Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/343

 An Account of the Choktah Nation. 331

of red chiefs of war, and old beloved men, than probably ever appeared in imperial Rome. They in a very friendly manner, tied plenty of bead-garters round my neck, arms, and legs, and decorated me, a la mods America,. I did myfelf the honour to fit them out with filver arm-plates, gorgets, wrift-plates, ear-bobs, &c. &c. which they kindly received, and proiefted they would never part with them, for the fake of the giver. How ever, by all my perfuafions, they would not undertake to dorm Tumbikpe- fort, though I offered to accompany them, and put them in a fure way of carrying it. They told me I was mad, for the roaring of the cannon was as dreadful as the fharpeft thunder, and that the French with one of their great balls would tear me in pieces, as foon as I appeared in view.

While they declined a French war, their ov/n civil war became bitter beyond expreffion. They frequently engaged, one party againft the other, in the open fields : when our friends had fired away all their ammunition, they took to their hiccory-bows and barbed arrows, and rufhed on the oppofite party, with their bare tomohawks, like the moft defperate ve terans, regardlefs of life. They did not feern to regard dying fo much, as the genteel appearance they made when they took the open field, on purpofe to kill or be killed. They ufed to tell the Englifh traders they were going on fuch a day to fight, or die for them, and earneftly impor tuned them for ^a Stroud blanket, or white mirt a-piece, that they might make a genteel appearance in Englifh cloth, when they died. It was not fafe to refufe them, their minds were fo diftrafted by the defperate fitua- tion of their affairs ; for as they were very fcarce of ammunition, the French wifely headed their friend-party, with fmall cannon, battered down the others flockaded-forts, and in the end reduced them to the neceflity of a coalition. Thefe evils were occafioned merely by the avarice and madnefs of thofe I have ftiled the Sphynx-Company.

At this dangerous time, the fmall-pox alfo was by fome Unknown means conveyed into the Choktah country, from below : and it depopulated them as much as the civil war had done. The Choktah who efcorted me into the Chikkafah nation, were infected with that malady in the woods, and ibon fpread it among others ; thefe, a little time after, among the Mufkohge, who were in company with me, on our way to Charles-town. I unluckily had

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