Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/301

 An Account of the Choktah Nation. 289

"We well know the fate of the Britim Americans in general, as to property, liberty, and life, if their court-enemies could but metamorphofe them into afles, and quietly impofe upon them military men as gover nors, and magiftrates, to inforce a ftrict obedience to their grafping hand, and boundlefs will. But, may our wife ftatefmen henceforth rather keep them at home, and place them over fuch mean fpirits as have fold their birth-rights for a mefs of pottage, and are degenerated from every virtue of the true and brave Engliihman !

Though the French Americans were as defirous of purchafmg Indian deer-fkins and beaver as the Englifli could well be ; yet they wifely de clined, where the public peace and fecurity required it. By their wif- dom, they employed the favages, as occafion offered, and kept them entirely dependant. They diftributed through each nation, a confiderable number of medals and flourifhing commifiions, in a very artful gradation, fo as to gratify their proud tempers, and obtain an univerfal fway over them. They alfo fent a gun-fmith to each of their countries, to mend the locks of their guns, at the expence of government : and any warrior who brought his chieftain's medal as a certificate, was waited on, and fent off with honour, and a very fan grace, to his entire fatisfaction : with this, and other inftances of good conduct, they led the favages at pleafure. When the French evacuated the Alebahma garrifon, the Mufkohge defpitefully ob jected againft receiving any fuch favours from us. Even our old friendly Chikkafah were only tantalized with our friendfhip on that occafion, for the gun-fmith was recalled which, joined with the reft of the bad con duct: of our managers of Indian affairs, vexed them fo exceedingly, that they were on the point of committing hoftilities againft us, in the year 1769 : fo widely different is our Indian-trading conduct from that of the French.

They wifely preferred the fecurity of their valuable, but weak coun try to the dangerous profits of trade ; they kept the beft orators and the head-men as penfioners, on their fide, and employed the reft of the warriors in their favourite fcience againft the Chikkafah. As with the high placed mercenaries in Great Britain, fo it will be a very difficult tafk (for fome time) to manage any of the Indians well, particularly the Choktah, unlefs they in

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