Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/312

 3 oo An Account of the Choktah Nation.

place to make a due retribution. At this time, the fun was near three hours from fetting. The white hunter's abfence was the firft and chief fab- ject of their difcourfe, till evening. As on a level place, all the favages fit crofs-legged, fo my vifitors did, and held their guns on their knee, or kept them very near, with their otter-lkin fhot pouch over one of their fhoulders, as is ufual in time of danger. I obferved their mifchievous eyes, inftead of looking out eailwardly toward the Mufkohge country, were ge nerally pointed toward the N. W. the way I had come. As by chance, I walked near to one of them, he fuddenly fnatched up his gun. No friendly Indians were ever known to do the. like, efpecialiy fo near home, and a confiderable camp of his own people : innocence is not fufpicious, but guilt. He knew his own demerit, and, perhaps imagined I knew it, from concurring circumftances. To fee whether his conduct proceeded from a fear of danger, or from accident, I repeated the trial, and he did. the fame ; which confirmed me in my opinion of their bafe intentions.

In this uneafy and reftlefs manner we continued till fun-fet, when one of them artfully got between me and my arms. Then they or dered me to (lop the bells of my horfes, which were grazing near the camp, (ufed partly on account of the number of big flies that infefl the country.) I afked them the reafon they told me, becaufe the noife frightened away the deer. I took no notice at firft of their haughty command, but they repeated it with fpiteful vehemence, and I was- forced to obey their mandate. They looked, and liftened earneftly along the edge of the fwamp, but being difappointed of their ex pected additional prey, in about the fpace of ten minutes they ordered me to open the bells again. Of the manifold dangers I ever was in, I deemed this by far the greateft, for I ftood quite defencelefs. Their language and behaviour plainly declared their mifchievous defigns. I expected every minute to have been fhot down : and though I endea voured to fhew a manly afpect, the cold fweat trickled down my face through uneafinefs, and a crowd of contrary paflions. After fome time, in this alarming fituation, they told me the ugly white man ftaid long, and: that they would go to their camp a little while, and return again, they did as they faid. To deceive them, I had made my, bed as for two people, of foftened bear and buffalo (kins, with the long hair and wool on, and blankets. My two watchmen came the third time, accompanied with one older than themfelves : he fpoke little, was artful,

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