They were all of the same Opinion, and affirm'd,
That they had never seen 20 Miles of such extraordinary
Rich Land,
lying all together, like that betwixt Hau-River and the Achonechy Town.
Having taken our Leaves of each other, we set forward; and the Country,
thro' which we pass'd, was so delightful, that it gave us
a great deal of Satisfaction. About Three a Clock, we reach'd the Town,
and the Indians presently brought us good fat Bear, and Venison,
which was very acceptable at that time. Their Cabins were hung
with a good sort of Tapestry, as fat Bear, and barbakued or dried Venison;
no Indians having greater Plenty of Provisions than these.
The Savages do, indeed, still possess the Flower of Carolina,
the English enjoying only the Fag-end of that fine Country.
We had not been in the Town 2 Hours, when Enoe-Will came into
the King's Cabin; which was our Quarters. We ask'd him,
if he would conduct us to the English, and what he would have for his Pains;
he answer'd, he would go along with us, and for what he was to have,
he left that to our Discretion.
{Monday.}
The next Morning, we set out, with Enoe-Will, towards Adshusheer,
leaving the Virginia Path, and striking more to the Eastward,
for Ronoack. Several Indians were in our Company belonging
to Will's Nation, who are the Shoccories, mixt with the Enoe-Indians,
and those of the Nation of Adshusheer. Enoe-Will is their chief Man,
and rules as far as the Banks of Reatkin. It was a sad stony Way
to Adshusheer. We went over a small River by Achonechy,
and in this 14 Miles, through several other Streams, which empty themselves
into the Branches of Cape-Fair. The stony Way made me quite lame;
so that I was an Hour or two behind the rest; but honest Will
would not leave me, but bid me welcome when we came to his House,
feasting us with hot Bread, and Bears-Oil; which is wholsome Food
for Travellers. There runs a pretty Rivulet by this Town.
Near the Plantation, I saw a prodigious overgrown Pine-Tree,
having not seen any of that Sort of Timber for above 125 Miles:
They brought us 2 Cocks, and pull'd their larger Feathers off,
never plucking the lesser, but singeing them off. I took one of these Fowls
in my Hand, to make it cleaner than the Indian had, pulling out
his Guts and Liver, which I laid in a Bason; notwithstanding which,
he kept such a Struggling for a considerable time, that I had much ado
to hold him in my Hands. The Indians laugh'd at me, and told me,
that Enoe-Will had taken a Cock of an Indian that was not at home,
and the Fowl was design'd for another Use. I conjectur'd,
that he was design'd for an Offering to their God, who, they say,
hurts them, (which is the Devil.) In this Struggling, he bled afresh,
and there issued out of his Body more Blood than commonly
such Creatures afford. Notwithstanding all this, we cook'd him, and eat him;
and if he was design'd for him, cheated the Devil. The Indians keep
many Cocks, but seldom above one Hen, using very often such wicked Sacrifices,
as I mistrusted this Fowl was design'd for.
Our Guide and Landlord Enoe-Will was of the best and most agreeable Temper
that ever I met with in an Indian, being always ready
to serve the English, not out of Gain, but real Affection;
which makes him apprehensive of being poison'd by some wicked Indians,
and was therefore very earnest with me, to promise him to revenge his Death,
if it should so happen. He brought some of his chief Men into his Cabin,
and 2 of them having a Drum, and a Rattle, sung by us, as we lay in Bed,
and struck up their Musick to serenade and welcome us to their Town.
And tho' at last, we fell asleep, yet they continu'd their Consort
till Morning. These Indians are fortify'd in, as the former,
and are much addicted to a Sport they call Chenco, which is carry'd on
with a Staff and a Bowl made of Stone, which they trundle upon a smooth Place,
like a Bowling-Green, made for that Purpose, as I have mention'd before.
{Tuesday.}
Next Morning, we set out, with our Guide, and several other Indians,
who intended to go to the English, and buy Rum. We design'd for a Nation
about 40 Miles from Adshusheer, call'd the Lower Quarter:
The first Night, we lay in a rich Perkoson, or low Ground,
that was hard-by a Creek, and good dry Land.
{Wednesday.}
The next day, we went over several Tracts of rich Land,
but mix'd with Pines and other indifferent Soil. In our way,
there stood a great Stone about the Size of a large Oven, and hollow;
this the Indians took great Notice of, putting some Tobacco
into the Concavity, and spitting after it. I ask'd them
the Reason of their so doing, but they made me no Answer. In the Evening,
we pass'd over a pleasant Rivulet, with a fine gravelly Bottom,
having come over such another that Morning. On the other side of this River,
we found the Indian Town, which was a Parcel of nasty smoaky Holes,
much like the Waterrees; their Town having a great Swamp
running directly through the Middle thereof. The Land here
begins to abate of its Height, and has some few Swamps.
Most of these Indians have but one Eye; but what Mischance or Quarrel
has bereav'd them of the other I could not learn. They were not
so free to us, as most of the other Indians had been; Victuals being
somewhat scarce among them. However, we got enough to satisfy our Appetites.
I saw, among these Men, very long Arrows, headed with Pieces of Glass,
which they had broken from Bottles.
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