Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/350

 338 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

fell off, a victim to the barbarians. One of them foon ftruck a tomohawk into his head, juft between his eyes, and jerked off a piece of fcalp about the bignefs of a dollar they took alfo his Indian breeches, and an handkerchief he had on his head, and immediately flew through a thicket of briars, to iecure their retreat. When they fired their two guns, I immediately gave the (hrill war-whoop, which was refounded by one of the Chikkafah that had been out a hunting from the camp. They in- ftantly fet off full fpeed, naked, except their Indian breeches and macca- fenes. I put myfelf in the fame flying trim, on the enemies firing -, we foon came to the tragical fpot, but without flopping, we took their tracks, gave chafe, and continued it a great way : unluckily, as we were running down a fteep hill, they difcovered us from the top of ano ther, and foon difperfed themfelves i by which means, not being able to difcover one track of thofe foxes on the hard hilly ground, we were obliged to give over the chace, and returned to camp. We buried our friend, by fixing in a regular manner a large pile of great logs for the corpfe, with big tough fapplings bent over it, and on each fide, thruft deep into the ground, to fecure it from the wild beads. Though the whole camp at firft imagined the enemy had killed me and captivated the other, yet the warriors did not mew the leaft emotion of gladn.fs, nor even my favourite friend, the war-leader, when they firft faw me fafe : but the women received me with tears of joy. I mention this to mew the force of education and habit thofe who are ufed to fcenes of war and blood, become obdurate and are loft to all the tender feelings of nature, while they, whofe employment it is to mourn for their dead, are fufceptibie of the tender imprefllons they were originally endued with by Deity.

As the French frequently had been great fufferers by the Chikkafah, ever fince the year 1730, necefiity obliged them to bear their loffes with patience, till they could get them revenged by the friendly hands of their red mercenaries. As foon as they had ingratiated themfelves into the af fections of all thofe Indians who were incorporated among the Mufkohge, and had fettled them near the Alebahma-garrifon, and other towns, be- fides head-men, in fundry parts of the nation, being devoted to their fervice, they imagined they had now intereft enough to get feveral of thofe warriors killed, who had joined the Chikkafah againft their people over the Mifll- fippi. But the old head-men of the Mulkohge convened together,

and

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