Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/317

 An Account of the Choktah Nation, 305

kept his ear deaf to his importunity, and entirely evaded the artful aim of the petitioner, by carrying on a difcourfe he had begun, before his rela tion accofted him as a fuppliant. Each alternately began where they had left off, the one to inforce the compliance of his prayer, and the other, like the deaf adder, to elude the power of its charming him. Nature has in a very furprifing manner, endued the Indian Americans, with a ftrong comprehenfive memory, and great flow of language. I liftened with clofe attention to their fpeeches, for a confiderable time ; at laft the petitioner defpairing of imprefling the other with fentiments in his favour, was forced to drop his falfe and tragical tale, and become feemingly, a patient hearer of the conclufion of the other's long narrative,- which was given him with a great deal of outward compofure, and cool good-nature.

In the years 1746 and 1747, I was frequently perplexed by the Choktah mendicants ; which policy directed me to bear, and conceal as well as I could, becaufe I was then tranfacYmg public bufinefs with them. In 1747, one of their warriors and a Chokchooma came to me for prefents ; which according to my ufual cuftom in thofe times, I gave, though much lefs than they prefumed to expect. The former, ftrongly declaimed againft the penurious fpirit of the French, and then highly applauded the open generous tempers of the Englifh traders : for a confiderable time, he con- trafted them with each other, not forgetting, in every point of compa- rifon, to give us the preference in a high degree. He was endued with fo much eloquence and fkill as to move the paffions, and obtain his point. A confiderable number of Chikkafah warriors who were prefent, told me foon after, that his fkilful method of addrefling me for a bottle of fpiri- tuons liquors, feemed to them aftonifhing : an old beloved man replied, that the worft fort of fnakes were endued with the greateft fkill to infnare and fuck their prey, whereas, the harmlefs have no fuch power.

The Indians in general do not chufe to drink any fpirits, unlefs they can quite intoxicate themfelves. When in that helplefs and fordid condition, weeping and afking for more ookka boome, " bitter waters," I faw one of the drunkard's relations, who fome time before had taken *a like dofe, hold the rum-bottle to the other's head, faying, when he had drank deep, " Hah, you were very poor for drinking." Though I appealed to all the Chik kafah warriors prefent, that rum never ftood on hand with me, when the

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