 
 the under lip somewhat thicker than the other. They 
 have universally coal-black, straight, strong and long hair 
 on their heads, but no beards, because they root it out." — 
 These last particulars will be seen to be variant from the 
 description given above by Charlevoix, of the race in 
 general. — Crantz proceeds: "Their hands and feet are 
 little and soft, but their head and the rest of their limbs 
 are large. They have high breasts and broad shoulders j 
 their whole body is fat." 
 
 The descriptions handed down by the most ancient 
 
 voyagers to Greenland of the Skraellings or natives whom 
 
 they encountered, corresponds very nearly with the general 
 
 outline above given. They speak of them as a dwarfish 
 
 27 
 
 
 ,1 .:-'-ri^-*-i:. 
 
 III. 
 
 V?: 
 
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 It'/' < ^Jih.\ 
 
 
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 '^"'''-1 
 
 '2Mii<k^'ii^SftL'd 
 
 468 
 
 INDIAN RAGES OF AMERICA. 
 
 people — seldom more than four feet four inches in height ; 
 suspicious and hostile towards strangers ; subsisting upon 
 the products of the sea ; clothed in the same style, and using 
 the same weapons, boats and implements, as those still in- 
 habiting the country. The inhospitable nature of their 
 climate, their slender resources, and the deterioration of the 
 race consequent upon such a mode of life as theirs, seem to 
 preclude the probability of much improvement ever taking 
 place in their condition. 
 
 The Esquimaux received little better treatment, at the 
 hands of the early European discoverers, than did their 
 brethren farther south. It is strange to read of the cool- 
 ness with which those adventurers speak of the enormities 
 committed not unfrequently against the unoffending and 
 ignorant natives. The meeting with several " wild men,'* 
 and the killing one of them " to make the rest tractable," 
 is mentioned as a passing and ordinary event. 
 
 In Frobisher's expedition, after a skirmish in which 
 many of the Indians were killed, two prisoners were taken. 
 One of them, an old woman, was so disgustingly hideous 
 in her whole appearance that suspicions were entertained 
 lest she should be the devil himself; and the captors pro- 
 ceeded to pluck off her buskins, in order to satisfy them- 
 selves as to whether the cloven hoof was not concealed by 
 them. The other captive, a young woman, with a wounded 
 child in her arms, was retained, but the old hag was dis- 
 missed as being too revolting an object to be endured. 
 "When attempts were made to apply remedies to the wound 
 of the child, the mother " licked off with her tongue the 
 dressings and salves, and cured it in her own way." 
 
 John Davis was disposed to treat them more kindly 
 than most of his predecessors, but his indignation was 
 finally excited by their " practising their devilish nature," 
 and he allowed his men to retaliate upon them in some 
 measure. 
 
 
NORTHERN RACES. 
 
 46U 
 
 Notwithstanding the bad character given of this people, 
 it appears that, after their first suspicions are allayed, they 
 prove gentle and tractable associates ; and are by no means 
 wanting in urbanity and kindliness. How readily their 
 suspicions are allayed, will appear from the account of 
 Captain Back's first meeting with a small party of Esqui- 
 maux. They were seen at a short distance, gathering in 
 excited groups, or running about at their wits-end with 
 astonishment at the appearance of these " Kabloonds " or 
 Europeans, being the first they had ever seen. "When the 
 English began to advance towards them, they were at first 
 repelled by wild outcries, and gesticulations, and by hostile 
 demonstrations with the spears, w^hich formed the weapons 
 of the Indians. The uncouth group stood in a semi-circle, 
 "yelling out some unintelligible word," as the captain 
 boldly and composedly walked up to them, and made signs 
 of peace, throwing up his hands, as he observed them to do, 
 and calling out " Tima " — (peace). " In an instant their 
 spears were flung to the ground ; and, putting their hands 
 on their breasts, they also called out Tima, with much 
 more, doubtless greatly to the purpose." 
 
 Any attempt to give a connected history of the Esqui- 
 maux, from the time of their first intercourse with Eu- 
 ropeans would necessarily resolve itself into a narrative of 
 the various polar expeditions. The progress of the Chris- 
 tian missions upon the coast, could we afford space to 
 enter upon it, might throw some light upon the natural 
 endowments of the race; but we must content ourselves 
 with a few general descriptions, cited indiscriminately from 
 different authors. 
 
 The dwellings of the Esquimaux consist either of mov- 
 able tents, constructefd of poles and skins, in the style of 
 an ordinary Indian wigwam, or of regularly arched domes 
 of snow and ice. The precision, rapidity, and geometrical 
 accuracy which they display in shaping the blocks of which 
 
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 ^f^M- 
 
 Ft; ' ;^ fl 
 
 470 
 
 INDIAN RAGES OF AMERICA. 
 
 these snow huts are composed, excite the admiration of the 
 beholder. An art which the architects of the ancient na- 
 tions of Europe never acquired — the formation of the arch 
 — has from time immemorial been in use among this un- 
 tutored race. The snow houses prove as tight, warm, and 
 comfortable as could be desired ; but the habits of the occu- 
 pants render them insufferably offensive to the whites. 
 Crowded with dogs, defiled with oil, blubber, and offal ; 
 and blackened by smoke and filth, they are said to nauseate 
 even those whose lives are passed amid the impurities of a 
 whale-ship. A person entering one of these huts is obliged 
 to ;p through a low arched passage into the principal 
 apartment, which, like those leading from it, presents the 
 appearance of a perfectly-formed dome, lighted by a window 
 of transparent ice let into the roof. 
 
 The tents, used upon the migratory expeditions in search 
 of game, consist of skins, supported by a circle of poles 
 bent together at the top, and in severe weather, thickly 
 lined within with reindeer skins. During the long dark 
 night of winter, when food is exceedingly scarce, shut up 
 in these dismal abodes, and enduring extremes of cold 
 and privation elsewhere unknown, the condition of the 
 Esquimaux seems most deplorable to one who has lived in 
 the enjoyment of the comforts of civilization. Far, how- 
 ever, from complaining^ of their lot, they exhibit a singular 
 cheerfulness and equanimity, even when in the greatest 
 straits. Parry speaks, in the following words, of the mis- 
 erable condition of a few Esquimaux who inhabited a hut 
 in a deserted village, after the rest of the tribe had moved 
 westward at the approach of spring. "The remaining 
 tenants of each hut had combined to occupy one of the 
 apartments ; a great part of the bed-places were still bare, 
 and the wind and drift blowing in through the holes which 
 they had not yet taken the trouble to stop up. The old 
 man Hikkeiera and his wife occupied a hut by themselves, 
 
N0RTR3RN RACES. 
 
 471 
 
 •without any lamp, or a single ounce of meat belonging to 
 tliem ; while three small skins, on which the former was 
 lying, were all that they possessed in the way of blankets. 
 Upon the whole, I never beheld a more miserable specta- 
 cle, and it seemed a charity to hope that a violent and con- 
 stant cough with which the old man was afflicted, would 
 speedily combine with his age and infirmities to release 
 him from his present sufferings. Yet, in the midst of all 
 this, he was even cheerful, nor was there a gloomy counte- 
 nance to be seen at the village." 
 
 The flesh of the reindeer, musk-ox, walrus, and seal, 
 with fish, water-fowl, and occasionally the carcass of a 
 stranded whale, forms the chief nourishment of the Es- 
 quimaux. Nothing that has life comes* amiss to them, and, 
 although they prefer cooked meat to raw, this preparation 
 is by no means deemed essential. The only vegetable diet 
 procurable at the extreme north, except at those places 
 where the natives can obtain foreign articles, consists of 
 the leaves of sorrel, ground-willow, &c., with a few berries 
 and roots. 
 
 " In eating their meals," according to Parry's account, 
 ** the mistress of the family, having previously cooked the 
 meat, takes a large lump out of the pot with her fingers, 
 and hands it to her husband, who, placing a part of it be- 
 tween his teeth, cuts it off with a large knife in that posi- 
 tion, and then passes the knife and meat together to his 
 next neighbor. In cutting off a mouthful of meat the 
 knife passes so close to their lips, that nothing but constant 
 habit could insure them from the danger of the most ter- 
 rible gashes ; and it would make an English mother shud- 
 der to see the manner in which children five or six years 
 old, are at all times freely trusted with a knife to be used 
 in this way." 
 
 Most of the birds and quadrupeds upon which they rely 
 are migratory, and only to be taken between the months 
 
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 472 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 of May and October. In March, April and May, the dif- 
 ficult and dangerous hunting of the seal and walrus is their 
 only resource, and success in the pursuit their only refuge 
 from starvation. The " kaiak " or canoe, constructed of 
 skins, and capable of containing but a single person, is all- 
 essential in seal-hunting. Great dexterity is required in 
 its management, and how the operation of throwing the 
 dart or harpoon, and of securing the bulky prey, can be 
 carried on in safety in such a slender and unsteady con- 
 veyance, seems incomprehensible to the unpractised eye. 
 The frail boat is built with great elegance and lightness. A 
 frame of slender beams of fir is constructed, twenty or 
 twenty-five feet in length, a little less than two feet in 
 breadth, and about One foot deep. This is entirely covered 
 with the skin of the neitiek, or small seal, so neatly and 
 strongly sewed as to be perfectly water-tight. A circular 
 hole is then cut in the deck, wherein sits the solitary nav- 
 igator, urging the kaiak forward by means of a paddle hav- 
 ing a blade at each end. He cannot founder so long as he 
 can maintain an upright position. An upset would be in- 
 evitable destruction to one unacquainted with the nature of 
 the craft, but the Esquimaux readily rights the kaiak under 
 such circumstances, by a dexterous use of his pidd'e. A 
 float is attached to the harpoon, used in striking thr, seal, 
 which prevents him from escape by diving. As he reap- 
 pears, afler a momentary submersion, his pursuers press 
 upc<n and speedily despatch him. 
 
 "When the prey is brought to land, the duty of flaying, 
 separating, and preparing it for preservation, devolves 
 upon the women. Nothing is allowed to be wasted, but 
 every portion of the carcass is applied to some useful pur- 
 pose ; the fastidiousness of the whites, touching the portions 
 suitable for food, being utterly unknown. The lean meat 
 of the seal and other animals is preserved in various ways. 
 Much of it is cut in thin slices, and dried in the warm and 
 
 f€#>i^^l 
 
NORTHERN RACES. 
 
 473 
 
 smoky atmosphert of the huts, and a concentrated article 
 of food, called " Pemraican," is prepared by pounding it 
 with fat. 
 
 The welcome event of a wounded or dead whale being 
 driven on shore, brings down the whole neighboring pop- 
 ulation to share in the spoL Nothing could be more 
 valuable to these people than the various substances ob- 
 tained from the enormous carcass. The blubber is sepa- 
 rated and preserved for oil; the coarse muscular tissue 
 forms to them a palatable article of food ; the sinews serv? 
 for lines and cordage ; and the whale-bone is made avail- 
 able by traffic with Europeans. - 
 
 Of the reindeer, two species fumish food and clothing 
 to the inhabitants of the cold regions of northern America, 
 although, singularly enough, none of them have succeeded 
 in domesticating the animal. They are accustomed to 
 discard no portion of the flesh, and even devour the con- 
 tents of the stomach. Perhaps in no instance has the ser- 
 vice of an animal proved of more signal aid and comfort 
 to any race than that of the dog to the Esquimaux. The 
 principal use to which he is applied is that of drawing the 
 sledge, but, upon hunting excursions, in the summer, he is 
 loaded with a weight, it is said, of some thirty pounds. 
 The sledges in which winter journe/s are performed, are 
 drawn by a number of dogs proportionate to the weight to 
 be transported, the distance to be traversed, and perhaps 
 the possessions of the owner. The animals are separately 
 connected with the sledge, at unequal distances, by single 
 thongs of leather or hide. The most sagacious and well- 
 trained of the pack is placed at the end of the longest 
 tether, some twenty fee.t from the vehicle, to act as leader, 
 and the intelligence and certainty with which he obeys the 
 signal of command from the driver is very striking. 
 
 The whip with which the movements of the team are 
 guided, and with which the refractory or stupid are disci- 
 
 
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 474 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AStERICA. 
 
 plined, Consists of a short stock — only eighteen inches in 
 length — to which a lash, long enough to reach the leading 
 dog, is attached, and allowed to trail beside the sledge. 
 This lash is rendered pliable by a process resorted to for 
 preparing leather for various purposes, viz. : that of chew- 
 ing. The operation is performed by the women, and to its 
 constant exercise, some travellers attribute the bad condi- 
 tion of their teeth, before noticed. The sledge is composed 
 of two runners, of wood or bone, — sometimes of the jaw- 
 bones of a whale, — connected by cross-pieces and lashings. 
 Moss is packed closely between these, and skins are laid 
 upon the top. The runners are preserved from wear, and 
 made to slide easily over the surface of the snow by coat- 
 ing them with smooth ice. 
 
 The Esquimaux perform journeys of sixty miles a day, 
 with a single pack of dogs, and stories, at first glance al- 
 most incredible, are told of the distances accomplished, and 
 the weights transported by particularly fine specimens of 
 the breed. Besides serving as a beast of burden and 
 draught, the Esquimaux dog is a bold and active assistant 
 in the hunt for reindeer, bears, &c. ; but, singularly 
 enough, while he will rush upon an animal, so much his 
 supeiior in size and strength as the bear, he is terror- 
 stricken at the sight of the wolf, to whom he bears a strik- 
 ing resemblance, and with whom he would seem more 
 equally matched. 
 
 Faithful and docile, and subsisting up^n the coarsest 
 refuse, the dog supplies to tha Esquimaux the place of the 
 reindeer, in other high latitudes, for all laborious service. 
 He meets with nothing but rough treatment and scanty 
 fare : his master never caresses or makes much of him ; 
 but this does not prevent him from forming the strong at- 
 tachments peculiar to the race. 
 
 No where do we find a system of patriarchal government 
 maintained in more primeval simplicity than among the 
 
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;hes in 
 eading 
 jledge. 
 , to for 
 
 chew- 
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 condi- 
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 shings. 
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 coarsest 
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 service, 
 scanty 
 of him ; 
 rong at- 
 
 ernment 
 ong the 
 
 NORTHERN RAGES. 
 
 476 
 
 Esquimaux, and no wtiere is that authority more mildly 
 administered. Families and communities live together in 
 the greatest harmony, and no one arrogates to himself a 
 control over those about him beyond the circle of his own 
 family. Dexterity and success in fishing and hunting form 
 almost the only claim for admiration or distinction in the 
 eyes of this unsophisticated people. So peaceful and con- 
 tented a life, amid the eternal snows of the north, with 
 such few means of comfort and enjoyment, stands forth in 
 striking contrast with the private discontent and public 
 animosity of more privileged nations. 
 
 Where the natives of Greenland and other countries at 
 the north have held free intercourse with Europeans, in- 
 stances have been found, among them, of much higher in- 
 telligence than is usually attributed to the race. Captain 
 Parry, in his second voyage, particularly describes a female 
 named Tligliuk. Her correct ear fc" music, and apprecia- 
 tion of its beauties, were very remarkable ; and the inter- 
 est and attention which all the novel mechanical arts exer- 
 cised on board the ship excited in her mind, gave evidence 
 of no little capacity for improvement. 
 
 We cannot give a better idea of the effect which inter- 
 course with foreigners has produced upon some of the Es- 
 quimaux, in changing their original quiet and unobtrusive 
 demeanor, than by the following quotation from Captain 
 Lyon : 
 
 " I could not but compare the boisterous, noisy, fat fel- 
 lows, who were along-side, in excellent canoes, with well- 
 furnished, iron-headed weapons, and handsome clothing, 
 with the poor people we had seen at Southampton Island ; 
 the latter with their spear-heads, arrows, and even knives 
 of chipped flint, without canoes, wood, or iron, and with 
 their tents and clothes full of holes, yet of mild manners, 
 quiet in speech, and as grateful for kindness as they were 
 anxious to return it, while those now along-side had, per- 
 
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 476 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 haps, scarcely a virtue left, owing to the roguery they had 
 learned from their annual visit to the Hudson's Bay ships. 
 An air of saucy independence, a most clamorous demand 
 for presents, and several attempts at theft, some of which 
 were successful, were their leading characteristics. Yet I 
 saw not why I should constitute myself the censor of these 
 poor savages ; and our barter was accordingly conducted 
 in such a manner as to enrich them veiy considerably." 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE ESaUIMAUX OF MELVILLE PENINSULA THEIR STATURE AND 
 
 COSTUME. — SNOW HUTS AND THEIR FURNITURE. — IMPLEMENTS 
 FOR HUNTING AND SEALING. — MENTAL TRAITS. 
 
 The most complete picture ever yet given of Esquimaux 
 life and peculiarities, is to be found in " Parry's Second 
 Voyage in search of a North-west Passage ; " particularly 
 in that portion of the work, at the end of th(? narrative, 
 devoted to an ** account of the Esquimaux of Melville Pe- 
 ninsula and the adjoining Islands." It is our purpose, in 
 this chapter, to give a brief outline of the statistics and 
 details there collected. 
 
 Bespecting their general appearance. Parry's descrip- 
 tion of the natives does not vary materially from that 
 which we have already given. He represents their stature 
 as follows : the *' average height of the men, five feet, five 
 and one-third inches ; of the women, five feet and one-half 
 inch." The women appear shorter than this standard, from 
 a stoop acquired by carrying their infants in a " hood," 
 and from the great bulk of their clothing. They are not 
 an ill-formed race, and, among the tribe, were " three or 
 four grown-up people, of each sex, who, when divested of 
 their skin dresses, their tattooing, and, above all, of their 
 
 ^-M 
 
ley had 
 |r ships, 
 demand 
 f which 
 Yet I 
 jf these 
 nducted 
 ly." 
 
 'URE AND 
 ELEMENTS 
 
 [^uimaux 
 i Second 
 ticularly 
 arrative, 
 ville Pe- 
 rpose, in 
 tics and 
 
 desciip- 
 om that 
 r stature 
 feet, five 
 one-half 
 lid, from 
 hood," 
 f are not 
 
 three or 
 ested of 
 
 of their 
 
 NORTHERN RACES. 
 
 477 
 
 dirt, might have been considered pleasing-looking, if not 
 handsome people, in any town in Europe." 
 
 They wear their hair generally long ; the men allow- 
 ing it to flow carelessly, while the women dispose it in 
 two plaits or queues, which hang down on each side of 
 the face. 
 
 Their dress bears marks of no little skill and nicety of 
 finish, and is admirably calculated to defend them from 
 the terrible severity of the winter season. A double outfit 
 of jackets, breeches, and boots, made of deer and seal- 
 skins ; the inner suit having the hair turned inward, while 
 the outer garment exhibits a hairy defence against the 
 snow or rain, is essential upon all occasions of exposure 
 to the open air. "Water-proof boots and shoes, made of 
 seal-skin, form a complete protection from the wet when 
 the men are engaged in fishing and sealing. A warm 
 and comfortable hood of furs covers the head and neck, 
 and surrounds the face. The most absurd and ungainly 
 portion of the dress of either sex is the boo*, worn by the 
 women. This is enormously enlarged, for the purpose of 
 furnishing a convenient pocket or general receptacle for 
 whatever may be carried upon the person. The cavity is 
 even large enough to admit of a child being stowed in it — 
 a common custom in Labrador. 
 
 All their clothing is strongly and neatly stitched, and 
 no little pains is taken to render it ornamental by a judi- 
 cious arrangement of light and dark furs. 
 
 The true Indian taste for beads and showy ornaments 
 prevails, and is satisfied, when other materials are wanting, 
 by affixing numberless strings of the teeth of wild animals 
 to the borders of their garments. In one instance, " a row 
 of foxes* noses " was seen " attached to the forepart of a 
 woman's jacket like a tier of black buttons." 
 
 All the women of this tribe were thoroughly tattooed. 
 The manner of performing this operation was by passing 
 
 
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 flpti 
 
 478 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 a needle and thread through the outer skin, the thread 
 being saturated with oil and lampblack. 
 
 The internal arrangements of the circular snow-huts in 
 which the winter is passed, are as follows : Around each 
 room, next the wall, a bank of enow is built to the height 
 of two or three feet, upon which are placed, first a coating 
 of pebbles, then a row of tent-poles, paddles, and whale- 
 bone, and above all a layer of birch twigs, Upon these 
 are spread the skins and furs which constitute the bedding 
 of the inmates. It is nvident that quite a low temperature 
 must be maintained in order to preserve both house and 
 furniture. The only means of warming the huts is by a 
 sort of lamp, consisting of a shallow dish wrought of stone 
 (lapis ollaris), " its form being the lesser segment of a 
 circle. The wick, consisting of dry moss rubbed between 
 the hands till it is quite inflammable, is disposed along 
 the edge of the lamp on the straight side, and a greater 
 or smaller quantity lighted according to the heat required 
 or the fuel that can be afforded." The flame is fed by 
 the drippings of a slice of fat or blubber, suspended with- 
 in reach of the blaze. The stone pots for cooking are 
 hung over this lamp, and, above all, is a net, stretched 
 upon a hoop, whereon wet boots and other garments are 
 placed to dry. 
 
 The general atmosphere of the apartment is kept a little 
 below the freezing point. Parry observed the thermome- 
 ter, at a time when it fell to twenty-five degrees below 
 zero in the open air, to stand at thirty-two degrees within 
 a few feet of the fire ; and this when the hut was filled 
 with Indians and dogs. To increase the warmth, occasions 
 a troublesome dripping from the roof, an inconvenience 
 to which the inhabitants are obliged to submit during 
 
 
 U 
 
 1 v: 
 
 4' 
 
NORTHERN RACES. 
 
 479 
 
 8o!ne of the spring months, before the season has become 
 mild enough for dwelling in tents. 
 
 The principal household utensils are the lamps and pots 
 above mentioned, certain cups of .e horn of the musk-ox, 
 vessels of whalebone, and the ivory or iron knife. The 
 latter, or at least the material of which it is composed, is 
 obtained by commerce with the whites. They manufacture 
 themselves a knife, having a thin iron edge let into the 
 bone which forms the blade. To a limited extent some or 
 the Esquimaux obtain and manufacture iron from the iron 
 pyrites found in certain localities, and which serves them 
 for flint and st ;el in lighting fires. 
 
 The implements for hunting, in use among these Esqui- 
 maux, are simple but effective. The "siatko," which 
 serves the purpose of a harpoon in taking seals, walruses, 
 and even whales, is a particularly ingenious contrivance. 
 It consists of a short piece of bone, pointed with iron, and 
 attached by the centre to the " allek," or long thong of 
 leather. The blunt end of the siatko is fitted to th^ end 
 of the dart, and is attached by a line, that it can be disen- 
 gaged the instant the dart strikes the prey. From the 
 manner in which it is slung, it instantly turns at right 
 angles to the direction of its entrance, and will endure a 
 very severe strain before it can be drawn out. At the 
 other end of the " allek " is tied an inflated seal-skin, which 
 serves to bring the animal quickly to the surface of the 
 water. 
 
 For their bows, they are obliged to use the wood of the 
 fir-tree, and, in order to give them the requisite strength 
 and elasticity, they are very artfully and neatly served 
 with lines constructed of sinews. At each end of the bow, 
 is a knob of bone, and to these the strengthening lines 
 are attached and drawn tight, while the bow is bent back- 
 ward. They pass from end to end, on the back of the 
 bow, and are secured and assisted by other shorter cords 
 
 
 
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 480 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 fastened by hitches round the wood. The above descrip- 
 tion applies to the best weapons of the sort. — "A bow in 
 one piece," says the narrative, " is very rare : they gen- 
 erally consist of from two to five pieces of bone, of une- 
 qual lengths, secured together by rivets and tree-na?ls." 
 The arrows are of wood and bone united, and have heads 
 of iron or slate. They will inflict a mortal wound at a 
 distance of forty or fifty yards. 
 
 In the construction of all these implements, a knife and 
 drill are the principal tools used. The latter operates with 
 a bow, like that in common use among us. 
 
 It is evident that intellectual advancement is entirely 
 incompatible with such a life as we have described. The 
 ideas of the supernatural entertained by the Esquimaux 
 are vague in the extreme. ** They do not appear," says 
 the description in Parry, " to have any idea of the exist- 
 ence of One Supreme Being, nor, indeed, can they be said 
 to entertain any notions on this sulject which may be dig- 
 nified with the name of religion." 
 
 Of certain games, consisting mostly in fantastic distor- 
 tions of the body, and comical ejaculations, they are never 
 weary ; and a strange monotonous song, of which the 
 words and music are given by Parry, furnishes amusement 
 until the performers desist from sheer weariness. 
 
 Their moral character is probably upon a par with that 
 of most savages. They do not possess the high, indom- 
 itable spirit, the scorn of suffering, the clannish fury of 
 patriotism, nor the fondness for war, so commonly consid- 
 ered the nobler traits of the American aborigines ; but, on 
 the other hand, they are more kindly domestic in their feel- 
 ings, and less cruel and revengeful than their bretliren at 
 the south. 
 
 They exhibit little gratitude for favors, and when ex- 
 posed to the strong temptation presented them by the pres- 
 ence of such a magazine of treasure as a foreign ship, they 
 
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 e descrip- 
 A bow in 
 they gen- 
 e, of une- 
 ree-naUs." 
 lave heads 
 ound at a 
 
 knife and 
 erates with 
 
 is entirely 
 bed. The 
 Esquimaux 
 pear," says 
 f the exist- 
 hey be said 
 aay be dig- 
 
 istic distor- 
 
 y are never 
 
 which the 
 
 amusement 
 
 • 
 
 ir with that 
 gh, indom- 
 Ish fury of 
 ►nly consid- 
 es ; but, on 
 1 their feel- 
 bretliren at 
 
 when ex- 
 3y the pres- 
 1 ship, they 
 
 NORTHERN RACES. 481 
 
 will generally indulge in pilfering. Those travellers who 
 have been most familiar with the strange race, accord to 
 them many pleasing qualities : while their vices are such as 
 must naturally result from their destitute and hopeless con- 
 dition. Their whole history might prove unspeakably val- 
 uable to us did we wisely gather from it a lesson of content. 
 
 '•s^^A/^/V^A/W\rf^•^*• 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE KNISTENEAUX, CHIPPEWAS, ETC. ' 
 
 The Knisteneaux, or Crees, are a nation materially dif- 
 ferent from the Esquimaux. They have a much nearer 
 resemblance than that people to the other North American 
 tribes, and, from close analogies in language, are considered 
 as a branch of the great Algonquin stock, which, centring 
 in the Canadas, spread over such an extent of the North 
 American continent. 
 
 The country formerly occupied by the Knisteneaux — 
 for the ravages of the small-pox have in late years misera- 
 bly reduced their numbers — is of vast extent ; lying be- 
 tween the United States and the Esquimaux region, and 
 extending westward to the Rocky Mountains. The line of 
 their occupation is thus given by Mackenzie : commencing 
 with the coast of Labrador, it extends along the north bank 
 of the St. Lawrence, to Montreal. " The line then f ilows 
 the Utawas river to its source ; and continues from thence 
 nearly west along the high lands which divide the waters 
 that fall into Lake Superior and Hudson's Bay. It then 
 proceeds till it strikes the middle part of the river Wini- 
 plc, following that water through the Lake Winipic, to the 
 discharge of the Saskatchawan into it ; from thence it ac- 
 companies the latter to Fort George, when the line striking 
 
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 482 
 
 INDIAN RAGES OF AMERICA. 
 
 ^»'t ^' 
 
 by the head of the Beaver river, to the Elk river, runs 
 along its banks to its discharge in the Lake of the Hills ; 
 from which it may be carried back east to the Isle a la 
 Crosse, and so on to Churchill by the Mississippi. The 
 whole of the tract between this line and Hudson's Bay 
 and Straits, (except that of the Esquimaux in the latter,) 
 may be said to be exclusively the country of the Knis- 
 teneaux." They were also to be found upon Bed river, 
 (which, after uniting with the Assinaboin, empties into 
 Lake Winipic,) and upon the south branch of the Sas- 
 katchawan. 
 
 These people possess all the ordinary characteristics of 
 the American Indian ; the copper complexion, black flow- 
 ing hair, well-proportioned limbs, and keen black eyes. 
 Tri: vellers speak of the women as being far more attractive 
 in personal appearance tiian the generality of squaws. 
 Upon them devolves all the drudgery of domestic life, while 
 the men devote their exclusive attention to hunting or war. 
 
 We notice no very material variation, except so far as 
 climate and the nature of their country have affected their 
 habits, between the di'ess, habitations, luxuries, ceremonies, 
 and general usages of the Knisteneaux, and the great body 
 of our western Indians. They are spoken of as of a friend- 
 ly and hospitable disposition, and no more dishonest in 
 their dealings than other savages, although some have given 
 them the reputation of being arrant thieves. 
 
 Little of distinctive character attaches to the various 
 minor tribes of the north, until we reach the Esquimaux, 
 with whom little or no commerce is held by these nations, 
 and with whom, from time immemorial, they have waged a 
 desultory warfare. Mackenzie describes individuals and vil- 
 lages of the Red-Knives, Beavers Indians, Dog-Ribs, Hares, 
 Slaves, Duguthee Dines (quarrellers), and many others ; 
 but they have no history, and few noticeable peculiarities. 
 
 Those farthest north are of rather a lighter complex- 
 
river, runs 
 the Hills ; 
 e Isle a la 
 ippi. The 
 Ison's Bay 
 ;he latter,) 
 the Knis- 
 Red river, 
 npties into 
 ►f the Sas- 
 
 teristlcs of 
 black flow- 
 black eyes, 
 e attractive 
 of squaws, 
 c life, while 
 ing or war. 
 t so far as 
 fected their 
 ceremonies, 
 great body 
 of a friend- 
 ishonest in 
 1 have given 
 
 the various 
 Esquimaux, 
 ese nations, 
 ive waged a 
 lals and vil- 
 libs, Hares, 
 any others j 
 jculiarities. 
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 NORTHERN RAGES. 
 
 485 
 
 ion than the inhabitants of more temperate climes, and ex- 
 hibit the deteriorating influence of a life in a cold and- 
 desolate country. 
 
 Some interesting detai!i of the habits and character of 
 the Dog-Ribs, are given in the account of Sir John Rich- 
 ardson's Arctic Searching Expedition. They are rather a 
 low order of the race, and have held sufficient intercourse 
 with the whites to be aware of their own deficiencies and 
 w^nts. They are nevertheless cheerful, and even hilari- 
 ous, and exhibit little or none of that proud and stoical 
 spirit which marks the more celebrated Indian nations. 
 
 They are grossly improvident, although warned by re- 
 peated and terrible experience of famine and suffering. 
 When game is plenty, a scene of general waste and reple- 
 tion is presented, to be followed by the utmost misery and 
 want. In a country where the animals upon which the 
 natives depend for subsistence are migratory and uncertain 
 in their habits, such changes of condition must be of fre- 
 quent occurrence. " •' ' - 
 
 "When accounts are brought of success on the part of the 
 hunting parties, the whole population of a village put 
 themselves at once tn route to share the spoil. If the deer 
 should have shifted their quarters before the arrival of the 
 troop, and the place of rendezvous be far from home, the 
 return is accompanied with the greatest danger and dis- 
 tress. Many of the aged and infirm are frequently left to 
 perish under such circumstances. 
 
 Of several families of this nation, with whom Mackenzie 
 held some intercourse, he says : " They are a meagre, ugly, 
 ill-made people, particularly about the legs, which are very 
 clumsy, and covered with scabs. The latter circumstance 
 proceeds, probably, from their habitually roasting them be- 
 fore the fire. Many of them appeared to be in a very un- 
 healthy state,, which is owing, as I imagine, to their natural 
 filthiness.'* 
 
 
 
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 •-A 
 
 'f t 
 
 i 
 
 s 
 
 486 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 The Chippewas are spread over a vast region at the 
 •north, the limits of which it would, perhaps, be impossible 
 accurately to define. Mackenzie, writing about the year 
 1790, lays down tiie tract occupied by tribes who speak 
 substantially the same language, as follows : " It begins at 
 Churchill, and runs along the lines of separation between 
 them and the Knisteneaux, up the Mississippi, to the Isle 
 a la Crosse, passing on through the Buffalo Lake, River 
 Lake, and Portage la Loche : from thence it proceeds by 
 the Elk River, to the Lake of the Hills, and goes directly 
 west to the Peace River ; and up that river to ite source 
 and tributary waters ; from whence it proceeds to the 
 waters of the River Columbia ; and follows that river to 
 latitude fifty-two degrees twenty-four minutes north, and 
 longitude one hundred and twenty-two degrees fifty-four 
 minutes west, where the Chepewyaus have the Atnah or 
 Chin nation for their neighbors. It then takes a due line 
 west to the sea-coast." 
 
 The coast Indians, on the Pacific, diflfer from those of 
 whom we are now treating. In the vicinity of Behring's 
 Straits, they are Esquimaux, but as we proceed southward, 
 we find distinct r id separate races. 
 
 The Chippewas, according to the writer above-quoted, 
 are a quiet peaceable race, of a timorous disposition and 
 wandering habits. They take great pains to prepare their 
 dress so as to resist the extreme cold, and so well art they 
 protected in this respect, that when arrayed in the warm 
 furs and skins which form the winter attire, one of the 
 tribe " will lay himself down on the ice in the middle of a 
 lake, and repose in comfort ; though he will sometimes find 
 a difficulty in the morning to disencumber himself of the 
 snow drifted on him daring the night." The women are not 
 bad-looking, but the hard service of drawing loaded sledges, 
 and the continued necessity of wearing the bulky and pon- 
 derous snow-shoe, give them a shuffling and awkward gait. 
 
 "'■.**, 
 
n at the 
 npossible 
 the year 
 ho speak 
 begins at 
 between 
 
 the Isle 
 ke, Kiver 
 Dceeds by 
 s directly 
 ite source 
 is to the 
 ,t river to 
 north, and 
 3 fifty-four 
 
 Atnah or 
 a due line 
 
 1 those of 
 Behring*s 
 
 southward, 
 
 >ve-quoted, 
 
 (sition and 
 
 spare their 
 
 |ll arb they 
 
 the warm 
 lone of the 
 
 liddle of a 
 [etimes find 
 Iself of the 
 
 ten are not 
 led sledges, 
 ly and pon- 
 
 Lward gait. 
 
 NORTHERN RACES. 
 
 487 
 
 Great ingenuity and skill are displayed by the Chippe- 
 was, particularly by those dwelling upon the head-waters 
 of the Mississippi, in the construction of their birch-baik 
 canoes. Probably in no other part of the world are boats 
 to be found so light and portable, and yet capable of car- 
 rying an equal burden. They are commonly made of a 
 single roll of the bark, neatly and strongly sewed, and so 
 shaped, by the adaptatioi^ of light thwarts or braces, as to 
 be both graceful and swift. It requires, however, no little 
 adroitness to manage one of hese light crafts, as the weight 
 of the canoe is so trifling as to aid very little in the pre- 
 servation of equilibrium. Sketches of Chippewa canoes 
 are given by Mr. Catlin, and contrasted with the awkward 
 tubs of the Mandans. 
 
 Mackenzie says that these people are not like the Knis- 
 teneaux and most other North American Indians, reserved 
 and distant in their communications with strangers or with 
 each other after a long sepaiation ; and that they do not 
 exhibit those extremes of alternate energy and indolence 
 so noticeable in other races. 
 
 Ta such a country as they inhabit their food must, of 
 course, be almost entirely animal. They are more skilled 
 in fishing, and in snaring deer, beaver, &c., than in the 
 more active methods of securing game. Like the Esqui- 
 maux, although they prefer their meat cooked, they can 
 well make a shift to eat it without any preparation, when 
 unable to procure fuel. On their journeys they are sup- 
 ported by the nutritious and portable preparation called 
 pemmican, which we have before mentioned as in use 
 among the Esquimaux. It is made in the following man- 
 ner : thin slices of lean meat are dried over a fire, or by 
 alternate exposure to sun and iiost, and then pounded 
 between stones. A quantity of boiling fat, equal to the 
 mass of meat, is then poured upon it, and the whole is 
 closely packed in bags or basket. No salt or other con- 
 
 . ■ ^<tfi4/^••■ 
 
 
 * 'I 
 
 
 
 i;i. 
 
 i: i 
 
 ■■%-i , 
 
 ■ .V.', >'Vv»t4i v.-.A 
 
 '-A 
 
 •A,-^' 
 

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 n \ . 
 
 m 
 
 t 
 
 
 till- '':i:-' h 
 
 :..-.Vl- 
 
 »,» 
 
 
 !i 
 
 488 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMEMCA. 
 
 diment is used in tLe operation, but, in some instances, 
 the pemmican is made savory by the addition of marrow 
 and dried berries. 
 
 Some of the men are observed to ': , • -ished with a 
 thick bushy beard; but, generally si^cutt-ing, the custom 
 of eradicating this appendage is common to the Chippe- 
 was, as to most other of the Indian nations. Tattooing is 
 common among both sexes, and serves as a distinguishing 
 mark of the different tribes. 
 
 ^ 
 
 % 
 
Qstances, 
 marrow 
 
 d with a 
 e custom 
 Chippe- 
 tooing is 
 iguishiug 
 
 VAKIOUS NATIONS AND TRIBES 
 
 BETWEEN THE MISSISSIPPI AND THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
 
 CHAPTER. I. 
 
 THE SIOUX, OR DAHCOTAS, AND OTHER TRIBES OP THE SAME RACE: 
 CLASSIFICATION. — THE MANDANS: THEIR NUMBER, SITUATION, 
 VILLAGES, ETC. — THEIR CEMETERIES. — AFFECTIONATE REMEM. 
 BRANCE OF THE DEAD. 
 
 An accurate classification of the American Indians, either 
 founded upon dissimilarities in the language of different 
 tribes, or upon diflferences in physical peculiarities, is im- 
 possible, particularly in treating of the scattered and wan- 
 dering people of the far west. The races vary by such 
 slight shades of distinction, and such analogies exist be- 
 tween their languages, that even where the distinction is 
 perfectly evident in the nation at large, the line of de- 
 marcation can with difficulty be drawn. In other instances, 
 the same nation, when divided into separate clans, inhabit- 
 ing districts of dissimilar nature, and resorting to different 
 modes of life, will be found, in the course of one or two 
 generations, to present the appearance of distinct races. 
 
 Perhaps it would be wiser to accept the popular divisions, 
 whether derived directly from the r?.Hves, or estabKshed 
 by those most familiar with them, than to attempt any 
 refined distinctions. In an essay upon natural history, 
 or in researches into historical antiquities, a particularity 
 might be useful or necebjary, which in an outline of his- 
 tory and description would be but perplexing and tedious. 
 
 (489) 
 
 ' 
 
 
 
 .■■\f.' 
 
 ■ ' • 
 
 
 » 1 
 
 
 
 
 ^-:' i^M 
 
 ■33'-,-' 
 
 ' *., 
 

 
 490 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 A vast wilderness at the west, upon the i»i.:ssouri and the 
 upper western tributaries of the Mississippi, is inhabited 
 by the various tribes allied to the Sioax or Dahcotas. One 
 of the earliest accounts given of these people, then known 
 as the Naudowessies, is to be found in the Travels of Cap- 
 tain Jonathan Carver, who spent the winter of 1766-7 
 among them. Of later observations and descriptions, by 
 far the most interesting and complete are contained in the 
 published letters of Mr. George Catlin, accompanied as they 
 are by spirited and artistic portraits and sketches of scenery. 
 
 Those of this race known as the proper Sioux, soi disant 
 Dahcotas, are mostly established upon the river of St. Peter 
 and in the country adjacent. Some of the eastern tribes 
 are more or less agricultural, but the others are wild hunt- 
 ers like their brethren of the far west. The Sioux were 
 divided, a century since, into the following eight tribes : the 
 Wawpeentowas, the Tintons, the Afracootans, the Maw- 
 haws (Omawhas), and the Schians, all of whom dwelt in 
 the prairie country, upon the St. Peter, and three other 
 clans of the then unt .plored region to the westward. The 
 Assinaboins anciently belonged to the same stock. 
 
 By Mr. Gallatin the race is divided as follows : " 1. The 
 Winnebagos, of Wisconsin ; 2. The Sioux proper, or Dah- 
 cotas, and the Assinaboins ; 3. The Minetari and tribes 
 allied to them ; 4. The Osages, and other kindred tribes," 
 farther south. — (Pritchard^s Natural History of Man). The 
 Minetari are held to include the Crows and the jMandans. 
 
 To a description of this last people, now, as a separate 
 race, entirely extinct, Mr. Catlin has devoted no small 
 portion of his interesting descriptions of western adventure. 
 They differed widely from all other American Indians in 
 several particulars. The most noticeable of these were the 
 great diversity in complexion and in the color and texture 
 of the hair. "When visited by this traveller, in 1833, the 
 Mandans were established at two villages, only two miles 
 

 L and the 
 .nhablted 
 ;as. One 
 n known 
 J of Cap- 
 ' 1766-7 
 )tions, by 
 :d in the 
 ;d as they 
 f scenery. 
 soi disant 
 ■ St. Teter 
 cin tribes 
 vild hunt- 
 ioux were 
 libes : the 
 the Maw- 
 i dwelt in 
 nee other 
 ard. The 
 
 « 1. The 
 
 ir, or Dah- 
 and tribes 
 ?A tribes," 
 Ian). The 
 ^landans. 
 a separate 
 no small 
 adventure, 
 iidians in 
 3 were the 
 id texture 
 1833, the 
 two miles 
 
 J 
 
 TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 491 
 
 *r-' 
 
 asunder, upon the left bank of the Missouri, about two 
 hundred miles below the mouth of the Yellowstone. 
 
 There were then not far from two thousand of the tribe, 
 but, from their own traditions, and from the extensive 
 ruins of their former settlement — some distance below — it 
 was evident that their numbers had greatly decreased. 
 The principal town was strongly fortified upon the pre- 
 cipitous river bank, on two sides defended by the winding 
 stream, and on the other by picketing of heavy timber, 
 and by a ditch. The houses within were so closely set as 
 to allow of little space for locomotion. They were par- 
 tially sunk in the ground, and the roofs were covered 
 with earth and clay to such a depth and of such consis- 
 tency that they afforded the favorite lounging places for 
 the occupants. 
 
 " One is surprised," says Catlin, " when he enters them, 
 to see the neatness, comfort, and spacious dimensions of 
 these earth-covered dwellings. They all have a circular 
 form, and are from forty to sixty feet in diameter. Their 
 foundations are prepared by digging some two feet in the 
 ground, and forming the floor of earth, by levelling the 
 requisite size for the lodge." The building consisted of a 
 row of perpendicular stakes or timbers, six feet or there- 
 about in height, supporting long rafters for the roof. A 
 hole was left in the centre for air, light, and the escape of 
 smoke. The rafters were supported in the middle by 
 beams and posts : over them was laid a thick coating of 
 willow brush, and over all the covering of earth and clay. 
 An excavation in the centre of the hut was used as a fire- 
 place. Each of these houses served for a single family, or 
 for a whole circle of connections, according to its dimen- 
 sions. The furniture consisted of little more than a rude 
 sort of bedsteads, with sacking of buffiilo skin, and some- 
 times an ornamental curtain of the same material. Posts 
 were set in the ground, between the beds, provided with 
 
 ,' « 
 
 '^. 
 
 . , *■: 
 
 
 ilV: 
 
 .;'.■•• •'* 
 
 •i 
 
.'■; ;■ ■■'■■■■ K-.^i-. -' ■/; ' 
 
 •-- ■ '.;v. ./.■(■'.■■■;..:•;,„'. 
 ■■; r'" ■ f «"^ , , ■ •■ 
 
 
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 i 
 
 ) 
 
 I 
 
 
 ^i *. 
 
 i^ 
 
 M- 
 
 1^ 
 
 i 
 h 
 
 i, 
 
 t 
 
 •# 
 
 492 
 
 INDIAN BACES OF AMEBICA. 
 
 pegs, from which depended the arms and acoutrements of 
 the warriors. . ... 
 
 " This arrangement of beds, of arms, &c.," continues our 
 author., " combining the most vivid display and arrange- 
 ment of colors, of furs, of trinkets — of barbed and glis- 
 tening points and steel — of mysteries and hocus pocus, 
 together with the sombre and smoked color of the roof 
 and sides of the lodge ; and the wild, and rude, and red — 
 the graceful (though uncivil) conversational, garrulous, 
 story-telling, and happy, though ignorant and untutored 
 groups, that are smoking their pipes — wooing their sweet- 
 hearts, and embracing their little ones about their peace- 
 ful and endeared firesides ; together with their pots and 
 kettles, spoons, and other culinary articles of their own 
 manufacture, around them ; present, altogether, one of the 
 most picturesque scenes to the eye of a stranger that can 
 be possibly seen ; and far more wild and vivid than could 
 ever be imagined." 
 
 ; If the sight w'thin the dwellings was novel and striking, 
 much more so was that which occupied the painter's atten- 
 tion as he surveyed, from the roof of one of these domes, 
 the motley scene of busy life without. In the contre of 
 the village an open court was left for purposes of recrea- 
 tion and for the performances of the national religious 
 ceremonies. Upon the rounded roofs of the domicils 
 numerous busy or indolent groups were sitting or loung- 
 ing in every possible attitude, while in the central area 
 some were exercising their wild horses, or training and 
 playing with their dogs. Such a variety of brilliant and 
 fanciful costume, ornamented with plumes and porcupine 
 quills, with the picturesque throng of Indians and animals, 
 the closely crowded village, the green plain, the river, and 
 the blue hills in the distance, formed a happy subject for 
 the artist. ' ' ■ ; ; 
 
 Without the picket of defence, the only objects visible, 
 
ements of 
 
 ''■!:'■ •■■•,- ;,*, 
 ,|'.-4.:*,.--'V'ifi;i- 
 
 ■i-'fi ■..•,',.■■■■ 
 
 itinues our 
 d arrange- 
 L and glis- 
 ►cus pocus, 
 f the roof 
 and red — 
 garrulous, 
 untutored 
 heir sweet- 
 leir peace- 
 f pots and 
 their own 
 one of the 
 er that can 
 than could 
 
 ,..i i 
 
 "■K 
 
 
 id striking, 
 iter's atten- 
 lese domes, 
 cjntre of 
 } of recrea- 
 il religious 
 e domicils 
 ; or loung- 
 entral area 
 aining and 
 illiant and 
 . porcupine 
 nd animals, 
 3 river, and 
 subject for 
 
 ects visible. 
 
 
 
'^1% 
 
 m^jii 
 
 ^' 
 
 i *( 
 
 I'-r.'-lf 
 
 
 \' :i 
 
 ■'J 
 
 ■{..■.v 
 
 m 
 
 i*-''.;: ; •> J-'fi} 
 
 n 
 
 't^;'; 
 
 
 
 
 ^•. *i 
 
 ■*t 
 
 iq 
 
 
 
 h 
 
 s 
 
 •I 
 
 mrif 
 
 % 
 

 4 
 
 Q 
 
 •4 
 
 
 s 
 
 « 
 
 M 
 
 
 K 
 
 s 
 k4 
 
 
 TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 495 
 
 cf man's construction, were the scaffoldings upon which 
 the dead were exposed. The manner in which the funeral 
 rites of the Mandans were conducted, with the subsequent 
 details, constitutes the most touching portion of the au- 
 thor's narrative. The body of the dead person was tightly- 
 wrapped and bound up in fresh or soaked buffalo skins, 
 together with the arms and acoutrements used in life, and 
 the usual provision of tobacco, flint and steel, knife, and 
 food. A slight scaffold is then prepared, of sufficient 
 height to serve as protection from .the wolves and dogs, 
 and there the body is deposited to decay in the open air. 
 
 Day after day those who had lost friends would come 
 out from the village to this strange cemetery, to weep and 
 bewail over their loss. Such genuine and long-continued 
 grief as was exhibited by the afflicted relatives puts to 
 shame the cold-heartedness of too many among the culti- 
 vated and enlightened. When, after the lapse of years, 
 the scaffolds had fallen, and nothing was left but bleached 
 and mouldering bones, the remains were buried, with the 
 exception of the skulls. These were placed in circles upon 
 the plain, with the faces turned inward, each resting 
 upon a bunch of wild sage ; and in the centre, upon two 
 slight mounJs, " medicine-poles " were erected, at the foot 
 of which were the heads and horns of a male and a female 
 buffalo. To these new places of deposit, each of which 
 contained not ftir from one hundred skulls, " do these 
 people," says Catlin, " again resort, to evince their further 
 affection for the dead — not in groans and lamentations, 
 however, for several years have cured the anguish ; but 
 fond affections and endearments are here renewed, and 
 conversations are here held, and cherished, wit-h the 
 dead." * ' 
 
 Xhe wife or mother would sit for hours by the side of 
 the white relic of the loved and lost, addressing the skull 
 with the most affectionate and loving tones, or, perchance 
 
 «' 
 
 w^^iM 
 
 
 •* Jir"^;!' 
 
 ^<f 
 
 
 • ii 
 
 '..;'-V:'.Jj:' 
 
 1'^ 
 
 4 
 
 I 
 

 
 
 5 •■ r '' 
 
 1 s?.' 
 
 
 I 
 
 |H 
 
 f-t 
 
 ■f 
 
 hi 
 
 M 
 
 i- 
 
 
 r r 
 
 
 ','-!• . 
 
 
 
 496 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 lying down and falling asleep with her arms around it. 
 Food would be nightly set before many of these skulls, 
 and, with the most tender care, the aromatic bed upon 
 which they reposed would be renewed as it withered and 
 decayed. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND PECT'LIARITIEa OP THE MANDANS 
 
 THEIR HOSPITALITY AND URBANITY. — THEIR CLEANLINESS OP 
 PERSON. — THEIR DRESS. — PORTRAITS OF MANDAN CHIEFS. — CON- 
 TRAST BETWEEN THE WILD TRIBES AND THOSE OP THE FRON- 
 TIER. — MANDAN DOMESTIC USAGES. — GAMES AND DANCES.— 
 TRAINING OF THE YOUTH.— THE GREAT ANNUAL RELIGIOUS CER- 
 EMONY.— THE MANDANS SUPPOSED TO BE OP WELSH DESCENT.— 
 ANNIHILATION OF THE TWIBE BY THE SMALL-POX. 
 
 Unlike the other Indian tribes of the west, the Man- 
 dans, instead of presenting a perfect uniformity in com- 
 plexion, and in the color of the eyes and hair, exhibited 
 as great diversity in these respects as will be noticed in a 
 mixed population of Europeans. Their hair was, for the 
 most part, very fine and soft, but in a number of in- 
 stances a strange anomaly was observable, both in old 
 and young, and in either sex, viz. : a profusion of coarse 
 locks of *« a bright silvery gray," approaching sometimes 
 to white. ■ 
 
 Some of the women were quite fair, with blue eyes, and 
 the most symmetrical features, combined with a very at- 
 tractive and agreeable expression. It does not appear 
 probable that sufficient intermixture with European races 
 had ever taken place to account for these peculiarities, and 
 some authors appear quite convinced that these Mandans 
 are the remains of a great people, entirely distinct from the 
 
• 
 
 TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 497 
 
 nations around them. Of Mr. Catlin's researches and con- 
 clusions respecting their origin, we shall take occasion to 
 speak hereafter. 
 
 In their disposition the Mandans were hospitable and 
 friendly ; affectionate and kind in their treatment of each 
 other ; and mindful of the convenience f nd comfort of the 
 stranger. Their figures were beautifally proportioned, and 
 their movements and attitudes graceful and easy. Instead 
 of the closely-shorn locks of some other races, they wore 
 their hair long. The men were particularly proud of this 
 appendage, and were at no small pains to arrange it in 
 what they esteemed a becoming manner. It was thrown 
 backward from the forehead, and divided into a number 
 of plaits. These were kept in their position by glue and 
 some red-tinted earth, with which thev were matted at 
 intervals. The women oiled and braided their hair, part- 
 ing it in the middle ; the place of parting was universally 
 painted red. 
 
 A greater degree of cleanliness was observable in their 
 persons than is common among savages. A particular 
 location was assigned, at some distance from the village, 
 up the river, where the women could resort undisturbed 
 for their morning ablutions. A guard was stationed, at 
 intervals, upon a siu'rounding circle of rising ground, to 
 prevent intrusion. Those of both sexes and all ages were 
 excellent swimmers ; scarcely was one to be found who 
 could not with case cross the Missouri in this manner. 
 Their only boats were round tubs made by stretching buf- 
 falo-skins over a light frame-work. The form and capacity 
 of these clumsy water-craft, wore strikingly similar to that 
 of the coracles used in Wales and upon other portions of 
 the coast of Great Britain. 
 
 As an additional means of luxury, and as an efficient 
 remedy in case of sickness, a hut was devoted to the pur- 
 pose of a steam-bath. This was effected by pouring water 
 
 • - '/-it .•1'^ , 
 
 
 r- 
 
 ^^■'- 
 
f'Hi'. VA 'I f, ;i,'t »''• •!■ ■ 
 
 ". ' ' ■ L • ■ ■ • 1 
 
 ■; •-., mn ;.>''";;:■■■; '. 
 
 . :,'/)■ . ■: •> *■:■. i ... 
 ' ',' ■ •■.■'. ■ , ■' .-■'. - ■ ■ 
 ' .'■,■*<• I , ' ■',•>■ 
 
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 fill' 
 
 ■f. 
 
 • t- ' 
 
 ^'- 
 
 i i.».. 
 ,)'•*';■ 
 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 ::; fe^:^-' 
 
 nil 
 
 498 
 
 INDIAN RAGES OF AMERICA. 
 
 upon heated stones, over which the patient was placed^ 
 wrapped in buffalo-robes, in a wicker-basket. The opera- 
 tion was always followed up by a plunge into he rivfir, 
 and a subsequent rubbing and oiling of the body. Such 
 a mode of treatment produced terrible effects, in after times, 
 when the small-pox spread through the tribe. 
 
 The dress of the Mandan warriors, although in its gen- 
 eral fashion similar to that of the neighboring tribes, was 
 singularly rich and elaborate. It was formed entirely of 
 skins : a coat or hunting-shirt of buck-skin ; leggins and 
 moccasins of the same material, beautifully fringed, and 
 embroidered with porcupine quills ; and an outer mantle 
 of the fur of a young buffalo, formed the principal equip- 
 ment. The co-vering for the head was more elaborate, and 
 was constructed, by all who could obtain the materials, of 
 ermine skins, and feathers of the war-eagle. So high a 
 value was set upon these head-dresses, that Mr. Catlin, after 
 having bargained for the entire suit of a chief, whose por- 
 trait he had just painted, was obliged to give two horses, 
 of the value of twenty-five dollars each, for the crowning 
 ornament. Some few chiefs had attained a height of au- 
 thority and renown which entitled them to add to their 
 head-dress a pair of buffalo-horns, reduced in size and 
 weight, and arranged as they grew upon the animal. The 
 custom was not confined to the Mandans, but a similar 
 ornament is widely considered as symbolic of power and 
 warlike achievements among the western Indians. 
 
 Nothing could exceed the pride and delight of the chiefs 
 of the tribe, after their first apprehensions at the novelty 
 of the proceeding were allayed, at the sight of their own 
 portraits, for which they were induced to sit by our author. 
 He was constituted and proclaimed from the moment of 
 the first exhibition, a " great medicine-man," and old and 
 young thronged to see and to touch the worker of such a 
 miracle. All declared that the pictures were, at least par- 
 
 
"vras placed. 
 The opera- 
 to he rivfer, 
 )ody. Such 
 1 after times, 
 
 I in its gen- 
 r tribes, was 
 I entirely of 
 leggins and 
 fringed, and 
 3uter mantle 
 ncipal equip- 
 laborate, and 
 materials, of 
 
 So high a 
 . Catlin, after 
 ', whose por- 
 
 two horses, 
 ;he crowning 
 leight of au- 
 add to their 
 
 in size and 
 inimal. The 
 lUt a similar 
 »f power and 
 ins. 
 
 of the chiefs 
 ,t the novelty 
 of their own 
 y our author. 
 ; moment of 
 
 and old and 
 
 er of such a 
 
 at least par- 
 
 =u 
 
 , ■■■■'■ * '..I,' 
 
 ••»,••»<•■'.,■. 
 
 ' '■■:/ ^^■''■^ 
 
 ' ■'^''i^:^^:■ 
 
 RANDAN CHIEF. 
 
 
m. 
 
 fefe 
 
 ;.'>• 
 
 m 
 
 .-■V ■ A- ♦i' •'; 
 
 ',««)! 
 
 
 
 'fu 
 
 
 
 X:fi 
 
 I 
 
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 rs'T^ 
 
 :'1iiS 
 
 L 
 
 r-^ 
 
TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 501 
 
 tially, alive : for from whatsoever side they were beheld, 
 still the eyes were seen fixed upon the beholder. An idea 
 was started, and obtained a temporary credence, that some 
 portion of the life of the person represented must have 
 been abstracted by the painter, and that consequently his 
 term of existence must be shortened. It was moreover 
 feared, lest, by the picture's living after the death of the 
 original, the quiet rest of the grave should be troubled. 
 
 By a most ingenious and judicious policy in adopting a 
 mode of explanation suited to the capacity of his hearers, 
 and by wisely ingratiating himself with the chiefs and 
 medicine-men, Mr. Catlin succeeded in stilling the commo- 
 tion excited by such suggestions and suspicions. He was 
 held in high estimation, and feasted by the principal men 
 of the tribe, whose portraits he obtained for his invaluable 
 collection. 
 
 It is only among such remote tribes as the one which 
 forms the subject of our present consideration, that any 
 adequate idea can be formed of the true Indian character. 
 The gluttony, drunkenness, surliness, and ** shiftlessness *' 
 of the degraded race, that has caught the vices of the 
 white man, without aiming at his civilization, are strongly 
 contrasted with the abstemiousness, self-respect, and native 
 dignity of the uncontaminated. " Amongst the wild In- 
 dians in this country," says Catlin, " there are no beggars — 
 no drunkards — and every man, from a beautiful natural 
 precept, studies to keep his body and mind in such a 
 healthy shape and condition as will at all times enable 
 him to use his weapons in self-defence, or struggle for the 
 prize in their manly games." : - ^ - ; t i 
 
 The usual custom of polygamy was universally practised 
 among the Mandans, by all whose rank, position and 
 means enabled them to make the necessary arrangements, 
 and pay the stipulated price for their wives. The girls 
 were generally sold by their parents at a very early age. 
 
 I. •»_,.(,;*.V> 
 
 ' ■ ' '' '' ■■■ V ■■ 
 
 .1. • r y 
 
 ■■ ,■■■. .' i 
 
 II • . . .V ■■■•;' . . 
 
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 »i • - ^^r.: 
 
m 
 
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 ■ ■A'^'ii.r i'y ■-;'■>'■:■ ^. 
 
 'i'l >t''i ;«>■>■,?' ■•'• ;■ ( 
 
 '1^^/^^'>^,:- -:■;•■■ 
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 -^. i> 
 
 ••;i' 
 
 
 
 
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 ■s* ' ■ ' . 
 
 ]•»* 
 
 i^^ 
 
 502 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 and, as among most barbarous nations, their fate was a life 
 of toil and drudgery. Their time must be almost con- 
 stantly employed in getting fuel, cultivating corn and 
 squashes, preparing pemmican and other dried stores for 
 winter, and in dressing and embroidering the buiFalo-robes 
 which their lord and master accumulated for trade with the 
 whites. 
 
 Notwithstanding this apparently degraded position, we 
 are informed that the women were seemingly contented 
 with their lot, that they were modest in their deportment, 
 and that " amongst the respectable families, virtue " was 
 " as highly cherished, and as inapproachable as in any 
 society whatever." 
 
 White traders among the extreme western tribes are 
 said to be almost universally in the custom, from motives 
 of policy, and perhaps from inclination, of allying them- 
 selves to one, at least, of the principal chiefs, by a tempo- 
 rary espousal of his daughter. In many instances they 
 indulge in a plurality. This is a position greatly sought 
 after by the young women, as they are enabled by it to 
 indulge their native fondness for display, and are freed 
 from the toil usually incident to their existence. 
 
 The men and boys, leading a life of ease, except when 
 engaged upon a hunt, practised a great variety of games 
 and athletic sports, some of them very curious and origi- 
 nal. Horse-racing, ball-playing, archery, &c,, never failed 
 to excite and delight them. An endless variety of dances, 
 with vocal and instrumental accompaniments, served for 
 recreation and religious ceremonials. Every word and 
 step had some particular and occult signification, for the 
 most part known only to those initiated in the mysteries 
 of "medicine." 
 
 In times of scarcity, when the buffalo herds had wan- 
 dered away from the vicinity, so far that the hunters dared 
 not pursue them, for fear of enemies, the " buffalo dance " 
 
'•V • I 
 
 TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 503 
 
 ite was a life 
 almost con- 
 ig corn and 
 3d stores for 
 buffalo-robes 
 rade with the 
 
 position, we 
 ;ly contented 
 
 deportment, 
 virtue" was 
 le as in any 
 
 rn tribes are 
 from motives 
 illying them- 
 by a tempo- 
 istances they 
 reatly sought 
 jled by it to 
 nd are freed 
 ice. 
 
 except when 
 ety of games 
 is and origi- 
 never failed 
 ty of dances, 
 served for 
 word and 
 ition, for the 
 le mysteries 
 
 ds had wan- 
 unters dared 
 ffalo dance " 
 
 was performed in the central court of the village. Every 
 man of the tribe possessed a mask made from the skin 
 of a buffalo's head, including the horns, and dried as nearly 
 as possible in the natural shape, to be worn on these occa- 
 sions. When the wise men of the nation determined upon 
 their invocations to attract the buffalo herds, watchers were 
 stationed upon the eminences surrounding the village, and 
 the dance commenced. With extravagant action, and 
 strange ejaculations, the crowd performed the prescribed 
 manoeuvres : as fast as those engaged became weary, they 
 would signify it by crouching down, when those without 
 the circle would go through the pantomime of severally 
 shooting, flaying, and dressing them, while new perform- 
 ers took their place. Night and day the mad scene was 
 kept up, sometimes for weeks together ! until the signal 
 was given of the approach of buffalo, when all prepared 
 with joy and hilarity for a grand hunt, fully convinced 
 that their own exertions had secured the prize. 
 
 No less singular was the ceremonial resorted to when 
 the crops were suffering for want of rain. A knot of the 
 wisest medicine-men would collect in a hut, where they 
 held their session with closed doors, burning aromatic herbs 
 and going through with an unknown series of incanta- 
 tions. Some tyro was then sent up to take his stand on 
 the roof, in sight of the people, and spend the day in invo- 
 cations for a shower. If the sky continued clear, he re- 
 tired in disgrace, as one who need not hope ever to arrive 
 at the dignity of a medicine-man. Day after day the per- 
 formance continued, until a cloud overspread the skies, 
 when the young Indian on the lodge discharged an arrow 
 towards it, to let out the rain. From their earliest youth, 
 the boys were trained to the mimic exercises of war and 
 the chase. It was a beautiful sight to witness the spirit 
 with which they would enact a sham fight upon the open 
 prairie. A tufl of grass supplied the place of the scalp- 
 
 
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 504 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 lock, and blunt arrows of grass or reeds, with wooden 
 scalping-knives, formed their innocuous weapons. " If any- 
 one," says Catlin, " is struck with an arrow on any vital 
 part of his body, he is obliged to fall, and his adveisary 
 rushes up to him, places his foot upon him, and snatching 
 from his belt his wooden knife, grasps hold of his victim's 
 scalp-lock of grass, and making a feint at it with his wooden 
 knife, snatches it off and puts it into his belt, and enters 
 again into the ranks and front of battle." 
 
 This was the true mode of forming warriors. The youth 
 grew to manhood with the one idea that true dignity and 
 glory awaited him alone who could fringe his garments 
 with the scalps of his enemies. Some of the Mandan 
 braves, even of their last generation, performed feats of 
 daring, and engaged in chivalrous combats, which will 
 almost compare with the deeds of Piskaret or Hiadeoni 
 in the early history of the Iroquois. 
 
 At the risk of seeming to linger too long over the his- 
 tory and customs of a single tribe, few in numbers, and 
 now extinct, we will give some description of the strange 
 religious ceremony which occupied four days of each return- 
 ing year. The religious belief of the Mandans was, in the 
 main, not unlike that of most North American aborigines ; 
 but some of their self-torturing modes of adoration and 
 propitiation of their deity were perft ^*^y unique. The 
 grand four days' ceremony had, accorJing to Catlin, three 
 distinct objects ; a festival of thanksgiving for the escape 
 of their ancestors from the flood ! of which they had a 
 distinct tradition, strikingly conformable to scriptural 
 history ; for the grand " bull-dance," to draw the buffalo 
 herds towards the settlement ; and to initiate the young 
 men, by terrible trials and tortures, into the order of war- 
 riors, and to allow those whose fortitude had been fully 
 tested to give renewed proofs of their capacity of endur- 
 ance, and their claim to the position of chiefs and leaders 
 

 jvith wooden 
 ns. " If any 
 on any vital 
 lis adversary 
 nd snatching 
 f his victim's 
 ;h his wooden 
 It, and enters 
 
 ;. The youth 
 e dignity and 
 his garments 
 
 the Mandan 
 •med feats of 
 s, which will 
 
 or Hiadeoni 
 
 over the his- 
 numbers, and 
 Df the strange 
 >f each return- 
 ns was, in the 
 m aborigines ; 
 adoration and 
 anique. The 
 ) Catlin, three 
 bi the escape 
 they had a 
 to scriptural 
 iw the buffalo 
 i,te the young 
 order of war- 
 ad been fully 
 city of endur- 
 fs and leaders 
 
 
 
 .' • 
 
 INDIAN WAR DANCE. 
 

 r' I 
 
 * ** 
 
 lifii 
 
 >.' 
 
 
 ! ■ 
 
 
TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 507 
 
 The period for the ceremony wa» that in which the 
 leaves of the '^'illow on the river bank were first fully 
 opened ; " for, according to their tradition," says Catlin, 
 " ' the twig that the bird brought home was a willow bough, 
 and had full-grown leaves upon it,' and the bird to 
 which they allude is the mourning or turtle-dove, which 
 they took great pains to point out to me," as a med- 
 icine-bird. The first performances bore reference to the 
 deluge, in commemoration of which a sort of " curb or 
 hogshead " stood in the centre of the village court, sym- 
 bolical of the " big canoe," in which the human race was 
 preserved. 
 
 No intimation was given by the wise men, under whose 
 secret management the whole affair was conducted, of the 
 precise day when the grand celebration should commence ; 
 but at sunrise, one morning, Mr. Catlin and his white com- 
 panions were aroused by a terrible tumult throughout the 
 village. All seamed to be in a state of the greatest ex- 
 citement and alarm, the cause of which was unexplainable, 
 as the object at which all were gazing was a single figure, 
 approaching the village, from a bluff, about a mile distant. 
 This personage soon entered within the enclosed space of 
 the town : he was painted with white clay, and carried a 
 lage pipe in his hand. He was saluted by the principal 
 men of the tribe as "Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah, (the first or 
 only man," — in fact, none other than Noah himself,) — who 
 had come to open the great lodge reserved exclusively for 
 the annual religious rites. 
 
 Having superintended the preparation of the medicine- 
 house, and leaving men busy in adorning it with willow 
 boughs and sage, and in the arrangement of divers skulls, 
 both of men and buffaloes, Avhich were essential in the 
 coming mysteries, Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah made the rounds 
 of the village, repeating before every lodge the tale of the 
 
 great deluge, and telling how he alone had been saved in 
 29 
 
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 508 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 his ark, and left by the retiring waters upon the summit 
 of a western mountain ! 
 
 At every hut he was presented with some cutting instru- 
 ment, (such as was supposed to have been used in the 
 construction of the ark,) to be thrown into the river as a 
 sacrifice to the waters. 
 
 Next day, having ushered the young men who were to 
 go through the fearful ordeal of self-inflicted torture into 
 the sacred lodge, and appointed an old medicine-man to the 
 office of *' 0-kee-pah Ka-se-kah, (keeper or conductor of 
 the ceremonies,") he took up his march into the prairie, 
 promising to appear again on the return of the season in 
 the ensuing year. 
 
 The young warriors, preparatory to undergoing the tor- 
 ture, were obliged, until the fourth day from their entry 
 into the lodge, to abstain from food, drink, or sleep ! — 
 Meanwhile, various strange scenes were enacted in tlie 
 central area before the house. The grand buffalo-dance, 
 a performance combining every thing conceivable of the 
 grotesque and extravagart, was solemnly performed to in- 
 sure a fiivorable season for the chase. 
 
 On the fourth day commenced the more horrible portion 
 of the exercises. Mr. Catlin, as a great medicine-man, M'as 
 admitted within the lodge throughout the performances, 
 and had full opportunity to portray, with pen and pencil, 
 the scenes therein enacted. Coming forward, in turn, the 
 victims allowed the flesh of their breasts or backs to be 
 pierced with a rough two-edged knife, and splinters of 
 wood to be thrust through the holes. Enough of the 
 skin and flesh were taken up to be more than sufficient 
 for the support of the weight of the body. To these 
 splints cords let down from the roof were attached, and 
 the subject of these inflictions was hoisted from the 
 ground. Similar splints were tlicn thrust through the 
 arms and legs, to which the warrior's arms, and, in some 
 
 r' '^ Mix ■;..•* ;» 
 
the summit 
 
 ;ine-man, was 
 
 TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 509 
 
 cases, as additional weights, several heavy buffalo heads, 
 were hung. 
 
 Thus far the fortitude of the Indian sufficed to restrain 
 all exhibition of pain ; while the flesh was torn with the 
 rude knife, and the wooden skewers were thrust in, a 
 pleasant smile was frequently observable on the young 
 warrior's countenance ; but when in the horrible position 
 above described, with his flesh stretched by the splints till 
 it appeared about to give way, a number of attendants 
 commenced turning him round and round with poles, he 
 would " burst out in the most lamentable and heart-rending 
 cries that the human voice is capable of producing, crying 
 forth to the Great Spirit to support and protect him in this 
 dreadful trial." 
 
 After hanging until total insensibility brought a tempo- 
 rary relief to his sufferings, he was lowered to the floor, 
 the main supporting skewers were withdrawn, and he was 
 left to crawl off", dragging the weights after him. The first 
 movement, with returning consciousness, was to sacrifice to 
 the Great Spirit one or more of the fingers of the left 
 hand, after which the miserable wretch was taken out of 
 the lodge. Within the court a new trial aAvaited him ; the 
 last, but most terrible of al). An active man took his po- 
 sition on each side of the weak and mutilated sufferer, and, 
 passing a thong about his wrist, urged him forward at the 
 top of his speed in a circle round the arena. When, faint 
 and weary, he sank on the ground, the tormentors dragged 
 him furiously around the ring until the splints were torn 
 out by the weights attached, and he lay motionless and 
 apparently lifeless. If the splint should have been so deeply 
 inserted that no force — even that of the weight of individ- 
 uals in the crowd, thrown upon the trailing skulls — could 
 break the integuments, nothing remained but to crawl off to 
 the prairie, and wait until it should give way by suppuration. 
 To draw the skewer out would be unpardonable sacrilege. 
 
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 510 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 It is told of one man that he suspended himself from 
 the precipitous river bank by two of these skewers, thrust 
 through his arms, until, at the end of several days ! he 
 dropped into the water, and swam ashore. Throughout 
 the whole ordeal, the chiefs and sages of the tribe critically 
 observed the comparative fortitude and endurance of the 
 candidates, and formed their conclusions thereupon as to 
 which would be the worthiest to command in after time. 
 
 With all these frightful and hideous sights before his 
 eyes, or fresh in his recollection, our author still maintains, 
 and apparently upon good grounds, and in honest sin- 
 cerity, his former eulogium upon the virtues and nat- 
 ural, noble endowments of these singular people. "We 
 have given, above, but a brief outline of the mysterious 
 conjurations attendant upon the great annual festival : 
 many of these lack interest from our ignorance of their 
 signification. 
 
 A favorite theme for theorists, ever since the early ages 
 of American colonization, has been found in the endeavor 
 to trace a descent from the followers of the Welsh voyager. 
 Prince Madoc^ to sundry Indian tribes of the west. Vague 
 accounts of Indians of light complexion, who could speak 
 and understand the ' "^dsh language, arc given by various 
 early writers. They were generally located by the narra- 
 tor in some im'.eterminate region west of the Mississippi, 
 at a considerable distance above New Orleans, but no- 
 where near the Missouri. 
 
 ' It is to bf* regretted that these ancient accounts are so 
 loose and uncertain, as there can be no doubt but that they 
 are founded upon striking and important fiicts. A list of 
 Mandan words, compared with Welsh of the same signifi- 
 cation, has been made public by Mr. Catlin, in which the 
 resemblance is so clear, that almost any theory would be 
 more credible than that such affinity was accidental. This 
 author traced remains of the peculiar villages of the Man- 
 
TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 51] 
 
 dans nearly to the mouth of the Missouri, and describes 
 others of similar character to the northward of Cincinnati. 
 
