Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/155

 nature of their divorces, wid pumjhments t for adultery* 143

2nd flaves from public faith \ becaufe of the reputed ficklenefs of the one, and the bafe, groveling temper of the other. When the crime is proved againft the woman, the enraged hufband accompanied by fome of his relations, jurprifes and beats her moft barbaroufly, and then cuts off her hair and nofe, or one of her lips. There are many of that fort of disfigured females among the Chikkafah, and they are commonly the beft featured, and the moft tempting of any of their country-women, which expofed them to the fnares of young men. But their fellow-criminals, who proba bly firft tempted them, are partially exempted from any kind of corporal punifhment.

With the Mufkohge Indians, it was formerly reckoned adultery, if a man took a pitcher of water off a married woman's head, and drank of it. But their law faid, if he was a few fteps apart, and me at his requeft fet it down, and retired a little way off, he might then drink without ex- pofing her to any danger. If we ferioufly reflect on the reft of their na tive cuftoms, this old law, ib fingular to themfelves from the reft of the world, gives us room to think they drew it from the Jewifh bitter waters that were given to real, or fufpecled adukereffes, either to prove their guilt, or atre/l their innocence.

Among thofe Indians, when adultery is difcovered, the offending parties commonly fet off ipeediiy for the diftant woods, to fccure themfelves from the fhameful badge of the fharp penal law, which they inevitably get, if they can be taken before the yearly offering for the atonement of fin, afterward, every crime except murder is forgiven. But they are always purfued, and frequently overtaken j though perhaps, three or four moons abfent, and two hundred miles off, over hills and mountains, up and down many creeks and rivers, on contrary courfes, and by various intricate windings the purfuers are eager, and their hearts burn within them for revenge. When the huf* band has the chilling news firft whifpered in his ear, he fteals off with his wic- nefs to fome of his kinfmen, to get them to aftifl him in revenging his in jury : they are foon joined by a fufficient number of the fame family, if the criminal was not of the fame tribe i otherwife, he chutes to confide in his neareft relations. When the witnefs has afierted to them the truth of his evidence by a ftrong afleveration, they feparate to avoid fufpicion, and meet commonly in the dufk of the evening, near the town of the adul- 7 terer,

�� �