Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/404

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About four years before the Shawano Indians were forced to remove from the late Savanah town, they took a Mufkohge warrior, known by the name of " Old Scrany ;" they baflinadoed him in the ufual manner, and condemned him to the fiery torture. He underwent a great deal, without (Viewing any concern ; his countenance and behaviour were as if he fuffcred not the leaft pain, and was formed beyond the common laws of nature. He told them, with a bold voice, that he was a very noted warrior, and gained moft of his martial preferment at the expence of their nation, and was defirous of mewing them in the aft of dying, that he was Hill as much their fuperior, as when he headed his gallant countrymen againft them. That although he had fallen into their hands, in forfeiting the protection of the divine power, by fome impurity or other, when car rying the holy ark of war againft his devoted enemies ; yet he had ftill fo much remaining virtue, as would enable him to punim himfelf more ex- quifitely than all their defpicable ignorant crowd could poflibly do, if they gave him liberty by untying him, and would hand to him one of the red hot gun-barrels out of the fire. The propofal, and his method of addrefs, ap peared fo exceedingly bold and uncommon, that his requeft was granted. Then he fuddenly feized one end of the red barrel, and brandifhing it from fide to fide, he forced his way through the armed and furprifed multitude, and leaped down a prodigious fteep and high bank into a branch of the river, dived through it, ran over a fmall ifland, and pafied the other branch, amidft a fhower of bullets from the commanding ground where Fort-Moore, or New Wind for- garrifon flood ; and though numbers of his eager enemies were in clofe purfuit of him, he got to a bramble fwamp, and in that naked, mangled condition, reached his own country. He proved a fharp thorn in their fide afterwards to the day of his death.

The Shawano alfo captivated a warrior of the Anantooeah, and put him to the ftake, according to their ufual cruel folemnities. Having uncon cernedly fuffered much fharp torture, he told them with fcorn, they did not know how to punim a noted enemy, therefore he was willing to teach them, and would confirm the truth of his afiertion, if they allowed him the opportunity. Accordingly he requefted of them a pipe and fome to bacco, which was given him : as foon as he lighted it, he fat down, naked as he was, on the women's burning torches, that were within his ircle, and continued fmoking his pipe without the leaft difcompofure on

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