 He supposes that the adventurers, who sailed from Wales 
 in the year 1170, and were never thenceforth heard from, 
 after landing at Florida, or near the mouth of the Missis- 
 sippi, made their way to Ohio ; that they there became 
 involved in hostilities with the natives, and were eventually 
 all cut off with the exception of the half-breeds, who had 
 sprung up from connection with the women of the country ; 
 that these half-breeds had at one time formed a powerful 
 tribe, but had gradually been reduced to those w' om we 
 have described, and had removed or been driven farther 
 and farther up the Missouri. The arguments upon which 
 this hypothesis is based are drawn from a careful examina- 
 tion of ancient western fortifications ; from physical pecu- 
 liarities, and the analogies in language above referred to ; 
 from certain arts of working in pottery, &c. ; and from the 
 remarkable and isolated position occupied by the tribe in 
 question among hostile nations of indubitable aboriginal 
 characteristics. The theory is, to say the least, plausible, 
 and ably supported. >. 
 
 In the summer of 1838, the small-pox was communi- 
 cated to the Mandans from some infected persons on board 
 one of the steamers belonging to a company of fur-traders. 
 So virulent was the disease, that in a few weeks it swept 
 off the whole tribe, except a few who fell into the hands 
 of their enemies, the Ricarees. One principal reason for 
 the excessive mortality is said to have been, that hostile 
 bands of Indians had beset the village, and the inhabitants 
 were consequently unable to separate, or to place the in- 
 fected in an isolated position. 
 
 The scene of death, lamentation, and terror is said by 
 those who witnessed it to have been frightful in the ex- 
 treme. Great numbers perished by leaping into the river, 
 in the paroxysm of fever, being too weak to swim out. 
 
 ■l^'A ■■■■:*■ ■ 
 
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 512 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Those who died in the village lay in heaps upon the floors 
 of the huts. Of the few secured by the llicarees who 
 took possession of the depopulated village, nearly all were 
 said to have been killed during some subsequent hostilities, 
 so that now scarce a vestige of the tribe can be supposed 
 to remain. 
 
 The Mandans were probably all congregated at their 
 principal village at the time of the great calamity : the 
 other village was situated two miles below, was a small 
 settlement, and was used, as we are led to infer, merely for 
 a temporary " summer residence for a few of the noted 
 families." * ' ; , • . ' r 
 
 Mr. Catlin adds the following items to his account of the 
 annihilation of this interesting tribe : " There is yet a mel- 
 ancholy part of the iale to be told, relating to the ravages 
 of this frightful disease in f' it country on the same occa- 
 sion, as it spread to other contiguous tribes, the Minatar- 
 rees, the Knisteneaux, the Blackfeet, the Chayennes, and 
 the Crows, among^st whom twenty-five thousand periohed 
 in the course of four or five mouths, which most appalling 
 facts I got from Major Pilcher, superintendent of Indian 
 affairs at St. Louis, from Mr. McKenzie, and others.' 
 
 »» 
 
 ^;... I : V,,,... ,...■ J ^;.. ..: 
 
 ■• '1 
 
 ?'-■ tr. f 
 

 «.-l ■ 
 
 TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 513 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE SIOUX CONTINUED. — THEIR MODE OF LIFE. — MATERNAL AFFEC- 
 TION. —EXPOSURE OF THE AGED.— THE FAMOUS aUARRY OF RED 
 PIPE-STONE — NATURE OF THIS MATERIAL. — INDIAN SUPERSTITIONS 
 RESPECTING IT. —THE BISON OR BUFFALO. — HORSES OF THE IN- 
 DIANS — VARIOUS MODES OF HUNTING THE BUFFALO. — WASTEFUL 
 DESTRUCTION OF THE HERDS. 
 
 The Sioux proper, known among themselves and by 
 other Indian tribes as Duhcotas, are one of the most ex- 
 tensively diffused nations of the west. From the Upper 
 Mississippi, where they mingle with the northern race of 
 Chippewas, to the Missouri, and far in the north-west 
 towards the country of the Blackfeet, the tribes of this 
 family occupy the boundless prairie. 
 
 Those living on the Mississippi and St. Peter's rely par- 
 tially, as we have mentioned, upon agriculture, and their 
 proximity to the white settlements hap changed, and too 
 often degraded their native character. The more distant 
 tribes, subsisting almost entirely upon the flesh of the buf- 
 falo, clothed with skins, and using the native weapons of 
 their race, still remain in a state of rude freedom and in- 
 dependence. Graphic descriptions of their wild life, their 
 skill and dexterity in the chase, and innumerable amusing 
 and striking incidents of travel, and portraitures of private 
 and natural character, are to be found scattered through 
 the pages of Catlin's interesting narrative. 
 
 One of the most remarkable and touching traits of char- 
 acter described by .ais author, as observable among the 
 Sicux. is the strength of maternal affection. Infant chil- 
 dren, according to the common custom of western Indians, 
 are carried, for the first six or seven months of their ex- 
 istence, strapped immovably to a board, the hands and 
 arms being generally left at liberty. A hoop protects the 
 
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 514 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 child's face from injury in case of a fall, and the whole 
 apparatus is often highly ornamented with fringe and em- 
 broidery. This pack or cradle is provided with a broad 
 band, which is passed round the forehead of the mother, 
 sustaining the weight of the child pendent at her back. 
 Those who have been most familiar with this mode of 
 treatment generally approve of it as best suited to the life 
 led by the Indian, and as in no way cruel to the child. 
 After the infant has in some degree acquired the use of its 
 limbs, it is freed from these encumbrances, and borne in the 
 fold of the mother's blanket. 
 
 " If the infant dies during the time that is allotted to it 
 to be carried in this cradle, it is buried, and the disconso- 
 late mother fills the cradle with black quills and feathers, 
 in the parts which the child's body had occupied, and 
 in this way carries it around with her wherever she goes 
 for a year or more, with as much care as if her infant 
 were alive and in it ; and she often lays or stands it against 
 the side of the wigwam, where she is all day engaged with 
 her needle-work, and chatting and talking to it as famil- 
 iarly and affectionately as if it were her loved infant, 
 instead of its shell, that she was talking to. So lasting 
 and so strong is the affection of these women for the lost 
 child, that it matters not how heavy or cruel their load, or 
 how rugged the route they have to pass over, they will 
 faithfully carry this, and carefully, from day to day, and 
 even more strictly perform their duties to it, than if the 
 child were alive and in it." — {Letters and Notes of 
 George Catlin.) 
 
 What appears, at first glance, to be one of the most 
 revolting and cruel customs of the migratory Sioux tribes, 
 (a custom common to other western nations,) is the expo- 
 sure of the old and infirm to perish, after they have become 
 unable to keep up with the tribe. We are told, however, 
 that dire necessity compels them to this course, unless they 
 
TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 515 
 
 would — more humanely, it is true — at once put an end 
 to the lives of such unfortunates. The old sufferer not 
 only assents to the proceeding, but generally suggests it, 
 when conscious that he is too weak to travel, or to be of 
 any further service among his people. With some slight 
 protection over him, and a little food by his side, he is left 
 to die, and be devoured by the wolves. 
 
 Certain tribes of this nation, far up the Missouri, are in 
 the habit of performing various ceremonies of self-torture 
 in their religious exercises, somewhat analogous to those 
 of the Mandans, but seldom, if ever, are they carried to such 
 an extent as we have described in treating of that tribe. 
 
 In the Sioux country, at the southern extremity of the 
 high ridge, called the Coteau des Prairies, which separates 
 the head-waters of the St. Peter's from the Missouri, is 
 situated the far-famed quarry of red pipe-stone. Pipes of 
 this formation are seen throughout the whole of the west, 
 no other material being considered suitable. The district 
 was formerly considered as a sort of neutral ground, where 
 hostile tribes from far and near might harmoniously resort 
 to supply the all-essential want of the Indian. Those 
 versed in the mysteries of Indian heraldry have deciphered 
 the distinguishing marks and escutcheons of a great num- 
 ber of western nations, inscribed upon adjacent rocks. Of 
 late years the Sioux have affected a monopoly in the prod- 
 ucts of this quarry, and it was not without the most vehe- 
 ment opposition that Mr. Catlin and his companions, led 
 by curiosity to visit the remote and celebrated place, were 
 enabled to make their way through the Indian settlements 
 fallen in with on the route. 
 
 Throngs of dusky warriors, at these stopping-places, 
 would assemble to discuss, with great heat and excitemcnl, 
 the true motives of the strangers. The general impres- 
 sion seemed to be that the travellers were government 
 agents, sent t^ survey the locality for the purpose of appro- 
 
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 516 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 priation, and one and all expressed a determination to 
 perish rather than relinquish their rights to this, their most 
 valued place of resort. 
 
 The stone is obtained by digging to a depth of several 
 feet in the prairie, at the foot of a precipitous wall of 
 quartz rocks. The whole geological formation of that dis- 
 trict is described as exceedingly singular, and the pipe- 
 stone formation is, itself, entirely unique. This material 
 is "harder than gypsum, and softer than carbonate of 
 lime J " it is asserted that a precisely similar formation has 
 been found at no other spot upon the globe. The compo- 
 nent materials, according to the analysis of Mr. Catlin's 
 specimens, by Dr. Jackson, of Boston, are as follows: 
 " water, 8.4 ; silica, 48.2 ; alumina, 28i6 ; magnesia, 6.0 ; 
 carbonate of lime, 2.6 ; peroxide of iron, 5.0 ; oxide of 
 manganese, 0.6." ' 
 
 The Indians use the stone only in the manufacture of 
 pipes I to apply it to any other use they esteem the most 
 unheard-of sacrilege. From the affinity of its color to that 
 of their own skins they draw some fanciful legend of its 
 formation, at the time of the great deluge, out of the flesh 
 of the perishing red men. They esteem it one of the 
 choicest gifts of the Great Spirit. 
 
 The following extracts from the speeches of some Sioux 
 chiefs, through whose village Mr. Catlin passed on his way 
 to the quarry, may serve to exemplify the veneration with 
 which the stone was regarded. 
 
 " You see," said one, (holding a red pipe to the side of 
 his naked arm,) "that this pipe is a part of our flesh. 
 The red men are a part of the red stone. (* How, how ! ' ) " 
 an expression of strong approbation from the auditors. 
 
 " If the white men take away a piece of the red pipe- 
 stone, it is a hole made in our flesh, and the blood will 
 always run. We cannot stop the blood from running. 
 (* How, how ! ' ) The Great Spirit has told us that the red 
 
 
■ .» M 
 
 ■ ■ V »■ . 
 
 TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 617 
 
 stone is only to be used for pipes, and through them we 
 are to smoke to him. (' How ! ') " - 
 
 The next speaker pronounced the stone to be priceless, 
 as it was medicine. Another, after a preliminary vaunt of 
 his own prowess, and worthiness to be listened to, pro- 
 ceeded : " "We love to go to the Pipe-Stone, and get a 
 piece for our pipes ; but we ask the Great Spirit first. If 
 the white men go to it, they will take it out, and not fill 
 up the holes again, aud the Great Spirit will be offended. 
 (* How, how, how ! ') '* 
 
 Another — " My friends, listen to me ! what I am to say 
 will be truth. (• How ! ') I bought a large piece of the 
 pipe-stone, and gave it to a white man to make a pipe ; he 
 was our trader, and I wished him to have a good pipe. 
 The next time I went to his store, I was unhappy when I 
 saw that stone made into a dish ! (* Eugh ! ') ^ 
 
 " This is the way the white men would use the red pipe 
 stone if they could get it. Such conduct would offend the 
 Great Spirit, and make a red man*s heart sick. (* How, 
 how ! ') " 
 
 Many of the pipes in use among the Sioux, and formed 
 of this material, are shaped with great labor and nicety, 
 and often in very ingenious figures. Those intended for 
 calumets or pipes of peace, are gorgeously decorated, but 
 even those in ordinary use are generally made as orna- 
 mental as practicable. The cavity is drilled by means of a 
 hard stick, with sand and water j the outer form, with the 
 carvings and grotesque figures, is worked with a knife. 
 
 Various narcotic herbs and leaves, where tobacco is not 
 to be obtained, are used for smokir ;^, under the name of 
 " knick-knick ; " the same term is used among some south- 
 ern Indians to denote a mixture of tobacco and sumach 
 leaves. 
 
 In the far west, both among the Sioux and other wild 
 tribes, as the hunt of the buffalo is by far the most impor- 
 
 
 
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 518 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 tant occupation of the men, we will devote some little space 
 to a description of the habits of the animal, and the native 
 modes of pursuing and destroying it. The buffalo, or 
 bison of America, is found at the present day throughout 
 no small portion of the vast unsettled country between our 
 western frontier and the Rocky Mountains, from the south- 
 ern parts of Texas to the cold and desolate regions of the 
 north, even to latitude fifty-five degrees. Nowhere are these 
 animals more abundant, or in a situation more congenial 
 to their increase, and the development of their powers, 
 than in the western country of the Sioux. During certain 
 seasons of the year, they congregate in immense herds, but 
 are generally distributed over the country in small com- 
 panies, wandering about in search of the best pasturage. 
 
 They have no certain routine of migration, although 
 those whose occupation leads to a study of their move- 
 ments can in some localities point out the general course 
 of their trail ; and this uncertainty renders the mode of 
 subsistence depended upon by extensive western tribes of 
 Indians exceedingly precarious. 
 
 The most valuable possessions of these races, and the 
 most essential in the pursuit of the buffalo, are their horses. 
 These useful auxiliaries are of the wild prairie breed, ex- 
 tensively spread over the western territory, the descendants 
 of those originally brought over by the Spaniards in the 
 sixteenth century. They are small, but strong and hardy, 
 and superior in speed to any other of the wild animals of 
 the prairie. Numbers of them are kept about the encamp- 
 ment of the Indians, hobbled so as to prevent their straying 
 away. Upon the open prairie the bison is generally pur- 
 sued upon horseback, with the lance and bow and arrow. 
 The short stiff bow is little calculated for accurate marks- 
 manship, or for a distant shot : riding at full speed, the 
 Indian generally waits till he has overtaken his prey, and 
 discharges his arrow from the distance of a few feet. 
 
TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 519 
 
 The admirable training of the horse, to whom the rider 
 is obliged to give loose rein as he approaches his object 
 and prepares to inflict the deadly wound, is no less notice- 
 able than the spiiit and energy of the rider. 
 
 Such is the force with which the arrow is thrown, that 
 repeated instances are related of its complete passage 
 through the huge body of the buffalo, and its exit upon 
 the opposite side. This near approach to the powerful and 
 infuriated animal is by no means without danger. Al- 
 though the horse, from instinctive fear of the buffalo's 
 horns, sheers off immediately upon passing him, it is not 
 always done with sufficient quickness to avoid his stroke. 
 The hunter is said to be so carried away by the excitement 
 and exhilaration of pursuit, as to be apparently perfectly 
 reckless of his own safety ; trusting entirely to the sagacity 
 and quickness of his horse to take him out of the danger 
 into which he is rushing. 
 
 The noose, or lasso, used in catching wild horses, is 
 often left trailing upon the ground during the chase, to 
 afford the hunter an easy means of securing and remount- 
 ing his horse in case he should be dismounted, by the 
 attack of the buffalo or otherwise. 
 
 In the winter season it is common for the Indians of the 
 northern latitudes to drive the buffalo herds from the 
 bare ridges, where they collect to feed upon the exposed 
 herbage, into the snow-covered valleys. The unwieldy 
 beasts, as they flounder through the drifts, are easily over- 
 taken by the hunters, supported by their snow-shoes, and 
 killed with the lance or bow. Another method, adopted 
 by the Indians, is to put on the disguise of a white wolf- 
 skin, and steal unsuspected among the herd, where they can 
 select their prey at leisure. Packs of wolves frequently 
 follow the herds, to feed upon the carcasses of those that 
 perish, or the remains left by the hunters. They dare not 
 attack them in a body, and are consequently no objects of 
 
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Wl'i -/?i;->'.'^'^ 9j|i| 
 
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 520 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 terror to the buffaloes; but, should an old or wounded 
 animal be separated from the company, they collect around 
 him, and gradually weary him out and devour him. 
 
 When buffalo are plenty, and the Indians have fair op- 
 portunity, the most astonishing and wasteful slaughter 
 ensues. Besides the ordinary methods of destruction, the 
 custom of driving immenie herds over some precipitous 
 ledge, where those behind trample down and thrust over 
 the foremost, until hundreds and thousands are destroyed, 
 has been often described. 
 
 Even at seasons in which the fur is valueless, and little 
 besides a p. osent supply of food can be obtained by de- 
 stroying th.-, animal which constitutes their sole resource, 
 no spix't of forethought or providence restrains the wild 
 hunters of the prairie. Mr. Catlin, when at t)ie mouth of 
 Teton river. Upper Missouri, in 1832, was told that a few 
 days previous to his arrival, a party of Sioux had returned 
 from a hunt, bringing fourteen hundred buffiilo tongues, 
 all that they Vad secured of their booty, and that these 
 were imnu cUatoiy traded away for a few gallons of whiskey. 
 
 The author goe , at considerable length, into a calcula- 
 tion of the ca,iscs now at ivork, which must, in his opinion, 
 necessarily result in the entire extinction of these animals, 
 and the consequent destitution of the numerous tribes that 
 derive support from their pursuit. According to his rep- 
 resentations, we " draw from that country one hundred and 
 fifty or two hundred thousand of their robes annually, the 
 greater part of which are taken from animals that are 
 killed expressly for the robe, at a season when the meat is 
 not cured and preserved, and for each of which skins the 
 Indian has received but a pint of whiskey! 
 
 Such is the fact, and that number, or near it, are annu- 
 ally destroyed, in addition to the number that is necessarily 
 killed for the subsistence of three hundred thousand In- 
 dians, who live entirely upon them." 
 
jd thousand In- 
 
 TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 521 
 
 When this extermination shall have taken place, if, in- 
 deed, it should take place before other causes shall have 
 annihilated the Indian nations of the west, it is difficult to 
 conceive to what these will resort for subsistence. Will 
 they gradually perish from sheer destitution, or, as has 
 been predicted, will they be driven to violence and plunder 
 upon our western frontier ? 
 
 **.i^ 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 INDIANS OP THE GREAT WESTERN PRAIRIES. — THEIR SUMMER AND 
 WINTER LODGES. — THE MEDICINE BAG THE CROWS AND BLACK- 
 FEET.— RACES HOSTILE TO THE LATTER TRIBl.. — FORTITUDE OP 
 A BLACKFOOT WARRIOR. — THE CROW CHIEF ARAPOOISH AND HIS 
 GUEST.— INDIAN CONCEPTIONS OF A PERFECT COUNTRY. — STORY 
 OF LORETTO AND HIS INDIAN WIFE. — ADVENTURES OP KOSATO, 
 A BLACKFOOT WARRIOR. 
 
 Upon the Yellowstone, and about the head-waters of 
 » the Missouri, the most noted tribes are the Crows and 
 Blackfcet. Bordering upon them at the north and north- 
 east, are their enemies, the Ojibbeways, Knisteneaux, and 
 Assinaboins, of some of whom brief mention has been 
 made in former chapters. In 1834 the Blackfeet were 
 computed to number over thirty thousand, but \\'hen the 
 small-pox swept over the western country, in 1838, they 
 were frightfully reduced. By the returns of 1850, they 
 were represented as amounting to about thirteen thousand. 
 As these Indians are among the ftirthest removed from 
 the contaminating influence of the whites, and as the 
 prairie abounds in all that is requisite for their subsistence, 
 viz., horses and buffalo, they present fine specimens of the 
 aboriginal race. They are of manly proportions, active, 
 
 
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 U.:-' •■ 
 
 
 
 522 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 and capable of great endurance : their dress is particularly 
 comfortable and ornamental, bedecked with all the era- 
 broidery and fringes characteristic of savage finery. 
 
 The style of dress, dwellings, means of subsistence, &c., 
 among the Indians of the western prairies, is in many 
 respects so similar, that we shall only avoid wearisome 
 repetition by omitting minute descriptions in speaking of 
 the different tribes. 
 
 The summer lodge, necessarily made movable to suit 
 their migratory habits, is a tent of buffalo-skins, supported 
 by pine poles brought from the distant mountains. These 
 skins are neatly and substantially stitched together, and 
 often highly painted and ornamented. The tent is trans- 
 ported by tying the poles in two bundles, the small ends 
 of which, bound together, are hung over the shoulders of 
 a horse, while the butts trail upon the ground, loaded with 
 the weight of the skins and other paraphernalia of the 
 lodge. The dogs are also pressed into the same service, 
 and loaded, in much the same manner, with as large a load 
 as they can carry. 
 
 The cold winter is passed in some spot protected by 
 high bluffs or heavy timber, either in these skin lodges, or 
 in rude wigwams of logs. 
 
 It is among these remote races that we mav still see 
 many of the ancient superstitious observances (formerly, 
 with slight variation, common to nearly the whole popu- 
 lation of the west,) retained with all their original solem- 
 nity. One of the most singular and universal is the 
 preparation of a " medicine-bag," which every man carries 
 with him upon all occasions, as being intricately involved 
 with his own safety and success in war, hunting, or any of 
 the occupations of life. At about the age of puberty the 
 Indian boy bethinks himself of taking the necessary stops 
 for the preparation of this mysterious amulet or charm. 
 He retires to some solitary spot, where he spends several 
 
 
i'S/*' 'vi*'"* 
 
 >'•.*•• 
 
 m 
 
 is particularly 
 1 all the era- 
 finery. 
 
 bsistence, &c., 
 5, is in many 
 oid wearisome 
 n speaking of 
 
 ovable to suit 
 kins, supported 
 ntains. These 
 
 together, and 
 ; tent is trans- 
 the small ends 
 ac shoulders of 
 nd, loaded with 
 bernalia of the 
 ^e same service, 
 
 as large a load 
 
 Dt protected by 
 skin lodges, or 
 
 e mav still see 
 nces (formerly, 
 le whole popu- 
 
 original solem- 
 niversal is the 
 ery man carries 
 icately involved 
 iting, or any of 
 
 of puberty the 
 
 necessary steps 
 lulet or charm. 
 
 spends several 
 
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 ,./. ,; », ■■♦T. !.,%. 
 
II 
 
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 U •i.. 
 
 ■m 
 
 
TRIBES WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 625 
 
 days, lying upon the ground, taking no nourishment, and 
 employed in continual fervent invocations to the Great 
 Spirit. Falling asleep in this condition, he notes particu- 
 larly what bird or animal first occurred to his mind in 
 dreams. Ho then returns home, and, after recruiting his 
 strength, busies himself in the pursuit of the creature un- 
 til he has secnred a specimen. This accomplished, he 
 dresses the skin, stuffs it with moss or some other light 
 substance, and devotes his attention to bedecking it with 
 the most elaborate ornament. 
 
 This medicine-bag can be procured at no price, and the 
 loss of it, even in the heat of battle, is a signal disgrace, 
 only to be wiped out by the seizure of a similar charm 
 from a slaughtered enemy. " These curious appendages," 
 says Catlin, " to the persons or wardrobe of an Indian, are 
 sometimes made of the skin of an otter, a beaver, a musk- 
 rat, a weasel, a raccoon, a pole cat, a snake, a frog, a toad, 
 a bat, a mouse, a mole, a hawk, an eagle, a magpie, or a 
 sparrow ; — sometimes of the skin of an animal so large as 
 a wolf; and at others, of the skins of the leiiser animals, 
 so small that they are hidden under the dress, and very 
 difficult to be found, even if searched for." 
 
 The strange and hideous conjurations of the medicine- 
 men or necromancers, who perform their ceremonies about 
 the sick or dying with a view to their relief, may be here 
 seen in their utmost extravagance. 
 
 The Crows are far inferior in numbers to the Blackfeet, 
 with whom they are engaged in perpetual warfare. They 
 inhabit the country adjacent to the Yellowstone, as far 
 westward as the foot of the Rocky Mountains. They are 
 a fine race, physically speaking ; their average height is 
 greatly beyond that of any of the neighboring tribes, and 
 they are models of activity and strength. They have been 
 characterized as a lawless, thieving horde of savages ; but 
 those best acquainted with their character and disposition, 
 30 
 
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 626 
 
 INDIAN RA::E8 OP AMERICA. 
 
 speak of them as honest and trustworthy, and excuse the 
 depredations of which they have from time to time been 
 guilty, as having generally resulted from gross provocation. 
 From whatever cause, and whichever race may have been 
 the most in fault, it is certain that the two wild tribes of 
 which we are now speaking have been, from the earliest 
 periods in which Europeans have penetrated their territory, 
 objects of terror to traders and trappers. 
 
 One distinguishing peculiarity of these Indians, is tlie 
 extraordinary length of their hair, which is cherished and 
 cultivated as an ornament, until it sweeps the ground after 
 them. This profusion is to be seen in no tribe except the 
 Crows, although some of their neighbors endeavor to imi- 
 tate it, by gluing an additional length to their natural hair. 
 
 The Crows speak a different language from the Black- 
 feet, and, as we have mentioned, are continually at war 
 with that tribe. They only number about four thousand, 
 and are consequently at great disadvantage in these hos- 
 tilities. 
 
 . The smaller Minitari tribes, between the mouth of the 
 Yellowstone and the site of the Mandan villages, and the 
 extensive nation of the G.os Ventres, inhabiting the east- 
 ern slope of the Rocky Mountains, speak the same lan- 
 guage with the Crows, or one very nearly allied to it. The 
 Arapahoes, numbering some three thousand, and dwelling 
 about the sources of the Platte and Arkansas rivers, belong 
 to the race of the Blackfeet. 
 
 The latter nation, besides their enemies at the East, have 
 had, from an indefinite period, to contend with the Flat- 
 head and other tribes still farther westward. The descent 
 of these remote bands upon the plains in pursuit of buffalo, 
 has ever been deemed by the Blackfeet a signal infringe- 
 ment of their rights, and fierce battles often result from 
 the conflicting claims of the rival nations. Although 
 other game abounds in the mountain districts inhabited 
 
■ I 
 t 
 
 id excuse the 
 to time been 
 s provocation, 
 ay have been 
 wild tribes of 
 in the earliest 
 their territory, 
 
 [ndians, is the 
 , cherished and 
 \e ground after 
 L-ibe except the 
 tndeavor to imi- 
 eir natural hair, 
 from theBlack- 
 itinually at war 
 t four thousand, 
 ze in these hos- 
 
 le mouth of the 
 villages, and the 
 abiting lhe east- 
 Ic the same Ian- 
 allied to it. The 
 ,nd, and dwelling 
 sas rivers, belong 
 
 at the East, have 
 id with the riat- 
 ,rd. The descent 
 pursuit of buffalo, 
 a signal infringe- 
 often result from 
 itions. Although 
 districts inhabited 
 
 TRIBE8 WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 627 
 
 by some of these tribes, nothing possesses such attractions 
 for them as the buffalo hunt, and they are ready to incur 
 any peril rather than relinquish this favorite pursuit. 
 
 The Nez-Perc^s or Pierced-Nose Indians, the Flat- 
 heads, and the Pends Oreilles or Hanging Ears, of the 
 Rocky Mountain^ and their western slopes, and of the 
 plains drained by the sources of the Columbia, are at con- 
 tinual and deadly feud with the Blackfeet. These latter 
 seem, indeed, to have their hands against every man, with 
 the exception of their kindred Arapahoes, to whom they 
 make periodical visits of friendship. 
 
 Of the skirmishes between war-parties of these hostile 
 tribes, their forays into each other's territory, and the ex- 
 ploits of their most redoubted warriors, many striking tales 
 are told by the traders and trappers who visit these remote 
 regions. In Mr. Irving's admirable publication, "The 
 Adventures of Captain Bonneville, U. S. A., in the Rocky 
 Mountains and the Far West," arranged in the form of 
 interesting and pleasing narrative, from the captain's manu- 
 scripts and other sources, are details of various incidents 
 illustrative of the character and habits of these tribes, so 
 told as to attract the attention of the reader, and to leave 
 a vivid impression upon the mind. 
 
 In Cox's " Adventures on the Columbia River," fright- 
 ful descriptions are given of the cruelties practised by the 
 Flat-heads upon some Blackfoot prisoners who had fallen 
 into their hands. Such proceedings appeared utterly va- 
 riant from the natural disposition of those Indians, and 
 only serve to show to what lengths usage, a spirit of retal- 
 iation, and natural antipathy, may carry a people whose 
 general character is gentle and kindly. 
 
 The author particularly describes the endurance of oi^p 
 of the Blackfoot braves, upon whom every species of tor- 
 ture was tried in vain attempts to overcome his fortitude. 
 He exulted over his tormentors, vaunting his own deeds 
 
 ;•-■;., ••••i •• if.-: 
 
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|.'i-'.'-.'i?"#.r.-.i-'/--'-»' ' 
 
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 ■■■ ■' -■ ■■ '1-i/^ ■'.-;;■ ■' 
 
 '*'v; 
 
 •■(^, 
 
 mm 
 
 rr-'' 
 
 n 
 
 
 628 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 in the following language : "*My heart is strong. — You 
 do not hurt me. — You can't hurt me. — You are fools. — 
 You do not know how to torture. — Try it again. — I don't 
 feel any pain yet. — We torture your relations a great' deal 
 better, because we make them cry out loud, like little chil- 
 dren. — You are not brave ; you have small hearts, and 
 you are always afraid to fight.' Then, addressing one in 
 particular, he said, * It was by my arrow you lost your 
 eye ; ' upon which the Flat-head darted at him, and with a 
 knife, in a moment, scooped out one of his eyes ; at the 
 same time cutting the bridge of his nose nearly in two. 
 This did not stop him : with the remaining eye he looked 
 sternly at another, and said, * I killed your brother, and I 
 scalped your old fool of a father.' The warrior to whom 
 this TV as addressed instantly sprung at him, and severed 
 the scalp from his head." 
 
 The chief restrained this enraged warrior from ter- 
 minating the sufferings of the victim by a blow ; but was, 
 himself, immediately afterwards so exasperated by his 
 taunts and insults, that he could not withhold his own 
 hand, and shot the mangled wretch through the heart. 
 
 Of the Crow character, a very singular trait is exhibited 
 in an adventure of a noted trapper, Mr. Robert Campbell, 
 as given in Mr. Irving's work, above mentioned. This 
 traveller was upon one occasion hospitably entertained by 
 the celebrated Crow chief, Arapooish, in whose tent he had 
 deposited a large bundle of valuable furs. The greater 
 part of hiS stores was buried in the ground for safety. 
 
 The old chief ascertained, during Campbell's stay, that 
 his guest had made a " cache," (the French term applied 
 to such places of concealment,) and that some of his own 
 tribe had discovered and plundered it. The number of 
 beaver-skini stolen was one hundred and fifty. • - 
 
 Arapooish immediately assembled all the men of the 
 village, and after making a speech, in which he vehemently 
 
TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 629 
 
 declaimed against their bad faith towards the stranger, 
 vowed that he would neither touch food nor drink until 
 complete restoration should be made. He then took his 
 seat with the trapper in his wigwam, and awaited the re- 
 sult, desiring his companion to make no remarks if the 
 skins were brought, but simply to keep account of them. 
 
 More than a hundred of the stolen articles were brought 
 in before night, but notwith.standing CampbelFs expressions 
 of satisfaction, the old Indian would neither eat nor drink 
 throughout that night and the next day. The skins slowly 
 made their appearance, " one and two at a time through- 
 out the day ; until but a few were wanting to make the 
 number complete. Campbell was now anxious to put an 
 end to this fasting of the old chief, and again declared 
 that he was perfectly satisfied. Arapooish demanded what 
 number of skins were yet wanting. On being told, he 
 whispered to some of his people, who disappeared. After 
 a time the number were brought in, though it was evident 
 they were not any of the skins that had been stolen, but 
 others gleaned in the village." 
 
 Arapooish then broke his fast, and gave his guest much 
 wholesome advice, charging him always, when he visited 
 a Crow village to put himself and his goods under protec- 
 tion of the chief. Of Campbell's conclusions upon the 
 character of the race, Mr. Irving says : " He has ever since 
 maintained that the Crows are not so black as they have 
 been painted- * Trust to their honor,' says he, ' and you 
 are safe ; trust to their honesty, and they will steal the 
 hair off your head.' " 
 
 The manner in which old Arapooish enlarged upon the 
 natural advantages of the Crow country in conversation 
 with Mr, Campbell is too quaint to be passed over. He 
 averred that it was located in precisely the right spot for 
 the security of all that was desirable in life, and the avoid- 
 ance of its usual trials and wants. He enlarged upon the 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 •:'■'. 
 
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 ') -«.. 
 
 .' 1-' "••'* vi,... 
 
 ■' '.' '.'.'. ':■' '^'■'•''' 
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 ^1 
 
 680 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 cold of the north, where dogs must take the place of horses ; 
 and upon the barren and arid plains of the south, replete with 
 pestilential vaporfj. At the west, he said : " On the Colum- 
 bia, they are poor and dirty, paddle about in canoes, and 
 eat fish. Their teeth are worn out ; they are always tak- 
 ing fish-bones out of their mouths. Fish is poor food. 
 
 " To the east, they dwell in villages ; they live well ; 
 but they drink the muddy water of the Missouri — that is 
 bad. A Crow's dog would not drink such water. 
 
 " About the forks of the Missouri is a fine country ; good 
 water ; good grass ; plenty of buffalo. In summer it is 
 almost as good as the Crow country ; but in winter it is 
 cold ; the grass is gone ; and there is no salt-weed for the 
 horses." — (Bonneville's Adventures.) 
 
 Then followed an enthusiastic enumeration of the bless- 
 ings enjoyed by the Crows ; the variety of climate ; the 
 abundance of game ; the winter resources for man and 
 beast ; and the relief from the heat of summer afforded by 
 the cool breezes and fresh springs of the mountains. 
 
 In a foraier chapter, we have devoted some little space 
 to illustrations, from INlr. Catlin's letters, of the strength of 
 parental affection among the Western Indians, particularly 
 the Sioux : in the work last cited are numerous anecdotes 
 exemplifying, in a manner equally forcible, the enduring 
 and powerful attachment often noticeable between the 
 sexes 'y and this not only among the Indians alone, but 
 where they have intermarried with whites. 
 
 One of these instances was as foHows : " Among the free 
 trappers in the Rocky Mountain band was a spirited young 
 Mexican, named Loretto ; who, in the course of his wan- 
 derings, had ransomed a beautiful Blackfoot girl from a 
 band of Crows, by whom she had been captured. He made 
 her his wife, after the Indian style, and she had followed 
 his fortunes ever since with the most devoted affection." 
 
 The company, one day, fell in with a numerous party 
 
» 
 
 
 TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 631 
 
 of Blackfoot warriors, and the preliminary steps were taken 
 for a parley, and for smoking the calumet, in token of 
 peace. At this moment, Loretto's Indian wife perceived 
 her own brother among the band. " Leaving her infant 
 with Loretto, she rushed forward and threw herself upon 
 her brother's neck ; who clasped his long-lost sister to his 
 heart, with a warmth of affection but little compatible with 
 the reputed stoicism of the savage." 
 
 Meanwhile, Bridger, one of the trapper leaders, ap- 
 proaching the Blackfeet, from an imprudent excess of cau- 
 tion, cocked his rifle just as he come up with them. The 
 Indian chief, who was in the act of proffering a friendly 
 salutation, heard the click of the lock, and all his native 
 fury and suspicion were instantly aroused. He sprang 
 upon Bridger, forced the muzzle of the rifle into the ground, 
 where it was discharged, knocked him down, seized his 
 horse, and rode off. A general, but disorderly fight en- 
 sued, during which Loretto's wife was hurried away by her 
 relations. 
 
 The noble young Mexican saw her in their power, vainly 
 entreating permission to return, and, regardless of the dan- 
 ger incurred, at once hastened to her side, and restored 
 the child to its mother. The Blackfoot braves admired his 
 boldness, and respected the confidence which he had re- 
 posed in them by thus venturing in their midst, but they 
 were deaf to all the prayers of himself and his wife that 
 they might remain together. He was dismissed unharmed, 
 but the woman and child were detained. 
 
 Not many months afterwards the fi\ithful Loretto pro- 
 cured his discharge from the company in whose service he 
 was enlisted, and followed his wife to her own country. A 
 happy reunion took place, and the loving pair took up 
 their residence at a trading-house among the Blackfeet, 
 where the husband served as interpreter between the In- 
 dians and white traders. 
 
 :r 
 
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 632 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Another tale of Indian love and rivalry is that of a Black- 
 foot warrior, named Kosato, residing among the Nez-Percds 
 when that tribe was visited by Bonneville. 
 
 He had fallen in love with the wife of a chief of his own 
 tribe, and his affection was returned. According to his 
 own positive asseverations, although they "talked together 
 — laughed together — and were always seeking each other's 
 society," they were " as innocent as children." 
 
 The jealousy of the husband was at last completely 
 aroused, and he visited his vengeance upon both the offend- 
 ing parties. The wife was cruelly beaten, and sternly bid 
 not even to bestow a look upon Kosato, while the youth 
 himself suffered the loss of all his horses, upon which the 
 chief had seized. Maddened with love ard revenge, Kos- 
 ato waited his opportunity ; slew the object of his hate ; 
 and hastened to entreat his mistress to fly with him. At 
 first she only wept bitterly, but finally, overcome by his 
 persuasions, and the promptings of her own affection, she 
 forsook her people, and sought, with her lover, an asylum 
 among the peaceful and kindly Nez-Perc<)s. 
 
 Kosato was foremost in rousing up a warlike and manly 
 spirit among the tribe of his adoption, but he found the 
 disposition of his new allies far different from that of the 
 hot-blooded Blackfeet and Crows. " They are good and 
 kind," said he to Bonneville ; " they are honest ; but their 
 hearts are the hearts of women." 
 
 From these and numberless similar tales, it is sufficiently 
 evident that the cloak of reserve in which the Indian wraps 
 himself from the scrutiny of strangers, covers passions and 
 affections as fiery and impetuous as are to be witnessed in 
 more demonstrative races. ' 
 
TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 633 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 TRinES ON THE COLUMBIA AND ITS TRIBUTAnrES. — THE NEZ-PERCris. — 
 THEIR RELIGIOUS CHARACTER. — THE WALLA-WALLAS. — THE CHI- 
 NOOKS. — MODE OF rLATTENINO THE HEAD. — T/IE BOTOQUE. — CA- 
 NOES OF THE TRIPES ON THE LOWER WATERS OF THE COLUMBIA. 
 — FISHING. — HOUSES OF THE FLAT-HEADS. 
 
 The principal tribe dwelling within the vast amphitheatre 
 drained by the Kooskooske, westward- from the Blackfoot 
 country, and across the Rocky Mountains, is that of the 
 Nez-Percds or Pierced-Nose Indians. Proceeding down 
 the river, we find numerous tribes, known, collectively, as 
 Flat-heads, although the physical peculiarity from which 
 they derive their name is by no means universal. 
 
 Upon the main southern branch, the Lewis Fork of the 
 Columbia, or Snake river, dwell the Shoshonees, or Snake 
 Indians, a race perhaps more widely disseminated than any 
 other of the present descendants of the North An cvican 
 aborigines. 
 
 The Nez-Percds are, as mentioned in a preceding chap- 
 ter, a quiet, inoffonsive people, although, when fairly 
 aroused, they are not wanting in courage and efficiency. 
 Their susceptibility to religious impressions is remarkable, 
 and their patient reliance upon and sincere invocations to 
 the Great Spirit, in times of want or danger, might shame 
 the most enlightened nation. 
 
 In a time of great scarcity Captain Bonneville fell in 
 with a party of these Indians, in a state of the utmost des- 
 titution. They were subsisting upon wild rose-buds, roots, 
 and other crude and innutritions food, and their only 
 weapon was a single spear. With this they finally set out, 
 on horseback, upon what appeared to the whites an ut- 
 terly hopeless expedition m search of game. They rode 
 off, however, with cheerful confidence that their prayers 
 
 
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 ■,'■.- ■*, ^•' r "': ••; « ■■(. 
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 i n 
 
 584 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 would now be heard by the Great Spirit. The under- 
 taking was successful, and the poor Indians freely shared 
 the meat which they had secured among the hungry 
 whites. 
 
 The kind-hearted captain, from long observation of their 
 character, became more and more enthusiastic in his admi- 
 ration of the simplicity, benevolence, and piety of the tribe. 
 Some rude conceptions of Christian doctrines ai d obser- 
 vances had, in earlier times, been disseminated among them, 
 and the} eagerly listened to such instruction upon these 
 topics as Captain Bonneville was enabled to convey. In 
 his own words : " Simply to call these people religious, 
 would convey but a faint idea of the deep hue of piety and 
 devotion which pervades their whole conduct. Their hon- 
 esty is immaculate, and their purity of purpose, and their 
 observance of the rites of their religion, are most uniform 
 and remarkable. They are certainly more like a nation of 
 saints than a horde of savages." 
 
 There are two tribes of the Pierced-Nose Indians, the 
 upper and the lower : the first of these is that to which 
 particular allusion has heretofore been made in connection 
 with Blackfoot hostilities. The Indians of the lower tribe 
 subsist upon fish, and upon deer, elk, and other game of 
 their own country. 
 
 Bonneville gives them almost as good a character as their 
 brethren, the upper tribe, pronouncing them " one of the 
 purest-hearted people on the face of the earth." Other 
 travellers and traders, who, probably in consequence of 
 their own unscrupulous villany, have experienced different 
 treatment at the hands of these Indians, naturally enough 
 set them down as dishonest and inhospitable. As one 
 instance of their generosity and kind-heartedness : the 
 captain's horse was recognized by one of the tribe as hav- 
 ing formerly oeen stolen from himself. He proved owner- 
 Bhip incontescably, but voluntarily relinquished his claim, 
 

 TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 635 
 
 L 
 
 saying: "You got him in fair trade — you are more in 
 want ol horses than I am : keep him ; he is yours — he 
 is a good horse ; use him well." 
 
 Farther westward, upon the banks of the Columbia, 
 below the mouth of the Lewis Fork, are found the Walla- 
 wallas ; they are not unlike the Pierced-Noses in general 
 appearance, language, and habits. They are kind towards 
 strangers, and in their deportment exhibit great decency 
 and decorum. They have plenty of horses, and maintain 
 the same border warfare with the Shoshonees that their 
 neighbors farther up the river are constantly waging with 
 the Blackfeet. The cause of hostility is similar, viz : a claim 
 of right of hunting within the hostile territory ; in the one 
 case, for the buffalo ; in the other, for the black-tailed deer. 
 
 Passing over the Spokans, Cootonais, Chaudieres, Point- 
 ed Hearts, &c., &c., we will describe a little more at large 
 the Chinooks, Flat-heads in reality, as in name, who dwell 
 about the lower portions of the Columbia. The horrible 
 deformity of the skull, which constitutes their chief phys- 
 ical peculiarity, is produced by pressure upon the forehead 
 of the infant while the bone is soft and pliable. The child 
 is stretched upon its back, after the usual Indian fashion, 
 and a bit of board or bark is so secured by strings that it 
 can be tightened at pleasure, creating a steady pressure 
 until the head is so flattened that a straight line can be 
 drawn from the tip of the nose to the unnatural apex. The 
 operation occupies from a few weeks to a year, or more, at 
 the end of which time the skull is hardened, and never 
 thereafter resumes its natui'al shape. The thickness of the 
 broad ridge at the back of the head is little over an inch. 
 
 This extensive displacement of the brain does not, as far 
 as travellers have observed, eflfect any noticeable change 
 in the faculties of the mind. It is an unaccountable cus- 
 tom, and is persisted in as being an improvement upon 
 nature ; perhaps from the same ideal that suggested the 
 
 
 
 fev: 
 
 in--' 
 
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 636 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 retreating forehead characteristic of the ancient sculptures 
 of Egypt and Central America. Various tribes and nations 
 of America were formerly in the habit of flattening the 
 head, who have long since ceased so to mar their fair pro- 
 portions. Even in South America, as we shall see here- 
 after, skulls are still found bearing evident marks of this 
 hideous distortion. 
 
 Exclusive of the head, there is little particularly notice- 
 able about the personal appearance of the Indians of the 
 lower Columbia. The description given of them, particu- 
 larly of their women, is by no means attractive. It would 
 seem, from one of Mr. Catlin's illustrations, that a singular 
 custom, generally considered as peculiar to the Brazilian 
 Botocudos, is occasionally observable among them. He 
 gives a sketch of a woman whose under-lip is pierced, and 
 the aperture filled with a large wooden plug or button 
 (termed the " botoque " in South America). 
 
 Their most successful advance in the arts, is seen in the 
 manufacture of their canoes. These, according to the de- 
 scription given in the history of Lewis and Clarke's travels, 
 are often " upwards of fifty feet long, andwill carry from 
 eight to ten thousand pounds weight, or from twenty to 
 thirty persons. * * They are cut out of a single trunk 
 of a tree, which is generally white cedar, though the fir 
 is sometimes used. * * When they embark, one In- 
 dian sits in the stern, and steers with a paddle ; the others 
 kneel in pairs in the bottom of the canoe, and, sitting 
 on their heels, paddle over the gunwale next to them. In 
 this way they ride with perfect safety the highest waves, 
 and venture without the least concern in seas where other 
 boats and seamen could not live an instant. They sit 
 quietly and paddle, with no other movement, except when 
 any large wave throws the boat on her side, and to the 
 eye of the spectator she seems lost : the man to wind- 
 ward then steadies her by throwing his body towards 
 
TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 537 
 
 the upper side, and, sinking his paddle deep into the waves, 
 appears to catch the water, and force it under the boat, 
 which the same stroke pushes on with great velocity." 
 
 They subsist principally upon fish, in taking which they 
 are very expert. Their nets are made of silk-grass, or of 
 the fibrous bark of the white cedar, as are also the lines 
 used for angling. The hooks are procured from white 
 traders, but in earlier times were manufactured from bone. 
 Their houses are described as large and commodious : some 
 of them are said by Cox to be ** upwards of ninety feet 
 long, and thirty to forty broad." The size of the beams 
 used in the construction of these edifices, as well as that of 
 the trunks of trees worked into canoes, is almost incredi- 
 ble, considering the miserable tools and implements in 
 their possession previous to European intercourse. 
 
 Their household furniture and utensils are rude and 
 simple ; in their primitive condition they boiled their fish 
 in kettles of cedar wood, by means of heated stones thrown 
 into the water. The fire-place is a hole sunk in the floor, 
 to the depth of about twelve inches, under the aperture in 
 the roof left for the escape of smoke. 
 
 i{* " ■. .t • '^■•) • ■) '" ■ 
 
 .f 
 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 TOE SIIOSIIONEES, OR SNAKE [NDIANS THE 8H0SII0K0ES, OR ROOT- 
 DIGGERS. — EXTENT OF rOl'NTRY OrCUPIEl) BY THE SNAKES.— 
 THE OAMANCFIES : THEIR HORSEMANSHIP, MODE OP LIFE, DWELL- 
 INGS, ETC.— THE PAWNEE PICTS. — THE NABAJOS AND MOUUES. 
 
 Under various names, and presenting a great variety 
 in habits and appearance, according to the nature of the 
 country they inhabit, the great race of Shoshonees is found 
 scattered over the boundless wilderness, from Texas to the 
 
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 538 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Columbia. Their territory is bounded on the north and 
 west by that of their hereditary enemies, the Blackfeet 
 and Crows, the tribes allied to the great Dacotah or Sioux 
 family, and the Indians removed westward from the 
 United States. 
 
 Those who dwell amid the rugged and inhospitable re- 
 gions of the great Rocky Mountain chain, known as Shos- 
 hokoes or Eoot-Diggers, are the most destitute and miser- 
 able portion of all the North American tribes. They have 
 no horses, and nothing but the rudest native implements 
 for securing game. They are harmless, and exceedingly 
 timid and shy, choosing for their dwellings the most re- 
 mote and unexplored retreats of the mountains, whither 
 they fly in terror at the approach of strangers, whether 
 whites or Indians. ** These forlorn beings," says Irving, 
 " forming a mere link between human nature and the 
 brute, have been looked down upon with pity and con- 
 tempt by the Creole trappers, M'ho have given them the 
 appellation of * les dignes cfe pitie,* or * the objects of pity.* 
 They appear more worthy to be called the wild men of the 
 mountains." 
 
 Althougi living in a climate where they experience 
 great severity of cold, these miserable people are very 
 insufficiently, protected either by clothing or comfortable 
 huts. Of a party seen by Bonneville upon the plain be- 
 low Powder River, that traveller remarks : " They live 
 without any further protection from the inclemency of the 
 season, tha i a sort of break-weather, about three feet high, 
 composed of sage, (or wormwood,) and erected around 
 them in the shape of a half-moon." This material also 
 furnishes them with fuel. Many were seen carrying about 
 with them a slow match, made of twisted bark. " When- 
 ever they wished to warm themselves, they would gather 
 together a little wormwood, apply the match, and in an 
 instant produce a cheering blaze." 
 
TRIBES WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 639 
 
 They live principally, as their name implies, upon roots 
 and a preparation of certain wild seeds : but by the aid of 
 their dogs — a lean and miserable breed — they catch rabbits 
 and other small animals. They occasionally take ante- 
 lopes by the following singular contrivance : An enclo- 
 sure of several acres in extent is formed by piling up a 
 row of wormwood brush, only about three feet in height. 
 Into this the game is decoyed or driven and the entrance 
 closed. The men then pursue the animals on foot, round 
 and round the confined space, (fresh recruits entering upon 
 the duty as the first become weary), until they are com- 
 pletely tired down, and can be ki' 1 3d with clubs. The 
 antelopes never attempt to leap over the frail barrier. 
 
 Those Shoshokoes who live in the vicinity of streams, 
 add to their supplies by fishing, and some of them are 
 sufficiently skilful and provident to cure stores of fish for 
 winter ; but in general the season of scarcity finds them 
 wretchedly unprovided. '* They were destitute," says Bon- 
 neville of a party encountered by him, " of the necessary 
 covering to protect them from the weather ; and seemed 
 to be in unsophisticated ignorance of any other propriety 
 or advantage in the use of clothing. One old dame had 
 absolutely nothing on her person but a thread round her 
 neck, from which was pendent a solitary bead." 
 
 The Shoshonees, as distinct from the Rodt-Diggers, 
 although tbcir condition varies greatly with their locality, 
 are a free, bold, and wandering race of hunters. In the 
 bufflilo plains their life is much like that of the Sioux, 
 Blackfeet, Crows, «&c.; while in the less favored districts, 
 among the mountains and deserts, they approach more 
 nearly to their kindred Shoshokoes. The country inhabit- 
 ed by them is of such vast extent, and has been so imper- 
 fectly explored, that m terial for accurate classification of 
 the Snake tribes is entirely wanting. Very interesting 
 descriptions and anecdotes of these Indians are to be 
 
 K., r?:;?,v/:V' 
 
 } •■■ . >. .. , "^^ ■ 5 
 
 » 1 '■. 
 
 '(/ 
 

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 ?■■■■ 
 
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 .■■••' i 
 
 1; uit^'l!';! 
 
 540 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 found in Colonel Fi(}mont's notes of travel and explora- 
 tions ; in Mr. Schoolcraft's valuable compend of Indian 
 historical and statistical information ; and in the entertain- 
 ing adventures of Captain Bonneville. 
 
 The whole region tenanted by the roving tribes who are 
 included under the general title of Snakes, is thus laid 
 down in Schoolcraft's above-mentioned publication : exclu- 
 sive of those residing upon the Snake river, " they em- 
 brace all the territory of the Great South Pass, between 
 the Mississippi valley and the waters of the Columbia, by 
 which the land or caravan communication with Oregon 
 and California is now, or is destined hereafter, to be main- 
 tained. * * Under the name of Yampatick-ara, or Root- 
 Eaters, and Bonacks, they occupy, with the Utahs, the vast 
 elevated basin of the Great Salt Lake, extending south 
 and west to the borders of New Mexico and California. 
 Information recently received denotes that the language 
 is spoken by bands in the gold-mine region of the Sacra- 
 mento." 
 
 The most noted branch of the whole family is that of the 
 Camanches, " who have descended eastwardly into the Tex- 
 an plains at unknown periods of their history." Analogy 
 in language is all that attests the former unity of this 
 nation with the Shoshonees. 
 
 The Cajnanches inhabit a country where bisons and 
 wild horses abound, and their general habits and mode of 
 life are consequently very similar to those of the western 
 Sioux and other races of the prairies. As bold and skil- 
 ful riders, they are said to have no equals, at least in North 
 America ; some of their feats of horsemanship appear 
 almost supernatural to a stranger. One of the most sin- 
 gular of these is that of throwing the whole body upon 
 one side of the horse, so as to be entirely shielded from 
 the missile of an enemy, with the exception of the heel, by 
 which they still maintain their hold, and are enabled to 
 
 ^-tth 
 
••■;» 
 
 
 and explora- 
 end of Indian 
 I the entertain- 
 
 tribes who are 
 s, is thus laid 
 Lcation : excla- 
 er, " they em- 
 Pass, between 
 » Columbia, by 
 1 with Oregon 
 ter, to be main- 
 ck-ara, or Eoot- 
 Utahs, the vast 
 xtending south 
 and California. 
 ,t the language 
 n of the Sacra- 
 
 ily is that of the 
 
 y into the Tex- 
 
 jvy." Analogy 
 
 unity of this 
 
 ere bisons and 
 
 ts and mode of 
 
 of the western 
 
 bold and skil- 
 
 t least in North 
 
 nanship appear 
 
 jf the most sin- 
 
 lole body upon 
 
 yr shielded from 
 
 1 of the heel, by 
 
 are enabled to 
 

 
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 I' 
 
 S'^' ., 
 
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 t: 
 
 
 
 m 
 
TRIBES WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 543 
 
 regain their seat in an instant. The manner in which this 
 seemingly impossible position is retained, was ascertained 
 by Mr. Catlin to be as follows : *•' I found," says he, " on 
 examination, that a short hair halter was passed around 
 under the neck of the horse, and both ends tightly braided 
 into the mane, on the withers, leaving a loop to hang un- 
 der the neck, and against the breast, which, being caught 
 up in the hand, makes a sling into which the elbow falls, 
 taking the weight of the body on the middle of the upper 
 arm. Into this loop the rider drops .suddenly and fear- 
 lessly, leaving his heel to hang over the back of the horse, 
 to steady him, and also to restore him when he wishes 
 regain his upright position on tlie horse's back." 
 
 The Indian rider, as he sweeps, at full speed, past lis 
 enemy, in this unnatural attitude, is said to manage his 
 long lance, and his bow and arrow, with nearly the sai 3 
 facility as if fairly mounted. He will disscharge his rrrow 
 over the hack of the horse, or even his neck ! TLe Ca- 
 manches, from constant horseback exercise, have lost that 
 agility and grace which characterize the North American 
 Indian in his natural state. They are awkward and un- 
 gainly in cheir movements when on foot, but when mounted 
 upon the animals that have become almost a part of them- 
 selves, nothing can exceed the lightness and freedom of 
 their posture and movements. The wild horses are taken, 
 as usual, by the lasso, and are at first disabled by being 
 " choked down," as it is termed. When the hunter has 
 thus conquered and enfeebled his prize, he proceeds to tie 
 his fore feet together, and, loosening the noose about his 
 neck, takes a turn with it about the lower jaw, and com- 
 pletes the subjection of the animal by closing his eyes 
 with his hand and breathing in his nostrils. After this, little 
 difficulty is experienced ; the horse submits to be mounted, 
 and is soon entirely under the control of his tormentor. 
 
 The Indians are severe and cruel riders, and the ease of 
 31 
 
 > 
 
 mm-" 
 
 
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 r > . ' ■ 
 
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 I't-. 
 
 644 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 supplying the loss of a horse prevents that regard for his 
 safety and care for his welfare elsewhere furnished by self- 
 interest. 
 
 The Camanches are essentially a warlike race, and the 
 whole history of the settlement and occupation of Texas 
 is replete with tales of their courage and prowess. There 
 seems to be reason to fear that difficulties will still con- 
 tinue to arise between them and the white settlers of the 
 country until the whole tribe, like so many in the older 
 states, shall be driven from their territory or exterminated. 
 Almost the only man who has ever been able to command 
 their enduring admiration and respect, and to exercise a 
 parental control over these wild rovers of the west, is the 
 redoubted champion of Texan independence. General 
 Houston. Numberless tales are told of the influence of 
 his presence, or even his name, in quieting border trou- 
 bles between whites and Indians. No one knows the 
 Camanches better than Houston, and he gives abundant 
 testimony to many excellent traits in their character. 
 According to his representations, the generality of dis- 
 turbances which have arisen upon their borders are attrib- 
 utable rather to injustice and violence, on the part of the 
 white settlers, than to the native ferocity or treachery of 
 the Indians. 
 
 The dwellings of the Camanches, like those of other 
 prairie tribes, consist of tents of buffalo-skiris, and are 
 transported from place to place in the manner described 
 in a former chapter. The tribe next adjoining them, the 
 Pawnee Picts, living about the extreme head-waters of the 
 Ked River, on the borders of the Rocky Mountains, in- 
 habit wigwams of poles thatched with prairie grass, of 
 very picturesque form and arrangement. These people 
 are said to be entirely distinct from the Pawnees on the 
 Platte river ; they are in a state of friendly alliance with the 
 Camanches. Unlike the latter tribe, they cultivate large 
 
TRIBES WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 645 
 
 egard for Kis 
 3hed by self- 
 race, and the 
 ion of Texas 
 wess. There 
 vill still con- 
 settlers of the 
 r in the older 
 exterminated, 
 e to command 
 to exercise a 
 he west, is the 
 ence, General 
 e influence of 
 r border trou- 
 ne knows the 
 rives abundant 
 leir character, 
 erality of dis- 
 ders are attrib- 
 he part of the 
 »r treachery of 
 
 hose of other 
 skins, and are 
 inner described 
 ning them, the 
 -waters of the 
 Mountains, in- 
 airie grass, of 
 These people 
 awnees on the 
 liance with the 
 cultivate large 
 
 quantities of maize, beans, pumpkins, &c., and, what with 
 their abundant supply of game, enjoy no little prosperity. 
 
 
 In New Mexico, besides the Utahs, Apaches, and other 
 Indian tribes heretofore mentioned, are two very singular 
 communities : the Nabajos and Moques. The first of these 
 lead a pastoral life between the rivers San Juan and Gila. 
 They are spoken of in a communication of Governor 
 Charles Bent, in 1846, as " an industrious, intelligent, and 
 warlike tribe of Indians, who cultivate the soil, and raise 
 sufficient grain and fruits of various kinds for their own 
 consumption. They are the owners of large flocks and 
 herds of cattle, sheep, horses, mules, and asses. It is es- 
 timated, that the tribe possesses 30,000 head of horned 
 cattle, 500,000 head of sheep, and 10,000 head of horses, 
 mules, and asses. * * They manufacture excellent coarse 
 blankets, and coarse woollen goods for wearing apparel. 
 ♦ « • They have in their possession many men, women 
 and children, taken from the settlements of this territory, 
 whom they hold and treat as slaves. * * The Moques 
 are neighbors of the Nabajos, and live in permanent vil- 
 lages, cultivate grain and fruits, and raise all the varieties 
 of stock." — (Schoolcraft* s Historical and Statistical In- 
 formation concerning the Indian Tribes.) 
 
 The Nabajos number from seven to fourteen thousand 
 souls ; the Moques between two and three thousand. The 
 two tribes are at enmity with each other, and the Moques 
 have been, by this cause, much reduced. 
 
 The following description of the personal appearance 
 of these Indians, (their names being corrupted into " Nab- 
 behoes," and " Mawkeys,") is cited by Mcintosh, in his 
 " Origin of the North American Indians," from the "West- 
 ern Democrat : we cannot undertake to vouch for its accu- 
 racy. After describing the location of the smaller tribes. 
 
 1 • 
 
 k-- • 
 
I / i M» * ■ " ' ^ f *' 
 
 
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 Vi 
 
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 ■'<■'• i ': '., • '•1 
 
 646 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 the article proceeds : ** Not far distant from the Mawkeys, 
 and in the same range of country, is another band of the 
 same description, called Nabbehoes, a description of either 
 of these tribes, will answer for both. They have been 
 described to the writer by two men in whose veracity the 
 fullest confidence may be placed : they say the men are 
 of the common stature, with light flaxen hair, light-blue 
 eyes, and that their skin is of the most delicate whiteness." 
 
 i ■ > ■ 
 
 
 '.j; 
 
 « r , " • • • 
 
 f::r>:;. o i; 
 
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 ■ «,i- i-,if^ / ■ ^ 
 
le Mawkeys, 
 band of the 
 ion of either 
 y have been 
 I veracity the 
 the men are 
 lir, light-blue 
 te whiteness." 
 
 < ' - 
 
 :>> ^''c- 
 
 t^ " ■! ? 
 
 ■' t 
 
 rV 
 
 INDIAN POPULATION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNITED STATES AND TERRITORY. 
 
 "■'VWW* «/S/W>VS^ 
 
 According to the census talcen, under the agency of 
 Mr. Henry R. Schoolcraft, in pursuance of the act of Con- 
 j.ress passed in March, 1847, the following returns were 
 made of the numbers of the Indian tribes subject to the 
 jurisdiction of the United States. 
 
 The grand total was set down at 388,229, and about 
 30,000 more was considered a probable estimate of tribes 
 inhabiting districts yet unexplored. The " Ultimate Con- 
 solidated Tables of the Indian Population of the United 
 States," containing the results of the proposed investiga- 
 tion, are given substantially as follows, In Schoolcraft's 
 " History, Condition, and Prospects of the Indian Tribes 
 of the United States : " 
 
 1. " Tribes whose vital and industrial statistico hare been taken 
 by Bands and Families, under the direction of the act of 
 Congress," in "luding Iroquois, Algonquins, Appalachians, and 
 Eastern Sioux 34,704 
 
 2. " Tribes of the new States and Territories, South and West, 
 including the acquisitions from Mexico, under the treaty of 
 Guadaluj)e Hidalgo," viz. : of Texas, New Mexico, California, 
 Oregon, Utah, and Florida, and consisting of Camanchfis, 
 
 Apaches, Utahs, Shoshonees or Snake Indians, &c. . . . 183,042 
 
 (541) 
 
 
 J 
 
 
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 I, 
 
 f . 
 
 !•■ 
 
 i' I 
 
 'Vt .-.>■ ■I ■■.■;•■ 
 
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 ,4:!, .'i .'.r •• .f 
 
 
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' . '>> ■♦ii;v."', ■*' ,'.. 
 
 i 
 
 A. 
 
 I 
 
 ! 
 
 548 
 
 INDIAN RACE3 OF AMERICA. 
 
 3. Tribes between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains, to the 
 northward of Texas and New Mexico, viz. : — 
 
 Assinaloins, soutli O'" lai. 49 deg. • 1,000 
 
 Arapalioes, 3,500 
 
 Absarokes, or Crows, . . . 4,000 
 
 Aurick:'.ro«ti 1,500 
 
 Blackfeot, 13,000 
 
 Blood Inuiann ffew reach the Missouri), 500 
 
 BrothertoiiB, 600 
 
 Cherokees, 26,000 
 
 Creeks, 
 Chickasaws, 
 Clifetaws, 
 Clieyennes, 
 Caddors, . 
 
 25,000 
 5,000 
 
 16,000 
 2,500 
 2,000 
 
 Chippdwa8,west,and Rod River, north, 1,500 
 
 Cayugas and Iroquois, west, 
 
 Delawares, 
 
 Foxes and Sacs, . . . 
 
 Gros Ventres, . 
 
 Kiowas, . . . . 
 
 Kickapoos, . . . 
 
 Kanzas, 
 
 Kaskaskias, 
 
 Menoinonies, 
 
 Mandans, (?) 
 
 Minitarces 
 
 30 
 1,500 
 2,400 
 3,000 
 2,000 
 
 600 
 1,600 
 
 200 
 2,500 
 
 300 
 2,500 
 
 Miainles, 
 
 Missouris, • . . . . 
 
 Miinsees 
 
 Ottawas, west, .... 
 
 Otoes, 
 
 Omahas, 
 
 Ogellahs, 
 
 Pawnees, 
 
 Poncas 
 
 Pottawatomies, .... 
 
 Peorias, 
 
 Piankeshaws, .... 
 
 Quappas, 
 
 Sliawanees, 
 
 Sioux or the Mississippi (not enume 
 rated in No. 1), . . . . 
 
 Sioux of the Missouri (not enume- 
 rated in No. 1) 
 
 Stockbridges, 
 
 Seminoles, 
 
 Swan Creek and Black River Chip 
 pewas (not enumerated in the Al- 
 gonquin group), . . . . 
 
 Tctans, 
 
 Weas 
 
 500 
 500 
 200 
 300 
 500 
 
 2,000 
 
 1,500 
 
 17,000 
 
 700 
 
 3,200 
 150 
 200 
 400 
 
 1,600 
 
 9,000 
 
 5,500 
 
 400 
 
 1,500 
 
 200 
 
 3,000 
 
 250 
 
 Within the old States are the following remnants of ancient tribes : — 
 
 Maine, 95() 
 
 Massarhiisetts, .... 847 
 
 Rhode Island — Narragansetts, . . 430 
 
 Connectiriit — Molie),'an», . . 400 
 New York, besides the Iroquois, be- 
 fore enumerated, . . . . 40 ; 
 
 Virginia — Nottoways, mixed with 
 
 the African race, .... 40 
 South Carolina — Catawbas, . . 200 
 North Carolina — Catawbas, . . 250 
 Together with Chcrokeea included in for- 
 mer table. 
 
ountains, to the 
 
 . 600 
 500 
 . 200 
 300 
 . 500 
 2,000 
 . 1,500 
 . 17,000 
 . 700 
 3,200 
 . 150 
 200 
 . 400 
 . 1,600 
 ppi (notenume- 
 
 jri (not enumo- 
 
 9,000 
 
 5,500 
 
 400 
 
 1,500 
 
 lack River Chip- 
 sratcd in the Al- 
 . . . . 200 
 . . 3,000 
 . . . 250 
 
 »f ancient tribes : — 
 
 ays, mixed with 
 
 . 40 
 atawbas, . • 200 
 atawhas, . • 250 
 rolieea included in for- 
 
 -1i 
 
 SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 '■N<%AA^^/^,^/v^.«•s.~— 
 
 TRIBES OF THE WEST INDIES, 
 
 AND THE NORTHERN PROVINCES OF SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INDIANS FIRST SEEN BY COLUMBUS, — LANDING AT GUANAHANL —NA- 
 TIVES OF CUBA. — EMBASSY TO THE GRAND KHAN ! — DISCOVERY OF 
 IIAYTI, AND INTERCOURSE WITH THE NATIVES. — GUACANAGARl. — 
 WRECK OF THE ADMIRAL'S VESSEL. — HONESTY AND HOSPITALITY 
 OF THE NATIVE INHABITANTS. — TRADE FOR GOLD. — BUILDING OF 
 THE FORTRESS OF LA NAVIDAD. — DEPARTURE OF ''' 'E NINA. — THE 
 CIGUAYANS.- DISORDERS AND DESTRUCTION OF T..E GARRISON AT 
 LA NAVIDAD. — FORT OF ST. THO.MAS. 
 
 At the time of the discovery of the New World by 
 Columbus, the larger West India islands and the Baha- 
 mas were, for the most part, inhabited by a kindly and 
 simple-hearted race. Although living in the most prim- 
 itive state of nature, unclothed, and possessed of only the 
 rudest weapons and implements, they do not appear to 
 have been deficient in intellectual capacity. The delight- 
 ful climate of their country, and the spontaneous fruitful- 
 ness of the soil, removed the ordinary incentives to labor 
 and ingenuity. The rudest huts of branches, reeds, and 
 palm-leaf thatch, with hammocks, (originally the Indian 
 word ** hamacs " ) slung between the posts, fully sufficed 
 for their dwellings. Protection from the rain was alone 
 necessary. 
 
 (549) 
 
 il 
 
 
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 i 
 
 650 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 They were of good figure and proportion, their foreheads 
 were high and well formed, and the general cast of their 
 countenance and conformation of their features agreeable 
 and regular. 
 
 The great admiral landed, for the first time since the 
 days of " the Northmen " that any European had visited 
 the Western World, at Guanahani, San Salvador, or Cat 
 Island, on the lJ2th of October, 1492. The shore was 
 lined with naked savages, who fled at the approach of the 
 boats ; but watching from a distance the incomprehensible 
 ceremony of taking possession, and the religious exercises 
 of thanksgiving, performed by the strangers, fear soon 
 gave place to reverential curiosity. If any thing could 
 excite their Avonder in a higher degree than the majestic 
 approach of the ships, it might well be the splendor of 
 the Spanish dress and arms, the strange complexion, and 
 the thick beards of the strangers who arrived in them. 
 The Indians soon began to gather round the little band, 
 throwing themselves upon the earth in token of submis- 
 sion and respect, and worshipping the Spaniards as gods 
 or divine messengers. As nothing but kindness appeared 
 in the demeanor of the strangers, the natives grew more 
 familiar, and, with unbounded admiration, touched and 
 examined their dress and beards. 
 
 Columbus still further won the good-will of the island- 
 ers by a judicious distribution of such brilliant beads and 
 toys as ever attract the eye of the savage. Nothing de- 
 lighted them so much as hawks'-bclls, of whose plcas;nit 
 tinkling, when suspended from their arms and necks, they 
 were never weary. The next day, laying aside all fear, 
 the Indians came out to the ships, swimming or paddling 
 in their canoes. They brought such little articles of trade 
 as they possessed ; balls of cotton yarn, parrots, and cas- 
 sawi bread (made from the yuca root) ; eager to trafllc, 
 upon any terms, for European commodities. Golden orna- 
 
leir foreheads 
 . cast of their 
 eeable 
 
 ires agr 
 
 ime since the 
 ,n had visited 
 vador, or Cat 
 he shore was 
 )proach of the 
 omprchensible 
 ^ious exercises i 
 crs, fear soon 
 y thing could 
 m the majestic 
 le splendor of 
 jmplcxion, and 
 •ived in them, 
 he little band, 
 ten of submis- 
 niards as gods 
 dness appeared 
 ves grew more 
 , touched and 
 
 of the island- 
 
 iant beads and 
 
 Nothing dc- 
 
 Avhose pleasant 
 
 mid necks, they 
 
 aside all fear, 
 ing or paddling 
 iticles of trade 
 airots, and cas- 
 cagcr to traffic, 
 Golden orna- 
 
 CHHtaruH H K 
 
 K COLUMBUS 
 
 ...J 
 
:•'), .• : 
 
 ■t.'V!; 
 
 • 
 

 TRIBES OP THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 553 
 
 ments worn in the noses of some of them at once aroused 
 the cupidity of the Spaniards, who eagerly bought them 
 up, and made inquiry, by signs, as to whence the material 
 was brought. Tliis was explained to be at the southward. 
 
 In his further cruise among the Bahamas, in the vain 
 search for gold, Columbus pursued the most humane and 
 gentle policy towards the natives, and their gratitude and 
 delight at his caresses and presents knew no bounds. 
 Equally generous, they were ever ready to proffer to the 
 Spaniards all their little wealth of cotton, fruits, and tame 
 parrots. Seven of the natives of Guanahani were taken 
 on board the vessels upon the departure from that island. 
 
 The admiral had no doubt but that he had reached the 
 islands of the Asiatic coast, and, in accordance with this 
 mistake, bestowed the epithet of Indians upon the inhab- 
 itants. As he came in sight of Cuba, he supposed that he 
 had at least reached Cipango. This opinion was finally 
 changed, from a misapprehension of communications from 
 the natives on board, to a firm belief that this was the 
 main land of the continent of Asia, an erroi of which 
 Columbus was never disabused. 
 
 The inhabitants appeared rather more advanced in the 
 arts than those before seen, but, to the intense disappoint- 
 ment of all on board the vessels, none of them were pos- 
 sessed of any gold. Two ambassadors were sent by 
 Columbus to explore the interior, and to visit the court of 
 the prince of the country, whom his imagination led him 
 to conclude must be none other than the Grand Khan ! A 
 rude Indian village, of abont one thousand inhabitants, 
 naked savjvgcs, like those of the coast, was all that was 
 discovered by these emissaries. They were received and 
 entertained with the greatest kindness and reverence, but 
 were unable to communicate with the natives otherwise 
 than by signs. The most interesting report made by them 
 upon their return, was of a custoir then unknown to .lie 
 
 i^-- 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 ''.:;hvV' 
 
 
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 (■ ,,. 
 
 r- , 
 
 '»' 
 
 t 
 
 654 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 whites, viz. : that of smoking. The name of tobacco, 
 given by the natives to the cigars which they used, was 
 ever after applied to the plant. 
 
