Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/295

 An Account of the Choktah Nation. 283

wild hyperboles, the literati would have owed them more thanks than is now their due.

Thofe who know the Choktah, will firmly agree in opinion with the French, concerning them, that they are in the highcft degree, of a bafe, ungrateful, and thievim difpofition fickle, and treacherous ready-witted, and endued with a furprizing flow of fmooth artful language on every fub- jed, within the reach of their ideas ; in each of thefe qualities, they far ex^ ceed any fociety of people I ever faw. They are fuch great proficients in the art of dealing, that in our ftore-houfes, they often thieve while they are fpeaking to, and looking the owner in the face. It is reckoned a fhame to be detected in the ad of theft ; but, it is the reward they receive, which makes it fhameful : for, in fuch a cafe, the trader baftinadoes the covetous fmner, almoft as long as he feems fenfible of pain. A few years ago, one of the Chikkafah warriors told me, he heard a middle-aged Choktah warrior, boaft in his own country, at a public ball-play, of having artfully ftolen feveral things from one and another trader, to a confiderable amount, while he was cheapening goods of us, and we were blind in our own houfes.

As their country is pleafantly interfperfed with hills, and generally abounds with fprings and creeks, or fmall brooks ; and is in a happy climate, it is extremely healthful. Having no rivers in their country, few of them can fwim, like other Indians ; which often proves hurtful to them, when high frefhes come on while they are out at war. Their towns are fettled on fmall ftreams that purl into Mobille river, and another a little to the fouth- ward of it. Koofah, the largeft town in their nation, lies within 180 miles of Mobille, at a fmall diftance from the river which glides by that low, and unhealthy old capital. The fummer-breezes pafs by Mobille, in two oppofite directions, along the channel of the river-, and very unhealthy va pours keep floating over the fmall femicircular opening of the town, wh r ch is on the fouth-fide of the river, oppofite to a very low marfh, that was formed by great torrents of water, fweeping down rafts of fallen trees, till they fettled there, and were mixt with the black foil of the low lands, carried, and fubfiding there in the like manner. From 'thence, to the oppofice Chore, the river hath a fandy bottom, and at low water is fo very fhallow, that a perfon could almoft walk acrofs, though

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