Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/368

 356 An Account of the Chlkkafah Nation*

ifiana-fettlements would have been long fince, either^ entirely deftroyed, or confined to garrifons.

When any of the French armies made a tolerable retreat, they thought themfelves very happy. Once, when the imprefiion was pretty much worn out of their minds, and wine infpired them with new ftratagems, and hopes of better fuccefs, a great body of them, mixed with a multitude of favages, came to renew their attack. But as their hoftile intentions were early difcovered, the Chikkafah had built a range of ftrong ftockade forts on ground which could not fafely be approached, as the contigu ous land was low, and chanced then to be wet. A number of the French and their allies drew near the weflern fort, but in the manner of hornets, flying about to prevent their enemies from taking a true aim, while fe- veral ranks followed each other in a flow and folemn procefilon, like white-robed, tall, midnight-ghofts, and as if fearlefs, and impenetrable. The Indians did not at firft know what fort of animals they were, for feveral foots had been fired among them, without incommoding them, or retarding their direct courfe to the fort : as they advanced nearer, the Chik kafah kept a continual fire at them, with a fure aim, according to their cut- torn i this was with as little fuccefs as before, contrary to every attempt they had ever made before agahift their enemies. The warriors concluded them to be wizards, or old French-men carrying the ark of war againft them. In their council, they were exceedingly perplexed : but juft as they had concluded to oppofe fome of their own reputed prophets to deftroy the power of thofe cunning men, or powerful fpirits of the French, lo ! thofe uncommon appearances fpread themfelves< in battle-array, along the fouth-fide of the fort, and threw hand-granadoes into the fort. Hoop Hoop Ha was now joyfully founded every where by the Chikkafah, being con vinced they had fkin and bone to fight with, inftead of fpirits. The matches of the few Ihells the French had time to throw, were too long - 3 and as our traders had joined their friends by this time, they pulled out fome, and threw our. other (hells, as near to the enemy as they poffibly could. They foon found thofe dreadful phantoms were only common French-men, co vered with wool-packs, which made their breads invulnerable to all their well-aimed bullets. They now turned out of the fort, fell on, fired at their legs, brought down many of them arid fcalped them, and drove the others with confiderable lofs quite away to the fouthern hills, where the

trembling

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