 From Cuba, Columbus took several Indians, men and 
 women, on board, at his departure, that they might be 
 taught Spanish, and thereafter serve as interpreters. In 
 December, he discovered the island of Hayti, named by 
 him Ilispaniola, and landing on the 12th of the month, 
 he raised a cross in token of taking possession. All the 
 inhabitants had fled into the interior ; but a young female 
 was taken by some roving sailors, and brought on board. 
 She was sent on shore with abundant presents of ornaments 
 and clothing, to give a favorable report of the whites to 
 her own people. Next day a party was sent to visit the 
 Indian to^vn upon the bank of the river of Three Rivers. 
 The town consisted of about one thousand houses, from 
 which the occupants fled at the sight of the Spaniards. 
 They were finally reassured, and induced to return. Some 
 two thousand of them made tiieir appearance, advancing 
 slowly, Avith every gesture and expression of humiliation 
 and respect. 
 
 The woman whom the Spaniards had the day before 
 entertained^ had not fiiiled to report magnificent descrip- 
 tions of her captors and their vessels. The tokens which 
 sbo brought back, in the shape of beads, hawks'-bells, &c., 
 were ye* more convincing evidence of the beneficence and 
 wealth of the Spaniards. She now came forward, with her 
 !iusoand. it the head of a throng of Indians, and every 
 cxpress^oii of gratitude and good-will Avas lavished by 
 them upon iheir guests. Every thing that the poor 
 natives popse.ssd was freely at the Spaniards' service. 
 
 Columbus writes of these islanders : " True it is that 
 after thf^v felt confidence and lost their fear of us, they 
 were so liberal with what they possessed that it would not 
 be believed by those who had not seen it. If any thing 
 
 f "'■'i\ 
 

 \% 
 
 5 of tobacco, 
 icy used, ^vas 
 
 ans, men and 
 hey might be 
 erpreters. In 
 jrti, named by 
 of the month, 
 jsion. All the 
 
 young female 
 Light on board. 
 s of ornaments 
 [■ the whites to 
 ent to visit the 
 ' Three Rivers, 
 d houses, from 
 
 the Spaniards. 
 
 return. Some 
 ince, advancing 
 
 of humiliation 
 
 the day before 
 lificent descrip- 
 le tokens ^^■hich 
 iwks'-bells, &c., 
 scneficencc and 
 )rward, with her 
 ians, and every 
 as lavished by 
 that the poor 
 ds' service. 
 True it is that 
 ear of us, they 
 lat it would not 
 If any thing 
 
 TRIBES OF THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 555 
 
 was asked of them, they never said no ; but rather gave it 
 cheerfully, and showed as much amity as if they gave their 
 very hearts." 
 
 The early voyagers, and all contemporary writers, agree 
 that this was the character of nearly all (;he inhabitants of 
 the "West India Islands, with the exception of the Caribs. A 
 more guileless, innocent, contented race has never existed, 
 and never were strangers welcomed to a foreign shore with 
 more genuine and kindly hospitality ,' but what a return 
 did they receive for their friendliness and submission ! 
 
 Coasting along towards the east, Columbus landed at 
 Acul, and held friendly communion with the inhabitants, 
 whose first fears were easily dispelled. The same scenes 
 of mutual presents and hospitalities that characterized the 
 former landings were here repeated. The whole of that 
 region of country was under the command of a great 
 cacique, named Guacanagari, from whom the Spaniards 
 now, for the first time, received messengers, inviting them 
 to visit him, and offering various curious presents. Among 
 these articles were some specimens of rude work in gold. 
 
 While pursuing his course eastward, with the intention 
 of anchoring in a harbor described as near the residence 
 of the cacique, Columbus had the misfortune to be cast 
 away upon a sand-bar. No shipwrecked mariners ever 
 received more prompt and efficient relief than was imme- 
 diately extended by Guacanagari and his subjects. Every 
 thing WHS brought to land from the wreck, and guarded 
 with the most scrupulous honesty. The cacique himself, 
 with tears in his eyes, came on board the caravel Nina, 
 whither the admiral and his crew had been oblicced to be- 
 take themselves, and offered every assistance in his power. 
 
 With respect to the goods brought on shore in the 
 natives' canoes, *' there seemed," says Mr. Irving, " even 
 among the common people, no disposition to take advan- 
 tage of the misfortune of the strangers. Although they 
 
 ti 
 
 t^^¥^-'i ' 1 
 
 
 
 m<i^ 
 
 -1 • 
 
IV "' '^ 
 
 ■ Y' '•'< vl, ■''■ - ,• .' i 
 
 •i *•■ •■. ' ■■] .■■ >: ; > ■■■ 
 - -"■ , V vA^i), ' 1 * ■ 
 
 >/'^i^-*?'n. 
 
 '.••■ .J 
 
 'i . 
 
 
 556 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 beheld what must, in their eyes, have been inestimable 
 treasures, cast as it were upon their shores, and open to 
 depredation, yet there was not the least attempt to pilfer, 
 nor, in transporting the effects from the ship, had they 
 appropriated the most trifling article ; on the contrary, a 
 general sympathy was visible in their countenances and 
 actions ; and, to have witnessed their concern, one would 
 have supposed the misfortune had happened to themselves." 
 
 The Spaniards, wearied with long and profitless voy- 
 aging, now revelled in the enjoyment of true Indian hos- 
 pitality. The cacique, who was regarded with the utmost 
 love and reverence by his subjects, continued his kind 
 offices, and the people were not behind-hand in following 
 his example. What delighted the shipwrecked mariners 
 more than any other circumstance, was the number of gold 
 ornaments possessed by the natives, and which they were 
 eager to dispart for any trifle of European manufacture. 
 Hawks'-bells, above all other articles of use or ornament, 
 were universally in demand. " On one occasion," says 
 Irving, ** an Indian gave half-a-handful of gold dust in ex- 
 change for one of these toys, and no sooner was in posscs- 
 sioj;" of it, than he bounded away to the woods, looking often 
 behind him, and fearful that the Spaniard would repent of 
 having parted so cheaply with such an inestimable jewel." 
 
 The natives described the mountains of Cibao as the 
 principal source whence gold was to be obtained. Valua- 
 ble mines were, indeed, afterwards discovered in that re- 
 gion, although their yield fell far short of the extravagant 
 anticipations of the Spaniards. 
 
 A portion of the crew of the wrecked vessel expressed 
 a strong desire to remain at Hispaniola until another ex- 
 pedition could be fitted out from Spain, upon the return 
 of the Nina, and Columbus was not displeased with the 
 proposition. The Indians were overjoyed at the prospect 
 of retaining some of the powerful strangers in their island. 
 
■ « ■ 
 
 n inestimable 
 , and open to 
 mpt to pilfer, 
 hip, had they 
 he contrary, a 
 ntenances and 
 irn, one would 
 o themselves." 
 profitless voy- 
 •ue Indian hos- 
 k^ith the utmost 
 nued his kind 
 nd in following 
 Dcked mariners 
 number of gold 
 hich they were 
 .n manufacture. 
 |c or ornament, 
 occasion," says 
 told dust in ex- 
 was in posscs- 
 Is, looking often 
 vould repent of 
 timable jewel." 
 if Cibao as the 
 tained. Valua- 
 red in that rc- 
 ,he extravagant 
 
 [essel expressed 
 Itil another ex- 
 Ipon the return 
 lleased with the 
 lat the prospect 
 in their island, 
 
 TRIBES OP THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 557 
 
 as a protection against the invasions of the dreaded Caribs, 
 and as security for a future visit from European vessels. 
 They had seen, with wonder and awe, the terrible effect of 
 the discharge of artillery, and the admiral had promised 
 the assistance of his men and weapons in case of any inroad 
 from an enemy's country. 
 
 The little fortress of La Navidad was speedily con- 
 structed out of the materials of the stranded vessel, and 
 fortified with her cannon. The Indians eagerly lent their 
 assistance in the labor of transportation and building. 
 Thirty-nine men were chosen, from the numorous volun- 
 teers for that service, as a garrison for the fort : to these 
 Columbus addressed the most earnest exhortations to dis- 
 cretion and kindness in their intercourse with the natives. 
 His heart might well be touched by the continued courtesy 
 and affection of Guacanagari, who could not refrain from 
 tears at parting with his venerated friend. The Nina 
 sailed on the 4th of January, 1493. Coasting eastward, 
 the caravel joined company with the Pinta, under Pinzon, 
 of M'hich no accounts had been for some time received, and 
 the two vessels passed cape Caboon, and came to anchor in 
 the bay beyond. Here was seen a tribe of Indians very 
 different from those of the west end of the island. From 
 their bold and warlike appearance, their bows and arrows, 
 clubs, and wooden swords, the Spaniards took them for 
 Caribs, and, unfortunately, before coming to a friendly 
 understanding with them, a skirmish took place, in which 
 two of the Indians were wounded. Reconciliation and 
 friendly intercourse succeeded. The tribe proved to be 
 that of the Ciguayans, a hardy race of mountaineers. Co- 
 lumbus wab particularly struck with the noble demeanor 
 of the cacique, supposed to be the same afterwards promi- 
 nent in history as Mayonabex. 
 
 Not long after the departure of the admiral from La 
 Navidad, the Spaniards left at the fort began to give them- 
 
 ^'.Vt>.- 
 
 ;f , V r 
 
 
 * - 
 '1" 
 ii 
 

 
 *■'•.;: 
 
 
 • i 
 
 ;1; 
 
 |f:lH^J-' 
 
 r 
 
 
 
 
 1. i^? ■ 
 
 li! 
 
 .( r 
 
 : t 
 
 
 558 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 selves up to the most unbounded and dissolute license. 
 Their savage quarrels among themselves, and the gross 
 sensuality which characterized their intercourse with the 
 natives, soon disabused the latter of the sublime concep- 
 tions formed by them of the virtues and wisdom of their 
 guests. With all this misrule, the precautions of a mili- 
 tary post were utterly neglected, and full opportunity was 
 given for an attack. The destruction of the fort by the 
 Ciuib chief Caonabo, will be found described in a subse- 
 quent chapter. 
 
 When Columbus returned to Hispaniola, upon his second 
 voyage, nothing but dismantled ruins marked the spot of 
 the settlem.ent. Guacanagari and his people descri'^jd the 
 attack of Caonabo and his warriors, their own futile at- 
 tempts to assist the garrison, and the slaughter of the 
 Spaniards. Notwithstanding the apparent good faith of 
 the cacique, many of the Spaniards began to mistrust his 
 accounts, and to suspect him of having acted a treacher- 
 ous part. This suspicion was strengthened by his sudden 
 departure with several of the female captives brought 
 away by the admiral from the Caribbee Islands. 
 
 The hope of procuring rich treasures of the precious 
 metals, and the desire of holding in check the warlike 
 Caonabo, induced Columbus to establish the fortress of St. 
 Thomas in the province of Clbao. Those stationed at this 
 remote interior position, in the midst of more hardy and 
 proud-spirited tribes than those of the coast, collected and 
 transmitted much curious information concerning native 
 superstitions, customs, and nationalities. Some crude no- 
 tions of supernatural influences, apparitions, necromancy, 
 &c., were entertained by these islanders, in common with 
 most savage nations. They had also an idea of a future 
 state of happiness for the good, in which all earthly pleas- 
 ures should be enjoyed in unalloyed perfection. 
 
jolute license, 
 md the gross 
 ui'se with the 
 iblime concep- 
 sdom of their 
 3ns of a mili- 
 pportunity was 
 tie fort by the 
 ed in a subse- 
 
 lapon his second 
 Iced the spot of 
 le descril>od the 
 • own futile at- 
 Laughter of the 
 t good faith of 
 to mistrust his 
 acted a treacher- 
 d by his sudden 
 aptives brought 
 ands. 
 
 of the precious 
 eck the warlike 
 le fortress of St. 
 stationed at this 
 more hardy and 
 St, collected and 
 )ncerning native 
 Some crude no- 
 >ns, necromancy, 
 in common with 
 idea of a future 
 all earthly pleas- 
 ;tion. 
 
 TWBEIS OP THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 559 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 INDIANS OP JAMAICA. — CRUISE ALONG THE SOUTHERN COAST OP 
 CUBA. — SPEECH I I' AN INDIAN COUNSELLOR. — DIFFICULTIES AT 
 THE FOUIRESS OF ST. THOMAS.— ITS SIEGE BY CAONABO. — EF- 
 FORTS OF COLUMBUS TO RESTORE ORDER. — GREAT RISING OF THE 
 INDIANS OF HISPANIOLA. — THEIR DEFEAT. — TRIBUTE IMPOSED. — 
 VISli OF BARTHOLOMEW TO XARAGUA. —FURTHER INSURRECTION 
 IN THE VEGA. — BOB ADILLA AS VICEROY. — CRUELTIES PRACTISED 
 ON THE INDIANS. —LAS CASAS. — INCIDENTS RELATED BY PURCHAS. 
 
 — ADMINISTRATION OP OVANDO EXPEDITION AGAINST XARAGUA. 
 
 -REDUCTION OF HIGUEY. 
 
 In the month of May, 149-4, the island of Jamaica was 
 first discovered by Columbus. The native inhabitants 
 appeared to be of a very different character from the timid 
 and gentle islanders with whom former intercourse had 
 been held. A crowd of canoes, filled with savages gau- 
 dily adorned with plumes and paint, opposed the landing 
 of the Spaniards. These were pacified by the Indian in- 
 terpreters on board ; but upon landing, the next day, the 
 throng of natives on shore exhibited such decidedly 
 hostile intentions, that it became necessary to intimidate 
 them. A few discharges from the Spanish cross-bows 
 sufficed to put them to flight. The ferocity of a savage 
 dog, brought on shore by the whites, added greatly to 
 their terror. 
 
 There was no difficulty in allaying the apprehensions 
 of these Indians, and the usual friendly intercourse was 
 soon established. During a cruise along the southern 
 coast of Cuba, which occupied the succeeding months of 
 June and July, the islanders seen were as gentle and tract- 
 able as those upon the northern shores of the island. The 
 means of communication now afforded by the Indian in- 
 terpreters gave new interest to every conference. The 
 
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 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 wondering crowd of natives would gather with the most 
 eager interest around these their fellow-countrymen, to 
 listen to the tales of gorgeous spectacles and unheard-of 
 wonders witnessed by themselves in the distant country 
 of the whites. There was enough of the novel and won- 
 derful before the eyes of the ignorant islanders, in the 
 ships, appearance, conduct, and costume of the Spaniards, 
 to prevent incredulity, as they listened to the narrations 
 of the interpreters. The performance of the religious ser- 
 vices of the Catholic church, struck the natives with awe, 
 particularly when the purport of these ceremonials was 
 explained to them. In testimony of their natural intelli- 
 gence and perceptions of right and wrong, Mr. Irving 
 gives us, from Herrera, the following speech of an aged 
 counsellor of one of the Cuban caciques, after witnessing 
 the celebration of the mass : 
 
 " When the service was ended, the old man of fourscore, 
 who had contemplated it with profound attention, ap- 
 proached Columbus, and made him an oration in the In- 
 dian manner. 
 
 " * This which thou hast been doing,' said he, * is well ; for 
 it appears to be thy manner of giving thanks to God. I 
 am told that thou hast lately come to these lands with a 
 mighty force, and hast subdued many countries, spreading 
 great fear among the people ; but be not therefore vain- 
 glorious. Know that, according to our belief, the souls 
 of men have two journeys to perform after they have de- 
 parted from the body ; one to a place dismal and foul, and 
 covered with darkness, prepared for those who have been 
 unjust and cruel to their fellow-men ; the other pleasant 
 and full of delight, for such who have promoted peace on 
 earth. If then thou art mortal, and dost expect to die, 
 and dost believe that ?^ch. one shall be rewai'ded according 
 to his deeds, beware that thou wrongfully hurt no man, nor 
 do harm to those who have done no harm to thee.* " 
 
i 
 
 rith the most 
 luntrymen, to 
 id unheard-of 
 istant country 
 Dvel and won- 
 anders, in the 
 the Spaniards, 
 the narrations 
 e religious ser- 
 tives with awe, 
 sremonials was 
 natural intelli- 
 ng, Mr. Irving 
 ;ch of an aged 
 after witnessing 
 
 [\an of fourscore, 
 attention, ap- 
 ation in the In- 
 
 he,' is well; for 
 lanks to God. I 
 'se lands with a 
 |ntries, spreading 
 therefore vain- 
 belief, the souls 
 |r they have de 
 lal and foul, and 
 who have been 
 le other pleasant 
 lomoted peace on 
 it expect to die, 
 ai-ded according 
 Lurt no man, nor 
 to thee.' " 
 
 TRIBES OP THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 561 
 
 From Cuba the admiral visited the southern shores of 
 Jamaica. All the first distrust and opposition of the in- 
 habitants had vanished, and nothing but gentleness and 
 kindness characterized their demeanor. At one place a 
 cacique came out to the ship with his whole family, " con- 
 sisting of his wife, two daughters, two sons, and five broth- 
 ers. One of the daughters was eighteen years of age, 
 beautiful in form and countenance ; her sister was some- 
 what younger ; both were naked, according to the custom 
 of the islands, but were of modest demeanor." 
 
 This chief professed himself ready to go, with all his 
 train, in the Spanish vessels, to visit the king and queen 
 of Spain, and acknowledge himself their vassal, if by so 
 doing he could preserve his kingdom. 
 
 During the absence of Columbus, the dissolute and un- 
 principled Spaniards at the fortress of St. Thomas, so 
 grossly abused their power among the natv^, es, that an ex- 
 tensive spirit of hostility was roused up against them. 
 Caonabo was unwearied in his efibrts to excite the otiier 
 island caciques to a union against the intruders, and the 
 faithful Guacanagari alone seems to have been proof against 
 his persuasions, in revenge for which non-compliance, the 
 Carib and his brother-in-law, Behechio, committed num- 
 berless indignities and injuries upon him and his people. 
 Serious difficulties soon arose ; a number of Spaniards were 
 put to death by Guatiguana, a subordinate cacique under 
 the celebrated Guarionex, in punishment for outrages com- 
 mitted upon his people ; and Caonabo besieged the garri- 
 son at St. Thomas with a force of many thousands of his 
 warriors. After thirty days of ineffectual attempts to re- 
 duce the place, he gave up the undertaking, and drew off 
 his army, The stratagem by which the person of thiis 
 noted chief and warrior was secured by the commandant 
 at St. Thomas's, will be detailed hereafter. Columbus, 
 
 upon his return to Hispaniola, made use of every efibrt ta 
 32 
 
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 662 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 check the ruinous disorders which had become prevalent. 
 He punished Guatiguana by an invasion of his dominions 
 and the destruction of no small number of his people. An 
 interview was then brought about with his superior, Guari- 
 onex, a peaceable and well-disposed chief, who readily con- 
 sented to the establishment of a Spanish fort in the very 
 heart of his domains. ^> 
 
 The crushing system of oppression had ifow fairly com- 
 menced, and was promptly followed up by the shipment 
 of five hundred Indians to be sold as slaves in Spain. 
 This was directly the act of Columbus himself, and histo- 
 rians only offer, as his excuse, the argument that such was 
 the ordinary custom of his age in all wars with savages or 
 infidels. The interposition of the kind-hearted Isabella, 
 prevented the consummation of this proposed sale. By 
 her orders, the prisoners were sent back to their homes, 
 but, unfortunately, not until the state of affairs upon the 
 islands was such that the poor Indians might have been 
 better situated as slaves in Spain. 
 
 A general combination of the island chieftains against 
 the Spaniards finally induced Columbus to commence an 
 active campaign against them. In the dominions of the 
 captive, Caonabo, his brother, Manicaotex, his brother-in- 
 law, Behechio, and his beautiful wife, Anacaona, were the 
 most prominent in authority, and the most active in rousing 
 up hostilities. The Spanish force consisted of a little over 
 two hundred men, twenty of whom were mounted, and 
 twenty blood-hounds, an enemy "s novel as terrible to the 
 naked savages. Guacanagari lent his feeble aid, with that 
 of his followers. Of the number of the hostile Indians in 
 the district of the Vega, the historians of the time gave 
 exaggerated accounts. They speak of an array of one 
 hundred thousand hostile savages, Manicaotex was leader 
 of the united tribes. Near the site of the present town of 
 St. Jago, a decisive battle was fought, in which the vast 
 
•!-:.^ 
 
 me prevalent, 
 bis dominions 
 3 people. An 
 iperior, Guari- 
 \o readily con- 
 ,rt in the very 
 
 tow fairly cora- 
 ■f the shipment 
 laves in Spain, 
 iself, and histo- 
 t that such was 
 with savages or 
 learted Isabella, 
 posed sale. By 
 to their homes, 
 afFairs upon the 
 (light have been 
 
 hieftains against 
 ;o commence an 
 lominions of the 
 , his brother-in- 
 acaona, were the 
 active in rousing 
 jd of a little over 
 ;re mounted, and 
 ,s terrible to the 
 ,le aid, with that 
 tostile Indians in 
 ,f the time gave 
 an array of one 
 Icaotex was leader 
 present town of 
 which the vast 
 
 TRIBES OP THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 568 
 
 army of the Indians was utterly routed. The Spanish 
 commander did not hesitate to divide his little battalion 
 into several detachments, which fell upon the enemy simul- 
 taneously, from different quarters. Torn to pieces by the 
 savage dogs, trampled down by the cavalry, and unable to 
 effect any thing in turn against the mail-clad whites, the 
 poor Indians were overwhelmed with confusion and terror. 
 The rout was as complete, although the massacre was not 
 so cruel, as when Pizarro attacked the Peruvian Inca, with 
 an almost equally disproportionate force. 
 
 " The Indians," says Mr. Irving, " fled in every direc- 
 tion, with yells and bowlings ; some clambered to the top 
 of rocks and precipices, from whence they made piteous 
 supplications and offers of complete submission ; many 
 were killed, many made prisoners, and the confederacy 
 was, for the time, completely broken up and dispersed." 
 
 Nearly the whole of Hispaniola was speedily reduced to 
 subjection ; Behechio and his sister, Anacaona, alone of all 
 the natives in authority, secluded themselves among the 
 unsettled wilds at the western extremity of the island. 
 All the other caciques made conciliatory overtures, and 
 submitted to the imposition of a heavy and grievous trib- 
 ute upon them and their subjects. A hawks'-bell filled 
 with gold-dust, or twenty-five pounds of cotton, was quar- 
 terly required at the hands of every Indian over the age 
 of fourteen ; from the chiefs a vastly larger amount was 
 collected. The contrast between the former easy and lux- 
 urious life of the islanders, their gayety and content, their 
 simple pleasures, and unfettered liberty, with the galling 
 servitude and wearisome tasks now imposed, is most tbuch- 
 ingly and eloquently described by Irving. Unable to en- 
 dure the unwonted toil and hopeless labor, the Indians 
 vainly endeavored to escape to the mountains, and, sub- 
 sisting upon the crude products of the forest, to evade the 
 cruelty of their enslavers. They were hunted out, and 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 564 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 compelled to return to their homes and to their labors. 
 The unfortunate Guacanagari, receiving no favor from the 
 suspicious Spaniards, and being an object of the deepest 
 hatred to his countrymen for the part he had taken in their 
 struggle for freedom, died in neglect and wretchedness 
 among the mountains. 
 
 In 1496, Baitholomew, a brother of Columbus, then 
 exercising the office of adelantado at Hispaniola, visited 
 Behechio at his remote western province of Xaraguay. 
 He was received with hospitality and kindness by this chief 
 and his sister Anacaona, and entertained in the best man- 
 ner the country could afford. The object of the expedi- 
 tion was to induce the cacique to comply peacci jly with 
 the Spanish requisitions of tribute. Behechio had learned 
 by sad experience the power of the European arms, and, 
 as the adelantado agreed to receive the tribute in such arti- 
 cles as his country produced, instead of gold, he readily 
 consented. Bartholomew's judicious policy towards these 
 illustrious islanders gained him their highest esteem. Be- 
 hechio and his sister paid the tribute required cheerfully 
 and promptly ; and upon the occasion of a visit from the 
 adelantado to receive it, they both took occasion to visit 
 the caravel in which he had arrived. Anacaona, especially, 
 was filled with delight at the sight of the vessel, and at 
 witnessing the ease and certainty with which its movements 
 were controlled. 
 
 The females of Xaraguay were of most remarkable 
 beauty, but preeminent among them was the widow of Ca- 
 onabo. Her queenly demeanor, grace, and courtesy, won 
 the admiration of the Spaniards. 
 
 In the following year (1497) another insurrection broke 
 out among tribes of the Vega and the vicinity. The im- 
 mediate cause of this outbreak was the execution, at the 
 stake, in accordance with the barbarity and bigotry of the 
 age, of a number of Indians, for the offence of sacrilege. 
 
 JJ 
 
■ • «.;».•■•. t 
 
 TRIBES OP THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 565 
 
 their labors, 
 avor from the 
 ,f the deepest 
 taken in their 
 
 wretchedness 
 
 jlumbus, then 
 )aniola, visited 
 of Xaraguay. 
 38 by this chief 
 the best man- 
 of the expedi- 
 peace. jly with 
 bio had learned 
 »ean arms, and, 
 itc in such arti- 
 old, he readily 
 f towards these 
 jt esteem. Be- 
 ared cheerfully 
 I visit from the 
 )Ccasion to visit 
 aona, especially, 
 e vessel, and at 
 its movements 
 
 tost remarkable 
 ifc! widow of Ca- 
 courtesy, won 
 
 Lurrection broke 
 linity. The im- 
 pxecution, at the 
 „ bigotry of the 
 pee of sacrilege. 
 
 Guarionex, the principal cacique, had been an object of 
 special interest with the ecclesiastics to whom was com- 
 mitted the work of converting the islanders. His easy 
 and pliable disposition caused him to listen patiently to 
 their, instructions, and to comply with numerous forms of 
 their enjoining. Some one of the Spaniards having com- 
 mitted an outrage upon his wife, Guarionex refused to lis- 
 ten further to the doctrines of a religion whose professors 
 were guilty of such villanies. Shortly after this, a chapel 
 was broken open, and images enshrined within it were de- 
 stroyed by a number of the natives. For this offence, 
 those implicated were burned alive, as above mentioned. 
 The adelantado suppressed the consequent uprising by a 
 prompt and energetic seizure of the leading chiefs. Two 
 of these were put to death, but Guarionex and the others 
 were pardoned. •■ . ; »,?;.,•., 
 
 By the persuasions and influence of the rebellious Rol- 
 dan, the unfortunate cacique was, in 1498, drawn into a 
 second conspiracy of the natives. The plot was prema- 
 turely developed, and Guarionex fled from the plains of 
 the Vega into the mountains of Ciguay, and joined his 
 fortunes to those of the cacique Mayonabex. This gener- 
 ous and noble chief received him, with his family and a 
 few followers, under his protection. 
 
 From this retreat, with the assistance of Ciguayan war- 
 riors, the fugitive was enabled to molest the Spanish settle- 
 ments of the low country with impunity, until the Adelan- 
 tado Bartholomew invaded the mountain district, dispersed 
 the armies of Mayonabex, and took both him and his guest 
 prisoners. The conqueror was more placable towards a 
 fallen foe than most of his countrymen, and, upon the sub- 
 mission of the Ciguayans, was ready to accord them pro- 
 tection and favor. Guarionex perished, in 1502, on his 
 passage for Spain, in the same vessel with Bobadilla and 
 Boldan. The ship foundered at sea in a terrible hurricane, 
 
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1 
 
 1 
 
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 i-'i 
 
 li^^^^'-!! 
 
 566 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMEttlCA. 
 
 which arose immediately after the departure from His- 
 paniola. 
 
 It was under the administration of Bobadilia that the 
 Indians of Hispaniola were reduced to a more complete 
 and systematic condition of slavery than before. They 
 were regularly parcelled out to the Spanish proprietors 
 of the mines, by whom they were compelled to labor far 
 beyond their powers of endurance, and whose wanton cru- 
 elties excited the strongest indignation in the mind of the 
 benevolent Las Casas — one of the few historians of his 
 age and nation, who possessed the inclination or courage 
 to paint the cruelties of his countrymen in their true 
 colors. This truly benevolent man devoted the greater 
 portion of his life to efforts for ameliorating the condition 
 of the natives of the New Woild, but in his sympathy 
 with their sufferings and oppressions, he unfortunately lost 
 sight of what was due to another scarcely less unfortunate 
 race.. He was among the earliest to advocate the substitu- 
 tion of negro slavery for that of the Indians, under the 
 impression — doubtless in itself just — that a state of ser- 
 vitude was less intolerable to the one than the other. It 
 is to Las Casas that we are indebted for the most frightful 
 detail of wrong and cruelty in the settlenicnt of the West 
 Indies, that ever disgraced human nature His descriptions 
 of the manner in which the native population was annihi- 
 lated to minister to the luxury and avarice — nay, far 
 worse, to the depraved and wanton cruelty of the Span- 
 iards — are frightful in the extreme. We can share in tlie 
 honest indignation of old Purchas, from whose " Pilgrim- 
 age " we cite the following items : 
 
 " In the Island Hispaniola the Spaniards had their first 
 Indian habitations, where their cruelties drove the Indians 
 to their shifts, and to their weak defence, which caused 
 those enraged lions to spare neither man, woman, nor 
 child. — They set up gibbets, and in honor of Christ 
 
TRIBES OF THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 667 
 
 and his twelve apostles (as they said, and could the devil 
 say worse ? ) they would both hang and burn them. * * 
 The nobles and commanders they broiled on gridirons, 
 • * * they had dogs to hunt them out of their coverts, 
 which devoured the poor souls : and because sometimes 
 the Indians, thus provoked, would kill a Spaniard, if they 
 found opportunity, they made a law that an hundred of 
 them should for one Spaniard be slain." 
 
 He elsewhere remarks : 
 
 " Here [in Cuba] was a cacique named Hathuej-, which 
 called his subjects about him, and showing them a box of 
 gold, said that was the Spaniards' God, and made them 
 dance about it very solemnly ; and lest the Spaniards 
 should have it, he hurled it into the river. Being taken 
 and condemned to the fire, when he was bound to the 
 stake, a friar came and preached heaven to him, and the 
 terrors of hell. Hathuey asked if there were any Span- 
 iards in heaven ; the friar answered, yea, such as were 
 good. Hathuey replied, he would rather go to hell than 
 go where any of that cruel nation were. I was once 
 present, saith Casas, when the inhabitants of one town 
 brought us forth victuals, and met us with great kindness, 
 and the Spaniards without any cause slew thres thousand 
 of them, of every age and sex. I, by their counsel, sent 
 to other iowns to meet us, with promise of good dealing j 
 and two and twenty caciques met us, which the captain, 
 against all faith, caused to be burned." 
 
 In Hispaniola, under the dministration of Ovando, suc- 
 cessor to Bobadiila, the sufferings and oppressions of the 
 overtasked natives reached their climax. It would be but 
 a wearisome repetition of barbarities to enumerate the 
 wrongs perpetrated against the submissive inhabitants in 
 the vicinity of the principal Spanish settlements, but the 
 expedition against the province of Xaraguay merits a more 
 particular attention. This was in the year 1503. Behe- 
 
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 Ll- 
 
 668 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 chio was dead, but his sister Anacaona still maintained her 
 influence over the natives of that district. Upon pretence 
 of an intended insurrection, Ovando determined to reduce 
 Xaraguay to a condition as miserable and hopeless as that 
 of the eastern districts. He started upon this expedition 
 with three hundred well-armed infantry, and seventy 
 mounted men. The army entered the dominions of Ana- 
 caona with the appearance of friendship, and the queen, 
 with her associate caciques, was not backward in rendering 
 to her visitors all the hospitalities of the country. Troops 
 of young girls, dancing and waving branches of palm, 
 ushered them into the principal village, where they were 
 received and entertained with every token of kindness and 
 good-will. 
 
 It is impossible to conceive of any adequate motion on 
 the part of the ferocious Ovando for the treacherous cruelty 
 of his conduct towards his hosts. He affected to believe 
 that a conspiracy was on foot among the natives, to mas- 
 sacre him and his followers, but, judging from what we 
 can learn of the transaction, there existed no possible 
 ground for such a suspicion. The course taken to avert 
 the supposed danger was as follows. All the caciques 
 were invited to attend, with their people, at a grand festi- 
 val or exhibition of Spanish martial exercises. When the 
 unsuspecting Xaraguans had gathered in eager curiosity to 
 behold the scene, at a given signal, the armed Spaniards 
 fell upon the crowd, and a scene of horrible carnage en- 
 sued. Forty of the chiefs, it is said, were taken prisoners, 
 and after being subjected to the mc>st cruel torments to 
 extort from them a confession of guilt, the house where 
 they were confined was set on fire, and the whole number 
 perished in the flames. 
 
 Anacaona was carried to St. Domingo, tried, adjudged 
 guilty of an attempt at insurrection, and hanged! Her 
 subjects were remorselessly persecuted ; hunted from their 
 
 : ir^B 
 
laintained her 
 Upon pretence 
 ned to reduce 
 opeless as that 
 his expedition 
 , and seventy 
 inions of Ana- 
 md the queen, 
 rd in rendering 
 iintry. Troops 
 aches of palm, 
 here they were 
 )f kindness and 
 
 uate motion on 
 acherous cruelty 
 Bcted to believe 
 natives, to mas- 
 from what we 
 ;ed no possible 
 taken to avert 
 lU the caciques 
 it a grand festi- 
 ses. When the 
 •ager curiosity to 
 irmed Spaniards 
 ible carnage en- 
 taken prisoners, 
 •uel torments to 
 the house where 
 le whole number 
 
 , tried, adjudged 
 
 hanged! Her 
 
 unted from their 
 
 TR.JE8 OP THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 669 
 
 retreats among the mountains, slain like wild beasts, or 
 brought into the most servile and hopeless bondage, they 
 attemptod no resistance, and submitted to the cruel yoke 
 of their tyrants. 
 
 The reduction of the eastern province of Higuey, and 
 the execution of its noble and gigantic chief Cotubanama, 
 completed the Spanish conquests on the island of Hispan- 
 iola. The details of the barbarities attendant upon this 
 last warfare, as given by Las Casas, are too horrible and 
 disgusting for minute recital. It is sufficient that, not con- 
 tent with the destruction of the conquered people, without 
 regard to age and sex, the Spaniards tasked their ingenuity, 
 to devise the most cruel and lingering torments in the mur- 
 der of their prisoners. 
 
 By such a course of atrocities were the West India isl- 
 ands depopulated of their ortjinal inhabitants. The sum- 
 mary with which Purchas concludes his enumeration of 
 various scenes of Spanish cruelty, is too quaint and forcible 
 to be omitted. " But why do I longer trace them in their 
 bloody steps ; seeing our author that relates much more 
 than I, yet protests that it was a thousand times worse. 
 • * How may we admire that long-suffering of God, 
 that rained not a flood of waters, as in Noah's time, or of 
 firC; as in Lot's, or of stones, as in Joshua's, or some ven- 
 geance from heaven upon these models of hell ? And how 
 could hell forbear swallowing such prepared morsels, ex- 
 ceeding the beastliness of beasts, inhumanity of wonted 
 tyrants, and devilishness, if it were possible, of the devils." 
 
 rif 
 
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 ?i 
 
 670 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE CARIBS.— THEIR ISLANDS FIRST VISITED BY COLUMHirS. — ORI- 
 GIN AND LOCATION OP THE RACE. — TOKENS OF CANNIBALISM SEEN 
 BY THE SPANIARDS. — CRUISE AMONG THE ISLANDS. — DEMEANOR 
 OP PRISONERS TAKEN. - RETURN TO HISPANIOLA — DESTRUCTION 
 OF THE PORTRESS AT THAT ISLAND. — CAPTURE OF CAONABO : HIS 
 DEATH. — EXPULSION OP THE NATIVES FROM THE CARIBBEB ISL- 
 ANDS. 
 
 At the time of the discovery of America by Christopher 
 Columbus, the fierce and celebrated race of cannibals, which 
 forms the subject of the present chapter, was principally 
 located upon the beautiful tropical islands, extending from 
 Porto Rico to the main land of South America. The ter- 
 ror of their invasions, felt by the more gentle and peace- 
 able natives of the greater Antilles, inspired no little cu- 
 riosity and interest in the minds of the early voyagers, and 
 Columbus had promised the assistance of the Spanish power 
 to check their ravages. Upon his second voyage, in 1493, 
 the first land made was one of the Caribbean islands, and on 
 the following day, (November 4th,) a landing was effected 
 at Guadaloupe. Here the first intercourse took place Avith 
 thr terrible Caribs. 
 
 This singular race of savages, according to tradition, 
 had its origin upon the continent of North America, among 
 the mountain districts of the central United States. Per- 
 haps they might have sprung from the same stock as the 
 warlike Monacans and other savage tribes of the interior, 
 spoken of by early historians. "They are said to have 
 migrated," says Mr. Irving, " from the remote valleys em- 
 bosomed in the Appalachian mountains. The earliest 
 notices we have of them represent them with their weap- 
 ons in their hands ; continually engaged in wars ; winning 
 their way and shifting their abode, until in the course 
 
:;oLUMUiTa. — oRi. 
 
 iNNIBALlSM SEEN 
 NDS. — DEMEANOR 
 V, - DESTRUCTION 
 OF CAONABO ; HIS 
 IE CARIBBEB ISL- 
 
 by Christoplier 
 ;anmbals, which 
 was principally 
 extending from 
 [srica. The ter- 
 atle and peace- 
 ed no little cu- 
 y voyagers, and 
 e Spanish power 
 oyage, in 1493, 
 
 islands, and on 
 in"" was effected 
 
 took place with 
 
 ng to tradition, 
 America, among 
 ed States. Per- 
 me stock as the 
 of the interior, 
 Lre said to have 
 mote valleys era- 
 The earliest 
 with their weap- 
 Bi wars ; winning 
 il in the course 
 
 TRIBES OP THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 571 
 
 of time they found themselves on the extreme end of Flor- 
 ida." Hence they made their way from one island to 
 another to the southern continent. ** The archipelago ex- 
 tending from Porto Rico to Tobago, was their strong-hold, 
 and the island of Guadaloupe in a manner their citadel.** 
 
 Whether the foregoing account of the original deriva- 
 tion of the race be the correct one, it would be difficult to 
 decide at this distance of time. When first known to Eu- 
 ropeans the different nations of Caribs were widely diffused 
 upon the continent of South America. They were to be 
 found upon the banks of the Orinoco, where their descend- 
 ants are living at this day, and, still farther south, in Brazil. 
 They were every where noted for the same fierce and war- 
 like spirit. Something of the physical characteristics of 
 the inhabitants of eastern Asia has been observed in the 
 Caribs and the Guarani tribes who inhabited the country 
 north of the Amazon. As described by D'Crbigny, the 
 following peculiarities are noticeable in most of them. 
 " Complexion yellowish ; stature middle ; forehead not so 
 much arched as in other races ; eyes obliquely placed, and 
 raised at the outer angle." 
 
 To return to the experience of the discoverer of the New 
 World at the Caribbee islands. At the landing of the 
 Spaniards, the natives fled from a neighboring village into 
 the interior. In order to conciliate them, the visitors fast- 
 ened hawks'-bells and attractive ornaments to the arms of 
 some children who had been left behind in the hurry of 
 flight. The sight of human remains, among other things, 
 " the head of a young man, recently killed, which was yet 
 bleeding, and some parts of his body boiling with the 
 flesh of geese and parrots, and others roasting before the 
 fire," at once suggested the thought that this must be the 
 country of the Caribs. Columbus took a number of the 
 natives prisoners, and carried off several women who had 
 been held in captivity by the islanders. It appeared that 
 
 
 ';!x} 
 
 • • 
 
 ,f 
 
 n 
 
3'•^.^' .'4' tl ■•''■'• ^ 
 
 
 . -^ ' ■ : , • • i 111 
 
 :im:..yyyi-yr III 
 
 572 
 
 ^ INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 most of the men of the island were away upon some war- 
 like excursion. ' - 
 
 Pursuing his course towards Hispaniola» or Hayti, where 
 the first colony had been planted upon his preceding voy- 
 age, Columbus sailed by numerous islands of the Caribbean 
 group. He landed at Santa Cruz, called Ayay by the In- 
 dians, and secured a further number of prisoners. Some 
 of these were in a canoe, and oftered a fierce resistance 
 when they saw their retreat intercepted by one of the Span- 
 ish boats. There were two women of the party, one of 
 them a^^parently a female caciq^ue, and these showed no 
 less valor than the men. They were taken by upsetting 
 their canoo ; but, even in the water, they resisted stoutly 
 to the last, availing themselves of every point of sunken 
 rock, where they could obtain a foothold, to discharge their 
 arrows. One of the men was a son of the queen, and his 
 " terrible frowning brow, and lion's face," excited the ad- 
 miration of his captors. The demeanor of the whole party 
 reminds one strongly of the early descriptions of the Ma- 
 quas or Mohawks when in captivity. 
 
 ** When on board," says Irving, " the Spaniards could 
 not but admire their untamed spirit and fierce demeanor. 
 Their hair was long and coarse, their eyes encircled with 
 paint, so as to give them a hideous expression ; they had 
 bands of cotton bound firmly above and below the muscu- 
 lar parts of the arms and legs, so as to cause them to swell 
 to a disproportionate size, which was regarded by them as 
 n great beauty, a custom which prevailed amonjr various 
 tribes of the new world. Though captives, in chains, and 
 in the power of their enemies, they still retained a frown- 
 ing brow and an air of defiance." 
 
 Arriving at Hayti, Columbus found the settlement at 
 La Navidad laid waste and abandoned. Its destruction 
 was owing to a Carib chief named Caonabo, whose warlike 
 and commanding nature had gained him unbounded au- 
 
ion some war- 
 
 ■ t -I - 
 
 i: Hayti, where 
 preceding voy- 
 ' the Caribbean 
 yay by the In- 
 soners. Some 
 ,erce resistance 
 ne of the Span- 
 party, one of 
 ese showed no 
 ;n by upsetting 
 resisted stoutly 
 )oint of sunken 
 I discharge their 
 queen, and his 
 excited the ad- 
 the whole party 
 ions of the Ma- 
 Spaniards could 
 ierce demeanor, 
 encircled with 
 ssion ; they had 
 clow the muscu- 
 ic them to swell 
 •ded by them as 
 1 amonir various 
 , in chains, and 
 etained a frown- 
 tie settlement at 
 Its destruction 
 , whose warlike 
 unbounded au- 
 
 r 
 
 TRIBES OP THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 573 
 
 thority over the natives of the island. The fact of his 
 uniting himself with another race by which his own na- 
 tion was regarded with the ' ' most detestation and dread, 
 and his attainment of rauiv and influence under such 
 circumstances, are sufficient proofs of his enterprise and 
 capacity. 
 
 The friendly Indian chief Guacanagari had in vain ex- 
 tended his assistance to the little band of Spanish colonists. 
 Caonabo had heard at his establishment among the moun- 
 tains of Cibao, of the outrages and excesses committed by 
 the whites, and during the absence of the admiral, he made 
 a descent upon the fort. All of the Spaniards perished, 
 and Guacanagari was wounded in the encounter. As a 
 further punishment for his espousal of the cause of the de- 
 tested strangers, his village was destroyed by the revenge- 
 ful Carib. 
 
 Guacanagari and other Haytian Indians were taken on 
 board the Spanish vessels, and, among other proofs of su- 
 periority and power, were shown the Carib prisoners, con- 
 fined in chains. This seemed to affect them more powerfully 
 than any thing else that they witnessed. These captives 
 were afterwards sent over to Spain for instruction in the 
 Spanish language and in the true religion, it being intended 
 that they should thereafter act as missionaries among their 
 own savage countrymen. 
 
 The circumstances attending the capture of the Span- 
 icuds' most dreaded enemy, Caonabo, are too singular and 
 well attested to be passed over. This was accomplished 
 by the celebrated Alonzo de Ojeda, commandant of the 
 fortress of St. Thomas. The Carib chief was able, it is 
 asserted, to bring no less than ten thousand warriors into 
 the field, and his personal strength and courage rendeied 
 him no despicable foe in open combat. Ojeda had recourse 
 to the following stratagem to secure his enemy : He pro- 
 ceeded, accompanied by only ten mounted companions. 
 
 
 'V, 
 
 ' * .■'* '• ■ '. 
 
 ■ 
 
 ;:'.:,-/v • 
 
 ' 
 
 *:-u^>:..1 , .J 
 
 
 

 ^tfMm 
 
 
 574 
 
 INDIAN RACES OB^ AMERICA. 
 
 direct to the chiers encampment, upon pretence of a friend- 
 ly mission from the admiral. 
 
 The cacique was, after great persuasion, induced to 
 undertake an expedition to Isabella for the purpose of 
 peaceful negotiations with Columbus. Among other in- 
 ducements, Ojeda promised him the chapel-bell, as a pres- 
 ent. Accompanied by a large body of armed warriors, 
 the party set out for the Spanish settlement. Near tho 
 river Yagui, in the words of Mr. Irving, •* Ojeda one day 
 produced a set of manacles of polished steel, so highly 
 burnished that they looked like silver. Those he assured 
 Caonabo were royal ornaments which had come from 
 heaven, or the Turey of Biscay," (the location of certain 
 extensive iron manufactories) ; " that they were worn by 
 the monarchs of CaLtile in solemn dances, and other high 
 festivities, and were intended as presents to the cacique. 
 He proposed that Caonoba should go to the river and 
 bathe, after which he should be decorated with these 
 ornaments, mounted on the horse of Ojeda, and should 
 return in the state of a Spanish monarch, to astonish his 
 subjects." ""^ '- 
 
 The bold device was completely successful. Caonabo, 
 en croupe behin! Ojeda, for a short time exulted in his 
 proud position, curvetting among his amazed warriors ; but 
 suddenly the little cavalcade dashed into the forest with 
 a rapidity that defied pursuit. The cacique was safely car- 
 ried a distance of fifty or sixty leagues to Isabella, and 
 delivered to the admiral. He ever after expressed great 
 admiration at the skill and courage with which his captor 
 had duped him, and manifested a reverence and respect 
 towards Ojeda which his proud and haughty spirit forbade 
 him to exhibit in any other presence, even that of Colum- 
 bus himself 
 
 Upon the occasion of the admiral's second return to 
 Spain, in 1497, C'aonabo, with several of his relatives, and 
 
•■: • ♦■ 1i' ■ 
 •-•<■■■ ' . '.i . 
 •■■■'• i-'- T,' ■ ' 
 
 ce of a friend- 
 
 1, induced to 
 le purpose of 
 long other in- 
 bell, as a pres- 
 imed warriors, 
 int. Near the 
 
 Pjeda one day 
 iteel, so highly 
 lose he assured 
 ad come from 
 ation of certain 
 r were worn by 
 and other high 
 to the cacique. 
 
 the river and 
 ted with these 
 da, and should 
 
 to astonish his 
 
 sful. Caonabo, 
 exulted in his 
 d warriors ; but 
 the forest with 
 e was safely car- 
 lo Isabella, and 
 expressed great 
 which his captor 
 nee and respect 
 ty spirit forbade 
 that of Colum- 
 
 Dcond return to 
 lis relatives, and 
 
 TRIBES OF THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 575 
 
 a number of other Indians, was taken on board. Baffled 
 by contrary winds, the vessels were a long time delayed at 
 the very commencement of the voyage. A landing was 
 effected at Guadaloupe, for the purpose of procuring fresh 
 provisions. 
 
 The inhabitants exhibited their natural hostility of 
 disposition, and it was especially observed, as upon a 
 former occasion, that the women were as warlike and effi- 
 cient as the men. A number of these females were made 
 prisoners, among the rest, one who was wife of a chief of 
 the island, a woman of most remarkable agility and strength. 
 On setting sail, the admiral, desirous of conciliating the 
 good-will of the natives, set his prisoners free, and gave 
 them divers presents in pay for the provisions and stores 
 plundered by his crew. The cacique's wife was allowed 
 to remain on board, with her daughter, at her own re- 
 quest, she having become enamoured of the captive Caonabo. 
 This distinguished chieftain died before the vessels reached 
 Spain. 
 
 The Carib tribes who occupied the islands where the 
 race was first encountered by Europeans, maintained pos- 
 session of their homes as long as courage and desperation 
 could avail against the superior skill and weapons of the 
 whites. Spanish cupidity, and love of novelty and ad- 
 venture led to the gradual occupation of the Caribbee 
 islands. In some of them, bloody battles were fought : "At 
 St. Christopher's," according to the Rev. W. H. Brett, " in 
 1625, two thousand Caribs perished in battle, whilst their 
 European invaders lost one hundred men. In the other 
 islands their losses were equally great. These calamities 
 would cause a migration of the natives when they found it 
 useless to fight any more. Some of the islands, as Mar- 
 tinico, were suddenly abandoned by them, after a fieice 
 but unavailing struggle. 
 
 Those of the Caribs who chose to forsake the islands 
 
 ^^ 
 
 
 
f> 
 
 tl-^. ! 
 
 .1? I'Pfi^lK *i*''f /! ■' 
 
 
 m 
 
 ■ ■:-<.:• '!■■ . 
 
 
 T'. ;,■/ 
 
 
 
 IT'S 
 
 576 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 entirely, would naturally take refuge with their brethren 
 already settled in Guiana, and by their valor secure to 
 themselves such portions of the country as they might 
 think proper to occupy ; as few tribes would be able, or 
 indeed dare, to oppose them. A remnant of the Caribs 
 still remained at St. Vincent,. and they were transported, 
 about the end of the last century, to the island of Buattan, 
 in the bay of Honduras." 
 
 This once terrible and dreaded race — so dreaded bv the 
 Spaniards that vague reports of the approach of an army 
 of Caribs could terrify the conquerors of Peru in the midst 
 of their successes — is now reduced to a few insignificant 
 tribes. They are scattered in the wilderness of Guiana, 
 and mingled with other nations of the interior. About 
 the upper waters of the Pomeroon is one of their most 
 considerable establishments, and the tribe there located 
 numbers but a few hundred savages, living in almost as 
 primitive a state as when Columbus first coasted along 
 these tropical shores. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. ^ 
 
 INDIANS OF GUIANA AND VENEZUELA. —CLASSIFICATION THE ARA- 
 
 WAKS. -FIRST SEEN BV COLUMBUS. - ENTRY iNTO THE GULF OP 
 
 PARIA.- HOSPITALITY OF THE NATIVES RALEIGH'S VISIT TO THE 
 
 ORINOCO. -EARLY WARS OP THE ARAWAK3. — VICTORY OVER THE 
 CARIBS. — MAROON NEGROES.— PRESENT CONDITION OP THE ARA- 
 WAKS. — OTHER TRIBES OF THE INTERIOR GENERAL DESCRIP- 
 TION. 
 
 The tribes who inhabit the wilderness between the 
 Amazon and the sea-coast settlements at the north, upon 
 the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic, have been classified as 
 belonging to the same family with the aboriginal inhabit- 
 
their brethren 
 valor secure to 
 
 as they might 
 uld be able, or 
 t of the Caribs 
 ere transported, 
 [and of Ruattan, 
 
 * 
 
 > dreaded bv the 
 
 ft 
 
 ich of an army 
 eru in the midst 
 few insignificant 
 tiess of Guiana, 
 nterior. About 
 3 of their most 
 e there located 
 ig in almost as 
 it coasted along 
 
 f 
 
 :AT10N. — THE ARA- 
 NTO THE GULF OF 
 IGH'S VISIT TO THE 
 VICTORY OVER THE 
 riON OP THE ARA- 
 GENERAL DESCRIP- 
 
 ;ss between the 
 
 the north, upon 
 
 seen classified as 
 
 )original inhabit- 
 
l' ■ *. 
 
 
 !• iii 
 
 t'' 
 
 
 
 i< * 
 
 i\1 
 
 :'♦,»( 
 
 iii 
 
 tf. 
 

 n 
 
 ^f\ 
 
 TRIBES OP THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 579 
 
 ants of Brazil. The race has been denominated the " Bra- 
 silio Guaarani," and has been divided into the nations of 
 Guarani, Caribs, Tupi, and Botocudos. 
 
 In Guiana one of the most prominent tribes is that of 
 the Arawaks. These people inhabit a great extent of 
 country directly back of the narrow strip of cultivated 
 sea-coast. Nearly the whole of their territory is a savage 
 wilderness, in which the traveller in vain seeks for any 
 evidence of progress, or any tokens of former civilization 
 and prosperity. A few rude figures, marked upon the 
 rocks in certain localities, are the only records of the num- 
 berless generations which have passed away, leaving their 
 descendants precisely in the situation of those who pre- 
 ceded them, and as hopeless or careless of improvement. 
 The Arawaks were the first natives seen by Columbus, 
 upon the occasion of his discovery of the continent of 
 South America, in the summer of 1498. 
 
 The first land made was the island of Tjinidad, at the 
 mouth of the great river Orinoco. No Indians were seen 
 upon the island by a party sent on shore, although unmis- 
 takable tokens of a recent and hasty retreat were visible. 
 As the vessels approached the Serpent's Mouth, (the south- 
 ern entrance to the gulf of Paria,) twenty-five of the 
 natives made their appearance in a canoe. To the aston- 
 ishmeut of the admiral, who had expected, from the reports, 
 at Hispaniola, to fiiid a race of negroes in these southern 
 latitudes, they were of lighter complexion than any with 
 whom he had before held intercourse. Their figures were 
 well proportioned and graceful j their only clothing was a 
 sort of turban, and a waistband of colored eotton ; and 
 their arms were bows and arrows. "When an attempt was 
 made to conciliate these wild voyagers by dancing and 
 music, it was mistaken for a sign of hostility, and the sup- 
 posed war-'lance was summarily stopped by a flight of 
 arrows. The suspicions of the natives prevented the 
 
 33 
 
 -«3 ■• .,'-,4- I 
 
 »' ii ■ . 
 
 ',*•■■ ■■ r.-i . 
 
 j,'- .*■ '••'■ ■•' 
 
 m: 
 
 'm-^-'i 
 
 iM 
 
r' • 
 
 hhwt.'' rr "?! .>.',■ •' • 
 
 fmm' : 
 
 ill 
 
 i'.-; 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 11^ 
 
 680 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 opening of any communication with them until after the 
 entry of the ships into the gulf. Several of them were 
 then taken by upsetting their canoe, and, after being kindly 
 entreated and encouraged, were dismissed with the usual 
 presents of trinkets and hawks*-bells. When the fears of 
 the inhabitants were dissipated by this procedure, thej' 
 were erger to crowd about the vessels in their canons. 
 These latter were of excellent construction and large size ; 
 some of them were even furnished with a cabin. 
 
 The cacique of the county received the Spaniards at his 
 house with the greatest respect and hospitality, and feasted 
 them upon whatever luxuries the fruitful soil produced. 
 " Nothing/' says Irving, " could exceed the kindness and 
 amity of this people, heightened as i^ was by an intelligent 
 demeanor and a martial frankness. They seemed worthy 
 of the beautiful country they inhabited. It was a cause of 
 great concern, both to them and to the Spaniards, that they 
 could not viuderstand each other's language." 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh entered the Orinoco in the year 1595, 
 and brought home some account of the nativet. seen there. 
 As recorded by Purchas : " The inhabitants on the north- 
 ern branches are the Tiuitiuas, a goodly and valiant people, 
 which have the most manly speech and most deliberate 
 (saith Sir Walter) that ever I heard of whatever nation 
 soever. In the summer they have hous' s on the ground, 
 • King Abibcia ^^ ^^ Other places : in the winter they dwelt 
 upon the trees,* where they built veiy ar- 
 tificial towns and villages ; for between 
 May and September the river of Orinoco 
 rises thirty feet upright, and then are those 
 islands overflown twenty feet high, except in some few 
 raised grounds in the middle. This watery store, when 
 the clouds are so prodigal of more ^han the rivers' store- 
 house can hold, whereby they became violent intruders 
 and etjcroachers upon the land, and not the violence of 
 
 dwelt on a tree 
 
 in the country 
 
 of Darien. 
 
 Pet. Martyr : 
 
 Dec. 3. lib. 6. 
 
until after the 
 of them were 
 ;r being kindly 
 vrith the usual 
 sn the fears of 
 irocedure, they 
 1 their canons, 
 and large size ; 
 
 abin. 
 
 Spaniards at his 
 lity, and fespted 
 L soil produced, 
 he kindness and 
 by an intelligent 
 Y seemed worthy 
 [t was a cause of 
 aniards, that they 
 
 e. 
 
 in the year 1595, 
 Ltiveb seen there, 
 tnts on the nortb- 
 .d valiant people, 
 most deliberate 
 whatever nation 
 3 on the ground, 
 winter they dwelt 
 ,ey built very ar- 
 for between 
 river of Orinoco 
 nd then are those 
 lept in some few 
 atery store, when 
 n the rivers' store- 
 violent intruders 
 )t the violence of 
 
 TRIBES OP THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 581 
 
 cold, gives this time the title of winter. These Tiuitiuas 
 never eat of any thing that is set or sown ; Nature's nurs- 
 lings, that neither at home nor abroad, will be beholden 
 to the art or labor of husbandry. They use the tops 
 of palmettos for bread, and kill deer, fish, and pork, for 
 the rest of their sustenance. They which dwell upon 
 the branches of the Orinoco, called Capuri and Macureo, 
 are for the most part carpenters of canoes, which they 
 sell into Guiana for gold, and into Trinidad for tobacco, 
 in the excessive taking' whereof, they exceed all nations. 
 When a commander dies, they use great lamentation, and 
 when they think the flesh of their bodies is putrefied and 
 fallen from the bones, they take up the carcass again, 
 and hang it up in the house, where he had dwelt, decking 
 his skull with feathers of all colors, and hanging his gold- 
 plates about the bones of his arms, thighs, and legs. 
 The Arwacas, which dwell on the south of the Orinoco, 
 beat the bones of their lords into powder, which their 
 wives and friends drink." 
 
 In early times the Arawaks were engaged in perpetual 
 wars with the Caribs. Those of the latter race, who inhab- 
 ited the nearest Caribbean islands, made continual descents 
 upon the main, but are said, finally, to have been worsted. 
 The Rev. W. H. Brett recounts some of the traditions still 
 handed down among the Arawaks of these wars. " They 
 have," says he, " an indistinct idea of cruelties perpetrated 
 by the Spaniards. Tradition has preserved the remem- 
 brance of white men clothed with 'seperari* or iron, 
 who drove their fathers before them, and, as some say, 
 hunted them with dogs through the forest. But by far 
 the greater number of their traditions relate to engage- 
 ments between themselves and the Caribs on the main 
 land." With p3cuiiar exultation they detail the particu- 
 lars of a victory obtained over a great body of these 
 invaders by means of a judicious ambush. The Arawaks 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 .(■ 
 
 
 ■ \ 
 
 \i'^:\AM 
 
!' mt 
 
 
 582 
 
 INDIAN RACE3 OP AMERICA. 
 
 had fled from their approach to the low marshy country 
 upon the Waini, and laid their ambuscade upon either 
 side of the narrow channel th'-'^'^^h which the enemy were 
 expected to pass. " The o are said to have had a 
 
 great number of canoes of large size, which followed each 
 other, in line, through the mazy channels of the Savannah. 
 As they rounded a certain island, their painted warriors 
 in the first canoe were transfixed by a shower of arrows 
 from an unseen enemy on both sides of them, and totally 
 disabled. Thpse in the second canoe shared the same fate ; 
 the others, who could not see what had happened, hurried 
 forward to ascertain the cause of the cries, but each canoe, 
 as it reached the fatal spot, was saluted by a deadly shower 
 of arrows. The Arawaks then rushed forward, and fought 
 till the victory was completed. It is said that only two 
 Caribs survived, and they were dismissed by the Arawak 
 chieftain, on promise of a ransom to be paid in cotton 
 hammocks, for the manufacture of which their nation is 
 noted." 
 
 After the settlement of difficulties between the European 
 colonists of Guiana and the neighboring Indian tribes, the 
 introduction of negro slaves by the former proved a ter- 
 rible scourge to the natives. Great numbers of the Afri- 
 cans escaped from their masters, into the wilderness, and 
 there forming predatory bands, were long a terror to both 
 whites and Indians. " The accounts which the Arawaks 
 have received from their ancestors, represent these negroes 
 as equally ferocious with the Caribs, and more to be dreaded 
 on account of their superior bodily strength." 
 
 The Arawaks of the present day are, like their forefath- 
 ers, a more mild and peaceable race than many of their 
 neighbors. In th~ir domestic relations and general man- 
 ner of life, they do not diflfer materially from the gener- 
 ality of the North American savages. Together with the 
 rude clubs, bows and arrows, &c., so universal among bar- 
 
 rJJ 
 
 J i. J 
 
'yv^ii ' \ 
 
 TRIBES OP THE WEST INDIES, El'C. 
 
 088 
 
 marshy country 
 de upon either 
 :he enemy were 
 
 to have had a 
 1 followed each 
 ,f the Savannah, 
 painted warriors 
 lower of arrows 
 tiem, and totally 
 jd the same fate ; 
 appened, hurried 
 , but each canoe, 
 
 a deadly shower 
 ward, and fought 
 id that only two 
 d by the Arawak 
 B paid in cotton 
 their nation is 
 
 r 
 
 een the European 
 Indian tribes, the 
 ner proved a ter- 
 ibers of the Afri- 
 le wilderness, and 
 g a terror to both 
 hich the Arawaks 
 sent these negroes 
 nore to be dreaded 
 
 •th." 
 
 ike their forefath- 
 lan many of their 
 and general man- 
 f from the gener- 
 logether with the 
 versal among bar- 
 
 barous nations, they have the more efficient weapons of 
 the European. The Indian is every where quick to per- 
 ceive the advantage of fire-arms, and apt in acquiring their 
 use. Christian missionaries have devoted themselves with 
 great zeal and perseverance to the instruction and improve- 
 ment of this tribe, and the natural kindly disposition of 
 the race seems to favor the undertaking. 
 
 Besides the Caribs and Arawaks, the principal Indian 
 tribes of Guiana are the Waraus, and the Wacawoios ; in 
 addition to these are the minor nations of the Arecunas, 
 Zaparas, Soerikongs, Woyawais, Pianoghottos, &c., &c. 
 Most of these are barbarous tribes, not sufficiently variant 
 from each other to render a distinct consideration valuable 
 or interesting. 
 
 The vast wilderness which they inhabit is little visited 
 by whites. From the coast settlements the only available 
 routes into the interior are by means of the numerous riv- 
 ers, upon whose banks missionary enterprise has here and 
 there established a little settlement as a nucleus for future 
 operations among the natives at large. From Mr. Brett's 
 narrative of his own observation and experience in these 
 wilds, we quote the following items of general description : 
 
 " The appearance of the Indian in his natural state is 
 not unpleasing when the eye has become accustomed to 
 his scanty attire. He is smaller in size than either the 
 European or the negro, nor does he possess the bodily 
 strength of either of these. Few of his race exceed five 
 feet five inches in height, and the greater number are 
 much shorter. They are generally well made ; many are 
 rather stout in proportion to their height, and it is very 
 rare to see a deformed person amorg them." 
 
 In respect to dress, which, both for men and women, is 
 of the most scanty proportions, (consisting only of a band- 
 age about the loins, with perhaps a few ornamental articles 
 of feather-work for state occasions,) the efibrts of the 
 
 * • 
 t. 
 
 
 4 
 
 . • ♦ 
 
 
 * 1 • . 
 
«t. / 
 
 r. 
 
 
 't;'.'-/.':; 
 
 ♦ 
 
 684 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 missionaries have effected some change in those brought 
 under their influence. In a burning tropical clime, the 
 propriety or policy of such fancied improvement is very 
 questionable. If no immodesty is connected with naked- 
 ness in the eyes of the unsophisticated natives, it would 
 seem hardly worth while to enlighten them upon such a 
 subject, for the purpose of establishing a conformity to 
 European customs. 
 
 Our author continues : " Their color is a copper tint, 
 pleasing to the eye, and the skin, where constantly covered 
 from the sun, is little darker than that of the natives of 
 Southern Europe. Their hair is straight and coarse, and 
 continues perfectly black till an advanced period of life. 
 The general expression of the face is pleasing, though it 
 varies with the tribe and the disposition of each person. 
 Their eyes are black and piercing, and generally slant 
 upwards a little towards the temple, which would give an 
 unpleasant expression to the face, were it not relieved by 
 the swi. .t expression of the mouth. The forehead gen- 
 erally recedes, though in a less degree than in the African ; 
 there is, however, much difference in this respect, and in 
 some individuals it is well formed and prominent." 
 
 The usual division of labor among savage nations is 
 observed in Guiana. The daily drudgery of the household 
 belongs to the women, who also cultivate the small fields 
 in which the yuca, (the root from which they make their 
 bread,) and the other cultivated crops are raised. The 
 men pursue their hunting and fishing, and undertake the 
 more severe labors attendant upon the building their huts, 
 the clearing of new ground, &c. 
 
 The native dwelling is generally little more than a roof 
 of palm-leaf thatch supported upon posts, between which 
 hang the cotton hammocks in which the occupants sleep. 
 Some few implements of iron-ware, and articles of pottery 
 of a more substantial and practical form than that manu- 
 
 
^ 1. ,1 ' . 
 
 TRIBES OP THE WEST INDIES, ETC. 
 
 586 
 
 factured by themselves, are generally procured by trade 
 with the coast, but these are all of the simplest description. 
 Maize, with cassava, yams, potatoes, and other roots, 
 constitutes their principal vegetable food. The cassava is 
 prepared by grating, or scraping, and subsequent pressure 
 in a receptacle of basket-work. This strainer is constructed 
 in the form of a " long tube, open at the top and closed at 
 the bottom, to which a strong loop is attached. The pulpy 
 mass of cassava is placed in this, and it is suspended from 
 a beam. One end of a large staff is then placed through 
 the loop at the bottom, the woman sits upon the centre of 
 the staff, or attaches a heavy stone to the end, and the 
 weight stretches the elastic tube, which presses the cassava 
 inside, causing the juice to flow through the interstices of 
 the plaited material of which it is made. This liquor is 
 carefully collected in a vessel placed beneath. It is a most 
 deadly poison ; but after being boiled, it becomes perfectly 
 wholesome, and is the nutritious sauce, called casareep, 
 which forms the principal ingredient in the pepper-pot, a 
 favorite dish of the country." 
 
 . i^."! 'f,..it ■ 
 
 •%^ 
 
 , •' « 
 
 . ,' 
 
 i^t'ri 
 
 
. ' ■"■. • il'i ' 1."' ■■ .■ ' ■ 1 
 
 f'»f^ 
 
 lil 
 
 .;'-< ■ .1'., ■ . 
 
 , ^. 7. : 
 
 ■^.■■;-— :/; 
 
 
 St 
 
 ~ri 
 
 THE ABORIGINES OF PERU. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PHYSICAL PECULIARITIES OF THE QUICIIUAS, AYMARAS, ATACAMAS, 
 AND CHANGOS. — NATURE OF THE COUNTRY,— PERUVIAN WORKS OF 
 ART, ETC. — FIRST RUMORS OF THE WEALTH OF THE COUNTRY. — 
 EXPEDITION OF PASCUAL DE ANDAGOYA. — FRANCISCO PIZARRO : 
 HIS FIRST VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY, — ALMAGRO'S VOYAGE.— CON- 
 TRACT OF PIZARRO, ALMAGRO, AND LUaUE. — THE SECOND EXPE- 
 DITION. — PIZARRO AND HIS COMPANIONS UPON THE ISLE OF GOR- 
 
 GONA CONTINUATION OF THE VOYAGE. — TUMBEZ. — RETURN TO 
 
 PAN/ MA. 
 
 The Peruvian and Araucanian races alone, among the 
 South American aborigines, present subjects of interest to 
 the historian. The other tribes of that great portion of 
 the western continent are at an infinite remove from these 
 in the scale of civilization, and can scarce be said to have 
 any separate national history. \Vc shall describe their 
 habi*^8 and physical appearance, much as we should enter 
 upon the duties of the writer upon natural history : an 
 attempt to arrange a serial narrative of events, as con- 
 nected with them would be useless. 
 
 Widely contrasted with the wild and savage tribes of 
 the interior, and of the eastern coast, the Peruvians offer, 
 in their character and history, a fruitful theme for the 
 attention and research of the historian and the philoso- 
 pher. As a nation, they were, when discovered by Euro- 
 peans, perfectly unique. Such refinements in government, 
 
 (586) 
 
>"S«'is 
 
 ■i^'lS'i 
 
 
 CRU. 
 
 lARAS, ATACAMAS, 
 RUVIAN WORKS OP 
 • THE COUNTRY.— 
 LANCISCO PIZARRO : 
 »'S VOYAGE.— CON- 
 'HE SECOND EXPE- 
 THE ISLE OF GOR- 
 IBEZ. — RETURN TO 
 
 lone, among the 
 ts of interest to 
 great portion of 
 nove from these 
 
 be said to have 
 I describe their 
 we should enter 
 iral history : an 
 
 events, as con- 
 savage tribes of 
 
 Peruvians offer, 
 1 theme for the 
 and the philoso- 
 
 overed by Euro- 
 
 s in government, 
 (586) 
 
 WhAJfCl$CO PIZJIhRO. 
 
^f'«t?)iv 
 
 
 L 
 
SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 589 
 
 such unity of purpose, and such perfect system, as were 
 observable in all their customs and usages, have never been 
 even attempted, much less accomplished, by any other 
 community throughout the globe. 
 
 The physical conformation of the Quichua race, the 
 most prominent among the ancient inhabitants of Peru, is 
 somewhat singular. The effects of living at such an im- 
 mense elevation as that of many of their cities, and of the 
 great plateaus which they inhabit among the Andes, cause 
 a remarkable development of the chest. The rarity of the 
 air in mountainous districts render a much greater volume 
 of it necessary in respiration. The Quichuas have there- 
 fore, according to M. d'Orbigny, "very large, square 
 shoulders, a broad chest, very voluminous, highly ai'ched, 
 and longer than usual, which increases the size of the 
 trunk. * * The extremities are nevertheless, very muscu- 
 lar, and bespeak great strength ; the head is larger than 
 usual in proportion to the rest of the body ; the hands and 
 feet are always small." 
 
 The Quichuas differ, in a marked manner, from most of 
 the other South American nations, in the features of the 
 countenance. These are said in some degree to approach 
 the Mexican type. A prominent aquiline nose, large nos- 
 trils, the forehead somewhat retreating, a moderately full 
 cerebral development, rather a large mouth, adorned wit'u 
 fine teeth, and a short but well defined chin, may be given 
 as generally characteristic of the race. 
 
 The Quichuas have beautifully sofl, thick, and flowing 
 hair, but are almost destitute of beards. Their complex- 
 ion is a brown olive, entirely distinct from the reddish or 
 copper hue of most of the North American Indians. It 
 approaches that of the mulatto more nearly than that of 
 the other American aborigines, and is spoken of as singu- 
 larly uniform. They are of low stature, particularly those 
 who live in the more elevated regions. Their general 
 
 
 
 
 ^"■■t 
 
 
 til . ■- 
 

 
 590 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 physiognomy, in the words of the author above cited, " is, 
 upon the whole, uniform, serious, reflective, melancholy, 
 without, however, showing indifference : it denotes rather 
 penetration without frankness. * * Their features alto- 
 gether retain a mediocrity of expression. The women 
 are seldom very handsome ; their noses are not so promi- 
 nent or curved as those of the men: the latter, although 
 they have no beard, have a masculine expression, derived 
 from their sti'ongly-marked features. An ancient vase, 
 which represents with striking fidelity, the features of the 
 present race of Quichuas convinces us that for four and 
 five centuries their physiognomy has undergone no sensible 
 alteration.'* * 
 
 The Aymaras, the second in the grand division of the 
 Peruvian races, bear a close resemblance to those just 
 described. In early times the strange and unnatural cus- 
 tom of flattening the head obtained among them, as is 
 fully proved by the contour of many skulls found in their 
 ancient places of burial or deposit. 
 
 No material variation from the Quichuan bodily forma- 
 tion is noticeable in the Atacamas, who inhabit the western 
 slope of the Andes ; but the Changos, dwelling upon the 
 hot levels of the eea-coast, " are of darker hue : their 
 color is a tawny, approaching to black." 
 
 The country inhabited by these three races, although 
 lying within the tropics, and in certain localities luxuri- 
 antly rich and fertile, presents obstacles to the agricultur- 
 alist, which would seem almost insurmountable. Nothing 
 but the whole industry of a great nation, directed system- 
 atically to tne work of reclamation and improvement, 
 could ever have made Peru what it was in the days of 
 the Incas. 
 
