OP NORTH CAROLINA. 823 



tend to keep him to work in their fields, they flea 

 the skin from the setting on of his toes to the mid- 

 dle of his foot, so cut off one half of his feet, wrap- 

 ping the skin over the wounds, and healing them. 

 By this cruel method, the Indian captive is hinder- 

 ed from making his escape, for he can neither run 

 fast or go anywhere, but his feet are more easily 

 traced and discovered. Yet I know one man who 

 made his escape from them, though they had thus 

 disabled him, as you may see in my journal. 



The Indians ground their wars on enmity, not 

 on interest, as the Europeans generally do ; for the 

 loss of the meanest person in the nation, they will 

 go to war and lay all at stake, and prosecute their 

 designs to the utmost, till the nation they were in- 

 jured by, be wholly destroyed, or make them that 

 satisfaction which they demand. They are very 

 politic in waging and carrying on their war : first, 

 by advising with all the ancient men of conduct and 

 reason, that belong to their nation ; such as super- 

 annuated war captains, and those that have been 

 counsellors for many years, and whose advice 

 has commonly succeeded very well. They have 

 likewise their field counsellors, who are accus- 

 tomed to ambuscades and surprises, which meth- 

 ods are commonly used by the savages, for I scarce 

 ever heard of a field battle fought amongst them. 



One of their expeditions afforded an instance, 

 worthy mention, which was thus ; two nations of 

 Indians here in Carolina were at war together, and 

 a party of &ch were in the forest ranging to see 



