perplexed how to act, having a very small portion of rum, and no
prospect of encreasing my stock; I was therefore obliged to dilute it so
as to make it about one-fifth part weaker than usual, which made twenty
gallons of very passable Indian rum. Having supplied them {134} with
wearing apparel, &c. and received their peltry, I gave them a taste of
the _scuttaywabo_, and just before my embarkation made the following
speech:
“_Haguarmissey cockinnor an Nishinnorbay kee wabindan cawwickcar nin
serpargussey nee zargetoone, keennerwind kaygo kee cushkendum webatch
neennerwind tercushenan nepewar annacotchigon nin ojey petoone. Wa
haguarmissey cockinnor meenwendesay bazam Ebeckcheck megoyyack debwoye
neegee kaygo arwayyor matchee oathty, kee cannawendan cockinnor,
mokoman, baskeyzegan goyer becka, kee minniquy kaygo arwayyor
annascartissey woke, mornooch kee permartissyan cockinnor an
Nishinnorbay nogome debwoye negee nepewar artawway winnin ojey
zargetoone an Nishinnorbay, keshpin suggermarch wennewar metach nin ojey
debarchemon kitchee ojemaw awassa woity kitchee wakaygan Michillimakinac
metach kaygoshish ween ojey bockettywaun keennerwind._
“Now, my friends, take courage, I have always shewn you a good heart,
and you all know I am full of pity for you, your wives, and children;
therefore do not be uneasy, or think the time long I shall be absent
from you. I hope the Master of Life will give me courage and strength to
return to you, and bring you goods. Now, as you know I have no sugar on
my lips, nor any spear at my tongue, and that my ears are not stopt, nor
my heart bound up, I hope you will deliver up your knives, guns, and
tomahawks, and have no bad heart before you begin to drink, so that on
my return I may find you all well. I shall speak with {135} courage to
the great English chief, at _Michillimakinac_, and he will open his
heart to you.”
Having finished my speech, the weapons were collected and delivered to
me. I then gave them a considerable quantity of rum, after which I
returned their knives, &c. to convince them of the good opinion I
entertained of them, and that I had no doubt but they would attend to
the advice I had given them. I then got into my canoe, and waving my
hand, was saluted by a discharge of 200 guns, which I returned by one
volley, and pursued my journey in good spirits, heartily pleased at
leaving my winter quarters.
We continued our voyage without meeting with any occurrence worth
relating till we arrived at the Skunk’s River, where I had unfortunately
shot off a chief’s ear, as I have before related. Here I met with the
new married couple, and some of the same band to whom I was so much
obliged in the preceding December for singing the love-songs; and being
desirous of obtaining a perfect knowledge of their manners and customs,
I made many inquiries, and among other knowledge gained information of
the Chippeway form of courtship, which I presume will be acceptable to
those who have as much curiosity as myself.[86]
INDIAN COURTSHIP
When an Indian wishes to take a wife, and sees one to his mind, he
applies to the father of the girl, and asks his consent in the following
words:
{136} “_Nocey, cunner kee darmissey kee darniss nee zargayyar kakaygo O
waterwarwardoossin cawween peccan weettey gammat ottertassey memarjis
mee mor._”
“Father, I love your daughter, will you give her to me, that the small
roots of her heart may entangle with mine, so that the strongest wind
that blows shall never separate them.”
If the father approves, an interview is appointed, for which the lover
prepares by a perspiration; he then comes into her presence, sits down
on the ground, and smokes his pipe: during the time of smoking, he keeps
throwing small pieces of wood, of about an inch in length at her one by
one to the number of one hundred. As many as she can catch in a bark
bowl, so many presents her lover must make to her father, which he
considers as payment for his daughter. The young warrior then gives a
feast, to which he invites all the family—when the feast is done, they
dance and sing their war songs.—The merriment being over, and mutual
presents exchanged between the lover and her relations, the father
covers them with a beaver robe, and gives them likewise a new gun and a
birch canoe, with which the ceremony ends.
When the French became masters of Canada, the ceremony of marriage
between the Savages was very fantastical.
