South-Carolina,[173] I undertook to open a trade with the Choktah, and
reconcile their old-standing enmity with the Chikkasah. I was promised
to be indemnified in all necessary charges attending that attempt. As
the Choktah, by the persuasions of the French, had killed my partner in
the trade, I was desirous of any favourable opportunity of retaliating:
especially, as we were exposed to perpetual dangers and losses, by the
French rewards offered either for our scalps or horses-tails; and as the
French were usually short of goods, while Great Britain was at war with
them, we were liable to most damages from them in time of peace. They
used to keep an alphabetical list of all the names of leading savages,
in the various nations where they ingarrisoned themselves; and they duly
paid them, every year, a certain quantity of goods besides, for all the
damages they did to the Chikkasah, and our traders; which tempted them
constantly to exert their abilities, to the good liking of their
political employers. It happened, however, that one of the French of
Tumbikpe-fort, being guided by Venus instead of Apollo, was detected in
violating the law of marriage with the favourite wife of the warlike
chieftain of Quansheto, _Shulashummashtabe_,[174] who by his several
transcendant qualities, had arrived to the highest pitch of the red
glory. He was well known in Georgia and South-Carolina, by the name of
Red Shoes; as formerly noticed. As there lived in his town, a number of
the Chokchoomah, the senior tribe of the Chikkasah and Choktah, and who
had a free intercourse with each of their countries, we soon had an
account of every material thing that passed there. I therefore resolved
to improve so favourable an opportunity as seemed to present itself, and
accordingly soon privately convened two of the leading men of the
Chikkasah nation, to assist me to execute the plan I had in view. One
was the Archimagus, _Pastabe_, known in our colonies, by the name of
“the Jockey,”—and the other, by that of _Pahemingo-Amalahta_, who was
the only Indian I ever knew to die of a consumption; which he contracted
by various engagements with the enemy when far off at war, contrary to
their general rule of martial purification. The violent exercise of
running a great distance under the violent rays of the sun, and over
sandy, or hilly grounds, would not allow him to {314} inswamp, and he
fired his blood to such a degree, that a few years after this, when on a
visit to our English settlement, he died at Augusta with this ailment.
It is needful to mention those well-known circumstances, as the
following relation of facts, depends in a considerable measure on them.
We three agreed to send some presents to _Red Shoes_, with a formal
speech, desiring him to accept them with a kind heart, and shake hands
with us as became brothers, according to the old beloved speech. Their
own friendly messages, and treaties of peace, are always accompanied
with so many sorts of presents, as their chiefs number. We in a few days
packed up a sufficient quantity, to bury the tomohawk which the French
had thrust into their unwilling hands, and to dry up the tears of the
injured, and set their hearts at ease, for the time to come, by joining
with the English and their old friendly Chikkasah, _Inggona Sekanoopa
toochenase_, “in the triple knot of friendship,” in order to cut off the
dangerous snake’s head, and utterly destroy the power of its forked
tongue. As our real grievances were mutually the same, and numerous, we
gave liberally. Having every thing as well concerted for the embassy, as
such occasions require, my two red friends sent a trusty messenger for a
couple of the foresaid neutral Indians, who had been a few days in the
Chikkasah country, to accompany him late at night to my trading house.
They readily obeyed; and, as the good-natured men and their families,
through friendship to us, must infallibly have been sacrificed to French
policy, if we failed of success, or they were discovered by captives, or
any other means, we used the greatest secresy, and placed a centinel to
keep off all other persons during our private congress. After we had
conversed with them a considerable time, on the necessity of the
proposed attempt, and the certainty of succeeding in it, we opened our
two large budgets, and read over the strong emblematical contents,
according to their idiom, till we gave them a true impression of the
whole. The next day we took care to send them off well pleased: and as
several material circumstances conspired to assure us they would
faithfully discharge the office of trust, which we reposed in them, we
in a short time had the satisfaction to hear by other private runners of
their countrymen, from our brave and generous patron, Red Shoes, that
they were so far from breaking the public faith, that they read to him
every material head of our embassy, and urged it with all their powers.
