{Salmon-Creek.}
There Are A Great Many Other Stories, Of This Nature,
Which Are Seemingly True, Being Told By Persons
That affirm
they were Eye-Witnesses thereof; as, that they have seen one Roncommock
(a Chuwou Indian, and a great
Conjurer) take a Reed about two Foot long
in his Mouth, and stand by a Creek-side, where he call'd twice or thrice
with the Reed in his Mouth; and, at last, has open'd his Arms,
and fled over the Creek, which might be near a quarter of a Mile wide or more;
but I shall urge no Man's Belief, but tell my own; which is, that I believe
the two first Accounts, which were acted at Mr. Southwell's Plantation,
as firmly as any Man can believe any thing of that which is told him
by honest Men, and he has not seen; not at all doubting
the Credit of my Authors.
The Cures I have seen perform'd by the Indians, are too many
to repeat here; so I shall only mention some few, and their Method.
{Scald Head cured.} They cure Scald-heads infallibly, and never miss.
Their chief Remedy as I have seen them make use of, is, the Oil of Acorns,
but from which sort of Oak I am not certain. They cure Burns beyond Credit.
I have seen a Man burnt in such a manner, (when drunk) by falling into a Fire,
that I did not think he could recover; yet they cur'd him in ten Days,
so that he went about. I knew another blown up with Powder,
that was cured to Admiration. {No ulcerated Wounds.} I never saw an Indian
have an Ulcer, or foul Wound in my Life; neither is there any such thing
to be found amongst them. {Pox to cure.} They cure the Pox, by a Berry
that salivates, as Mercury does; yet they use Sweating and Decoctions
very much with it; as they do, almost on every Occasion;
and when they are thoroughly heated, they leap into the River.
The Pox is frequent in some of these Nations; amongst which
I knew one Woman die of it; and they could not, or would not, cure her.
Before she died, she was worn away to a Skeleton, yet walk'd up and down
to the last. We had a Planter in Carolina, who had got an Ulcer in his Leg,
which had troubled him a great many Years; at last, he apply'd himself
to one of these Indian Conjurers, who was a Pampticough Indian,
and was not to give the Value of fifteen Shillings for the Cure.
{Indian cure an Ulcer.} Now, I am not positive, whether he wash'd the Ulcer
with any thing, before he used what I am now going to speak of,
which was nothing but the rotten doated Grains of Indian Corn,
beaten to Powder, and the soft Down growing on a Turkey's Rump.
This dry'd the Ulcer up immediately, and no other Fontanel was made
to discharge the Matter, he remaining a healthful Man,
till the time he had the Misfortune to be drown'd, which was many Years after.
{Cure in Maryland.} Another Instance (not of my own Knowledge,
but I had it confirm'd by several Dwellers in Maryland,
where it was done) was, of an honest Planter that had been possess'd
with a strange Lingring Distemper, not usual amongst them,
under which he emaciated, and grew every Month worse than another,
it having held him several Years, in which time he had made Tryal
of several Doctors, as they call them, which, I suppose, were Ship-Surgeons.
In the beginning of this Distemper, the Patient was very well to pass,
and was possess'd of several Slaves, which the Doctors purged all away,
and the poor Man was so far from mending, that he grew worse and worse
every day. But it happen'd, that, one day, as his Wife and he
were commiserating his miserable Condition, and that he could not expect
to recover, but look'd for Death very speedily, and condoling the Misery
he should leave his Wife and Family in, since all his Negro's were gone.
At that time, I say, it happen'd, that an Indian was in the same Room,
who had frequented the House for many Years, and so was become
as one of the Family, and would sometimes be at this Planter's House,
and at other times amongst the Indians.
This Savage, hearing what they talk'd of, and having a great Love
for the Sick Man, made this Reply to what he had heard.
`Brother, you have been a long time Sick; and, I know, you have
given away your Slaves to your English Doctors: What made you do so,
and now become poor? They do not know how to cure you;
for it is an Indian Distemper, which your People know not the Nature of.
If it had been an English Disease, probably they could have cured you;
and had you come to me at first, I would have cured you for a small matter,
without taking away your Servants that made Corn for you and your Family
to eat; and yet, if you will give me a Blanket to keep me warm,
and some Powder and Shot to kill Deer withal, I will do my best
to make you well still.' The Man was low in Courage and Pocket too,
and made the Indian this Reply. `Jack, my Distemper is past Cure,
and if our English Doctors cannot cure it, I am sure, the Indians cannot.'
But his Wife accosted her Husband in very mild terms, and told him,
he did not know, but God might be pleased to give a Blessing
to that Indian's Undertaking more than he had done to the English;
and farther added; `if you die, I cannot be much more miserable,
by giving this small matter to the Indian; so I pray you, my Dear,
take my Advice, and try him;' to which, by her Persuasions, he consented.
After the Bargain was concluded, the Indian went into the Woods,
and brought in both Herbs and Roots, of which he made a Decoction,
and gave it the Man to drink, and bad him go to bed, saying,
it should not be long, before he came again, which the Patient perform'd
as he had ordered; and the Potion he had administred made him sweat
after the most violent manner that could be, whereby he smell'd
very offensively both to himself, and they that were about him;
but in the Evening, towards Night, Jack came, with a great Rattle-Snake
in his Hand alive, which frightned the People almost out of their Senses;
{Cure by a Snake.} and he told his Patient, that he must take that
to Bed to him; at which the Man was in a great Consternation,
and told the Indian, he was resolv'd, to let no Snake come into his Bed,
for he might as well die of the Distemper he had, as be kill'd
with the Bite of that Serpent.
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