When a lover wished his mistress to be informed of his affection, he
procured an interview with her, which was always at night, and in {137}
the presence of some of her friends; this was conducted in the following
manner:
He entered the _wigwam_, the door of which was commonly a skin, and went
up to the hearth on which some hot coals were burning; he then lighted a
stick of wood, and approaching his mistress, pulled her _three_ times by
the nose, to awaken her; this was done with decency, and being the
custom, the squaw did not feel alarmed at the liberty. This ceremony,
ridiculous as it may appear, was continued occasionally for _two_
months, both parties behaving during the time in all other respects,
with the greatest circumspection.
The moment she becomes a wife, she loses her liberty, and is an
obsequious slave to her husband, who never loses sight of his
prerogative. Wherever he goes she must follow, and durst not venture to
incense him by a refusal, knowing that if she neglects him, extreme
punishment, if not death, ensues. The chief liberty he allows her is to
dance and sing in his company, and is seldom known to take any more
notice of her than of the most indifferent person: while she is obliged
to perform the drudgery of life, which custom or insensibility enables
her to do with the utmost cheerfulness.
A circumstance of this kind I recollect reading which happened at Beaver
Creek, about twenty-five miles from Fort Pitt. An Indian woman observing
some white men to carry fire-wood on their shoulders, took up her
hatchet, and brought them in a short time a great burden on her back;
and throwing it down by the fire, said, she not only pitied {138} them,
but thought it was a great scandal to see men doing that which was
properly the work of women.
The men consider women as of no other use but to produce them children,
and to perform the drudgeries of life; as to the offspring, he prefers
the sons to the daughter, because he expects they will all prove
warriors. The daughters they do not value for the same reason that they
subjugate their wives, deeming them worthy only to wait on warriors and
do those things which would disgrace the male sex.
We pursued our journey to Lac le Nid au Corbeau, where we killed some
wild geese and ducks, which at this season of the year have a fishy
taste. Here we rested two days to enable us to pursue the remainder of
our voyage with greater vigour. The third morning, at daybreak, we
embarked, and arrived at La grande Côte de la Roche, where we were
fortunate enough to kill two bears, which eat remarkably fine, and
having some leisure time to spare in the cookery, we enjoyed them with
as high a relish as in better situations we had done more luxuriant
meals.
We proceeded to Cranberry Lake, where we caught some fish, and picked as
many cranberries as we could conveniently carry; from thence we
continued our route to Portage la Rame, where we were again wind-bound
for some days; but during our stay we had not a single visitor to
disturb us. At length the wind proving favourable, we proceeded to
Riviére la Pique; on my arrival I was immediately struck with the
remembrance of the escape I had from Payshik Ogashey {139} last year;
but my mind was almost as instantly relieved by the recollection of his
being killed, and no longer a terror to traders.
This was one among many instances in which I found that when the heart
is oppressed with unpleasant recollections, or forebodings, the Author
of our Being conveys relief to the mind very unexpectedly. This sudden
transition we are too apt to impute to our own wisdom, and to attribute
the escape from dangers we have experienced, or the hopes of deliverance
which we form, entirely to our own sagacity and foresight. The Indians,
on the contrary, think more properly; they say it is the Master of Life
from whom we derive that presence of mind which has extricated or
procured us relief. To the Master of Life the Indian addresses himself
even for his daily support.—To him he imputes his victories and his
success; and when subdued, and fastened to the stake, he thanks him for
giving him courage to open his veins.—It is this confidence which
enables him to bear the severest tortures with composure, and in the
height of anguish, to defy the utmost malice of his enemies.
Notwithstanding the Chippeways, as well as the greater part of the
Indian nations, of North America, think so justly, it is to be lamented
that it is not universally so. The _Mattaugwessawauks_, it is said, do
not worship a Supreme Being, and that when success attends them in war,
they attribute the merit of the victory to their own valour and skill.
