Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/306

 dn -Account of the Choktah Nation*

my horfes, and fet off, keeping clear of the trading path for about four miles, in order to perplex any purfuers that might be fent after me. When my horfe tired, I led it on foot through the pathlefs woods about fifty miles, and heard no more of them. Had the Choktah known how to obtain a fufficient fupply of ammunition, they would at this very time, have commenced war againft us. That only checked their bloody aim, to their unfpeakable grief, and prevented our being engaged in a dangerous war.

All our Indian-traders well know, that the mifconduft and obflinacy of the firft fuper-intendant of Indian affairs, was the fole occafion of irritating the Great Mortar to become bitter-hearted againft us, and devoting him- felf with a blood-thirfty defire to injure us, wherever his black policy could reach. And as the firft, by his ftiff behaviour fet on the Mortar, his fuc- cefTor, by ill-timed prefents inftead of demanding fatisfaclion, gave him as good an opportunity as he could have defired, to imprefs the warriors of his own and other nations, with a ftrong opinion of our timid difpofition, and incapacity of oppofing them. The imprefiion of Governor Johnftone's fpeech, plainly declares they would not have been fo weak as to utter their bafe threats againft us, to the Chikkafah leader at Penfacola, only that they were previoufly corrupted by the mifmanagement of Indian affairs. I am well allured, they frequently applauded his martial conduft when they returned home, and faid he was a man and a warrior, which is as great an encomium, as they can beftow on any mortal. May Weft-Florida, and New Georgiana on the extenfive and fertile lands of the meandring Mifli- fippi, have a continual fucceffion of fuch chief magiftrates as Mr. John- ftone, and his worthy fucceflbr Montfort Browne, Efq-, to ftudy and pro mote the public good, and caufe the balance of juftice to be held with an even hand !

The following relation will ferve to difplay what {hould be our manner of treating the Indians A white man, onMobille river, fold fpirituous liquors to a couple of the Choktah, till they were much intoxicated, and unable to purchafe any more ; he then ftrcnuoufly denied to credit them : their ufual burning rhirft exciting them to drink more, they became too troublefome for any fpirited perfon to bear with. He took up an ax, at firft in his own .defence, but when they endeavoured to run off, he, in the heat of paffion purfued, and unhappily killed one of them. The other ran, and told his 3 relations

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