Before He Was Interr'd According To Their Custom,
They Dealt Every One Some Hot Victuals, Which He Took And Did
What He Would With:
Then the Doctor began to talk, and told the People
what Lightning was, and that it kill'd every thing
That dwelt upon the Earth;
nay, the very Fishes did not escape; for it often reach'd
the Porpoises and other Fish, and destroy'd them; that every thing
strove to shun it, except the Mice, who, he said, were the busiest
in eating their Corn in the Fields, when it lightned the most.
He added, that no Wood or Tree could withstand it, except the black Gum,
and that it would run round that Tree a great many times, to enter therein,
but could not effect it. Now you must understand, that sort of Gum will not
split or rive; therefore, I suppose, the Story might arise from thence.
At last, he began to tell the most ridiculous absurd Parcel of Lyes
about Lightning, that could be; as that an Indian of that Nation
had once got Lightning in the Likeness of a Partridge;
That no other Lightning could harm him, whilst he had that about him;
and that after he had kept it for several Years, it got away from him;
so that he then became as liable to be struck with Lightning,
as any other Person. There was present at the same time,
an Indian that had liv'd from his Youth, chiefly in an English House;
so I call'd to him, and told him, what a Parcel of Lyes the Conjurer told,
not doubting but he thought so, as well as I, but I found to the contrary;
for he reply'd, that I was much mistaken, for that old Man
(who, I believe was upwards of an hundred Years old) did never tell Lyes;
and as for what he said, it was very true; for he knew it himself to be so.
{How hard it is to bring the Indians from their Superstition.}
Thereupon, seeing the Fellow's Ignorance, I talk'd no more about it.
{Rattle-Snake kill Indians in Canoes. Eagles kill it.}
Then the Doctor proceeded to tell a long Tale of a great Rattle-Snake,
which, a great while ago, liv'd by a Creek in that River
(which was Neus) and that it kill'd abundance of Indians;
but at last, a bald Eagle kill'd it, and they were rid of a Serpent,
that us'd to devour whole Canoes full of Indians, at a time.
I have been something tedious upon this Subject, on purpose to shew
what strange ridiculous Stories these Wretches are inclinable to believe.
I suppose, these Doctors understand a little better themselves,
than to give Credit to any such Fooleries; for I reckon them
the cunningest Knaves in all the Pack. I will therefore begin with
their Physick and Surgery, which is next: {Indian Physick and Surgery.}
You must know, that the Doctors or Conjurers, to gain a greater Credit
amongst these People, tell them, that all Distempers are
the Effects of evil Spirits, or the bad Spirit, which has struck them
with this or that Malady; therefore, none of these Physicians
undertakes any Distemper, but that he comes to an Exorcism,
to effect the Cure, and acquaints the sick Party's Friends,
that he must converse with the good Spirit, to know whether the Patient
will recover or not; if so, then he will drive out the bad Spirit,
and the Patient will become well. Now, the general way of their Behaviour
in curing the Sick, (a great deal of which I have seen,
and shall give some Account thereof, in as brief a manner as possible) is,
when an Indian is sick, if they think there is much Danger of Life,
and that he is a great Man or hath good Friends, the Doctor is sent for.
As soon as the Doctor comes into the Cabin, the sick Person is sat
on a Mat or Skin, stark-naked, lying on his Back, and all uncover'd,
except some small Trifle that covers their Nakedness when ripe,
otherwise in very young Children, there is nothing about them.
{Conjuring over the Sick.} In this manner, the Patient lies,
when the Conjurer appears; and the King of that Nation comes to attend him
with a Rattle made of a Gourd with Pease in it. This the King delivers
into the Doctor's Hand, whilst another brings a Bowl of Water,
and sets it down: Then the Doctor begins, and utters some few Words
very softly; afterwards he smells of the Patient's Navel and Belly,
and sometimes scarifies him a little with a Flint, or an Instrument
made of Rattle-Snakes Teeth for that purpose; then he sucks the Patient,
and gets out a Mouthful of Blood and Serum, but Serum chiefly;
which, perhaps, may be a better Method in many Cases, than to take away
great Quantities of Blood, as is commonly practis'd; which he spits
in the Bowl of Water. Then he begins to mutter, and talk apace,
and, at last, to cut Capers, and clap his Hands on his Breech and Sides,
till he gets into a Sweat, so that a Stranger would think he was running mad;
now and then sucking the Patient, and so, at times, keeps sucking,
till he has got a great Quantity of very ill-coloured Matter out of the Belly,
Arms, Breast, Forehead, Temples, Neck, and most Parts, still continuing
his Grimaces, and antick Postures, which are not to be match'd in Bedlam:
At last, you will see the Doctor all over of a dropping Sweat,
and scarce able to utter one Word, having quite spent himself;
then he will cease for a while, and so begin again, till he comes
in the same Pitch of Raving and seeming Madness, as before,
(all this time the sick Body never so much as moves, although, doubtless,
the Lancing and Sucking must be a great Punishment to them;
but they, certainly, are the patientest and most steady People
under any Burden, that I ever saw in my Life.) {Whether live or die.}
At last, the Conjurer makes an end, and tells the Patient's Friends,
whether the Person will live or die; {Bury the Serum.}
and then one that waits at this Ceremony, takes the Blood away,
(which remains in a Lump, in the middle of the Water) and buries it
in the Ground, in a Place unknown to any one, but he that inters it.
Now, I believe a great deal of Imposture in these Fellows;
yet I never knew their Judgment fail, though I have seen them
give their Opinion after this Manner, several times:
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