These Creatures They Continually Cram,
And Feed With Maiz, And What The Horse Will Eat, Till He Is As Fat As A Hog;
Never Making Any Farther Use Of Him Than To Fetch A Deer Home,
That Is Killed Somewhere Near The Indian's Plantation.
After the Dogs had fled the Room, the Company was summon'd by Beat of Drum;
the Musick being made of a dress'd Deer's Skin, tied hard upon
an Earthen Porridge-Pot.
Presently in came fine Men dress'd up with Feathers,
their Faces being covered with Vizards made of Gourds;
round their Ancles and Knees, were hung Bells of several sorts,
having Wooden Falchions in their Hands, (such as Stage-Fencers commonly use;)
in this Dress they danced about an Hour, shewing many strange Gestures,
and brandishing their Wooden Weapons, as if they were going
to fight each other; oftentimes walking very nimbly round the Room,
without making the least Noise with their Bells, (a thing I much admired at;)
again, turning their Bodies, Arms and Legs, into such frightful Postures,
that you would have guess'd they had been quite raving mad: At last,
they cut two or three high Capers, and left the Room. In their stead,
came in a parcel of Women and Girls, to the Number of Thirty odd;
every one taking place according to her Degree of Stature,
the tallest leading the Dance, and the least of all being plac'd last;
with these they made a circular Dance, like a Ring,
representing the Shape of the Fire they danced about: Many of these
had great Horse-Bells about their Legs, and small Hawk's Bells
about their Necks. They had Musicians, who were two Old Men,
one of whom beat a Drum, while the other rattled with a Gourd,
that had Corn in it, to make a Noise withal: To these Instruments,
they both sung a mournful Ditty; the Burthen of their Song was,
in Remembrance of their former Greatness, and Numbers of their Nation,
the famous Exploits of their Renowned Ancestors, and all Actions of Moment
that had (in former Days) been perform'd by their Forefathers.
At these Festivals it is, that they give a Traditional Relation of what
hath pass'd amongst them, to the younger Fry. These verbal Deliveries
being always publish'd in their most Publick Assemblies,
serve instead of our Traditional Notes, by the use of Letters.
Some Indians, that I have met withal, have given me
a very curious Description of the great Deluge, the Immortality of the Soul,
with a pithy Account of the Reward of good and wicked Deeds in the Life
to come; having found, amongst some of them, great Observers of Moral Rules,
and the Law of Nature; indeed, a worthy Foundation to build Christianity upon,
were a true Method found out, and practis'd, for the Performance thereof.
Their way of Dancing, is nothing but a sort of stamping Motion,
much like the treading upon Founders Bellows. This Female-Gang
held their Dance for above six Hours, being all of them of a white Lather,
like a Running Horse that has just come in from his Race.
My Landlady was the Ring-leader of the Amazons, who, when in her own House,
behav'd herself very discreetly, and warily, in her Domestick Affairs;
yet, Custom had so infatuated her, as to almost break her Heart
with Dancing amongst such a confused Rabble. During this Dancing,
the Spectators do not neglect their Business, in working the Loblolly-Pots,
and the other Meat that was brought thither; more or less of them
being continually Eating, whilst the others were Dancing.
When the Dancing was ended, every Youth that was so disposed,
catch'd hold of the Girl he liked best, and took her that Night
for his Bed-Fellow, making as short Courtship and expeditious Weddings,
as the Foot-Guards us'd to do with the Trulls in Salisbury-Court.
Next we shall treat of the Land hereabouts, which is a Marl as red as Blood,
and will lather like Soap. The Town stands on this Land,
which holds considerably farther in the Country, and is in my Opinion,
so durable that no Labour of Man, in one or two Ages, could make it poor.
I have formerly seen the like in Leicestershire, bordering upon Rutland.
Here were Corn-Stalks in their Fields as thick as the Small of a Man's Leg,
and they are ordinarily to be seen.
We lay with these Indians one Night, there being by my Bed-side
one of the largest Iron Pots I had ever seen in America,
which I much wondred at, because I thought there might be no navigable Stream
near that Place. I ask'd them, where they got that Pot?
They laugh'd at my Demand, and would give me no Answer, which makes me guess
it came from some Wreck, and that we were nearer the Ocean,
or some great River, than I thought.
{Monday.}
The next day about Noon, we accidentally met with a Southward Indian,
amongst those that us'd to trade backwards and forwards,
and spoke a little English, whom we hir'd to go with us
to the Esaw Indians, a very large Nation containing many thousand People.
In the Afternoon we set forward, taking our Leaves of the Wisack Indians,
and leaving them some Trifles. On our Way, we met with
several Towns of Indians, each Town having its Theater or State House,
such Houses being found all along the Road, till you come to Sapona,
and then no more of those Buildings, it being about 170 Miles.
We reach'd 10 Miles this day, lying at another Town of the Wisacks.
The Man of the House offer'd us Skins to sell, but they were too heavy Burdens
for our long Voyage.
{Tuesday.}
Next Morning we set out early, breaking the Ice we met withal,
in the stony Runs, which were many. We pass'd by several Cottages,
and about 8 of the Clock came to a pretty big Town,
where we took up our Quarters, in one of their State Houses,
the Men being all out, hunting in the Woods, and none but Women at home.
Our Fellow Traveller of whom I spoke before at the Congerees,
having a great Mind for an Indian Lass, for his Bed-Fellow that Night,
spoke to our Guide, who soon got a Couple, reserving one for himself.
That which fell to our Companion's Share, was a pretty young Girl.
Tho' they could not understand one Word of what each other spoke,
yet the Female Indian, being no Novice at her Game, but understanding
what she came thither for, acted her Part dexterously enough with her Cully,
to make him sensible of what she wanted; which was to pay the Hire,
before he rode the Hackney.
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