 A flat and sterile plain, washed by the Pacific, forms the 
 western boundary of the ancient empire. On this district 
 rain never falls ; at least, the few drops which at certain 
 
-..p^ 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 591 
 
 seasons sprinkle the surface, are insufficient to avail in the 
 slightest degree for the promotion of fertility. From the 
 stupendous mountain ranges which extend in an unbroken 
 course throughout the western sea-board of South Ameri- 
 ca, impetuous torrents pour down through the plains 
 towards the sea, and, by a laborious and ingenious diver- 
 sion, these streams were led by the ancient Peruvians in 
 long and massive aqueducts to irrigate the plain or the 
 terraces wrought upon the steep sides of the mountains. 
 Some mention has been made, in a former chapter, of the 
 ruins which still remain to attest the advancement and en- 
 terprise of the ancient Peruvians, particularly of the great 
 roads by which ready communication was opened over the 
 most rugged and naturally impassable country in the world. 
 A further description of some of these relics will be given 
 hereafter, as connected with their wonderful system of 
 government, and its effects in the accomplishment of pub- 
 lic works. ' . f 
 
 ■«..i 
 
 •■i 1 i 
 
 ' » 
 
 ■ • :. ,f 
 
 • ^ 
 
 Mexico had already fallen into the hands of the Span- 
 iards, and their settlements had long been established upon 
 the Isthmus, before the world obtained any knowledge 
 of the western coast of South America. The national 
 thirst for gold, only the more excited by the successes in 
 contest with the Aztecs, was roused anew by reports gath- 
 ered from the natives of the Isthmus, of a far richer and 
 more magnificent empire at the South. 
 
 The first attempt to explore the coast to the southward 
 had been made in 1522, by Pascual de Andagoya, but 
 he proceeded no further than the Puerto de Pinas, near 
 the mouth of the small river Biru. Two years passed 
 away without any further discoveries, at the end of which 
 time, the matter was taken in hand by a man whose char- 
 acter leaves us at a loss whether we should the more 
 

 If 
 
 !!■ iTt . . 
 
 
 
 592 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 admire his courage, fortitude, and indomitable energy, or 
 execrate his cruelty and unscrupulous rapacity. This man 
 was Francisco Pizarro. He was, at this time, about fifty 
 years of age, the last ten of which, at least, he had passed 
 amid the stirring scenes of discovery and conquest in the 
 New World. He had, among other adventures, shared 
 the dangers and the exultation of Vasco Nugnez de Bal- 
 boa, in his first passage of the Isthmus, and his discov- 
 ery of the Western Ocean. He was now residing near 
 Panama, and is said to have accumulated but a small 
 landed property as the reward of his long labors and 
 privations. 
 
 Pizarro was the illegitimate son of a colonel of infantry, 
 named Gonzalo Pizarro, and a woman of low rank, resid- 
 ing at Truxillo, in Spain, in which city the future con- 
 queror was born. In the great enterprise of the conquest 
 of Peru, he was associated with one Diego de Almagro, a 
 man of more uncertain origin, and less favored by worldly 
 prosperity, even than himself This companion in arms 
 was, at all events, a brave and gallant soldier. Fortunately 
 for the two adventurers, they succeeded in securing the 
 assistance of Hernando de Luque, an ecclesiastic occupied 
 in the duties of his profession at Panama. With such 
 funds as could be raised by these three, a vessel was pro- 
 cured, and about one hundred men were enlisted to share 
 the danger and profits of the expedition. Pedrarias, the 
 Spanish governor, sanctioned the proceeding, stipulating, 
 at the same time, for a proportion of the gold that should 
 be brought home. 
 
 In November, 1524, Pizarro set sail, leaving Almagro 
 to prepare another vessel which they had purchased, and 
 to follow as soon as possible. Nothing but disaster marked 
 this first voyage. Storms at sea ; conflicts with natives on 
 shore ; sickness, exposure, and starvation, thinned the 
 numbers and broke down the spirit of the party. Pizarro 
 
SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 593 
 
 alone appears to have maintained an unskaken fortitude 
 and determination. 
 
 No provisions could be procured at the spots where the 
 voyagers landed, and it became necessary to send the ves- 
 sel back for supplies. About half the company, under one 
 Montenegro, was despatched for this purpose, leaving the 
 rest of the adventurers upon the swampy, unwholesome 
 coast, not far from the mouth of the Biru, to support them- 
 selves as best they could amid an almost impenetrable 
 wilderness of rank tropical vegetation. Nearly half their 
 number perished before any relief was obtained. When 
 at the extremity of distress, the sight of a distant light 
 amid the forest awakened their hopes, and Pizarro, with 
 a small scouting party, led by this token of human habi- 
 tation, penetrated the thicket to an Indian village. His 
 hungry followers seized on whatever offered. As the na- 
 tives, who had at fiTst fled in terror, gradually approached 
 and held communication with them, their hopes were again 
 revived by the sight of rude ornaments in gold, and by the 
 confirmation of the reports concerning a rich empire at the 
 south. 
 
 It was six weeks from the time of his departure before 
 Montenegro returned to rescue his remaining companions. 
 With renewed hope and zeal, the party reembarked, and 
 continued to coast along the shore. After landing at other 
 places, and experiencing severe encounters with the war- 
 like natives, it was found necessary to return to Panama 
 to refit. 
 
 Almagro, in the mean time, had followed in the same 
 course, with the second vessel, and landed at most of the 
 places visited by Pizarro. He was more successful in his 
 engagements with the natives than the first party had 
 proved i and succeeded in extending his voyage as far 
 south as the river of San Juan. At this place unmistaka- 
 ble tokens of approach to a well-cultivated and inhab- 
 
 
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"li, 'li.H f ,,'1 ,'j," 
 
 u I ■ . •. ' JL.J Ufl' r ' * 
 
 :::teirj>:r-;;:..\f, lis 
 
 
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 .!■■' 
 
 I 
 I I." 
 
 
 
 694 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 ited country presented themselves. Finding no further 
 traces of Pizarro and his companions, and supposing that 
 they must have perished or have been compelled to return, 
 Almagro now turned his course towards Panama. He 
 brought home more gold and more favorable reports than 
 his partner ; but the disasters, losses, and miserable con- 
 dition of the first voyagers tended to throw almost insur- 
 mountable obstacles in the way of a second attempt. 
 
 The three confederates — Pizarro, Almagro, and Father 
 Luque — continued as sanguine as ever. The necessary 
 funds were obtained by the latter, as is said, of one Gas- 
 par de Espinosa, in whose name he acted, and in whose 
 behalf he stipulated for one-third of all returns which 
 should result from a successful completion of the immense 
 undertaking. A solemn contract was entered into between 
 the parties, strengthened by all the ceremonials of oaths 
 and religious services. Neither of the two soldiers could 
 write, and their signatures were executed in their presence, 
 by the witnesses to the instrument of contract. 
 
 Pedrarias had been succeeded by Don Pedro de los Rios, 
 and the new governor assented to the second expedition. 
 This was undertaken with two vessels, carrying about one 
 hundred and sixty men and a few horses. The services 
 of Bartholomew Ruiz, a skilful pilot, were secured. The 
 adventurers steered direct for the mouth of the San Juan, 
 and, landing at an Indian village on the river, obtained 
 some plunder in gold, and seized upon the persons of a 
 few of the natives. The country appeared too populous 
 to offer much chance of success to such a small band of 
 invaders. Almagro was therefore sent back to enlist more 
 men at home, while Ruiz, with the other vessel, explored 
 the coast further to the south, and Pizarro remained near 
 the river, with a portion of the crew. The latter endured 
 much from famine, exposure, and fatigue, during the ab- 
 sence of Ruiz. Attempting to penetrate into the interior, 
 
 
 iK- 
 
A. 
 
 nding no further 
 nd supposing that 
 mpelled to return, 
 ds Panama. He 
 Table reports than 
 id miserable con- 
 irow almost insur- 
 id attempt, 
 lagro, and Father 
 The Tiecessary 
 
 said, of one Gas- 
 ;ed, and in whose 
 ill returns which 
 ti of the immense 
 ;ered into between 
 emonials of oaths 
 ;wo soldiers could 
 in their presence, 
 itract. 
 
 ?edro de los Rios, 
 second expedition, 
 irrying about one 
 ies. The services 
 sre secured. The 
 . of the San Juan, 
 be river, obtained 
 
 the persons of a 
 ired too populous 
 L a small band of 
 ick to enlist more 
 sr vessel, explored 
 rro remained near 
 Che latter endured 
 e, during the ab- 
 ) into the interior. 
 
 ' *i|'ii 
 
 
 ►'.■:^ 
 
 ^i 
 
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".. 
 
 p^c:- 
 
 
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 Ir-'i V : 
 
 
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 ■f: A-. 
 
SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 597 
 
 in hopes of finding a more open country, they were com- 
 pletely worn down and dispirited. 
 
 The pilot, in the mean time, had made his way far south- 
 ward. He had crossed the equator, and touched at several 
 I places, where the dense population and well-built dwell- 
 ings gave proofs of no little advancement in civilization. 
 He brought with him several Indian prisoners, taken at 
 sea, upon one of the rude boats, or rather rafts, called 
 "balsas," in which they were voyaging. Some of these 
 were from the port of Tumbez, and their marvellous ac- 
 counts of the quantities of gold and silver used by their 
 monarch, roused anew the cupidity of the Spaniards. 
 
 Almagro soon after arrived with numerous fresh re- 
 cruits, and, what with the glowing reports of Ruiz, and 
 this addition to their force, the weakened and despairing 
 followers of Pizarro regained their former hopes and cour- 
 age. The whole company again set sail for the land of 
 promise. At Tacames, near the mouth of the Santiago, 
 where the present town of Esmeraldas is situated, the 
 flourishing appearance of the country invited the voyagers 
 to land ; but they were opposed by thousands of armed 
 natives, who attacked them with great fury. It was sup- 
 posed that all the Christians must have perished in this 
 onslaught, but for a strange mistake on the part of the 
 Indians. A few of the Spaniards were mounted upon 
 horses — a sight never before witnessed in Peru — and one 
 of the cavaliers happening to fall from his horse, the In- 
 dians supposed that a single enemy had become two. The 
 horse and his rider were taken for but one animal, and the 
 confusion and amazement caused by the sight of such a 
 prodigious separation, gave the Spaniards an opportunity 
 to retreat. 
 
 It was plain that a greater force was necessary to make 
 any advantageous progress in the new empire, and again 
 was one of the little vessels sent back to Panama for reen- 
 
 'I 
 
 
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 fe^i' 
 
! «■ ■.••■. r , ■ - 
 
 
 
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 i 1 
 
 '•(•-If 
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 M K>.;v§f 
 
 
 
 598 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 forcements, while Pizarro and a portion of his forces took 
 up their quarters upon the little island cf Gallo. They 
 suffered every extremity before supplies reached them from 
 the north, and when two vessels loaded with stores made 
 their appearance, there was a general cry for return. 
 
 Pizarro, fortified in his determination by encouraging 
 letters from his allies, harangued his followers, and gave 
 them their free choice whether to go forward in search of 
 ■fame and wealth, or to return in poverty and disgrace to 
 Panama. Thirteen only had the resolution to proffer their 
 further services. The commander of the store-ships, who 
 was instructed by the governor to bring back the party, 
 refused to leave either of his vessels for the use of these 
 few valorous spirits, and, grudgingly bestowing upon them 
 a portion of his provisions, set sail, leaving them, as was 
 supposed, to certain destruction. 
 
 Upon this island, and upon that of Gorgona, twenty -five 
 leagues to the northward, (whither they migrated on a raft, 
 for better quarters, the little party spent seven miserable 
 and solitary months. By great exertions, Almagro and 
 Luque procured another vessel, and the governor's per- 
 mission to relieve their associates ; but this was not ob- 
 tained without a positive . J mction to Pizarro to return 
 within six months. No recruits were taken on board, be- 
 yond the necessary crew of the vessel. Ruiz had charge 
 of the craft, and the sight of his approach soon gladdened 
 the desponding hearts of the destitute and half-famished 
 expectants at Gorgona. 
 
 Without hesitation the little Vand stood once more for 
 the south, leaving two of their number ill on the island, 
 in charge of some of the friendly natives, who were still 
 detained in their company. After twenty days' sail, in 
 which they passed, without landing, the spots of former 
 exploration, the vessel entered the unknown gulf of 
 Guayaquil. 
 
his forces took 
 :f Gallo. They 
 ached them from 
 dth stores made 
 "or return. 
 
 by encouraging 
 iowers, and gave 
 yard in search of 
 ^and disgrace to 
 >n to proffer their 
 ! store-ships, who 
 r back the party, 
 L- the use of these 
 towing upon them 
 ving them, as was 
 
 )rgona, tw enty-five 
 [nigrated on a raft, 
 it seven miserable 
 ,ns, Almagro and 
 le governor's per- 
 this was not ob- 
 Pizarro to return 
 jaken on board, be- 
 Ruiz had charge 
 ich soon gladdened 
 and half-famished 
 
 lood once more for 
 ill on the island, 
 ^es, who were still 
 3nty days' sail, in 
 le spots of former 
 fnknown gulf of 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 699 
 
 As the Spaniards directed their course towards the city 
 of Tumbez, the residence of the Indian captives, they en- 
 countered many natives, in the balsas which served them 
 for boats. These strange craft were made of logs of light 
 wood, secured together, and fitted with masts and sails. 
 The crews of these rafts, in the midst of their amazement 
 at the prodigy before their eyes, recognized tlie Indians on 
 board, and learning from them that the strangers were 
 bound merely upon exploration, returned to satisfy the 
 curiosity of the eager crowds gathered upon the shore. 
 
 A peaceful communication was soon established, and the 
 sea-wearied Spaniards were refreshed by bountiful supplies 
 of the tropical luxuries furnished by the kindly natives. 
 Llamas, or Peruvian camels, as they were called, were now 
 for the first time exhibited and offe. ed to the visitors. A 
 great noble, of the royal race of the Incas, came on board, 
 and was courteously entertained by Pizarro, who pointed 
 out and explained the mysteries of the vessel and its 
 accoutrements. 
 
 The officers of the Spanish company were, in turn, 
 feasted at the house of the curaca, or governor of the 
 province, and were shown the royal temple and fortresses. 
 Some of the apartments were adorned with such a rich 
 profusion of massive golden ornaments and plating, that 
 the dazzled Spaniards now trusted in the speedy realiza- 
 tion of their long-deferred hopes. 
 
 From Tumbez, Pizarro coasted southward as far as the 
 island and port of Santa, some distance beyond the site of 
 the present Truxillo, stopping at various towns and settle- 
 ments on his route. The strangers were every where 
 received with hospitality, kindness, and the most lively 
 curiosity, and enough was seen fully to convince them of 
 the richness, civilization, and prosperity of the thickly 
 populated empire. 
 
 Returning to Panama, they again stopped at Tumbez and 
 
 34 
 
 I" 
 

 V-^/- 
 
 
 '"i 
 
 ,-1 ';■■■.•,••,.■• ■ ■ ■ •• '.v > 
 
 -« 
 
 ■ 1 < t. 
 
 •'■-.^^'X: ■•.',;■' 
 
 - - 1 
 
 
 "I ■,:< . -'■ 
 
 Jii 
 
 600 
 
 IInDIAN races op AMERICA. 
 
 other important ports, and thence brought away specimens 
 of the productions of the country ; among other things, a 
 number of llamas. At their own request, several of the 
 Spaniards were left at Tumbez, to enjoy the luxury and 
 ease which seemed to be offered by a life among the kindly 
 natives. A young Peruvian, named Felipillo, with one or 
 two companions, was taken on board the vessel, that he 
 might be instructed in the Spanish language, and that his 
 appearance might satisfy the incredulous, at home, as to 
 the character of the inhabitants of Peru. 
 
 The troubles of the enterprising trio to whom these dis- 
 coveries were owing were not yet at an end. The derision 
 and contumely which had tended so long to damp their 
 spirits, was, indeed, changed to congratulations and eager 
 astonishment at the return and reports of Pizarro ; but the 
 governor fiowned upon the prosecution of the enterprise. 
 ** He did not wish," says Herrera, " to depopulate his own 
 district in order to people new countries " — the gold, silver, 
 and sheep which had been exhibited, seemed to him but 
 a paltry return for the expenditure of such an amount of 
 lives and money, and the endurance of such hardships and 
 suffering as were the fruits of the first expeditions. 
 
 Before continuing the account of the steps by which the 
 great work of conquest was finally achieved, it will be well 
 to take a brief view of the condition of the devoted country 
 at the period o/ its discovery. 
 
 The two great monarchies of Mexico and Pem, both of 
 them in a state of semi-civilization at the period of Span- 
 ish discoveries and conquests, are closely associated in our 
 minds. The thoughts of one naturally suggest that of the 
 other. We shall, however, find, upon an examination of 
 history, that these nations were widely dissimilar : neither, 
 in all human probability, had any knowledge of the other's 
 existence, and no intercourse could have been maintained 
 between them from a period of the most remote antiquity. 
 

 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 601 
 
 it away specimens 
 ag other things, a 
 ;st, several of the 
 ly the luxury and 
 among the kindly 
 Lpillo, with one or 
 ihe vessel, that he 
 iiage, and that his 
 IS, at home, as to 
 
 CO whom these dis- 
 ;nd. The derision 
 3ng to damp their 
 ulations and eager 
 >f Pizarro ; but the 
 1 of the enterprise, 
 depopulate his own 
 ['—the gold, silver, 
 leemed to him but 
 such an amount of 
 such hardships and 
 ixpeditions. 
 steps by which the 
 ived, it will be well 
 he devoted country 
 
 and Pei-u, both of 
 he period of Span- 
 y associated in our 
 suggest that of the 
 an examination of 
 dissimilar: neither, 
 ledge of the other's 
 e been maintained 
 it remote antiquity. 
 
 Without going into a direct comparison between these 
 countries, their respective governments, religion, and na- 
 tional customs, we shall enter sufficiently into particulars 
 in treating the present subject, to give the reader such a 
 general idea of its details that he can himself perceive the 
 contrasts and dissimilarities above mentioned. 
 
 . , ^ CHAPTER II. - 
 
 MYTHOLOGICAL TRADITIONS. - TOPA INCA YUPANaUI, AND HIS SON 
 HUAYNA CAPAC — THE PERUVIAN CAPITAL. — RELIGIOUS SYSTEM. 
 _ GOVERNMENT. - AGRARIAN LAW. - LLAMAS. - PUBLIC RECORDS : 
 THE «« QUIPU." - AGRICULTURE. - MARRIAGES. - WARLIKE POLICY 
 OF THE INCAS. — THE GREAT ROADS. —CONTENTMENT. OF THE NA- 
 TIVES. -DIVISION OP THE EMPIRE. -HUASCAR AND ATAHUALLPA. 
 —CONTEST FOE SUPREMACY. 
 
 According to Peruvian mythology, the whole country 
 was, in early times, as savage and barbarous as the neigh- 
 boring nations of the East. Manco Capac, and his sister 
 and wife. Mama Oello Huaco, two children of the Sun, 
 settling in the valley of Cuzco, began the work of regen- 
 eration. They taught the arts of civilized life, and from 
 them sprang the long line of the Incas whose glorious 
 kingdom was at the height of its prosperity when discov- 
 ered by the Spaniards. Other traditions, more worthy of 
 study and reflection, speak of " bearded white men,'* to whose 
 immigration the commencement of improvement was due. 
 
 We gather little of connected or reliable tradition earlier 
 than the reign of Topa Inca Yupanqui. This monarch's 
 victories widely extended the domains bequeathed him by 
 his ancestors. By his warlike achievements, and those of 
 his son, Huayna Capac, the Peruvian empire was extended 
 from the southern portion of Chili to the boundaries of the 
 
 > .'r* ••" t■ 
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 1 
 
 V 
 
T;:;A. 
 
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 ^ * ' ' ■.>■ ■> *>■ " -> ''ii 
 
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 ■ 'i 
 
 602 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 present republic of New Grenada. The centre of govern- 
 ment, and site of the royal palace, the great temple of the 
 sun, and the most celebrated fortification, were at Cuzco, in 
 the interior. The town was situated in a valley of the 
 table-land, at an immense height above the level of the 
 sea, an altitude which secured to it a delightful climate in 
 those tropical regions. 
 
 The principal buildings of the capital were of hewn 
 stone, wrought entirely by instruments of copper, hard- 
 ened by an alloy of tin ; for, like the Mexicans, the people 
 of Peru were entirely ignorant of the use of iron. A cer- 
 tain perfection of workmanship, seldom attempted in more 
 advanced nations, and only elsewhere observable in the 
 casings of the great Egyptian pyramids, is described as 
 peculiar to the laying of the courses of stone in these an- 
 cient buildings. For the most part no cement was used, 
 but the blocks were so accurately fitted that " it was im- 
 possible to introduce even the blade of a knife between 
 them." Mr. Prescott, giving, as his authority, the meas- 
 urements and descriptions of Acosta and Garcilasso, says : 
 " Many of these stones were of vast size ; some of them 
 being full thirty-eight feet long, by eighteen broad, and 
 six feet thick. * * These enormous musses were hewn 
 from their native bed, and fashioned into shape by a peo- 
 ple ignorant of the use of iron ; they were brought from 
 quarries, from four to fifteen leagues distant, without the 
 aid of beasts of burden ; were transported across rivers 
 and ravines, raised to their elevated position on the sierra, 
 and finally adjusted there with the nicest accuracy, with- 
 out the knowledge of tools and machinery familiar to the 
 European." 
 
 At Cuzco stood the great temple of the sun, by far the 
 most resplendent with gold and ornament of all the pub- 
 lic edifices of Peru. The description of this central point 
 of the religious system of the country vies with those of 
 
the sun, by far the 
 Lent of all the pub- 
 lof this central point 
 
 vies with those of 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 603 
 
 fairy palaces in Arabian tales. It was built of stone, but, 
 by a strange contrast of magnificence with rudeness, was 
 thatched with straw. The most striking object in the in- 
 terior was a huge golden sun, represented by the figure of 
 a human face, surrounded with rays. This was so placed 
 as to receive the first beams of the rising sun. The whole 
 building sparkled with golden ornament ; even upon the 
 outside a heavy belt of gold is said to have been let into 
 the stone wall around the whole extent of the edifice. 
 Great vases of the precious metals stood in the open space 
 of the interior, filled with ofierings of maize, and no less 
 valuable material was used for the various tools and im- 
 plements connected with the establishment. 
 
 This profusion of gold and silver, which, although in 
 inferior degree, was noticeable in the royal palaces and 
 temples throughout the empire, resulted from the circum- 
 stance that the mines were a government monopoly. No 
 money was used, and consequently the whole product of 
 the < onntry, in this line, was collected in the coflfers of the 
 Inca, or displayed in the gorgeous ornaments which 
 adorned the temples. The mines were worked by bodies 
 of laborers systematically drafted from the common peo- 
 ple,'to serve for specified periods. 
 
 The Peruvians had some idea of an invisible deity, 
 whose supremacy they acknowledged, and to whom hom- 
 age was rendered, but the sun was their chief object of 
 worship. The moon and stars took the place of subordi- 
 nate divinities. By virtue of his office, the Inca was the 
 head of the visible church, and high-priest of the sun ; 
 all the other religious functionaries were of the nobility, 
 viz.: descendants in the male line of the royal family. 
 One lawful wife gave birth to the successor to the throne, 
 but from the innumerable concubines kept by the empe- 
 ror sprang the race of Inca nobility, distinguished by dress 
 and occupation from the body of the people. 
 
 . -1. ■ 
 
 
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il 
 
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 604 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 A most singular resemblance to the ancient order of the 
 vestal virgins existed in that of the Peruvian Virgins of 
 the Sun. These were set apart, at an early age, for the 
 services of the temple, the preparations of its tapestry and 
 ornaments, and especially for the preservation of the sa- 
 cred fire. Terrible penalties followed the violation of 
 chastity by either of these devotees, always excepting the 
 privileges of the Inca, to whom they were subservient as 
 ** brides," or concubines. The office did not necessarily 
 continue during life : many of these " Virgins " were dis- 
 missed to their paternal homes from time to time, and 
 were ever thereafter held in great honor and veneration. 
 The religious ceremonies and festivals familiar to the na- 
 tion were singularly numerous and complicated : an enu- 
 meration of them would be, for the most part, wearisome 
 and devoid of interest. 
 
 The Peruvian sytem of government merits a more 
 particular attention. Here, for the first time in the history 
 of the world, we see the results of a paternal despotism 
 carried to its most extravagant extent, yet meeting the 
 apparen' '> .nts of the people, and universally acquiesced 
 in and approved by them. From generation to generation 
 the whole mass of the commonalty was shut out from 
 any possibility of change or improvement, and subjected to 
 immutable rules in every employment or privilege of life. 
 
 The whole empire was minutely divided and subdivided 
 into districts, according to population, and over each of 
 these departments a curaca or governor was set to main- 
 tain law. The penal code was sufficiently severe, and 
 rigidly enforced ; in all matters of private right there was 
 no room for contention among the citizens, as the state 
 prescribed every man's place of residence, the amount and 
 nature of his employment, and the provision necessary for 
 his support. 
 
 The government assumed the entire ownership of the 
 
It.".' ' .'? • 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 605 
 
 soil, which was divided into three parts for the following 
 uses ; The first was set apart to support the whole exten- 
 sive system of religion ; the second sustained the royal 
 court, and furnished the " civil list " for the accomplish- 
 ment of all public works, and to defray the current ex- 
 penses of the empire ; and the third was yearly divided 
 among the people. The apportionment was made to each 
 family, according to its numbers, and, unless some good 
 cause should appear to the contrary, it is supposed that the 
 same spot was continued in the possession of its proprietor 
 from year to year. The public domains were cultivated 
 by the people in mass, and, in the management of the 
 private allotments, vigilant care was taken, by the ap- 
 propriate officers, that no one should be idle, no one over- 
 burdened with labor, and no one in a state of suffering 
 from want. 
 
 The only beast of burden in Peru was the llama. The 
 immense herds of this animal were, without exception, 
 the property of the state, and under the management of 
 government officials. The wool and hair of the llama fur- 
 nished the most important material for the clothing of the 
 whole population, but before it reached its ultimate desti- 
 nation it must pass through the hands of appointed agents, 
 and, after the separation and preparation of the portion 
 devoted to religious and royal purposes, be equitably par- 
 celled out and distributed among the private families. The 
 manufacture of cloth was more especially the business of 
 women and children. No man had the power to choose 
 his own employment. A select number of artisans were 
 set apart .nd instructed in such mechanical sciences as 
 were known to the age and country, while the mass of the 
 population were employed in agricultural labors, or, by a 
 systematic apportionment among the different districts, were 
 engaged upon the vast works of public utility or magnifi- 
 cence which astonished the eyes of the Spanish invaders. 
 
1 •:•;; .,''''■. '••• 
 
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 --Tl 
 
 606 
 
 INDIAN RA(!ES OF AMERICA. 
 
 The most exact accounts were kept, by certain appointed 
 officers, of the entire population and resources of the em- 
 pire. No birth, marriage, or death, was suffered to pass 
 unchronicled, and an immense amount of statistical matter, 
 relative to the condition of the people, the productions of 
 the soil, the extent of manufactures, &c., was regularly and 
 systematically returned to the proper department. The 
 substitute for writing, by which these results, and even 
 much more abstract particulars (as of dates and historical 
 events) were perpetuated, was exceedingly ingenious and 
 unique. It consisted of the " quipu," viz. : a cord of strands 
 varying in color, from which depended numerous short 
 threads at regular distances. A series of knots in these 
 appendages (whir' were, like the strands of the main cord, 
 of vai'ious colors; served to express any amount in num- 
 bers, and the difference in hue designated the subject to 
 which they were applied. The endless combinations which 
 could be effected in tliis system of knots might, as we can 
 readily perceive, be extended to the expression of a very 
 wide range of ideas. In the words of Mr. Prescott : *♦ The 
 peculiar knot, or color, in this way (by association) sug- 
 gested what it could not venture to represent ; in the same 
 manner — to borrow the homely illustration of an old 
 writer — as the number of the Commandment calls to 
 mind the Commandment itself. * * • The narrative 
 thus concocted could be communicated only by oral tradi- 
 tion J but the quipus served the chronicler to arrange the 
 incidents with method, and to refresh his memory." 
 
 In some of the sciences, particularly in astronomy, the 
 Peruvians were far behind the Aztecs. A few simple ob- 
 servations of the movements of the planets ; and the meas- 
 urement of shadows to mark the solstices, equinoxes, &c., 
 formed the limit of their speculations or experiments. In 
 the more practical and necessary arts of husbandry and 
 agriculture, not even the laborious and patient population 
 
• %!. 
 
 A. 
 
 r certain appointed 
 ources of the em- 
 3 suffered to pass 
 f statistical matter, 
 he productions of 
 , was regularly and 
 department. The 
 results, and even 
 ates and historical 
 gly ingenious and 
 . : a cord of strands 
 ;d numerous short 
 1 of knots in these 
 Is of the main cord, 
 y amount in num- 
 ated the subject to 
 combinations which 
 s might, as we can 
 pression of a very 
 [r. Prescott : " The 
 y association) sug- 
 esent ; in the same 
 itration of an old 
 Inandment calls to 
 ♦ The narrative 
 inly by oral tradi- 
 ;ler to arrange the 
 s memory." 
 in astronomy, the 
 A few simple ob- 
 |ets ; and the meas- 
 es, equinoxes, &c., 
 r experiments. In 
 of husbandry and 
 patient population 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 607 
 
 of China could excel the subjects of the Incas. The ex- 
 tent of the aqueducts, to conduct the mountain-streams 
 through the arid fields where rain never fell ; the immense 
 excavations made to reach a moist soil, fifteen or twenty 
 feet below the surface; and other mighty undertakings 
 which individual enterprise could never have accomplished, 
 evince the effects that a complete centralization of power 
 can produce. Were it not for the ruins, of which modern 
 travellers give us measurement and description, we should 
 be tempted to throw aside the early histories of Peruvian 
 achievements as gross exaggerations. The use of guano 
 for manure was common, and the gathering and application 
 of it were in accordance with rigid and careful regulations. 
 The destruction, or even the disturbance of the 6irds to 
 whom the formation is owing, was punished by death. A 
 plough was used in the cultivation of the land, but it 
 was rudely and simply constructed of wood, and was 
 forced through the earth by human thews and sinews. 
 The unequalled diversity in soil and climate provided suit- 
 able localities for a variety in vegetable productions seldom 
 seen within the same limits. Bananas, Indian corn, pota- 
 toes, a grain called quinoa, and many other well-known 
 crops, were successfully cultivated. The desire for stimu- 
 lants and narcotics, so universal to mankind, was satisfied 
 by a liquor brewed from maize, by tobacco, and by the 
 coca or cuca, whose leaves possess something of the seda- 
 tive qualities of the latter plant. 
 
 We have mentioned the control exercised by the gov-v 
 ernment over the private affairs of every citizen; this 
 extended even to the ties of affinity. Every person was 
 required to marry at an appointed age, (eighteen in females, 
 and twenty-four in males,) and, although a certain degree 
 of choice was left to the individual in the selection of a 
 partner, it must be confined within a specified district or 
 community. The Inca always married his sister, that the 
 
 
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 •< , V 
 
 
 608 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 purity of the royal blood might not be contaminated, but 
 such a connection was forbidden between any of lower rank. 
 
 Although the mass of the people were constantly em- 
 ployed in the operations of peaceful husbandry, the policy 
 of the Inca dynasty towards neighboring nations was essen- 
 tially warlike. The youth of the nobility, and especially 
 the presumptive heir to the throne, were instructed in the 
 arts of war, and subjected to a routine of bodily exercise 
 and trials of fortitude not unlike that practised by the 
 ruder nations of North America, in the initiation of their 
 future warriors. 
 
 An extensive militia system was enforced, and, in time 
 of war, troops were drafted from the different districts in 
 some proportion to the population ; regard being had to 
 the hardihood and energy of the various races, in making 
 the levy. Axes, lances, darts, bows and arrows, and slings, 
 formed the principal weapons of offence. The soldiers 
 were also supplied with the quilted coats of such common 
 use in past ages, to ward off arrows and sword-thrust, and 
 with helmets of skins or wood. 
 
 The great roads, led along the mountain ridges, or by 
 the level plain of the sea-coast, furnished ready means of 
 transit to the royal armies throughout the extent of the 
 empire. Enough of these yet remains to excite the ad- 
 miration of every traveller. Of the principal of these 
 roads, Mr. Prescott speaks as follows : ** It was conducted 
 over pathless sierras buried in snow; galleries were cut 
 for leagues through the living rock ; rivers were crossed 
 by means of bridges that hung suspended in the air ; pre- 
 cipices were scaled by stairways hewn out of the native 
 bed ; ravines of hideous depth were filled up with solid 
 masonry ; in short, all the difficulties that beset a wild and 
 mountainous region, and which might appall the most 
 courageous engineer of modern times, were encountered 
 and successfully overcome. The length of the road, of 
 
••; ^ •■'?'*. 
 
 A. 
 
 contaminated, but 
 
 any of lower rank. 
 
 sre constantly em- 
 
 bandry, the policy 
 
 nations was essen- 
 
 ty, and especially 
 
 instructed in the 
 
 of bodily exercise 
 
 practised by the 
 
 initiation of their 
 
 breed, and, in time 
 iflferent districts in 
 jgard being had to 
 is races, in making 
 arrows, and slings, 
 ice. The soldiers 
 ,s of such common 
 1 sword-thrust, and 
 
 ntain ridges, or by 
 ed ready means of 
 t the extent of the 
 to excite the ad- 
 principal of these 
 « It was conducted 
 galleries were cut 
 rivers were crossed 
 led in the air ; pre- 
 out of the native 
 lied up with solid 
 lat beset a wild and 
 appall the most 
 were encountered 
 th of the road, of 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 609 
 
 which scattered fragi^ents only remain, is variously esti- 
 mated from fifteen hundred to two thousand miles." No 
 celebrated conqueror of the old world ever pursued such 
 perfect system and method in the conduct of a campaign 
 as did the Incas. Stations for couriers were built at regu- 
 lar intervals throughout the main routes, by means of which 
 messages or light burdens could be conveyed with incred- 
 ible celerity to any required distance. Granaries and store- 
 houses filled with supplies for the army stood, under care 
 of appointed officers, at convenient intervals, and all these 
 provisions and supplies being furnished from the state 
 funds, no man felt them as an extraordinary burden. 
 
 A strange but sagacious policy was observed towards a 
 conquered nation. The Peruvian worship of the sun was 
 immediately introduced ; all the laws of the empire were 
 enforced, and its customs established ; but, that the yoke 
 might not be too galling, the privileges as well as the 
 duties of a subject were extended to the conquered people. 
 The former nobles and governors were not uncommonly 
 continued in office, and a paternal care was taken of the 
 necessities and interests of the whole populace. With all 
 this, no steps were omitted which would tend to completely 
 denationalize the newly-acquired country. Large colonies 
 of Peruvians were transplanted from their own country to 
 the new, and their places supplied by an equal number of 
 those whose habitations they occupied. The language of 
 the conquerors was every where introduced, and its use 
 encouraged until, with the lapse of years, a complete as- 
 similation was brought about. 
 
 All this complete course of despotism was ««aid by the 
 Spanish historians, who wrote from observation, and be- 
 fore the old order of things was entirely overturned, to be 
 precisely thnt which was best adapted to the Peruvian 
 race, and to the country inu climate which they inhabited. 
 The peoplf; were contented with their lot, and looked upon 
 
 *.-!». 
 
 i'-:* 
 
 *? . . -■» 
 

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 • 'i 1, I— H • 
 
 ■■'■■•■ '■"^f^'-*^ •••' 
 
 ■■? ! -I ■• ■ 
 
 610 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 their priests and rulers with the utmost reverence. " No 
 man could be rich," says Prescott, " no man could be poor, 
 in Peru ; but all might enjoy, and did enjoy, a competence. 
 Ambition, avarice, the love of change, the morbid spirit of 
 discontent, those passions which most agitate the minds of 
 men, found no place in the bosom of the Peruvian. * * 
 He moved on in the same unbroken circle in which his 
 fathers had moved before him, and in which his children 
 were to follow." 
 
 We cannot help a feeling of natural regret that the ruth- 
 less invasion of the Spaniards should have uprooted all 
 these ancient and venerated customs. There was not, as 
 with the Aztecs, a bloody system of religion, whose annihi- 
 lation could reconcile us to almost any violence on the part 
 of those who came to overturn it. There were, indeed, 
 occasional scenes of human sacrifice at the great religious 
 solemnities ; but these were the exception, not the rule. 
 The people at large lived on in peace and quietness, con- 
 tented with the government and institutions under whose 
 influence they lived, and by whose care they were secured 
 in the possession of the competencies of life. 
 
 We have already mentioned the successes and conquests 
 of Tupac Yupanqui, and his son lluayna Capac. The 
 latter prince, having reduced the kingdom of Quito, the 
 modern Equador, took up his residence at its capital, and 
 devoted his attention to beautifying his acquisition, and 
 establishing the Peruvian policy upon a firm basis through- 
 out its limits. 
 
 The first expeditions of the Spaniards to the Peruvian 
 coast, took place during the latter years of this monarch, 
 and the accounts are said to have filled his mind with 
 gloomy forebodings of the overthrow of his empire. His 
 sagacious perception readily recognized the vast superi- 
 ority over his own nation, evident in the vessels, arms, 
 intelligence, and enterprise of the strangers. Huayna 
 
^ *. J- 
 
 CA. 
 
 reverence. " No 
 nan could be poor, 
 ijoy, a competence, 
 le morbid spirit of 
 ;itate the minds of 
 le Peruvian. * * 
 ircle in which his 
 which his children 
 
 egret that the ruth- 
 have uprooted all 
 
 There was not, as 
 gion, whose annihi- 
 I'iolence on the part 
 ?here were, indeed, 
 ; the great religious 
 ption, not the rule, 
 and quietness, con- 
 :utions under whose 
 
 they were secured 
 
 life. 
 esses and conquests 
 layna Capac. The 
 
 dom of Quito, the 
 e at its capital, and 
 
 his acquisition, and 
 
 firm basis through- 
 
 rds to the Peruvian 
 •s of this monarch, 
 lied his mind with 
 his empire. His 
 d the vast superi- 
 the vessels, arms, 
 rangers. Huayna 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 611 
 
 Capac died about the year 1525, leaving his only legitimate 
 son, Huascar, the regular successor to his throne. Instead 
 of confirming the old order of descent, the king's fondness 
 for another son, named Atahuallpa, (Atabalipa, as spelt by 
 many old writers) led him, upon his death-bed, to bestow 
 upon his favorite a portion of his kingdom. Upon the sub- 
 version of the ancient dynasty at Quito, Huayna Capac had 
 taken the daughter of the last native prince as one of his 
 concubines. From this union sprung the prince of whom 
 we are speaking. The share of empire bequeathed to 
 Atahuallpa was that of his maternal ancestors, in which 
 his father had so long resided, and to whose improvement 
 he had devoted his declining years. The rest of the wide 
 domains of Peru were left in possession of Huascar. 
 
 This new order of things produced no evil effects for 
 about five years. Huascar maintained his court at the 
 old capital, Cuzco, while Atahuallpa remained at Quito ; 
 neither interfering with the other's rights of jurisdiction. 
 Their respective subjects readily acquiesced in the new 
 arrangement. 
 
 Different accounts are given of the first causes of rup- 
 tur'? between the brothers ; but whatever occasioned it, 
 the contest which ensuod was bloody and disastrous in the 
 extreme. But for the disturbed and distracted state of the 
 empire consequent upon this civil war, it would have been 
 utterly impossible for the Spaniards, with the insignificant 
 force which they finally brought into the field, to have 
 overcome and subverted such an immense and powerful 
 empire. 
 
 The first important engagement between the armies of 
 the contending princes took place at Hambata, about 
 sixty leagues south from Quito. In this battle, Huascar's 
 forces were utterly defeated, and his victorious brother 
 pressed onward to Tumebamba, no gr3at distance from 
 Turabez. This city belonged to Atahuallpa's kingdom, 
 
 .' , 
 
 
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I > 
 
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 I ., 
 
 
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 ■:■ ■. -. ii 
 
 
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 liiipi 
 
 ti 
 
 '-''-m 
 
 Ji 
 
 612 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 but the inhabitants had taken up arms in favor of Huas- 
 car. In vain did they sue for mercy from the conqueror : 
 the whole district was ravaged, and all male adults were 
 put to death. Proceeding on his march, Atahuallpa 
 reached Caxamalca, where he took up his quarters, and 
 sent forward the chief portion of his army to meet the 
 forces prepared for the protection of the ancient capital 
 of Peru. 
 
 A bloody and desperate battle was fought near the city, 
 in which the invader was again completely victorious. 
 Huascar was taken prisoner, and placed in close confine- 
 ment, but his brother had enough of natural humanity to 
 order that all respect should be shown him in his fallen 
 fortunes. If we are to believe some accounts, Atahuallpa 
 sullied the fame which his successes might have acquired 
 him, by acts of the most unheard-of barbarity. It is said 
 that he put to death, and that too by lingering tortures, all 
 of the royal family upon whom he could lay his hands, 
 including the female branches of the family, that he might 
 cut off all possibility of a rival appearing to contest his 
 right to the throne. Modern historians have pointed out 
 so many discrepancies and improbabilities in the details 
 of this transaction, that they must be now considered as 
 grossly exaggerated, if not utterly false. 
 
 Atahuallpa, now claiming the title of Inca, and rejoicing 
 in the possession of the whole of the immense empire of 
 his father, held his court at Caxamalca. In the midst of 
 his exultation and triumph, news was brought of a fresh 
 arrival of Spanish ships upon the coast. 
 
n favor of Huas- 
 tn tbe conqueror: 
 
 male adults were 
 narch, Atahuallpa 
 
 his quarters, and 
 army to meet the 
 ihe ancient capital 
 
 (Ught near the city, 
 ipletely victorious, 
 id in close confine- 
 latural humanity to 
 I him in his fallen 
 ccounts, Atahuallpa 
 ight have acquired 
 arbarity. It is said 
 ngering tortures, all 
 ould lay his hands, 
 ,mily, that he might 
 iring to contest his 
 18 have pointed out 
 [lities in the details 
 now considered as 
 
 If Inca, and rejoicing 
 1 immense empire of 
 In the midst of 
 brought of a fresh 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 613 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PIZARRO'S VISIT TO SPAIN AND APPLICATION TO THE EMPEROR HIS 
 
 FOUR BROTHERS.— FUNDS PROCURED FOR A NEW EXPEDITION TO 
 PERU.— VESSELS AGAIN FITTED OUT AT PANAMA. — LANDING OP 
 THE SPANIARDS UPON THE PERUVIAN COAST. — PLUNDER AT COA- 
 QUE.— THE MARCH TOWARDS TUMBEZ. — BATTLES ON THE ISLE 
 OF PUNA.— TUMBEZ DESERTED — SETTLEMENT OP SAN MIGUEL.— 
 
 MARCH INTO THE INTERIOR.— PASSAGE OP THE ANDES MESSAGES 
 
 FROM ATAHUALLPA — ENTRY INTO CAXAMALCA. 
 
 As Pizarro, Almagro, and Luque, received no encour- 
 agement from the governor, at Panama, in the prosecution 
 of their plans ; and as their funds were exhausted by the 
 first expeditions, it became necessary to seek the assistance 
 of some powerful patron, or to abandon the enterprise. In 
 this emergency, Luque advised an immediate application 
 to the Spanish court. In the discussion of the question as 
 to who should undertake this duty, Almagro strongly 
 urged the expediency of trusting the whole matter to the 
 prudence and soldierly intrepidity of his unlettered corn- 
 panion-in-arms, Pizarro. He was the man who had seen 
 and experienced more than any other of the nature of the 
 land of promise, and his unflinching determination and 
 perseverance seemed to qualify him as well to press his 
 suit at court, as to undergo the disappointments and phys- 
 ical hardships of the conquest itself. 
 
 Pizarro consented to the proposal, and sailed for Spain, 
 where he arrived early in the summer of 1528, carrying 
 with him specimens of Peruvian art and wealth, together 
 with natives of the country, and several of the beasts of 
 burden peculiar to Peru. He was favorably received, and 
 his accounts were credited by the Emperor Charles the 
 Fifth ; and the royal consent was obtained to the prosecu- 
 tion of the mighty undertaking of conquest. No pecu- 
 
 
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m 
 
 ' ' '•■' ■<'j ^[ '■■•' ' '• ■''' . 
 
 il 
 
 
 '''■'fJi 
 
 
 614 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 niary assistance, however, was rendered or promised. Pro- 
 spective honors and emoluments were bestowed upon 
 Pizarro and his two associates, contingent upon their suc- 
 cess, and the latter to be drawn entirely from the conquered 
 nation. Pizarro was to be governor, adelantado and al- 
 guacil mayor of Peru, which office he was to fill for life, 
 and to which a large salary was to be attached. Almagro 
 was placed in altogether an inferior position, as commander 
 at Tumbez ; and Father Luque was declared bishop of that 
 district, now to be converted into a see of the church. 
 0)r; -fifth of the gold and silver to be obtained by plunder, 
 and one-tenth of all gained by mining was reserved as a 
 royal perquisite. 
 
 Pizarro immediately set himself to raise funds and enlist 
 men for the proposed conquest. He was joined by his 
 four brothers, one of whom, Hernando Pizarro, was a le- 
 gitimate son of Gonzalo. The other three, Gonzalo and 
 Jucn Pizarro, and Francisco de Alcontara were illegitimate 
 s^ildran, and connected with the hero of our narrative, 
 the two fir ,t on the father's side, the latter on that of the 
 mother. 
 
 It was no easy matter to provide money for the ne- 
 cessary expenses of so hazardous an exploit as that pro- 
 posed ; but fortunately for Pizarro, Hernando Cortcz, the 
 renowned conqueror of Mexico, was at this time in Spain, 
 and, after seeing and coi^ierring with him, furnished, from 
 his own ample stores, what was needed to complete an 
 outfit. 
 
 Upon Pizarro*s return to America, serious quarrels en- 
 sued between him and Almagro, who, as appears justly, 
 thought himself grossly neglected in the arrangements 
 entered into with the Spanish government. Luque also 
 distrusted the good faith of his emisoary, and it seemed 
 too evident to both of these parties to the old contract, 
 that Pizarro would readily throw them aside, should occa- 
 
 U ■ ;, 
 

 ""■il'ii"' 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS 
 
 615 
 
 ■was reserved as a 
 
 money for the ne- 
 -xploit as til at pro- 
 ernando Cortez, tlie 
 
 this time iii Spain, 
 nm, furnished, from 
 
 ed to complete an 
 
 serious quarrels en- 
 , as appears justly, 
 the arrangements 
 
 iment. Luque also 
 ary, and it seemed 
 o the old contract, 
 aside, should occa- 
 
 sion offer, and advance his own relations in their stead. 
 These difficulties were, by Pizarro's representations, prom- 
 ises, and concessions, for the time smoothed over, and 
 three vessels were fitted out at Panama for the grand ex- 
 pedition. Those in which the recruits had been brought 
 over from Spain, were necessarily left upon the other side 
 of the Isthmus. 
 
 It was not until January, of 1531, that the adventurers 
 set sail. The company consisted of less than two hundred 
 men, twenty-seven of whom were provided with horses ; 
 the advantage of even a small body of cavalry in fights 
 with the Indians having been so strikingly apparent in the 
 proceedings at Mexico. Tumbez, on the southern shore 
 of the gulf of Guayaquil, was the port for which the little 
 fleet steered its course, but, owing to head winds and other 
 difficulties in navigation, a landing was made at the bay 
 of St. Matthew's. Pizarro, with the armed force, went on 
 shore at this place, not far from where Esmeraldas now 
 stands, and marched southward, while the vessels coasted 
 along the shore. Feeling himself strong enough to com- 
 mence serious operations, the unprincipled invader no 
 longer put on the cloak of friendship, but without warning 
 fell upon the first Indian town in his route. This was in 
 the district of Coaque. The natives fled, leaving their 
 treasures to be seized and plundered by the Spaniards. 
 A considerable quantity of gold, and a great number of 
 the largest and most valuable emeralds fell into the hands 
 of the rapacious adventurers. The spoil was collected, 
 and publicly distributed, according to regulated portions, 
 among the company, it being death to secrete any private 
 plunder. The royal fifth was deducted previous to the 
 division. 
 
 The vessels were sent back to Panama to excite, by the 
 
 display of these treasures, the cupidity of new recruits, 
 
 while the little army continued its march towards Tumbez. 
 35 
 
 ,f 
 
 ;.»".-^ 
 
 . i 
 
 It 
 
 ■i' 
 
 ■^ 
 
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 ■ WW 
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 616 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 The natives of the villages through which they passed, 
 learning, in advance of the Spaniards* approach, the course 
 pursued at Coaque, abandoned their homes, bearing all 
 their valuables with them. Privation and suffering en- 
 sued. The tropical heat of the country, famine and fa- 
 tigue, began to dishearten the troops. Worse than all, a 
 singular and malignant cutaneous disease began to spread 
 among them. Large warts or vascular excrescences broke 
 out upon those attacked, which, if opened, bled so pro- 
 fusely as to cause death. "The epidemic," says Prescott, 
 " which made its first appearance during this invasion, and 
 which did not long survive it, spread over the whole coun- 
 try, sparing neither native nor white man." 
 
 The distresses of the Spaniards were somewhat relieved 
 by the arrival of a vessel from Panama, in which came a 
 number of new state officers, appointed by the Emperor 
 Charles since Pizarro's departure from Spain, bringing 
 with them a quantity of provision. With some slight fur- 
 ther reenforcement, the commander brought his troops 
 to the gulf of Guayaquil, and, by invitation from the isl- 
 anders, who had never been reduced by the Peruvian 
 monarchs, and still maintained a desultory warfare with 
 their forces, he took up his quarters upon the isle of Puna. 
 The inhabitants of Tumbez, (lying, as we have mentioned, 
 upon the southern shore of the gulf, and opposite the 
 island,) came over, in large numbers, to welcome the 
 whites, trusting to their friendly demonstrations at the 
 time of the early expeditions. Difficulties soon arose from 
 the bringing of these hostile Indian races in contact. Pi- 
 zarro was told that a conspiracy had been formed by 
 some of the island chiefs, to massacre him and his follow- 
 ers. Without delay, he seized upon the accused, and 
 delivered them over to their old enemies of Tumbez for 
 destruction. The consequence was a furious attack by the 
 islanders. The thousands of dusky warriors who sur- 
 
3A. 
 
 :hicli they passed, 
 pproach, the course 
 homes, bearing all 
 and suffering en- 
 ry, famine and fa- 
 Worse than all, a 
 je began to spread 
 excrescences broke 
 Dened, bled so pro- 
 mic," says Prescott, 
 2 this invasion, and 
 ver the whole coun- 
 
 lan. 
 
 5 somewhat relieved 
 la, in which came a 
 ed by the Emperor 
 am Spain, bringing 
 Vith. some slight fur- 
 brought his troops 
 tation from the isl- 
 :d by the Peruvian 
 sultory warfare with 
 3on the isle of Puna. 
 we have mentioned, 
 f, and opposite the 
 crs, to welcome the 
 imonstrations at the 
 ties soon arose from 
 .ces in contact. Pi- 
 d been formed by 
 him and his foUow- 
 )n the accused, and 
 mics of Tumbez for 
 furious attack by the 
 warriors who sur- 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 617 
 
 rounded the little encampment, were dispersed and driven 
 into the thickets, with very small loss to the well-armed 
 and mail-clad Europeans. The discharge of musketry, 
 and the rush of mounted men, glistening with defensive 
 armor, seldom failed to break the lines, and confuse the 
 movements even of the bravest and most determined 
 savages. 
 
 After their victory Pizarro found his situation extremely 
 precarious, for the enemies whom he had driven into the 
 forest continued to harass and weary his army by night 
 attacks, and the difficulty of procuring provisions daily 
 increased. He became desirous of passing over to the 
 main as speedily as possible, and his good fortune sent him, 
 at this period, such assistance as rendered the continuance 
 of his enterprise more hopeful. This was afforded by the 
 arrival of the celebrated Hernando de Soto, whose roman- 
 tic adventures in after-life, have been briefly chronicled in 
 the early part of this volume, under the title of the Flor- 
 ida Indians. De Soto brought out one hundred men and 
 a co'^siderable number of horses. Thus reenforced, the 
 commander of the expedition at once undertook the trans- 
 portation of his men and stores across to Tumbez. 
 
 Instead of rejoicing their eyes with the splendor of this 
 celebrated city, and luxuriating in its wealth, the Span- 
 iards found the whole place dilapidated and deserted. 
 Such of the Indians as appeared, manifested a decidedly 
 hostile disposition, and several of the party engaged in 
 transporting the baggage and provisions, upon balsas or 
 rafts, were seized and slain. Most of the houses of the 
 city were found to be destroyed, and the costly ornaments 
 and decorations were all stripped from the temple. It can- 
 not be certainly known, at this day, what were the causes 
 for this conduct on the part of the people of Tumbez. The 
 curaca of the place was taken prisoner by some of Pizarro's 
 men, and his explanation of the matter was, that the war 
 
 
 
 
 
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 618 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 with the Puna islanders had resulted in this demolition of 
 the city. No certain intelligence was ever obtained of the 
 fate of those whites who had been left at Tumbez at the 
 time of the former expedition of discovery. 
 
 It now became evident to Pizarro that he should have 
 some fixed place of settlement, where his troops might 
 encamp and live in safety until a ) oper opportunity pre- 
 sented itself for more active operatious. He therefore set 
 himself to explore the country to the southward. In con- 
 ducting this examination, he made use of a more concilia- 
 tory policy than heretofore, in his intercourse with the 
 natives, and took pains to restrain, for the time the ra- 
 pacity of his followers. The result was that the Indians 
 were in turn fiiendly and hospitable. A settlement was 
 made, and the foundation of a town, called San Miguel, 
 commenced on the river Piura. Numbers of the natives 
 were reduced to vassalage, and distributed among the 
 Spaniards to aid in the labor of improving and extending 
 the village. 
 
 Pizarro had gathered information, by means of the in- 
 terpreters in his company — the natives formerly taken by 
 him to Spain — of the political state of the country, and 
 of the present location of Atahuallpa, at or near Caxa- 
 malca. He had secured a considerable amount of gold, 
 which was sent back to Panama, by consent of the company, 
 and applied, after deducting the perquisites of the crown, 
 to defray the expense of fitting out the expedition. 
 
 The whole summer was spent in these operations, and 
 it was not until the 24th of September, 1532, that the 
 commander was prepared to lead his small army into the 
 interior. His whole force was less than two hundred 
 men, from whom it was necessary to deduct a portion for 
 the purpose of garrisoning San Miguel. On the march 
 towards the enormous range of mountains which they were 
 to cross, the Spaniards refrained from rapine and plunder. 
 
SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 619 
 
 They were therefore received with kindly curiosity by the 
 inhabitants, and in their progress availed themselves with- 
 out molestatio*' of the public fortresses and sheltered 
 stopping-places prepared upon the high roads for the use 
 of the royal armies. They were delighted with the rich 
 and highly-cultivated appearance of many of the beautiful 
 valleys passed upon the route. 
 
 The company consisted of one hundred and seventy- 
 seven men, of whom sixty-seven were mounted. From 
 this number, nine malecontents were suffered by the pru- 
 dent leader to return to San Miguel, upon pretence that 
 the garrison left there was too weik, but in reality to pre- 
 vent the spread of discontent among the troops. 
 
 In a hopeful spirit, and with strengthened con'idence in 
 their commander, the little cavalcade pressed on to Xaran, 
 a fertile settlement amid the mountains. A few leagues 
 south of this place, at Caxas, a garrison of the Inca's 
 troops were said to be stationed, and thither Pizarro sent 
 an embassy, under the direction of De Soto, to open a 
 communication with the prince. The messengers were 
 absent no less than a week ; but they finally returned in 
 safety, accompanied by one of the officers of the Inca, 
 bearing rich presents and messages of welcome and invita- 
 tion from the monarch in person. Pizarro received this 
 noble with the respect due to his rank and position, be- 
 stowing upon him such gifts as would be most attractive in 
 the eyes of a person ignorant of European arts. At his 
 departure, the envoy was charged to tell his sovereign that 
 the band of whites was subject to a great emperor of a 
 distant country i that they had heard of the Inca's great- 
 ness and conquescs, and had come to proffer their aid in 
 his wars. 
 
 Continuing thei^* march, the Spaniards reached the foot 
 of the Andes. Nothing but the fiercest courage and the 
 most undaunted resolution, both excited to the utmost by 
 
 
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 620 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMEBICA. 
 
 the hope of boundless riches and rewards, could have 
 stimulated such a handful of adventurers to undertake the 
 ascent of this enormous range of mountains, where noth- 
 ing could save them from utter destruction, should the 
 forbearance of the natives cease. The main mountain 
 road, stretching oif to the southward towards the ancient 
 Pei uvian capital, tempted them to take their course in that 
 dire^ition, while across the mountains a narrow and difficult 
 pass led towards the encampment of the Inca. It was 
 determined to push on in the originally proposed direction. 
 The vast and rugged elevations, rising one beyond another, 
 must have appeared to the unpractised eye totally insur- 
 mountable. 
 
 « • 
 
 * Those everlasting clouds, 
 Seedtime and harvest, morning, noon, and night, 
 Still where they were, steadfast, immovable — 
 So massive, yet so shadoAvy, so ethereal. 
 As to belong rather to Heaven than Earth — 
 • * They seemed the barriers of a World, 
 Saying, Thus far, no farther ! " 
 
 The accounts of modern travellers hav3 familiarized us 
 with the details of the dangers attendant upon a passage 
 of the Andes. What then must have been the attempt by 
 these pioneers, totally ignorant of the route, and momen- 
 tarily expecting an attack from the natives in passes where 
 an army could be effectually checked by a handful of reso- 
 lute men. Their fears of Indian treachery proved, how- 
 ever, groundless ; they reached the summit in safety, and, 
 while encamped about the fires rendered necessary by the 
 sharp air of those elevated regions, messengers again ap- 
 peared, sent by Atahuallpa to meet them. A present of 
 llamas proved most acceptable to the wearied and suffering 
 troops, and, from all that could be gathered by communion 
 with the ambassadors, it did not appear probable that they 
 would be molested upon their route. 
 
SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 621 
 
 Little doubt was entertained by Pizarro that the Inca 
 fully intended to entrap and seize him as soon as he 
 should be completely in his power, and surrounded by 
 an irresistible force of his subjects. It was ascertained 
 that Atahuallpa was encamped with a large army only 
 three miles from Caxamalca, and that the city was aban- 
 doned by its inhabitants. This had a threatening ap- 
 pearance, but the Inca continued to send friendly mes- 
 sages, and as it was too late to think of retreat, even 
 had their hearts now failed them, the Spaniards descended 
 the eastern slope of the Andes, and entered the valley of 
 Caxamalca. Every thing now seen gave tokens of pros- 
 perity, industry, and skill. " Below the adventurers," 
 says Prescott, "with its white' houses glittering in the sun, 
 lay the little city of Caxamalca, like a sparkling gem on 
 the dark skirts of the sierra." Farther on, the immense 
 encampment of the Inca was seen in the distance, spot- 
 ting the rising ground with countless tents. Marching 
 through the valley, the troops entered the vacant city 
 upon the 15th of November (1532). 
 
 '»v/%^/WW\/W\^^^'*- 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 FIRST INTERVIEW WITH THE INCA. — PLANS FOR HIS CAPTURE EN- 
 
 TRY OF ATAHUALLPA INTO CAXAMALCA.— ADDRESS OP THE CHAP- 
 LAIN.— ATTACK BY THE SPANIARDS: FEARFUL MASSACRE OP THE 
 NATIVES, AND SEIZURE OF THE INCA. — PRISONER?? AND PLUNDER 
 OBTAINED. - THE PROMISED RANSOM. — HERNANDO PIZARRO'S VISIT 
 TO PACHACAMACA. — CHALLCUCHIMA. — ftfESSENGERS SENT TO CUZ- 
 CO. — IMMENSE TREASURE COLLECTED AT CAXAMALCA. — TRIAL AND 
 MURDER OP ATAHUALLPA. 
 
 A SMALL party of horse, led by Hernando Pizarro and 
 by the brave and chivalrous De Soto, was at once des- 
 patched to report to the Inca the arrival of the Spaniards. 
 
 
 
 
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 i .v 
 
 
 
 622 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Dashing boldly un, upon their spirited horses, the Span- 
 iards entered the space occupied by the Peruvian camp, 
 and soon stood in the royal presence. Atahuallpa, distin- 
 guished by the " borla," or crimson fringe bound around 
 the forehead, an ornament peculiar to the Incas, sat ex- 
 pecting their arrival, surrounded by his officers of state. 
 He did not so far unbend his dignity as to pay the least 
 attention to the novel appearance of the steel-clad caval- 
 cade, but kept his eyes immovably fixed upon the ground. 
 Without dismounting, Hernando saluted the monarch, 
 and, through Felipillo's interpretation, made known his 
 general's avowed purposes, and earnestly requested the 
 king to visit the Spanish camp in person. One of the 
 attendants, speaking in behalf of his master, briefly re- 
 plied, "It is well." 
 
 Hernando still persisted in requesting the monarch to 
 make known his pleasure, and to speak to them personally ; 
 whereupon Atahuallpa, turning his head, and looking upon 
 him with a smile, announced that he was then in the ob- 
 iservance of a fast, but would visit the Spanish quarters on 
 thv<? ensuing day. He further directed that the troops 
 should confine themselves to the buildings situated upon 
 the plaza or public square. 
 
 De Soto is said to have been mounted upon a noble 
 charger, and, to excite the admiration of the Inca, he put 
 his horse to his full speed, and wheeling suddenly, drew 
 him short up immediately in front of the monarch. Ata- 
 huallpa's nerves were proof against this display, and he 
 gave no signs whatever of any emotion. It was afterwards 
 reported that he caused several of his attendants to be put 
 to death for exhibiting alarm, upon this occasion, at the 
 fury and spirit of the war-horse. 
 
 Some of the women of the royal household now oflfered 
 the Spaniards the fermented 'drink of the country, " chi- 
 cha," in golden goblets. This they drank in their saddles, 
 
■i^^< 
 
 horses, the Span- 
 3 Peruvian camp, 
 A-tahuallpa, distin- 
 ige bound around 
 the Incas, sat ex- 
 s officers of state, 
 is to pay the least 
 e steel-clad caval- 
 upon the ground, 
 ited the monarch, 
 , made known his 
 istly requested the 
 rson. One of the 
 master, briefly re- 
 
 , ~t- , .. --T ' - 
 
 icr the monarch to 
 to them personally ; 
 a, and looking upon 
 as then in the ob- 
 Spanish quarters on 
 id that the troops 
 ings situated upon 
 
 nted upon a noble 
 of the Inca, he put 
 Lng suddenly, drew 
 ;he monarch. Ata- 
 his display, and he 
 It was afterwards 
 Lttendants to be put 
 his occasion, at the 
 
 usehold now offered 
 the country, " chi- 
 Lnk in their saddles. 
 
 SOUTH AMKIIICAN INDIANS. 
 
 623 
 
 and then spurred back to the encampment at Caxamalca. 
 Their report of the power of the Peruvian force tended 
 greatly to discourage the little band of adventurers, but 
 only served to nerve their bold and unscrupulous leader 
 to a more determined purpose. Recollecting the success 
 of Cortez. in securing the person of Montezuma, and 
 through him, for the time, controlling the officers of the 
 capital, Pizarro determined upon the same policy. He 
 made known his resolution to his officers, and then pro- 
 ceeded to distribute sentinels at points where they could 
 command a view of the approaches to the city, and of the 
 Peruvian camp. 
 
 At day-break on the following morning, Pizarro com- 
 menced his arrangements for the surprise and capture of 
 the Inca. The great square (more properly, in this in- 
 stance, a triangle) was surrounded with low buildings, 
 with large entrances on the same level with the enclosed 
 space. They were built partly of stone, but mostly of 
 unburnt brick or clay. The Spanish cavalry, in two sep- 
 arate bodies, respectively under command of Hernando 
 Pizarro and De Soto, was concealed in large halls, from 
 which a sally could be made at a moment's warning. The 
 foot soldiers were stationed in another quarter, where they 
 could most promptly second the effiarts of the horse ; and 
 two small falconets, constituting the only artillery, were 
 placed under charge of an officer called Pedro de Candia, 
 from the place of his birth. 
 
 The Peruvian monarch, on his part, made preparations 
 to appear in the utmost state, and to impress the eyes of 
 the strangers with his power and magnificence. So much 
 time was occupied in the movements of the immense army, 
 that it was after noon before the Inca arrived at the city. 
 He was about to pitch his camp without the walls, and 
 postpone his visit till the following morning, had not 
 Pizarro sent a message, earnestly requesting him not to 
 
 
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 624 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 delay his coming, as all was ready for his entertainment. 
 Entirely unsuspicious of the perfidious intention of the 
 Spaniards, Atahuallpa complied with the request. It was 
 nearly sunset when he entered the town, accompanied by 
 thousands upon thousands of obsequious but unarmed 
 attendants. He was borne by numbers of his people upon 
 a high palanquin, on a seat of massive gold, hung about 
 and ?;dorned with the most brilliant feathered work. His 
 dross was equally magnificent, and sparkled with the rarest 
 gems. » 
 
 Arriving at the middle of the great square, with his 
 people, to the number, as was computed, of from five 
 to six thousand, ranged in respectful silence around him, 
 Atahuallpa was surprised to see nothing of the Euro- 
 peans. Presently, however, the chaplain, Vicente de Val- 
 verde, made his appearance, and, addressing the Inca, 
 commenced a long-winded oration upon the religion of 
 the Spaniards, the authority of their monarch and of the 
 Pope, and the purposes of the expedition ; and concluded 
 by exhorting him to discard his idolatrous worship, to 
 receive that now proflfered, and to acknowledge himself 
 the subject of the emperor ! Old Purchas gives the fol- 
 lowing outline of the ecclesiastic's oration : " Excellent 
 lord, it behoves you to know, that God in trinity and 
 unity made the world of nothing, and formed a man of 
 the earth whom he called Adam, of whom we all have 
 beginning. Adam sinned against his Creator by disobe- 
 dience, and in him all his posterity, except Jesus Christ, 
 who, being God, came down from heaven and took flesh 
 of the Virgin Mary ; and to redeem mankind, died on 
 a cross like to this (for which cause we worship it) ; rose 
 again the third day, and after forty days, ascended into 
 heaven, leaving for his vicar in earth Saint Peter, and 
 successors, which we call popes j who have given to the 
 most puissant King of Spain, Emperor of the Romans, 
 
 «*^»^* 
 
 !■!• : ; '■ 
 
i. t 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 625 
 
 the monarchy of the world. Obey the Pope, and receive 
 the faith of Christ ; and if ye shall believe it most holy, 
 and that most false which ye have, ye shall do well j 
 and know that, doing the contrary, we will make war 
 on you, and will take away and break your idols ; there- 
 fore leave the deceivable religion of your false gods." 
 All this (to him) tedious and incomprehensible jargon 
 was interpreted to the Inca — according to report, with 
 some rather ludicrous errors, in the explanation of the 
 religious dogmas. He listened in silence until he heard 
 the arrogant and insolent conclusion, when not even the 
 apathy or self-control of the Indian was sufficient to en- 
 able him to conceal his indignation. He replied in lan- 
 guage befitting a king, that no man could claim superiority 
 over him, and that he would never abjure the religion of 
 his country. " For the emperor," he said, according to 
 Purchas, ** he could be pleased to be the friend of so great 
 a prince, and to know him ; but for the Pope, he would 
 not obey him, which gave away that which was not his 
 own, and took a kingdom from him whom he had never 
 as for religion, he liked well his own, and neither 
 
 seen 
 
 would nor ought to call it in question, being so ancient 
 and approved, especially seeing Christ died, which never 
 befell the sun or moon." Then taking from the priest's 
 hand the Bible or breviary which he held forth as the 
 authority for his unheard-of assumption, the Inca threw it 
 upon the ground, angrily announcing his determination 
 of calling the Spaniards to a speedy account for their pre- 
 sumption, and for the wrongs already inflicted upon his 
 nation. 
 
 The friar sought out Pizarro, and urged him to make 
 an immediate attack, offering him absolution for any sin 
 he might commit in so doing. The fierce Spaniard and 
 his impatient troops were but too ready to accept this 
 advice. All day had they kept their stations in a condi- 
 
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 rt 
 
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 '.♦.. 
 
 • .It fi 
 
 
 
 626 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 tion of the most trying suspense, ready every moment to 
 be called to action. The appointed signal was instantly 
 given, and in the midst of a discharge from the falconets 
 and muskets, the whole force rushed furiously upon the 
 unarmed crowd of natives. Never, in the history of the 
 world, was a more bloody and remorseless massacre com- 
 mitted. In the short space intervening between sunset 
 and darkness, several thousand of the miserable wretches 
 were slain unresistingly. In vain did the nobles throng 
 round their monarch, with noble self-devotion throwing 
 away their lives for their master, and opposing their bodies 
 to shield him from the weapons whose force they had no 
 means to avert. The unhappy prince was taken prisoner, 
 and securely confined in an adjoining building. The 
 Spaniards were greatly struck with the appearance and 
 noble demeanor of their royal captive. He is represented 
 as not far from thirty years of age, of a well-built and 
 commanding figure, with regular features and a singular 
 majesty of expression — " his countenance might have been 
 called handsome, but that his eyes, which were blood-shot, 
 gave a fierce expression to his features." 
 
 The only Spaniard wounded during this bloody and 
 horrible transaction was Pizarro himself, who received a 
 wound in the hand from one of his own men, while 
 endeavoring to ward off a blow aimed at the person of 
 the Inca. * 
 
 Next day the Indian prisoners were set at work to bury 
 the heaps of their slaughtered companions, and detach- 
 ments of troops were sent over to Atahuallpa's former 
 place of encampment. These returned in a few hours, 
 driving in great numbers of prisoners of both sexes, many 
 of the women being those belonging to the Inca's house- 
 hold. The Spaniards reserved as many slaves as their 
 need or pride required ; the rest of the prisoners were set 
 free, contrary to the advice of some in the army, who 
 
every moment to 
 nal was instantly 
 iom the falconets 
 iriously upon the 
 :he history of the 
 3SS massacre com- 
 ,g between sunset 
 Miserable wretches 
 the nobles throng 
 devotion throwing 
 posing their bodies 
 force they had no 
 was taken prisoner, 
 ig building. The 
 be appearance and 
 He is represented 
 ,f a well-built and 
 ires and a singular 
 ,ce might have been 
 eh were blood-shot, 
 
 this bloody and 
 elf, who received a 
 
 own men, while 
 d at the person of 
 9 
 
 set at work to bury 
 anions, and detach- 
 Atahuallpa's former 
 ed in a few hours, 
 ,f both sexes, many 
 ;o the Inca's house- 
 lany slaves as their 
 prisoners were set 
 in the army, who 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 627 
 
 were strenuous that they should be maimed or massacred. 
 The victors were now at liberty to plunder at will, and 
 their extravagance and waste had full scope. The vast 
 flocks of 11 mas, so long the pride and support of the 
 country, and over which such a systematic and watchful 
 care had been exercised for ages, were slaughtered without 
 Btint, or left to roam neglected among the mountains. The 
 stores of beautiful fabrics of wool and cotton, with which 
 the city was stored, were open to the depredation of all ; 
 and no small amount of plunder, in gold, silver, and emer- 
 alds, was secured at the Peruvian camp, or taken from the 
 bodies of the slain, and laid by for future division. 
 
 The Inca was, meanwhile, treated with a certain respect, 
 but his person was most carefully guarded. He was al- 
 lowed the services of his attendants, who, throughout his 
 captivity, showed no diminution of obsequiousness and 
 respect, but bowed as humbly before their revered monarch 
 in his fallen fortunes, as when he sat upon his throne of 
 state, the arbiter of life and death to all around him. 
 
 Atahuallpa could not fail to perceive what was the mas- 
 ter motive to all acts of his captors. Appealing to this, 
 he promised Pizarro that, if he would engage to set him 
 at liberty, the floor of the room where they then stood, 
 should be covered with gold for his ransom. The size of 
 the apartment is variously stated, but it was at least seven- 
 teen feet broad, and twenty or thirty in length. As the 
 Spaniards appeared to look upon this promise as an idle 
 boast, the Inca raised his hand against the wall, and added 
 that " he would not merely cover the floor, but would fill 
 the room with gold as high as he could reach." 
 
