No!^77r" ^^^' '^^^ WAHNENAUHI MANUSCRIPT — KILPATRICK 197 



Lowrey was the only one of his party who spoke the Enghsh Lan- 

 guage and this he did very imperfectly. 



One of the white men who gave his name as "Dickey," by his 

 affabihty, quite won the Indians from their natural reserve and diffi- 

 dence, and had a very interesting conversation with Lowrey, the leader 

 of his party. 



The whites and Indians camped near each other, ate and smoked 

 together, and spent several hours in pleasant intercourse. 



Dickey persuaded them to tell him many curious incidents relating 

 to Indian habits and customs, while he gave them some ideas of 

 civihzed life. 



He had with him a small book which he showed and explained to 

 them; Lowrey acting as Interpreter for both parties — the Indians were 

 filled with astonishment at the new and interesting things they had 

 learned; and soon after separating with the white hunters they decided 

 to return home. For the first time in their lives, Lowrey and Sequo- 

 yah felt an intense and longing desire for improvement; they had had a 

 glimpse of a better way of life, and they determined to reach it. 



From this time their careless, wild life lost all attractions for them; 

 they were often taunted and ridiculed for their change of deportment; 

 their friends tried to cheer and enliven them by persuading them to 

 attend the ball-plays and dances, by making them many valuable 

 presents, and in other ways showing kindness to them. 



Out of regard to their friends and kindred, they still attended the 

 gatherings of the people, as, Green Corn Dances, Foot-races, and 

 Ball-plays they were dissatisfied, inattentive and listless. They 

 both embraced every opportunity of learning the ''white man's ways." 



Indeed many of their relatives and other friends were persuaded by 

 them and followed their example, they began to build better houses, 

 make larger fields and gather around them cattle, horses and hogs. 



Many years passed bringing changes to all, and much inprovement 

 to the Cherokees. 



Sequoyah often wandered away alone avoiding every one, at such 

 times he was absent for hours, no one knew where. One day, a hunter 

 on his way home, in passing Sequoyah's cabin, and seeing his wife at 

 the door, called to her and said that he had seen Sequoyah in the woods, 

 seated on the ground, playing like a child with pieces of wood that he 

 had chopped from a tree, that he spoke to him but could not attract 

 his attention, he was so intent at his play. After this he was often 

 seen in this way; always making odd little marks, sometimes on 

 rocks, using paint rocks as pencils, and sometimes, with his knife 

 cutting them on wood. 



After trying for a long time to divert his attention from these 

 "Worse than childish ways" his wife and other friends left him alone to 