{315}
That red chieftain introduced our friendly embassy, with such secresy
and address to all the head-men he could confide in, that he soon
persuaded most of them in all the neighbouring towns, to join heartily
with him in his laudable plan. The sharpness of his own feelings for the
base injury he had received from the French, and the well-adapted
presents we sent him and his wife and gallant associates, contributed
greatly to give a proper weight to our embassy. Such motives as these
are too often the mainsprings that move the various wheels of
government, even in the christian world. In about a month from the time
we began to treat with Red-Shoes, he sent a considerable body of his
warriors, with presents to me, as the representative of the English
traders, and to my Chikkasah friends, consisting of swans-wings, white
beads, pipes and tobacco; which was a strong confirmation of our treaty
of peace,—and he earnestly requested of me to inform them with that
candour, which should always be observed by honest friends, whether I
could firmly engage that our traders would live, and deal among them, as
we did with the Chikkasah; for a disappointment that way, he said, would
prove fatal, should we entangle them with the French, in resentment of
the many injuries they had long unprovokedly done us. I quieted their
apprehensions on that material point of jealousy, to their entire
satisfaction, and my two Chikkasah friends soon expatiated upon the
subject to him, with a great deal of that life, wit and humour, so
peculiar to the red Americans. We explained and confirmed anew, the
whole contents of our former talk concerning the dangerous French snake;
assuring them, that if they did not soon exert themselves against it, as
became brave free-men, they would still continue not only poor, and
shamefully naked, below the state of other human beings, but be
despised, and abused, in proportion to their mean passive conduct,—their
greatest and most favourite war-chieftains not excepted, as they saw
verified in their chief leader, _Shoolashummashtabe_. But if they
exerted themselves, they would be as happy as our friendly, brave, and
free Chikkasah, whom the French armies, and all their red confederates,
could no way damage but as hidden snakes, on account of their own
valour, and the steady friendship of the English,[175]—who were always
faithful to their friends even to death, as every river and creek
sufficiently testified, all the way from the English settlements to the
Chikkasah country. We mentioned how many were killed at several places,
as they were going in a warlike manner to supply their beloved friends,
without any being ever captivated by the numerous enemy, {316} though
often attacked at a disadvantage—which ought to assure them, that
whenever the English shaked hands with people, their hearts were always
honest. We requested them therefore to think, and act, as our brotherly
Chikkasah, who by strongly holding the chain of friendship between them
and the English, were able in their open fields, to destroy the French
armies, and in the woods bravely to fight, and baffle all the efforts of
their despicable mercenary enemies, though their numbers of fighting men
consisted of few more than one hundred to what the Choktah contained in
old hundreds, or thousands. The French, we added, were liberal indeed;
but to whom, or for what? They gave presents to the head-men, and the
most eloquent speakers of their country, to inslave the rest, but would
not supply them with arms and ammunition, without the price of blood
against our traders and the friendly Chikkasah; that they themselves
were witnesses, a whole town of sprightly promising young men had not
now more than five or six guns; but they would learn to kill as many
deer as the distinguished Chikkasah hunters, if they firmly shook hands
with the English. We convinced them, that the true emblem of the English
was a drest white deer-skin, but that the French dealt with them only in
long scalping knives; that we had a tender feeling, when we heard the
mourning voice of the tender-hearted widow, and only supplied our
friends in their own defence, or in revenge of crying blood; but that
the French delighted in blood, and were always plotting how to destroy
them, and take away their lands, by setting them at war against those
who loved them, and would secure their liberties, without any other view
than as became brothers, who fairly exchanged their goods. We desired
them to view the Chikkasah striplings, how readily their kindly hearts
led them to listen to the friendly speech of their English trading
speaker, because they knew we loved them, and enabled them to appear in
the genteel dress of red people.
At the whoop, they soon appeared, and cheerfully complied with our
various requests, to the great satisfaction of our new Choktah friends.
The Chikkasah head-men told them with pleasure, that they were glad
their own honest eyes had seen the pure effects of love to their English
trader; and that their old people, time out of mind, had taught them so.
Then they humourously enlarged on the unfriendly conduct of the French
in a comparative manner, and persuaded them to keep their eyes open, and
remember {317} well what they had seen and heard, and to tell it to all
their head-men.
