THE WESTERN COUNTRY 283 



But it is neither my intention nor my right to speak 

 for the Indians. I leave this willingly to those who 

 go about among them intimately and know that they, 

 like all other nations, are supported by natural, by 

 prescriptive, and by fancied rights ; are proud in their 

 conceptions of their privileges, and direct accordingly 

 their dealings and their behavior. 



There are, however, Europeans who are greatly 

 attached to the rude way of life among the Indians. 

 One of the inhabitants of Pittsburg at this time was 

 in his youth taken captive by them, and lived with 

 them for some years ; and the pleasure he took in their 

 customs and their careless and idle life got so strong a 

 hold upon him that after he had been released, with 

 other captives, he returned to them again secretly, and 

 had to be brought away a second time by his relations. 

 There are many examples of such captives who did 

 not care to be released ; and also of Europeans who of 

 their own accord live among them, exchanging with- 

 out regret all the advantages of civilized society and 

 convenience of life for the unrestricted freedom which 

 is the Indians' highest good. 



Of the former works of the Indians, remains are 

 still here and there to be found, which give evidence of 

 great patience and often of no common inventive 

 powers, when it is considered that they lacked tools 

 and what they had were insufficient. General Irwin 

 possessed a tobacco-pipe made of a soft, blackish kind 

 of stone ; * it had a curved stem, with mouth-piece, 



* " Near the Marble river is a mountain whence the Indians 

 ' fetch a red stone which they use in the fabrication of their 

 " tobacco-bowls. There is found in that region also a black, 



