Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/286

 274 -d }l Account of the Mulkohge Nation.

urged the necefiity of proceeding a good way farther, to avoid the danger, I endeavoured to convince him by feveral recent inftances, that a timorous conduct was a great incentive to the bafe-minded favages, to do an injury, not expecting any defence ; while an open, free, and refolute behaviour, a mow of taking pleafure in their company, and a difcreet care of our fire-arms, feldom failed to gain the good will of fuch as are not engaged in actual war againft our country : he acquiefced, as I engaged to fit next to the Indian camp, which was about a dozen yards apart from our's. He chofe his place pretty near to mine, but in the evening, I told him, that as I did not under- ftand the Mufkohge dialect, nor they much of the Chikkafah language, I would give him the opportunity of diverting himfelf at leifure with them, whilft on account of the fatigues of the day, I would repofe myfelf clofe at the root of a neighbouring tree. This method of encamping in different places, on hazardous occafions, is by far the fafeft way. I told them, be fore my removal to my night quarters, that he was almoft their countryman, by a refidence of above twenty years among them, their chieftain therefore readily addrefled him, and according to what I expected, gave me an op portunity of decently retiring. But when he expected a formal reply, according to their ufual cuftom, our aftrological interpreter fpoke only a few words, but kept pointing to the river, and his wet clothes, and to his head, (baking it two or three times ; thereby informing them of the great danger he underwent in crofllng the water, which gave him fo violent a head-ach, as to prevent his fpeaking with any pleafure. I laughed, and foon after endeavoured to perfuade him to go over a little while to their camp, as I had done, and by that means, he might know better their prefent difpofition, he replied with a doleful accent, that he was already too near them, to the great danger of his life, which he now too late faw expofed, by believing my doctrine of bringing them to obferve friendly meafures, inftead of pufhing beyond them as he had earneftly propofed. I afked him how he could reafonably fear, or expect to fhun a fudden death, no account of his knowledge of the ftarry influences, and fkiil in expound ing dreams, and efpecially as he feemed firmly to believe the deity had pre-determined the exact time of every living creature's continuance here : upon this he prevaricated, and told me, that as I knew nothing of aftrology, nor of the ufeful and fkilful expofition of important dreams, neither believed any thing of witches and wizards being troublefome and hurtful to others, he could not imagine I believed any thin- of a divine providence or a refurrection of the dead ; which were evidently,. 5 alike

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