2l8 INDIAN ADOPTION OF WHITE CAPTIVES. 



As for the Indians themselves, they were deeply 

 and unalterably attached to their wild life in the woods, 

 and were generally, notwithstanding intertribal wars 

 and other troubles, a very happy and contented people. 

 They lived almost wholly upon the proceeds of the 

 chase ; but at times the squaws sowed small crops of 

 beans and maize where open spaces were to be found : 

 fishing in the lakes and streams was also very gener- 

 ally carried on. So far as we can learn, there is not 

 a single instance on record of one of them leaving 

 his nomadic form of existence, and adopting the life 

 of the white settlers of his own accord. But the 

 instances of whites who have become Indians are too 

 numerous to mention they might be counted lit- 

 erally by thousands. A practice also gradually grew 

 up among the Indians of adopting white captives, 

 both male and female, as members of their tribe, to 

 make up losses which had been incurred in battle. 



At first there can be no doubt the captives usually 

 had a bad time of it, and their lives as it were hung 

 by a thread. But when the first frantic outburst of 

 fury which followed a battle was over, and the 

 slaughter of a sufficient hecatomb of victims to atone 

 for the Indian losses had glutted their thirst for 

 vengeance, the Indians usually spared the remaining 

 captives, who were generally mostly women and chil- 

 dren; and the survivors were at first treated as serv- 

 ants, or even as slaves. But by degrees, as a better 

 feeling prevailed, they were regularly adopted as 

 members of the tribe. From thenceforth they could 

 live in safety, and were rarely or never molested in 

 any way, the only bar placed upon their complete 

 liberty being such precautions as were deemed neces- 