We adjusted every thing in the most friendly manner, to the intire
satisfaction of the Choktah. I supplied each of them with arms,
ammunition, and presents in plenty—gave them a French scalping knife
which had been used against us, and even vermilion, to be used in the
flourishing way, with the dangerous French snakes, when they killed and
scalped them. They returned home extremely well pleased, echoed every
thing they had seen and heard; and declared that the Chikkasah, in their
daily dress, far exceeded the best appearance their country-men could
make in the most showy manner, except those whom the French paid to make
their lying mouths strong. They soon went to work—they killed the
strolling French pedlars,—turned out against the Missisippi Indians and
Mobillians, and the flame speedily raged very high. One of the Choktah
women, ran privately to inform a French pedlar of the great danger he
was in, and urged him immediately to make his escape. He soon saddled a
fine strong sprightly horse he chanced to have at hand: just as he
mounted, the dreadful death whoo whoop was sounded in pursuit of him,
with the swift-footed red Asahel, _Shoolashummashtabe_, leading the
chace. Though, from that place, the land-path was mostly level to
Tumpikbe-garrison (about half a day’s march) and though the Chikkasah
and Choktah horses are Spanish barbs,[176] and long winded, like wolves;
yet Red-Shoes, far ahead of the rest, ran him down in about the space of
fifteen miles, and had scalped the unfortunate rider some time before
the rest appeared.
It is surprising to see the long continued speed of the Indians in
general—though some of us have often ran the swiftest of them out of
sight, when on the chase in a collective body, for about the distance of
twelve miles; yet, afterward, without any seeming toil, they would
stretch on, leave us out of sight, and out-wind any horse.[177] When
this retaliating scheme was planned and executing, I was the only
British subject in the Chikkasah country; and as I had many goods on
hand, I staid in the nation, while we sent down our horses to the first
English settlements,—which was full eight hundred miles distant, before
the two Floridas were ceded to us. Seventeen were the broken days,
according to the Indian phrase, when the Choktah engaged to return with
the French scalps, as a full confirmation of their having {318} declared
war against them, and of their ardent desire of always shaking hands
with the English. The power of the French red mercenaries was however so
very great, that Red Shoes could not with safety comply with his
deputy’s promise to me, to send the French snake’s head, in the time
appointed by our sticks hieroglyphically painted, and notched in due
form. The fall time drawing on, obliged me to set off for the
Koosah-town, which is the most western of the Muskohge nation, about
three hundred miles distant. I was accompanied by my two cheerful and
gallant Chikkasah friends, already mentioned, with forty of their chosen
warriors, brave as ever trod the ground, and faithful under the greatest
dangers even to the death.[178] On our way down, escorting the returning
cargo, four Chikkasah, who were passing home through the woods, having
discovered us, and observing in the evening a large camp of 80 French
Choktah in pursuit of us; they returned on our tracks at full speed, to
put us on our guard; but though we were so few, and had many women and
children to protect, besides other incumbrances, yet as the enemy knew
by our method of camping, and marching, we had discovered them, they
durst not attack us.
Another time there was a hunting camp of only seventeen Chikkasah, with
their wives and children, who were attacked by above sixty Choktah; but
they fought them a long time, and so desperately, that they killed and
wounded several, and drove them shamefully off, without any loss. It is
usual for the women to sing the enlivening war song in the time of an
attack; and it inflames the men’s spirits so highly, that they become as
fierce as lions. I never knew an instance of the Indians running off,
though from a numerous enemy, and leaving their women and children to
their barbarous hands.