 Pizarro accepted the oflfer, and a line was drawn around 
 the room at the agreed height. The gold, whether in the 
 form of bars and plates, or of vases and statuary, was to 
 be piled without being broken up or reduced in bulk. 
 Besides this undertaking, which was to be accomplished 
 
 'W. 
 
11 ■ 
 
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 »'. 'r 
 
 ■ 1 ^;'?'/<^. ■'•;.; • 
 
 
 
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 :r it' 
 
 /»» 
 
 
 
 
 628 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 within two months, a smaller room was to be filled " twice 
 full of silver, in like manner." Messengers were immedi- 
 ately commissioned to order gold from every quarter of the 
 kingdom, to be brought as speedily as possible for the ran- 
 som of the monarch. 
 
 Huascar, hearing, in his place of confinement, of the 
 reverse which had befallen his brother, at once opened a 
 communication with Pizarro, and made offers still more 
 magnificent than those of Atahuallpa, if the Spaniards 
 would espouse his cause. Pizarro expressed his determina- 
 tion to hear the claims of both parties, and to decide, from 
 the evidence that should be adduced, as to their respective 
 rights. Huascar was, very shortly after this, put to death 
 by his keepers, as was generally believed, in accordance 
 with secret instructions from Atahuallpa. 
 
 The royal mandate, commanding the desecration of the 
 magnificent temples and palaces, by stripping them of their 
 wealth of precious metals, was obeyed as speedily as prac- 
 ticable. Gold came in to Caxamalca in large quantities, 
 but the difficulty of conveyance caused no little delay. 
 While waiting the completion of his captive's undertaking, 
 Pizarro sent emissaries to Cuzco to examine the condi- 
 tion and wealth of the country, and despatched his brother 
 Hernando, with a small party of horsemen, to visit the 
 city of Pachacamac, three hundred miles distant, upon the 
 sea-coast. Hernando returned to Caxamalca with glow- 
 ing reports of the beauty and fertility of the country 
 through which he had passed on this expedition. He had 
 visited the city for which he had directed his course, and 
 had destroyed the great idol upon the temple, the former 
 object of worship to the inhabitants, and which had been 
 allowed to maintain its place by the Peruvian conquerors, 
 aud to receive joint homage with the sun. In crossing the 
 rocky and rugged mountains, the shoes of the horses gave 
 out, and, as no iron was to be procured, it was necessary 
 
SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 629 
 
 to replace them with silver ! or, as some say, with a mix- 
 ture of silver and copper. 
 
 Hernando brought back with him Challcuchima, a vet- 
 eran officer of the Inca's, and the most esteemed and trust- 
 worthy of his generals. He voluntarily accompanied the 
 Spanish cavalcade, having been told by its leader that his 
 monarch desired to see him. AVhen the old soldier came 
 into his master's presence, (barefoot, and carrying, accord- 
 ing to custom, a small burden, in token of inferiority,) he 
 lamented audibly that he had been absent at the time of 
 his capture ; and, weeping bitterly, kissed the hands and 
 feet of the fallen prince. Atahuallpa preserved the calm, 
 unbending dignity which he ever assumed in communica- 
 tions with his subjects. 
 
 The messengers sent to Cuzco demeaned themselves 
 with the utmost pride and insolence. The whole of the 
 long journey was accomplished in litters or sedan-chairs, 
 borne by the natives. At the royal city these emissaries 
 superintended the stripping of the great temple of its 
 golden plates and ornaments, of which a vast weight was 
 prepared for transportation to Caxamalca. 
 
 At the latter place of encampment, the Spanish army 
 was very considerably reenforced in the succeeding month 
 of February, (1533,) by the arrival of Pizarro's old com- 
 rade Almagro. He brought with him, from the Spanish 
 settlements on the Isthmus, two hundred well-armed sol- 
 diers, fifty of whom were cavalry. Thus recruited, Pi- 
 zarro was eager to extend his conquests and acquisitions. 
 The promises of the Inca were not, as yet, wholly fulfilled, 
 although such piles of treasure were accumulated as might 
 well astonish and satisfy even the eyes of the rapacious 
 Spaniards. The beauty and finish of many of the mas- 
 sive vases and figures were long after admired by the 
 artists of Europe. Among the representations of natural 
 objects wrought in the precious metals, was the ear of 
 
 f'^. 
 

 630 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 maize. Of this, the leaves and tassel were perfectly imi- 
 tated in silver work, the yellow kernel within glistening 
 with the purest gold. 
 
 It was determined to acquit the Inca of any further ful- 
 filment of his promise, but to retain him a prisoner, and 
 at once to break up and divide the treasure. Some of the 
 more beautiful specimens of art were reserved to be sent to 
 Spain ; the rest was melted into ingots by the native arti- 
 sans. " The total amount of the gold," as stated and com- 
 puted by Mr. Prescott, " was found to be one million, three 
 hundred and twenty-six thousand, five hundred and thirty- 
 nine ^esos de oro, which, allowing for the greater value of 
 money in the sixteenth century, would be equivalent, 
 probably, at the present time, to near three millions and a 
 half of pounds sterling, or somewhat less than^yVeen millions 
 and a half of dollars. The quantity of silver was esti- 
 mated at fifty-one thousand six hundred and ten marks." 
 The gold, as above estimated, is, indeed, more than thrice 
 the sum that the same weight of the precious metal would 
 be worth at the present day. The peso de oro is said to 
 have been, specifically, about equal to three dollars and 
 seven cents. 
 
 Of all this booty, the crown had its fifth, and the rest 
 was distributed in various proportions among the numer- 
 ous claimants. But a small allowance was made to the 
 new recruits, and still less to the settlers at San Miguel. 
 Certain sums were devoted to the establishment of the 
 Catholic religion in the new country, t • 
 
 Having now obtained all that was to be expected 
 through the Inca's intervention, at least without such de- 
 lays as their impatient spirits could not brook, the unprin- 
 cipled horde of freebooters whose proceedings we aie now 
 recording, determined to rid themselves of a captive who 
 had become an incumbrance. 
 
 The ridiculous farce of a trial was gone through, at 
 
DA. 
 
 jvere perfectly imi- 
 I within glistening 
 
 of any further fui- 
 Im a prisoner, and 
 lure. Some of the 
 served to be sent to 
 by the native arti- 
 as stated and com- 
 3 one million, three 
 lundred and thirty- 
 he greater value of 
 ild. be equivalent, 
 kree millions and a 
 than Jif teen millions 
 of silver was esti- 
 d and ten marks." 
 d, more than thrice 
 ecious metal would 
 550 de oro is said to 
 1 three dollars and 
 
 8 fifth, and the rest 
 among the numer- 
 B was made to the 
 [ers at San Miguel, 
 tablishment of the 
 
 IS to be expected 
 ist without such de- 
 brook, the unprin- 
 eedings we are now 
 es of a captive who 
 
 ,s gone through, at 
 
fl 
 
 ii 
 
 \ t 
 
 i 
 
 ^f 
 
 « l« 
 
 H 
 
 
Al 
 
 a 
 
 N 
 
 
 FV-VI 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 633 
 
 which such accusations as the following were made, and 
 pretended to be sustained : He had been guilty of polyga- 
 my ; of " squandering the public's revenues since the 
 conquest ; " of idolatry [!] ; of the murder of his brother 
 Huascar ; and of striving to excite a rebellion against the 
 Spanish authorities ! This last charge, the . only one 
 brought before the self-constituted court which is worthy 
 of comment, was utterly unsustained. The country was 
 perfectly quiet, and even the ingenuity of the prejudiced 
 judges failed to connect the royal captive with any attempt 
 at insurrection. It is said th?* the malice of the interpre- 
 ter Felipillo induced him to distort the testimony adduced. 
 This fellow had been engaged, as is said, in an intrigue 
 with one of the Inca's women. The usefulness of the 
 interpreter protected him from punishment, but the ex- 
 pressed indignation of the prince, excited the permanent 
 rancor and ill-will of his inferior. 
 
 The unhappy Atahuallpa was sentenced to be buried 
 alive in the public square that very night. When his 
 doom was made known to him, he at first resorted to 
 every entreaty and expostulation to move his murderers 
 from their diabolical purpose. With tears he reminded 
 Pizarro of the treasures he had lavished on the Spaniards, 
 and the good faith which he had always shown, and prom- 
 ised a ransom far greater than that before brought in, if he 
 could but have time to procure it, and if his life were sjjared. 
 Seeing that entreaties and supplications availed nothing, 
 the dignity and firm spirit of endurance of the monarch 
 returned, and he calmly awaited his terrible fate. By the 
 light of torches he was brought out Mid chained to the 
 stake, and, at the last moment, submitted to the disgrace- 
 ful mockery of an administration of the sacraments, and 
 a formal profesoion of Christianity, that a speedier form of 
 death might be awarded him. He perished by the infa- 
 mous garotte. 
 
 86 
 
 
 
 ^::n*-;:'Hi 
 

 
 I 
 
 ; '>*:;■ ' .*" '■( 
 
 
 l.!J-.4„- 
 
 
 
 ■ h 
 
 634 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Hernando de Soto, a man who, with the faults of his 
 age and nation, was vastly superior to the merciless villains 
 with whom he was associated, was absent at the time of 
 this transaction, and on his return condemned the proceed- 
 ing in strong terms. A small proportion of the company 
 thought the same with De Soto, concerning the murder, 
 but by far the greater number were but too glad to be rid 
 of a troublesome captive, to trouble themselves about the 
 means of accomplishing their purpose. Those chiefly con- 
 cerned, felt sufficiently the disgrace attendant upon their 
 acts, to endeavor to shift the responsibility upon each other. 
 
 In " Purchas, his Pilgrimage," is the following summary 
 of the end of the principal agents in the murder of Ata- 
 huallpa : " Howbeit they killed him notwithstanding, and 
 in a night strangled him. But God, the righteous Judge, 
 seeing this villanous act, suffered none of those Spaniards 
 to die by the course of nature, but brought them to cruel 
 and shameful ends. * * Almagro was executed by Pizar- 
 ro, and he slain by young Almagro ; and him Vacca de 
 Castra did likewise put to death. John Pizarro was slain 
 by the Indians. Martin, another of the brethren, was 
 slain with Francis. Ferdinandus was imprisoned in Spain, 
 and his end unknown ; Gonzales was done to death by 
 Gasca. Soto died of thought in Florida ; and civil wars 
 ate up the rest in Peru." 
 
 A condition of anarchy and intestine disturbance suc- 
 ceeded the death of the Inca, and the rude shock given 
 by the Spanish invasion to the old system of arbitrary, 
 but fixed and unchangeable laws. Seeing the value at- 
 tached to the precious metals, the natives in many instances 
 followed the example of the conquerors in plundering and 
 destroying the public edifices of their own country. The 
 quantity of gold and silver conveyed away and concealed 
 for ever from the covetous eyes of the Europeans was said 
 to have infinitely surpassed that which they had secured. 
 
 ; ... » Ml *j * ;, 
 
^-■^^i; 
 
 •t." 
 
 CA. 
 
 L the faults of his 
 le merciless villains 
 ;nt at the time of 
 jmned the proceed- 
 on of the company 
 jrning the murder, 
 ; too glad to be rid 
 hemselves about the 
 Those chiefly con- 
 ttendant upon their 
 ity upon each other. 
 } following summary 
 the murder of Ata- 
 lotwithstanding, and 
 the righteous Judge, 
 ; of those Spaniards 
 aught them to cruel 
 executed by Pizar- 
 and him Vacca de 
 in Pizarro was slain 
 f the brethren, was 
 imprisoned in Spain, 
 9 done to death by 
 rida ; and civil wars 
 
 ine disturbance suc- 
 the rude shock given 
 system of arbitrary, 
 Seeing the value at- 
 ves in many instances 
 )r8 in plundering and 
 r own country. The 
 away and concealed 
 Europeans was said 
 they had secured. 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 635 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 MARCH TOWARDS CUZCO. — OPPOSITION OF THE NAT! VES. — DEATH 
 
 OF TOPARCA, AND MURDER OF CHALLCUCHIMA MANGO CAPAC — 
 
 FNTRY INTO THE CAPITAL. — BOOTY OBTAINED. — ESCAPE OF MAN- 
 CO, AND GENERAL INSURRECTION. — SIEGE OF CUZCO. — REVERSES 
 OP THE SPANIARDS. — CIVIL WARS. — FURTHER HOSTILITIES OF 
 MANCO CAPAC— CRUEL TREATMENT OF THE NATIVES. — DEATH OP 
 MANCO CAPAC — REFORMS UNDER PEDRO DE LA GASCA. — TUPAC 
 
 AMARU. — INSURRECTION OP 1781 PRESENT CONDITION OP THE 
 
 PERUVIAi^^ INDIANS. 
 
 Pizarro now declared the sovereignty of Peru to be 
 vested in a brother of Atahuallpa named Toparco, and the 
 ceremony of coronation was duly performed. Further 
 stay at Caxamalca was deemed unadvisable, and, with the 
 •lew Inca in company, the Spanish army pushed on towards 
 the ancient capital of Peru, over the magnificent road of 
 the Incas. The ascent of the mountain ridges was, indeed, 
 arduous and perilous, as the road was intended only for 
 foot passengers and the agile Peruvian sheep or " camel," 
 as the animal was designated by early writers. As in 
 former progresses, the granaries and halting-places pre- 
 pared for the royal armies supplied abundant food and 
 shelter. 
 
 The first attempt upon the part c .' the natives to arrest 
 the progress of the cavalcade, was at Xauxa, where they 
 collected to oppose the passage of a considerable stream. 
 Resistaiice proved unavailing : the cavalry dashed through 
 the river, and dispersed the crowd. Pizarro encamped at 
 Xauxa, and commissioned De Soto, with sixty mounted 
 men, lo go forward, and see that all was safe for a further 
 advance. As that cavalier approached Cuzco, after cross- 
 ing the Apurimac, a tributary of the Amazon, his com- 
 mand was beset by a hostile force of Indians among the 
 
 ^^^^. 
 
 - . f 
 
 '^m> 
 
'■1^'S 
 
 
 
 
 
 :■ !■ .>t^ ■ •:■ 
 
 
 
 m'-m^'^^ 
 
 M'MiHMf '' 
 
 686 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 dangerous passes of the mountain which he must cross to 
 reach the capital. By superhuman efforts, the little party- 
 managed to force a way against the enemy until an ele- 
 vated plateau was gained, where there was room for the 
 movements of the horses. The natives, becoming more 
 famil.'ar with the arms and mode of fighting adopted by 
 the Spaniards, fought with their natural courage and reso- 
 1 i'oi , but could accomplish little after the cavalry had 
 ai .'d y-x advantageous position. 
 
 i J ring .,h'» night, De Soto and his men were gladdened 
 by the arrival of Almagro upon the field, with most of the 
 cavalry left at Xauxa. Pizarro had received adviccd of 
 the danger to which his advance was exposed, and 
 promptly forwarded assistance. The whole Spanish force 
 finally assembled at Xaquixaguana, but a few miles from 
 Cuzco. In this delightful valley, a favorite resort of 
 the Inca nobility, whose country-seats were every where 
 scattered over its surface, the army encamped for rest and 
 refreshment. At this place various charges were brought 
 up against the noble old warrior, Challcuchima. The 
 new Inca, Toparca, had died during the halt at Xauxa, 
 and it was thought convenient to attribute his death, as 
 well as the recent hostile movements, to the machinations 
 of this dangerous prisoner. He was tried, condemned, 
 and burned alive — the usual method of execution adopted 
 by the Spaniards in the case of an Indian victim. It is to 
 be trusted that another generation will look upon the bar- 
 barities still persisted in among the most enlightened 
 nations of the present age, with the same sensations that 
 are now aroused by the remembrance of the cruelties so 
 \miversal in former times. 
 
 A new claimant to the throne of the Incas had now 
 arisen in the person of Manco Capac, a brother of the ill- 
 fated Huascar. The young prince, splendidly attended, 
 came boldly to the Spanish camp, explained the grounds 
 

 Ihe Incas had now 
 
 brother of the iU- 
 
 Lplendidly attended, 
 
 plained the grounds 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 687 
 
 of his claim, and requested the aid of Pizarro in establish- 
 ing his rights. The general received him kindly, and 
 seemed to accede to the proposal. In company with this 
 new ally, after one more unimportant skirmish, the Span- 
 iards entered Cuzco, on or about the 15th of November, 
 1533. They were delighted with the extent and magnifi- 
 cence of the city, and the liveliness and gayety of its 
 inhabitants. 
 
 Temples, public edifices, royal palaces, and places of 
 sepulture, were every where ransacked in search of gold, 
 but orders had been given by Pizarro that privr' property 
 should be respected. The rapacious plunderei ^ e dis- 
 satisfied with the amount of treasure discove <d, ritnough 
 no conquest in the history of the world was ever rewarded 
 by such acquisitions of the precious metals, anc proceeded 
 to subject some of the natives to the tortr -e, to compel a 
 disclosure of their secret places of deposit. 
 
 " In a cavern near the city," says Prescott, " they found 
 a number of vases of pure gold, richly embossed with the 
 figures of serpents, locusts, and other animals. Among 
 the spoil were four golden llamas, and ten or twelve 
 statues of women, some of gold, others of silver, * which 
 merely to see,* says one of the conquerors, with some 
 naivete, * was truly a great satisfaction.' " Upon the march, 
 no small amount of booty had been secured : " In one 
 place, for example, they met with ten planks or bars of 
 solid silver, each piece being twenty feet in length, one 
 foot in breadth, and two or three inches thick." 
 
 Manco Capac was solemnly crowned at Cuzco, by 
 Pizarro, who, with his own hand, presented the imperial 
 badge, the " borla " or red scarf for the forehead. The con- 
 queror arranged a system of government for the city, giv- 
 ing his brothers Gonzalo and Juan the principal authority. 
 The natives seemed to acquiesce readily in the new regu- 
 lations, and joined hilariously in the festivities of the time. 
 
 •villi 
 
 
 
 v1: 
 
:h.^i,M 
 
 638 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Pizarro now bethought himself of establishing a capital 
 for the new country in a more convenient location than 
 cither Cuzco or Quito, and in January, 1535, the founda- 
 tions of the city of Lima were laid. Hernando Pizarro 
 had been previously sent to Spain, with substantial speci- 
 mens of the newly-acquired treasures. His appearance at 
 court, and his details of strange adventure, excited an un- 
 precedented enthusiasm and astonishment. Large addition- 
 al emoluments and authorities were conferred upon the 
 principal actors in the conquest ; and Hernando returned 
 to America, accompanied by numerous adventurers eager 
 for fame and fortune in the new world. Almagro received, 
 by royal grant, authority to conquer and possess an im- 
 mense district, southward of Peru ; and thither he took up 
 his march, after a long series of bickerings and quarrels with 
 Juan and Gonzalo, respecting conflicting claims at Cuzco. 
 
 The conquerors of the empire of the Incas became care- 
 less and secure : they little dreamed that there yet existed 
 a warlike and determined spirit among the down-trodden 
 natives, fated soon to raise a storm on eveiy side, which 
 not even Spanish valor and dogged determination could 
 readily allay. 
 
 The young Inca, Manco Capac, indignant at the conduct 
 of the rulers at Cuzco, and disgusted with the shadow of 
 authority which he was himself allowed to exercise, made 
 his escape from the surveillance of the Pizarros, and, rous- 
 ing the whole country to arms, intrenched himself beyond 
 the Yucay. Juan Pizarro in vain undertook his recapture. 
 With a small body of cavalry, he did, indeed, gain a tem- 
 porary advantage, but the eflect of superstitious fears no 
 longer operated to dismay the Indian warriors, and it was 
 only by virtue of hard knocks, and by actual superiority 
 in skill, weapons, and endurance, that they could be con- 
 quered. The numbers of the enemy were so great, and so 
 fast increasing, that Juan was obliged, in a few days, to 
 
 
 f ^t 
 

 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 689 
 
 return to Cuzco, which, as he was informed by a messenger, 
 was now besieged by the Indians in still more overwhelm- 
 ing force. 
 
 In the elegant language of Mr. Prescott : ** The exten- 
 sive environs, as far as the eye could reach, were occupied 
 by a mighty host, which an indefinite computation swelled 
 to the number of two hundred thousand warriors. The 
 dusky lines of the Indian battalions stretched out to the 
 very verge of the mountains ; while, all around, the eye 
 saw only the crests and waving banners of chieftains, 
 mingled with rich panoplies of feather-work, which re- 
 minded some few who had served under Cortez of the 
 military costume of the Aztecs. Above all rose a forest 
 of long lances and battle-axes edged with copper, which, 
 tossed to and fro in wild confusion, glistened in the rays 
 of the setting sun, like light playing on the surface of a 
 dark and troubled ocean. It was the first time that the 
 Spaniards had beheld an Indian army in all its terrors ; 
 such an army as the Incas led to battle, when the banner 
 of the Sun was borne triumphant over the land." 
 
 It is almost inconceivable that such a handful of men 
 as were gathered within the city-walls, should have been 
 able to repel the force now gathered about them, and to 
 maintain their position until the enemy, wearied with 
 hopeless encounters, and suffering from want of provision, 
 should be obliged to draw off. 
 
 The buildings of Cuzco were nearly all covered with a 
 neatly arranged thatch, and this the assailants easily ig- 
 nited by means of burning arrows. The whole city was 
 wrapt in flames, and the Spaniards, encamped in the great 
 plaza, nearly perished from the heat and smoke. "When 
 the flames subsided, after several days of terrible conflagra- 
 tion, one half of the proud capital was a heap of ruins. 
 
 Fierce battles and desperate hand-to-hand encounters 
 succeeded : the Spaniards, with their accustomed bravery, 
 
640 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 again and again charged the enemy in the field, but their 
 numbers were so great, that success in these skirmishes 
 was eventually useless. The sallies from the city were 
 met and resisted with the most determined valor. As at 
 the siege of Mexico, the Indians seemed to be careless of 
 their own loss, so long as they could lessen the numbers 
 of the whites, in however inferior degrees. They no 
 longer fled in terror at the approach of the horse. They 
 had even availed themselves of such of these useful an- 
 imals as fell into their hands. Several of them were seen 
 mounted, and the Inca himself, " accoutred in the European 
 fashion, rode a war-horse which he managed with consider- 
 able address, and, with a long lance in his hand, led on his 
 lollowers to the attack." There are bounds to the phys- 
 ical endurance of man and beast, and the Spaniards were 
 obliged to submit to the siege, and to wait until assistance 
 should arrive from without, or until the enemy should be 
 weary of keeping watch upon them. The greatest annoy- 
 ance was in the possession, by the Indians, of the great 
 fortress, from the high towers of which their missiles were 
 hurled with deadly effect upon all within reach. 
 
 It was determined to storm this intrenchment, and the 
 service was most gallantly performed. Juan Pizarro, a 
 cavalier spoken of as superior to either of his brothers in 
 humanity, lost his life in its accomplishment. The Peru- 
 vian commander, after defending his post in person, with the 
 most desperate valor, scorning to be taken prisoner, threw 
 himself headlong from the highest tower, and perished. 
 
 The siege, which had commenced in the spring, contin- 
 ued until August, when, after months of anxiety and suf- 
 fering, the little band of Spaniards were rejoiced to see the 
 Inca*8 forces taking their departure. They had been dis- 
 missed by their leader to go home and attend to the neces- 
 sary duties of husbandry. Manco intrenched himself at 
 Tambo, south of the Yucay. 
 
 
lie field, but their 
 these skirmishes 
 om the city were 
 ned valor. As at 
 i to be careless of 
 issen the numbers 
 jgrees. They no 
 the horse. They 
 f these useful an- 
 3f them were seen 
 ed in the European 
 iged with consider- 
 bis hand, led on his 
 lunds to the phys- 
 the Spaniards were 
 rait until assistance 
 le enemy should be 
 Che greatest annoy- 
 dians, of the great 
 their missiles were 
 n reach. 
 
 enchment, and the 
 Juan Pizarro, a 
 of his brothers in 
 ment. The Peru- 
 in person, with the 
 :en prisoner, threw 
 jr, and perished, 
 the spring, contin- 
 •f anxiety and suf- 
 rejgiced to see the 
 |They had been dis- 
 tttend to the neces- 
 renched himself at 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 641 
 
 The rising among the Peruvians was very extensive and 
 well concerted. Great numbers of detached plantations 
 and settlements were destroyed, and their Spanish occu- 
 pants slain. Pizarro made several ineffectual attempts to 
 send relief to the garrison at Cuzco, which only resulted 
 in heavy loss to his own people. A general feeling of 
 gloom, apprehension, and discontent prevailed, and not a 
 few of the settlers, at Lima and elsewhere, were anxious 
 to abandon the coifntry. 
 
 Upon the return of Almagro from his disastrous expe- 
 dition to Chili, and his seizure of Cuzco, he succeeded in 
 driving the Inca from Tambo into the mountains, where he 
 sought out a solitary place of concealment until opportunity 
 should offer for again arousing his people to resistance. 
 
 In the desolating civil wars which ensued among the 
 rival Spanish claimants of the country, the rights and 
 prosperity of the native inhabitants were utterly disre- 
 garded. They were unscrupulously enslaved and mal- 
 treated wherever the power of the Spaniards extended. 
 In the distracted state of the country, the young Inca 
 again renewed his efforts at resistance to his subjects' op- 
 pressors. Sallying from time to time from an encampment 
 among the mountains, between Cuzco and the sea-coast, he 
 did no little injury to the Spanish settlements, and rendered 
 travelling unsafe, except in large and well-armed com- 
 panies. Although frequently defeated by Pizarro's troops, 
 he would only retire to meditate fresh attacks, and the 
 Spanish commander finally thought it advisable to open a 
 negotiation with him. A meeting was accordingly ap- 
 ^ oint< d in the valley of the Yucay, but the attempts at 
 pav'fication were rendered abortive by mutual outrages. 
 A negro messenger, sent by Pizarro to the Inca with a 
 propitiatory offering, was robbed and murdered by some of 
 the natives. The Spanish commander chose to attribute 
 the act to Manco's orders, and proceeded to retaliate by 
 
 I. ■' rk^ • ■ 
 
 
• :- ' •■'■'•'•s \ ', :..■■■ 
 
 *■ ' <- ,^. '-■■ ' '. ■ •■-■''■.•* 4,1 
 
 ,'U-'';?-'^-f-v, ■;■■■; -^.4 
 
 V,' ,' ■■■,"^^: "::;<■■■■ 
 
 - : '■; ) .■ •■' :v..; V,,-. ■• •, 
 
 1 
 
 
 It 
 
 642 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 the dastardly and cruel murder of a young and beautiful 
 wife of the Inca, who was a prisoner in his power. She 
 was stripped naked, beaten, and afterwards shot with ar- 
 rows. This cruelty was endured, on the part of the victim, 
 with true Indian fortitude. What a strange contradiction 
 it appears, that a man like this, with his dying lips (he 
 was assassinated in 1541) should have pronounced the 
 name of Him whose whole teaching and example breathed 
 the spirit of gentleness and mercy, an(J that his last effort 
 should have been to kiss the figure of the cross, draAvn by 
 his finger, in his own blood, upon the floor. 
 
 As the Spanish population of the country increased, the 
 condition of the Indians became more and more wretched 
 and deplorable. The old scenes at the "West India Islands 
 were reenacted, and the brutal populace seemed to make 
 cruelty and wanton outrage a matter of emulation. It 
 was not enough to enslave the helpless natives, and to 
 compel them upon insufficient nourishment, and scantily 
 clothed, to undergo the killing labors of the mines and 
 plantations ; but the most capricious outrages were every 
 where committed. They were hunted with dogs, for 
 the sake of sport ; all that they esteemed sacred Mas 
 desecrated ; their women were violated in the most shame- 
 less manner ; and cruel tortures and death awaited him 
 who should resist the oppressor, or invade his rights of 
 property ! 
 
 One of the most notorious abuses in the system of 
 Spanish government, and which was maintained until after 
 the insurrection of 1781, was called the " Eepartimiento." 
 This was a compulsory distribution of European goods, 
 which the natives were compelled to purchase at enormous 
 prices. " The law was doubtless intended," it is said by 
 Tschudi, ** in its origin, for the advantage and convenience 
 of the native Indians, by supplying them with necessaries 
 at a reasonable price. But subsequently the llepartimiento 
 
 •M'. 'i 
 
oung and beautiful 
 in his power. She 
 ards shot with ar- 
 I part of the victim, 
 ;range contradiction 
 his dying Hps (he 
 re pronounced the 
 i example breathed 
 (J that his last effort 
 the cross, drawn by 
 loor. 
 
 untry increased, the 
 
 I and more wretched 
 
 West India Islands 
 
 ,ce seemed to make 
 
 r of emulation. It 
 
 less natives, and to 
 
 hment, and scantily 
 
 of the mines and 
 
 tutrages were every 
 
 ed with dogs, for 
 
 teemed sacred was 
 
 in the most shumc- 
 
 death awaited him 
 
 nvade his rights of 
 
 in the system of 
 aintained until after 
 LC " Repartimicnto." 
 f European goods, 
 urchase at enormous 
 nded," it is said by 
 age and convenience 
 em with necessaries 
 ly the llepartiraiento 
 
 '^.■:.:- 
 
 SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 643 
 
 became a source of oppression and fraud, in the hands of 
 the provincial authorities." 
 
 The system which regulated the services of laborers in 
 the mines or on the plantations went by the name of the 
 " Mita." Those Indians who were placed, by the operation 
 of this species of conscription, under the power of the pro- 
 prietors of the soil, were in a far more miserable condition 
 than slaves in whom the master has a property, and whose 
 health and lives he has an interest in preserving. Such a 
 miserable pittance as was doled out for their support, and 
 so severe and unceasing was the labor required at their 
 hands, that an almost incredible number perished. " Some 
 writers estimate at nine milHons the number of Indians 
 sacrificed in the mines in the course of three centuries,'* 
 
 When, by the intervention of Las Casas, the wrongs of 
 the Indians received attention from the Spani^ah court, and 
 extensive provisions were made for their freedom and 
 protection, all Peru was in a state of tumultuous excite- 
 ment. It was the general determination not to submit to 
 such an infringement of the luxuries and profits of life in 
 the New World, as that of placing the serfs under the care 
 of the laws. In the midst of this turmoil, in 1544, the 
 brave and patriotic Inca was slain by a party of Span- 
 iards, who had fled to his camp during the factious disturb- 
 ances by which the European settlements were convulsed. 
 They paid the forfeit for this act with their lives. 
 
 The first cflfectual steps taken in behalf of the wasted 
 and oppressed Peruvians, were under the viceroyalty of 
 Pedro de la Gasca, between 1547 and 1550. By his ef- 
 forts, a careful inquiry was instituted into the condition 
 of the slaves ; their arbitrary removal from their native 
 districts was prohibited ; and, above all, strict regulations 
 were made, and — not without strong opposition — enforced, 
 by which the kind and amount of their labor was precisely 
 laid down. 
 
 .,••_« 
 
 ','*'■' 
 
 * ■.'1. 
 
 '.; ; 
 
■f-i?;- ■. ■»/■■:■■'( ■.,'5. ■,..;■ i' . 
 
 !. 
 
 I , 
 
 
 644 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Tupac Amaru, a son of Manco Capac, who had resided 
 among the remote mountain districts of the interior since 
 his father's death, was taken prisoner and put to death 
 during the period that Francisco de Toledo was viceroy 
 of Peru. One of his descendants, Jose Gabriel Condor- 
 canqui, known as Tupac Amaru the Second, in after-times 
 fearfully revenged the injuries of his family and country- 
 men. The insurrection which he headed broke out in 
 1781. The lapse of two centuries of oppression had thin- 
 ned the teeming population of Peru in a ratio scarcely 
 precedented, but, on the other hand, European weapons, 
 and military skill, both of which they had, to a certain 
 extent, adopted, rendered them dangerous enemies, and 
 enough of the old patriotic spirit and tradition of former 
 glory remained to afford material for a fearful outbreak. 
 
 The long depressed and humiliated natives rallied 
 around the descendant of their ancient line of Incas with 
 the greatest enthusiasm, and, in their successful attacks 
 upon various provinces Avhere Spanish authority had b-^ n 
 established, proved as merciless as their former opprer rs. 
 Great numbers of Spaniards perished during this rebe. .ion, 
 but it was finally crushed ; and the Inca, with a number of 
 his family, falling into the hands of the Spanish authori- 
 ties, was barbarously put to death. "They were all 
 quartered," says Bonnycastle, *' in the city of Cuzco, ex- 
 cepting Diego, (a brother of Tupac,) who had escaped. 
 So great was the veneration of the Peruviiins for Tupac 
 Amaru, that when he was led to execution, they proi?tratcd 
 themselves in the streets, though surrounded by soldiers, 
 and uttered piercing cries and exclamations as they beheld 
 the last of the Children of the Sun torn to pieces." 
 
 Diego also perished by the hands of the executioner, 
 twenty years afterwards, upon the accusation of having 
 instigated a revolt which occurred in Quito. It is said 
 that the insurrection of the Indians under Tupac Amaru -^ 
 
SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 645 
 
 the last important effort made by them to reestablish their 
 ancient independence — cost more than one hundred thou- 
 sand lives. 
 
 Since the great revolutions in South America, and the 
 establishment of the independence of the Republics, the 
 Indian population of Peru have made no trifling advance. 
 According to the account of Dr. Tschudi, a late traveller 
 in the country, they " have made immense progress. Dur- 
 ing the civil war, which was kept up uninterruptedly for 
 the space of twenty years, they were taught military ma- 
 ncEUvres and the use of fire-arms. After every lost battle, 
 the retreating Indians carried with them, in their flight, 
 their muskets, which they still keep carefully concealed. 
 They are also acc[uainted with the manufacture of gun- 
 po.vder, of which, in all their festivals, they use great 
 quantities for squibs and rockets." 
 
 The same writer describes the present character of the 
 race as gloomy and distrustful. The Christian religion 
 has been, at least in name, almost u.niversally diffused, but 
 the observance of its rites is mingled with many relics of 
 the ancient superstitions of the country, while the bigotry, 
 errors, and evil example of too many of those who have 
 acted as its ministers could hardly result in the inculcation 
 of the true spirit of their faith. During the whole period 
 of Spanish authority, from the time of the first landing, 
 the Catholic ecclesiastics were unwearied in endeavors to 
 promulgate their religion. Their success in effecting at 
 least an outward acceptation of its doctrines, has been no 
 where more signal than in South America. 
 
 m 
 
' t, -r- 
 
 ;..'#■ * '■ 
 
 
 ^Wi 
 
 THE ARAUCANIAN RACE. 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 ruEra locat[on, appearance, etc. — purciias' description of 
 
 CHILI.— DIVISION OP THE TRIBES. — PERUVIAN CONaUESTS. — AG- 
 RICULTURE, ARTS, ETC., AMONG THE NATIVES — ALMAGRO'S INVA- 
 SION.— EXPEDITION OF PEDRO DE VALDl VIA. — FOUNDING OF ST. 
 JAGO.— BATTLES WITH THE MAPOCHlNIAxXS. — DLr^TRUCTION OF 
 SPANISH MINERS. — PEACE WITH THE PROMAUC'ANS. 
 
 The different tribes belonging to this bold and warlike 
 race inhabit Ch'U and western Patagonia, commencing 
 about latitude thi ty degrees, and extending to Terra del 
 Fuego. The Pecherais of that island havo aiso been classed 
 in the same family, and their general conformation of fig- 
 ure and features, except so far as the withering influence 
 of cold and squa. •• restitution has deteriorated the race, 
 would seem to waK..Li/ the conclusion that the two nations 
 were of identical origin. 
 
 The mountaineers of Chili are of a much lighter com- 
 plexion than the aboriginal nations either north or south 
 of them ; the tribe of Boroanos in particular have been 
 described as being little, if any, darker than Europeans. 
 The men are tall, hardy, and vigorous, with exceedingly 
 muscular limbs : their faces are broad, and their features 
 rather heavy and coarse, but without the appearance of 
 stupidity or dulness : they have the bright eye and coarse 
 black hair of the Indian. Some of them are noticed widi 
 heai'v beards, but generally tnis appendage is thin and 
 
 (64G) 
 
■AM<% 
 
 RACE. 
 
 CIIAS' DESCRIPTION OF 
 VIAN CONQUESTa. - AG- 
 IVES.— ALMAGRO'S INVA- 
 VIA. — FOUNDING OV ST. 
 ANS.-DLSTRUCTION OP 
 (MAUC5ANS. 
 
 this bold and warlike ; 
 
 Ltagonia, commencing | 
 
 ^tending to Terra del ! 
 
 havo ;uso been classed 
 conformation ot' fig- 
 withering influence 
 eteriorated the race, 
 that the two nations 
 
 a much lighter corn- 
 either north or south 
 particular have been 
 rker than Europeans, 
 ous, with exceedingly 
 ad, and their features 
 at the appearance of 
 jiight eye and coarse 
 them arc noticed with 
 ->pendagc is thin and 
 (64(i) 
 
 THE ARAUCANIAN RACE. 
 
 647 
 
 ncanty, and the common barbarous custom of eradicating 
 it with some substitute for tweezer is resorted to. 
 
 Although a considerable difference is observable between 
 the inhabitants of the mountains and the plains, in size, 
 complexion, &c., yet the similarity in language and gen- 
 eral appearance is considered sufficient to warrant the con- 
 clusion that all originally sprung from the same stock. 
 
 In "Purchas his Pilgrimage," we find the following 
 quaint description of the physical aspect of the country : 
 
 " It is called Chili of the chilling cold, for so the word 
 is said to signify. The hills with their high looks, cold 
 blasts, and covetous encroachings, drive it almost into the 
 sea : only a narrow valley upon lowly submission to her 
 swelling adversaries, obtaineth room for five and twenty 
 leagues of breadth, where it is most, to extend her spa- 
 cious length of two hundred leagues on that shore : and 
 to withstand the ocean's fury, she pays a large tribute 
 of many streams, which yet in the night time she can 
 hardly perform ; the miserable hills, in their frozen char- 
 ity, not imparting that natural bounty and duty, till that 
 great arbiter the sun ariseth, and sendeth day with his 
 light-horse troop of sunbeams to break up those icy 
 dungeons and snowy turrets, wherein night, the moun- 
 tains' jailer, had locked the innocent waters. Once, the 
 poor valley is so hampered betwixt the tyrannicnl meteors 
 and elements, as that she often quaketh ith fear, 
 and in these chill fevers shaketh off and loseth her best 
 ornaments. 
 
 * * " And sometimes the neighbor hills are infected 
 with this pestilent fever, and tumble down as dead in the 
 plain, thereby so amazing the fearful rivers, that they run 
 quite out of their channels to seek new, or else stand still 
 with wonder ; and the motive heat fiuling, fall into an 
 uncouth tympany, their bellies swelling into spacious and 
 
 standing 
 
 lake 
 
 s. 
 
 »> 
 
 
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 -^■kjimM 
 
 |l 
 
 648 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 "When the western coast of South America was first 
 visited by Europeans, a portion of Chili was, as before- 
 mentioned, subject to the Peruvian monarchy. The Chi- 
 lian tribes, according to Molina, were fifteen in number, 
 each independent, and governed by its Ulmen, or cacique. 
 " These tribes, beginning at the north, and proceeding to 
 the south, were called Copiapins, Coquimbanes, Quillo- 
 tanes, Mapochinians, Promaucians, Cures, Cauques, Pen- 
 cones, Araucanians, Cunches, Chilotes, Chinquilanians, 
 Pehuenches, Puelches, and Huilliches." The first four of 
 these, about the middle of the fifteenth century, were re- 
 duced by the Inca Yupanqui, without much opposition, 
 but the Promaucians opposed so vigorous a resistance that 
 the progress of the Peruvian arms was effectually stayed. 
 The conquered provinces were allowed to retain their na- 
 tional government and customs, upon payment of tribute 
 to the Inca. 
 
 The Chilians werPj at this early period, not only bold 
 and skilful in war, but had made much greater advances 
 in the arts of civilization than any other South American 
 race excej)t the Peruvians. The country was too popu- 
 lous to bo sustained by the precarious jiursuits of hunting, 
 wishing, &c., and a rude but systematic cultivation of the 
 soil had become universal. The vegetable productions 
 brought under cultivation were mostly the same with those 
 used in Peru, and the native sheep or " camel," was domes- 
 ticated, as in that country. This animal furnished the 
 wool for the garments of those who inhabited the western 
 valleys — the wilder races of the east and south were clothed 
 in skins, principally of the guanaco, a species of wild goat. 
 
 Their houses were generally square, built of brick, or 
 of wood plastered with clay, and thatched with rushes. 
 Culinary utensils were formed of stone, wood, or earthen- 
 ware. They wrought, with some skill, in the usual metallic 
 productions of the country, using, like the Peruvians, a 
 

 /'»• 
 
 
 THE ARAUCANIAN BACE. 
 
 649 
 
 .merica was first 
 i was, as before- 
 ^rchy. The Chi- 
 ifteen in number, 
 Jlmen, or cacique, 
 and proceeding to 
 ^uimbanes, Quillo- 
 es, Cauques, Pen- 
 s, Chinquilanians, 
 The first four of 
 1 century, were re- 
 t much opposition, 
 us a resistance that 
 s effectually stayed. 
 i to retain their na- 
 payment of tribute 
 
 priod, not only bold 
 
 ch greater advances 
 
 her South American 
 
 intry was too popu- 
 
 pursuits of hunting, 
 
 ;ic cultivation of the 
 
 (getable productions 
 
 the same with those 
 
 ■' camel," was domes- 
 
 nimal furnished the 
 
 iihabited the western 
 
 id south were clothed 
 
 species of wild goat. 
 e, built of brick, or 
 .atched with rushes. 
 ,e, wood, or carthcn- 
 in the usual metalhc 
 like the reruvivms,a 
 
 hardened alloy of copper, with other metals, as a substitute 
 for iron. In common with the latter nation, a system of 
 recording events or statistics by the " quipu," was all that 
 was observable as analogous to the art of writing. 
 
 The Promaucians, whose courage and patriotism had a 
 century before checked the advance of the royal forces of 
 the Inca, were found no less formidable by the first Span- 
 ish invaders. Almagro, after his frightful passage of the 
 Cordilleras, in which, as is said, he lost one hundred and 
 fifty Spaniards, and some ten thousand Indian allies, was 
 well received by the tributary provinces of Chili. He col- 
 lected no small booty in gold, which he distributed among 
 his followers, and continued his march to Coquimbo. Here 
 he was guilty of an act of barbarity too common wherever 
 the Spaniards of that time were successful in their Indian 
 campaigns. Two of his soldiers had been put to death at 
 Guasco, in consequence of some acts of rapacity or vio- 
 lence, and in revenge, Almagro seized and burned alive 
 the chief of the district, with his brother and twenty other 
 of the native inhabitants. 
 
 Marching into the province of the Promaucians, the 
 Spaniards found an enemy superior to any before encoun- 
 tered. Not even the terrors of the cavalry and weapons 
 of the Europeans could daunt the brave mountaineers, who 
 rallied under the banners of their chiefs for the protection 
 of home and country. A single battle was sufficient to 
 satisfy the invaders that little was to be gained by any 
 further advance, and Almagro, with his troops, returned 
 to Peru, as heretofore related, to seize upon Cuzco as 
 being contained within the grant made to him by the 
 crown. 
 
 In 1540, Pedro de Valdivia, a bold and active Spanish 
 soldier, and high in the confidence of Pizarro, was com- 
 missioned to lead the second expedition against the prov- 
 inces of Chili. He took with him two hundred Spaniards 
 37 
 
 '.«'*'"• '" 
 
 ■:..- . f ■ 
 
••f ; .'I 
 
 
 S';f. 
 
 4, ■ . . 
 
 I ■• 
 
 i , 
 
 4 
 
 ! 
 
 650 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 and a large body of Peruvians, with the intent of forming 
 a colony and commencing a permanent settlement. Some 
 of the domestic animals of Europe were taken for use of 
 the new colony, and a number of women and ecclesiastics 
 were added to the company. 
 
 Crossing the mountains during the favorable season of 
 summer, Valdivia entered Chili, but found on his arrival 
 that the northern tribes, freed from the yoke of the Incas, 
 were disposed to reassert their former independence. The 
 want of union, however, prevented them from being able 
 to stem the progress of the Spaniards. The invader pressed 
 on, crushing all opposition, to Mapocho, the province where 
 he founded the city of St. Jago. 
 
 While the new capital Avas in progress of construction, 
 the natives of the district fell boldly upon the intruders, 
 burned their buildings, and drove them into a fort which 
 they had constructed in the centre of the town. The Span- 
 iards were eventually victorious ; but the spirit of the 
 Mapocho nians was not broken, and for years afterwards 
 they continued to harass the settlers in every possible 
 manner. The opening of the rich mines of the valley of 
 Quillota reconciled the colonists to every danger and pri- 
 vation ; and, for convenient communication with Peru, a 
 vessel was built in the river Chile, which flows through 
 that district. 
 
 Valdivia now sent emissaries to Peru, under convoy of 
 thirty mounted men, to beat up for recruits. These mes- 
 sengers were eight in number, and, as a bait to new adven- 
 turers, their " spurs, bits, and stirrups he directed to be 
 made of gold." A body of Copiapans attacked this party 
 on their route, and slew all except two, named Alonzo 
 Monroy and Pedro Miranda, whom they carried to their 
 ulmen or cacique. By the intervention of the chiefs 
 wife their lives were spared, and they were engaged to 
 teach the young prince, her son, the art of riding. The 
 
 >!*■ , i 
 
CA. 
 
 } intent of forming 
 
 settlement. Some 
 
 re taken for use of 
 
 len and ecclesiastics 
 
 favorable season of 
 ound on his arrival 
 e yoke of the Incas, 
 independence. The 
 .em from being able 
 The invader pressed 
 0, the province where 
 
 rress of construction, 
 y upon the intruders, 
 3m into a fort which 
 the town. The Span- 
 put the spirit of the 
 for years afterwards 
 ;rs in every possible 
 iines of the valley of 
 every danger and pri- 
 Inication with Peru, a 
 which flows through 
 
 'eru, under convoy of 
 recruits. These mes- 
 |s a bait to new adven- 
 ips he directed to be 
 IS attacked this party 
 ft two, named Alonzo 
 . they carried to their 
 Mention of the chiefs 
 they were engaged to 
 le art of riding. The 
 
 THE ARAUCANIAN BACE. 
 
 651 
 
 ungrateful Spaniards took advantage of the confidence 
 placed in them, to murder their charge and escape on the 
 horses. They succeeded in reaching Peru, and procured a 
 considerable number of adventurers to try their fortunes 
 in the new and promising regions of the south. 
 
 The Chilians did not quietly submit to Spanish en- 
 croachments. The inhabitants of Quillota, by an artful 
 stratagem, drew the Spaniards connected with the mines 
 into an ambuscade, and murdered nearly the whole num- 
 ber ; they followed up their advantage by burning the 
 military stores and the vessel which had been built at the 
 river Chile. Valdivia had the good fortune or skill to 
 overawe or conciliate the Promaucians, and an alliance 
 was formed between the Spaniards and that tribe. 
 
 -'WWVW^% 
 
 r t- CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE ARAUCANIANS PROPER. — CHARACTER AND HABITS OP THE TRIBE. 
 
 — HOUSES AND DRESS. — SECTIONAL DIVISIONS AND GOVERNMENT. 
 
 — SYSTEM OF WARFARE. — COURAGE AND MILITARY SKILL. — RE- 
 LIGIOUS BELIEF AND SUPERSTITIONS. — PATRIOTISM AND PUBLIC 
 SPIRIT OF THE NATIVES. — MOLINA'S EULOGIUM. 
 
 Pushing his conquests and acquisitions further to the 
 southward, the Spanish commander, in 1550, founded the 
 city of Conception, but as the occupation of this spot led 
 to the important events connected with the Araucanian 
 war, we will follow the order of Molina, and give a brief 
 account of the warlike people with whom the Spaniards 
 were now to contend. 
 
 This author speaks enthusiastically of the noble char- 
 acter of the Araucanians, their physical perfection, and 
 their powers of endurance. He says " they are intrepid. 
 
 
 ■■*•.. 
 
 • 
 
 t * 
 
 3-- 
 
J'" , 
 
 ".-•/■■.'■,. .t^, . ■( • ■ 
 
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 ii i i:i'^:4; 
 
 )-■ 
 
 ii. ,1 
 
 652 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 animated, ardent, patient in enduring fatigue, ever ready 
 to sacrifice their lives in the service of their country, en- 
 thusiastic lovers of liberty, which they consider as an 
 essential constituent of their existence, jealous of their 
 honor, courteous, hospitable, faithful to their engagements, 
 grateful for services rendered them, and generous and hu- 
 mane towards the vanquished." Their failings, on the 
 other hand, are " drunkenness, debauchery, presumption, 
 and a haughty contempt for all other nations." 
 
 The district of Arauco, from which the nation takes 
 its name, is but a small province of the country inhab- 
 ited by the race. This lies in the beautiful region be- 
 tween Conception and Valdivia, extending back among 
 the mountains. The inhabitants dwelt, in primitive sim- 
 plicity, congregated in no large towns, but thickly scat- 
 tered over the country in small rural villages. Their 
 domestic and household arrangements were little more 
 refined than we have described as common in Chili. Po- 
 lygamy was generally practised, and •* the size of their 
 houses proportioned to the number of women they could 
 maintain." 
 
 They wore woollen clothing, woven from the fleece of 
 the native sheep, and consisting of close fitting under gar- 
 ments, and over all the national Poncho, a most conve- 
 nient and easily-constructed cloak, especially adapted to 
 the use of horsemen. The women wore long dresses, with 
 a short cloak, both fastened with ornamental brooches of 
 silver. 
 
 The Araucanian system of government is described by 
 Molina as being an hereditary aristocracy. The country 
 was divided from north to south into four sections, the 
 mountainous region at the east, the high land at the base 
 of the Andes, the adjoining plain, and the sea-coast. Each 
 division was under the nominal sway of a Toqui, or su- 
 preme cacique, but the real power was in the body of the 
 
THE ARAUCANIAN RACE. 
 
 653 
 
 from the fleece of 
 3se fitting under gar- 
 t»ncho, a most conve- 
 -specially adapted to 
 )re long dresses, with 
 lamental brooches of 
 
 lent is described by 
 ^cracy. The country 
 
 nobility or TJlmenes, who presided over the various sub- 
 divisions of the state, and who decided in grand council 
 upon public matters. Our author does not speak very 
 highly of the judicial institutions of the country. Much 
 trouble ensued from a system of retaliation by which minor 
 offences were allowed to be punished. The capital crimes 
 were " treachery, intentional homicide, adultery, the rob- 
 bery of any valuable article, and witchcraft. Neverthe- 
 less, those found guilty of homicide can screen themselves 
 from punishment by a composition with the relations of 
 the murdered." Each father of a family assumed and ex- 
 ercised absolute power over his wives and children, and, 
 by the custom of the country, he was not responsible even 
 for taking their lives. 
 
 In war, as among the ruder North American tribes, the 
 direction and command of the armies was not conferred 
 upon the supreme civil potentate, unless from his known 
 skill and bravery he was deemed fully competent. A war- 
 chief was not unusually appointed from among the inferior 
 officers, and, when this was done, an absolute dictatorship 
 was vested in the chosen leader. 
 
 Soon after the arrival of the Spaniards in Chili, the 
 Araucanians began to supply themselves with horses. 
 Those which they obtained in battle multiplied to an im- 
 mense extent, and the native inhabitants speedily acquired 
 a remarkable degree of skill in their training and manage- 
 ment. Swords, lances, slings, bows, pikes, and clubs were 
 the national weapons. 
 
 Such skill in the arts of war, in fortifications, in military 
 regularity and discipline, and such bravery and efficiency 
 in the open field, as was evinced by the Araucanians in 
 their long contests with the Spaniards, entirely exceed any 
 thing recorded of the other American races. 
 
 The terrific destruction caused by artillery failed to con- 
 fuse or appall them. In the words of Molina : " As soon 
 
 
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 654 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 as the first line is cut down, the second occupies its place, 
 and then the third, until they finally succeed in breaking 
 the front ranks of the enemy. In the midst of their fury, 
 they nevertheless preserve the strictest order, and perform 
 all the evolutions directed by their officers. The most 
 terrible of them are the club-bearers, who, like so many 
 Herculeses, destroy with their iron-pointed maces all they 
 meet in their way." 
 
 After a battle, the prisoners taken were held as slaves 
 until ransomed or exchanged : in some rare instances a 
 single captive would be sacrificed. This was done, (with- 
 out torture,) after the performance of a singular prelimi- 
 nary ceremonial. The victim was brought forward " upon 
 a horse deprived of his ears and tail — as a mark of igno- 
 miny." The proper officers then handed him a pointed 
 stake, and a number of small sticks. He was compelled 
 to dig a hole in the earth with the stake ; and to throw the 
 sticks severally into it ; naming, at each cast, one of the 
 most renowned chiefs of his own country, " while, at the 
 same time, the surrounding soldiers loaded these abhorred 
 names with the bitterest execrations." After he had been 
 forced to cover the hole " as if to bury therein the repu- 
 tation and valor of their enemies," some one of the prin- 
 cipal chiefs destroyed the captive by the blow of a war-club. 
 His heart, it is said, was then taken out, and a little blood 
 sucked from it by the officers standing around; after 
 which, the body was dismembered, the bones were used 
 for flutes, and the skull, (if not cracked,) served for a 
 drinking vessel. 
 
 All this sounds excessively barbarous, but Molina tells 
 '^s that only one or two instances of the kind occurred 
 during a period of nearly two hundred years. 
 
 The religious belief of the Araucanians appears to have 
 borne a strong resemblance to that of many North Amer- 
 ican tribes. The idea of a supreme being ; of good and 
 
arous, but MoUna tells 
 of the kind occurred 
 
 |red years. 
 
 [anians appears to bave 
 
 ■ of many North Amer- 
 16 being ; of good and 
 
 THE ARAUCANIAN RACE. 
 
 666 
 
 evil spirits, especially one great demon named Guecubu j 
 of a future state of rewards and punishments, and the im- 
 mortality of the soul, were universal. A vast number of 
 superstitious signs and omens, some of them singularly 
 analogous to those of ancient European nations, were drawn 
 from earthquakes, storms, the flight of birds, and other 
 natural phenomena. 
 
 Each person believed himself under the special care of 
 a guardian angel, or familiar spirit, to whose aid and in- 
 fluence success in any pursuit was generally inferred. The 
 Catholic missionaries were received with respect and kind- 
 ness, but owing to a natural phlegm or indifierence to such 
 abstractions, they met with but little success in their eflbrts 
 at promulgating their doctrines. 
 
 The tradition of a deluge, so universally spread through- 
 out the world, was current among these Indians, and in 
 many other respects analogies, whether casual or not, could 
 be traced between their belief and observances and those 
 of the old world. The ceremonies and fanciful conceptions 
 connected with the sepulture cf the dead, if correctly re- 
 ported, are not unlike many of those recorded of the 
 ancients. 
 
 Besides the compound of sorcerer and physician, whose 
 services were required by the sick, as in every other part 
 of America when the country was first discovered, the 
 Araucanians had medical professors who made no preten- 
 sions to supernatural powers. These are said to have 
 possessed considerable skill in the diagnosis of diseases, 
 and in the administration of simple remedies. Others de- 
 voted their attention to the treatment of broken limbs and 
 ulcers, which they accomplished with no small success. 
 
 Among the peculiarities of national character observable 
 in the race the most prominent has ever been an indomita- 
 ble spirit of patriotism, and a pride in their own country 
 and usages, leading to a supreme contempt for all other 
 
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 656 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 nations. They regard their own race as one vast brother- 
 hood; every member of which is bound to assist and befriend 
 his neighbor. Molina says : " The benevolence and kind- 
 ness with which these people treat each other is really sur- 
 prising. * * From the mutual affection which subsists 
 between them, proceeds their solicitude xficiprocally to as- 
 sist each other in their necessities. Not a beggar or an 
 indigent person is to be found throughout the whole Arau- 
 canian territory; even the most infirm and incapable of 
 subsisting themselves are decently clothed. 
 
 " This benevolence is not, however, confined wholly to 
 their own countrymen ; they conduct with the greatest 
 hospitality towards all strangers, of whatever nation, and a 
 traveller may live in any part of their country without the 
 least expense." 
 
 The above account is probably rather highly colored ; in- 
 deed, this author has been accused of no little exaggeration 
 in his comments upon Araucanian civilization. Nothing is 
 more common than for a writer to be carried away by his 
 subject ; the biographer almost universally deifies his hero, 
 and the historian of a particular nation is but too apt to fall 
 into a similar error. 
 
 In their houses and persons, the Araucanians have been 
 described as standing in agreeable contrast with most of 
 the aboriginal Americans, by a most remarkable cleanli- 
 ness. In this respect they might well rival, if not surpass, 
 the most polished society of Europe. 
 
THE ARAUCANUN BACE. 
 
 657 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ARMY SENT TO OPPOSE THE PROGRESS OP THE SPANIARDS. — BATTLE 
 ON THE AND ALIEN. — LINCOYAN'S CAMPAIGN. — VALDIVIA'S MARCH 
 SOUTHWARD. — FOUNDATION OF VALDIVIA, AND ESTABLISHMENT 
 OF FORTS IN THE ARAUCANIAN TERRITORY. — THE NATIVES ROUSED 
 BY COLOCOLO. — CAUPOLICAN MADE TOQUL — HIS SUCCESSES.— 
 GREAT VICTORY OVER THE SPANIARDS. — DEATH OF VALDIVIA. — 
 INVASION OF ARAUCO BY VILLAGRAN. — HIS DEFEAT. — DESTRUC- 
 TION OF CONCEPTION. — LAUTARO'S FATAL EXPEDITION AGAINST 
 SANTIAGO. 
 
 In order to check the advance of the Spaniards, the 
 Araucanians determined not to await an actual invasion 
 of their own territory, but to cross the river Bio-bio, which 
 formed the boundary of their country, and attack them in 
 force at their quarters in the adjoining province of Pence. 
 The great cacique or Toqui, Aillavilu, with several thou- 
 sand warriors, was commissioned for this service. The 
 Spanish army was encountered on the banks of tho An- 
 daUen, and, for the first time in the history of American 
 conquest, experienced the power of an enemy little infe- 
 rior in skill, and fully equal in courage and determination 
 to the trained soldiery of Europe. 
 
 The Indians fought with desperate valor, regardless of 
 the murderous effect of the Spanish fire-arms ; but their 
 leader Aillavilu, rashly exposing himself in the hottest of 
 the engagement, was slain, and his followers made an or- 
 derly retreat, unpursued by the Spaniards. To secure him- 
 self against future danger, Valdivia at once erected a strong 
 fort near his newly-founded city of Conception. This was 
 in 1551, and in the following year the bold mountaineers 
 of the south determined upon another great effort to dis- 
 lodge the dangerous colony. 
 
 
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 658 
 
 INDIi^N BACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 One Lincoyan, an Ulmen of huge stature and imposing 
 appearance, was created commander of the armies. In 
 three bodies the Araucanians fell upon the Spaniards, and 
 drove them within the fort. Hopeless of effecting any 
 thing against this stronghold, Lincoyan drew off his forces : 
 he is, indeed, accused by historians of a degree of irresolu- 
 tion and timidity unworthy of 'his race. 
 
 Valdivia, left in undisturbed possession of his new ter- 
 ritories, went on with the work of building his city, and 
 strengthening his position. In 1552 he felt sufficient con- 
 fidence in the number of his followers, augmented by fresh 
 arrivals from Peru, to unr^ srtake active operations against 
 the Araucanians. Lincoy. m was still in command, and his 
 efforts failed to arrest the progress of the invaders, who 
 pressed on to the river Cauten- in the heart of the hostile 
 territory. Here Valdivia laid the first foundations of the 
 future city Imperial, and sent Alderete, one of his officers, 
 to commence the formation of a settlement by the lake of 
 Lauquen. 
 
 From this point the Spanish commander made his way 
 to the southern border of the Araucanian territory, where 
 the river Caliacalla divided it from that of the Cunches, 
 experiencing little opposition from the vacillating and cau- 
 tious Lincoyan. The Cunches, in great force, were pre- 
 pared to oppose his entry into their domains ; but, accord- 
 ing to the accounts handed down to us, they were persuaded 
 to lay aside their purpose, by a native woman, named Re- 
 cloma. Valdivia was therefore enabled to cross the river 
 in safety, and to found a city upon its southern bank, upon 
 which he bestowed his own family name. 
 
 On his return, in 1553, he erected forts in the provinces 
 of Puren, Tucapel and Arauco. These operations were 
 not carried on without hostilities with the natives ; but, in 
 consequence, as is said, of the inefficiency of the military 
 chief at their head, all their efforts were unsuccessful, and 
 
IIOA. 
 
 tature and imposing 
 of the armies. In 
 n the Spaniards, and 
 CSS of effecting any 
 n drew off his forces : 
 ' a degree of irresolu- 
 
 e. 
 
 3Ssion of his new ter- 
 
 Duilding his city, and 
 
 he felt sufficient con- 
 s, augmented by fresh 
 ive operations against 
 1 in command, and his 
 
 of the invaders, who 
 he heart of the hostile 
 irst foundations of the 
 ete, one of his officers, 
 dement by the lake of 
 
 imander made his way 
 canian territory, where 
 a that of the Cunches, 
 he vacillating andcau- 
 great force, were pie- 
 domains ; but, accord- 
 |u8, they were persuaded 
 ive woman, named Re- 
 ibled to cross the river 
 fits southern bank, upon 
 
 _ame. 
 
 id forts in the provinces 
 These operations were 
 ith the natives ; but, in 
 iciency of the military 
 were unsuccessful, and 
 
 THE ARAUCANIAN RACE. 
 
 659 
 
 the Spaniards were beginning to despise the power of an 
 enemy who was in after-times to prove invincible. 
 
 Valdivia retired to Conception, from which town he 
 sent forth expeditions in various directions, forming mag- 
 nificent plans for the entire occupation of the surrounding 
 country. He anticipated little further resistance on the 
 part of the inhabitants, but while he was indulging these 
 hopes, and pondering new schemes of conquest, an influ- 
 ence was at work to counteract his efforts and restore the 
 native independence. Colocolo, an old cacique of Arauco, 
 set himself in earnest to rouse up the whole nation to 
 resistance. He visited province after province, pointing 
 out the dangers of the supine course of Lincoyan, and 
 ui'ging the appointment of some more capable and ener- 
 getic leader. 
 
 A meeting of the TJlmenes was called, after the usual 
 manner, in an open plain, and the merits of various rival 
 candidates for the office of Toqui were stormily discussed. 
 It was at last concluded to leave the decision with Colocolo, 
 who fixed upon a chief not before brought forward ; Cau- 
 polican, Ulmen of Pilmayquen. 
 
 The new general commenced operations against the 
 Spanish fort in Arauco. Having taken prisoners a body 
 of eighty Indians, who had been sent out by the garrison 
 to gather forage, he put an equal number of his own war- 
 riors in charge of the supplies, with their arms concealed 
 among the bundles of grass or hay. These were admitted 
 without suspicion into the fort, when, grasping their 
 weapons, they attacked the Spaniards with inconceivable 
 fury. Caupolican did not arrive quite soon enough, with 
 his army, to take advantage of the confusion which ensued. 
 As he came up, his brave company was driven out, the 
 draw-bridge was raised, and the garrison stationed to de- 
 fend the walls. He therefore invested the place, and, cut- 
 ting off all supplies, compelled the Spaniards to evacuate 
 
 
 
 . 11 
 

 T 
 
 
 
 « » . 
 
 f I « i- 1 
 
 
 660 
 
 INDIAN BACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 it. This was accomplished without loss, by taking their 
 departure under cover of night : " at midnight they mount- 
 ed their horses, and, suddenly opening tht gate, rushed out 
 at full speed, and escaped through the midst of their ene- 
 mies ; the Araucanians, who supposed it to be one of their 
 customary sallies, taking no measures to obstruct their 
 flight." 
 
 Following up his advantage Caupolican reduced the fort 
 at Tucapel, and encamped at that place to await the ap- 
 proach of the Spanish army. Valdivia, according to the 
 expectation of the Toqui, promptly collected his forces 
 for a grand struggle with the natives. The numbers of 
 the respective armies are not certainly known ; but it ap- 
 pears probable that there were several hundred Spaniards, 
 accompanied by ten times their number of Indian auxilia- 
 ries, while the Araucanian forces are set down at nine or 
 ten thousand. As he neared the enemies* camp, the Span- 
 ish general sent forward ten mounted men under Diego del 
 Oro, on a scout. These were surrounded and cut off by 
 the Indians, and their heads were hung upon trees in sight 
 of the advanci.ig troops. 
 
 It was upoii the 3d of December, 1553, that the grand 
 engagement took place. It was no ordinary Indian skir- 
 mish, in which, if the natives could be dislodged from 
 covert, their discomfiture was certain, but a pitched battle, 
 depending no less upon military skill in the manceuvres 
 of the different battalions than upon individual courage 
 and determination. The Spaniards were, it is true, greatly 
 outnumbered, but they had, on the other hand, the im- 
 mense advantage of fire-arms and other European weap- 
 ons, with which they had so long been accustomed to 
 scatter the hordes of rudely-equipped savages who opposed 
 them. 
 
 The Araucanians appeared utterly recklesK of life : line 
 after line would be swept away by cannon and musketry, 
 
[CA. 
 
 .88, by taking their 
 idnight they mount- 
 thfc gate, ru8hed out 
 I midst of their ene- 
 it to be one of their 
 es to obstruct their 
 
 ican reduced the fort 
 ice to await the ap- 
 na, according to the 
 collected his forces 
 IS. The numbers of 
 ily known ; but it ap- 
 d hundred Spaniards, 
 3er of Indian auxilia- 
 e set down at nine or 
 mies' camp, the Span- 
 men under Diego del 
 anded and cut off by 
 ng upon trees in sight 
 
 1553, that the grand 
 ordinary Indian skir- 
 dd be dislodged from 
 I, but a pitched battle, 
 all in the manoeuvres 
 ,on individual courage 
 were, it is true, greatly 
 B other hand, the im- 
 other European weap- 
 r been accustomed to 
 1 savages who opposed 
 
 y reckless of life : line 
 cannon and musketry, 
 
 TEE ABAUGANIAN RACE. 
 
 661 
 
 but fresh bodies were ready, at the word of command, to 
 rush into the dangerous breach. Molina describes the re- 
 sult as follows : " Three times they retired in good order 
 beyond the reach of the musketry, and, as often, resuming 
 new vigor, returned to the attack. At length, after the 
 loss of a great number of their men, they wcxj thrown 
 into disorder, and began to give way. Caupolican, Tuca- 
 pel (one of the most distinguished of their generals), and 
 the old, intrepid Colocolo, wh> rvas present in the action, 
 in vain attempted to prevent their flight and reanimate 
 their courage. The Spaniards shouted victory, and furi- 
 ously pressed upon the fugitives. 
 
 " At this momentous crisis, a young Araucanian, of but 
 sixteen years of age, called Lautaro, whom Valdivia, in 
 one of his incursions, had taken prisoner, baptized and 
 made his page, quitted the victorious party, began loudly 
 to reproach his countrymen with their cowardice, and 
 exhorted them to continue the contest, as the Spaniards, 
 wounded and spent with fatigue, were no longer able to re- 
 sist them. At the same time, grasping a lance, he turned 
 against his late master, crying out, • Follow me, my coun- 
 trymen ! victory courts us with open arms.' " 
 c Such resolution and courage on the part of a boy roused 
 the fugitives to new exertions, and turned the scale of 
 battle. The Spanish force was entirely^estroyed — of the 
 whole army, it is said that only two Indians escaped. 
 Valdivia was taken alive, and brought into the presence 
 of the Toqui. Caupolican seemed disposed to favor the 
 captive general, but an old officer, standing by, " enraged 
 to hear them talk of sparing his life, despatched the unfor- 
 tunate prisoner with a blow of his club." 
 
 A more fanciful tale of the manner of Valdivia*s death 
 obtained some credence : Purchas makes mention of it as fol- 
 lows in his synopsis of Chilian conquests and colonization : 
 
 " In six and thirty degrees is that famous valley of 
 
 
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 662 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 rf t-?- 
 
 Arauco, which defend their persons and freedom, maugre 
 all the force and fury of the Spaniards. * * They have 
 destroyed many of the Spaniards : they took the city 
 Baldivia in the year 1599, and slew the Spaniards. 
 Twice before, if not oftener, they had burnt and spoiled it. 
 Yea, Baldivia himself, the first conqueror of Chili (for 
 Almagro staid not), and of whom that city received 
 name, was taken by these Indians, his horse being slain 
 under him. They bid him fear nothing, he should have 
 gold enough : and making a great banquet for him, brought 
 in tho^ast service, which was a cup full of molten gold, 
 which they forced him to drink, saying, Now glut thy- 
 self with gold. This Baldivia had entered Chili with four 
 hundred horse, and easily conquered that part which had 
 been subject to the kings of Peru; but the other, which 
 was the richer part, held out." 
 
 To proceed with the more authentic narrative, Lautaro 
 was immediately raised to the highest subordinate rank in 
 the army, being made " lieutenant-general extraordinary," 
 and the whole country resounded with his praise. 
 
 When news of the fatal overthrow of Valdivia reached 
 the Spanish settlements, the inhabitants abandoned Vil- 
 larica, Puren, and other minor establishments, retreating' 
 for safety within the walls of Valdivia and Imperial. 
 These t vo places •seere invested by Caupolican in force, 
 while the gallant young Lautaro was intrusted with the 
 defence of the mountain pass by which succors from the 
 north would probably arrive. 
 
 In accordance with directions left by Valdivia for the 
 conduct of the government in the event ot his death, the 
 office of governor devolved upon Francis Villagran. Im- 
 mediately upon assuming command, this officer made ar- 
 rangements for another invasion of Arauco. 
 
 He found Lautaro with his division prepared to oppose 
 Ms entrance into the province. An advanced body of 
 
 
Ift by Valdivia for the 
 event ot his death, the 
 t'rancis Villagran. Im- 
 1, this officer made ar- 
 lArauco. 
 
 fon prepared to oppose 
 in advanced body of 
 
 THE ARAUCANIAN RACE. 
 
 668 
 
 natives was driven in by the Spaniards, after some hours 
 of hard fighting, and the invaders pressed up the moun- 
 tain path to the spot where the young commander was 
 posted. " This mountain," says MoHna, " which on sev- 
 eral occasions has proved fatal to the Spaniards, has on 
 its summit a large plain, interspersed with shady trees. 
 Its sides are full of clefts and precipices, on the part 
 towards the west the sea beats, with great violence, and 
 the east is seemed by impenetrable thickets. A winding 
 by-path on the north was the only road that led to the 
 summit of the mountain." 
 
 Villagran had six pieces of artillery, wliich he succeeded 
 in bringing to bear, Avith effect, upon the Indians, while his 
 musketeers poured continual volleys among their crowded 
 ranks. Py the orders of Lautaro, a select body of war- 
 riors charged the battery, and took possession of every 
 cannon. This decided the fortune of the day ; the Span- 
 iards and their allies were driven down the mountain in 
 hopeless confusion, pursued by the victorious natives. To 
 add to their difficulties, they found their retreat cut off by 
 a barricade of logs. But a handful of the number survived 
 to carry the heavy news to Conception. 
 t< The city was immediately deserted, as incapable of 
 defence ; the women, children, and old men, were shipped 
 on board the vessels in the harbor, to be carried to Val- 
 paraiso and Imperial, while Villagran, with the able-bodied 
 men, took up his march for Santiago. 
 
 The Araucanians plundered and destroyed the aban- 
 doned city without opposition. The hurried departure of 
 the Spaniards, and their insufficient means of conveyance, 
 prevented the removal of much accumulated treasure, which 
 consequently fell into the hands of the Indians. 
 
 Villagran, as soon as practicable, sent reenforcements to 
 the besieged cities of Valdivia and Imperial, upon which 
 Caupolican drew off his forces, leaving the Spaniards to 
 
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 ¥ 
 
 Ifc tor ., :r., • • ■, 
 
 Jfpnl' '^■■■^*'• 
 
 
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 -Hill' 
 
 664 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 lay waste the surrounding country. A worse enemy than 
 the European invaders, at this time, desolated the Indian 
 territories : that terrible disease the small-pox was commu- 
 nicated to the natives by some infected Spanish soldiers, 
 and, as usual among a people unacquainted with its pecu- 
 liarities, spread far and wide, producing a fearful mortality. 
 
 In the year 1555, the Court of the Royal Audience, at 
 Lima, in settling various disputed questions connected 
 with Spanish government in Chili, directed Villagran to 
 rebuild the city of Conception. A colony was accordingly 
 transported thither, and a strong fort was erected. This 
 spot, it will be remembered, was to be northward of the 
 Bio-bio, and without the Araucanian territory ; but, at the 
 request of the native inhabitants, an army of about two 
 thousand men, under Lautaro, was sent to annihilate the 
 growing settlement. 
 
