Native American, or Indian Dogs. 11 



always stand upon the ceremony of waiting to have 

 the dogs presented to them. The Portuguese author 

 of Elvas, who accompanied Soto and his successor in 

 their mad ramble, informs us, that during the time 

 the army laboured under a scarcity of meat, " he 

 who could catch a dog in any village, thought him- 

 self a very happy man ; for sometimes, he observes, 

 we found thirty in a place, but the soldier that killed 

 one, and sent not a quarter to his qaptain, suffered 

 for it, paying dear for his incivilities, when he was to 

 go centinel, or upon any guard of fatigue*." 



We are not told what kind of dog it was that the 

 Spaniards found among these Indians. There do 

 not appear to be good grounds to suspect, that they 

 were of the Alco or Itzcuintepotzotli kinds. It is cer- 

 tain, that neither of these animals is now known 

 among any of the Floridian Indians ; and it does not 

 seem likely that the breeds which these Indians at 

 present possess, have been reclaimed from the wild 

 state, since the time of Soto's " mad adventures." 



at Ocute, in the country of the Creek-Indians, rather favours the 

 opinion that they did. The cacique sent the Spanish general 

 " two thousand Indians, with a present of rabbets, partridges, 

 maes-bread, two pullets, and a great many dogs." A Relation,, 

 &c. p. 55. If the Indians did not eat their dogs, why did they 

 suppose the Spaniards were fond of them ? It is true there was a 

 great scarcity of meat and salt at Ocute, and the Indians may 

 have supposed, that any kind of food would be acceptable to an 

 army of hungry men. Besides, it is probable, they had many op- 

 portunities of seeing the Spaniards employed in stealing their 

 dogs. 



* A Relation, 8cc. p. 56. 



