Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/344

 332 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

the honour to receive from the Governor, another polite letter, dated Sep tember the 1 7th, anno 1749, citing me, under the great feal of the pro vince, to come down with a party of Indians, as I had given his excel lency notice of their defire of paying a friendly vifit to South Carolina. And having purchafed and redeemed three French captives which the Chik- kafah had taken in war, under their leader Pa-Tab- Mat ahah, I now be- ftowed them on him, to enable him to make a flourifhing entrance into Charles-town, after the manner of their American triumphs. He was very kind to them, though their manners were as favage as his own : ex cepting a few beads they ufed to count, with a fmall filver crofs fattened to the top of them, they had nothing to diftinguifh them, and were ignorant of every point of Chriftianity. I fet off with above twenty warriors, and a few women, along with the aforefaid war-leader, for Charles-town. As the French kept a watchful eye on my conduct, and the commanding officers of Turnbikpe garrifon in the Choktah, and the Alebahma in the Mufkohge country kept a continual communication with each other, the former equipped a party of their Choktah to retake the French captives by force, if we did not previoufly deliver them to a French party of the Mufkohge, who were fent by the latter as in the name of the whole nation, though falfely, to terrify us into a compliance. We had to pafs through the Mufkohge country in our way to the Britifh fet- tlements ; and though the French were at a great diftance, yet they planned their fchemes with confummate wifdom : for the two companies met at the time appointed, from two oppofite courfes of about a hundred and fifty miles apart, on the moft difficult pafs from Charles-town to the MifTifippi, where the path ran through a fwamp of ten miles, be tween high mountains ; which were impaflable in any other place for a great diftance, on either fide. Here, the Mufkohge left the Choktah company, and met us within half-a-day's march of their advantageous camping place. The foremoft of our party had almoft fired on thofe Mufkohge who were a-head of the reft ; but, as foon as they faw their white emblems of peace, they forebore, and we joined company. As foon as I heard them tell their errand, I fent out three warriors to recon noitre the place, left we mould unawares be furrounded by another party of them ; but there was no ambufcade. The Mufkohge leader was called by the traders, " the Lieutenant,'* and had been a fteady friend to their intereft, till by our ufual mifmanagement in Indian affairs, he became

entirely

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