OF NORTH CAROLINA. 363 



wind proceeds from their never eating any broth. 

 The small pox has been fatal to them, they do not 

 often escape, when they are seized with that dis- 

 temper, which is a contrary fever to what they 

 ever know. Most certain, it had never visited 

 America, before the discovery thereof by the chris- 

 tians. Their running into the water, in the ex- 

 tremity of this disease, strikes it in, and kills all 

 that use it. j^ow they are become a little wiser ; 

 but formerly it destroyed whole towns, without 

 leaving one Indian alive in the village. The 

 plague was never known amongst them, that I 

 could learn by what enquiry I have made. These 

 savages use scarriiication almost in all distempers. 

 Their chief instruments for that operation is the 

 teeth of rattle snakes, which they poison withal. 

 They take them out of the snake's head, and suck 

 out the poison with their mouths, and so keep 

 them for use, and spit out the venom, which is 

 green, and are never damaged thereby. The 

 small pox and rum, have made such a destruction 

 amongst them that, on good grounds, I do believe, 

 there is not the sixth savage living within two 

 hundred miles of all our settlements, as there were 

 fifty years ago. These poor creatures have so 

 many enemies to destroy them, that it is a wonder 

 one of them is alive near us. The small pox I 

 have acquainted you withal above, and so I have 

 of rum, and shall only add, that they have got 

 away to carry it back to the westward Indians, 

 who never knew what it was, till within very few 



