364 lawson's history 



years. Now they have it brought them by the Tus- 

 keruros, and other neighbour Indians, but the Tus- 

 keruros chiefly, who carry it in rundlets several 

 hundred miles, amongst other Indians. Some- 

 times they cannot forbear breaking their cargo, 

 but sit down in the woods, and drink it all up, and 

 then hollow and shout like so many bedlamites. 

 I accidentally once met with one of these drunken 

 crews, and was amazed to see a parcel of drunken 

 savages so far from any Englishman's house ; but 

 the Indians I had in company informed me, that 

 they were merchants, and had drunk all their 

 stock, as is very common for them to do. But 

 when they happen to carry it safe, which is sel- 

 dom, without drinking some part of it, and filling 

 it up with water, and come to an Indian town, 

 those that buy rum of them have so many mouthfuls 

 for a buck skin, they never using any other meas- 

 ure ; and for this purpose, the buyer always makes 

 choice of his man, which is one that has the great- 

 est mouth, whom he brings to the market with a 

 bowl to put it in. The seller looks narrowly to 

 the man's mouth that measures it, and if he hap- 

 pens to swallow any down, either through wilful- 

 ness or otherwise, the merchant or some of his 

 party does not scruple to knock the fellow down, 

 exclaiming against him for false measure. There- 

 upon, the buyer finds another mouthpiece to 

 measure the rum by, so that this trading is very 

 agreeable to the spectators, to see such a deal of 



