SwANTON] INDIANS OF THE SOUTHEASTEHN UNITED STATES 229 



The men are all tall and the women of medium height, but both are well enough 

 proportioned in figure and height, there being none, as in Europe, of gigantic 

 stature or as short as dwarfs. I have seen a single person who was only 4^ 

 feet high and who, although well proportioned, dared not appear among the 

 French until three or four years after their arrival, and then he would not have 

 done so had not some Frenchmen accidentally discovered him. (Le Page du 

 Pratz, 1758, vol. 2, pp. 308-309; Swanton, 1911, pp. 48-49.) 



Adair had also met one dwarf "in Ishtatoe (Estatoee), a northern 

 town of the middle part of the Cheerake country, — and he was a great 

 beloved man" (Adair, 1775, p. 213). Atakullakulla, the Little Car- 

 penter, the most famous Cherokee chief of the eighteenth century, was 

 also of exceptionally small stature. Possibly he was identical with 

 "the great beloved man" just mentioned. 



To the Spanish writers, the Caddo appeared tall and robust, and 

 fairer than those they were acquainted with, but Mooney considered 

 them "rather smaller and darker than the neighboring prairie tribes," 

 and the Omaha called them "Black Pawnee." (Swanton, 1942, p. 122.) 



When we turn to a more particular consideration of the mental and 

 moral qualities of these Indians, we are on still more uncertain ground, 

 the differences which appear and which are commented on by our 

 various authorities being attributable not so much to collective varia- 

 tions in badness or goodness but to environment and the relative oppor- 

 tunities for advancement enjoyed by the peoples being compared. This 

 the writers of that time wefe usually quite incapable of realizing and 

 they classified their subjects as good or bad in proportion to the agree- 

 ment between the standards extant among them and those with which 

 they themselves were familiar. 



Strachey's evaluation of the Virginia Indians was as follows : 



They are inconstant in everything but what feare constraineth them to keepe ; 

 crafty, tymerous, quick of apprehension, ingenious enough in their own workes 

 [as is testified to by their various inventions and arts]. Some of them are of 

 disposition fearefull (as I said) and not easily wrought, therefore, to trust us or 

 come unto our forts ; others, againe, of them are so bold and audacyous, as they 

 dare come into our forts, truck and trade with us, and looke us in the face, crying 

 all freinds when they have but new done us a mischief, and when they intend 

 presently againe, yf it lye in their power, to doe the like. They are generally 

 covetous of our comodityes, as copper, white beads for their women, hatchetts, 

 of which we make them poore ones, of iron howes to pare their come grownd, 

 knives, and such like. 



They are soone moved to anger, and so malitious that they seldome forgett an 

 injury ; they are very thievish, and will as closely as they can convey any thing 

 away from us ; howebe yt, they seldome steale one from another, lest their con- 

 nivres should revele yt, and so they be pursued and punished. That they are thus 

 feared yt is certaine, nor lett any man doubt that the divell cannot reveile an 

 offence actually committed. (Strachey, 1849, p. 68-69.) 



Swan, the government agent, is naturally struck by those character- 

 istics which interfered with the execution of his mission : 



