LIFE OF WILSON. xcv 



entire. I this day stopped at flie house of a white man, who had two Indian 

 wives, and a hopeful string of young savages, all in their fig-leaves ; not one 

 of them could speak a word of English. This man was by birth a Virginian, 

 and had been forty years among the Chickasaws. His countenance and man- 

 ners were savage and worse than Indian. I met many parties of boatmen to day, 

 and crossed a number of bad swamps. The woods continued to exhibit the 

 same open luxuriant appearance, and at night I lodged at a white man's, who 

 has also two wives, and a numerous progeny of young savages. Here I met 

 with a lieutenant of the United States army, anxiously inquiring for General 

 Hampton. 



" On Friday the same open woods continued ; I met several parties of 

 Indians, and passed two or three of their hamlets. At one of these were two 

 fires in the yard, and at each, eight or ten Indians, men and women, squat on 

 the ground. In these hamlets there is generally one house built of a circular 

 form, and plastered thickly all over without and within with clay. This they 

 call a hot house, and it is the general winter quarters of the hamlet in cold 

 weather. Here they all kennel, and having neither window nor place for the 

 smoke to escape, it must be a sweet place while forty or fifty of them have it 

 in occupancy. Round some of these hamlets were great droves of cattle, 

 horses and hogs. I lodged this night on the top of a hill f:ir from water, and 

 suffered severely for thirst. 



" On Saturday I passed a number of most execrable swamps, the weather 

 was extremely warm, and I had been attacked by something like the dysentery, 

 which occasioned a constant burning thirst, and weakened me greatly. I stopped 

 this day frequently to wash my head and throat in the water, to allay the burn- 

 ing thirst, and putting on my hat, without wiping, received considerable relief 

 from it. Since crossing the Tennessee the woods have been interspersed with 

 pine, and the soil has become more sandy. This day I met a Captain Hughes, 

 a traveller, on his return from Santa Fe. My complaint increased so much 

 that I could scarcely sit on horseback, and all night my mouth and throat 

 were parched with a burning thirst and fever. 



" On Sunday I bought some raw eggs which I ate. I repeated the dose at 

 mid-day, and towards evening, and found great benefit from this simple 

 remedy. I inquired all along the road for fresh eggs, and for nearly a week 

 made them almost my sole food, till I completed my cure. The water in these 

 cane swamps is little better than poison; and under the heat of a burning sun, 

 and the fatigues of travelling, it is difficult to repress the urgent calls of thirst. 

 On the Wednesday following, I was assailed by a tremendous storm of rain, 

 wind and lightning, until I and my horse were both blinded by the deluge, 

 and unable to go on. I sought the first most open place, and dismounting 

 stood for half an hour under the most profuse heavenly shoiver-balh I ever 

 enjoyed. The roaring of the storm was terrible; several trees around me 

 were broken off, and torn up by the roots, and those that stood were bent almost 

 to the ground : limbs of trees of several hundred weight flew past within a few 

 yards of me, and I was astonished how I escaped. I would rather take my 

 chance in a field of battle, than in such a tornado again. 



" On the fourteenth day of my journey, at noon, I arrived at this place 



