Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/415

 the North American Indians. 403

at the lower part of the belly, if they are near ; and lower, in like manner, according to the diftance, which feldom fails of killing. In a dry fummer feafon, they gather horfe chefnuts, and different forts of roots, which hav ing pounded pretty fine, and fteeped a while in a trough, they fcatter this mixture over the furface of a middle-fized pond, and ftir it about with poles, till the water is fufficiently impregnated with the intoxicating bittern. The fifh are foon inebriated, and make to the furface of the water, with their bellies uppermoft. The fifhers gather them in bafkets, and barbicue the largeft, covering them carefully over at night to preferve them from the fuppofed putrifying influence of the moon. It feems, that filh catched in this manner, are not poifoned, but only ftupified ; for they prove very wholefome food to us, who frequently ufe them. By experiments, when they are fpeedily moved into good water, they revive in a few minutes.

The Indians have the art of catching fifh in long crails, made with canes and hiccory fplinters, tapering to a point. They lay thefe at a fall of water, where ftones are placed in two doping lines from each bank, till they meet together in the middle of the rapid ftream, where the intangled fifh are foon drowned. Above fuch a place, I "have known them to fatten a wreath of long grape vines together, to reach acrofs the river, with ftones faf- tened at proper diftances to rake the bottom ; they will fwim a mile with it whooping, and plunging all the way, driving the fiih before them into their large cane pots. With this draught, which is a verv heavy one, they make a town feaft, or feaft of love, of which every one partakes in the molt fccial manner, and afterward they dance together, finging Haklu-yab? and the reft of their ufual praifes to the divine efience, for his bountiful gifts to the beloved people. Thofe Indians who are unacquainted with the ufe of barbed irons, are very expert in ftriking large fifh out of their canoes, with long fharp pointed green canes, which are well bearded, and hardened in the fire. In Savanah river, I have often accompanied them in killing ftur- geons with thofe green fwamp harpoons, and which they did with much pleafure and eafe, for, when we difcovered the fifh, we foon thruft into their bodies one of the harpoons. As the fifh would immediately ftrike deep, and rum away to the bottom very rapidly, their ftrength was foon expended, by their violent ftruggles againft the buoyant force of the green darts : as foon as the top end of them appeared again on the furface

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