Soon after we arrived at the upper western town of the Muskohge, which
was called _Ooe-Asah_, and settled by the Chikkasah and Nahchee,[179] a
great company of Red Shoes warriors came up with me, with the French
scalps, and other trophies of war: but because a body of our Muskohge
mercenary traders found their account in dealing with the French at the
Alebahma-fort, they to the great risk of their own country’s welfare,
lodged so many caveats in my way by the mediation {319} of the Muskohge,
that I found it necessary to consent that the scalps should be sent with
the other trophies, in a Muskohge white deer-skin, to the French fort at
the distance of seventy miles, to be buried deep in the ground, instead
of sending them by the Choktah runners, to his excellency the governor
of South-Carolina, who had engaged me to strive to open a trade with
those Indians. These opulent and mercenary white savages being now dead,
I shall not disgrace the page with their worthless names. Soon after we
had reached the Chikkasah country, Red Shoes came to pay us a friendly
visit, accompanied with a great many head-men and warriors, both to be
relieved in their poverty, and to concert the best measures of still
annoying the common enemy. We behaved kindly and free to them, to their
entire satisfaction, and sent considerable presents to many head-men who
staid at home, in confirmation of our strong friendship; acquainting
them of our various plans of operation against the enemy, in defence of
their lives, freedom, and liberty of trade, in which the English and
Chikkasah would faithfully support them. Every thing was delivered to
them according to our intention, and as kindly received. And as all the
Indians are fond of well-timed novelty, especially when they expect to
be gainers by it, the name of the friendly and generous English was now
echoed, from town to town, except in those few which had large pensions
from the French.
In the beginning of the following spring, which was 1747,[180] above
fifty warriors from several towns of the Muskohge, came to the Chikkasah
country, on their way to war against the Aquahpah Indians,[181] on the
western side of the Missisippi, one hundred and fifty miles above the
Nahchee old fields. By our good treatment of them, and well-timed
application, they joined a body of Chikkasah warriors under _Payah
Matahah_, and made a fleet of large cypress-bark-canoes, in which they
embarked under the direction of three red admirals, in long pettiaugers
that had been taken from the French, as they were passing from New
Orleans up to the Illinois. They proceeded down the Missisippi to the
French settlements, and attacked and burned a large village at break of
day, though under the command of a stockade-fort; from which the
Chikkasah leader was wounded with a grapeshot in his side. On this, as
they despaired of his life, according to their universal method in such
a case, they killed most of their unfortunate captives on the western
bank of the Missisippi; and enraged with {320} fury, they overspread the
French settlements, to a great distance, like a dreadful whirlwind,
destroying every thing before them, to the astonishment and terror even
of those who were far remote from the skirts of the direful storm. The
French Louisianians were now in a desponding state, as we had beaten
them in their own favourite political element, in which they had too
often been successful even at the British court, after our troops and
navies had scoured them out of the field and the ocean. They had no
reason here to expect any favour of us, as we were only retaliating the
long train of innocent blood of our fellow-subjects they had wantonly
caused to be shed by their red mercenaries, and their fears now became
as great as their danger—but they were needless; for though the Alebahma
French, and many towns of the Muskohge, were in a violent ferment, when
the foresaid warriors returned home, yet by the treacherous mediation of
the above-mentioned traders and their base associates, the breach was
made up. Had they been blest with the least spark of that love for the
good of their country, which the savages and French are, they could have
then persuaded the Indians, to have driven the French from the dangerous
Alebahma; and an alliance with the Chikkasah and Choktah would have
effectually destroyed the dangerous line of circumvallation they
afterwards drew around our valuable colonies. And as the Cheerake, by
their situation, might easily have been induced to join in the
formidable treaty, they with encouragement, would have proved far
superior to all the northern red legions the French were connected with.
At that time I sent to the Governor of South Carolina, a large packet,
relating the true situation of our Indian affairs, directed on his
majesty’s service: but though it contained many things of importance,
(which the French, under such circumstances, would have faithfully
improved) and required immediate dispatch; our Muskohge traders, to
whose care I had sent it by some Chikkasah runners, were so daringly
base as to open it, and destroy what their self-interested views seemed
to require, and delayed the conveyance of the rest a considerable time,
to prevent others from reaping the benefit of the trade before them.
When I went down, I complained of their misconduct, and the Governor
having promised me a public seal, threatened them loudly; but some after
circumstances in trade made him to think it not worth while to put his
threats in execution. When the French were destitute of goods at
Tumbikpe-garrisons, while {321} they were at war with the English, their
policy allowed them to suffer several of our traders to deal with the
Choktah, without any interruption, in order to keep them quiet; but as
soon as they had a proper supply, they excited their treacherous friends
to plunder, and kill our people. They, who had the fortune to get safe
away, made great returns; which induced some to entertain too high
notions of their profits, and so strangers hazarded too much at once.