But notwithstanding their disbelief of a Master of Life, in some
respects, they are not less superstitious than other Savages, for they
think that certain places are haunted by evil spirits, whose power they
dread, and impressed with these ideas cautiously avoid them. Another
proof {140} of their superstition is, if one of their people is killed
by accident, they preserve a hand or a foot, which they salt, and dry,
and keep as a charm to avert calamities; by which it appears, that
although they do not acknowledge a dependance on a good spirit, they
entertain fears and apprehensions of a bad one; which induces one to
hope that such a deviation from the common belief of mankind may never
be confirmed, as it would stamp human nature with an odium too horrid to
think of. But to conclude this digression—we continued our voyage to
Pays Plat, where we stayed some days in the society of traders, who had
also wintered in the inlands, and others who arrived with goods to
supply those who were engaged to return; but as my time was expired, I
returned to _Michillimakinac_. After waiting on the commanding officer,
and giving an account of my stewardship to my employers, I retired to
Chippeway Point, a spot of ground out of the Fort, where I lived with an
Indian family, who occasionally made me _mackissins_, and other parts of
Indian dress.[87]
THIRD EXPEDITION
{141} _Remain some Time at Chippeway Point.—Account of a whimsical
Circumstance, whereby I had nearly incurred the Displeasure of the
Commanding Officer.—Narrative of the fortunate Escape of a Mr.
Ramsay, a Trader.—Undertake to escort a Quantity of Merchandise from
the Mississippi to Michillimakinac, which I perform with
Success.—Return to Montreal; from thence to Quebec, where I engage
with a new Employer._
During the time I remained at Chippeway Point, I had frequent offers
from the officers to sleep at their quarters within the fort; but being
accustomed to lie in the woods, I generally preferred that situation. A
circumstance happened soon after my arrival, which I shall relate.
In consequence of Indian treachery in the year 1764, (when the Savages,
commanded by _Pontiac_ the chief, under the pretence of a game at ball,
formed a plan to destroy the inhabitants, and take possession of the
fort, and in which they unfortunately succeeded, to the extreme
mortification of the English), there was a standing order that no Indian
should be permitted to enter the fort with fire arms; nor any squaw, or
Indian woman, allowed to sleep within the walls of the garrison on any
pretence whatever; and for the better security of the inhabitants, when
a council is held with the chiefs, double sentries are always
placed.[88]
{142} Having a strong desire to introduce a great chief’s daughter and
her sister, (notwithstanding the governor’s orders) I communicated my
intentions to an officer, and desired his assistance to complete the
plan. He very politely told me that he could not appear to countenance
my scheme, but would give me every possible assistance consistent with
his station. I assured him that they were a great chief’s daughters, and
that I would be answerable for their conduct.
With his consent I applied to two soldiers, and asked them if they could
spare time to roll a large hogshead of bottled porter from Chippeway
Point to the Fort; they told me whenever it suited me they would be
ready to assist. Having purchased the hogshead, and got it rolled down
the hill whilst the officers were at dinner, I told the squaws of my
plan, and having knocked out the head and bung, and bored several holes
to admit as much air as possible, desired them to get in, which with
some difficulty I persuaded them to do. I then replaced the head, and
ran immediately to the soldiers to acquaint them that the porter was
ready, and desired their assistance without delay, as I was afraid some
of the bottles were broken, and it would be proper to examine them as
soon as possible.
The soldiers immediately returned with me, and applying their shoulders
to the cask, rolled it up the hill with great labour and fatigue,
continually observing that it was very heavy. Just as they arrived at
the gate, the commanding officer and the commissary were coming through,
and seeing the hogshead, asked the soldiers what they had got there?
they replied it was bottled porter for a trader, who had desired them to
roll it from the Point. As a vessel had just then arrived from the
Détroit, {143} the commanding officer was so satisfied with the account
the soldiers gave, that he observed it was very fortunate, for they now
should have plenty of good beer to drink. The soldiers had scarcely
rolled another turn, when unluckily one of them kicked his foot against
a stone, who with the extreme pain he suffered, fell down. The other,
not being able to sustain the whole weight, let go his hold, and the
hogshead rolled down the hill with great velocity. Just as it came to
the bottom the head fell out, and the squaws exhibited the deception.
Unfortunately the commanding officer was near at hand when the accident
happened, and though it was a manifest breach of his orders, he could
not help smiling at the conceit; and looking at the imprisoned females,
said to them, “pretty bottled porter indeed!” The squaws were so
confused that they ran with the utmost precipitation into the woods, and
did not make their appearance for several days.
