Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/424

 General Obfervations on

horfe, which they had chopped, and the faddle, with their tomohawksv all to pieces. However,, about half way between the Chikkafah country and the Illinois, three old Chikkafah warriors, on their way to join the main camp, came up with thofe Canadians in wet bufhy ground, they clofely. chafed them for feveral miles,, and forced them by degrees to throw away every thing they carried, and feek their fafety by leaping quite naked into- a deep and broad creek, that was much frozen on the two banks ; it was for fome time imagined they had periflied in the woods, by the feverity, of winter y but we were well informed afterwards^ that like hardy beafts-- of prey, they got fafe home.

None of the Indians however eat any kind of raw fallads, they reckon- fuch food is only fit for brutes. Their tafte is fo very oppofite to that of cannibals, that in order to deftroy the blood, (which with them is an abomi nation to eat) they over-drefs every kind of animal food they ufe. I have often jefted them for preffing me to eat eggs, that were boiled fo much as to be blue, and told them my teeth were too bad to chew bullets. They faid they could not fuck eggs after the manner of the white people,, otherwife they would have brought them raw ; but they hoped I would excufe the prefent, and they would take particular care not to repeat the error, the next time I favoured them with a vifit. In the fpring of the year, they ufe a great many valuable greens and herbs, which nature has peculiarly adapted to their rich, and high-fituated regions : few of them have gardens, and it is but of late they have had any angelica, or belly- ach-root; this is one of their phyfical greens, which they call Look- foojhe.

I (hall now defcribe the domeftic life of the Indians, and the traders among them. The Indians fettle themfelves in towns or villages after an eafy manner -, the houfes are not too clofe to incommode one another, nor too far dittant for focial defence. If the nation where the Englifh traders relide, is at war with the French, or their red confederates, which is the, fame, their houfes are built in the middle of the town,, if defired, on ac count of greater fecurity. But if they are at peace with each other, both, the Indians and traders chufe to fettle at a very convenient diftance, for the fake of their live flock, efpecially the latter, for the Indian youth are as deftruclive to tke pigs and poultry, as fo many young wolves or foxes.

Their

�� �