52 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.anx. 19 



party of Iiidiiiiis was surrounded and entirely cut ott'. "Sixteen ^yerc 

 found dead in the valley when the battle ended. These our men 

 scalped." In a personal encounter "a stout Indian engaged a sturdy 

 3'oung white man, who was a good bruiser and expert at gouging. 

 After breaking their guns on each other they laid hold of one another, 

 when the cracker had his thumbs instantly in the fellow's eyes, who 

 I'oared and cried ' raiudy'' — enough, in Eiiglisii. "Damn you,' says 

 the white man. "you can never have enough while you arc alive.' He 

 then threw him down, set his foot upon his head, and scalped hnu 

 alive; then took up one of the broken guns and knocked out his brains. 

 It would have been fun if he had let the latter action alone and sent 

 him home without his nightcap, to tell his countrymen how he had 

 been treated." Later on some of the same detachment (Williamson's) 

 seeing a woman ahead, fired on her and brought her down with two 

 serious wounds, but 3'et able to speak. After getting what informa- 

 tion she could give them, through a half-breed interpreter, "the 

 informer being unable to travel, some of our men favored her so far 

 that they killed her there, to put her out of pain." A few days later 

 "a party of Colonel Thomas's regiment, being on a hunt of plunder, 

 or some such thing, found an Indian squaw and took her prisonei', she 

 being lame, was unable to go with her friends. She was so sullen 

 that she would, as an old saying is, neither lead nor drive, and by their 

 account she died in their hands; but I suppose they helped her to her 

 end." At this place — on the Hiwassee — they found a large town, 

 having "upwards of ninety houses, and large quantities of corn,'' and 

 "we encamped among the corn, whei"e we had a great plenty of corn, 

 peas, beans, potatoes, and hogs," and on the next daj^ "we were 

 ordered to assemble in companies to spread through the town to 

 destroy, cut down, and liurn all the vegetables l)elonging to our 

 heathen enemies, which was no small undertaking, they being so 

 plentifully supplied.'' Continuing to another town, "we engaged in 

 our former labor, that is, cutting and destroying all things that might 

 be of advantage to our enemies. Finding here curious ])uildings, 

 great apple trees, and whitc-man-like improvements, these we 

 destroyed." ^ 



While crossing over the mountains Ruthci'ford's men approached a 

 house belonging to a ti'ader, when one of his negro slaves ran out and 

 "was shot by the Reverend James Hall, the chaplain, as he ran, mis- 

 taking him for an Indian."" Soon after they captured two women 

 and a boy. It was proposed to auction them oil' at once to tiie highest 

 bidder, and when one of the officers protested that the matter should 

 l)e left to the disposition of Congress, "the greater part swore bloodily 

 that if they were not sold for slaves upon the spot they would kill and 



iRoss Journal, in Historical Jlagazine, October, 1867. 



-Swain, Sketch of the Indian War of 177fi, in Hi.storical JIagu/.inc, Xovembcr, 1M7. 



