Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/17

 On the temper and Jhape of the- Indians of America.

They are very clofe, and retentive of their fecrets ; never forget injuries , revengeful of blood, to a degree of diffraction. They are timorous, and, confequentiy, cautious ; very jealous of encroachments from their chriftian. neighbours ; and, likewifc, content with freedom, in every turn of fortune. They are poffefled of a ftrong comprehenfive judgment, can form furprif- ingly crafty fchemes, and conduct them with equal caution, filence, and addrefs ; they admit none but diftinguifhed warriors, and old beloved men, into their councils. They are flow, but very perfevering in their under takings commonly temperate in eating, but exceffively immoderate in drinking. They. often transform themfelves by liquor into the likenefs of mad foaming bears. The women, in general, are of a mild, amiable, foft difpofition : exceedingly modeft in their behaviour,, and very feldom noify,. either in the fingle, or married Rate,

The men are expert in the ufe of fire-arms, in mooting the bow, and throwing the feathered dart, and tomohawk, into the flying enemy. They refemble the lynx, with their fharp penetrating black eyes, and are exceed ingly fwirt of foot; efpecially in a long chafe : they will ftretch away, through, the rough woods, by the bare track, for two or three hundred miles, in purfuic of a flying enemy, with the continued fpeed, and eagernefs, of a flanch pack of blood hounds,, till they fhed blood. When they have allayed this their burning third, they return home, at their leifure, unlefs they chance. to be purfued, as is fometimes the cafe ; whence the traders fay, " that an Indian is never in a hurry, but when the devil, is at his heels-"

It is remarkable, that there are no deformed Indians however, they are generally weaker, and fmaller bodied, between the tropics, than in the higher latitudes, but not in an equal proportion : for, though the Chikkafah and Choktah countries have not been long divided from each other, as appears by the fimilarity of their language, as well as- other things, yet the Chikkafah? are exceedingly taller, and ftronger bodied than the latter, though their country is only two degrees farther north. Such a fmall difference of latitude, in fo healthy a region, could not make fo wide a difference in the confti- tution of their bodies. The former are a comely, pleaiant looking peo ple, their faces are tolerably round,, contrary to. the vifage of the others, which inclines much to flatnefs, as is the cafe of moft of the other Indian. Americans. The lips of the Indians, in general, are thin..

Their

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