At The Top Of One Of These Mountains, Is A Cave That 100 Men
May Fit Very Conveniently To Dine In; Whether Natural, Or Artificial,
I Could Not Learn.
There is a fine Bole between this Place, and the Saps.
These Valleys thus hemm'd in with Mountains, would (doubtless) prove
a good place for propagating some sort of Fruits, that our Easterly Winds
commonly blast.
The Vine could not miss of thriving well here;
but we of the Northern Climate are neither Artists, nor curious,
in propagating that pleasant and profitable Vegetable. Near the Town,
is such another Current, as Heighwaree. We being six in Company,
divided ourselves into Two Parties; and it was my Lot to be
at the House of Keyauwees Jack, who is King of that People.
He is a Congeree-Indian, and ran away when he was a Boy.
He got this Government by Marriage with the Queen; the Female Issue
carrying the Heritage, for fear of Impostors; the Savages
well knowing, how much Frailty possesses the Indian Women,
betwixt the Garters and the Girdle.
{Wednesday.}
The next day, having some occasion to write, the Indian King, who saw me,
believ'd that he could write as well as I. Whereupon, I wrote a Word,
and gave it him to copy, which he did with more Exactness,
than any European could have done, that was illiterate. It was so well,
that he who could read mine, might have done the same by his.
Afterwards, he took great Delight in making Fish-hooks of his own Invention,
which would have been a good Piece for an Antiquary to have puzzled
his Brains withal, in tracing out the Characters of all the Oriental Tongues.
He sent for several Indians to his Cabin, to look at his Handy-work,
and both he and they thought, I could read his Writing
as well as I could my own.
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