Others Keep Their Enemies Teeth, Which Are Taken In War,
Whilst Others Split The Pitch-Pine Into Splinters, And Stick Them
Into The Prisoners Body Yet Alive.
Thus they light them, which burn like
so many Torches; and in this manner, they make him dance round
A great Fire,
every one buffeting and deriding him, till he expires, when every one
strives to get a Bone or some Relick of this unfortunate Captive.
One of the young Fellows, that has been at the Wars, and has had the Fortune
to take a Captive, returns the proudest Creature on Earth,
and sets such a Value on himself, that he knows not how to contain himself
in his Senses. The Iroquois, or Sinnagers, are the most Warlike Indians
that we know of, being always at War, and not to be persuaded
from that Way of Living, by any Argument that can be used.
If you go to persuade them to live peaceably with the Tuskeruros,
and let them be one People, and in case those Indians desire it,
and will submit to them, they will answer you, that they cannot live
without War, which they have ever been used to; and that if Peace be made
with the Indians they now war withal, they must find out some others
to wage War against; for, for them to live in Peace, is to live
out of their Element, War, Conquest, and Murder, being what they delight in,
and value themselves for. {Indians flea and cut off part of the Feet.}
When they take a Slave, and intend to keep him to Work in their Fields,
they flea the Skin from the Setting on of his Toes to the middle of his Foot,
so cut off one half of his Feet, wrapping the Skin over the Wounds,
and healing them. By this cruel Method, the Indian Captive is hinder'd
from making his Escape, for he can neither run fast or go any where,
but his Feet are more easily traced and discover'd. Yet I know one Man
who made his Escape from them, tho' they had thus disabled him,
as you may see in my Journal.
The Indians ground their Wars on Enmity, not on Interest, as the Europeans
generally do; for the Loss of the meanest Person in the Nation,
they will go to War and lay all at Stake, and prosecute their Design
to the utmost; till the Nation they were injur'd by, be wholly destroy'd,
or make them that Satisfaction which they demand. They are very politick,
in waging, and carrying on their War, first by advising with
all the ancient Men of Conduct and Reason, that belong to their Nation;
such as superannuated War-Captains, and those that have been Counsellors
for many Years, and whose Advice has commonly succeeded very well.
They have likewise their Field Counsellors, who are accustomed to Ambuscades,
and Surprizes, which Methods are commonly used by the Savages;
for I scarce ever heard of a Field-Battle fought amongst them.
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