Page:Eventful life, and curious adventures of Peter Williamson.pdf/15

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The Life of Peter Williamson.

culking is their discipline; and they are brave when engaged, having great fortitude in enduring tortures and death. No people have a greater love of liberty, or affection to their Melations ; but they are the most Implacable vindictive people up on the earth, for they revenge he death of any relation, or emote. To all which I may dd, and what the reader has mil ready observed, that they are einhumanly cruel. But, some iitther nations might be more jt appy, if, in some instances, they copied them, and made tj tise conduct, courage, and personal strength, the chief recomitnendations for war captains. in times of peace they visit the ti| Jantations inhabited by the I'hites, to whom they sell basets, ladles, spoons, and other uch trifles which they are very epert in making. When night mes, if admitted into any ouse, they beg leave to lie wn by the fire-side, chusing ,t place rather than any oer, which is seldom refused [hem, if sober, for then they re honest; but if drunk, are ery dangerous and troubleome, if people enough are not the house to quell them, or would they at any time njl >e guilty of such barbarous deredations as they are, did not hose calling themselves Chrisians, entice them thereto with trong liquors, which they are attly fend of; as well as by
 * ny great affront, whenever oc3 asior. presents, let the distance if time or place be never so

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the pecuniary rewards which they give for the scalps. If ambition cannot be gratified, or superiority obtained, otherwise than by the death of thousands would it not, in those who seek such airy phantoms and are so inordinately fond of their fellow-creatnres lives savour a little more of humanity to have them killed instantly, and if they must have proofs of murder, scalped afterwards, than by allowing and encouraging such merciless treatment, render themselves as obnoxious, cruel, and barbarious, to a humane mind, as the very savages themselves ? — However, they sometimes suffer by their plots, laid for the destruction of others; it often happening that the traders or emissaries sent to allure them to the execution of their schemes, rightly fall victims themselves; for, as they always carry with them horseloads of rum, which the Indians are fond of, they soon get drunk, quarrelsome, and wicked, and, in their fury, often kill and destroy their tempters : a just reward for their wicked designs ! nay it had such an effect on them, that when so intoxicated, they even burn and consume all their ewn effects, beating, wounding, and sometimes killing their wives and children : but, in disputes among themselves, when sober, they are very tenacious of decorum, never allow ing more than one t» speak at a time. Profane swearing they know not in their own language how to express, but