LAWSON'S HISTORY 25 



part of their country, yet the mouth is barred af- 

 foarding not above four or five feet water at 

 the entrance. As we went up the river we heard 

 a great noise as if two parties were engaged 

 against each other, seeming exactly like small 

 shot. When we approached nearer the place we 

 found it to be some Sewee Indians firing the 

 cane swamps, which drives out the game, then 

 taking their particular stands, kill great quantities 

 of both bear, deer, turkies, and what wild crea- 

 tures the parts afford. These Sewees have been 

 formerly a large nation, though now very much 

 decreased, since the English hath seated their 

 land, and all other nations of Indians are observed 

 to partake of the same fate, where the Europeans 

 come, the Indians being a people very apt to catch 

 any distemper they are afflicted withal. The small 

 pox has destroyed many thousands of these natives 

 who, no sooner than they are attacked with the 

 violent fevers and the burning which attends that 

 distemper, fling themselves over-head in the water, 

 in the very extremity of the disease, which, shut- 

 ting up the pores, hinders a kindly evacuation of 

 the pestilential matter, and drives it back, by 

 which means death most commonly ensues ; not 

 but in other distempers which are epidemical, 

 you may find among them practitioners that have 

 extraordinary skill and success in removing those 

 morbific qualities which afflict them, not often go- 

 ing above one hundred yards from their abode for 



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