At The Time This Was Done,
Those Indians Had Nothing But Bows And Arrows, Neither Side Having Guns.
The Indians are very revengeful, and never forget an Injury done,
till they have receiv'd Satisfaction.
Yet they are the freest People
from Heats and Passions (which possess the Europeans) of any
I ever heard of. {Drunkenness in Indians.} They never call any Man
to account for what he did, when he was drunk; but say, it was the Drink
that caused his Misbehaviour, therefore he ought to be forgiven:
They never frequent a Christian's House that is given to Passion,
nor will they ever buy or sell with him, if they can get
the same Commodities of any other Person; for they say,
such Men are mad Wolves, and no more Men.
{Indians not Jealous.}
They know not what Jealousy is, because they never think
their Wives are unconstant, unless they are Eye-witnesses thereof.
They are generally very bashful, especially the young Maids,
who when they come into a strange Cabin, where they are not acquainted,
never ask for any thing, though never so hungry or thirsty,
but sit down, without speaking a Word (be it never so long)
till some of the House asks them a Question, or falls into Discourse,
with the Stranger. I never saw a Scold amongst them, and to their Children
they are extraordinary tender and indulgent; neither did I ever see
a Parent correct a Child, excepting one Woman, that was the King's Wife,
and she (indeed) did possess a Temper that is not commonly found amongst them.
{Indians Complements.} They are free from all manner of Compliments,
except Shaking of Hands, and Scratching on the Shoulder,
which two are the greatest Marks of Sincerity and Friendship,
that can be shew'd one to another. They cannot express fare you well;
but when they leave the House, will say, I go straightway,
which is to intimate their Departure; and if the Man of the House
has any Message to send by the going Man, he may acquaint him therewith.
Their Tongue allows not to say, Sir, I am your Servant;
because they have no different Titles for Man, only King, War-Captain,
Old Man, or Young Man, which respect the Stations and Circumstances
Men are employ'd in, and arriv'd to, and not Ceremony. As for Servant,
they have no such thing, except Slave, and their Dogs, Cats,
tame or domestick Beasts, and Birds, are call'd by the same Name:
For the Indian Word for Slave includes them all. So when an Indian
tells you he has got a Slave for you, it may (in general Terms, as they use)
be a young Eagle, a Dog, Otter, or any other thing of that Nature,
which is obsequiously to depend on the Master for its Sustenance.
{Indians not afraid of Spirits.}
They are never fearful in the Night, nor do the Thoughts of Spirits
ever trouble them; such as the many Hobgoblins and Bugbears that we suck in
with our Milk, and the Foolery of our Nurses and Servants suggest to us;
who by their idle Tales of Fairies, and Witches, make such Impressions
on our tender Years, that at Maturity, we carry Pigmies Souls,
in Giants Bodies, and ever after are thereby so much depriv'd of Reason,
and unman'd, as never to be Masters of half the Bravery
Nature design'd for us.
Not but that the Indians have as many Lying Stories
of Spirits and Conjurers, as any People in the World; but they tell it
with no Disadvantage to themselves; for the great Esteem
which the Old Men bring themselves to, is by making the others believe
their Familiarity with Devils and Spirits, and how great a Correspondence
they have therewith, which if it once gains Credit, they ever after are held
in the greatest Veneration imaginable, and whatever they after impose
upon the People, is receiv'd as infallible. They are so little startled
at the Thoughts of another World, that they not seldom murder themselves;
as for Instance, a Bear-River Indian, a very likely young Fellow,
about twenty Years of Age, whose Mother was angry at his drinking
of too much Rum, and chid him for it, thereupon reply'd,
he would have her satisfied, and he would do the like no more;
upon which he made his Words good; for he went aside, and shot himself dead.
This was a Son of the politick King of the Machapunga, I spoke of before,
and has the most Cunning of any Indian I ever met withal.
Most of the Savages are much addicted to Drunkenness, a Vice
they never were acquainted with, till the Christians came amongst them.
Some of them refrain drinking strong Liquors, but very few of that sort
are found amongst them. Their chief Liquor is Rum, without any Mixture.
This the English bring amongst them, and buy Skins, Furs,
Slaves and other of their Commodities therewith. They never are contented
with a little, but when once begun, they must make themselves quite drunk;
otherwise they will never rest, but sell all they have in the World,
rather than not have their full Dose. In these drunken Frolicks,
(which are always carried on in the Night) they sometimes murder one another,
fall into the Fire, fall down Precipices, and break their Necks,
with several other Misfortunes which this drinking of Rum brings upon them;
and tho' they are sensible of it, yet they have no Power
to refrain this Enemy. About five years ago, when Landgrave Daniel
was Governour, he summon'd in all the Indian Kings and Rulers to meet,
and in a full Meeting of the Government and Council, with those Indians,
they agreed upon a firm Peace, and the Indian Rulers desired
no Rum might be sold to them, which was granted, and a Law made,
that inflicted a Penalty on those that sold Rum to the Heathens;
but it was never strictly observ'd, and besides, the young Indians
were so disgusted at that Article, that they threatned to kill the Indians
that made it, unless it was laid aside, and they might have Rum sold them,
when they went to the Englishmens Houses to buy it.
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