Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/266

 254 dn Account of the Cheerake Nation.

war-leader, well-known by the names of Tab-Tab-Tuftanage, or " the Great Mortar," becaufe he had been in the French intereft. Our great man, ought to have reclaimed him by ftrong reafoning and good treatment : but by his mifconduct, he inflamed the hearts of him and his relations with the bit- terefl enmity againft the Englifh name, fo that when the gentleman was proceeding in his laconic ftile, a warrior who had always before been very kind to the Britifh traders, (called " the Tobacco-eater" on account of his chewing tobacco) jumped up in a rage, and darted his tomohawk at his head, happily for all the traders prefent, and our frontier colonies, it funk in a plank directly over the fuperintendant, and while the tobacco-eater was eagerly pulling it out, to give the mortal blow, a warrior, friendly to the Englim, immediately leaped up, faved the gentleman, and pre vented thofe dangerous confequences which muft otherwife have imme diately followed. Had the aimed blow fuceeded, the favages would have immediately put up the war and death whoop, deftroyed moft of the white people there on the fpot, and fet off in great bodies, both to the Cheerake country, and againft our valuable fettlements. Soon after that- gentleman returned to Carolina, the Great Mortar perfuaded a party of his relations to kill our traders, and they murdered ten ; very for tunately, it flopped there for that time. But at the clofe of the great congrefs at Augufta, where four governors of our colonies, and his ma- jefty's fuperintendant, convened the favages and renewed and con firmed the treaty of peace, the fame difaffeeled warrior returning home, fent off a party, who murdered fourteen of the inhabitants of Long-Cane fettlement, above Ninety-Six. The refult of that dangerous congrefs, tempted the proud favages to act fuch a part, as they were tamely forgiven, and unafked, all their former fcenes of blood.

During this diftracled period, the French ufed their utmoft endeavours to involve us in a general Indian war, which to have faved South-Carolina and Georgia, would probably have required the afliftance of a confiderable number of our troops from Canada. They drove to fupply the Cheerake, by way of the Miffifippi, with warlike {lores -, and alfo fent them powder, bullets, flints, knives, and red paint, by their (launch friend, the dif- affected Great Mortar, and his adherents. And though they failed in executing their mifchievous plan, both on account of the manly efcape of our traders, and the wife conduct of thofe below, they did not defpair. Upon ftudious deliberation, they concluded, that, if the aforefaid chieftain

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