By These Means Preserve Them For Many Ages,
That You May See An Indian In Possession Of The Bones Of His Grand-Father,
Or Some Of His Relations Of A Larger Antiquity.
They have other
Sorts of Tombs; as where an Indian is slain, in that very Place
they make a
Heap of Stones, (or Sticks, where Stones are not to be found;)
to this Memorial, every Indian that passes by, adds a Stone,
to augment the Heap, in Respect to the deceas'd Hero.
We had a very large Swamp to pass over near the House, and would have hir'd
our Landlord to have been our Guide, but he seem'd unwilling;
so we press'd him no farther about it. He was the tallest Indian
I ever saw, being seven Foot high, and a very strait compleat Person,
esteem'd on by the King for his great Art in Hunting, always carrying with him
an artificial Head to hunt withal: They are made of the Head of a Buck,
the back Part of the Horns being scrapt and hollow, for Lightness of Carriage.
The Skin is left to the setting on of the Shoulders, which is lin'd all round
with small Hoops, and flat Sort of Laths, to hold it open
for the Arm to go in. They have a Way to preserve the Eyes, as if living.
The Hunter puts on a Match-coat made of Deer's Skin, with the Hair on,
and a Piece of the white Part of a Deer's Skin, that grows on the Breast,
which is fasten'd to the Neck-End of this stalking Head, so hangs down.
In these Habiliments an Indian will go as near a Deer as he pleases,
the exact Motions and Behaviour of a Deer being so well counterfeited by 'em,
that several Times it hath been known for two Hunters to come up
with a stalking Head together, and unknown to each other,
so that they have kill'd an Indian instead of a Deer,
which hath happen'd sometimes to be a Brother, or some dear Friend;
for which Reason they allow not of that Sort of Practice,
where the Nation is populous.
Within half a Mile of the House, we pass'd over a prodigious
wide and deep Swamp, being forc'd to strip stark-naked,
and much a-do to save our selves from drowning in this Fatiegue.
We, with much a-do, got thro', going that Day about five Miles farther,
and came to three more Indian Cabins, call'd in the Indian Tongue,
Hickerau, by the English Traders, the black House, being pleasantly
seated on a high Bank, by a Branch of Santee-River. One of our Company,
that had traded amongst these Indians, told us, That one of the Cabins
was his Father's-in-Law; he call'd him so, by Reason the old Man had given him
a young Indian Girl, that was his Daughter, to lie with him, make Bread,
and to be necessary in what she was capable to assist him in,
during his Abode amongst them.
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