{Indians Not Eat Of The First He Kills.}
It Is An Establish'd Custom Amongst All These Natives,
That The Young
Hunter never eats of that Buck, Bear, Fish, or any other Game,
which happens to be the first they kill
Of that sort; because they believe,
if he should eat thereof, he would never after be fortunate in Hunting.
{Big bellied Woman never eat of the first Fish caught in a Ware.}
The like foolish Ceremony they hold, when they have made a Ware
to take Fish withal; if a big-belly'd Woman eat of the first Dish
that is caught in it, they say, that Ware will never take much Fish;
{Indians not kill Snakes why.} and as for killing of Snakes,
they avoid it, if they lie in their way, because their Opinion is,
that some of the Serpents Kindred would kill some of the Savages Relations,
that should destroy him: They have thousands of these foolish
Ceremonies and Beliefs, which they are strict Observers of.
Moreover, several Customs are found in some Families, which others keep not;
{Circumcision.} as for Example, two Families of the Machapunga Indians,
use the Jewish Custom of Circumcision, and the rest do not;
neither did I ever know any others amongst the Indians,
that practis'd any such thing; and perhaps, if you ask them,
what is the Reason they do so, they will make you no Manner of Answer;
which is as much as to say, I will not tell you. Many other Customs
they have, for which they will render no Reason or Account;
and to pretend to give a true Description of their Religion, it is impossible;
for there are a great many of their Absurdities, which, for some Reason,
they reserve as a Secret amongst themselves; or otherwise,
they are jealous of their Weakness in the practising them;
so that they never acquaint any Christian with the Knowledge thereof,
let Writers pretend what they will; {Indian Idols give an account of.}
for I have known them amongst their Idols and dead Kings
in their Quiogozon for several Days, where I could never get Admittance,
to see what they were doing, though I was at great Friendship
with the King and great Men; but all my Persuasions avail'd me nothing.
Neither were any but the King, with the Conjurer, and some few old Men,
in that House; as for the young Men, and chiefest Numbers of the Indians,
they were kept as ignorant of what the Elders were doing, as myself.
{The World is round.}
They all believe, that this World is round, and that there are two Spirits;
the one good, the other bad: {What they believe of God.
Their offering Idols.} The good one they reckon to be
the Author and Maker of every thing, and say, that it is he,
that gives them the Fruits of the Earth, and has taught them to hunt, fish,
and be wise enough to overpower the Beasts of the Wilderness,
and all other Creatures, that they may be assistant, and beneficial to Man;
to which they add, that the Quera, or good Spirit, has been very kind
to the English Men, to teach them to make Guns, and Ammunition,
besides a great many other Necessaries, that are helpful to Man,
all which, they say, will be deliver'd to them, when that good Spirit
sees fit. They do not believe, that God punishes any Man
either in this Life, or that to come; but that he delights in doing good,
and in giving the Fruits of the Earth, and instructing us in making
several useful and ornamental things. {Devil what.} They say,
it is a bad Spirit (who lives separate from the good one)
that torments us with Sicknesses, Disappointments, Losses, Hunger, Travel,
and all the Misfortunes, that Humane Life is incident to.
How they are treated in the next World, I have already mention'd,
and, as I said before, they are very resolute in dying,
when in the Hands of Savage Enemies; yet I saw one of their young Men,
a very likely Person, condemn'd, on a Sunday, for Killing a Negro,
and burning the House. {Indian condemn'd.} I took good Notice
of his Behaviour, when he was brought out of the House to die,
which was the next Morning after Sentence, but he chang'd his Countenance
with Trembling, and was in the greatest Fear and Agony. I never saw
any Person under his Circumstances, which, perhaps, might be occasion'd
by his being deliver'd up by his own Nation (which was the Tuskeruro's)
and executed by us, that are not their common Enemies, though he met
with more Favour than he would have receiv'd at the Hands of Savages;
for he was only hang'd on a Tree, near the Place where the Murder
was committed; and the three Kings, that but the day before
shew'd such a Reluctancy to deliver him up, (but would have given another
in his Room) when he was hang'd, pull'd him by the Hand, and said,
`Thou wilt never play any more Rogues Tricks in this World;
whither art thou gone to shew thy Tricks now?' Which shews these Savages
to be what they really are, (viz) a People that will save their own Men
if they can, but if the Safety of all the People lies at Stake, they will
deliver up the most innocent Person living, and be so far from Concern,
when they have made themselves easy thereby, that they will laugh
at their Misfortunes, and never pity or think of them more.
{Indian Conjurers.}
Their Priests are the Conjurers and Doctors of the Nation.
I shall mention some of their Methods, and Practices; and so leave them
to the Judgment of the Reader. As I told you before, the Priests make
their Orations at every Feast, or other great Meeting of the Indians.
{Indian Lightning, at Chattooka, at a Feast for rebuilding
a King's House burnt.} I happen'd to be at one of these great Meetings,
which was at the Funeral of a Tuskeruro Indian, that was slain
with Lightning at a Feast, the day before, where I was amongst the rest;
it was in July, and a very fair day, where, in the Afternoon,
about six or seven a Clock, as they were dealing out their Victuals,
there appear'd a little black Cloud to the North West,
which spread and brought with it Rain, Wind and Lightning;
so we went out from the Place where we were all at Victuals,
and went down to the Cabins where I left the Indians, and went to lie
in my Canoe, which was convenient enough to keep me dry.
The Lightning came so terrible, and down in long Streams,
that I was afraid it would have taken hold of a Barrel of Powder
I had in my Vessel, and so blown me up; but it pleas'd God,
that it did me no Harm; yet the Violence of the Wind had blown
all the Water away, where I rid at Anchor, so that my Canoe lay dry,
and some Indian Women came with Torches in their Hands
to the side of the Canoe, and told me, an Indian was kill'd with Lightning.
The next day, (I think) he was buried, and I stay'd to see the Ceremony,
and was very tractable to help the Indians to trim their Reeds,
and make the Coffin, which pleased them very much, because I had a mind
to see the Interment.
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