On the commanding officer’s return to the fort, enquiry was made for me,
and I was under the necessity of obeying his summons, although I confess
my situation was very unpleasant. As soon as I came into his presence,
assuming a look of displeasure, he asked me how I could dare to disobey
the orders of the garrison, which I knew were issued to prevent the most
serious consequences; that I was more culpable than another person,
knowing the nature and disposition of the Indian women, and the
impropriety and danger of confiding in them, adding that for the sake of
example, and to prevent others from acting so inprudently, he believed
he should send me down to Montreal in irons.
Alarmed at my situation, I made the best apology in my power, and
assured him I was extremely sorry for my conduct, but hoped he would
{144} pardon it. This acknowledgment of the offence induced him to
forgive me, and as he said he considered it a frolic of youth, he would
pass it over, but cautioned me against playing such tricks again. I felt
myself extremely obliged by his lenity, and promised to conduct myself
with more propriety in future, which promise I faithfully kept: for
though the experiment to admit the squaws would not have been attended
with any bad consequences, I did not chuse again to risk the commanding
officer’s displeasure.
On the 11th of August, the traders arrived from the _Mississippi_, and
brought an account of an extraordinary escape which a Mr. Ramsay and his
brother had from a tribe of the nation of the Poes, in their way to St.
Joseph.
The Poes are a very wild savage people, have an aversion to Englishmen,
and generally give them as much trouble as possible in passing or
repassing the Fort of St. Joseph’s, where some French traders are
settled by their permission.[89]
It seems the Canadians were invited by the Savages to land, and Mr.
Ramsay supposing they had some furs to dispose of, ordered his men to go
on shore; when standing up in his canoe just before his debarkation,
three of the warriors waded through the water neck-high, dragged him out
of his canoe, and carried him on shore. Mr. Ramsay’s men immediately
landed, and were preparing to follow their master, but observing eleven
Indians near at hand, and perceiving the bad intention of the chiefs,
got again into their canoes, leaving the one in which Mr. Ramsay and his
son were, on the beach, and paddled to an adjacent {145} island, waiting
the event of a circumstance which threatened death to their masters.
Mr. Ramsay being tied to the stump of a tree, and his son narrowly
watched, the Indians rummaged the canoe, and brought up as much rum as
they thought they could drink; they then began to sing their war songs;
and making a large fire near the stump to which Mr. Ramsay was tied,
they sat down on the ground, and began to insult him, telling him he was
an old woman, and obliged his brother to join in the derision.
The usual mode of execution among the Savages, is as follows:
When a warrior is taken, he is brought into a hut, and tied with small
cords made of the bark of trees, about the size of a cod-line: he is
then fastened to a stump, and a small rattle put into his hand, called
_chessaquoy_, which he shakes while he sings the dead war song:
“_Wabindan payshik shemagonish kitchee mannitoo; nee wee waybenan nee
yoe Matchee Mannitoo._”
“Master of Life, view me well as a warrior; I have thrown away my body
against the bad spirit.”
When the song is finished, the prisoner is untied, and made to run the
gauntlet through two ranks of women, who are provided with small sticks
to beat him. After this punishment a dog-feast is prepared with bear’s
grease and huckleberries, of which he is obliged to eat. He {146} is
then brought again to the stake, when wood is placed round him. He now
sings his war song, and the women set fire to the pile, the prisoner
singing as it burns. The bones are then collected and fixed to the
war-standard, which is a high pole painted with vermillion.
It is said that the nation of the _Followens_, or Wild Oats,[90] kill
their wives and children before they go to battle, that in case of a
defeat the enemy shall not have any prisoners of their nation.