 The young chieftain was a second time completely suc- 
 cessful. The Spaniards were slain, or driven to seek safety 
 in their vessels, or by flight through the wilderness, and 
 the buildings were again plundered and razed. 
 
 Flushed with success, Lautaro now determined, with 
 only six hundred warriors, to march a distance of some 
 three hundred miles, and attack the town of Santiago. 
 At the same time, Caupolican again laid siege to Valdivia 
 and Imperial. Lautaro pursued his march peaceably 
 until he reached Promaucia, where he revenged his coun- 
 try upon the treacherous allies of the Spaniards by ravag- 
 ing and laying waste the district. This course of proceed- 
 ing has been pronounced grossly impolitic, as by concilia- 
 ti»n and kindness he might have secured friends where he 
 now left behind him implacable enemies. 
 
 Instead of making an instantaneous attack upon the 
 city, Lautaro deemed it more prudent to erect a fort to 
 which he might retreat, and where he might, at his leisure, 
 reconnoitre the enemy's strongholds, and choose his own 
 
RICA. 
 
 \. worse enemy than 
 desolated the Indian 
 lall-pox was commu- 
 ted Spanish soldiers, 
 minted with its pecu- 
 ig a fearful mortality. 
 Q Royal Audience, at 
 
 questions connected 
 directed Villagran to 
 olony was accordingly 
 ,rt was erected. This 
 ) be northward of the 
 
 territory ; but, at the 
 
 ,n army of about two 
 
 sent to annihilate the 
 
 d time completely suc- 
 or driven to seek safety 
 5h the wilderness, and 
 and razed. 
 
 now determined, with 
 Lxh a distance of some 
 he town of Santiago. 
 n laid siege to Valdivia 
 his march peaceably 
 P he revenged his coun- 
 he Spaniards by ravag- 
 This course of proceed- 
 ippolitic, as by concilia- 
 .cured friends where he 
 
 smies. 
 
 aeous attack upon the 
 ^dent to erect a fort to 
 Ihe might, at his leisure, 
 ds, and choose his own 
 
 THE ABAUCAMAN RACE. 
 
 665 
 
 1 
 
 r 
 
 time for assault or surprise. He therefore posted himself 
 on the banks of the Ciaro. Hepeated attempts were made 
 by the Spaniards to dislodge him, but again and again they 
 were repulsed with heavy loss. The conduct of these 
 sorties were intrusted to Pedro Villagran, son of the gov- 
 ernor, the old chief himself being at the time disabled by 
 sickness. 
 
 Upon his recovery, the veteran took with him an army 
 of about two hundred Spaniards, with a thousand Indians, 
 and marched, with great secrecy and caution, for Lautaro's 
 camp. He succeeded in surprising the enemy, and gained 
 a complete victory. The attack was made just at the 
 dawn of day, when the Indians were totally unprepared : 
 they fought with their usual desperation, and, after all 
 hope of resistance was at an end, sternly refused to sur- 
 render. " In vain," says Molina, " the Spanish commander 
 repeatedly offered them quarter. * * The Araucanians 
 perished to the las man, and fought with such obstinacy 
 that they sought for death by throwing themselves on the 
 lances of their enemies." 
 
 Lautaro was slain by a dart in the very first of the mel^e. 
 This was in 1556, and the brave and celebrated chief was 
 consequently but nineteen years of age. His death was 
 universally lamented; even the Spaniards, while exult- 
 ing in the prospect of future safety, opened to them by his 
 death, both felt and expressed the most enthusiastic admi- 
 ration for his noble character and distinguished talents. 
 Caupolican, hearing of the melancholy issue of Lautaro's 
 expedition, raised the siege of Imperial, and repaired to 
 the northern frontiers. 
 38 
 
 ,. '■ 
 
m 
 
 
 
 
 V- 
 
 
 
 ii 
 
 kL.j ' ' fs^ .iv:... ■ '■; 
 
 
 666 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 DON GARCIA DE MENDOZA; HIS ESTABLISHMENT AT aUIRiaUINA 
 
 FORT ON MOUNT PINTO ATTACKED BY CAUPOLICAN. — DON GARCIA'b 
 INVASION OF ARAUCO; HIS CRUELTIES. — EXPEDITION TO CHILOE. 
 
 — ARTFUL MANAGEMENT OP THE CUVCHES. — SEIZURE AND CRUEL 
 DEATH OF CAUPOLICAN.— SUBSEaUENT SUCCESSES OP THE SPAN- 
 IARDS.— RETREAT OP THE NATIVES TO THE MARSHES OF LUMACO, 
 
 — INDIAN VICTORY AT MOUNT MARIGUENU. — GENERAL SUMMARY 
 OF SUCCEEDING HOSTILITIES. 
 
 In the montli of April, 1557, Don Garcia de Mendoza, 
 upon whom had been conferred the office of Spanish vice- 
 roy at Chili, arrived at the harbor of Conception, with a 
 large force of infantry and abundant muniments of war. 
 He first established himself upon the island of Quiriquina, 
 and sent messages to the Araucanian authorities express- 
 ing a desire for the establishment of a permanent peace. 
 Caupolican, with the concurrence of his council, sent one 
 Millalauco to confer with the Spanish commandant, espe- 
 cially charging him to note with great accuracy the num- 
 bers and resources of the troops. Nothing but general 
 expressions of amity and desire for tranquillity resulted 
 from the conference, and Millalauco returned with full 
 reports to Caupolican. The Toqui was immediately upon 
 the alert, and made every preparation for obtaining instant 
 information of the enemy's movements, and for opposing 
 any establishment upon the main land. 
 
 In the month of August, Don Garcia landed a detach- 
 ment in the night, and secured the position of Mount 
 Pinto, overlooking the plain and harbor. Here a fort was 
 constructed, surrounded by a ditch, and defended by artil- 
 lery. Only four days from the time of landing, the Arau- 
 canian chief, with a large army, attacked the fort. 
 

 EICA. 
 
 V. . 
 
 IMENT AT aUIRiaUINA.- 
 UPOLlCAN.-nONGARCIA'b 
 EXPEDITION TO CHILOE. 
 ,,E9 -SEIZURE AND CRUEL 
 SUCCESSES OF THE SPAN- 
 TUB MARSHES OF LUMACO. 
 ;ENU -GENERAL SUMMARY 
 
 Ion Garcia de Mendoza, 
 8 office of Spanish vice- 
 i- of Conception, with a 
 dant muniments of war. 
 the island of Quiriquina, 
 nian authorities express- 
 it of a permanent peace, 
 of his council, sent one 
 inish commandant, espe- 
 great accuracy the num- 
 Nothing but general 
 for tranquillity resulted 
 lauco returned with full 
 ui was immediately upon 
 ,tion for obtaining instant 
 :ments, and for opposing 
 
 land. 
 Garcia landed a detach- 
 the position of Mount 
 aarbor. Here a fort was 
 .h, and defended by artil- 
 [mc of landing, the Arau- 
 ittacked the fort. 
 
 3. 
 
 THE ATIAUCANIAN RACE. 
 
 667 
 
 Filling the ditch with logs and fascines, the assailants, 
 in the fo of a murderous fire, made desperate efforts to 
 scale the walls. Many succeeded, and threw themselves 
 into the enclosure, willing to meet certain destruction that 
 they might have a brief opportunity for wreaking their 
 long-cherished vengeance upon the Spaniards. Prodigies 
 are related of the personal exploits of Tucapel, who en- 
 couraged this audacity by his own example, but who, 
 unlike his companions, succeeded in forcing his way back. 
 After killing, as is said, " four of his enemies with his 
 formidable mace, he escaped by leaping over a precipice, 
 amidst a shower of balls." 
 
 Reenforcenients were sent over from the island, and 
 Caupolican was obliged to draw off his forces, leaving his 
 purpose unaccomplished. The arrival, shortly after, of a 
 great force of Spanish cavalry and Indian auxiliaries, by 
 sea, rendered a repetition of the attempt hopeless. 
 
 Thus strengthened, Don Garcia soon commenced offen- 
 sive operations. He crossed the Bio-bio unopposed, and 
 engaged the Araucanian army, a short distance beyond. 
 The natives, notwithstanding every exertion, and the dis- 
 play of a rash valor never surpassed, were driven off -vith 
 terrible loss. 
 
 Cruelty and barbarity unlike any thing before known in 
 Chili, now marked the success of the conqueror. He cut 
 off the hands of a prisoner named Galverino, who had 
 been a noted warrior, and sent him to his friends as a 
 warning of what was in store for them : other captives he 
 subjected to cruel tortures in order to extort information as 
 to their general's plans and places of retreat, but their for- 
 titude was proof against all the suffering he could inflict. 
 
 Caupolican soon rallied his forces for another battle, 
 which was more obstinately contested even than the first ; 
 but the result was the sam.e — the superiority in weapons, 
 and the eificiency of the cavalry securing success to the 
 
 
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m:^- 
 
 
 
 • r,-''v. ■■-?•':. '"■ ■ -' ■ ■ ■' 
 
 
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 t: 
 
 
 
 lip 
 
 ri 
 
 668 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Spaniards. The mutilated Galverino, again taken prisoner, 
 was hanged, with twelve of the native Ulmenes. 
 
 Marching into the district of Tucapel, Don Garcia 
 founded the city of Canete upon the spot of Valdivia's 
 former discomfiture. A strong fort was there built and 
 garrisoned, and the command intrusted to one Alonzo 
 Reynoso, after which the conqueror returned in triumph to 
 Imperial. From this town he sent large numbers of 
 Spaniards to assist in the defence and establishment of the 
 new city. On the route, these settlers were furiously at- 
 tacked by the natives, but after suffering some loss in men 
 and stores, they effected an entrance into the fortification. 
 Caupolican then set himself systematically to reduce the 
 place. In the attempt to secure an advantage by the in- 
 troduction of a spy within the walls, he was himself com- 
 pletely overreached by the cunning of one of the Indian 
 allies of the Spaniards. This man, discovering the errand 
 of the spy, secured his confidence by pretending hatred 
 against the invaders, and by promising his aid in admitting 
 the besiegers within the walls. Caupolican was regularly 
 entrapped : a gate was left open to give opportunity for an 
 entrance into the fort, but when such a number had entered 
 as could safely be mastered, the passage was closed, and 
 by a sudden and unexpected attack, those within the walls 
 were cut to pieces, and those without completely routed. 
 Caupolican escaped to the mountains, but three of his 
 officers were taken prisoners, and blown from the muzzles 
 of cannon. 
 
 The years 1558 and 1559 were memorable among the 
 Spanish settlers of Chili, for the expedition of Don Garcia 
 to the archipelago of Chiloe. By an artful policy, adopted 
 in accordance with the advice of an Araucanian, the 
 Cunches averted the usual terrors of European invasion. 
 They pretended extreme poverty, sending to the general a 
 present of " roasted lizards and wild fruits," and carefully 
 
 I 
 
 ^t:4^f: 
 
''\: 
 
 
 THE ARAUCANIAN RACE. 
 
 669 
 
 e memorable among the 
 jxpedition of Don Garcia 
 an artful policy, adopted 
 of an Araucanian, the 
 krs of European invasion, 
 sending to the general a 
 rild fruits," and carefully 
 
 concealing every sign of wealth, particularly in the precious 
 metals. A guide furnished by them to the Spaniards was 
 instructed to lead the army southward by the most desolate 
 and dangerous routes, the more effectually to discourage 
 any plans of settlement and colonization. 
 
 Arriving, at last, after unheard-of toil and privation, at 
 the beautiful archipelago, the Spaniards were kindly and 
 generously entertained by the natives. On his return, 
 through the level country of the Huilliches, Don Garcia 
 founded the city of Orsino. 
 
 It was during this absence of the viceroy that the brave 
 Caupolican fell into the hands of his enemies. Alonzo 
 Reynoso extorted, by torture of a prisoner, the disclosure 
 of his place of retreat, and sent a corps of mounted men to 
 surprise him. By order of the cruel commandant, this 
 brave and venerated ruler was impaled, and in that posi- 
 tion despatched with arrows. 
 
 The office of Toqui was conferred upon a son of the 
 old chief, Caupolican the younger, and the redoubted 
 Tucapel was made second in command. An army of 
 Araucanians, led by the new commander,, was immediately 
 upon the march for the city of Conception. Alonzo Rey- 
 noso followed, with five hundred men, to attack this body 
 in the rear ; but was signally defeated in an engagement 
 north of the river Bio-bio, which he hardly succeeded in 
 recrossini: with a remnant of his followers. Instead of 
 following out his original d,. iign against Conception, young 
 Caupolican transferred his forces to Imperial, where Don 
 Garcia had fortified himself. He was unable to take the 
 city, although he besieged it closely for a long time, mak- 
 ing many furious and desperate attacks. The Spaniards 
 were strengthened by constant arrivals of military adven- 
 turers from Spain and Peru, and as their defences were 
 good, their loss in these engagements was small, as com- 
 pared with that of the Indian besltgors. An attempt to 
 
 
 
nwii 
 
 1,1. V'H- «i, * , 
 
 lit .IV' '■'" ^' 
 
 ,■,l,''^ 
 
 '. j ' 
 
 1;. r 
 
 670 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 
 rouse a rebellion among the Indian allies at the Spanish 
 camp, was discovered, and all concerned were put to death. 
 Two of the emissaries of the Toqui were " impaled in the 
 sight of the Araucanian army, to whom they recommended 
 with their last breath to die in defence of the liberties of 
 their country. One hundred and twenty of the auxiliaries 
 were also hung on the ramparts, exhorting the others to 
 favor the enterprise of their countrymen." 
 
 Caupolican withdi'ew from the city, and established him- 
 self at a place called Quipeo, between Conception and the 
 fortress of Canete, the nature of which was such that it 
 could easily be defended. Here he stoutly resisted all 
 efforts to dislodge him for a long time ; but was finally 
 worsted in an incautious sally. His army was mostly 
 destroyed ; Tucapel, Colocolo, Lincoyan, and others of his 
 bravest officers, had fallen ; and, seeing escape impossible, 
 the young chief put an end to his own life. 
 
 Every thing now seemed to favor the Spaniards : they 
 little thought that after such a reverse, and the experience 
 of the misery and horrors of a long and bloody war, the 
 natives would again make head against them. The inter- 
 val of peace was occupied in restoring the old fortifications 
 and settlements, and in the establishment of new posts. It 
 was at this time that the city of Mendoza, east of the 
 Andes, was founded. 
 
 Nearly all the Araucanian officers, and a large propor- 
 tion of the young men of the tribe, had perished in the 
 last disastrous campaigns, but the indomitable spirit of the 
 nation survived. A brave chief, named Antiguenu, was 
 chosen Toqui, and the shattered forces of the nation were 
 assembled in the gloomy and almost impenetrable marshes 
 of Lumaco. Here Antiguenu ** caused high scaffoldings to 
 be erected to secure his men from the extreme moisture,' 
 and devoted himself to training and instructing such new 
 recruits as could be collected. 
 
 lilliifc. 
 
i.k 
 
 RICA. 
 
 allies at the Spanish 
 ed were put to death, 
 yere "impaled in the 
 >m they recommended 
 je of the liberties of 
 3nty of the auxiliaries 
 horting the others to 
 
 nen." 
 
 ', and established him- 
 ;n Conception and the 
 ^hich was such that it 
 le stoutly resisted all 
 time ; but was finally 
 His army was mostly 
 oyan, and others of his 
 )ing escape impossible, 
 
 wn life. 
 
 pr the Spaniards : they 
 rse, and the experience 
 ng and bloody war, the 
 inst them. The inter- 
 ng the old fortifications 
 iment of new posts. It 
 Mendoza, east of the 
 
 rs, and a large propor- 
 )e, had perished in the 
 ndomitable spirit of the 
 named Antiguenu, was 
 ces of the nation were 
 impenetrable marshes 
 ised high scaffoldings to 
 the extreme moisture," 
 id instructing such new 
 
 THE ARAUCANIAN RACE. 
 
 671 
 
 Don Garcia had, in the mean time, been superseded in 
 his office of Spanish viceroy, by the former incumbent, 
 Francis Villagran ; who, hearing of the late defeat of the 
 natives, supposed that he now occupied an easy and secure 
 position. He was undeceived by the intelligence that the 
 new Toqui was beginning to give his army Kome practical 
 lessons in the art of war by various predatory visits to the 
 Spanish settlements. 
 
 The first serious engagement, in this campaign, took 
 place at the summit of Mount Mariguenu, the scene of 
 former disaster to the Spaniards. Antiguenu, familiar 
 with the advantages of the locality, was posted at this spot, 
 and Villagran sent one of his sons, with the most efficient 
 force at his disposal, to attack the enemy in their quarters. 
 The result of the attempt was as fatal as upon former occa- 
 f^lons : the leader of the assailants was slain, and nearly 
 the entire Spanish army destroyed. The Toqui followed 
 up his advantage by the seizure and destruction of the for- 
 tress at Canete. 
 
 About this time Pedro Villagran, by the death of Francis, 
 his father, succeeded to the office of governor. Antiguenu 
 had now at his disposal an army of not far from four thou- 
 sand men, and felt sufficiently strong to divide his forces, 
 and make a simultaneous attack upon the city of Concep- 
 tion and the fortress at Arauco. 
 
 The city resisted all the attempts of the natives, although 
 close siege was laid to it for two months ; but the detach- 
 ment led into Arauco by Antiguenu in person was more 
 successful. The commandant, Lorenzo Bcrnal, defended 
 his post with great bravery, holding out against all the as- 
 saults of the enemy until reduced by famine to evacuate the 
 fort. The Spaniards were not disturbed in their retreat, the 
 business of destroying the buildings and fortifications, so 
 long a harbor for the enemy in the heart of their own 
 country, fully occupying the attention of the Araucanians. 
 
 ^^H' 
 
 '! » 
 
1.'- 
 
 ijr. ""■" 
 
 m''J'. Sii: -.r!''^ '.^■■^r-, '■ Siiwi* 
 
 "JXiyr '-JHp.ti «» « T d ■ ■« .;^.' ;'S*^iB ■ 
 
 I 
 
 
 672 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMEPICA. 
 
 Several interesting incident;: are recorded connected with 
 this siege : upon one occasion, Antiguenu challenged the 
 Spanish commandant to a private personal encounter, and 
 the duel was accordingly fought in sight of both armies. 
 " The battle between these two champions," says the histo- 
 rian, ** was continued for two hours withoiit either obtaining 
 any advantage, or injuring the other, till they were at 
 length separated by their men.'* Such trials of strength 
 and skill between renowned warriors of either party were 
 not uncommon during the protracted wars of Chili. 
 
 Not long after the reduction of Canete and the fort at 
 Arauco, a general engagement took place between the In- 
 dians and Spaniards at the junction of the Vergosa and 
 Bio-bio, in which the former were totally routed. Anti- 
 guenu with many of his followers fell, or was forced, from 
 a steep bark into the stream, and there perished. A ter- 
 rible havoc was committed among the discomfited army, 
 not, however, ^vithout great loss to the victors, and the 
 Araucanian power seemed, a second time, to be eflfectually 
 crushed. This was in the year 1564. 
 
 The sagacious and prudent Paillataru, a relative of the 
 lamented Lautaro, was the next Toqui, and, like his pred- 
 ecessor, he set himself, at first, to recruit his forces and 
 repair the disasters of war. For years he hazarded no 
 open battle with the whites, but inured his warriors to ser- 
 vice by fiying incursions. 
 
 In 1565 a new Spanish viceroy, Rodrigo de Quiroga, 
 restored the posts at Canete and Arauco, and built a new 
 fort at Quipeo. With little opposition, he laid waste those 
 portions of the Araucanian territory that were within his 
 reach, and despatched a body of troops to the southward, 
 to bring into subjection the islands of the Chilean archi- 
 pelago. The mild and gentle inhabitants of that group 
 submitted without an effort to the dictation of the Span- 
 iards, oflfering no resistance to the burdens of personal 
 
i^^- 
 
 EPICA. 
 
 corded connected with 
 guenu challenged the 
 jrsonal encounter, and 
 sight of both armies, 
 ipions," says the histo- 
 dthoi^t either obtaining 
 ler, till they were at 
 Such trials of strength 
 s of either party were 
 I wars of Chili. 
 Ilanete and the fort at 
 place between the In- 
 ,n of the Vergosa and 
 totally routed. Anti- 
 ■cU, or was forced, from 
 here perished. A ter- 
 ; the discomfited army, 
 ;o the victors, and the 
 I time, to be effectually 
 
 'A. 
 
 ataru, a relative of the 
 
 )qui, and, like his pved- 
 
 recruit his forces and 
 
 years he hazarded no 
 
 ared his warriors to ser- 
 
 y , Rodrigo de Quiroga, 
 _rauco, and built a new 
 tion, he laid waste those 
 ■y that were within his 
 ;roopa to the southward, 
 s of the Chilean archi- 
 habitants of that group 
 ; dictation of the Span- 
 he burdens of personal 
 
 THE ARAUCANIAN RACE. 
 
 6^/3 
 
 service, &c., imposed upon them by their new masters. In 
 after-times they proved equally tractable in adopting the 
 religion of their conquerors. 
 
 For thirty years from the installation of Paillataru, 
 bloody and desolating wars were, at intervals, W£Jiged be- 
 tween the Spaniards and Araucanians. The former, from 
 the steady increase of their numbers, acquired a stronger 
 foothold in the country, and the result of hostilities was 
 generally in their favor. Occasionally some terrible reverse 
 would serve to remind them that the enemy was not yet 
 conquered, but that the old spirit still burned with undi- 
 minished energy. The Araucanians acquired the use of 
 horsesj thereby gaining great facilities for flying incursions. 
 To a certain extent they had, moreover, learned to avail 
 themselves of such fire-arms as were secured in battle. 
 
 Paillataru defeated the Spaniards yet again upon Mount 
 Mariguenu, ahd, as well as his successor, the mustee or 
 half-breed Paynenancu, proved a thorn in the sides of the 
 colonists. The Ulman of Mariguenu, Cayancaru, was 
 made Toqui in 1585, after the seizure and execution of 
 Paynenancu. This ruler, disappointed in various, bold but 
 unsuccessful campaigns, resigned office in favor of his son 
 Nangonicl, who was soon after slain in battle. A noted 
 warrior, named Cadeguala, succeeded him. 
 
 The new Toqui, after various other warlike operations, 
 laid siege to the Spanish fort at Puren. Becoming weary 
 of delay, his chivalrous spirit led him to challenge the 
 commandant, Garcia Ramon, to single combat, thereby 
 to decide the fate of the fortress. The two leaders accord- 
 ingly fought on horseback, with lances, and Cadeguala fell 
 transfixed by his auversary's weapon at the first tilt. 
 
 Guanoalca, the next in authority, continued to wage war 
 with the Spaniards, and gained many advantages. He 
 reduced and took possession of the fortresses at Puren, 
 Trinidad, and Spirito Santo. During this administral-ion. 
 
 •! » 
 
irJ-*'M 
 
 
 
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 M 
 
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 674 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 flourished a celebrated female warrior, named Jane- 
 queo, who in 1590, with a horde of the wild and roving 
 Puelches of the eastern districts, harassed the Spanish 
 settlements. 
 
 The young chief Quintuguenu. succeeded Guanoalca, 
 upon the death of that Toqui In 1591, and although a 
 brave and noble warrior, was doomed tr defeat and death 
 at the spot most famous for his countiy men's victories. 
 He fell on the heights of Mariguenu, where his army was 
 destroyed or dispersed. One P?illaeco was elected in his 
 place, but with reduced forces he could effect little against 
 the Spaniards, eucourctgod as they were by recent success. 
 The old forts and posts destroyed under the sway of pre- 
 ceding rulers were rebuilt and fortified in the years 1591 
 and 1592. 
 
 CHAPTEK V. 
 
 VICEROY ALTY OF MARTIN LOYOLA. — PAILLAMACHIT.— RENEWAL OP 
 TFIE WAR. — LOYOLA SLAIN. — GENERAL INSURRECTION OF THE NA- 
 TIVES.— THE SPANIARDS DRIVEN FROM THE COUNTRY SOUTH OF 
 THE BIO-BIO. — BLC )DY CAMPAIGNS UNDER SEVERAL SUCCESSIVE 
 TOQUIS. — PE iCE Of 1640. — TEN YEARS' WAR. — SUBSEQUENT TREA- 
 TIES AND HOSTILITIES. - PRESENT POSITION OF THE ARAUCA- 
 NIANS. 
 
 In 1593 Don Martin Loyola, nephew of Ignatius, the 
 originator of the order of Jesuits> arrived at Chili, in- 
 vested with the office of governor under the Spanish mon- 
 archy. During the period of his authority arose the re- 
 nowned Paillamachu, next in regular succession to Pailla- 
 eco. He was an old man, but endowed with singular energy 
 and activity. For two years he kept aloof, recruiting 
 and disciplining his forces at the old retreat among the 
 
(•<• 
 
 RICA. 
 
 rior, named Jane- 
 the wild and loving 
 arassed the Spanish 
 
 (ucceeded Guanoalca, 
 591, and although a 
 tc defeat and death 
 ountiymen's victories. 
 , where his army was 
 ICO was elected in his 
 Id effect little against 
 3re by recent success. 
 mder the sway of pre- 
 ed in the years 1591 
 
 V. 
 
 IllAMAOHU. -RENEWAL OF 
 INSURRECTION OF THE NA- 
 I THE COUNTRY SOUTH OF 
 IDER SEVERAL SUCCESSIVE 
 WAR.-SUBSEaUENT TREA- 
 (SlTIOi* OF THE ARAUCA- 
 
 iephew of Ignatius, the 
 t arrived at Chili, in- 
 Lnder the Spanish mon- 
 I authority arose the re- 
 llar succession to Pailla- 
 red with singular energy 
 kept aloof, recruiting 
 old retreat among the 
 
 THE ARAUCANIAN RACE. 
 
 675 
 
 •\. 
 
 Lumacan morasses, while the Spaniards had opportunity, 
 unmolested, to restore their ruined cities, to work the rich 
 mines of the mountains, and to strengthen their positions 
 as they would. The Toqui, by an ambassador, gave Loy- 
 ola distinctly to understand that he and his followers were, 
 as firmly as their forefathers, determined never to be 
 brought into subjection. 
 
 Paillamachu's first attempt against his enemies was by 
 sending a detachment (in 1595) to destroy a fortification 
 ercJted by Loyola at the southward of the Bio-Bio. From 
 this time he continued to attack and plunder the Spanish 
 settlements wherever opportunity offered, avoidii>g general 
 engagements, and retreating with his booty to his inacces- 
 sible fastnesses. On the night of November 22cl, 1598, 
 he succ9eded in surprising and slaying the Spanish gov- 
 ernor, at his encampment (with a slenuer retinue) in the 
 vale of Caralva. " It would seem," (by Molina's account) 
 " that the Araucanian general had formed confident hopes 
 of the success of this bold enterprise, since, in consequence 
 of his previous instructions, in less than forty-eight hours 
 after this event, not only the Araucanian provinces, but 
 those of the Cunches and Huilliches, were in arms, and 
 the whole of the country to the archipelago of Chiloe." 
 
 The native armies met with unprecedeuted success ; 
 town after town fell before them, reduced by siege or car- 
 ried by storm. Conception, Chilian, Canete, the Araucan 
 fort, Valdivia, and other settlements, were destroyed, and 
 the inhabitants slain, driven off", or carried away captives. 
 Villarica, Osorno, and Imperial were conquered, in 1602, 
 after protracted siege, in which the miserable citizens suf- 
 fered every extremity from famine and terror. *' Thus, in 
 a pericd of little more than three years were destroyed all 
 the settlements which Valdivia and his successors had es- 
 tablished and preserved, at the expense of so much blood, 
 in the extensive country between the Bio-Bio and the 
 
 1 
 

 \^!V 
 
 iW 
 
 
 ■+■*>- 
 
 
 
 676 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 archipelago of Chiloe, none of which have been since re- 
 built, as what is at present called Valdivia is no more than 
 a garrison." — {Molina's Civil History of Chili, 
 
 written about the close of the eighteenth century.) 
 
 Great numbers of Spanish prisoners were carried home 
 by the Indians, and experienced great diversity of treat- 
 ment. Many intermarried with the natives, giving origin 
 to a race of half-breeds, who proved as inimical towards 
 the Spaniards as their dusky ancestors. 
 
 The brave and sagacious Paillamachu died in 1603. 
 Repeated, but futile attempts were made by the Spaniards 
 for several years ensuing, to recover their lost territory 
 south of the Bio-bio. The Indians, fortunate in having 
 brave and sagacious rulers, and with all their ancient pride 
 and patriotic enthusiasm fully aroused, successfully resisted 
 every invasion. About the year 1G12, a movement was 
 made by a Jesuit, named Louis Valdivia, to put an end to 
 this hopeless warfare, that an opening might be made for 
 the spread of the Christian religion among the independent 
 tribes. The Spanish monarch, Philip the Third, highly 
 approved of the plan, and proposals were forwarded to the 
 Toqui an4 his council, by means of certain liberated pris- 
 oners. 
 
 While the treaty of peace was under negotiation, and 
 flattering prospects of quiet appeared to the settlers, an 
 event occurred which put a speedy end to all peaceful in- 
 tercourse. Ancanamon, the Toqui, had a Spanish woman 
 as one of his wives, who made her escape from his power, 
 and sought protection from the Spanish viceroy. Two 
 other wives of the Toqui, and two of his daughters, won 
 over by her persuasions to embrace her religion, accompa- 
 nied her in her flight. 
 
 The Spaniards refused to deliver up these refugees, with 
 the exception of one who had not professed Christianity, 
 and Ancanamon, enraged at the supposed injury, slew a 
 
;bica. 
 
 have been since re- 
 divia is no more than 
 nl History of Chili, 
 nth century.) 
 rs were carried home 
 3at diversity of treat- 
 natives, giving origin 
 1 as inimical towards 
 
 rs. 
 
 machu died in 1603. 
 
 lade by the Spaniards 
 
 er their lost territory 
 
 s, fortunate in having 
 
 all their ancient pride 
 
 ;d, successfully resisted 
 
 lG13, a movement was 
 
 [livia, to put an end to 
 
 ng might be made for 
 
 imong the independent 
 
 lip the Third, highly 
 
 were forwarded to the 
 
 certain liberated pris- 
 
 under negotiation, and 
 tred to the settlers, an 
 end to all peaceful in- 
 had a Spanish woman 
 escape from his power, 
 Spanish viceroy. Two 
 of his daughters, won 
 her religion, accompa- 
 
 up these refugees, with 
 
 professed Christianity, 
 
 upposed injury, slew a 
 
 THE ARAUCANIAN RACE. 
 
 677 
 
 number of missionaries who had been conducted into his 
 dominions, and with renewed energy continued the pros- 
 ecution of the war. 
 
 About the year 1618, a most fierce and dangerous enemy 
 of the Spaniards had the dictatorship of the Aiaucanian 
 tribes. This was the celebrated Toqui Lientur. A chain 
 of military posts and strong fortifications had been erected 
 by the Spanish authorities upon the Bio-bio, to prevent 
 Indian incursions, but they availed nothing against the 
 rapid and energetic movements of the native commander. 
 Until his resignation, in 1625, he not only preserved his 
 own country from Spanish occupation, but made continual 
 inroads into the enemy's territory, plundering their vil- 
 lages and destroying the forces brought to oppose him. In 
 his very first expedition, he is said to have seized and car- 
 ried off no less than four hundred horses. 
 
 His successor, the young warrior Putapichion, who had 
 been formerly a slave among the whites, proved a no less 
 formidable adversary. He continued in authority until 
 slain in battle about eight years from the time of his acces- 
 sion ; a period marked by many extensive and bloody cam- 
 paigns, in which the Spaniards, although more successful 
 than during former administrations, could obtain no per- 
 manent footing upon Araucanian soil. At the last grand 
 engagement, which, in consequence of his death, resulted 
 favorably for the Spaniards, the manner in which this chief 
 marshalled and bxought his forces to action excited the ad^ 
 miration of his enemies. 
 
 The obstinacy with which these wars were carried on 
 during a pe .iod of little less than a century, until the peace 
 concluded in 1640, is almost without parallel. The history 
 of the times does not record a series of petty skirmishes, 
 but a succession of desperate campaigns, in which the 
 known valor and obstinacy of the Spaniard were no less 
 conspicuous than the utter carelessness of life and onthusi- 
 
 P'-l' 
 

 ^r^''i:*.- 
 
 ■ f '?'.!i'M;',,': .. V.,, ,,,^ ; _ 
 
 >, ; I , 
 
 
 ,i' 
 
 \ I 
 
 '^r 
 
 
 
 678 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 astic self-devotion of the Indian. The success of either 
 party would, from time to time, seem to threaten the utter 
 extermination of their rivals, but defeat only compelled a 
 retreat, on the one hand within the fortified towns, and on 
 the other into the impenetrable wilderness, until new forces 
 could be raised and now plans of assault concocted. 
 
 In the year last mentioned the Marquis of Baydes, Fran- 
 cisco Zuniga, came out to Chili as governor, and exerted 
 himself successfully to obtain an interview with the Toqui 
 Lincopichion, and to conclude terms for a lasting peace. 
 
 An immense concourse of both races attended at the 
 time and place appointed for the solemn ratification of the 
 treaty, and days were passed in feats and congratulatory 
 ceremonials. Prisoners were exchanged, trade was estab- 
 lished, and free scope was given to the exertions of the 
 devout ecclesiastics who assumed the duty of converting 
 the Indians. These missionaries were well and respect- 
 fully treated, but met with no marked success in the prop- 
 agation of their doctrines. 
 
 The peace lasted until about 1655, when it was suc- 
 ceeded by a ten years' war, the particulars of which are 
 only recorded in the most general terms. It is certain that 
 during this season of hostility the Spanish colonists met 
 with such terrible losses, and were, upon many occasions, 
 so signally defeated by the Araucanians, that the preserva- 
 tion of a true history of events would be little flattering 
 to their national pride. 
 
 A new treaty was brought about in 1665, by the gov- 
 ernor, Francisco Meneses, and the country was compara- 
 tively at rest for more than half a century. The Spaniards 
 began to settle in the Araucanian territory, and, in conse- 
 quence of their naturally overbearing disposition, became 
 objects of dislike and suspicion to the native inhabitants. 
 Certain Spanish ofificials denominated the " Captains of the 
 Friends,** whose nominal duty was the protection of the 
 
 ,*• - I 
 
IRICA. 
 
 rhe success of either 
 to threaten the utter 
 'cat only compelled a 
 )rtified towns, and on 
 mess, until new forces 
 ault concocted, 
 rquis of Baydes, Fran- 
 governor, and exerted 
 erview with the Toqui 
 for a lasting peace, 
 races attended at the 
 emn ratification of the 
 its and congratulatory 
 nged, trade was estab- 
 D the exertions of the 
 he duty of converting 
 vere well and respect- 
 ed success in the prop- 
 
 555, when it was suc- 
 rticulars of which are 
 rms. It is certain that 
 Spanish colonists met 
 upon many occasions, 
 ians, that the preserva- 
 uld be little flattering 
 
 in 1665, by the gov- 
 country was compara- 
 sntury. The Spaniards 
 territory, and, in conse- 
 ng disposition, became 
 the native inhabitants, 
 d the " Captains of the 
 the protection of the 
 
 THE ARAUCANIAN RACES. 
 
 679 
 
 •I » 
 
 missionaries, but who assumed unwarranted powers, were 
 especially odious. 
 
 In 1722 the discontent of the Indians led them to a 
 renewal of hostilities. They appointed one Villumilla, a 
 bold and ambitious man, to the office of Toqui. This 
 chief exerted himself to rouse up an insurrection through- 
 out Chili, but, failing in this, with undiminished resolution, 
 he collected what forces could be mustered, and fell upon 
 the Spanish settlements, lie met with no little success, 
 gaining possession of the fortresses of Tucapel, Arauco, 
 and Purcn. In the words of the historian, " The war 
 afterwards became reduced to skirmishes of but little im- 
 portance, which were finally terminated by the celebrated 
 peace of Ncgrete, a place situated at the confluence of the 
 rivers Bio-bio and Lara." The more important grievances 
 complained of by the natives were redressed at the settle- 
 ment of the terms of treaty. 
 
 Further difficulties arose under the administration of 
 Don Antonio Gonzago, in consequence of an absurd and 
 futile attempt by that officer to induce or compel the 
 Araucanians to build and inhabit cities in certain prescribed 
 localities. A war ensued in which some bloody battles 
 were fought, and in which the roving Pehuenches were 
 involved, first in behalf of the Spaniards, but afterwards 
 as firm allies of their own countrymen. Peace was con- 
 cluded in 1773 ; and among the articles of stipulation, it 
 was agreed that a native minister should be stationed at 
 St. Jago to keep watch over his nation's interests. 
 
 This pacification produced the happiest results, itelieved 
 from the danger of hostile incursions, the Spanish settle- 
 ments north of that natural boundary, the Bio-bio, increased 
 and prospered, while the free tribes at the south were left 
 to the exercise of their own system of government and the 
 enjoyment of their well-earned liberty. 
 
 The proud distinction of being the only aboriginal 
 
 .. ' 
 
 

 »5'!v^^.;>.";'^. 
 
 
 It! : <v'i,(-'. 
 
 ;> 
 
 !•■ ,■■ "• > ■■ ■'. ' 
 
 i' 
 
 :,, J . 
 
 
 680 
 
 INDIAN BACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Americans who have maintained their independence when 
 brought directly in contact with Europeans, still belongs 
 to the Araucanians. They occupy much of their old 
 territory within the modern republic of Chili, a district set 
 down as covering an area of twenty-eight thousand square 
 miles. 
 
 It may well be doubted whether the world has ever pro- 
 duced a race of men, who, with no greater advantages, from 
 numbers, and advancement in the arts, have accomplished 
 military exploits worthy to be compared with those record- 
 ed in Araucanian history. The diflferent aims and purposes 
 of the contending parties throughout the long and terrible 
 contest with the colonists, enlist our warmest sympathies 
 with the natives. On the one hand, the insatiable thirst 
 for gold, the pride of conquest, or the scarcely less detest- 
 able spirit of intolerant bigotry, were the ruling motives — 
 and how powerful they have proved, let the history of 
 Spanish America portray— -while, on the other, the whole 
 end and aim of the rightful owners of the soil, individually 
 and collectively, seem to have been directed with unflinch- 
 ing self-devotion towards the one object of the preservation 
 of liberty and independence. 
 
 The principal benefit derived by the modern Araucani- 
 ans from intercourse with foreigners is in the introduction 
 of horses and cattle. These, with the vicuna and guanaco, 
 constitute their principal riches : they still live in a state 
 of primeval simplicity, and freedom from most of the arti- 
 ficial wants of civilization. 
 
.^"■' Y 
 
 ;erica. 
 
 lir independence when 
 uropeans, still belongs 
 J much of their old 
 ! of Chili, a district set 
 iorht thousand sq^uare 
 
 ■eii 
 
 the world has ever pro- 
 ;reater advantages, from 
 ,rts, have accomplished j 
 lared with those record- 
 erent aims and purposes 
 )ut the long and terrible j 
 our warmest sympathies ! 
 ind, the insatiable thirst 
 
 the scarcely less detest- 
 ere the ruling motives— 
 oved, let the history of 
 
 on the other, the whole 
 \ of the soil, individually 
 
 . directed with unilinch- 
 
 ,bject of the preservation 
 
 3y the modern Araucani- 
 n-s is in the introduction 
 the vicuna and guanaco, 
 I they still live in a state 
 Im from most of the urti- 
 
 mm 
 
 INDIAN TRIBES OF BRAZIL 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS. — PINZON'S DISCOVERIES. — LANDING OP 
 PEDRO ALVAREZ CABRAL UPON THE BRAZILIAN COAST. - EXPEDI- 
 TION UNDER VESPUCIUS. — CANNIBALISM. — COLONIZATION OF THE 
 COUNTRY, AND WARS WITH THE NATIVES. — FATE OF JUAN DE SOLIS, 
 AT THE ESTUARY OF LA PLATA. — SETTLEMENT OF BAHIA DE TODOS 
 SANTOS BY DIOGO ALVAREZ. -THE JESUITS, - PARTICULARS OF TliE 
 CANNIBAL PROPENSITIES OF THE NATIVES THE BOTOCUDOS. 
 
 There is a certain degree of resemblance in form and 
 feature between the Guarani tribes of Brazil with those 
 of other provinces forther south, and the races north of 
 the Amazon, described in a former chapter. The obliquity 
 of the eye, and the yellowish tinge of the complexion, with 
 other peculiarities, give them somewhat the appearance of 
 the Eastern Asiatic races. " The Eastern Guarani," ac- 
 cording to Prichard, " are the Tupi, or native inhabitants 
 of the Brazils. * The general language of Brazil,' says 
 Hervas, * called Tupi, from the name of the first Indians 
 who were converted to the holy fixith, is not more different 
 from the Guarani, viz : of Paraguay, than the Portuguese 
 from the Spanish.' The same writer enumerates, from in- 
 formation derived from ecclesiastics, the following tribes 
 who speak the Tupi, with little variety of dialect, viz : the 
 Cariyi, southward of the Tupi propi i, reaching as far 
 towards the south as the Rio Grande del Sud or S. Pietro, 
 39 (681) 
 
 i 
 
 
 i! 
 

 
 ■^s t*' 
 
 
 
 ;;*if^.N. 
 
 
 682 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 the Tamoyi, Tupinaqui, Timraiminos, Tobayari, Tupiii- 
 ambi, Apanti, Tapigoas, and several other tribes, occupy- 
 ing all the maritime countries as far north as the river 
 Maragnon." 
 
 The first information obtained by Europeans concerning 
 Brazil and its inhabitants, was from the report of Vicente 
 Pinzon, the associate of Columbus upon his first voyage 
 to America. On the 26th of January, 1500, Pinzon, who, 
 with several vessels, was bound upon an exploring expedi- 
 tion, made the present Cape St. Augustine, at the eastern 
 extremity of the southern continent. He took formal pos- 
 session of the country, and coasted thence as far north as 
 the mouth of the Amazon, of which he was the discoverer. 
 The voyage was in some respects disastr'^us, as three of the 
 vessels were lost, and several men p..iished in encounters 
 with the ferocious natives. Upon one occasion, a single 
 Spaniard was sent forward to conciliate and parley with a 
 group of Indians who stood upon a hill watching the move- 
 ments of the strangers. " The Spaniard," says Southey, 
 in his history of Brazil, " made all the friendly signs he 
 could devise, and threw to them a hawks'-bell, for which 
 they threw down something which was supposed to be a 
 piece of gold ; he stooped for it, and they sprang forward 
 to seize him." He defended himself with great valor and 
 skill, until his comrades hastened to his assistance. " The 
 savages, with their deadly archery, slew eight, wounded 
 many more, and pursued them to their boats. * * They 
 rushed on like wild beasts, despising wounds and death ; 
 followed the boats even when they had put off, dived after 
 them, and fairly won one of them, having slain its captain 
 and driven out the crew." 
 
 From this incident it will plainly appear that the Span- ; 
 ish adventurers had an enemy to deal with very different I 
 from the gentle and luxurious natives of the islands. That 
 the aborigines of some portions of Brazil were a waiUke 
 
 
..!t(M«««:-»«»^w»'«» - 
 
 SRICA. 
 
 ,s, Tobayari, Tupin- 
 
 other tribes, occupy- 
 
 ar north as the river 
 
 Europeans concerning 
 the report of Vicente 
 upon his first voyage 
 try 1500, Pinzon, who, 
 on an exploring expedi- 
 ugustine, at the eastern 
 t He took formal pos- 
 ei thence as far north as 
 h he was the discoverer, 
 iisastrous, as three of the 
 n p.ished in encounters 
 ,n one occasion, a single 
 acihate and parley with a 
 a hill watching the move- 
 Spaniard," says Southey, 
 all the friendly signs he 
 .ahawks'-bell, for^vhlcll 
 ch was supposed to be a 
 and they sprang forward 
 .self with great valor and 
 . to his assistance. " ihe 
 crv slew eight, wounded 
 their boats. • 
 
 ,l3ing wounds and dea b , 
 ,y had put off, dived after 
 I having slain its captain 
 
 linly appear that the Span- 
 ftoLlwithveiTdiffercn 
 
 \tives of the islands. M 
 of Brazil were a waihke 
 
 ti 
 
 INDIAN TRIBES OP BRAZIL. 
 
 683 
 
 and fierce race of cannibals, cannot be doubted from the 
 accounts given by early voyagers, although some have 
 aflfected to doubt whether they were actually accustomed to 
 devour human flesh. 
 
 During the spring following Pinzon's discovery, Pedro 
 Alvarez Cabral accidentally came upon the Brazilian coast, 
 as he was steering westward to avoid the terrible calms 
 which prevail west of the tropical regions of Africa. He 
 landed at the spot afterwards the site of Cabralia, about 
 seventeen degrees south of Cape St. Augustine. Cabral 
 was much more successful than his predecessor in gaining 
 the confidence of the natives. The tribe with whom he 
 first held intercourse was, indeed, of a more tractable and 
 kindly disposition than those met with by Pinzon : the 
 usual expedient of securing a prisoner, and then dismissing 
 him with caresses and presents, brought the natives in ad- 
 miring crowds about the vessel. 
 
 Cabral took possession, in behalf of the crown of Por- 
 tugal, and, erecting a crucifix, ordered the ceremonials of 
 the church to be performed, the Indians joining readily in 
 the attitude of devotion assumed by the company. 
 
 The next Portuguese expedition, under Amerigo Ves- 
 pucci, sailed from Europe in May, 1501. Land was made 
 somewhere in the vicinity of Cape St. Roque, in five de- 
 grees south latitude, where the voyagers were horror- 
 stricken at the discovery of the cannibal propensities of 
 the native inhabitants. Two sailors were missing, who 
 had been allowed to go on shore to reconnoitre, and the 
 crew landed in the boats to ascertain their fate. A young 
 Portuguese imprudently went forward alone to communi- 
 cate with the natives, when, in plain sight of his comrades, 
 he was set upon by the women, knocked down mth a 
 club from behind, and dragged off. An attack upon the 
 boats immediately followed, and, although the savages 
 were easily driven off by the fire-arms, they only retired to 
 
 ^ 
 

 
 r^ 
 
 '■.i*t 
 
 
 
 
 •:^..- 
 
 ii 
 
 ? .1. '.^vl- :^: ' 
 
 
 684 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 dismember, broil, and feast upon the body of the man 
 they had secured. By unmistakable gestures, they made 
 known to the crew that the other two Portuguese had met 
 with the same fate. 
 
 No settlement in the country was attempted until the 
 year 1503, when twenty-four men were left at the port of 
 All Saints. Private adventurers commenced colonies at 
 various points upon the coast during the ensuing years, 
 making the collection of the wood from which the country- 
 derives its name, the principal object of their efforts. A 
 most bloody and savage warfare soon broke out between 
 these settlers and the native inhabitants, in which either 
 party seemed to strive for preeminence in cruelty. A sys- 
 tem of transporting criminals from the old country to 
 Brazil served to debase the character of the colonies. In 
 warfare with the Indians, on the one hand, the prisoners 
 were slain and eaten ; and on the other, all were put to 
 death except such as would be valuable for slaves. 
 
 Meantime, the rage for discovery brought out divers 
 adventurers from the Old "World. In 1509, Don Juan de 
 Solis, accompanied by Vicente Pinzon, and commissioned 
 by the king of Castile, coasted as far south as the mouth 
 of the La Plata, entering upon his route the magnificent 
 harbor of Rio Janeiro. The tragic fate of this commander 
 is thus described by Southey : While in the immense 
 estuary of the river, " the natives invited him to shore, 
 and he landed with a boat's-crew, intending to catch one 
 of them and carry him to Spain. Their intention was 
 worse than his, and better executed. They had stationed 
 a party in ambush, who rose suddenly upon the crew, 
 seized the boat, broke it to pieces in an instant, and slew 
 every man with clubs ; then they took the bodies upon 
 their shoulders, carried them to a spot which was out of 
 the reach of the Spaniards, but within sight, and there dis- 
 membered, roasted, and devoured them. The scene of 
 
Si' 
 
 '"'m 
 
 INDIAN TRIBES CF BRAZIL, 
 
 685 
 
 this tragedy was on the north shore, between Monte Video 
 and Maldonado, near a rivulet, which still bears the name 
 of Solis." 
 
 The circumstances connected with the first settlement 
 of Bahia de Todos Santos, the province of which St. Sal- 
 vador was afterwards the capital, are singularly striking. 
 A young man, from Viana, named Diogo Alvarez, was 
 one of a ship's company who had been cast away upon 
 the neighboring shoals. Of those who reached the shore 
 in safety, Diogo was the only one fortunate enough to 
 escape being devoured. He managed to gain the good-will 
 of the Indians by his services, and more especially com- 
 manded their respect and reverence by his management 
 of a musket, which, with a store of ammunition ' c had 
 saved from the wreck. They denominated him Caiamuru, 
 " the man of fire," and exalted him to the rank of a great 
 chief and captain. In wars against the nation of the 
 Tapuyas, the terror of Diogo's wonderful weapon gained 
 the most signal victories for his associates : in reward for 
 his services, the principal men of the country gave him 
 their daughters for wives, and he lived like a sovereign sur- 
 rounded by reverential attendants. According to Southey, 
 "He fixed his abode where Villa Velha was afterwards 
 erected ; and soon saw as numerous a progeny as an old 
 patriarch's rising around him. The best families in Bahia 
 trace their origin to him." 
 
 Diogo took advantage of the arrival of a French vessel 
 upon the coast to return to Europe, taking with him one 
 of his wives, named Paraguaza. As the ship got under 
 weigh, several of his other consorts '^ave proof of their 
 affection by swimming after it, and one of them persisted 
 in the hopeless endeavor to follow until so exhausted that 
 she perished before being able to retiu'n to shore. The 
 king and queen of France showed great attention to Diogo 
 and his wife, and by their directions the latter was bap- 
 

 ■^ 
 
 
 IS" . ■■ ■ ' '^ *\- 
 
 • V 
 
 f'l' 
 
 
 ' ' • .f ■'.!■■ 
 
 686 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 tized with much ceremony, and joined to her husband by 
 a legal marriage according to the rules of the church. 
 
 By the assistance of a rich merchant, Diogo afterwards 
 returned to Bahia with many conveniences for establishing 
 himself in security and comfort, and for the arrangement 
 of a regular system of traffic in the productions of the 
 country. He proved of inestimable service, in after years, 
 when an extensive colonization of that region took place, 
 in keeping up friendly relations with the Indians. From 
 this central point, where St. Salvador was built, commenced 
 that wonderful influence exerted by the Jesuit mission- 
 aries over the native population. 
 
 These enthusiastic devotees found their proselytes not 
 unapt in acquiring the Portuguese language, and by the 
 attractions of music, of which they were passionately fond, 
 together with kind treatment and virtuous example, they 
 won over great numbers to a conformation to the outward 
 requisitions of their faith, if not to an understanding of its 
 abstractions. One thing, however, seemed almost imprac- 
 ticable, and that was to eradicate the inordinate propensity 
 to cannibalism, so universally diffused among the Brazilian 
 aborigines. An anecdote upon this point, related by Mr. 
 Southey, has been often told, but will bear repetition : "A 
 Jesuit one day found a Brazilian woman in extreme old 
 age, and almost at the point of death. Having catechized 
 her, instructed her, as he conceived, in the nature of Chris- 
 tianity, and completely taken care of her soul, he began to 
 inquire whether there was any kind of food which she 
 could take ? * Grandam,' said he, * if I were to get you a 
 little sugar now, or a mouthful of some of our nice things 
 which we bring from beyond sea, do you think you could 
 eat it?' *Ah, my grandson,' said the old convert, *my 
 stomach goes against every thing. There is but one thing 
 which I fancy I could touch. If I had the little hand of 
 a little tender Tapuya boy, I think I could pick the 
 
tm**^' 
 
 INDIAN TRIBES OP BRAZIL. 
 
 6i;7 
 
 little bones ; but, woe is me, there is nobody to go out 
 and shoot one for me ! ' " 
 
 In addition to the instructions and persuasions of the 
 Jesuits, the Portuguese colonial authorities lent their aid 
 to enforce the regulations prohibiting this unnatural cus- 
 tom, but it was long a bone of contention between them and 
 their Indian dependants, who were willing to give up any 
 other of their national usages rather than this. Purchas 
 gives the following description of some of the ceremonies 
 attendant upon the disposal of prisoners taken in battle : 
 
 " Their captives they convey in the midst of their army 
 home to their territories, and thereunto the men will not 
 stick to give their sisters or daughters to perform all the 
 duties of a wife, and feed them with the best till they re- 
 dcmand the same out of their flesh. * * When that dis- 
 mal day approacheth, knowledge is given, and the men, 
 women, and children assemble to the place appointed, and 
 there pass the morning in drinking, and the captive (al- 
 though he knoweth the dreadful issue) danceth, drinketh, 
 and frolics it witVi the best." 
 
 They then lead him about the town by a rope : " Neither 
 doth he, for all this, hang down his head, as men here 
 going to be hanged, but with incredible courage cmblaz- 
 oneth his own worthiness." Like the North American 
 Indians, the victim boasts of his former exploits against 
 his captors, with every species of taunt and provocation. 
 He recounts those whom he has assisted to devour, and 
 predicts a terrible retribution for his own destruction. 
 "Then they bring him stones, and bid him revenge his 
 death. He hurleth them at those that stand about 
 him, whereof there are some four thousand, and hurteth 
 dfve 
 
 rs 
 
 »j 
 
 When he is finally despatched, his temporary wife 
 " comes to the carcass, and spends a little time and pas- 
 sion in moui'ning ; but her crocodile's tears are soon dried. 
 
'^mmh^'^i/i":' ■■■'■■ 
 
 i '■'• ,'■■!■ ^ I \ J -a..',. 
 
 ■ t • 
 
 V !> 
 
 W • 
 
 1 ■' 
 
 ;' I J • ■■' I I 
 
 li if •■ 
 
 I' I- ? '^ 
 
 1,1 
 
 ui-U' 
 
 :k''e 
 
 : i ;: • 
 
 •i i 
 
 ■i'-'v 
 
 •!t . 
 
 
 
 jtt. ■ 
 
 .» .. .V 
 
 J 
 
 
 
 
 -« ?t? .«' 
 
 •W^ ''-i'-iK 
 
 
 688 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 and the humor falls into her teeth, which water for the 
 first morsel." The whole process of dressing and devour- 
 ing is minutely described. 
 
 Bahia was settled about the year 1550, and ten years 
 later Rio Janeiro was founded by the Portuguese governor, 
 after the expulsion of the French, who had attempted to 
 gain possession of that region of country. The coast set- 
 tlements were steadily increasing in stability and power, 
 but not without further contests with the native inhab- 
 itants. Of these, the most savage and dangerous were the 
 Botocudos, dwelling in the interior, and between the rivers 
 Doce and Pardo, from the fifteenth to the twentieth degree 
 of south latitude. They have always been considered as 
 being among the most repulsive and brutish of the hu- 
 man race. They are supposed to be the same race as the 
 Aymores, once the most dangerous enemies of the Portu- 
 guese settlers. Their natural figure and the conformation of 
 their features seem, from most accounts, to be by no means 
 unpleasing. Dwelling in a forest country, their complex- 
 ion is fairer than that of many of the South American 
 Indians ; it is of a light yellowish copper color, and suffi- 
 ciently transparent for a blush to be p'erfectly obvious. 
 The stories of their frightful and hideous appearance may 
 all be referred to one most barbarous custom of mutilation 
 and deformity, prevalent among them from the earliest 
 times. This is the insertion of a large wooden plug or 
 button, called the " botoquc," into a slit in the under lip: 
 similar appendages are worn at the ears. 
 
 This botoque is of such a size that its pressure generally 
 causes the lower teeth eventually to fall out, and its pro- 
 jection gives the most hideously uncouth and brutish ap- 
 pearance to the countenance. The slit is made and the 
 plug is inserted during childhood, and as the opening 
 enlarges with time, the size of the botoque is increased 
 until it has reached the full measure of deformity and 
 
^amUmm 
 
 ERICA. 
 
 , which water for the 
 ; dressing and devour- 
 
 r 1550, and ten years 
 3 Portuguese governor, 
 who had attempted to 
 •untry. The coast set- 
 n stability and power, 
 vith the native inhab- 
 and dangerous were the 
 , and between the rivers i 
 
 to the twentieth degree I 
 ^ays been considered as ! 
 and brutish of the hu- j 
 be the same race as the 
 as enemies of the Tortu- 
 ; and the conformation of 
 lounts, to be by no means 
 
 country, their complex- 
 
 of the South American 
 , copper color, and suffi- 
 |to be perfectly obvious. 
 
 hideous appearance may 
 
 |ous custom of mutilation 
 
 them from the earliest 
 
 a large wooden plug or 
 a slit in the under lip: 
 
 le ears. 
 
 hat its pressure generally 
 ^ to fall out, and its pro- 
 uncouth and brutish ap- 
 [he slit is made and the 
 ■od, and as the opening 
 the botoque is increased 
 casurc of deformity and 
 
 INDIAN TRIBES OP BRAZIL. 
 
 689 
 
 inconvenience. It interferes with mastication, and is every 
 way disgusting and troublesome, but, like many scarcely 
 less irrational and absurd customs among enlightened com- 
 munities, it retains its hold to the present day. 
 
 When the botoque is removed, which operation is as 
 easily effected as the unbuttoning a coat, a disgusting aper- 
 ture is disclosed, through which the loosened and distorted 
 teeth distinctly appear. Purchas says of some of those 
 wild tribes of the interior, generally called Tapuyas, that 
 on their travels, " they do carry great store of tobacco with 
 them ; and continually they have a leaf laid along their 
 mouth, between the lip and the teeth ; and, as they go, 
 the same runneth out of the hole that they have in their 
 lips." 
 
 The Botocudos are of an indolent disposition, but withal 
 capable of enduring the greatest fatigue when occasion 
 requires. Their muscular development is remarkably fine, 
 and a life of exposure so hardens their skin that, without 
 clothing, they can with perfect ease make their way through 
 tangled brakes which would effectually impede the pro- 
 gress of a European. Their huts, implements, and man- 
 ner of life are not unlike those of the other Eastern nations 
 of the tropical portion of South America, with the excep- 
 tion of their sleeping accommodations. The hammock is 
 not in use among them, but rude couches of bark, &c., 
 laid upon the ground, are all that they require. They 
 have no boats or canoes, and it has been said of them that 
 they were entirely ignorant of the art of swimming. This 
 appears to be an error. 
 
 The character of the Botocudos as cannibals, combined 
 with the repulsive appearance caused by the botoque, has 
 given them a worse reputation perhaps than they deserve. 
 Many desirable traits are observable in their natural char- 
 acter, and their intellectual capacity does not seem to be 
 inferior to the generality of South American Indians. 
 
 •! * 
 
' .l-L' ■■>■'''',■'■- ■ • ' ' ^ .. -i • ■ ■, 
 
 
 It '■ '-■ :';f',V ' •■ f •■' ■' •;. i <i: ■, . - ^i*«T» 
 
 690 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Their aversion to labor does not result in apathy, nor do 
 we perceive in them that gloomy, morose, and reserved 
 demeanor common among some of the Western Aborigines. 
 They are spoken of as " gay, facetious, and ready to con- 
 
 verse. 
 
 Some praiseworthy efforts have ^een made for the im- 
 provement and civilization of this race, the effects of which 
 have been very satisfactory. Mr. Pritchard quotes as fol- 
 lows, from the records of the " Society for the Protection 
 
 of the Aborigines : " 
 
 <( 
 
 By the exertions of Guido Marliere, to whom commu- 
 nications were made on the part of this society, almost at 
 the commencement, Guido Procrane, a Botocudo Indian of 
 great native talent, was iutcoduced to the blessings of civ- 
 ilization and Christianity, and his new acquirements were 
 directed to the amelioration of his countrymen. His exer- 
 tions have been crowned with signal success, and four sec- 
 tions of the barbarous tribes have been brought under the 
 influence of civilization, and taught to cultivate their soil, 
 from which they have raised not only enough for their own 
 support, but a surplus, which has been the means of res- 
 cuing even a portion of the white Brazilians from famine 
 and starvation. Useful laws have been introduced among 
 them, and Guido Procrane, in the criminal code which he 
 has established, has set an example which legislators, the 
 hereditary professors of Christianity, would do well to 
 imitate, in the total exclusion of capital punishment." 
 
 H 
 
:rica. 
 
 ult in apathy, nor do 
 morose, and reserved 
 e Western Aborigines. 
 )us, and ready to con- 
 
 )een made for the im- 
 Lce, the effects of which 
 ritchard quotes as fol- 
 ;iety for the Protection 
 
 •liere, to whom commu- 
 this society, almost at 
 e, a Botocudo Indian of 
 to the blessings of civ- 
 new acquirements were 
 countrymen. His excr- 
 al success, and four sec- 
 been brought under the 
 ,t to cultivate their soil, 
 ily enough for their own 
 been the means of res- 
 Brazilians from famine 
 been introduced among 
 criminal code which he 
 le which legislators, the 
 lity, would do well to 
 apital punishment." 
 
 INDIAN TRIBES OP BRAZIL. 691 
 
 ^ CHAPTER II. 
 
 SUCCESS OP TFIE PORTUGUESE AGAINST THE NATIVES. — THEIR CON- 
 TESTS WITH SETTLERS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES OF, EUROPE.— 
 ENGLISH COLONY AT PARAIBA. — EXPULSION OF GUARANI TRIBES 
 
 FROM THEIR COUNTRY ON LA PLATA DIVISION OF BRAZILIAN 
 
 NATIONS.— DAILY ROUTINE OP INDIAN LIFE IN THE FORESTS 
 
 REFLECTIONS. 
 
 To continue our narrative of Portuguese settlement and 
 colonization, the efforts of the viceroy Mem da Sa, resulted 
 in the reduction of the savage and turbulent Botocudos. 
 In the desultory warfare of the time, the aid of such Indian 
 allies as were attached to the royal cause was of signal 
 advantage. 
 
 The immense extent of fruitful sea-coast along the east- 
 ern shores of Brazil, invited adventurers from various 
 European nations. The French, as we have seen, were 
 repelled in their efforts to colonize the region of the La 
 Plata, and the Portuguese were no less successful in expel- 
 ling intruders from other quarters. An English settljment 
 had been commenced at Paraiba, to the northward of Per- 
 nambuco. The colonists at this place, says Southey, " con- 
 nected themselves with the native women ; aud in another 
 generation the Anglo-Tupi Mamalucos inight have been 
 found dangerous neighbors, if the governor of St. Sebas- 
 tians, steadily pursuing the system of his court, had not, 
 in the fi^'th vear of their abode, attacked and exterminated 
 them. They who escaped from the merciless war which 
 the Portuguese waged against all interlopers, fled into the 
 interior, and either they were eaten by the savages, as was 
 believed, or lived and died among them, becoming savages 
 themselves." 
 
 Long and wearisome details of struggles for empire in 
 the New World between the Portuguese, Spanish, and 
 
 •1 » ii 
 
• ; 1.". Tt .■■■'.' .'.''iJ'v'" ■■' f '. . 
 
 r^.#lfr^*'j'-'i^V'' ■■■■ ■ 
 
 
 
 '1' 1 ■;■ V 
 
 ■■'•ii"'''" 
 
 
 't >, 
 
 -i ■■?>;.■; 
 
 '*'^' 
 
 
 692 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Dutch, occupy the history of Brazil until the establish- 
 ment in that country of the royal family of Portugal, in 
 1808. Few, except the Jesuits, seemed to have any care 
 for the rights of the native population, or interest in their 
 improvement. These missionaries — zealous and devoted 
 in whatever cause, whether for good or ill, that they es- 
 poused — drew upon themselves no trifling persecution by 
 their eflTorts in behalf of the Indians. Upon a settlement 
 of the limits of jurisdiction on the La Plata, in 1750, be- 
 tween the Spanish and Portuguese governments, thirty 
 thousand of the Guarani tribe were compelled to abandon 
 their homes. These Indians had been objects of especial 
 care to the Jesuit missionaries, and in the resistance which 
 they naturally made to so summary a removal, they in- 
 volved their spiritual guides in difficulties. 
 
 " The Indians," says Condor, " rose in all directions to 
 oppose the mandate ; but tbo short though vigorous resist- 
 ance which they made, only left them more than ever in 
 the power of their enemies. Great numbers were slaugh- 
 tered, and those who refused to submit were compelled to 
 leave the country. * * In the year 1761, when Carlos 
 III. acceded to the throne of Spain, the treaty of limits 
 •was annulled ; the Guaranies who had been so wantonly 
 and cruelly expelled were instructed to return to tlieii 
 dilapidated town and wasted country, and the Jesuits, 
 resuming their benignant administration, exerted them- 
 selves to repair, as far as possible, the evils that had been 
 done." /■ ' i 
 
 The effects of the Catholic mission in Brazil are still 
 visible among no small portion of the aboriginal inhabit- 
 ants. Unfortunately in too many instances the religion 
 •which they now profess is but a graft upon their old su- 
 perstitions. 
 
 The Indians of Brazil are divided into a great number 
 of tribes, differing more in language than in general ap- 
 
INDIAN TRIBES OF BllAZIL. 
 
 C93 
 
 ided into a great number 
 uage than in general ap- 
 
 pearance and characteristics. The Tupis, -^ho were the 
 most extensively diffused over the coast country at the pe- 
 riod of the first European discovery, are greatly reduced in 
 numbers. The tribes of the far interior, where little or no 
 intercourse is held with the whites, have changed, but little 
 from the habits and appearance of their ancestors. Dr. 
 Von Martins has enumerated no less than two hundred and 
 fifty distinct tribes or nations within the limits of Brazil ; 
 many of them, to be sure, consisting of but few families 
 or individuals, and not sufficiently distinct one from an- 
 other to render a classification useful or interestinsr. This 
 traveller has given a very lively picture of the life and 
 daily routine of these denizens of the forest. The follow- 
 ing sketch is selected from his " Travels," and transcribed 
 in an article upon the Brazilian Indians, to be found in 
 that invaluable periodical, the *• Penny Magazine : " 
 
 " As soon as the first rays of the sun beam on the hut 
 of the Indian, he awakes, rises immediately, and goes to 
 the door, where he generally spends some time in rubbing 
 and stretching his limbs. Returning into the hut, he looks 
 for the still live embers of the fire of the day before, or 
 lights it afresh by means of two dry sticks, one of which 
 he sets upon the otherj twirling it like a mill till it kin- 
 dles, and then he adds dry grass or straw. All the male 
 inhabitants then take part in the business ; some drag 
 wood out of the forest; others heap up the fire between 
 several large stones, and all of them seat themselves round 
 it in a squatting attitude. Without looking at or speak- 
 ing to each other, they often remain for hours together 
 in this position, solely engaged in keeping in the fire, 
 or roasting Spanish potatoes, bananas, ears of maize, 
 &c., in the ashes for breakfast. A tame monkey, or some 
 other of their numerous domestic animals with which they 
 play, serves to amuse them. The first employment of the 
 women^ on leaving their hammocks^ is to paint themselves 
 
• ■ .1 '■ ■*:.*»'j: .* ^•-. •« . ■/•('♦» ■■" 
 
 /■!■■* r-^^-f' ''-::'" ^^i'..'^ ' ■ 
 
 694 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 and their children, on which each goes to her domestic 
 occupation, stripping the threads from the palm-trees, 
 manufacturing nets, making earthen-ware, rubbing man- 
 dioca, and pounding maize, from which they make a cool- 
 ing beverage. Others go to their little plantations to fetch 
 maize, mandioca, and beans ; or into the forest to look 
 for wild fruits and roots. "When the men have finished 
 their frugal breakfast, they prepare their bows, arrows, 
 strings, &c." 
 
 As the heat of the day increases, the Indian takes his 
 bath, and then systematically sets about his day's hunt ; 
 "the tapir, monkeys, pigs, armadilloes, pascas, and agou- 
 tis, are his favorite dishes, but he readily eats deer, birds, 
 turtles, and fish, and in case of need, contents himself with 
 serpents, toads, and larvae of large insects roasted." 
 
 The general tenor of this savage life, as well as the con- 
 struction of dwellings, implements, boats, &c., is not unlike 
 what has already been described relating to the Indians of 
 Guiana. The same rude huts of palm, open or closed 
 upon the most exposed quarter by thatch or wicker-work, 
 the hammocks, the simplest form of pottery and wooden 
 vessels, and the almost invariable arms and weapons of 
 the savage, suffice for their necessities, and for what they 
 know of luxury and comfort. 
 
 Some of the remote tribes are said to be still addicted 
 to the old national propensity for cannibalism. " Infanti- 
 cide is still more common ; and many tribes put the aged 
 and infirm to death. Dr. Von Martius states that the 
 Guaicuru women never rear any children before their 
 thirtieth year; the Guanas often bury their female chil- 
 dren alive, and even the mothers expose their new-born 
 infants ; and parental aflfection is 'x thing unknown on the 
 father's side." 
 
 Can we indulge any rational hope that these barbarous 
 nations will ever be brought, as a distinct race, within the 
 
SRICA. 
 
 goes to her domestic 
 from the palm-trees, 
 i-ware, rubbing man- 
 ich they make a cool- 
 tie plantations to fetch 
 ato the forest to look 
 he men have finished 
 e their bows, arrows, 
 
 (, the Indian takes his 
 about his day's hunt ; 
 loes, pascas, and agou- 
 readily eats deer, birds, 
 1, coii'tents himself with 
 insects roasted. 
 ! life, as well as the con- 
 ,boats,&c.,i8 not unlike 
 
 telating to the Indians of 
 • palm, open or closed j 
 thatch or wicker-work, 
 of pottery and wooden j 
 arms and weapons of 
 fsities, and for what they 
 
 said to be still addicted 
 cannibaUsm. " Infanti- 
 ,Aany tribes put the aged 
 Martins states that the 
 ly children before then- 
 bnvy their female chil- 
 expose their new-born 
 ['t thing unknown on the 
 
 [ope that these barbarous 
 distinct race, within the 
 
 INDIAN TRIBES OF BRAZIL. 
 
 695 
 
 pale of civilization ; or must the usual course of extinc- 
 tion or amalgamation be the only means by which the 
 immense and luxuriantly fertile regions which they inhabit 
 shall eventually be improved for the support of the mil- 
 lions that they are capable of sustaining ? The ■ Iroquois 
 within the state of New York, and the Cherokee settle- 
 ments west of the Mississippi, are almost the only prosper- 
 ous and civilized districts inhabited by American Indians. 
 It will be a most gratifying result if the next generation 
 shall witness the original proprietors of this vast country 
 taking, in the persons of their representatives, an equal 
 place among its European occupants. A right state of 
 feeling, upon the subject of what is due to the Indian, 
 seems to be upon the ascendant in the United States, 
 except in those districts where there is still a conflict of 
 interest between the different races. 
 
 : >! '- 
 
 I: 
 
»,•■'*•,..•• >•;• 'My ,.=■ '•.■■v> ;■-•-.,■ ,V<.;-,1 n- 
 
 rr^ 
 
 ■rt.->:^ ■■■■-,; ■■■' ■ V .^ 
 
 
 1 ■ 
 
 i 1 . 
 
 i .'t^ 
 
 ,..1*.?^': 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 THE PAMPAS INDIANS. 
 
 THEIR HORSEMANSHIP THEIR MODE OF LIFE. — SIR FRANCIS HEAD'S 
 
 DESCRIPTIONS OF THE RACE. — FEMALE CAPTIVES AMONG THE IN- 
 DIANS. — TRADING VISITS TO EUROPEAN SETTLEMENTS. — CLASSI- 
 FICATION OP TRIBES. — CHANGE IN THEIR CONDITION BY THE IN- 
 TRODUCTION OF EUROPEAN DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 
 
 The vast plains or pampas of Buenos Ayres are inhab- 
 ited — where European settlements have not yet extended 
 — by a wild and singular race of Indians. To them the 
 horse is all that the reindeer is to the Laplanders, consti- 
 tuting their chief support, and almost their only enjoyment. 
 Nearly destitute of clothing, and careless of the ordinary 
 conveniences and comforts of life, they are trained iVom 
 infancy to scour the plains, often without saddles, upon 
 the wild horses who roam at will over the boundless ex- 
 panse of meadow. The world has never produced such 
 magnificent horsemen : " The Gauchos," says Sir Francis 
 Head, " who themselves ride so beautifully, all declare that 
 it is impossible to ride with an Indian ; for that the Indian's 
 horses are better than theirs, and also that they have such 
 a way of urging on their horses by their cries, and by a 
 peculiar motion of their bodies, that even if they were to 
 change horses, the Indians would beat them. The Gau- 
 chos all seemed to dread very much the Indians' spears. 
 They said that some of the Indians charged without eitlicr 
 saddle or bridle, and that in some instances they were hang- 
 ing almost under the bellies of their horses, and shrieking 
 60 that the horses were afraid to face them." 
 
