Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/176

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

people, while they are at war accompanying the facred ark with the fup pofed holy things it contains,

The French Indians are faid not to have deflowered any of our young women they captivated, while at war with us ; and unlefs the black tribe, the French Canadian priefts, corrupted their traditions, they would think fuch actions de filing, and what mnft bring fatal confequences on their own heads. We have- an attefted narrative of an Englifh prifoner, who made his efcape from ths Shawanoh Indians, which was printed at Philadelphia, anno 1757, by which we were aflured, that even that blood-thirfty villain, Capt. Jacob, did not attempt the virtue of his female captives, left (as he told one of them) it fliould offend the Indian's God -, though at the fame time his pleafures heightened in proportion to the fhrieks and groans of our people of dif ferent ages and both fexes, while they were under his tortures.

Although the Choktah are libidinous, and lofe their cuftoms apace, yet I have known them to take feveral female prilbners without offering the lead violence to their virtue, till the time of purgation was expired ; then fome-of them forced their captives, notwithstanding their prefling entreaties and tears. As the aforefaid Shawanoh renegado profefTed himfelf fo obfer- vant of this law of purity, fo the other northern nations of Indians, who are free from adulteration by their far-diftance from foreigners, do not neglect fo great a duty : and it is highly probable, notwithstanding the filence of our writers, that as purity was ftrictly obferved by the Hebrews in the tem ple, field and wildernefs, the religious rites and cuftoms of the northern Indians, differ no farther from thofe of the nations near our fouthern fettle- ments than reafon will admit, allowing for their diftant fituation from Peru and Mexico, whence they feem to have travelled..

When they return home victorious over the enemy, they fing the tri umphal fong to YO-HE-WAH, afcribing the victory to him, according to a religious cuftom of the Ifraelites, who were commanded always to attribute their fuccefs in war to Jehovah, and not to their fwords and arrows*

In the year 1765, when the Chikkafah returned with two French fcalps, from the Illinois, (while the Britilh troops were on the Miflifippi, about 1 70 leagues below the Illinois) as my trading houfe was near the Chikkafah

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