Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/170

 158- On the defctnt of the Amerkan Indians from the Jews*

��ARGUMENT XV.

The Israelites had CITIES OF REFUGE, or places of fafety, for thofe wh& killed a perfon ,unawares, and without defign, to fhelter them from the blood-thirfty relations of the deceafed, or the revenger of blood, who always purfued or watched the unfortunate perfon, like a ravenous wolf : but after the death of the high-pried the man-flayer -could fafely return home, and nobody durft moleft him.

According to the fame particular divine law of mercy, each of thefe Indian nations have either a houfe or town of refuge, which is a furc afylum to protect a man-flayer, or the -unfortunate captive, if they can once enter into it. The Cheerake, though now exceedingly corrupt, ftill obferve that law fo inviolably, as to allow their beloved town the privilege of protecting a wilful murtherer: but they feldom allow him to return home afterwards in fafety they will revenge blood for blood, .unlefs in fome very particular cafe when the eldeft can redeem. However, if he fhould accept of the price of blood to wipe away its ftains, and dry up the tears of the reft of the neareft kindred of the deceafed, it is gene rally productive of future ills, either when -they are drinking fpirituous liquors, or dancing their enthufiaftic war dances, a ,tomohaw.k is likely to be funk into .the head of fome of his relations.

Formerly, when one of the Cheerake murdered an Englifh trader he .immediately ran off for the town of refuge ; but as foon as he got in view of it, the inhabitants difcovered him by the clofe purfuit of the fhrill war- whoo-whoop -, and for fear of irritating the Engliih, they inftantly anfwered the war cry, ran to arms, intercepted, and drove him off into Tennafe river (where he efcaped, though mortally wounded) left he fliould have entered tthe reputed holy -ground, and thus it had been ftained with the blood of their friend i or he had obtained fancluary to the danger of the community, .and the foreign contempt of their .faded altars.

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