MAY. 153 



duction of iron by Europeans, their hatchets were made of 

 flint, and they used shells or sharp stones for knives. They 

 stole upon their enemies with great caution ; but when dis- 

 covery was unavoidable, or concealment no longer necessary, 

 they uttered frightful yells, and the terrific war-whoop, to 

 strike terror into their foes. 



C. — Have you any idea of what the celebrated war- 

 whoop was like ? 



F. — It is said to resemble the words " woach, woach! 

 hach, hach, woach ! " and I have been told by those who 

 have heard it, that when two or three hundred Indians are 

 shouting these discordant sounds, each one thirsting for blood, 

 it is enough to appal the stoutest heart. Probably there is 

 not so much in the sound itself, as in the ideas with which 

 it is associated ; the suddenness and unexpectedness of the 

 attack, the stern and merciless character of the warfare, and 

 often the horrors of night, and the uncertainty respecting the 

 force of the enemy, have contributed to give to this war-cry 

 that fearful character with which it has been invested by the 

 whites. Prisoners were often taken, and put to death with 

 horrible tortures, the sustaining of which, without any mani- 

 festation of pain, was indispensable in him who wished to 

 bear the character of a warrior. They lived chiefly by hunt- 

 ing, and were well acquainted with the habits and retreats of 

 the wild animals of the woods : they clothed themselves with 

 the skins. They also cultivated the maize plant, or Indian 

 com, and from them the Europeans learned the mode. In- 

 stead of hoes, they used large oyster-shells, and the labour of 

 cultivation was performed by the women ; personal labour 

 being considered beneath the dignity of a warrior and hunter. 

 They had little knowledge of medicine ; their jugglers were 

 both physicians and priests : they used a few simples, and 

 had some knowledge of rough surgery. A steam bath has 

 often wrought sui^prising cures, and was a favourite remedy in 



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