gg THE KISTOUY OF 



Providence in the desolate wilderness, insomuch that if any of our people 

 wanted one single meal during the whole expedition, it was entirely owing 

 to their own imprudent management Secondly, that not one man of 

 our whole company had any violent distemper or bad accident befall him, 

 from one end of the line to the other. The very worst that happened was, 

 that one of them gave himself a smart cut on the pan of his knee with a 

 tomahawk, which we had the good fortune to cure in a short time, without 

 the help of a surgeon. As for tlie misadventures of sticking in the mire and 

 falling into rivers and creeks, they were rather subjects of mirth than 

 complaint, and served only to diversify our travels with a little farcical varie- 

 ty. And, lastly, that many uncommon incidents have concurred to prosper 

 our undertaking. We had not only a dry spring before we went out, but 

 the preceding winter, and even a year or two before, had been much drier 

 than ordinary. This made not only the Dismal, but likewise most of the 

 sunken grounds near the sea-side, just hard enough to bear us, which other- 

 wise had been quite impassable. And the whole time we were upon the bu- 

 siness, which was in all about sixteen weeks, we were never caught in the 

 rain except once, nor was our progress interrupted by bad weather above 

 three or four days at most. Besides all this, we were surprised by no Indian 

 enemy, but all of us brought our scalps back safe upon our heads. This 

 cruel method of scalping of enemies is practised by all the savages in Ameri- 

 ca, and perhaps is not the least proof of their original from the northern in- 

 habitants of Asia. Among the ancient Scythians it was constantly used, 

 who carried about these hairy scalps as trophies of victory. They served 

 them too as towels at home, and trappings for their horses abroad. But 

 these were not content with the skin of their enemies' heads, but also made 

 use of their sculls for cups to drink out of upon high festival days, and made 

 greater ostentation of them than if they had been made of gold or the purest 

 crystal. 



Besides the duties of the day, we christened one of our men who had been 

 bred a quaker. The man desired this of his own mere motion, without be- 

 ing tampered with by the parson, who was willing every one should go to 

 heaven his own way. But whether he did it by the conviction of his own 

 reason, or to get rid of some troublesome forms and restraints, to which the 

 saints of that persuasion are subject, I cannot positively say. 



18th. We proceeded over a level road twelve miles, as far as George 

 Hixe's plantation, on the south side of Meherrin river, our course being for 

 the most part north-east. By the way we hired a cart to transport our bag- 

 gage, that we might the better befriend our jaded horses. Within two miles 

 of our journey's end tliis day, we met the express we had sent the Saturday 

 before to give notice of our arrival. He had been almost as expeditious as a 

 carrier pigeon, riding in two days no less than two hundred miles. 



All the grandees of the Sapponi nation did us the honour to repair hither 

 to meet us, and our worthy friend and fellow traveller, Bearskin, appeared 

 among the gravest of them in his robes of ceremony. Four young ladies of 

 the first quality came with them, who had more the air of cleanliness than 

 any copper-coloured beauties I had ever seen ; yet we resisted all their 

 charms, notwithstanding the long fast we had kept from the sex, and the bear 

 diet we had been so long engaged in. Nor can I say the price they set upon 

 their charms was at all exorbitant A princess for a pair of red stockings 

 cannot, surely, be thought buying repentance much too dear. The men had 

 something great and venerable in their countenances, beyond the common 

 mien of savages; and indeed they ever had the reputation of being the ho- 

 nestest, as well as the bravest Indians we have ever been acquainted with. 

 This people is now made up of the remnants of several other nations, of 