 (690) 
 
J- i 
 
 DUNS. 
 
 UFE.-S1R FRANCIS HEAD'S 
 
 VN SETTLEMENTS. -CLASSI- 
 lElR CONDITION BY THE IN- 
 ANIMALS. 
 
 Buenos Ayres are inhab- 
 ts have not yet extended 
 f Indians. To them the 
 o the Laplanders, consti- 
 .ost their only enjoynunt. 
 careless of the ordinary 
 fe they are trained trom 
 In' without saddles, upon 
 ' over the boundless ex- 
 has never produced such 
 Luchos," says Sir Francis ; 
 LutifuUy, all declare that 
 Vian; for that the Indians 
 
 , also that they have such 
 L by their cries, and by a 
 that even if they wei^ to 
 
 Id beat them. The Gau- 
 nuch the Indians' spears 
 Ins charged >vithout either 
 instances they >vere hang- 
 
 [bcir horses, and shrielung 
 face them." 
 
 CG9G) 
 
 THE PAMPAS INDIANS. 
 
 697 
 
 The whole lives of these singular people are spent upon 
 horseback, a natural result of which is an incapacity for 
 other species of exertion. Walking is intolerable to them : 
 the fatigue and tediousness of such a mode of travelling 
 over an unlimited level, would be disheartening, to any, 
 more particularly to those who have continually availed 
 themselves of the services of the horse. 
 
 Something of the ordinary system of Indian government 
 exists among the numerous tribes, but they are all of un- 
 settled and roving habits, shifting their quarters continually 
 in search of better pasturage, and subsisting chiefly upon 
 mares' flesh. Wherever they betake themselves, they 
 drive before them great herds of horses, and the skill 
 with which they will catch, mount, and manage a fresh 
 animal, Avhen the one they have been riding is wearied, is 
 unequalled. 
 
 The author above quoted, whose characteristicalb graphic 
 description of a gallop across the pampas has won so ex- 
 tensive a reputation, observes of the Indians : " The occu- 
 pation of their lives is war, which they consider is their 
 noble and most natural employment; and they declare 
 that the proudest attitude of the human figure is when, 
 bending over his horse, man is riding at his enemy. The 
 principal weapon which they use is a spear eighteen feet 
 long ; they manage it with great dexterity, and are able 
 to give it a tremulous motion which has often shaken the 
 sword from the hand of their European adversaries." In 
 addition to the spear, they make use, both in war and 
 hunting, of a most cfTective instrument called the hallos. 
 This is a species of slung-shot; consisting of a stout leathern 
 thong with a ball of lead attached to either end. A terrible 
 blow can be struck with this weapon, and, as a missile, 
 the Indians use it with great dexterity and effect within a 
 moderate range. The lasso or long noose attached to the 
 saddle, is also an effective implement. 
 40 
 
 
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 |r» •.;-•:, .'.■«. '»,', ■ ■■ 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 * ( 
 
 i< i 
 
 J.;-- ,-i 
 
 .1 
 
 698 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Between them and the Gauchos, a scarcely less wild race 
 of cavaliers, principally of Spanish descent, the most deadiv 
 hostility constantly prevails. In the exposed districts, rude 
 fortifications are erected for the protection of the white 
 inhabitants against Indian incursions. The principal de- 
 fence of these fortresses is said to be a narrow ditch, over 
 which the Indian horses, accustomed to the unobstructed 
 level of the prairie, refuse to leap, and nothing could in- 
 duce their rider to attempt any thing upon foot. Upon 
 occasion of a successful assault, the savages show little 
 mercy. All the unfortunate whites are murdered, except 
 such of the young women as appear sufficiently attractive 
 to make desirable wives. " Whether the poor girls can 
 ride or not," says Head, " they are instantly placed upon 
 horses, and \/hen the hasty plunder of the hut is concluded, 
 they are driven away from its smoking ruins and from the 
 horrid scene Avhich surrounds it." 
 
 " At a pace which in Europe is unknown, they gallop 
 over the trackless regions before them, fed upon mares' 
 flesh, sleeping on the ground, until they arrive in the In- 
 dian's territory, when they have instantly to adopt the 
 wild life of their captors. 
 
 "I was informed by a very intelligent French officer, ^vho 
 was of high rank in the Peruvian army, that on friendly 
 teims, he had once passed through part of the tcrntory of 
 these Pampas Indians, in order to attack a tribe who were 
 at war with them, and that he had met several of the 
 young women who had been thus carried off by the Indians. 
 
 ** He told me that he had offered to obtain permission for 
 them to return to their country, and that he had, in addi- 
 tion, offered them large sums of money if they would, in 
 the mean while, act as interpreters ; but they all replied 
 that no inducement in the world should ever make thcra 
 leave their husbands, or their children, and that they Mere 
 quite delighted with the life they led." 
 
 
M 
 
 ERICA. 
 
 scarcely less wild race 
 .scent, the most deauly 
 . exposed districts, rude 
 ,otection of the ^vhite 
 ns The principal de- 
 >e'a narrow ditch, over 
 .d to the unobstructed 
 "^ and nothing could m- 
 'thing upon foot. Upon 
 tV,e savages show httle 
 es are murdered, e>-cept 
 ,ear sufficiently attractive 
 ,ther the poor girls can 
 ve instantly placed upon 
 ,r of the hut is concluded, 
 oking ruins and from the 
 
 b is unknown, they gallop 
 ;.e them, fed upon mai^s 
 ,tiUhey arrive in then- 
 
 ,e instantly to adopt the 
 
 telligcnt French officer, ^vho 
 L army, that on friend^ , 
 Ich part of the territory of 
 
 r° . 1 « triVip who were 
 to attack a tube ^ J 
 
 L had met several o * , 
 
 LarvicdoffbytheIn<l.a . 
 
 erecUo obtain pevm.s.o„ta 
 
 , and that he had, » ad<h 
 of money if they >vouW, >« 
 1 .. *v,ov ill replied 
 •cters ; hut they an i^i 
 
 a sWd ever make .h» 
 .hildren, and that they «re 
 ley led." 
 
 ';i'1> 
 
 THE PAMPAS INDIANS. 
 
 699 
 
 There is certainly something strangely fascinating in the 
 idea of a wild life, unfettered by the artificial restraints 
 of society, and the constant call for exertion and care inci- 
 dent to civilized existence. "VVe see that in a majority of 
 cases the inhabitants of even the most desolate and inhos- 
 pitable regions of the earth, after experiencing the com- 
 forts of civilization, are still glad to return to the scenes 
 and habits to which they were early inured. It is easier 
 for the educated and enlightened European to discard the 
 advantages which he has ' :herited, and to adopt the hab- 
 its and life of the savage, especially in a genial and spon- 
 taneously productive clime, than for the latter to give up 
 his wild freedom for the responsibilities and cares of civil- 
 ization. 
 
 In times of peace the free rovers of the South American 
 pampas make occasional visits to the European towns and 
 settlements for the pujpose of trade. They bring in such 
 few articles of peltry, «S:c., as they deal in, to barter for 
 sugar, " knives, spurs, and liquor." Delivering up all 
 their dangerous weapons to their chief, they devote them- 
 selves, at first, to a regular drinking-bout, after recovering 
 from which, they offer their goods to the trades-people. 
 They will have nothing to do Tvith money, or ^lie ordinary 
 rules of weight and measure, but designate, by some mark 
 of their own, the quantity of the commodity they require 
 in exchange for their own stock. 
 
 The Pampas Indians are classified as belonging to the 
 great Patagonian or Pampean group, which is divided into 
 the following nations : the Tchuelche, Puelche, Charrua, 
 Mbocobi or Toba, Mataguayo, Abipones, and Lengua. 
 That portion of which we have been speaking in this chap- 
 ter, consists principally of the Puelche : their ancestors 
 were found further north, bordering upon iiio tribes of 
 Paraguay and upon the first arrival and settlement of Euro- 
 peans upon the La Plata, proved must formidable enemies. 
 

 ■»»•■ ■; -;. . ' ft .,■ 
 
 l\m- 
 
 
 
 
 *!;^ 
 
 700 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 They also inhabited the eastern mountainous regions of 
 Chili, where they were allied to and classed with the noble 
 and warlike Araucanians. Molina, in his account of that 
 race, says of the Puelches : " These, although they con- 
 form to the general customs of the nation, always discover 
 a greater rudeness and savageness of manners. Their 
 name signifies Eastern-men. * * The Araucanians hold 
 these mountaineers in high estimation for the important 
 services which they occasionally render them, and for the 
 fidelity which they have always observed in their alliance 
 with them." 
 
 The first town built upon the site of the present city of 
 Buenos Ayres, in 1534, was destroyed by the Indians; 
 and their bold attack repelled the Spanish adventurers in 
 this quarter until 1580. Even then they renewed their 
 hostilities, but the fall of their chief cacique in b<\ttle, and 
 the more efficient fortification of the new town, baffled 
 them and caused their entire defeat. ' ' '< 
 
 In these early times their habits were of course different 
 from what we may now notice, as horses and cattle were 
 not introduced until the arrival of Europeans. The emu 
 or American ostrich, still an inhabitant of the Pampas, the 
 deer, sloth, and small game, supplied them with food. 
 The unprecedented natural increase of cattle and horses, 
 turned free to roam over the rich grassy savannahs, sup- 
 plied them with entirely new resources. 
 
 Those Indians of Buenos Ayres, Paraguay, and other 
 southern provinces, who live in the midst of the white 
 settlements, are mostly Christian converts, at least in name 
 and the observance of religious formulae. 
 
 The extent to which the different nations of Europe, 
 Africa, and America have become mixed in most of the 
 South American piovinces, renders any thing like accurate 
 enumeration of the amount of the present Indian popula- 
 tion difficult, if not impossible. 
 
,ICA. 
 
 Lixtainous regions of 
 lassed with the noble 
 n his account of that 
 although they con- 
 ation, always discover 
 of manners. Iheir 
 The Araucanians hold 
 •ion for the important 
 to them, and for the 
 .served in their alliance 
 
 , of the present city of 
 royed by the Indians; 
 Spanish adventurers in 
 
 Jn they renewed their 
 ef cacique in battle, and 
 
 • the new town, baffled 
 
 ; were of course different 
 \ horses and cattle were 
 f Europeans. The eniu 
 ntant of the Pampas the 
 
 applied them with food. 
 ,se of cattle and horses, 
 :h grassy savannahs, sup- 
 
 mrces. , 
 
 res, Paraguay, and otn t 
 
 the midst of the white 
 
 converts, at least in «ame 
 
 ormula;. 
 
 ,rent nations of Luro e 
 ,e mixed in most of the 
 .vs any thing like accuvate 
 [he present Indian popuW 
 
 THE PATAGONIANS. 
 
 ''s^^/s^\r<t/\,\r^,/\r^0',^ 
 
 EARLY EXAGGERATED REPORTS CONCERNING THEM. — RACE TO WHICH 
 THEY BELONG. — NATURE OF THE COUNTRY. — TERRA DEL FUEGO. 
 — GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND CLASSIFICATION OP THE INHAB- 
 ITANTS. — CAPTAIN FITZROY'S NARRATIVE. — PHYSICAL CONFOR- 
 MATION OF THE NATIVES. — SCANTINESS OF THEIR CLOTHING. — 
 THEIR HUTS, RESOURCES FOR FOOD, ETC. — FUEGIAN3 CARRIED TO 
 ENGLAND BY FITZROY. — ATTEMPT AT THE INTRODUCTION CF 
 AGRICULTURE ON THE ISLAND. — PECHERAIS DESCRIBED IN WILKES' 
 NARRATIVE OP THE UNITED STATES' EXPLORING EXPEDITION. 
 
 Most extravagant reports were circulated, in early times, 
 of the gigantic size of the natives of the southern extremity 
 of the American continent. These were not wholly fabu- 
 lous, but merely exaggerations, as from recent travellers 
 we have accurate descriptions of various tribes, among 
 which the average height of the men greatly exceeds that 
 of mankind in general. The Tehuelches in particular;, 
 although less warlike and dangerous than many other 
 nations, are noted for their gigantic proportions. They 
 are said to be more than six feet in height, upon an aver- 
 age, and some of them considerably exceed that measure. 
 They are muscular, and athletic in proportion. 
 
 The Patagonian tribes are included under the same 
 general classification with the Puelches of the pampas, and 
 the numerous nations further north, spread over the vast 
 and indeterminate region denominated Chaco, between 
 Paraguay and Chili. Over the extens've plains, and table- 
 land between the Andes and the eastern sea-board, the 
 
 (701) 
 
 W 
 
'I ■.'■■* ■/■'"'^■''' ■<?/.?.?.••■. -1?- .■■•■■■■■■■ ■ t. 
 
 m 
 
 ••;•'? I 
 
 
 
 l\ ,■ '*-* i 1"'*' ^1'- ^'-' ■ 
 
 f.i^!»ftiHKi-'^»';'i» •?V'r'!iii< «;■■■■■ ■: 
 
 
 .•i'.'.j 
 
 702 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 wild tribes of Patagonia wander in undisturbed freedom. 
 Their manner of life is similar to that of the Pampas In- 
 dians of Southern Buenos Ayres, as wild horses and cattle 
 have spread over the northern parts of their country in 
 almost equal abundance. The same fierce, untamable 
 spirit, and the same carelessness of the comforts of life, 
 with ability to endure the extremes of exposure and fa- 
 tigue, characterize all these races of centaurs. Even in 
 the colder regions of the extreme south, little in the way 
 of clothing is worn, and the naked body of the savage is 
 exposed to snows and storms, against which the covering 
 of the European would afford incomplete protection. 
 
 " These men," says Purchas, speaking of those near the 
 straits of Magellan, " both giants and others, went either 
 wholly naked, or so clothed, as they seemed not to dread 
 the cold, which is yet there so violent, that besides the 
 mountain-tops, always covered with snow, their very sum- 
 mers, in the midst thereof, freeth them not from ice." 
 
 A great portion of Patagonia is sterile and barren, desti- 
 tute of timber, and covered only with a kind of coarse grass, 
 or with thorny shrubs. The country rises in a series of 
 terraces from the low eastern sea-coast to the range of the 
 Andes. The northern districts are in many parts fertile 
 and heavily timbered. 
 
 Crossing the straits of Magellan, we find one of the most 
 miserable and desolate countries on the globe. Terra del 
 Fuego, the land of fire, so called because of the numerous 
 fires seen upon its coast by the early navigators, is a cold 
 and barren island. The surface of the country is either 
 rocky and mountainous, or of such a cold and miry soil 
 as to obstruct travel and improvement. The forests are 
 rendered nearly impassable by under-growth. The inhab- 
 itants are partly, as would appear, of the same race with 
 the Patagonians, but as a body they are generally classed 
 with the Andian Group, and considered to have somo 
 
 
;ICA. 
 
 « 
 
 mdlsturbed freedom. 
 ; of the Pampas In- 
 ■ild horses and cattle 
 
 of their country in 
 
 le fierce, untamable 
 
 the comforts of life, 
 
 of exposure and fa- 
 f centaurs. Even in 
 .outh, little in the way 
 body of the savage is 
 ,st which the covering 
 plete protection, 
 iking of those near the 
 md others, went either 
 y seemed not to dread 
 iolent, that besides the 
 h snow, their very sum- 
 kem not from ice." 
 sterile and barren, desti- 
 th a kind of coarse grass 
 
 itry rises in a series of 
 ;oast to the range of the 
 ,e in many parts fertile 
 
 we find one of the most 
 
 ,; the globe. Terra del 
 
 (because of the numerous 
 
 arly navigators, is a cold 
 
 of the country is either 
 U a cold and miry soil 
 vement. The fojests are 
 
 der-growth. The inhaV 
 L of the same race with 
 they are generally classed 
 
 Wdered to have somo 
 
 THE PATAGONIANS. 
 
 703 
 
 m' '*■ ■ 
 
 affinity to the Araucanians. " One description," says 
 Pritchard, " is applicable to both nations. Their heads are 
 proportionably large , their faces round, with projecting 
 cheek-bones, Jarge mouths, thick lips, short flattened noses, 
 with wide nostrils ; their eyes are horizontally placed, and 
 not inclined ; otherwise their countenance would approxi- 
 mate greatly to that of the nomadic Tartars : they have 
 little beard ; their foreheads are narrow, and falling back ; 
 their chins broad and short." 
 
 Among the most interesting accounts of these Indians is 
 that given by Captain Fitzroy, in the " Narrative of the 
 Voyages of the Adventure and the Beagle." Lieutenant 
 Charles "Wilkes, commander of the United States' exploring 
 expedition, has also very graphically described the appear- 
 ance and peculir-yifios of the people and country. 
 
 Fitzroy estimates the whole population at about three 
 thousand adults. They are divided into five different tribes 
 or nations, viz : the Yacanas, Tekeenicas, Alikhoolip, Pe- 
 cherais, and Huemuls. The name of Pecherais was be- 
 stowed by Bougainville (as descriptive of their mode of sub- 
 sistence) upon those coast Indians who have been considered 
 as belonging to the Araucanian family. The Yacanas ap- 
 pear to be the same with the neighboring Patagonians. 
 
 The separate tribes differ considerably in their physical 
 development, but the generality of these islanders present 
 a wretched and miserable aspect of deformity. Their 
 withered and emaciated limbs are in strong contrast to the 
 breadth of the chest and the size of the abdomen, and the 
 squatting position always assumed by them when at rest, 
 causes the skin of the knee-joint to become stretched and 
 loose : when standing, it hangs in unsightly folds. Their 
 eyes are almost universally inflamed and sore, from the ef 
 fects of the smoke in their wigwams. There are few i.ices 
 upon the globe who bear so strongly the marks of want 
 and dpsticution. 
 
 W 
 
S • ' - ' I ' It ■ rf f * V>' * 
 
 . '-M . " /"J •7.;. ,-,' '."A-,, ".'.■'i«^;-ii »•■''• > 
 
 ••'..•■ tf, I'. .,'*.■•;'<• ft, 'V, .■■■ • w. V.;-. 1; ■ 
 
 ■ - » ,• ■ :!.'■■.. 
 
 
 ■'^»- •. :i ■'■■ 
 
 .'rr. 
 
 .!■.-■ • > 
 
 I 
 
 'Mr • 
 
 
 ii- 1 
 
 (, 
 
 
 ml- 
 
 . !.1' 
 
 :. ■. ' ? 
 
 U.'y A 
 
 If v.|:v,-J» V 
 
 
 
 
 704 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 Unlike the natives of the cold climes of Northern Amer- 
 ica, the Fuegians totally neglect the precaution of fortify- 
 ing themselves against the severities of winter by warm 
 and comfortable clothing. The majority of the men go 
 almost entirely naked. A single skin of the guanaco (a 
 southern quadruped of the genus of the llama), or of the 
 different species of seal, thrown over the shoulders, and, 
 in a few instances, reduced to the semblance of a garment, 
 by a girdle, is all that is seen in the way of clothing. 
 Some slight fillets are worn about the head, rather from a 
 fancy for ornament than as a covering. The females usu- 
 ally wear an entire guanaco skin, in the loose fold of which, 
 above the belt, they carry their infants : a more convenient 
 method than that adopted in some northern climes, of stow- 
 the child in the huge boot. 
 
 The huts which they inhabit are built much after the 
 fashion of the ordinary Indian Avigwam, of poles bent to- 
 gether at the top, or of stiff stakes placed in the form of a 
 cone. These rude dwellings are neither tight nor comforta- 
 ble : they are generally intended merely for temporary dom- 
 iciles, as the necessity for constant migration in search of 
 the products of the sea and coast, renders any permanent 
 settlement impracticable. The arts of agriculture ire en- 
 tirely unknown or disregarded. Sundry attempts have been 
 made to introduce the cultivation of such vegetables as the 
 soil is adapted to producing, but the ignorance and barbar- 
 ity of the inhabitants prevented their appreciation of the 
 advantages which would result from the operation, and the 
 experiments utterly failed. 
 
 Most of the Fuegians are supplied with roughly-construct- 
 ed bark canoes. In the centre of these a fire is always 
 kept burning upon a bed of sand or clay. Fire is obtaiiicd 
 by striking sparks from the iron pyrites upon a tinder pre- 
 pared from some dried fungus, or moss, which materials are 
 always kept at hand ; but the difficulty of obtaining a flame 
 
 J 
 
' m 
 
 IICA. 
 
 s of Northern Amer- 
 precaution of fortify- 
 
 of winter by warm 
 ,ority of the men go 
 an of the guanaco (a 
 
 the llama), or of the 
 r the shoulders, and, 
 tnblance of a garment, 
 the way of clothing, 
 he head*, rather from a 
 la. The females usu- 
 the loose fold of which, 
 nts : a more convenient 
 orthern climes, of stow- 
 
 e built much after the 
 Avam, of poles bent to- 
 I placed in the form of a 
 dther tight nor comforta- 
 3rely for temporary dom- 
 ■ migration in search of 
 , renders any permanent 
 ;s of agriculture vre en- 
 \ndry attempts have been 
 
 ,f such vegetables as the 
 le ignorance and barbar- 
 •heir appreciation of the 
 ,m the operation, and the 
 
 [dwithroughly-construct- 
 U these a fire is always 
 |or clay. :F"-e is obtaiu^d 
 Urites upon a tinder pre- 
 [moss, which materials are 
 Iculty of obtaining a flame 
 
 THE PATAGONIANS. 
 
 706 
 
 •( * 
 
 by these means is the probable reason for their care in pre- 
 serving the embers in their canoes. 
 
 As we have mentioned, they raise no vegetable food, and 
 the natural products of the country are exceedingly scanty. 
 All that the inhabitants can procure to vary their animal 
 diet of fish, seals, shell-fish, &c., consists of ** a few berries, 
 as the cranberry, and the berry of the arbutus ; also a fun- 
 gus like the oak-apple, which grows on the birch-tree. 
 With the exception of these spontaneous productions, and 
 dead whales thrown occasionally upon the coast, the rest 
 of their food must be obtained by their own perseverance, 
 activity, and sagacity." 
 
 A race of dogs is domesticated among the Fuegians, by 
 the assistance of which the labor and difficulty of hunting 
 the guanaco, otter, &c., is materially alleviated. The weap- 
 ons used in war or for the chase are bows and arrows, short 
 bone-headed lances, clubs, and slings. The Fuegians are 
 adepts in the use of the last-mentioned implement, and 
 hurl stones with great force and accuracy. 
 
 They have no means of preserving a store of provision 
 in times of plenty, and are consequently liable to suffer 
 greatly from famine when storms or other causes cut them 
 off from the usual resources of the sea. They will some- 
 times bury a quantity of whale's blubber in tiie sand, and 
 devour it in an offensive condition, when pressed by hun- 
 ger. " In Captain Fitzroy's narrative there is an account 
 of a party of the natives who were in a famishing state, 
 on which some of the tribe departed, observing that they 
 would return in four * sleeps ' with a supply of food. On 
 the fifth day they arrived in a state of great exhaustion, 
 each man carrying two or three pieces of whale-blubber, 
 in a half-putrid state, and which appeared as if it had been 
 buried in the sand. A hole was made in each piece, through 
 which the man cam ing it inserted his head and neck." 
 Report says that, as a last resource, when other food can- 
 
■■'<■'■<— 't\<' •ii^':^"'.'*^ ''v'.'-'. ■, N • 
 
 1 'f :/.'<'■•. I ii/—.'." ■ ■• ' r *» 
 
 j^- :•:■■■ /'•■•iv'i ;•' • •'. ^'^ ' 
 
 ' '5 • l,;-' ■•,,, 
 
 f! ^ 
 
 
 ii: 
 
 
 '■it^, ' 
 
 ■) 
 
 
 i 1- 
 
 ■ilvt 
 
 i :. V 
 
 fi 
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 * 'If 
 
 
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 n'',l: 
 
 
 
 ■■' »." 
 
 
 
 
 706 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 not be obtained, the Fuugiuns kill and feed upon the older 
 and more unserviceable members of their own community. 
 
 The benevolent Fitzroy, deeply interested in the welfiuo 
 of these unfortunate islanders, made an attempt, in 1830, 
 to effect some improvement in their condition. lie took 
 four of them with him to England, one of whom died of 
 the small-pox shortly after landing. The others were 
 maintained and instructed, at the captain's own expense, 
 until October of the following year, when he took them on 
 board the Beagle to return to their homes, and use their 
 influence in introducing the arts and comforts of civiliza- 
 tion. One Matthews accompanied them from England, 
 with the purpose of assisting their efforts among their 
 countrymen. 
 
 Arriving at Terra del Fuego, wigwams were built, and 
 a garden was laid out and planted with various European 
 esculents. Curiosity and astonishment were the first feel- 
 ings excited by these operations ; but after the departure 
 of the captain, the rude natives, unable to comprehend the 
 motives for the experiment, and incapable of appreciating 
 the advantages in store for them, destroyed the little plan- 
 tation. Jemmy Button, the one most particularly described 
 of those carried to England, when seen, a few years after- 
 wards, by Captain Fitzroy, had nearly relapsed into his 
 original state of squalid barbarity. Matthews left the 
 island upon the first failure of the attempt at agriculture. 
 
 Could there be found men of sufficient self-devotion to 
 be willing to take up their abode in such a dreary country, 
 there seems to be reason to believe that the Fuegians might 
 be reclaimed. They do not lack sagacity or intelligence, 
 and their memories are remarkably retentive. It is said 
 that " they could repeat with perfect correctness each word 
 in any sentence addressed to them, and they remembered 
 such words for some time." 
 
 The Fuegians described by Commander Wilkes, as seen 
 
11 'I 
 
 LERICA. 
 
 nd feed upon the older 
 tlieir own commmuty. 
 iiterested in the wciaue 
 5 an attempt, in 1830, 
 :ir condition. He took 
 ,, one of whom died of 
 'ng. The others were 
 captain's own expense, 
 , when he took them on 
 iir homes, and use their 
 and comforts of civiliza- 
 d them from England, 
 leir efforts among their 
 
 wigwams were built, and 
 d with various European 
 anent were the first feel- y 
 ; but after the departure .j 
 mable to comprehend the ji 
 mcapable of appreciating , 
 destroyed the little plan- , 
 nost particularly described , 
 jn seen, a few years after- 
 nearly relapsed into Im 
 rity. Matthews left the 
 :e attempt at agriculture. 
 f sufficient self-devotion to 
 in such a dreary country, 
 e that the Euegians might 
 k sagacity or intelligence, 
 ably retentive. It is said 
 rfect correctness each word 
 ,em, and they remembered 
 
 ;ommi 
 
 ander Wilkes, as seen 
 
 THE PATAG0NIAN3. 
 
 707 
 
 at Orange Harbor, were of the Pecherais tribe. His de- 
 scriptions correspond with those of former voyagers, but 
 their interest is greatly heightened by the illustrations 
 which accompany his valuable narrative. "They are," 
 he says, •* an ill-shapen and ugly race. They have little 
 or no idea of the relative value of articles, even of those 
 that one would suppose were of the utmost use to them, 
 such as iron and glass-ware. A glass bottle broken into 
 pieces is valued as much as a knife. Red flannel torn into 
 stripes, pleases them more than in the piece ; they wound 
 it round their heads, as a kind of turban, and it was amus- 
 ing to see their satisfaction at this small acquisition." 
 
 The Indians of this party wore no other clothing than 
 a small piece of seal-skin appended to the shoulder and 
 reaching to the waist. This was shifted from side to side 
 according to the direction of the wind, serving rather as 
 a shelter than a covering. Their bark canoes were of 
 exceedingly slight construction, " sewed with shreds of 
 whale-bone, seal-skin, and twigs." Their navigation was 
 mostly confined to the limits of the kelp or sea-weed, 
 where the water was calm, and they could assist the oper- 
 ation of their small and inefficient paddles by laying hold 
 of the marine plants. 
 
 Those natives who were taken on board the vessels, ex- 
 hibited little or no astonishment at what they saw around 
 them. This did not proceed from surliness or apathy, for 
 they were vivacious and cheerful, and apparently happy 
 and contented. A most uncontrollable propensity to mim- 
 icry prevented the establishment of any kind of communi- 
 cation, as, instead of replying to signs and gestures, they 
 would invariably imitate them with ludicrous exactness. 
 "Their imitations of sounds were truly astonishing. One 
 of them ascended and descended the octave perfectly, fol- 
 lowing the sounds of the violin correctly. It was then 
 found he could sound the common chords, and follow 
 
 %: 
 
 
 XM^ 
 
r 
 
 V- r V".. ■',.;,'..■•>'. ' .. i,i. •'.■•,,« ».' • 
 
 • f- . * ,' . ■•: ■i'*^*. c:' ■ ■■.■♦'!■, V. ' t 
 
 • i /• ■. . 
 
 h,' ■!,■ 
 
 
 
 I I 
 
 I 
 
 1 I i 
 
 {'It ■ : 
 
 It 
 
 
 ■.)!•■ 
 
 1.', 
 
 
 708 
 
 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 through the semitone scale, with scarcely an error. * * * 
 Although they have been heard to shout quite loud, yet 
 they cannot endure a noise. When the drum beat, or a 
 gun was fired, they invariably stopped their ears. They 
 always speak to each other in a whisper. Their cautious 
 manner and movements prove them to be a timid race. 
 The men are exceedingly jealous of their women, and 
 will not allow any one, if they can help it, to enter their 
 huts, particularly boys." 
 
 When, after some hesitation, admittance was gained to 
 the huts on shore : ** The men creeping in first, squatted 
 theniselves directly in front of the women, all holding out 
 the small piece of seal-skin, to allow the heat to reach their 
 bodies. The v.'omen were squatted three deep behind the 
 men, the oldest in front, nestling the infants." Most 
 writers speak of the condition of the Fuegian women, par- 
 ticularly of this race of Pecherais, as being subjected to the 
 most severe and toilsome drudgery. " In a word," says 
 one, ** the Pecherais women are, perhaps, of all the sav- 
 age women of America, those whose lot is the hardest." 
 Those, however, seen at Orange Harbor had small and 
 well-shaped hands and feet, " and, from appearance, they 
 are not accustomed to do anv hard work." 
 
 Some vague superstitious belief in dreams, omens, &c., 
 with the idea of an evil spirit in the embodiment of " a 
 gieat black man, supposed to be always wandering about 
 the woods and mountains, who is certain of knowing 
 every word and every action, who cannot be escaped, and 
 who influences the weather according to men's conduct," 
 is all that is observable of religious conceptions on the part 
 of the natives. They have, connected with each tribe or 
 casual group, a man whom their fancy invests with the 
 power of sorcerer and physician ; occupying precisely 
 the same position with that of the 
 America. 
 
 " powwows " of North 
 
 #♦ 
 
SRICA. 
 
 "'^■*- 
 
 rt 
 
 « » » 
 
 :ely an error. 
 
 shoiit quite loud, yet 
 I the drum beat, or a 
 3ed their ears. They 
 lisper. Their cautious 
 n to be a timid race. 
 
 of their women, and 
 . help it, to enter their 
 
 mittance was gained to 
 3eping in first, squatted 
 women, all holding out 
 V the heat to reach then 
 i three deep behind the 
 ,g the infants." :Most 
 he Fuegian women, par- 
 , as being subjected to the 
 
 ,i.y «< In a word," says 
 perhaps, of all the sav- 
 
 hose lot is the hardest. 
 
 J Harbor had small and 
 d, from appearance, they 
 
 d work." 
 
 ;f in dreams, omens, &c., 
 n the embodiment of ''a 
 always wandering about 
 is certain of knowing 
 ,o cannot be escaped, and 
 ,rding to men's conduct, 
 )us conceptions on the pavt 
 ,„ected with each tribe or 
 .ir fancy invests with the 
 ian; occupying precise ly 
 he "powwows "of North 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 BY J. T. HEADLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CONDITION OP THE TRIBE PREVIOUS TO THE OUTBREAK. -A 
 WARLIKE TRIBE. - CIVILIZATION COMMENCED. - CHURCHES 
 AND SCHOOLS. - CAUSES OP THE OUTBREAK. - INJUSTICE OP 
 OUR GOVERNMENT. - BEGINNING OP THE MASSACRE. - INHAB- 
 ITANTS CALLING POR HELP. - LITTLE CROW. -ATTACK ON 
 THE LOWER AGENCY. - ESCAPE OP REV. MR. HINDMAN. - A 
 NOBLE PERRYMAN. - CUT NOSE.-TWlInTY-FIVE MASSACRED. - 
 HEAitT-RENDING SIGHT. - FLIGHT AND DEATH OP DR. HUM- 
 PHREYS. - WHOLE FAMILY BURNED. - DESTRUCTION OP CAPT. 
 marsh's COMPANY. 
 
 The massacre of the whites in Minnesota by the Sioux 
 Indians, in August, 1862, is one of the bloodiest that has 
 ever occurred in the history of the Indian races in North 
 America. Iii the earlier periods of the country, the fron- 
 tier settlements were constantly exposed to Indian depre- 
 dations, and their destruction at any time seemed proba- 
 ble from their comparative feebleness and remoteness 
 from succor ; but that the savage tribes should rise against 
 the whites almost within sight of our populous cities, our 
 railroads and steamboats, was not dreamed of by any one. 
 
 The Sioux massacre, had it occurred in a time of peace, 
 would have moved the nation more profoundly than any 
 event in our history, but coining as it did in the midst of 
 one of the most fearful civil wars the world has ever seen, 
 it lost half its horrors. When our fathers, brothers and 
 
 
 
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 I- 
 
 k. 
 
 «^ 
 
 ^m 
 
 m. 
 

 1 i- 
 
 * 
 
 
 f 
 
 i 
 
 H 
 
 ■: ! i. 
 
 *' .. 
 
 i 1 
 
 !-.■ 
 
 
 
 710 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 sons were falling by the tens of thousands in our very 
 midst, the slaughter of a few hundred settlers on our 
 frontier seemed comparatively a small evil. 
 
 The Sioux, or Dacotah Indians, as they have been 
 known from time immemorial, have always been a warlike 
 tribe, but as civilization advanced and encroached upon 
 them, their savage character gradually changed, and for 
 years they had lived at peace with their white neighbors. 
 They had step by step receded before the tide of emigra- 
 tion, selling their lands to the government, until by the 
 last treaties, especially the one ratified in 1860, tliey 
 yielded all their possessions in Iowa, Dakota and Minne- 
 sota, except a tract a hundred and fifty miles long, on the 
 Minnesota river. In accordance with these treaties, a 
 large amount of money and goods was annually delivered 
 to tliem, and an agent of the government resided among 
 them to superintend the transaction of all public business. 
 For the sake of convenience two stations were established 
 for this purpose, one fourteen miles above Fort Ridgcly, on 
 the Minnesota river, called the " Lower," or " Redwood 
 Agency," and the other at the mouth of the Yellow Medi- 
 cine river, known as the "Upper," or "Yellow Mediciiio 
 Agency." A part of the nation, perhaps a hun(' od fami- 
 lies, had adopted civilized customs, lived in frame-houses, 
 dressed in coats and pantaloons, attended churches and 
 schools, had plows, harrows, and all the agricultural im- 
 plements, and seemed fast merging into civilization. The 
 other portion, however, lived in huts on the prairie, and 
 retained their savage customs and habits. 
 
 A few miles above the Yellow Medicine were churclics 
 and schools in charge of Rev. S. R. Riggs and Pr. William- 
 son, who for a long time had been missionaries among 
 them. At Lac qui Parle was another school under the 
 care of Rev. Mr. Huggins, while trading posts were estab- 
 lished at various points. Besides the whites and Indians, 
 
 J 
 
tufF^ 
 
 RE. 
 
 iousands in our very 
 dred settlers on our 
 
 all evil. 
 
 ;, as they have been 
 always been a warlike 
 and encroached upon 
 Lially changed, and for 
 their white neighbors, 
 ore the tide of cmigra- 
 vcrnment, until by the 
 ratified in I860, they 
 wa, Dakota and Minuc- 
 1 fifty miles long, on tlic 
 with these treaties, a 
 s was annually delivered 
 'crnment resided among 
 ^on of all public busincfs. 
 
 stations were established 
 es above Fort Ridgely, on 
 u Lower," or "Redwood 
 outh of the Yellow Mcdi- 
 r" or "Yellow Medicuic 
 perhaps a luuu od fami- u 
 ns Uved in frame-houses, !| 
 ,«, 'attended churches and 
 i 'all the agricultural un- 
 ng into civilization. Tlic 
 huts on the prairie, and 
 
 ,ud habits. 
 
 , Medicine were churches 
 
 miiggsandDr.WiUiani- 
 
 bccn missionaries among 
 another school under the 
 
 . trading posts wei^ cstab" 
 ics the whites and Indians, 
 
 THE aiOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 711 
 
 V 
 
 c 
 
 a numerous race of half-breeds had sprung up. A good 
 road ran through the reservation, with eighteen well-con- 
 structed bridges. Some three thousand acres of this fer- 
 tile region had been fenced and planted, while saw and 
 corn-mills and brick-yards were established at the agencies. 
 
 But altliough matters seemed in this thriving, prosper- 
 ous condition, there had been at various times, indications 
 of an outbreak. Tlie large annuities paid them by the 
 government furnished a tempting bait to unscrupulous 
 traders and adventurers, who managed from time to time 
 to make largo fortunes at the expense of the Indian. On 
 two different occasions $2,900 that had been placed on a 
 table in payment to some of the chiefs, was picked up by 
 a half-breed and given to a white man, and that was the 
 last ever seen of it. Receipts were obtained on the prom- 
 ise of furnishing horses, guns, &c. Avhich were never paid. 
 Once a man by the name of Hugh Tyler, took $55,000 as 
 pay due him, as he alleged, for getting a treaty through 
 the Senate. The $100,000 which the Indians were to 
 receive for ceding their lands north of the Minnesota, they 
 nevef saw or received a penny of for four years, or until 
 the very year of the massacre, and then but $1,500 worth 
 of goods were sent, and even this was deducted from the 
 money due them under a former treaty. The Indians, 
 indignant at the fraud, refused for a long time to receive 
 them, and finally did so only after the government had 
 agreed to make it right with them. 
 
 Things had gone on in this way until at the outbreak 
 the annuities amounted to scarcely fifteen dollars a piece 
 of the 6,200 that composed the tribe. This was not sufli- 
 cient to keep them from starvation, and the winter previ- 
 ous to the massacre numbers actually died from want, and 
 many others only lived by eating their horses and dogs. 
 Other and slighter causes, but such as an Indian keenly 
 feels, incensed them against the whites, and nothing but 
 
 :i 
 

 .-• >.,'.■ 
 
 <^iP f^'" '"iff • ■ i '?#!?■■ 
 
 •pi 
 
 
 712 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 their powerlessness kept them from violence long before. 
 The outbreak of civil war among us naturally excited in 
 their hearts the belief that their day of revenge was at 
 hand. Said a famous Cherokee chief, many years ago, 
 when speaking of the wrongs done his nation, "One of 
 these days you will be at war among yourselves, and then 
 when you art lYeakened, we will come down on you lil^e 
 the mount9.in wolf on the fold, and tear you in pieces." 
 Such thoughts stirred the hearts of the Sioux braves. 
 Besides, they did not escape the war excitement that filled 
 the land. Recruiting stations were in their midst, and 
 companies of half-breeds ere organized for the army. 
 This also showed to them the desperate straits of the gov- 
 ernment for men, and its weakness. Added to all, the 
 wildest rumors spread among them of the sacking of our 
 cities by the south, the capture of Washington, and even 
 the President. All these things tended to kindle the 
 sullen desire for revenge which for a long time had smoul- 
 dered in their breasts, into a belief that their time for 
 action had come. 
 
 About the first of July the young men of the Bation 
 formed a secret association, called the "Soldier's Lodge," 
 the object of which was to control matters when any thing 
 of great importance to the nation occurred. Yet all this 
 did not alarm the whites, and the traders who had come 
 to despise the Indians, would tell them as Foulon did the 
 mob of Paris when they said they were starving, to "Eat 
 HAY." The very night before the outbreak, a large coun- 
 cil was held only fifteen miles from the lower agency, in 
 which it was determined to go the next day to the Agency 
 and demand the money duo them, thence to Fort Ridgely, 
 if refused, to St. Paul; and if necessary, to resort to vio- 
 lence to secure their rights. It will thus be seen that the 
 whole nation was I'csting on the bosom of a volcano, which 
 at any moment might burst forth in a deluge of firo. 
 
 ■J '41 1 
 
■MiUw 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 713 
 
 
 Yet Gtrange j-s it may seem, the whites reposed in perfect 
 security ; the wholesome fear which kept the early settlers 
 on the alert, had been laid to rest so long that it seemed 
 impossible to rouse it. So complete was this delusion that 
 the government agent, Mr. Galbraith, who visited the 
 entire reservation just before the outbreak, spoke on his 
 return with great satisfaction of the prosperous condition 
 of affairs in the tribe. 
 
 Still, notwithstanding this apparent preparation of a 
 sudden uprising, the time and manner of its occurrence 
 seemed purely accidental. 
 
 On the first of August a party of twenty Indians went 
 to the "Big Woods," an extensive fore&t about eigbty 
 miles above the falls of St. Anthony, to hunt and get a 
 wagon which a chief had left the previous winter with 
 Captain Whitcomb. They separated on the way, some 
 of them going towards Acton. These got into a quarrel 
 a few days after, accusing" each other of cowardice for 
 being afraid of the whites. They finally separated, the 
 larger number saying to four who went off by themselves, 
 " Yost will see whether we are brave or not, for we are 
 going to kill a white man." Soon after, the four heard 
 the others firing, and supposing they were shooting down 
 whites, said they must kill some too, to show that they 
 were equally brave. While they were debating the pro- 
 ject, they came to Acton. Here they got into an alterca- 
 tion with three men named Jones, Baker and Webster. 
 At length one of the Indians proposed they should go out 
 and shoot at a mark, for the purpose of getting he guns 
 of the whites discharged. They did so, when the Indians, 
 after firing, carefully reloaded tlieir guns, and consulting 
 a moment together, appeared about to go awa^", when they 
 suddenly turned and fired, shooting down Jones and his 
 wife, and Baker and Webster. They then broke open 
 Jones' house, ihot a young lady in it named Miss Wilson, 
 
 4*, 
 
 

 
 if:Hmi^^''ty.:-:U'-'^ .'41, ■' 
 
 714 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 and departed. Mrs. "Webster, who was in a covered wagon 
 near by, and Mrs. Baker, who in her fright fell down cellar 
 and was not noticed, escaped. This was the leginning of 
 the massacre. The two women crawled forth to find their 
 families weltering in blood. Hastening to the house of c 
 Norwegian a few miles distant, they told^their horrible 
 story, and no man being at home, a boy was despatched 
 to Ripley, a distance of twelve miles, where a meeting was 
 being held to raise a company of volunteers for the war. 
 Seventy-five men were jpeedily assembled at the spot, and 
 hearing that the other Indians were still in the neighbor- 
 hood, threatening violence, sent immediately to St. Paul, 
 to the governor, for help. 
 
 The four Indians who had begun the massacre, hastened 
 to the house of a Mr. Eckland, and stealing two horses, 
 mounted them, two on each horse, and rode at a break- 
 neck pace to Shakopee's village, into which they broke 
 before daylight with a savage ^hout. The aroused natives 
 were thrown into a state of the wildest excitement at the 
 story they told. One thing they knc\v at once ; those mur- 
 derers must be jiven up, or the tribe held respomible ; 
 and the question arose what shoirid be done, surrender 
 them or fight, for there was no alternative. An excited, 
 angry discussion arose in the council that was immediately 
 called, but the relatives of the meil declared they should 
 not be given up. It was finally agreed, that as it had 
 been decided in council the night previous, to go to Fort 
 Ridgeley, and if necessary to St. Paul, and demand their 
 annuity, they would start before daylight, and taking 
 " Little Crow" in their way, consult with him respecting 
 their future action. This was one of the most eloquent 
 and crafty chieftains of the tribe. He had been to Wash- 
 ington, had become civilized, dressing like a white man, 
 and living in a brick house, and regarded himself as a 
 respectable citizen. 
 
 ■uf -i-j,, ;! 
 
yas ill a covered wagon 
 fright fell down cellar 
 is was the hcgimmg of 
 yrled forth to find their 
 ening to the house of 1^ 
 iiey told .their horrible 
 a boy was despatched 
 's, where a meeting was 
 volunteers for the war. 
 semhled at the f^pot, and 
 >re still in the neighbor- 
 mmediately to St. Taul, 
 
 n the massacre, hastened 
 and stealing two horses, 
 ce, and rode at a break- 
 3 into which they broke 
 ut. The aroused natives 
 svildest excitement at the 
 kuo >v at once; those nuii- 
 10 tribe held respoMible; 
 voitld be done, surrender 
 alternative. An excited, 
 mcil that was immediately 
 
 tncil declared they should 
 lly agreed, that as it had 
 ht previous, to go to Fort 
 Paul, and demand their 
 !bro daylight, and taking 
 nsult with him respecting 
 one of the most eloquent 
 Ic He had been to Wash- 
 .rcssing like a white man, 
 [and regarded himself as a 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 716 
 
 This wild delegation, mounted on horseback, started 
 before daylight, and passing down the river, roused the 
 Indian settlers on the way with their shouts and war cries. 
 It needed but a spark to fire the tinder, and all along the 
 way, other Indians jumped on their horses, and joined the 
 wild cavalcade, that kept increasing as it advanced, till a 
 hundred and fifty shouting, yolling madmen streamed 
 along the roa^. They reached Crow's house before he 
 was up, and the astonished chieftain, roused by the war 
 cries that had so often stirred him in his youth, sat up in 
 his bed. The next moment his room was filled with 
 Indians, and wrapping himself in his blanket he asked 
 the meaning of this strange gathering. Their story was 
 soon told. They had now reached a pitch of excitement 
 where counsel was useless. They did not want advice ; 
 they demanded that Crow should be their leader in a 
 war against the whites. He saw at once that he must, or 
 part forever with his tribe. Still, knowing the hazards 
 he run, the struggle within him for a few minutes was 
 terrible. But his mind was soon made up, and exclaim- 
 ing, "I am with you," leaped from his bed. Sending off" 
 swift couriers to other bands, ho mounted his horse and 
 led on the throng. It was agreed to fall on the Agency 
 at once. But to make the blow sudden and overwhelm- 
 ing, they decided to enter tlio village quietly and in 
 squads, as though nothing unusual was on foot, and sta- 
 tioning themselves at different points, wait a given signal, 
 which was to be the discharge cf a single gun from near 
 the flag-staff, and then dash in and commence their work 
 of blood. When all was ready the signal gun was fired, 
 and in an instant the air was filled with war whoops, and 
 the street with painted demons. The startled inhabitants 
 ran to the doors of their houses and shops and stores, only 
 to be shot down. The love of plunder soon drew them 
 away from the work of slaughter, and many of the citi- 
 
 ■i^'. 1 
 
 .,' :r. A 
 
 i 1 
 
 m 
 
W^K I 
 
 t . 
 
 716 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 zens succeeded in escaping. Among these was the Rev. 
 Mr. Hindman, who lived in the lower part of the town. 
 He thus relates what he saw on this morning which usli- 
 ered in the work of blood. " I arose early, expecting to 
 go to Fairbault, had just finished breakfast, and was 
 sitting outside, smoking a pipe, and talking with a mason 
 about a job which ho had just finished upon the new 
 church which I was building. Presently I saw a number 
 of Indians passing down, nearly naked, and armed with 
 guns. The mason exclaimed, * I guess they are going to 
 have a dance.' * No,' said Dr. Humphrey's son, who was 
 standing near us, * they have guns and are not going to 
 dance.' Then I noticed, that instead of going by, they 
 commenced sitting down on the steps of various buildings. 
 About this time I heard the guns in the upper town. A 
 man by tho name of Whipple said, he guessed the Chi|> 
 peways liaa come over, and they were having a battle. 
 He then crossed the road to his boarding-house. I soon 
 noticed that the people at the boarding-house, (who could 
 see the upper stores,) were running down the bluff. 
 Then four Indians came down the street. One of them 
 left the others and went into the Indian farmer Prcscott's 
 house, and came immediately out. Frank Robertson, a 
 young clerk in the employ of the government, followed 
 him out, looking very pale. I asked him what was the 
 matter. He said he did not know, but that the Indian 
 told them all to stay in the house. He told me he .nought 
 there was going to be trouble, and started for Beaver 
 Creek, a few miles above, where his mother lived. 
 
 " Soon 'White Dog,' formerly president of the 'Fanner 
 Indians,' ran past, very much frightened. I asked him 
 what the matter was, and he said there was awful work, 
 and that he was going to see Waboshaw about it. Tiicn 
 Crow, with another Indian, went by the gate, and I asked 
 Crow what was the matter. He was usually very polite, 
 
JRE. 
 
 ig thcsG was the Rev. 
 yer part of the town. 
 ,s moruiug which ush- 
 ase early, expecting to 
 .d breakfast, and was 
 i talkhig with a mason 
 anished upon the new 
 escntlylsawaimmbcr 
 
 naked, and armed with 
 guess they are going to 
 ampin-ey's son, who was 
 ns and arc not going to 
 istead of going ^7. ^licy 
 teps of various buildmgs. 
 
 3 in the upper town. A 
 ad, he guessed the Chil> 
 
 .y were having a battle. 
 
 boarding-i^ouse. I soon 
 
 .arding-house, (who could 
 
 K^unningdown the W. 
 
 [the street. One of them 
 
 .Indian farmer Prcscotts 
 
 iut Frank Robertson, a 
 
 bo government, followed 
 
 asked him what ^s^s the 
 
 uow, hut that the Indian 
 
 He told me ho .nought 
 
 . and started for Beaver 
 
 I his mother lived. 
 President of the 'Farmer 
 
 frightened. 1 asked lum 
 ;aid there was awful work, 
 
 iVaboshaw about it ^iUcu 
 ntl>ythegate,andlas^^d 
 
 ' e was usually very pohte, 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 717 
 
 
 •! * 
 
 but now he made no answer, and regarding me with a 
 savage look, went on towards the stable, the next build- 
 ing below. 
 
 "Just before, Wagner ran by, and I asked him also 
 what the trouble was. He said the Indians wxre going 
 to the stables to steal horses, and that he was going there 
 to stop them. I told him he had better not, as I was 
 afraid there was trouble. Ho paid no attention to what 
 I said. The next I saw was the Indians leading away 
 the horses, and Wagner, and John Lamb and another 
 person trying to prevent them. By this time Crow had 
 reached there, and I heard him say to the Indians, * What 
 are you doing ? Why don't you shoot tliest aen ? What 
 are you waiting for?' Immediately the Indians fired, 
 wounding Wagner, who escaped across the river to die, 
 and killing Lamb and the other man. 
 
 " Then I found Miss West, and we started for the ferry. 
 After wc got about halfway, she ran into a house, and I 
 lost sight of her. 
 
 "Just as I got to Dickerson's house, I came across a 
 German who was wounded. I managed to get him down 
 the hill and put him into a skiff, and we passed safely 
 over and arrived at Fort Ridgeley about three o'clock. 
 The people were crossing the ferry rapidly, and flying in 
 everv direction." 
 
 The ferryman, Manley, a Frenchman, of low origin and 
 among the most common and illiterate of the settlers, 
 now showed himself to possess the elements of a true 
 hero. Instead of flying with the rest, as he might have 
 done and saved his life, he stayed manfully at his post, 
 and unmoved amid the terror and panic around him, 
 calmly passed backward and forward, carrying the fugi- 
 tives over as fast as he could. This humble man, whom 
 no one cared for, suddenly seemed to care for every body 
 hut himself. He arose to that loftiest point of self-sacri- 
 
: Jl'^ifV;.. ,iV:;;v):. ^■:;;'.■U^ '. 
 
 
 
 't : 
 
 
 ■ I '. • f 
 
 
 ji • f 
 K , J. 
 
 
 718 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 fice ever reached by man, to give his life for others. The 
 firing steadily drew nearer, and the shots began to fall 
 around hiiii, yet as long as a fugitive stood on the shore 
 pleading for help, he kept returning until no more was 
 to bo saved. When the last man was over, and only in- 
 furiated Indians darkened the bank, a shot struck him, 
 and he fell a true hero, though no poet ever sings his 
 fame. The Indians, enraged that he had snatched so 
 many from their grasp, swam across, and tearing out liis 
 bowels, cut off his head, hands and feet, and crammed 
 them into the body and thus left him. 
 
 A few miles from the Agency several settlers with their 
 families had gathered together previous to taking their 
 flight. The Indians coming suddenly upon them poured 
 a volley into their midst, which killed most of the men. 
 The frightened women and children immediately huddled 
 together in the wagons, and bending down drew their 
 shawls and blankets over their heads to shut out the ter- 
 rible doom that awaited them. "Cut Nose" then came 
 up, and while two Indians sprang to the horses' heads to 
 prevent them from starting off, drove his tomahawk de- 
 liberately into the head of each. A smothered skriek 
 from the survivors, followed each dull, crushing blow of 
 the weapon, as they, powerless with terror, awaited their 
 turn. Taking an infant from its mother's arms. Cut Nose 
 handed it to the Indians, who drawing a bolt from the 
 wagon, drove it through the body and pinned it to the 
 fence. There, before the mother's eyes, they left it to 
 writhe and die in agony. For a little while they stood and 
 gloated over the mother's speechless misery at the awful 
 spectacle, and then chopped off her arms and legs and left 
 her to bleed to death. Twenty-five were thus massacred. 
 When all had been disposed of, the savages kicked the mu- 
 tilated bodies out of the wagons, and filling them with plun- 
 der, sent them back to be added to the other spoils, and then 
 
RE. 
 
 I life for others. The 
 e shots began to fall 
 e stood ou the shore, 
 ng until no more was 
 was over, and only iu- 
 ik, a shot struck him, 
 10 poet ever sings his 
 ; he had snatched so 
 [ss, and tearing out his 
 ad feet, and crammed 
 
 lim. . 
 
 iveral settlers with their 
 
 .revious to taking their 
 only upon them poured 
 killed most of the men. 
 en immediately huddled 
 nding down drew their 
 cads to shut out the tcr- 
 "Cut Nose" thencamo 
 pr to the horses' heads to 
 Love his tomahawk de- 
 li A smothered skrick 
 1* dull, crushing blow of 
 vith terror, awaited their 
 mother's arms, Cut Nose 
 
 drawing a bolt from the 
 ody and pinned it to the 
 ler's eyes, they left it to 
 little while they stood and 
 hloss misery at the awful 
 her arms and legs and Ic t 
 .five were thus massacred, 
 the savages kicked the mu- 
 and filling them with plun- 
 ,0 the other spoils, and then 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 719 
 
 pushed on to other deeds of blood. Coming up to a 
 farmer's house in which were a husband and wife and 
 two children, the father fired at theia from the window. 
 Before he could reload, they broke in with a yell. Find- 
 ing no one within, the family having escaped by a back 
 way, they pursued after and butchered the father, mother 
 and son. The daughter, loft alone, threw herself on the 
 ground, pretending to be dead. The savages, after hack- 
 ing the dead bodies, seized her by the feet to drag her 
 off, when she instinctively moved to adjust her clothes. 
 She was saved for a worse fate. 
 
 Dr. Humphreys, the physician, with three little chil- 
 dren, the oldest only twelve years old, got off, and when 
 two miles distant stopped at a house to rest. Being ex- 
 hausted and thirsty, he sent his little boy a short distance 
 for some water. While he was gone the Indians came up, 
 and shooting his father, set fire to the house, and burned 
 his mother and little brother alive. Frightened half to 
 death he hid in some bushes. When the Indians left, he 
 crept forth and found his father lying on the ground with 
 his throat cut. Stupefied with fear he crawled back to 
 his hiding place, where ho remained till he was picked 
 up in the afternoon by a band of soldiers sent from St. 
 Peters. The Indians, having killed, captured or driven 
 away all the whites, and filled the street with plunder, 
 applied tlie torch to the buildings, and soon the summer 
 sky was red with the conflagration. Couriers in the 
 mean time had been dispatched to other bands, bearing 
 the war cry. 
 
 Having finished the work of destruction at the Agency, 
 the savages streamed down the river, slaughtering and 
 burning as they went. As the fearful tidings spread, the 
 terrified inhabitants fled from their homes, carrying away 
 what household stuff they could collect, but in most cases 
 they were met or overtaken and shot down. The plead- 
 
 1 1 
 
 

 r 
 
 f ?'.■':•-'; 
 
 •r 
 
 l.i; 
 
 J'j ■ ■> ., 
 
 
 
 ;;'.V - 
 
 ■^ ^•^■• 
 
 •, ,v 
 
 720 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 ing cries of women and children were unheeded, even 
 when made to those whom they know and had often be- 
 friended. Frenzied by their own deeds, and with all the 
 long slumbering fires of their savage nature fully aroused, 
 they committed every act of atrocity that a dcvilit^h inge- 
 nuity could suggest. A farmer and his two sons were 
 engaged in stacking wheat. Twelve Indians approached 
 unseen to the fence, and from behind it shot all three. 
 They then entered tho farmer's house and killed two of 
 the young children in the presence of Iheir mother, who 
 was ill with consumption, and dragged the mother and 
 daughter miles away to their camp. There, in the pres- 
 ence of the dying mother, they stripped off the daughter's 
 clothes, fastened her back to the ground, and one by one 
 violated her person, till death came to her relief. One 
 Indian went into a house where a woman was making 
 bread. Her small child was in the cradle. He split the 
 mother's head open with a tomahawk, and then placed 
 the babe in the hot oven, where he kept it until nearly 
 dead, when he took it out and beat out its brains against 
 the wall. 
 
 Children were nailed living to tables and doors, and 
 knives and tomahawks thrown at them till they were 
 killed. The womb of the pregnant mother was ripped 
 open, the palpitating infant torn forth, cut into bits and 
 thrown into the face of the mother. Whole families were 
 burned alive in their homes. Such and similar deeds of 
 horrid barbarity are recorded by Mr. Heard, who lias 
 published a book on the massacre, and by the newspapers 
 of the times, all of which were verified. By noon 
 the news reached Fort Eidgely, and Captain Marsh, of 
 the Minnesota Volunteers, immediately started with forty- 
 eight men in wagons, for the scene of destruction. On the 
 way he met terrified fugitives, who told him to turn back, 
 for the Indians outnumbered him three to one, and he waa 
 
cro unheeded, even 
 w and had ol'tcn bo- 
 eds, and witli all tlic 
 nature fully aroused, 
 r that a dcvilbh ingc- 
 d his two sons were 
 Indians approached 
 nd it shot all three, 
 use and killed two of 
 of \heir mother, who 
 ,ggcd the mother and 
 . There, in the prcs- 
 npcd off the daughter's 
 
 round, and one by one 
 Imc to her relief. One 
 a woman was makuig 
 .c cradle. He split the 
 hawk, and then placed 
 he kept it until nearly 
 2tt out its hrains aganist 
 
 tables and doors, and 
 at them till they were 
 ,ant mother was ripped 
 forth, cut into bits and 
 ,. Whole families were 
 ,ch and similar deeds of 
 )Y Mr. Heard, who has 
 
 and by the newspapers 
 .'re verified. By noon 
 
 and Captain Marsh, ot 
 
 [lately started with forty- 
 
 le of destruction. On tbe 
 
 .0 told him to turn back 
 
 three to one, and he was 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 721 
 
 sure to be killed. Ho however kept resolutely on, and 
 reached the ferry opposite the Agency, at sundown. The 
 Indians came down to the opposite side of the river, and 
 a parley was held through an interpreter. Marsh said ho 
 wished to come across and investigate matters. They 
 declared ho should not. The banks of the river were 
 lined with bushes, and while the discussion was going on 
 a largo number of Indians secretly crossed and surround- 
 ed him, in concealed positions. Marsh, at first, was de- 
 termined to cross at all hazards, but at length, at the 
 earnest solicitations of friends, who declared it was cer- 
 tain death to make the attempt, he desisted. But the 
 order to his men to wheel had hardly escaped his lips, 
 when a sudden yell rose all around him, and the next 
 moment a tremendous volley at close range, was poured 
 into his little band. Nearly twenty fell at the first fire. 
 With the survivors he stood his ground and returned the 
 fire. But resistance vviis vain; his men dropped like 
 leaves beside him, and seeing it was hopeless to continue 
 the fight, he gathered nine men around him and fought 
 his way out of the circle of fire. But after going two 
 miles down the river, ho found his way lo the fort cut 
 off, and seeing a spot where he thought the river could 
 be forded, he ordered his men to plunge in, himself lead- 
 ing the way, with his sword and revolver lifted above his 
 head. But he soon got beyond his depth, and sunk to 
 no more. His nine followers reached the fort in 
 
 rise 
 
 safety, with the sad tidings of their loss. 
 

 P^^t fc^^v^r^f■^M}^-,^■::- 
 :M.:^"'''i^'v ;^"r•i^.-r€^;t"- 
 ■ ' yi'"»i)^i "', ♦•' ,'- ' ■'^. •■.■,;. ;■ '. , 
 
 
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 722 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 CHAPTER II. . 
 
 ESCAPE OP REV. MR. RIGGS AND DR. WILLIAMSON. - CHASKA, 
 PAUL AND ENOS, FAITHFUL INDIANS AIDING RIGGS AND 
 DR. WILLIAMSON IN THEIR ESCAPE. - ARRIVAL AT BIRCH 
 COOLEY.- BURNING WOMEN ALIVE.- EXCITEMENT OF THE 
 PEOPLE. - ATTACK ON NEW ULM. -BOARDMAN AND JUDGE 
 FLANDERAN DEFEND NEW ULM. -ATTACK ON FORT RIDGB- 
 LY.- DEFENDED BY SERGEANT JONES. - INDIANS DISPERSED 
 BY SHELLS. - TERRIBLE THUNDER STORM. - LITTLE CROW 
 RENEWING THE ATTACK. - SLAUGHTERING OF MEN, WOMEN 
 AND CHILDREN. - LITTLE CROW RE-ENFORCED, MAKING THE 
 SECOND ATTACK. - EVACUATION OP NEW ULM. 
 
 The couriers which Little Crow had despatched to the 
 various bands, had but to teil their story, and the savages 
 were ready for action. At the Upper Agency, on the 
 Yellow Medicine, there was some hesitation at first, 
 whether they should kill the whites or send them away 
 and seize their property. In the council that immediately 
 assembled, " Other Day," a civilized Indian, opposed all 
 violence, and told them they were bringing ruin on the 
 whole tribe. But wluen the news of Marsh's overthrow 
 was received, all debate ended, and the war cry sounded. 
 Other Day, seeing that the storm would soon burst on the 
 Agency, secretly informed the whites, who were in pro 
 found ignorance of what occurred, and assembling them, 
 sixty-two in all, crossed the river, and conducted them in 
 safety to the sctilements. But for his bravery and devo- 
 tion they would have shared the fate of the inhabitants 
 of the Lower Agency. On the same night some Indians 
 brought the news to tlie missionary and school station of 
 Rev, Mr. Riggs and Dr. Williamson, six miles above the 
 Agency. 
 
ElE. 
 
 LI. 
 
 WILLIAMSON. -CHASKA, 
 ,NS AIDING BIGGS AND 
 E -ARRIVAL AT BIRCH 
 -EXCITEMENT OF THE 
 -BOARDMAN AND JUDGE 
 .TTACK ON FORT RIDGE- 
 lES -INDIANS DISPERSED 
 STORM. -LITTLE CROW 
 TERING OF MEN, WOMEN 
 E-ENFORCED, MAKING THE 
 p NEW ULM. 
 
 y bad despatched to the 
 >ir story, and the savages 
 
 1 Upper Agency, ou the j 
 Mno hesitation at tirst, j 
 utcs or send them away jl 
 council that immediately ,, 
 iized Indian, opposed all i! 
 ere bringing' ruin on the , 
 Ls of Marsh's overthrow 
 ud the war cry sounded, 
 a would soon hurst on the 
 whites, who were in pro. 
 
 'cd, and assemhling them, 
 >r, and conducted them m 
 
 for his bravery and devo- 
 ,Uo fate of the inhabitants 
 , same night some Indmus 
 L,ary and school station of 
 'nson,Bix miles above the 
 
 THE SIODX MASSACRE. 
 
 723 
 
 Although Little Crow in his message had urged the 
 chiefs to massacre the whites, they hesitated at lirst what 
 course to take. Like those at the Yellow Medicine, they 
 were more Christianized than the great majority of the 
 tribe. Many of them were members of the church, and 
 all had been treated with uniform khidness by the mis- 
 sionaries. In sickness they had been attended by them, 
 and when in want had been fed and clothed. The mis- 
 sionary houses were to them like taverns, where they 
 came and wont as they wished, and were never turned 
 away empty. Hence, they and their families, in total 
 ignorance of what was going on, went about their usual 
 avocations in perfect security. On Sunday, when the 
 massacre had commenced, they had religious services as 
 usual, and it being the regular communion Sabbath, the 
 Lord's supper was administered to the Indians who com- 
 posed the church. Though the missionaries knew noth- 
 ing of what was on foot, they noticed that the Indians 
 acted strangely. Their usual meek and quiet demeanor 
 was wanting, and a certain brusqueness and defiant man- 
 ner was observed. Still, nothing serious was apprehend- 
 ed. But after service, an old squaw strode roughly in 
 Mr. Riggs* house, and demanded payment for the injury 
 one of his hogs had done her potato patch. When asked 
 what she wanted, she replied a calf. It being refused 
 her, she went away, muttering that she would have it 
 any way before long. Soon after, some Indians quietly 
 walked in Dr. Williamson's barn, and led out two of his 
 liorscs; and when the Dr. called after them, they only 
 laughed and galloped off. Two others, following their 
 example, were about to take away those that remained, 
 when ho stepped up to them and demanded what they 
 meant by treating him in this manner, asking if he had 
 not always been kind to them, giving them clothes when 
 they needed them, and fo cding them whenever they camo 
 
 i^ 
 
•li^M/>--*^''-^.a^^'-.^^- „^■?^^■•■■ 
 ' J. i' ■■..>;■ . • ' . f ■ • ; 1 ■ ., *<> 
 
 ';' r 
 
 
 .^yi^s'^'^^ 
 
 724 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 to him hungry. Tliey said yes, and that they did not 
 wish to harm him, but the horses would soon be taken 
 and they might as well have them as any body else. All 
 this looked very strange ; still the missionaries thought 
 it was only a passing mood of some discontented individ- 
 uals, and retired to rest with a feeling of entire security. 
 The next morning, while the flames were wrapping the 
 dwellings of the Lower Agency, and the inhabitants were 
 falling or flying before the yelling, infuriated savages, the 
 various members of their families went about their ordi- 
 nary avocations. Some went into the hay-field, some into 
 the woods hunting, others fishing, and some of the ladies 
 went out to sketch. In the mean time, those who re- 
 mained at home, began to feel the greatest alarm. Some 
 friendly Indians had told them of fearful rumors of the 
 rising of the Indians down the river, and that the work 
 of destruction had already commenced. The farmer 
 Indians, instead of being at work, gathered in groups 
 around the missionary house, and talked over the flyhig 
 reports that kept reaching them. "When the family 
 assembled again that evening, the news of the day was 
 eagerly discussed, and they were forced to admit that im- 
 minent danger threatened them. None felt like retiring, 
 and the next tidings from below were anxiously waited 
 for. Some of the Indians watched with them, declaring, 
 come what would, they would stand by them to the last. 
 Of these, however, Chaska, Paul, Ma-za-ku-ta-ma-ni and 
 Enos, alone remained faithful. ToAvards morning, a mes- 
 senger arrived, announcing that the massacre had actu- 
 ally commenced, and that the tide of destruction was 
 rapidly sweeping towards them. The greatest alarm now 
 prevailed, and some proposed immediate flight to the fort. 
 Others, however, thought it was a mere " scare," sucli as 
 had occurred a year before when a warehouse was broken 
 open l)y the Indians ; and said it would blow over in ri few 
 
 
RE. 
 
 nd that they did not 
 would soon be taken, 
 IS any body else. All 
 
 missionaries thought 
 3 discontented individ- 
 [mg of entire security, 
 acs were wrapping the 
 ,d the inhabitants were 
 
 infuriated savages, the 
 
 I went about their ordi- 
 the hay-field, some mto 
 and some of the ladies 
 ^an time, those who rc- 
 3 greatest alarm, borne 
 ,f fearful rumors of Uic 
 river, and that the work 
 mmenced. The fa.mcr 
 ork, gathered in groups 
 d talked over the flynig 
 ^^ When the family 
 Ithe news of the day was 
 forced to admit tiiat im- 
 Nonc felt like retiring, 
 L were anxiously waited 
 bed with them, declaring, 
 stand by them to the la.t 
 
 ul, Ma-za-ku-ta-ma-ni and 
 Towards morning, a mes- 
 
 lat the massacre had actu- 
 tide of destruction was 
 The greatest alarm now 
 Lmediate flight to the fort, 
 rs a mere "scare," such as 
 en a warehouse was broka 
 it would blow over in «> few 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 725 
 
 hours. It did not seem possible that the Indians would 
 dare to come into serious collision with the whites. But 
 with dayligiit, evidences of hostile feelings multiplied ; 
 the Indians grew bolder; some of the squaws began to 
 roam over the house, and seize such articles as they fan- 
 cied, paying no heed to the questions asked them, what 
 it all meant. At length they brought out the sugar bar- 
 rel, and after helping themselves to wliat they wanted, 
 distributed the rest to those around. Others, catching 
 the contagion, pulled off the feather beds and ripping 
 them open, scattered the feathers on the floor and ground, 
 and sticking their heads through the ticking, walked 
 away witii them, laughing insolently at the wonder- 
 stricken whites. 
 
 It was now plainly time to leave, for there was no mis- 
 taking these hostile signs. Mischief was afoot, and there 
 was no telling how soon tlio storm might burst upon 
 them. A wagon of hay was standing by the barn, and 
 quickly unloading this, they got in, and guided by Chaska, 
 wore driven to a ford of the river but little known. Dr. 
 WiUiamson, however, with his wife and sister, determined 
 to stay behind a little longer. In the mean time, Mr. 
 Riggs had also taken the alarm, and with his party had 
 crossed the river, and lay concealed in a thicket about a 
 mile distant. The Indians had discovered their flight, 
 and taken their wagon away from them, compelling them 
 to travel on foot. Tliese, after much search were discov- 
 ered, and the two parties joining, commenced their sad 
 march over the prairie. The nearest place which could 
 afford them protection, was Fort Ridgcly, and thither 
 they directed their steps. But fearful of meeting warlike 
 Indians on the main route, they turned olf, and wandered 
 hither and thither, keeping only the main direction. 
 Dr. Williamson, with his wife and sister, soon became 
 convinced that it would be certain death to remain longer, 
 
 111''. 
 
 '« < 
 
 ^ I 
 

 
 1 •', » ' I 
 
 •■•i*'-. 
 
 
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 ■;^^ 
 
 ■ i ■' 
 
 
 
 
 - * ' *■ . . 
 
 ,..* 
 
 726 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 and taking an ox-cart, followed after. Two friendly 
 Indians, Lorenzo and Chaska, accompanied them, driving 
 the team, and telling all whom they met, ^nd who inquired 
 what was in the cart, that they were carrying away their 
 own goods. On one occasion a war party met them, and 
 being suspicious that they had something besides goods 
 under the buffalo robe with which they had covered the 
 three fugitives, advanced as if to lift it, when Lorenzo 
 stepped in between, and bringing his gun to his side, 
 declared that he would shoot the first man that touched 
 the covering. The Indians, not liking an encounter with 
 him, left, and soon after struck the trail of the first party. 
 Supposing that all had fled together, they exclaimed, 
 " Ah ! the tracks of Dr. Williamson and Mr. Riggs ! they 
 can't be far off; wo will catch and kill them." Wheel, 
 ing, they dashed off on the open trail, and it peemcd for 
 a moment that the fate of these missionaries, was sealed. 
 But just then a heavy thunder storm brol along the 
 river, and the rain came down in torrents, completely 
 washing out all traces of their march. Thinking that 
 better plunder was behind, which could be secured with 
 less trouble than to follow the blind trail of the poor mis- 
 sionaries, the Indians turned back towards the Big Woods. 
 Coming upon a farm-house in which were two men, they 
 entered it and killed one rud sent a bullet through the 
 thigh of the other. The wounded man immediately made 
 for the window, but as he was in the act of jumping out, 
 they Scabbed him in the back with a butcher knife. He, 
 however, succeeded in reaching the ground, and made 
 off with the energy of despair. The Indians chased him 
 till exhausted with the loss of blood, he fell. Supposing 
 ho was dead, they turned back for the plunder. Tiic 
 wounded man, finding himself no longer pursued, got up 
 and limping forward, succeeded in reaching the party 
 which the Indians had left pursuing but a little while 
 
 'feii' 
 
* 
 
 :jrb. 
 
 after. Two friendly 
 ci^panied them, driving 
 met, ^-nd who inquired 
 
 re carrying away their 
 Lr party met them, and 
 ,mething hesides goods 
 I, they had covered the 
 D lift it, when Lorenzo 
 his gun to his side 
 .first man that touched 
 iking an encounter with 
 ,e trail of the first party 
 gcther, they exclaimed, 
 on and Mr. Riggsl they 
 ,,d kill them." W«- 
 , trail, and it Peemed for 
 . missionaries was sealed. 
 : storm hrol along the 
 , in torrents, completely 
 r march. Thinking that 
 ich could be secured with 
 3liud trail of the poor mis- 
 ektowardstheBigWoo^. 
 
