Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/309

 An Account of the Choktah Nation. 297

by abufe. As the favage had been brought up with the Englifli traders, fo , as to be called the boy of one of them, and lived in Ta/Jjw., the town of the prefent Red Shoes, our chief could eafily have had every thing returned, had he only demanded it in form. But, like his predeceflbr, he endea voured to keep in with the Indians he deemed their favourable re port of his friendly conduct toward them, to be the main point he ought to obferve, in order to fecure the embafTy from iuffering damage, what ever became of truth, orjuftice.

��The Choktah have a remote, but confiderable town, called which is the name of a worm that is very deftruclive to corn in a wet fea- fon. It lies forty miles below the feven fouthernmoft towns of the nation, toward Mobille, and 120 computed miles from thence, on a pleafant fmall river, that runs fouth of the town. As it is a remote barrier, it is greatly harrafied by the Mufkohge, when at war with them. Here, a com pany of them came lately looking for prey ; but miffing it, as the Choktah were apprized, and (laid at home, their pride and difappointment excited them to injure thofe ftrangers who chanced to fall in their way. About fix miles below die town, they came to the camp of two white men, who werejuft ready to fet off to Mobille, with loaded horfes; being refolved not entirely to mifs their errand of blood and plunder, they attacked them with their tomohawks, cautious of not alarming the neighbouring enemy by the report of their guns. They fpeedily difpatched one of them ; but the other being ftrong bodied, very fiery, and defperate, held them a fharp druggie, as it appeared afterward : his gun was found much battered, and the long grafs quite beat down for a confiderable way round the place where the Yowanne Indians found him fufpended in the air. For as foon as thofe favages perpetrated that diabolical aft, they hanged each of them on trees, with the horfes halters, and carried away fix of the horfes loaded with dreft deer-fkins, as far as Mobille-river. Minggo Humma Ecbeto, the Great Red Chieftain, of the aforefaid town, on his return from war with the Mufkohge, fortunately intercepted them, killed and icalped two, and retook the horfes and leather. Thefe, he fent home, as he imagined the owner then refided in the nation, and would gladly redeem them with reafonable prefents : while he went down to Mobille to fhew his trophies of war, in full hopes of getting a new fupply of ammunition from the deputy fuper-intendant, to be ufed againft the common enemy. He flattered himfelf that tfae fcalps. brought into our maritime town, in folemn

triumph,

�� �