While the French had possession of Tumbikpe, we, who knew them, used to
send there only small cargoes from the Chikkasah country, to avoid
tempting them too far: but one of our great men was reported to have
persuaded a couple of gentlemen to join in company with his brother
(well known by the name of the Sphynx company)[182] in the Choktah
trade, and to have supplied them very largely. They loaded, and sent off
360 valuable horses, which with all other concomitant charges, in going
to such a far-distant country, swelled it to a high amount. The
traders,[183] who were employed to vend the valuable cargo, gave large
presents to six of the Muskohge leaders, known to be most attached to
the British interest, to escort them, with a body of the Choktah, into
the country. They passed by Alebahma, in the usual parade of the
Indian-traders, to the terror of the people in the fort. They proceeded
as far as a powerful body of our Choktah friends had appointed to meet
them, but considerably overstaid the fixed time there, in want of
provisions, as their common safety would not allow them to go a hunting:
by the forcible persuasion of the Muskohge head-men, they unluckily
returned about one hundred and forty miles back on a north-east-course.
But a few days after, a party of Choktah friends came to their late
camp, in order to encourage them to come on without the least dread, as
a numerous party were watching an opportunity to attack the French, and
their own slavish countrymen; and that they would surely engage them
very successfully, while the traders were fording Mobille-river, eight
miles above Tumbikpe-fort, under a powerful escortment of their faithful
friends. So wisely had they laid their plan, though it was disconcerted
by the cautious conduct of the Muskohge head-men: for they are all so
wary and jealous, that when they send any of their people on a distant
errand, they fix the exact time they are to return home; and if they
exceed but one day, they on the second send out a party on
discovery[LVI]. {322}
Footnote LVI:
I shall here mention an instance of that kind: at this time, a hunting
camp of the Chikkasah went out to the extent of their winter-limits
between the Choktah and Muskohge countries: but being desirous of
enlarging their hunt, they sent off a sprightly young warrior to
discover certain lands they were unacquainted with, which they pointed
to by the course of the sun, lying at the distance of about thirty
miles. Near that place, he came up with a camp of Choktah, who seemed
to treat him kindly, giving him venison and parched corn to eat: but
while he was eating what some of the women had laid before him, one of
the Choktah creeped behind him, and sunk his tomohawk into his head.
His associates helped him to carry away the victim, and they hid it in
a hollow tree, at a considerable distance from their camp; after which
they speedily removed. When the time for his return was elapsed, the
Chikkasah, next day, made a place of security for their women and
children, under the protection of a few warriors; and the morning
following, painted themselves red and black, and went in quest of
their kinsman. Though they were strangers to the place, any farther
than by their indications to him before he set off, yet so swift and
skilful woods-men were they, that at twelve o’clock that day, they
came to the Choktah camping place, where, after a narrow search, they
discovered the trace of blood on a fallen tree, and a few drops of
fresh blood on the leaves of trees, in the course they had dragged the
corpse; these directed them to the wooden urn, wherein the remains of
their kinsman were inclosed. They said, as they were men and warriors,
it belonged to the female relations to weep for the dead, and to them
to revenge it. They soon concluded to carry off the corpse, to the
opposite side of a neighboring swamp, and then to pursue. Having
deposited the body out of the reach of beasts of prey, they set off in
pursuit of the Choktah: they came up with them before day-light,
surrounded their camp, attacked them, killed one, and wounded several,
whooping aloud, “that they were Chikkasah, who never first loosed the
friend-knot between them and others, nor failed in revenging blood;
but ye are roguish Choktah; you know you are likewise cowards; and
that you are worse than wolves, for they kill, only that they may eat,
but you give your friends something to eat, that you may kill them
with safety.” They told them, as they had left their gallant relation
unscalped in a tree, they left their cowardly one in like manner,
along-side of another tree. They put up the death whoo whoop,
returned, scaffolded their dead kinsman, and joined their own camp
without any interruption. The reader will be able to form a proper
judgment of the temper and abilities of the Indian savages, from these
facts.