Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/144

 132 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews..

felf, and the reft of the hunting camp to be fpoiled ; neverthelefs- he- fiiut his ears againft his honeil fpeech, and brought thofe dangerous deer-^ fkins to camp. But the people would not afterward affociate with him y and he foon paid dear for being Hakfe, by a (harp fplintered root of a cane running almoft through his foot, near the very place where he firft polluted himfelf j and he was afraid fame worfe ill was ftill in wait for him.

In 1767; tHe Indians were ftruck with a di'leafe, which they were unac* quainted with before. It began with Iharp pains in the head, at the lower part of each of the ears, and fwelled the face and throat in a very extraorr dinary manner, and alfo the tefticles. It continued about a fortnight, and in the like fpace of time went off gradually, without any dangerous confe- quence, or ufe of outward or inward remedies : they called it H^ahka Abeeka y " the cattle's diftemper," or ficknefs. Some of their young men had by flealth killed and eaten a few of the cattle which the traders had brought up, and they imagined they had thus polluted themfelves, and were fmitren in that ftrange manner, by having their heads,, necks, &c. magnir fied like the fame parts of a fick bull. They firft concluded, either to kill all the cattle, or fend them immediately off their land, to prevent the like mifchief, or greater ills from befalling the beloved people for their cunning old phyficians or prophets would not undertake to cure them, in order to inflame the people to execute the former refolution ; being jear lous of encroachments, and afraid the cattle would fpoil their open corn fields; upon which account, the traders arguments had no weight with thefe red Hebrew philofophers. But fortunately, one of their head warriors had a few cattle foon prefented to him, to keep off the wolf ; and his rear foning proved fo weighty, as to alter their refolution, and produce in them a contrary belief.

They reckon all thofe animals to be unclean, that are either carnU vorous, or live on nafty food; as hogs, wolves, panthers, foxes, cats, mice, rats. And if we except the bear, they deem all beafts of prey unhallowed, and polluted food; a)l amphibious quadrupeds they rank in the fame clafs. Our old traders remember when they firft began the cuftonv of eating beavers : and to this day none eat of them, except thofe who kill,

them s.

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