Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/262

 250 An Account of the Cheerake Nation.

to the very laft, againft all the enemies of Carolina, without regarding who- they were, or the number they confided of. This they told me on the fpot ; for having been in a fingular manner recommended to his excellency the general, I was pre-engaged for that campaign but as I could not ob tain orders to go a-head of the army, through the woods, with a body of the Chikkafah, and commence hoftilities, I declined the affair. Had our valuable, and well-meaning Cheerake friends juft mentioned, acted their ufual part of evading captivity, it would have been much better for them, and many hundreds of our unfortunate out-fettlers ; but they depending on our ufnal good faith, by their honeft credulity were ruined. It was well- known, that the Indians are unacquainted with the cuftom and meaning of hoftages ; to them, it conveyed the idea of flaves, as they have no pub lic faith to fecure the lives of fuch yet they were taken into cuftody, kept in clofe confinement, and afterwards fliot dead : their mortal crime confifted in founding the war-whoop, and hollowing to their countrymen,, when attacking the fort in which they were imprifoned, to fight like flrong-hearted warriors, and they would foon carry it, againft the cowardly traitors, who deceived and inflaved their friends in their own beloved conn- try. A white favage on this cut through a plank, over their heads, and perpetrated that horrid action, while the foldiery were employed like war riors, againft the enemy : to excufe his bafenefs, and fave himfelf from the reproaches of the people, he, like the wolf in the fable, falfely accufed them of intending to poifon the wells of the garrifon.

By our uniform mifconduct, we gave too plaufible a plea to the difaf- fected part of the Mufkohge to join the Cheerake, and at the fame time, fixed the whole, nation in a ftate of war againft us all the families of thofe leading men that were fo ihamefully. murdered, were inexpreffibly. imbittered againft our very national name, judging that we firft de ceived, then inflaved, and afterwards killed our beft, and moft faithful friends, who were firmly refolved to die in our defence. The means of our general fafety, thus were turned to our general ruin. The mixed body of people that were firft fent againft them, were too weak to do them, any ill ; and they foon returned home with a wild, ridiculous parade., There were frequent defertions among them fome were afraid of the fmall- pox, which then raged in the country others abhorred an inactive life j this fine filken body chiefly confifted of citizens and planters from the low (Settlements, unacquainted with the hardihips of a wood-land, fa- 3 vage

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