The Poes, beginning to feel the effects of the rum, examined the cords,
which were made of the bark of the willow tree, and ordered some wood to
be put round the stump, to be ready when they should find themselves
disposed to burn him. Soon after they untied him, and brought him to the
war-kettle to make his death-feast; which consisted of dog, tyger-cat,
and bear’s grease, mixed with wild oats, of which he was compelled to
eat. Mr. Ramsay, knowing the nature of Indians, complied with seeming
cheerfulness, and said he was satisfied. He was taken back to the
intended place of execution, and tied again to the stump, from which,
with great composure, he desired permission to make his speech before he
changed his climate, which being granted, he immediately spoke to them
to the following effect:
“It is true the Master of Life has sent me here to those Indians whose
hearts are full of poisoned blood, and as they mean me to change my
climate, I shall go with courage to a better trading ground, where I
shall find good Indians. They have always known me to have had pity on
them, their wives, and children, since I have been a trader, and to have
opened my heart to them on all occasions; but now the {147} bad spirit
has joined his heart with theirs, to make me change my climate, which I
am glad of, for I am better known in the country I am going to, and by
greater warriors than ever these were. I now look on all the chiefs as
old women; and as I am the _Peshshekey_ (or buffalo), I shall drink my
last with them, and carry the news to the warriors in the other
climate.”
Having attentively heard his speech, they prepared for his death; which
he perceiving, immediately told his brother not to be disheartened, as
he had hopes of overcoming their fury, and desired him to ply them with
rum, and keep their kettles constantly filled. His brother followed the
instructions he gave him, and distributed the rum among them very
plentifully. When Mr. Ramsay discovered that they were sufficiently
intoxicated to be incapable of doing mischief, he desired his brother to
cut his cords; and being released, assisted in pouring rum down their
throats till they were quite insensible. Fired with resentment at their
intended barbarity, he and his brother cut all their throats, loaded his
canoe with the articles they had taken out, and paddled from shore as
fast as they could. The men hailed him at some distance, and were
rejoiced to see him safe; and after arranging their cargo, pursued their
journey into the Indian country, by a different course.
I was informed Mr. Ramsay returned afterwards to _Michillimakinac_,
where he was congratulated by the commanding officer on his fortunate
escape; but he never thought it prudent to go that route again.
About this time the Indian traders formed a company of militia, which I
joined with the rank of adjutant and lieutenant, under Captain {148}
John Macnamara. In the month of June 1780, news was brought from the
_Mississippi_, that the Indian traders had deposited their furs at _La
Prairie des Chiens_, or Dogs’ Field, (where there is a town of
considerable note, built after the Indian manner) under the care of
Mons. Longlad, the king’s interpreter;[91] and that the Americans were
in great force at the _Illinois_, a town inhabited by different nations,
at the back of the Kentuckey State, under the Spanish government, who
have a fort on the opposite shore, commanded by an officer and about
twelve men, to prevent illicit trade.[92]
The commanding officer at _Michillimakinac_[93] asked me to accompany a
party of Indians and Canadians to the _Mississippi_, which I consented
to with the utmost cheerfulness. We left the post with thirty-six
Southern Indians, of the _Ottigaumies_ and _Sioux_ nations, and
twenty[94] Canadians, in nine large birch canoes, laden with Indian
presents. After a march of three days I was taken ill, which I
attributed to hard living in the Nipegon Country; considering, however,
the urgency of the business, and that there was not any one of the party
capable of acting as interpreter, I struggled with my indisposition;
apprehending, also, that if I could not pursue the journey, I should be
exposed to great inconveniences; and therefore I encreased my
endeavours, determined to risk my life at all hazards.
The fourth day we encamped at Lac les Puans, so called, I apprehend,
from the Indians who reside on the banks being naturally filthy[95]—here
we got plenty of deer and bears, Indian corn, melons and other fruit.
The Southern Indians have more villages, and are better civilized than
the Northern, the climate being warm, and nature more prolific, which
{149} enables them to raise the fruits of the earth without much labour.
Their houses are covered with birch bark, and decorated with bows and
arrows, and weapons of war. Their beds are bark and matts made of
rushes.
We pursued our voyage to _Ouisconsin_, a fine River, with a strong
current for about sixty leagues, which our canoes ran down in a day and
a half; and upon which we saw an immense quantity of ducks, geese, and
other fowl. On this river we were obliged to unload our canoes, in order
to transport our goods across the portage, about two miles in length. We
encamped on the banks, and intended setting off at break of day, but one
of the Indians was bitten by a rattlesnake, which Mr. Adair calls the
bright inhabitant of the woods, and which had fourteen rattles.