358 LAWSON'S HISTORY 



that you may ever after see the impression of the 

 reed where it was laid on, which mark never goes 

 off so long as he lives. This is used for the belly- 

 ach sometimes. They can color their hair black, 

 though sometimes it is reddish, which they do 

 with the seed of a flower that grows commonly in 

 their plantations. I believe this would change the 

 reddest hair into perfect black. They make use 

 of no minerals in their physic, and not much of 

 animals; but chiefly rely on vegetables. They 

 have several remedies for the tooth-ache, which 

 often drive away the pain : but if they fail, they 

 have recourse to punching out the tooth with a 

 small cane set against the same on a bit of leath- 

 er. Then they strike the reed and so drive out 

 the tooth ; and howsoever it may seem to the Eu- 

 ropeans, I prefer it before the common way of 

 drawing teeth by those instruments that endanger 

 the jaw, and a flux of blood often follows which 

 this method of a punch never is attended withal : 

 neither is it half the pain. The spontaneous plants 

 of America the savages are well acquainted withal, 

 and a flux of blood never follows any of their op- 

 erations. They are wholly strangers to amputa- 

 tion, and for what natural issues of blood happen 

 immoderately, they are not to seek for a certain 

 and speedy cure. Tears, roziiis, and gums, I have 

 not discovered that they make much use of ; and 

 as for purging and emetics, so much in fashion 

 with us, they never apply themselves to, unless in 

 drinking vast quantities of their yaupon or tea, 



