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.
One of their Expeditions afforded an Instance, worthy mention,
which was thus; Two Nations of Indians here in Carolina
were at War together, and a Party of each were in the Forest
ranging to see what Enemies they could take. The lesser Number
found they were discover'd, and could not well get over a River
(that lay betwixt them and their home) without engaging the other Party,
whose Numbers were much the greater; so they call'd a Council,
which met, and having weigh'd their present Circumstances
with a great deal of Argument and Debate, for a considerable time,
and found their Enemies Advantage, and that they could expect no Success
in Engaging such an unequal Number; they, at last, concluded on
this Stratagem, which, in my Opinion, carried a great deal of Policy
along with it. {Indian Politicks.} It was, That the same Night,
they should make a great Fire, which they were certain would be discover'd
by the adverse Party, and there dress up Logs of Wood in their Cloaths,
and make them exactly seem like Indians, that were asleep by the Fireside;
(which is their Way, when in the Woods) so, said they, our Enemies will fire
upon these Images, supposing them to be us, who will lie in Ambuscade,
and, after their Guns are unloaded, shall deal well enough with them.
This Result was immediately put in Execution, and the Fire was made
by the side of a Valley, where they lay perdu very advantageously.
Thus, a little before Break of Day, (which commonly is the Hour
they surprize their Enemies in) the Indians came down to their Fire,
and at once fired in upon those Logs in the Indians Cloaths,
and run up to them, expecting they had kill'd every Man dead;
but they found themselves mistaken, for then the other Indians,
who had lain all the Night stark-naked in the Bottom, attack'd them
with their loaded Pieces, which so surprized them, that every Man
was taken Prisoner, and brought in bound to their Town.
Another Instance was betwixt the Machapunga Indians, and the Coranine's,
on the Sand-Banks; which was as follows. {Machapunga King Charles.}
The Machapungas were invited to a Feast, by the Coranines;
(which two Nations had been a long time at War together,
and had lately concluded a Peace.) Thereupon, the Machapunga Indians
took the Advantage of coming to the Coranines Feast, which was
to avoid all Suspicion, and their King, who, of a Savage,
is a great Politician and very stout, order'd all his Men
to carry their Tamahauks along with them, hidden under their Match-Coats,
which they did; and being acquainted when to fall on, by the Word given,
they all (upon this Design) set forward for the Feast, and came to
the Coranine Town, where they had gotten Victuals, Fruit,
and such things as make an Indian Entertainment, all ready
to make these new Friends welcome, which they did; and, after Dinner,
towards the Evening, (as it is customary amongst them) they went to Dancing,
all together; so when the Machapunga King saw the best Opportunity offer,
he gave the Word, and his Men pull'd their Tamahauks or Hatchets
from under their Match-Coats, and kill'd several, and took the rest Prisoners,
except some few that were not present, and about four or five that escap'd.
The Prisoners they sold Slaves to the English.
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