Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/400

 388 General Observations on

They are fo expeditious as to take off a fcalp in two minutes. When they have performed this part of their martial virtue, as foon as time per mits, they tie with bark or deer's finews, their fpeaking trophies of blood in a fmall hoop, to preferve it from putrefaction, and paint the interior part of the fcalp, and the hoop, all round with red, their flourifhing emblematical colour of blood.

They are now fatiated for the prefent, and return home. Tradition, or the native divine impreffion on human nature, dictates to them that man was not born in a ftate of war ; and as they reckon they are become impure by fhedding human blood, they haften to obferve the faft of three days, as formerly mentioned, and be fanctified by the war-chief tain, as a prieft of war, according to law. While they are thus impure, though they had a fair opportunity of annoying the common enemy again, yet on this account they commonly decline it, and are applauded for their religious conduct, by all their countrymen. Indeed, formerly, when the whole combined power of the French, and their Indians, was bent againft the warlike Chikkafah, I have known the laft fometimes to hazard their martial virtue and fuccefs, and to fight three or four com panies of French Indians, before they returned home; but the leaders excufed themfelves, by the neceffity of felf-defence. They have no fuch phrafe as the " fortune of war." They reckon the leader's impurity to be the chief occafion of bad fuccefs -, and if he lofe feveral of his war riors by the enemy, his life is either in danger for the fuppofed fault, or he is degraded, by taking from him his drum, war-whiftle, and martial titles, and debafmg him to his boy's name, from which he is to rife by a frefh gradation. This penal law contributes, in a good meafure, to make them fo exceedingly cautious and averfe to bold attempts in war, and they are ufually fatisfied with two or three fcalps and a prifoner.

It has been long too feelingly known, that inftead of obferving the ge nerous and hofpitable part of the laws of war, and faving the unfortunate who fall into their power, that they generally devote their captives to death, with the moft agonizing tortures. No reprefentation can poffibly be given, fo mocking to humanity, as their unmerciful method of tormenting their devoted prifoner j and as it is fo contrary to the ftandard of the reft of 5 the

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