Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/361

 An Account of the Choktah Nation. 349

the Mulkohge country. They were fully refolved to have fent me down to Mobille or New Orleans, as a capital criminal, to be hanged for having abetted the Mufkohge, Chikkafah, and Choktah, to med a torrent of their chriftian blood ; though I had only retaliated upon them, the long train of blood they had years before wantonly fpilled. They wanted to have confronted me with the French prifoners I formerly mentioned, and with the Long Lieutenant, whom we met two days before the Choktah killed one of our people below Book'pharaah^ or the long fvvamp. I was well allured, he was to have gone down to be baptized, and fo become a good Wefl-Florida-Frcnch chriftian, in order to condemn me, the poor bloody heretic. I faw him, and they had by this time taught him to count beads ; but I doubted not of being able to extricate myfelf fome way or other. They appointed double Gentries over me, for fome days before I was to be fent down in the French king's large boat. They were ftriclly charged againft laying down their weapons, or fuffering any hoftile thing to be in the place where I was kept, as they deemed me capable of any mif- chief. I was not indeed locked up, only at night, left it mould give um brage to our friendly Indians, but I was to have been put in irons, as foon as the boat pafled the Indian towns, that lay two miles below the fort, in the forks of the Koofah and Okwhufke rivers. About an hour before we were to fet off by water, I efcaped from them by land : and though they had horfes near at hand, and a corrupt town of favages fet tled within 1 50 yards of the garrifon, yet under thofe difadvantages, befides heavy rains that loofened the ground the very night before, I took through the middle of the low land covered with briers, at full fpeed. I hea-rd the French clattering on horfe-back along the path, a great way to my left hand, and the howling favages purfuing my tracks with careful fteps, but my ufual good fortune enabled me to leave them far enough behind, on a needlefs purfuit. As they had made my arms prifoners, I allowed them without the leaft regret to carry down my horfes, clothes, &c. and punifh them by proxy, in the manner they intended to have ferved the owner, for his faithful iervices to his country.

While Governor G prefided in South -Carolina, it was needlefs to ap ply for a payment of the large debt the government owed me: but on his being fucceeded by his Excellency W. H. L. Efq; I imagined this a

favourable

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