Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/321

 An Account of the Choktah Natron. 309

The.Choktah being employed by the French, together with their other red confederates, againft the Englifh Chikkafah, they had no opportunity of inuring themfelves to the long-winded chace, among a great chain of fteep craggy mountains. They are amazingly artful however in deceiving an ene my, they will fatten the paws and trotters of panthers, bears, and buffalos, to their feet and hands, and wind about like the circlings of fuch animals, in the lands they ufually frequent. They alib will mimick the different notes of wild fowl, and thus often outwit the favages they have difputes with, Their enemies fay, that when at war, it is impofiible to difcover their tracks, unlefs they mould be fo lucky as to fee their perfons. They aft very timoroufly againft the enemy abroad, but behave as defperate veterans when attacked in their own country. 'Till they were fupplied by the En- glim traders with arms and ammunition, they had very little fkill ir> killing deerj but they improve very fail in that favourite art: no fa vages are equal to them in killing bears, panthers, wild cats, &c. thac relbrt in thick cane-fwamps, which fwamps are fometimes two or three miles over, and an hundred in length, without any break either fide of the firearm

About Chriftmas, the he and me bears always feparate. The former ufually fnaps off a great many branches of trees, with which he makes the bottom of his winter's bed, and carefully raifes it to a proper height, with the green tops of large canes ; he choofes fuch folitary thickets as are impenetrable by the fun- beams. The (lie bear takes an old large hollow tree for her yeaning winter- houfe, and chufes to have the door above, to enable her to lecure her young ones from danger. When any thing difturbs them, they gallop up a tree,, champing their teeth, and briilling their hair, in a frightful manner: and when they are wounded, it is furprifing from what a height they will pitch- on the ground, with their weighty bodies, and how loon they get up, and run off. When they take up their winter-quarters, they continue the greater part of two months, in ahnoft an entire ftate of inactivity : during than- time, their tracks reach no farther than to the next water, of which they- feldom drink, as they frequently fuck their paws in their lonely recefs,, and impoverifii their bodies, to nourifh them. While they are em ployed in that furprifing talk of nature, they cannot contain themfelves- in.filence, but are fo well pleaied with their repaft, that they continue linging bum urn urn: as their pipes are none of die weakeft, the Indians by this.

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