Henry Timberlake

“ As the Indians fight naked, the vanquished are constrained to endure the rigours of the weather in their flight, and live upon roots and fruit, as they throw down their arms to accelerate their flight thro’ the woods. ”

“ Their government, if I may call it government, which has neither laws or power to support it, is a mixed aristocracy and democracy, the chiefs being chose according to their merit in war, or policy at home; these lead the warriors that chuse to go, for there is no laws or compulsion on those that refuse to follow, or punishment to those that forsake their chief: he strives, therefore, to inspire them with a sort of enthusiasm, by the war-song, as the ancient bards did once in Britain. ”

“ I went to convince the Indians of our sincerity, to know the navigation, and to serve my country. Let others take care how they precipitate themselves to serve so ungrateful a ——. But the reader, by this time, is too well acquainted with the particulars of my journey, to pass judgment with these gentlemen. I have already shewn, that my expences and losses, during that unfortunate jaunt, was upwards of an hundred pounds in ready money, besides what I gave them in presents at their return to their own country, and what I am still indebted for on their account. ”

“ The English are now so nigh, and encroached daily so far upon them, that they not only felt the bad effects of it in their hunting grounds, which were spoiled, but had all the reason in the world to apprehend being swallowed up, by so potent neighbours, or driven from the country, inhabited by their fathers, in which they were born, and brought up, in fine, their native soil, for which all men have a particular tenderness and affection. ”

“ The inventor, however, had too great a knowledge of the human mind, and our propensity to possess, not to see that a superior passion must intercede; he therefore wisely made it a religious ceremony, that superstition, the strongest passion of the ignorant, might check avarice, and keep it in the bounds he had prescribed. It is not known from whence it came, but it is of great antiquity, and not only general over all North America, but in many parts of Asia. On this account the wives generally have separate property, that no inconveniency may arise from death or separation. ”

“ And I suppose you presume too the bushes would tear a great many stockings; but if I can judge of Indians, they are a great deal wiser than to be fine in stockings among the briars, at the expence of their legs, which good leggons keep unscratched, and a great deal warmer. This does not however, dear Sir, prevent my admiring your provident views; they are absolutely too striking ever to admit of that. ”

“ It is the custom of the Indians, to leave a club, something of the form of a cricket-bat, but with their warlike exploits engraved on it, in their enemy’s country, and the enemy accepts the defiance, by bringing this back to their country.
7. The prisoners of war are generally tortured by the women, at the party’s return, to revenge the death of those that have perished by the wretch’s countrymen. This savage custom has been so much mitigated of late, that the prisoners were only compelled to marry, and then generally allowed all the privileges of the natives. ”

“ The keeping these foreigners then more upon a footing, as a check upon one another, was providing for their own safety, and that of all America, since they foresaw, or the French took care to shew them, that, should they be driven out, the English would in time extend themselves over all North America. The Indians cannot, from the woods of America, see the true state of Europe: report is all they have to judge by, and that often comes from persons too interested to give a just account. ”

“ Nay, I did not enough disabuse the public when that impostor, who had taken the name of Chucatah, was detected; so the public, without further examination, imagined Chucatah himself to be the impostor. What contributed greatly to raise this report, was, that three Mohock Indians were, after making the tour of England and Ireland, made a shew of in the Strand, and immediately confounded by the public with the Cherokees, and I accused of making a shew all over England of Indians who never stirred out of London. ”

“ From hence flows the continual mistakes the Indians unavoidably make in their councils; they must act according to intelligence, and it requires a great penetration indeed to discern the truth, when blended with so much falsity: thus they are often obliged to act according to the report of a mistaken or lying Indian, who are all but too much addicted to this vice, which proved a continual fund of uneasiness to me all the time I remained in their country. ”

“ Soon after these disturbances, orders were given by Lord Egremont, that no person whatever should be admitted, without an order from himself, or Mr. Wood, under Secretary of State: but instead of the throngs decreasing by this order, it rather increased; and I really believe few persons have more friends than Mr. Wood, if he knew but half of those that were ushered in under that name; nay, grown bolder by that sanction, they pressed into the Indians dressing room, which gave them the highest disgust, these people having a particular aversion to being stared at while dressing or eating ”

“ But should these people commence a war, and scalp every encroacher, or even others, to revenge the ill treatment they received while coming in a peaceable manner to seek redress before they had recourse to arms, let the public judge who must answer it; I must, however, lay great part of the blame on Mr. Cacoanthropos, who, possessing the ear of Lord H——, made such an unfavourable report of me, that either his Lordship believed, or pretended to believe them impostors, or Indians brought over for a shew. They were known by several gentlemen in London to be of power in their own country ”

“ This, probably, was at the instigation of their conjurers, to whom these people pay a profound regard; as christianity was entirely opposite, and would soon dispossess the people of their implicit belief in their juggling art, which the professors have brought to so great perfection as to deceive Europeans, much more an ignorant race, whose ideas will naturally augment the extraordinary of any thing the least above their comprehension, or out of the common tract. ”

