Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (1907 Volume 4).djvu/292

 which we named Mansfield's island, from one of our passengers who was the first to land on it. It was a beautiful little island, and the evening being far advanced, we were tempted to moor at its west point, to some willows on a fine hard sand, but we had nothing to boast of our choice of situation, as myriads of musquitoes effectually prevented our sleeping all night.

CHAPTER XLIV

Visit from Indian warriours—Our apprehensions—Indian manners and customs not generally known—First, Second and Third Chickasaw Bluffs, and several islands.

May 26.—We drifted forty-three miles, between five o'clock, A. M. and five o'clock P. M.—passing several islands and sand-bars, and had got between island No. 31 and Flour island, when an Indian canoe from the left shore boarded us with a chief and three warriours of the Shawanee nation.[185] They had their rifles in the boat, and their knives {259} and tomahawks in their belts, and it is my opinion that their intentions were hostile had they seen any thing worth plundering, or found us intimidated—but by receiving them with a confident familiarity, and treating them cautiously with a little whiskey, they behaved tolerably well, and bartered a wild turkey which one of them had shot for some flour, though it might have been supposed that they would have made a compliment of it to us in return for our civility to them, as besides giving them whiskey to drink, we had given them good wheat loaf bread to eat, and had filled a bottle they had in their canoe with whiskey for their squaws at the camp. It is remarked, that the Indians are not in habits of generous acts, either through the niggardliness of nature, or selfish mode of bringing up; or it may be