 ^hich were two men, t\ y 
 ■^seht a bullet through the , 
 
 ,cd man immediately made 
 (iu the act of jumping ou , 
 Uth a butcher knife. He, 
 nfthe ground, and made 
 "Co Indians chased him. 
 
 blood, he fell. Supposnig 
 ^ck for the plunder. Ihc 
 Po longer pursued got 1. 
 
 ded in reaching the party 
 ''Irsuing but a little while 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 72T 
 
 before. His wounds were at once bound up, and he was 
 laid in the wagon and covered with a shawl. All that 
 night, a cold, drizzling rain soaked tlie suffering women 
 and children, yet they did not permit a complaint to 
 escape them. The next day they resumed their desolate 
 journey, and when night again came on, the only provis- 
 ions they had left, was a small piece of raw pork. Again 
 the pitiless rain came down, and these women and chil- 
 dren, who all their lives had been accustomed to the 
 comforts of civilization, lay the wholo night on the wet, 
 dark prf^irio, watching for the day, which they still dreaded 
 to sec. The next morning they started off, and seeing a 
 thicket in the distance, made towards it through tlic wet 
 and mud, in the hopes that they could there find some 
 sticks with whicli to cook a breakfast, for they were now 
 entirely out of provisions, except they killed one of the 
 cattle they took the precaution to bring with them. But 
 they soon discovered that several marsiiy creeks lay 
 between them and it, over one of which they had to 
 draw the wagon and cart by hand, after making a sort of 
 bridge by bending down the reeds and grass. There 
 were only six men in the whole party of forty, and they 
 had to carry over the women and children as they 
 best could. But alas, as they approached the thicket, 
 they found that a marsh three miles wide lay between 
 them and it. The prospect of a breakfast looked dim 
 enough, but some of the women joined the men, and 
 passing for the wholo three, miles over the springy, and 
 at times almost floating sod, brouglit back on their 
 shoulders, sufficient wood to build a fire. They then 
 killed a calf, and roasting some of the meat, assuaged 
 the pangs of hunger. It was three o'clock in the after- 
 noon, however, before this hard-earned breakfast was 
 ready to bo eaten. 
 The next day, Friday, about noon, they reached a spot 
 
 pi! 
 
 1: 
 
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 m:\ 
 
 
 r: 
 
 
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 III 'Kf: 
 
 
 
 728 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 known as Birch Cooley, about twenty miles from Fort 
 Ridgcly. Here, Dr. Williamson, with his wife and sister, 
 in the ox-cart, overtook them. Here, too, they came on 
 the track of the destroyer. Beside the fence near them, 
 lay a mother and three children, dead, their bodies gashed 
 and mutilated by the tomahawk. A little further on, 
 stood a solitary house in which a sick woman lay when 
 the tidings came that the Indians were approaching. 
 Unable to leave her bed, her two sons took up the straw 
 mattress on which she lay, and putting it into a wagon, 
 drove off as fast as they could, but all too slowly for 
 their pursuers. The shouts and yells of the Indians were 
 borne to the ears of those two sons, and though escape 
 was hopeless, they refused to leave their sick mother. 
 The Indians dashing up, murdered them both, and then 
 pulling the mattress on to the ground, piled soiuc brush 
 around it, and setting it on fire, burned the j oor woman 
 alive.* 
 
 Never were a people so suddenly awakened from a 
 dream of security, and plunged into such hopeless terror, 
 as the inhabitants along the Minnesota, and throughout 
 the adjoining country, during the three or four days after 
 the massacre at the Lower Agency. Down towards New 
 Ulm, a large village of 1,500 inhabitants, situated only 
 about thirty miles above St. Peters, and towards Fort 
 Ridgely, the Indians streamed in crowds. When the 
 news reached St. Peters, the alarm bells were rung, and 
 the people assembled in the most ijilense excitement to 
 consult on what course to pursue. 
 
 In the mean time. Little Crow, the next morning after 
 the destruction of the Lower Agency, assembled three 
 hundred warriors in the neighborhood of Fort Ridgcly, 
 preparatory to an attack upon it. Had he advanced at 
 
 * One of the party has given a full account of this perilous journey in 
 ilarper's Magazine of June, 1863. 
 
 
BSACRE. 
 
 twenty miles from Fort 
 
 , with his wife and sister, 
 
 Here, too, they came on 
 
 jide the fence near them, 
 
 dead, their bodies gashed 
 
 k. A little further on, 
 
 1 a sick woman lay when 
 
 dians Avcrc approaching. 
 
 o sons took lip tlie straw 
 
 putting it into a wagon, 
 
 d, but all too slowly for 
 
 d yells of the Indians were 
 
 sons, and though escape 
 
 leave their sick mother. 
 
 ered them both, and then 
 
 ground, piled some brush 
 
 3, burned the i oor woman 
 
 iddenly .iwakened from a 
 I into such hopeless terror, 
 Minnesota, and throughout 
 the three or four days after 
 3iicy. Down towards New 
 
 inhabitants, situated onlj 
 Peters, and towards Fort 
 d in crowds. When the 
 darm bells were rung, and 
 lost intense excitement to 
 5ue. 
 )w, the next morning after 
 
 Agency, assembled three 
 hborliood of Fort Ridgely, 
 1 it. Had he advanced at 
 
 Account of this perilous journey in 
 
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 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 729 
 
 once, it must have fallen, for it had a garrison of only 
 thirty men, and was totally unprepared lor sudden 
 assault. But that night, Galbraith, with a ou pany of 
 men from St. Peter's, and Lieut. Shehan, with a squad 
 who had been turned back on their way to Fort Ripley, 
 succeeded in getting into the fort, thus giving it a suffi- 
 cient force to offer a stout resistance. 
 
 About one hundred warriors only stayed with Little 
 Crow, near the fort, while the others roamed over the 
 country, plundering and slaying. About four hundred 
 gathered around New Ul , and began to burn the build- 
 ings in the suburbs, and scnr their shots into the streets 
 of the place, killing sev 'al uf the citizens. The utmost 
 consternation prevailed, for the place was full of women 
 and children, nearly five 1 aidred fugitives having arrived 
 from the surrounding ountry. The utter want of organ- 
 ization and proper leadership, showed, that at the first 
 bold dash, that crowded population would be at the 
 mercy of the savages. The sun was stooping to the 
 western horizon, and when darkness should envelope the 
 town, its terrible doom would be sealed. But at this 
 critical moment, a Mr. Boardman from St. Peters, broke 
 on a wild gallop into the place with fifteen mounted men. 
 Moving instantly outside of the mere apology for a barri- 
 cade which the terrified inhabitants had thrown up, they 
 boldly attacked the Indians, and by their steady and 
 deliberate firing, at dark drove them back, and saved the 
 town. About nine o'clock, Judge Flandrean, from St, 
 Peter's, arrived with a hundred more men, and the people 
 took courage. The savages, baffled here, went to rein- 
 force Little Crow, wlio now thinking himself strong 
 enough, boldly attacked Fort Ridgely. The shouting, 
 yelling, painted horde, swarmed like demons around it, and 
 would doubtless have swept over its frail defences with a 
 bound had it not been for two howitzers, commanded by 
 
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 730 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 Sergeant Jones. As the shells of these began to burst 
 among them, they grew cautious, for they had the terror 
 common to all savages, of the big guns. But from behind 
 bushes and trees, and log-houses in the vicinity, they kept 
 up a perfect hail-storm of bullets, at those working the 
 guns, which steadily thinned the garrison. At length, 
 heaven seemed to interfere in their behalf, for a heavy 
 August thunder-storm arose, and broke with terrible fury 
 over the fort. The successive peals crashed louder than 
 the cannon, while the rain came down in a perfect deluge. 
 The savages, alarmed for their ammunition, wrapped their 
 blankets around their guns, and uttering yells of rage, 
 scampered off for the shelter of the woods. This was the 
 same storm that saved Mr. Riggs and Dr. Williamson. 
 This respite gave the garrison time to get the women and 
 children more thoroughly protected, and to throw up 
 stronger barricades. The next day, Little Crow renewed 
 the attack, but with diminished numbers, as many had 
 gone away on the pleasanter and safer business of plun- 
 dering and massacring helpless women and children, and 
 ravishing such as suited their lusts. They scattered up 
 and down the Minnesota for a hundred miles, committing 
 every act of fiendish atrocity which their diabolical 
 natures were capable of conceiving. The family at Red 
 Wood, hearing that the Indians were coming that way, 
 fled in two wagons, taking different directions. The 
 Indians, meeting one party, killed them all, and leaving 
 them dead in the road, drove back to the house. Find- 
 ing it deserted, they applied the torch to it, and started 
 off after the party in the other wagon, which consisted 
 of three girls and a hired man. Overtaking them, they 
 butchered the man and one of the girls, and struck a 
 knife into the breast of another. They then drew lots 
 how many should have each of the girls. The wounded 
 one died from the alternate abuse of sixteen. Seven little 
 
 
IRE. 
 
 these began to burst 
 jr they had the terror 
 ms. But from behind 
 the vicinity, they Iccpt 
 at those working tlio 
 garrison. At length, 
 eir behalf, for a hcuvy 
 oroke with terrible fiuy 
 Is crashed louder than 
 ,wn in a perfect deluge, 
 munition, wrapped then- 
 uttering yells of rage, 
 le woods. This was the 
 .s and Dr. Williamson, 
 ae to get the women and 
 ,cted, and to throw up 
 day. Little Crow renewed 
 
 . numbers, as many had 
 d safer business of plun- 
 ^omen and children, and 
 .usts. They scattered up 
 tmdred miles, committmg 
 ly which their diabohca 
 Ung The family at Rod 
 L were coming that way, 
 iiffcrent directions, m 
 led them all, and IcaN lug 
 ,ack to the house. Fmd- 
 ,0 torch to it, and started 
 >r wagon, which consisted 
 Overtaking them, they 
 3f the girls, and struck a 
 ,er. They then drew lots 
 f the girls. The wounded 
 '.se of sixteen. Seven hUle 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 731 
 
 children, huddled together in one bed, were all ruthlessly 
 murdered. Not content with killing, they horribly mu- 
 tilated the bodies. They cut off one farmer's head after 
 they had killed him, and laid it on a table, and bracing 
 open the mouth, filled it with milk. They shut up 
 another dead body with a hog, which devoured all but 
 the bones. 
 
 On Thursday night, after the second attack on Fort 
 Ridgely, Crow returned to tlio Agency, where he found 
 arrived a large body of Indians from up the river, who 
 had answered his summons. Strengthened with these, 
 four hundred and fifty in all, he set out next morning to 
 renew his attack on the fort. But this time the garrison 
 was prepared for them. The savages commenced the 
 attack with great fury, and kept to their work with un- 
 flinching tenacity. Half tlic resolution two days before 
 would have captured it. They fired all the buildings 
 around it, shot fire-arrows on to the roofs of the buildings 
 within, climbed \ip the walls, poured in tlioir destructive 
 volleys wherever a head appeared, but all in vain. But 
 since Monday the garrison had had no comnumication 
 with the outside world. They were getting worn out, 
 and it began to be a serious question how long they could 
 stand this siege. 
 
 The utmost anxiety was felt all over the country for 
 their safety, and every day the people of the state expected 
 to hear of its overthrow, and the massacre of all within. 
 But discouraged by the failure of his prolonged and des- 
 perate attack on Friday, in which he had lost many war- 
 riors, and narrowly, escaped death himself, Crow drew oflf 
 his bands towards New Ulm, thinking it would be an 
 easier prize. Since the arrival of Flandrcan, the Indians 
 had left this place unmolested. 
 
 This sudden abandonment of Fort Ridgely, was most 
 providential for Rev. Mr. Riggs and Dr. Williamson, and 
 
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 782 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 their party of forty from abovo the Yellow Medicine. 
 Pushing out from Blicli Cooley, they had on Friday night 
 arrived near the fort, wholly unconscious of the siege, 
 and rejoicing that their dangers and toils were almost 
 over. Just after dark, they saw a rocket go up from the 
 fort, and ignorant that it was a signal of distress to any 
 force that might bo approaching, they rejoiced in the fond 
 belief that it was to light them in. One of the party crept 
 on his hands and knees, through the lino of fire, into the 
 fort. The commander of the garrison, surprised to sec 
 him, told him to hurry back, and tell the rest not to 
 attempt to enter tho fort, for it would bo certain death. 
 Their hearts sunk in despair at the message, and rather 
 than turn away to the open prairie again, filled with In- 
 dians, they at first resolved to make the attempt to get in. 
 But at last they gave it up, and moved sadly nfl' into the 
 night, feeling that a horrible death menaood them at 
 every step. Behind them the sky was red with the burn- 
 ing buildings around the fort, and they pushed on into 
 the gloom, not knowing what was before them. Reach- 
 ing a creek, a prolonged scream in tho bushes, sent the 
 blood curdling back to every heart. However, there was 
 no other course left them but to keep moving forward, 
 for worse evils were behind them. Crossing the creek, 
 they went on a little way, when tho exhausted teams gave 
 out entirely. Their journey had come to an end for the 
 present, and placing a guard they sank down in the wet 
 grass and slept. At daybreak they stat'ted on, and though 
 the appearance of two Indians, who narrowly wi clied 
 them, showed that they had been discovered, the sudden 
 departure of the main body for New Ulm, prevented pur- 
 suit. The vast booty at that place was a more tempting 
 prize than the little they carried. 
 
 Early that morning the people of New Ulm saw huge 
 columns of smoke ascending along the banks of the river. 
 
THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 783 
 
 ulo of New Ulm saw huge 
 ong the banks of the river. 
 
 Ono after another they shot up into the air, each one 
 nearer the town than the other, showing that the Indians 
 were approaching, burning the farm-houses and barns as 
 they carao on. Judge Flandrcan, thinking ho could fight 
 them to more advantage on the open prairie, led his two 
 hundred and fifty men out and awaited the attack. About 
 ten o'clock, the savages, several hundred strong, appeared 
 in view, moviiig slowly over the plain, and well packed 
 together. When they came within a mile, they began to 
 spread out swiftly, and increasing their speed as they 
 advanced, at length gave a wild yell, and came down like 
 a whirlwind. The assault, so sudden and bold, and ac- 
 companied with such unearthly yells, unnerved the raw 
 volunteers at first, and they foil rapidly back beyond the 
 outer houses of the town. They, however, soon rallied, 
 but they had given a great advantage to the Indians, in 
 leaving behind, the houses as a cover to their approach. 
 It now became a regular Indian fight, and those western 
 men liaving got their mettle fairly roused, effectually 
 resisted every attempt of the savages to get into the town. 
 The battle- raged for several hours, without any decisive 
 result, when the Indians made a desperate charge. The 
 whites received them with a cheer, and charging in turn, 
 drove them heiter skelter to cover. The fighting, how- 
 ever, was kept up till dark, when the savages withdrew. 
 The next morning they renewed the attack, but not with 
 the same determination as before, and at noon abandoned 
 it altogether. 
 
 While these struggles with large bodies of the enemy 
 were going on, detached parties and single Indians were 
 roaming through the settlements, murdering men, women 
 and children, and committing atrocities of the most diabol- 
 ical kind. Pregnant women were violated again and 
 again, and even little girls abused till they y lifeless on 
 the earth. One youncr woman was ravis'i. x by sixteen 
 
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 731 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 in succession, who then shai-pcncd a stake and drove it into 
 her body, leaving her to die in the most horrible agony. 
 Multitudes were taken prisoners and hurried away into 
 captivity. 
 
 Though New Ulin at present was saved, the people uid 
 not know how soon the Indians might return, and being 
 nearly out of ammunition, and the dead carcases around, 
 under the hot August sun, filling the air with disease, it 
 was thought best to abandon the place ; and the two thou- 
 sand inhabitants left in a body, and with a train of a 
 hundred and fifteen wagons, safely reached Mankato. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 COL. SIBLEY MARCHES TO THE RELIEF OF FORT RIDGELY AND 
 NEW ULM.- FIGHT AT BIRCH COOLEY.-CROW ASKS FOR 
 PEACE. -DEACON PAUL PLEADS WITH HIS TRIBE. - COL. 
 SIBLEY ADVANCES TO THE YELLOW MEDICINES. - 01-FEATS 
 THE INDIANS. - PRISONERS RESCUED. - CAMP RELEASE. - 
 GUILTY INDIANS. - MARVELOUS ESCAPES. - WOMEN OP NEW 
 ULM ATTACK THE PRISONERS. - THEIR EXAMINATION. - 
 THIRTY-EIGHT TRIED AND EXECUTED. -THEIR BEHAVIOUB 
 MOUNTING THE SCAFFOLD. 
 
 In the mean time Governor Ramsay had been rousing 
 the state to arms. Luckily, several regiments of volun- 
 teers were in the state, nearly ready to depart for the 
 war, so that in a few days 1,400 men had assembled at St. 
 Peters. Col. Sibley was put at the head of these, and 
 marclied at once to the relief of New Uhn and Port 
 Rjdgely. The former, we have seen, was evacuated 
 before he reached it. Moving witliout opposition over 
 the silent, desolated country, he reached the fort on the 
 28th of the month, much to the ioy of the garrison. 
 
lCRE. 
 
 a stake and drove it into 
 le most horrible agony, 
 and hurried away into 
 
 IS saved, the people did 
 light return, and being 
 e dead carcases around, 
 the air with disease, it 
 jlace; and the two tliou- 
 , and with a train of a 
 ly reached Mankato. 
 
 i III. 
 
 JEF OP FORT RIDGELY AND 
 COOLEY.-CROW ASKS FOR 
 3 WITH HIS TRIBE. -COL. 
 LOW MEDICINES. - DKFEATS 
 5CUED.-CAMP RELEASE. - 
 ESCAPES. -WOMEN OP NEW 
 1 -THEIR EXAMINATION. - 
 CUTED. - THEIR BEHAVIOUR 
 
 Ramsay had been rousing 
 eral regiments of voliin- 
 ready to depart for the 
 men had assembled at St. 
 at the head of these, and 
 if of New Uhn and Fort 
 avo seen, was evacuated 
 g without opposition over 
 he reached the fort on the 
 the ioy of the garrison. 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 ni^ 
 
 Scattered over the prairie around, lay a vast number of 
 black and decaying corpses, on which hogs and prairie 
 foxes were rioting, and to bury these, and also to ascer- 
 tain in what direction the Indians had gone. Col. Sibley 
 sent out a detachment composed of a company of infantry 
 and cavalry, commanded by Major Brown. This was the 
 last day of August, Sunday. That day and the next they 
 buried over two hundred bodies, and encamped at night 
 at Birch Cooley, a place admirably adapted for a surprise. 
 But water being convenient there, and not anticipating 
 an attack, the command pitched their tents without fear. 
 But Little Crow, who had moved with the Indian families 
 up the river to the Yellow Medicine Agency, for greater 
 safety, had been informed by his scouts that New Ulm 
 was abandoned. A war party was immediately organized, 
 with a long train of wagons, to go and secure the plunder. 
 On their way down, the scouts discovered this detachment 
 on tlie march. Watching its progress, to ascertain its 
 destination, they saw with unbounded delight, it quietly 
 camp at Birch Cooley. The unsuspecting whites coralled 
 their horses, lit tlieir camp fires, and lay down to rest. 
 Just as the morning began to dawn, as the officer with 
 the new relief was going the rounds, one of the sentinels 
 saw, in the dim uncertain light, the tall grass waving in 
 irregular lines up the ravine. He called the officer back 
 to notice it. Just as he did so, an unearthly yell sud- 
 denly arose on every side, and the next moment a tem- 
 pest of musket balls swept the encampment. Almost the 
 entire guard fell at the first fire, and nearly a hundred 
 horses dropped in their tracks. Had the Indians then 
 charged, none would have been left to tell the tale of 
 blood, for the whole camp was thrown into sudden con- 
 fusion. But fortunately, they held back, and the men 
 rallying, crawled forward, and sheltering themselves as 
 best they could, behind the living and dead horses and 
 
 
■.'■-•••^ ';.■■' .<:„■<,?'' :'5-- 
 
 
 
 
 Vi" ri'/; 
 
 !!'il:{ 
 
 f 
 
 
 736 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 wagons, poured in a destructive fire. They Ijyr two 
 together, and while one was firing, the other, with the 
 point of his bayonet, dug a hole in the earth, ladling out 
 the soil with his tin cup. Thus fighting and digging, they 
 at last got well covered, and made their shots tell on the 
 savages. They lay and fought in this way all day, but 
 with their numbers steadily diminishing. That morniiijr 
 in the camp of Sibley, near the fort, the firing, though 
 some twenty miles distant, was distinctly heard. Know- 
 ing at once that the detachment had been attacked, Sibley 
 immediately despatched a hundred and sixty men, with a 
 six pound howitzer, to its relief. Sweeping rapidly over 
 the prairie^ they in the afternoon approached the scene 
 of conflict. The Indians, hearing through scouts of thoir 
 approach, left a few men at Birch Cooley, and hastened 
 forward to attack them, before they could form a junction 
 with their comrades. Colonel M. Phaill, in command, 
 saw with great uneasiness, apparently more than a thou- 
 sand Indians swarming down o) nis little band. lie im- 
 mediately opened on them wit' liis howitzer, which kept 
 them at bay, and despatched a courier to Sibley for help. 
 But this commander was already on th.c march. As the 
 heavy boom of the cannon came rolling over the praiiio, 
 he ordered the tents to be struck and carried into the 
 fort, and just at sunset put his whole force in motion. 
 That niglit, at midnight, they Came up to M. Phaill, and 
 in the morning the wJiolo moved forward. The Indians, 
 ignorant of the arrival of the main army, came forth to 
 meet tlicm, when to their amazement they saw in the early 
 sunlight, long lines of dazzling steel, moving over the 
 prairie. "Oh! oh!" they cried, "there are five miles of 
 white men coming," .nd kept prudently out of range of 
 our guns. Shaking their blankets and brandishing thoir 
 guns, they scurried hither and thither, with loud war- 
 whoops. The motley throng presented a picturesque 
 
THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 737 
 
 appearance on the open prairie, in the early sunlight. 
 Advancing in line of battle, firing as they went, the troops 
 moved forward, and at last came in sight of the beleaguered 
 camp, though not a living soul cculd be seen. Silent 
 tents and slaughtered horses were all that was visible. 
 As they came near, the survivors arose from their hiding 
 places, and gazing a moment at the proud array, sent up a 
 wild shout of delight, and leaped into the air. Exhausted, 
 without water, and rapidly diminishing, a few more hours 
 of delay would have left them at the mercy of the savages. 
 Thirteen lay dead amid the tents, and sixty more were 
 wounded. The former were buried on the spot, and the 
 wounded placed on a bedding of grass pulled f'-om the 
 prairie, and carried to Fort Ridgely. Little Crow was 
 not with this party, though he started with them. With 
 a snr.vUer band, he went to Acton, where he had a fight 
 with another party of whites. When he returned to 
 Yellow Medicine,, and learned what a large force was 
 asscml)led against him at the fort, he and his warriors 
 became alarmed, and a meeting of the Soldier's Lodge 
 was called. At this it was determi.."'d to enter into 
 negotiations for peace, and so on Sunday, two half-breeds 
 with a flag of truce, rode into camp in a buggy drawn by 
 a mule they had stolen from that very spot a few days 
 before. They bore a letter from Little Crow, asking for 
 peace. This chief, though a great liar, was not naturally 
 cruel, and had opposed from the outset the murder of 
 poaceable settlers, and women and children. The traders 
 he killed ruthlessly, as his worst foes. Besides, there was 
 no real harmony between the upper and lower Indians, 
 and had not been for along time. This breach had been 
 widened by the unvvillingness of the latter to make an 
 cipial distribution of the plunder taken the first day at 
 the Lower Agency. Chief among the disarfected, though 
 not for this reason, was Paul, a civilized Indian, and head 
 

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 ^ !•■•■'■.'.( '^ ■ ~ ■ 
 
 
 :.f -f 
 
 738 
 
 THR 3I'Jij:>: riASSACRE. 
 
 deacon of Mr. Riggs' church, a brave and eloquont man. 
 From the first, he had told the Indians that they were 
 rushing on destruction, for the result of their action 
 would be the extinction of tho tribe. He and his friends 
 were strenuous for peace. 
 
 Little Crow, in his letter, stated that they had been 
 fighting because they could not get their riglits, but 
 were now willing to enter into negotiations for peace. 
 But Sibley replied that he would listen to no terms until 
 the prisoners were restored. But Crow saw, if this were 
 done, he would lose tiie last hold on the whites. Still, 
 the upper Indians advised it should be done. Council 
 after council was held, in which the debates grow stormy, 
 and for a while the iwo parties threatened to come in 
 collision. Some, ovoii advised to kill Paul, the boldest 
 advocate of the measure, but he openly defied them, say- 
 ing that if they killed him they would have to kill three 
 hundred more ladians at his back. 
 
 Nothing came of the negotiations, and the Indians 
 remained at the Yellow Medicine, and Sibley at Fort 
 Ridgoly making preparations to move against tlioni. 
 More than a fortnight was consumed in getting ready, 
 vvhich occasioned great impatience and loud com[)hunts 
 throughout the country. lie, however, was deternrmed 
 not to move till he was sure of success. In the mean 
 time several letters were clandestinely received from tlio 
 friendly Indians, promising their friendsb.ip, and quite a 
 number of prisoners, through their agency, succeeded iu 
 escaping. 
 
 At length, on the 18th of September, Sibley took up 
 his lino of march, and sweeping over the once fair, but 
 now blackened and desolate country, arrived in four days 
 %vitliin sight of the ruined and charred building of the 
 Yellow Medicine Agency. Tho Indians had destroyed 
 the bridges along tho road, but these were easily rebuilt, 
 
■'•^,' 
 
 THK SIOUX Massacre. 
 
 7S9 
 
 September, Sibley took up 
 ig over the once lair, but 
 uutry, arrived in four days 
 d charred buihling of the 
 10 Indians had destroyed 
 t these were easily rebuilt, 
 
 with the exception of an important one near the TelloAV 
 Medicine Ravine. When the pioneers advanced ;< recon- 
 struct this, the Indians fired upon them. A figii oni-ii^d 
 in regular Indian fashion, which lasted for some time, but 
 was finally ended by a gallant charge of Lieut.-Colonel 
 Marshall, at the head of the seventh regiment, who drove 
 them like sheep before him. Had Sibley been furnished, 
 as he ought to have been, with a large body of cavalry, 
 he would have finished the war with a blow. As it was, 
 this victory broke the spirit of the tribe. Little Crow, 
 with two hundred nacn, fled into Dakotah territory and 
 scattered. The remainder, with the Mission Indians, 
 retained the captives, and immediately sent a flag of truce 
 to Col. Sibley, requesting him to come and take them 
 before Little Crow could attack them and carry off or kill 
 the prisoners. The army at once took up its line of 
 march, and the next day about noon, came in sight of the 
 Indian camp, composed of about a hundred wigwams. 
 An Indian on a pony, and carrying a bed-sheet ti- d on a 
 pole as a flag of truce, approached, while a white cloth 
 floated from the top of almost every luu. The i.jlumn, 
 marching slowly around them, encamped r 3ar the river. 
 The painted warriors, fresh I'rom their lival of blood, 
 at once came forward, smiling and offering to shi ke hands 
 with every one, and expressing the most jirofound gratifi- 
 cation at seeing their de r friends, the whiles, once more. 
 A demand was instantly made for the captives, when over 
 two hundred sad, wan looking beings, some of the women 
 and children half naked, were led out. Tears rained down 
 their faces as with clasped hands they ruis-ed their eyefs to 
 tlieir deliverers. The soldiers were jubilant, and unbound- 
 ed joy rergned throughout the camp. Other eaptives, day 
 after day, were brought in, and the tales they ioid of ho'>o 
 deferred, suftering and abuse, were heart-rending. De.th 
 haH incessantly stared them in the face, and often a late 
 
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 740 
 
 THE BIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 worse than death was offered them. Some had been 
 treated kindly, and among them was the wife of Mr. 
 Huggins, the missionary at Lac qui Parle. Wholly uu- 
 conscious of danger, she was sitting in her house, sur- 
 rounded with all the comforts of civilized life, when three 
 Indians, each carrying a gun, entered. They sat down, 
 and appeared to be much interested in watching the 
 operations of a sewing machine, which a young lady was 
 working. Soon after, Mr. Huggins came to the door 
 from the field, where he had been at work. The Indians 
 immediately went out, and the next moment Mrs. Hug- 
 gins heard the report of two guns. She had barely time 
 to look up, when the Indians rushed in, exclaiming, "Go 
 out; go out; you shall live; but go out; take nothing 
 with you." She hastened out, and there lay her hus- 
 band, a corpse on the ground. Providentially she fell 
 into the hands of Walking Spirit, an old chief, and friend 
 of lier husband, in whose house she remained, treated 
 with constant kindness by himself and family, until her 
 release. Some of the escapes were most marvelous, and 
 could not be credited were they not substantiated by the 
 most unimpeacliable testimony. Among tliese,none were 
 more remarkable than that of a boy named Burton East- 
 lick, only ten years of age. Left alone with a little 
 brother, only five years old, he started for Fort Ridgcly, 
 eighty miles. He did not know the way thither; he only 
 knew it was somewhere down the river, and he set ont to 
 reach it. The spectacle of those two mere infants, on that 
 far desolate prairie, linked hand in hand, and turning 
 their little liices southward for protection, might well 
 move the pity of the great Father of us all. With a (mui- 
 ning beyond his years, the eldest took every precaution 
 not to be seen by the Indians. When his little brother 
 became foot-sore and weary, he would take him in liis 
 arms and carry him till he himself was tired out, and then 
 
THB SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 741 
 
 they would rest together. Living on berries and such 
 fruit as they could find, they traveled during the day, 
 and when night came, would lie down in each other's 
 arms, under the open sky. Thus the brave little fellow 
 kept on, and encouraging his infant brother with all 
 kinds of promises, actually made the eighty miles in 
 safety, and reached the fort to tell his marvellous story. 
 If all the incidents of this wonderful journey — the shifts 
 resorted to, and the innocent prattle by the way could be 
 known and related in all their touching details, it would 
 equal the strangest creations of fiction. 
 
 In another case a woman succeeded in getting out of 
 her house with her three children, undiscovered by the 
 Indians. The youngest Avas an infant, and carrying this 
 in her arms, with two little girls hanging on to her dress, 
 she plunged into a thicket; she got off, and struck out 
 into the prairie, not knowing whither she went. All day 
 this sad group traveled on, uncertain whether each step 
 was taking them nearer to, or farther from, safety. "When 
 night came, the trembling mother laid down under a bush, 
 and pulling some grass and leaves for the two little girls, 
 committed herself to Him who hears the young ravens 
 when they cry. With the morning, she resumed her dis- 
 consolate journey, oppressed with the fear that she might 
 be going farther and fartlier from home. Wild plums 
 and berries kept them from starvation, and thus tliey 
 traveled day after day, directing their steps at random, 
 and looking in vain for some familiar object, or sign of 
 human habitation. Between the miserable food she was 
 compelled to eat, and lK3r fatigue, she could not furnish 
 her babo nourishment, and it gradually sickened and 
 died. The anguish of her heart as she bore the little 
 sufferer in her arms, and her utter desolation as she laid 
 it at last dead on the prairie, can never be told. Gather- 
 ing some leaves and grass, she covered it carefully from 
 
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 742 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 sight, and placing some sticks across the heap so that tlio 
 wind should not uncover its delicate form, she left it with 
 its God, and with the remaining two, hurried away. She 
 wandered thus, lost on the prairie, till tlic summer ver- 
 dure was gone, and the frosts of autumn robbed her of the 
 berries and plums, and she had to dig roots to keep her- 
 self and little girls alive. For seven iveeks she roamed 
 about in this way, hoping each day would bring her on 
 the track of some white man, before she was discovered 
 and saved. In many cases, the women lost their reason, 
 and wandered around, unfettered lunatics, in the tliickets, 
 until by accident tliey were found. Others still, strolled 
 into the hands of the Indians, and were murdered or sub- 
 jected to a still more cruel doom. Many a heart-rending 
 talc will never be told, for the tongue that could have 
 related it is still in death. 
 
 Col. Sibley named his camp " Camp Release," and as 
 soon as the captives had been cared for, he built in it a 
 huge log-pen for a jail. When it was finished, a force 
 under Col. Crooks was dispatched by night, which quietly 
 surrounded the Indian camp, and took all the men pris- 
 oners, except those known to bo true friends, and locked 
 them up, and the next day secured them with fetters. 
 The camp itself, now consisting mostly of women and 
 children, was removed to the Lower Agency, and finally 
 to Fort Snelling. In the moan time, Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Marshall, with two hundred men, was sent on an expedi- 
 tion into the Dakotah territory. As he was advancing 
 in the direction of James river, he heard that a part of 
 Little Crow's band was encamped at Wild Gouse Nest 
 Lake. Approaching them stealthily by night, he suc- 
 ceeded in capturing the whole. On his return, it being 
 now late in the season, it was determined to return; so 
 October 23d, the camp was broken up, and with four 
 liundred prisoners, loaded twelve or fifteen together, *ii 
 
 I 
 
 2f- 
 
THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 743 
 
 each wagon, the column took \ip its line of march south- 
 ward, towards Mankato. As it passed through New Ulm, 
 ou Sabbath morning, tlie inhabitants, most of whom had 
 returned, sallied forth with pitchforks, hoes, rakes, knives, 
 guns, and brickbats, in fact with every missile tliey could 
 lay their hands on, and fell with fierce imprecations ou 
 the wagons containing the prisoners, determined to save 
 the government the trouble of hanging them. Even the 
 women, with their aprons full of stones, danced in a per- 
 fect frenzy round the wagons, clamorous for a chance at 
 the "red devils," as they called them. One woman actu- 
 ally pounded an Indian brave on his head till he fell out 
 of the wagon. The mob, however, was soon dispersed, 
 and the column moved on and encamped about two miles 
 from Mankato, at Camp Lincoln. In the mean time a 
 military commission had set at the Lower Agency, to try 
 tlic prisoners. The scene at the trial and execution was 
 a strange mixture of the revolting, the sad and the ludi- 
 crous. The childish subterfuges and falsehoods of some 
 of these braves, whose sagacity in the field was a match 
 for the white man, were laugliable, while the brutish in- 
 difference and stolid depravity of others were painful to 
 \yituess. The trial was hurried through, and three hun- 
 dred and three were condemned to be hung, and eighteen 
 to be imprisoned for life. The proceedings were sent to 
 Washington for ratification. A rumor spreading that 
 mercy was to be shown to the criminals, it aroused the deep- 
 est feelings in the west, and threats were even uttered to 
 take them out of the hands of the authorities, and give 
 them over to popular vengeance. A mob did attack the 
 jail, but was dispersed by the decision of Col. Miller, then 
 ill command of the camp at that place. Mr. Riggs visited 
 the prisoners constantly, and every kindness as shown 
 them. A very few, however, seemed to be moved by it, 
 receiving their fate with the accustomed indifference of 
 
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 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 the Indian. Some complained that they had been de- 
 ceived by the promise of mercy if they surrendered tliem- 
 gelves, and laid the blame of the whole difficulty on the 
 whites, who by their injustice had forced them to seek 
 redress by violence. 
 
 After several weeks delay the decision was received 
 from Washington, ordering that only thirty-oight of tlic 
 whole number should be executed. The 20th day of Feb- 
 ruary was fixed for the execution. These were imme- 
 diately separated from tlie rest, and their fate announced 
 to them. They received it with total indifference — smoking 
 all the time, some e.en relighting their pipes, wliilc tlic 
 sentence was being read. 
 
 The morning they were to be led out, they put on extra 
 paint to decorate themselves for the occasion, and tlicn 
 commenced their death song. The melancholy chant, 
 now sinking into a low wail, and again rising to a shrill, 
 exultant cry, rang with strange power through their rude 
 prison. At ten o'clock they were brought forth, and 
 marched in procession to the scaffold. They snowed no 
 signs of fear ; on the contrary, they " went eagerly and 
 cheerfully, even crowding and jostling each other, to bo 
 ahead, just like a lot of hungry boarders rushing to din- 
 ner in a hotel." As they began to ascend the scaffold, 
 they again raised their weird doath song, and when they 
 reached the top, broke out into unearthly shouts. A vast 
 crowd had assembled, but all angry feelings were laid to 
 rest by the painful spectacle, and a death-like silence 
 reigned throughout. When all was ready, three slow, 
 measured beats of the drum broke the stillness, and with 
 a single blow, the rope was cut, and the whole were 
 launched into eternity together. 
 
 The execution of this small number, seemed AvlioUy 
 inadequate to satisfy the demands of justice, for six. hun- 
 dred and forlij-four whites had been massacred in cold 
 
ACRE. 
 
 hat they had been de- 
 they suiTendercd them- 
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 only thirty-right of the 
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 nearthly shouts. A vast 
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 nd a death-like silence 
 was ready, three slow, 
 iQ the stillness, and with 
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 bloodj and ninety-three soldiers had fallen in the efforts 
 to repel the outbreak. Perhaps the government thought 
 this inequality in the number of suflerers, fairly repre- 
 sented the amount of actual guilt on both sides. To say 
 that massacres must be avenged, in order to justify our 
 slaughter of Indians, is a logic that will not stand before 
 the great tribunal of heaven. The amount of injustice 
 and wrong-doing that provoked the savage to the only 
 means of redress left open to him, will be reviewed in the 
 final adjustment there. This is but tlie beginning of 
 troubles, if the nation persists in the policy it has pursued 
 for the last thirty years. The Chippeways are nearly 
 three times as strong as the Sioux, numbering some 
 four thousand warriors in the United States, and about 
 as many more in Canada, and they have been more than 
 once on the point of an outbreak, growing out of the ac- 
 tion at Washington. It becomes the puople to inquire 
 why it is that we are scarcely ever witliout an Indian war 
 on our borders, while Canada has never been cursed with 
 one. This single fact shows that there is a radical wrong 
 in our system. 
 
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 746 
 
 THE 8I0UX MASSACBE. 
 
 *S 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 BISHOP WHIPPLE ON THE OUTBREAK AND THE NATION'S DUTY 
 TO THE RED MEN.-F5ESH MANCEUVERS IN THE SP^IING. - 
 DEATH OP LITTLE CROW. - SIBLEY'S EXPEDITION INTO DA- 
 COTAH. - DEFEAT OP THE INDIANS AT BIG MOUND. -CAV- 
 ALRY CHARGE AVERTED BY A STROKE OP LIGHTNING. - 
 FIGHT AT BUFFALO LAKE. -THE ARMY REACHES THE MIS- 
 SOURI. - ESCAPE OP THE INDIANS. - RETURN OF THE EXPE- 
 DITION. - FINAL RESULTS. 
 
 Bishop Whipple, of Minnesota, who foretold thi3 very 
 outbreak, and who obtained the names of all the bishops 
 in the Northern States to a petition to the government to 
 have justice done to the red man, has issued a noble ap- 
 peal in their behalf, in which he tells some humiliating 
 truths. In speaking of this massacre, he says, " The na- 
 tion has heard of the most fearful Indian massacre in 
 history ; but those who live remote from the border can 
 have no idea of the awful horrors which have accompanied 
 the desolation of two hundred miles of the fairest coun- 
 try on the earth. Many of these victims of savage fero- 
 city were my friends. They had mingled their voices 
 with mine in prayer ; they had given me such hospitality 
 as can only be found in the log cabin of the frontier. It 
 fills my heart with grief, and blinds my eyes with tears, 
 whenever I think of their nameless graves." * * * 
 And yet he adds, "There is not a man in America who 
 ever gave an hour's calm reflection to this subject, wlio 
 does not know tliat our Indian system is an organized 
 system of robbery, and has been for years a disgrace to 
 the nation. * * * It was under this Indian system 
 that the fierce, warlike Sioux were fitted and trained to 
 be actors in this bloody drama, and the same causes are 
 
 ■ '-k:.^ 
 
THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 747 
 
 to-day slowly but surely preparing the way for a Chippe- 
 way war. * * * The people here on the borders, and 
 the rulers at "Washington know how that faith has been 
 broken. The constant irritation of such a system would 
 in time have secured an Indian massacre. It was has- 
 tened by the sale of nearly 800,000 acres of land, for 
 which vhey never received one farthing, for it was all 
 absorbed in claims. Then came the story (and it was 
 true,) that half their annuity money had also been taken 
 for claims. They waited two months, mad, exasperated, 
 hungry — the agent utterly powerless to undo the wrong 
 committed at Washington — and they resolved on savage 
 vengeance. For every dollar of which they have been 
 defrauded, we shall pay ten dollars in the cost of this 
 war. It has been so for .ifty years ; it will be so again. 
 God's retributive justice always has compelled a people 
 to reap exactly what they have permitted to be sown. 
 * * * Deeply as our people feel on the question of 
 slavery, they may here see, on the border, a system which 
 in curses to body and soul, in the loss of manhood, home 
 and heaven, has worked out a degradation to red men 
 which slavery has never done for the African race." 
 
 But though the massacre had ended with the flight of 
 Little Crow, not so the war. This chieftain made his 
 way to near Devil Lake, in the Dakotah territory, some 
 five hundred miles north-west of St. Paul. Here, too, 
 collected the fugitives who had fled from the avenging 
 whites, numbering in all over four thousand. He spent 
 the winter in trying to induce the neighboring tribes to 
 join him, so that in the spring he could take the field 
 again against the whites. He also sent to the British 
 forts for ammunition, but they refused to listen to his 
 solicitations. 
 
 General Pope, after his defeat in front of Washington, 
 had been assigned to the North- Western Department, and 
 
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 748 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 spent the winter in organizing a large force to penetrate 
 into the Indian territory, and make an utter end of tlie 
 hostile tribes. But befcffe it was ready to march, the 
 Indians were again on the war path, and small bands 
 hovered along the frontier of Minnesota, killing every 
 unarmed emigrant or^ settler they could come across. 
 Knowing they could not keep the open field, they avoided 
 assembling in force. Sinall squads, by the secresy and 
 rapidity of their movements, were able to elude the 
 armed bodies of whites, that now lined the border. They 
 thus succeeded, during the spring, in mui lering some 
 thirty whites, though not always with impunity. With 
 all his cunning the Indian could not always escape the 
 keen eye of the western man, and here and there a painted 
 corpse became the prey of the prairie fox. The worst 
 massacre during this spring, was that of the family of 
 Mr. Dustin, consisting of the father and mother, two 
 children, and their grandmother. They were traveling 
 in a common lumber box wagon, when they were suddenly 
 attacked, and all killed, or left for dead, with the excep- 
 tion of one child, who hid under the seat. They were 
 not discovered for two days, and when found, the head- 
 less trunk of Mr. Dustin was sitting braced up in the 
 front part of the wagon, an arrow sticking in it, and a 
 great gaping wound, made by a tomahawk, in his heart. 
 The grandmother hung head downwards over the side of 
 the wagon, her long hair clotted with blood, streaming 
 to the ground. The mother and remaining child lay in 
 the wagon, still breathing, but unable to move. 
 
 But in the fore part of July, Little Crew liimself was 
 killed, without the least suspicion at the time, that it was 
 he. Mr. Lampson and his son were passing along the 
 road, about six miles from Hutchinson, when they saw 
 two Indians picking berries in a little opening in the 
 woods, on the prairie. Fortunately, the Indians did not 
 
THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 749 
 
 see them, and concealing themselves behind some bushes, 
 they crept cautiously forward till within close rifle shot, 
 when Mr. Lampson took deliberate aim and fired. The 
 older Indian gave a sudden yell, and flinging his hands 
 into the air fell back on the ground. Recovering himself, 
 however, he began to creep forward towards the spot from 
 which the shot had come. Mr. Lampson and his son then 
 stole away, but being compelled to cross a little open 
 space in their retreat, they became exposed, when the 
 Indian, partially lifted himself and fired. At the same 
 instant Mr. L's son discovered the Indian, and fired also. 
 The wounded Indian fell back dead, while his ball whis- 
 tled harmlessly by the father. The younger Indian now 
 also fired, and one of the buck shot struck Mr. L. in the 
 shoulder, fetching him to the ground. He then jumped 
 on his horse and fled over the prairie. The young Mr. 
 L., thinking his father dead, and supposing the woods to 
 be full of Indians, fled also, and reaching Hutchinson late 
 at night, gave the alarm. A company of soldiers at the 
 place immediately started out, and on coming to the spot 
 found the dead body of the Indian, but could discover no 
 traces of Mr. Lampson. He, after lying for some time in 
 the bushes into which ho had crawled, and seeing no 
 signs of any more Indians around, took a circuitous route 
 for home, where he arrived at two o'clock in the morn- 
 ing. The dead Indian was carried to Hutchinson, where 
 its singular appearance caused a good deal of wonder. 
 Both arms had been broken, and one never set, while the 
 front teeth were double, like the back ones* It was 
 finally thrown into a pit amid the offbls of slaughtered 
 cattle. It was afterwards ascertained that this was the 
 body of the famous Little Crow, and the young Indian 
 who escaped was his son. The latter was subsequently 
 captured, and revealed the fact, that the gi'eat warrior 
 and orator, his father, had died in this ignominious way. 
 
,^- 
 
 
 
 
 750 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 The imposing expedition, which in the spring was to 
 end the war by one great blow, did not get under way 
 until the fore part of June. This long delay caused 
 much dissatisfaction, for the western people especially, 
 wanted to see swift vengeance visited on the Indians, and 
 their north-western fro^^tier no longer drenched in blood. 
 Rumors were freely circulated, that rebel emissaries were 
 among the Indians, stirring them up to hostilities, and 
 though utterly without foundation, many believe it to 
 this day. 
 
 Sibley, who had been made general the previous fall, 
 started early in June with an army, over two thousand 
 strong, for Devil Lake, by the way of the Minnesota river 
 while General Sully, with a large body of cavalry, moved 
 up the Missouri, to cut off the Indians as they retreated 
 before the former. But the whole expedition, though 
 imposing in appearance, was not properly organized to 
 operate with success against fleet-footed sava'^es, who had 
 no villages to burn, or fields to lay waste. For a time it 
 threatened to be a total failure, but S. bley, having reached 
 Port A-tchison, near Devil Lake, left rA\ but 1,400 of hi-j 
 men there, and taking these and 500 cavalry, started ol 
 on the 20th of July, in search of the Indians. After four 
 days' march over the prairie, he came upon a camp of 
 them on the " Big Mound." Entrenchments were imme- 
 diately thrown up to protect the camp and trains, and the 
 whole army drawn up in line of battle. Very soon the 
 Indians appeared, when some of our scouts went forward 
 and began to talk with them. Dr. Weiser, surgeon, ob- 
 serving this apparently friendly interview, rode forward 
 and ioined them, and shook hands with one or two In- 
 dians, whom he had formerly seen on the reservation. 
 Almost the next moment an Indian stepped forward, and 
 raising his musket, shot him deliberately through the 
 heart. The others then scattered, the scouts fired, and 
 
 *>'■ 
 
 "M^ 
 
THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 751 
 
 sever'>l shots were exchanged. A part of the cavalry 
 immediately dashed forward, and the conflict began. 
 Tlie infantry, under I ieut.-Colonel Marshall, advanced up 
 a ravine that extended from the camp to the Big Mound, 
 and the Indians fell back three or four miles, pushed 
 resolutely by the whites, till they were driven out of the 
 broken country, in which the cavalry could not charge, 
 into a broad plain. It was a wild and lonely pkcu for a 
 fight, and while it was raging, a thundar cloud rolled 
 heavily up over the prairio, throwing into still stronger 
 relief the painted forms, that dotted the green surface. 
 The lightning rent the gloom with strange fury, followed 
 by thunder claps that burst like the report of a thousand 
 cannon. But the combatants did not heed this wrathful 
 gathering of the elements, and Col. M'Phaill, seeing the 
 Indians breaking into the plain, put himself at the head 
 of'two companies of cavalry, and ordered the bugle to 
 sound the charge. As the stirring strains rang over the 
 prairie, they dashed forward, and broke with a shout into 
 the savage crowd, their sabres shaking above their heads. 
 Just at this moment, as if it were an interposition from 
 heaven, came a blinding flash of lightning, and struck 
 right in the midst of that charging body of cavalry. One 
 rider and his horse, while in full gallop, fell dead on the 
 plain. M'Phaill's grasp unloos'^d from his sword, and the 
 whole force stopped in fill career, as though an earth- 
 quake had opened at their feet, for the peal of thunder 
 that followed seemed to rend the very frame work of na- 
 ture. The charge was broken, and the Indians got ofi". 
 Before the ^est of the cavalry could be brought up, they 
 were miles away. They, however, started in pursuit, and 
 coming up with them before dark, charged again and 
 again on their rear, sabring a large number. Ihe In- 
 dians had their women and trains ahead, and fought des- 
 perately. " One stalwart warrior, with an American flag 
 

 
 ■4* , 
 
 762 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 wrapped around him, fired twice while the cavalry were 
 within twenty yards, charging npon him. He got the 
 powder down but not the ball, for the third load, which 
 ho discharged at the heart of Archy M'Nee, of course, 
 without effect. He then clubbed his gun, and struck 
 Carlson, nearly unhorsing him. A dozen carbine balls 
 were put into him, and'then he had to be sabred to finish 
 him."* Lieut.-Col. Marshall had a narrow escape in this 
 fight. At the head of the rangers he was charging furi- 
 ously down a slope, when the same thunder clap that had 
 so suddenly arrested the other companies, made the ran- 
 gers fetch up with a jerk. He, however, kept on, and 
 before he was aware he was surrounded by a dozen In- 
 dians. Wheeling his horse, however, he dashed back to 
 his followers unhurt. 
 
 The cavalry took twenty-one ficalps in this fight. Col. 
 M'Phaill told his men it was barbarous to take scalps, but 
 he would not believe that any one had killed an IndiaL , 
 unless he saw his scalp. 
 
 The Indians, in their flight, threw away buffalo skins 
 and meat in immense quantities, and their trail looked 
 like that of a routed army. Owing to a mistake in un- 
 derstanding orders, the advance cavalry, instead of pur- 
 suing on, returned to camp, and thus gave the Indians a 
 long start in advance, so that ten days heavy marching 
 had to be endured before they were come up with again. 
 The army made but three miles i-.sxt day. On the 26th 
 it reached Dead Buffalo Lake about noon, and went into 
 camp. Soon the Indians were seen in the distance, ad- 
 vancing towards them, when the six pounders were pushed 
 forward a half a mile to a hill, to hold them in check. 
 The former kept out of range, but all the knolls around 
 were covered with them, watching our movements, and 
 looking to find a place where they could make a success- 
 
 -" ... - - 
 
 • St. Paul Press. 
 
 
 '^mi 
 
THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 753 
 
 ig our movements, and 
 y could make a success- 
 
 ful dash. Thus several hours passed away, when a largo 
 body ou ponies, suddenly appeared on the north side of 
 the camp, and came down like the wind. But their 
 movement being observed by two companies of cavalry, 
 they sprang forward to the sound of the bugle, and came 
 down on a tearing gallop. The Indians did not wait for 
 the shock, but wheeling their ponies, made oflf at tlie top 
 of their speed, but not fast enough to escape the revolver 
 and carbine, which rolled several of them over on the 
 prairie. 
 
 The next day the march was resumed, the trail being 
 plainly marked by the skins and other articles, that cum- 
 bering their flight had been thrown away. The following 
 morning, as they were winding around a small lake, they 
 suddenly came upon two thousand warriors, who were 
 moving rapidly back, as if to get in their rear. The artil- 
 lery was hurried forward and opened on them, and the 
 line of battle quickly formed. The Indians had evidently 
 intended a surprise, but finding the troops prepared to 
 receive them, began to hesitate. Then seeing the column 
 resume its forward march, pressing in the direction of 
 their camp, they wheeled and passed out of sight. This 
 day, a boy and an old squaw were taken captive, the only 
 prisoners that were spared. The remembrance of the 
 bloody massacres were still fresh in the minds of the sol- 
 diers, and they gave no quarter. The cry for mercy was 
 in every instanco hushed by the flashing sabre, cleaving 
 the suppliant to the earth. A wounded Indian, in one 
 instance tried to escape, by hanging on to the tail of his 
 pony, but a carbine shot striking the animal, he was over- 
 taken by a trooper, who drew his revolver upon him. 
 But the piece missing fire, the savage turned and shot 
 him. At the same instant, a shot from a scout pierced 
 the savage, and he fell in the agonies of death. The dead 
 trooper's comrade coming up, dismounted and tore the 
 
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 1 1'A )* 
 
 
 754 
 
 THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 scalp of tlio Indian from his hoad, wliilo he was still 
 breathing. 
 
 After the last fight, the column kept on unmolested 
 until it reached, on the 24th, the banks of the Missouri 
 river. Tiie Indians, during the night had got their fam- 
 ilies over, but their wagon train, composed of over a 
 hundred teams, was left on the bank, and fell into our 
 hands. The army went into camp here for two days, and 
 then started on its homeward march. It would take two 
 or three days at least to cross the river, while but fifteen 
 days' rations were loft, and a vast prairie had to be trav- 
 ersed before other supplies could be reached. 
 
 Not as much had been accomplished as was anticipated, 
 and to the public the results seemed but a poor equivalent 
 for the expense of the expedition. Still, the Indian sup- 
 plies for the season had been destroyed, together with 
 their means of transportation, and over a hundred war- 
 riors killed. Under the circumstances, it is difficult to 
 see how more could have been accomplished ; the troops 
 had certainly behaved well, driving the Indians wherever 
 they found them, and meeting the hardships of the cam- 
 paign with unflinching fortitude. They had marched six 
 hundred miles from St. Paul, and all this distance had 
 now to be traversed again. 
 
 The power of the Sioux tribe is broken, but whether 
 they will be able to enlist in their favor other powerful 
 tribes on our frontier, will probably depend very much 
 on circumstances. Our Indian wars are proverbially long 
 ones, and unless we change our policy entirely, our 
 troubles from this source have only as yet begun. As 
 we drive them back before our advancing civilization, we 
 concentrate them, and at some future time, a Pontiac or 
 Tecumseh may band them together, and present a for- 
 midable array along our frontier, and another bloody 
 chapter in our border history \j^ opened. Tliat they are 
 
THE SIOUX MASSACRE. 
 
 755 
 
 )ad, while he was still 
 
 doomed to extinction is evidont, but the stern retributive 
 justice of iieaven, in the mean time, may exact its full 
 measure of _puiiishment from the nation for its misuse of 
 power, and its cruel treatment of a barbarous, degraded 
 race, which providence has placed in our charge. The 
 trust thus reposed in us must be met in a different spirit 
 from what it has been, or a day of reckoning will bo 
 required. Proud of our strength, it may seem a matter 
 of indifference to us, whether we are just or not to the 
 feeble and helpless, but the Great Father of us all, meas- 
 ures things by a different standard than short-sighted man, 
 and in the end sets all things even. 
 
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IMPORTANT j^ilAS AND DATES 
 
 INTERESTING EVENTS IN INDIAN HISTORY. 
 
 A. D. 
 544. 
 
 648. 
 
 982. 
 
 985. 
 1008. 
 1051. 
 1070. 
 1170. 
 
 1325. 
 1492. 
 
 1498. 
 
 1500. 
 
 1501. 
 1509. 
 1518. 
 
 1519. 
 
 1520. 
 
 1521. 
 
 1524. 
 1528. 
 
 1531. 
 1532. 
 
 u 
 
 1533. 
 « 
 
 1636. 
 
 The Toltecs, according to ancient traditions, commenced their 
 migration from the north to the vale of Anahuac, or Mexico. 
 
 1 ne Toltecs arrived at ToUantainco, in Anahuac. 
 
 Eirek thf Red discovered Greenland, and planted a colony there. 
 
 Biami HeriuUson discovered the American coast. 
 
 Thorfinn Karlsefni planted a colony in New England. 
 
 The Toltecs destroyed by a pestilence. 
 
 The barbarous nation of the Chichimecas f ucceeded the Toltecs. 
 
 The Nahuatlacas, or Seven Tribes, omong whom were the Aztecs, 
 commenced their migration from the north. 
 
 The Aztecs founded the city of ancient Mexico. 
 
 Oct. 12. Columbus landed at Guanahani, or Cat Island, on his first 
 voyage of discovery. 
 
 Columbus first touched the shores of South America, and held in- 
 tercourse with the Arawaks. 
 
 Jan. 26. Vicente Pinzon landed near Cape St. Augustine, at the 
 eastern extremity of South America, and took formal possession. 
 
 Portuguese discoverers, under Vespucius, landed at Brazil. 
 
 Juan die Soils slain by the natives at the estuary of La Plata. 
 
 L. Velasquez de Ayllon landed on the Carolina coast in search of 
 Indian slaves and gold. 
 
 Nov. 8. Cortez entered the city of Mexico, and held his first inter- 
 view with the Emperor Montezuma. 
 
 Night of July 1. The " Noche Triste," on which the Spaniards 
 made their disastrous retreat from the city of Mexico. 
 
 Towards the close of May, the Snaniards, with reenforcements, hav- 
 ing again advanced upon the Aztec capital, laid close siege to it. 
 
 Aug. 13. Gautimozin, successor to Montezuma, was taken pris- 
 oner, and the city fell into the power of the Spanish invaders. 
 
 Nov. Francisco Pizarro sailed on his first expedition to Peru. 
 
 Expedition of Pamphilo de Narvaez to Florida, with a party of 
 four hundred men. About forty horses were landed — the first 
 ever seen by the natives. 
 
 Pizarro landed and established himself in Peru. 
 
 Nov. 15. Entry of Pizarro into Caxamalca, and first interview of 
 his ofiiceis with the Inca, Atahuallpa. 
 
 Nov. 16. Horrible massacre of the Indians, and seizure of the Inca. 
 
 Aug. 29. Atahuallja infamously put to death, by the garrotte. 
 
 Nov. Entry of the Spaniards into Cuzco, the capital of Peru. 
 
 Almagro's expedition into ChilL 
 
 (767) 
 
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 758 INDIAN RACES OP AMERICA. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1538. May. Fernando de Soto landed at Tampa Bay. The bloody scenes 
 
 attendant upon the conquest of Florida ensued. 
 1540. Pedro Valdivia's invasion of ChilL 
 
 1552. His progress through Arauco. 
 
 1553. Dec. 3. Great battle between^ the Spaniards and the Araucanians, 
 
 in which the latter, under Caupolican, gained a signal victory. 
 
 1555. The Spanish town of Conception attacked and destroyed by the 
 
 Araucanians, under Lautaro. 
 
 1556, Lautaro surprised and slain by Villagran. 
 
 1558. Expedition of Garcia de Mendoza to the archipelago of Ch'loe. 
 1562. French refugees settled peaceably among the Indians on the St. 
 John's river, Florida. 
 
 1584. Amidas and Barlow opened a friendly intercourse with the Virginia 
 
 Indians. 
 
 1585. Those belonging to Sir Bichard Grenville's expedition to Virginia 
 
 commenced outrages and hostilities, which resulted in the destruc- 
 tion of several successive colonies. 
 
 1595. Raleigh entered the Orinoco, and held intercourse with the natives. 
 
 1598. Nov. Great rising of the Chilians, under the Toqui Paillamachu : 
 expulsion of the Spaniards from the Araucanian territory. 
 
 1606. Bartholomew Goimoll's expedition to Virginia, with which the cele- 
 brated Captain John Smith was connected. 
 
 1608. June. Smith's explorntion of the Chesapeake ; his first meeting 
 with the Massawomekes, or Iroquois. 
 " In the autumn of this year, Powhatan was formally crowned — the 
 
 regalia having been sent over from England. 
 " Dec. Powhatan's conspiracy against Smith and his party, and their 
 preservation by Pocahontas. 
 
 1613. Pocahontas seized and detained by Oiptain Argall. 
 " April. Marriage of Pocahontas to John Itolfe. 
 
 1614. Thomas Hunt landed at Monhegan, and enticed twenty-four In- 
 
 dians on ooai'd his vessel, whom he carried to Europe as slaves. 
 
 1617. Pocahontas died, at Gmvesend, in England. 
 
 1618. Powhatan died. 
 
 1620. Nov. 9. The May-Flower arrived. 
 
 " Dec. 8. First skirmish of the N. England settlers with the natives. 
 " Dec. 22. Their landing at Plymouth. 
 
 1621. March 22. Treaty between the Plymouth settlers and Massasoit. 
 
 1622. March 22. Great massacre of the Virginia settlers by the Indians, 
 
 set on by Opechancanough : three hundred and forty-seven killed. 
 
 1625. Great battle with the Caribs on the island of St. Christopher ; two 
 thousand of that nation destroyed. 
 
 1628. Fire-arms extensively diffused among the Indians of New England, 
 by Dutch traders and one Thomas Morton. 
 
 1637. The Pequod War broke out: siege of the English garrison at Say- 
 brook. 
 " June 5. A little before day the Pequod fort attacked and destroyed \ 
 barbarous destruction of women and children. 
 
 1640. Peace concluded between the Spanish colonists under Francisco 
 Zuniga, and the Araucanians. 
 
 IC 13. Miantonimo put to death by Uncas. 
 
 1644. Second Vu'ginia massacre, planned by Opechancanough. 
 
impaBay. The bloody scenes 
 orida ensued. 
 
 )aniards and the Araucanians, 
 ian, gained a signal victory, 
 ttacked and destroyed by the 
 
 ;ran. 
 
 the archipelago of Ch'loe. 
 
 mong the Indians on the St. 
 
 Y intercourse with the Vir^nia 
 
 enville's expedition to Virginia 
 I, which resulted in the destruc- 
 
 d intercourse with the natives, 
 nder the Toqui Paillamachu: 
 e Araucanian territory. 
 
 Virginia, with which the cele- 
 mected. 
 
 Chesapeake; his first meeting 
 lis. 
 in was formally crowned — the 
 
 England. 
 Smith and his party, and their 
 
 jptain Argall. 
 
 inn Rolfe. 
 
 I, and enticed twenty-four In- 
 
 e carried to Europe as slaves. 
 
 igland. 
 
 jland settlers with the natives. 
 
 outh settlers and Massasoit. 
 irginia settlers by the Indians, 
 liundred and forty-seven killed, 
 sland of St. Christopher ; two 
 
 ; the Indians of New England, 
 
 Morton. 
 
 f the English garrison at Say- 
 
 )d fort attacked and destroyed ; 
 
 id children. 
 
 lish colonists imder Francisco 
 
 y Opechancanough. 
 
 A.D. 
 1653. 
 1662, 
 1665. 
 
 1675. 
 
 (( 
 
 1676. 
 
 « 
 
 1682. 
 1688. 
 1710. 
 1711. 
 1713. 
 
 u 
 
 1729. 
 
 1738. 
 1749. 
 
 1750. 
 
 1755. 
 
 1759. 
 1760. 
 
 1761. 
 
 1763. 
 
 1773. 
 1774. 
 
 i< 
 
 1777. 
 
 1778. 
 « 
 
 1779. 
 
 1780. 
 
 1781. 
 (( 
 
 (( 
 
 « 
 
 1785, 
 
 1786. 
 
 1791. 
 i< 
 
 1794. 
 
 IMPORTANT ERAS AND DATES. 759 
 
 The nation of the Eries exterminated by the Iroquois. 
 
 Philip, or Metacomet, succeeded his brother Alexander. 
 
 Peace again concluded between the Spaniards and Araucanians. 
 
 June 24, O. S. First blood shed in Kmg Philip's war. 
 
 Dec 19. Destruction of the Narrngansett fort. 
 
 Aug. 12. Philip killed by an Indian of Captain Church's party, 
 
 Aug. Capture of Annawon, by Church, and end of the war. 
 
 Dec. First treaty of William Penn with the Delawares. 
 
 Invasion of Canada, and attack on Montreal by the Iroquois. 
 
 First deputation of Iroquois chiefs to the court of Queen Anne. 
 
 Sept 22. Massacre of whites in North Carolina by the Tuscaroras. 
 
 March 26. The Tuscarora tort on Tar river destroyed by Colonel 
 Moore — eight hundred prisoners taken. 
 
 Union of the mmn body of the Tuscaroras with the Iroquois. 
 
 Nov. 30. Massacre of the French inhabitants of Natchez, by the 
 Natchez Indians. 
 
 Nearly one half of the Cherokees destroyed by the small pox. 
 
 Singular intrigues of the Reverend Thomas Bosom worth and his 
 wife, the half-breed, Mary Musgrove, among the Creeks. 
 
 Settlement of difficulties between Spanish and Portuguese colonies 
 on the river La Plata : thuty thousand Guarani Indians expatriated. 
 
 July 9. Disastrous defeat of General Braddock, by the French and 
 Indians, a few miles from Fort Duquesne. 
 
 Winter. War between the Cherokees and the British colonists. 
 
 Spring. Colonel Montgomery's expedition against the Cherokees : 
 destruction of all their towns east of the Blue Ridge. 
 
 Spring. Colonel Grant's campaign against the Cherokees : their re- 
 duction, and the ravage of their towns in the interior. 
 
 May. Siege of Detroit commenced by Pontiac. 
 
 Julv 30. Battle of Bloody Bridge, and terrible destruction of Eng- 
 lish troops under Captain Dalyell, bv Pontiac and his warriors. 
 
 Peace concluded between the Spaniards and the Araucanians. 
 
 In the spring of this year commenced the bloody war in Western 
 Virginia and Pennsylvania, known as Cresap's war. 
 
 Oct. 10. Great battle at Point Pleasant, mouth of the Kanawha. 
 
 July. Battle of Oriskany ; General Herkimer mortally wounded. 
 
 July 4. Destruction of the settlements in the valley of Wyoming. 
 
 Nov. Massacre at Cherry Valley. 
 
 Sept. General Sullivan's campaign against the i..oquois : destruction 
 of all their towns, crops, fruit trees, and stores. 
 
 Aug. Ravage of a portion of the Mohawk valle- \nnt. 
 
 Great insurrection of the Peruvian Indians, i Vmaru, 
 
 June. Grand council of war held by the westi \ 
 
 Defeat of Colonels Todd, Trigg, and party, ne 
 
 Indian towns of Chilicothe, Pecaway, &c., destro_ 
 
 Brant visited England, and was received with fl'attt. 
 
 Dec. Grand Council of western Indians at Huron Villa^j^ 
 
 Autumn. Unsuccessful expedition of General Harmar. 
 
 Nov. 4. Disastrous defeat of General St. Clair, by the Indians, 
 under Little Turtle, near the Miami. 
 
 Aug. 20. Battle of Presque Isle, in which the western Indians, 
 under Blue Jacket, were signally defeated by General Wayne. 
 
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 780 
 
 A.I>. 
 1804. 
 
 1809. 
 
 1810. 
 
 1811. 
 
 1813. 
 
 1814. 
 
 1823. 
 
 1829. 
 
 1830. 
 
 1831. 
 1832. 
 
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 183d. 
 
 (I 
 
 « 
 1836. 
 
 M 
 
 1837. 
 
 1838. 
 1842. 
 
 1860. 
 
 186' 
 ..i37. 
 
 }862. i 
 1868.1 
 
 INDIAN RACES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Elskwatawa, the prophet, brother of Tecumseh, engaged in intrigues 
 
 among the tribes of the west 
 Sept Cession of lands on the Wabash, obtained by General Har- 
 rison from the Indians. 
 Departure of Tecumseh southward, for the purpose of rousing up 
 
 the Creeks, Cherokees, &c. 
 Night of* Nov. 6. Battle at the Prophet's Town, in which Elskwa- 
 
 tawa's forces were defeated and dispersed by General Harrison. 
 Aug. 30. Sack of Fort Mimms, in the Tensau settlement, by the 
 
 great Creek warrior Weatherford, with fifteen hundred Indians. 
 Oct 5. Battle of the Thames : the great Indian chief Tecumseh 
 
 killed. 
 Nov. 29. Battle of Autosse ; destruction of two hundred Indians 
 
 by General Floyd's forces, aided by Indian allies led by M'Intosh. 
 March 27. Battle of Horse-shoe Bend, in the Tallapoosie: the 
 
 Creeks and other southern Indians defeated by General Jackson. 
 Sept. 18. Treaty of Moukrie Creek, by which the Seminoles were 
 
 to remove within certain limits. 
 Dec. 20. Acts passed by the Oeor^a legislature, annulling the 
 
 Cherokee laws, and infringing upon the rights of that people. 
 July. Treaty at Prairie du Chien, with the Sacs and Foxes, lowas, 
 
 Sioux, &o., concerning cession of lands east of the Mississippi. 
 June. General Gaines' expedition to compel removal of the Sacs. 
 May 8. Treaty of Payne's Landing, by tne provisions of which the 
 
 Seminoles were to remove west of tne MississippL 
 May 14. Defeat of Major Stillman and his forces, by Black Hawk. 
 Aug. 2. Black-Hawk's forces defeated by General Atkinson. 
 « 27. Surrender of Black -Hawk and the Prophet 
 Oct The Florida war commenced. 
 Dec. Treaty of New Echota with the Cherokees, (known as Scher- 
 
 merhorn's treaty) upon the subject of removal of that nation 
 
 west of the Mississippi. 
 Dec. 28. Destruction of Dade's detachment, by the Seminoles. 
 March 14. Schermerhom's treaty with the Oierokees ratified by 
 
 Congress. 
 Spring. General Scott's campaign in Florida. 
 Jan. 22. General Jessup moved southward towards the everglades 
 
 in pursuit of the Seminoles. 
 Oct. 3. Black-Hawk died, at the age of 73. 
 The Florida war at an end : several hundred Indians transported 
 
 Hc6ousand of th8®<^ ^'*^ *^^ remaining Seminoles, under Billy 
 J'ire-arms exteu' »onda. 
 
 by Dutch trad^regon Indians. 
 The Pequod V*-'<^- Treaties made with the various tribes. 
 
 brool^ ., .4 of Indians through U, S. troops under Gen. Harney. 
 jypp.jt . J of settlers in Minnesota. 
 ..i..^ Bowlegs and thirty Warriors, give themselves up to the U. 
 
 States, and agree to settle west of the Mississippi. 
 Renewal of hostilities with the Oregon Indians. 
 
 [ Sioux Massacre in Minnesota. 
 
 ^*V(r ;r 
 
 •'•^i:. ■. i^: 
 
•P AMERICA., 
 
 of Tecumseh, engaged in intrigues 
 
 ''abash, obtained by General Har- 
 
 rd, for the purpose of rousing up 
 
 Prophet's Town, in which Elskwa- 
 l dispersed by General Harrison, 
 in the Tensau settlement, by the 
 rd, with fifteen hundred Indians. 
 the great Indian chief Tecumseh 
 
 rtruction of two hundred Indians 
 d by Indian allies led by MTntosh. 
 B Bend, in the Tallapoosie: the 
 ans defeated by General Jackson, 
 sek, by which the Seminoles were 
 
 jeorgia legislature, annulling the 
 upon the rights of that people. 
 
 with the Sacs and Foxes, lowas, 
 )f lands east of the Mississippi. 
 
 to compel removal of the Sacs. 
 \g, by the provisions of which the 
 
 of the Mississippi, 
 n and his forces, by Black Hawk, 
 ated by General Atkinson, 
 k and the Prophet 
 
 the Cherokees, (known as Scher- 
 ibject of removal of that nation 
 
 Jtachment, by the Seminoles. 
 f with the Cherokees ratified by 
 
 in Florida, 
 outhward towards the everglades 
 
 ge of 73. 
 
 eral hundred Indians transported 
 
 aaining Seminoles, under Billy 
 
 B with the various tribes, 
 
 J, S. troops under Gen. Harney. 
 
 u 
 
 re, give themselves up to tho U. 
 
 > of the Mississippi. 
 
 regOQ Indians. 
 
 '-«. ,