“ There are likewise a great number of reptiles, particularly the copper-snake, whose bite is very difficult to cure, and the rattle-snake, once the terror of Europeans, now no longer apprehended, the bite being so easily cured; but neither this, nor any other species, will attempt biting unless disturbed or trod upon; neither are there any animals in America mischievous unless attacked. The flesh of the rattle-snake is extremely good; being once obliged to eat one through want of provisions, I have eat several since thro’ choice. ”

“ The least probability is exaggerated into a fact, and an Indian from our camp, who scarce understands four or five words of a conversation between two common soldiers, who often know as little of the state of affairs as the Indians themselves, turn all the rest of it to something he suspects, and imagines he has heard what was never once mentioned ”

“ They are very hardy, bearing heat, cold, hunger and thirst, in a surprizing manner; and yet no people are given to more excess in eating and drinking, when it is conveniently in their power: the follies, nay mischief, they commit when inebriated, are entirely laid to the liquor; and no one will revenge any injury (murder excepted) received from one who is no more himself: they are not less addicted to gaming than drinking, and will even lose the shirt off their back, rather than give over play, when luck runs against them. ”

“ The Cherokees are of a middle stature, of an olive colour, tho’ generally painted, and their skins stained with gun-powder, pricked into it in very pretty figures. The hair of their head is shaved, tho’ many of the old people have it plucked out by the roots, except a patch on the hinder part of the head, about twice the bigness of a crown-piece, which is ornamented with beads, feathers, wampum, stained deers hair, and such like baubles. ”

“ We marched the next day to Broad River, which we crossed about four o’clock in the afternoon, without much difficulty, by reason of the lowness of the waters; but the river, which is here 700 yards over, runs with great rapidity, and the banks extremely steep on either side. We encamped directly, and were all employed in making a large fire to dry ourselves, as most of us had got very wet.
Before sun-set I perceived a considerable number of Indians passing at the same place, whom I at first imagined to be enemies ”

“ In one of these, two men, dressed in bear-skins, came in, stalking and pawing about with all the motions of real bears: two hunters followed them, who in dumb shew acted in all respects as they would do in the wood: after many attempts to shoot them, the hunters fire; one of the bears is killed, and the other wounded; but, as they attempt to cut his throat, he rises up again, and the scuffle between the huntsmen and the wounded bear generally affords the company a great deal of diversion. ”

“ Their canoes are the next work of any consequence; they are generally made of a large pine or poplar, from thirty to forty feet long, and about two broad, with flat bottoms and sides, and both ends alike; the Indians hollow them now with the tools they get from the Europeans, but formerly did it by fire: they are capable of carrying about fifteen or twenty men, are very light, and can by the Indians, so great is their skill in managing them, be forced up a very strong current, particularly 61the bark canoes; but these are seldom used but by the northern Indians. ”

“ Here is a lesson to Europe; two Indian chiefs, whom we call barbarians, rivals of power, heads of two opposite factions, warm in opposing one another, as their interest continually clash; yet these have no farther animosity, no family-quarrels or resentment, and the brother of the chief who had gained the superiority is a volunteer under his rival’s command.
88For my part, I was no less anxious about the express. I dispatched my servant out to meet him, and bring me the particulars of what had been transacted at the Great Island ”

“ This is one of their most useful pieces of field-furniture, serving all the offices of hatchet, pipe, and sword; neither are the Indians less expert at throwing it than using it near, but will kill at a considerable distance.
They are of a very gentle and amicable disposition to those they think their friends, but as implacable in their enmity, their revenge being only compleated in the entire destruction of their enemies. They were pretty hospitable to all white strangers, till the Europeans encouraged them to scalp ”

“ Before the arrival of the Europeans, the natives were not so well provided, maize, melons, and tobacco, being the only things they bestow culture upon, and perhaps seldom on the latter. The meadows or savannahs produce excellent grass; being watered by abundance of fine rivers, and brooks well stored with fish, otters and beavers, having as yet no nets, the Indians catch the fish with lines, spears, or dams ”

“ A certain Man-Killer wanting a holiday suit to appear in, at the installation of some royal and noble knights of the garter—but here some critic, a pretended judge of Indian affairs, will perhaps say, that Indians have no such installations, and that they would never become the laughing-stock of their countrymen, by being swathed up in English cloaths. Well, sharp-eyed critic, good cloaths will never want 134wearers; it is a pity good things should be lost, and the gentleman that provided them most absolutely be obliged to wear them himself, since the Indians will not. ”

“ On looking over them, I did not find them quite so extravagant as I expected, being only overcharged by about 150 pounds; but what I mean by overcharging, is what the Indians never had; for I cannot be so sensible of what was overcharged by other means. The Indians being remarkable for their skill in mathematics, but unfortunate in not having sufficient workmen among them, he had wisely stocked the whole nation with instruments. Mr. W—— the optician’s bill being to the amount, as near as I can remember, of fifty odd pounds in these costly play-things for the Cherokees ”

“ As the ideas of the Cherokees are so few, I cannot say much for the copiousness of their language.
They seldom turn their eyes on the person they speak of, or address themselves to, and are always suspicious when people’s eyes are fixed upon them. They speak so low, except in council, that they are often obliged to repeat what they were saying ”

“ I was so prepossessed with these opinions, that I can scarce as yet, however severely I have felt it, believe that some men have no ideas of conscience, and esteem it the prejudices of education, and a narrow mind ”