Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/339

 An Account of the Choktah Nation. 327

truth, and he excufed the failure of the greater part of it, as he imagined touch bufinefs might have perplexed him, fo as to occafion him to forget complying with his ftrong promife. " But count, faid he, the lying black marks of this one:" and he defcanted minutely on every circumftance of it. His patience being exhaufted, he added, " they were an heap of black broad papers, and ought to be burnt in the old years fire."

Near the Mufkohge country, on my way to the Chikkafah, I met my old friends, Pa Tah-Matahah, the Chikkafah head war-chieftain, and Ming- go-PuJhkooJh) the great Red-Shoes' brother, journeying to Charles-town, with one of the beaus of the Sphynx-company, to relate the lofs of the moft part of that great cargo they fo unwifely carried at once, and to fo- licit for a further fupply. Thofc traders, one excepted, were very indif- creet, proud and ftubborn. They itrove who could out-drefs, or moft vilify the other even before the Indians, who were furprifed, as they never heard the French to degrade one another. The haughty plan they laid, againft the repeated perfuafions of the other, was the caufe of all their lofies they firft loft the affection of the free, and equally proud 'Choktah ; for they fixed as an invariable, rule, to keep them at a proper diftance, as they termed it, whereas I, according to the frequent, fharp, upbraiding language of the familiar favages to them, fat and fmoked with the head-men on bear-fkins, fet the young people to their various diverfions, and then viewed them with pleafure.

Notwithftanding the bad treatment I had received ; as I' was apprehenfive of the difficulties they would neceflarily be expofed to, on account of their ignorance and haughtinefs, I wrote to them, by a few Chikkafah'. warriors, truly informing them of the temper of the Indians, and the- difficulties they would probably be expofed to, from the policy of the French at Tumbikpe ; and that though I had purpofed to fet off for South-Carolina, I would poftpone going fo foon, if they were of my opi nion, that Mr. J. C 1 (who joined with me in the letter) and I could be of any fervice to their mercantile affairs. They received our well-in tended epiftle, and were fo polite as to order their black interpretrefs to bid our red couriers tell us, they thanked us for our friendly offer, but- did not ftand in need of our afllftance. They walked according to the weak crooked rule they, had received below, and fared accordingly : for the dif--

obliged;

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