SWANTON] INDIAJ^S OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES 303 



The explorers from Barbados on the Cape Fear River report : 



Some of the Indians brought very good salt aboard us, and made signs, point- 

 ing to both sides of the river's mouth, that there v^as great store thereabouts. 

 (Lawson, 1860, p. 125.) 



In 1650 some English explorers were told that there were "great 

 heapes of Salt" at the mouth of Roanoke River (Alvord, 1912, p. 

 127). The salt trade along the Santee has already been mentioned, 

 but it should be added that the monk San Miguel observed no salt 

 among the Indians he visited about St. Simons Island, Ga. (Garcia, 

 1902, p. 198). 



In the Gulf area proper between Florida and the Mississippi we 

 know of but one source of natural salt except the sea, and that was 

 on a small creek flowing into the lower Tombigbee River called to 

 this day Salt Creek and in the neighboring Satilpa Creek. 



As might have been anticipated, we find most of our references to 

 salt substitutes in sections where natural supplies were wanting. 

 Garcilaso tells us that when the Spaniards entered the province of 

 Tascalusa, between the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers, they lost 

 many of their companions for want of salt, but the rest 



made use of the remedy which the Indiansi prepared to save and help them- 

 selves in that necessity. This was that they burned a certain herb of which 

 they knew and made lye with the ashes. They dipped what they ate in it as 

 If it were a sauce and with this they saved themselves from rotting away and 

 dying, like the Spaniards. (Garcilaso, 1723, pp. 175-176.) 



This may have been the salt substitute mentioned by Adair : 



They make salt for domestic use, out of a saltish kind of grass, which grows on 

 rocks, by burning it to ashes, making strong lye of it, and boiling it in earthen 

 pots to a proper consistence. (Adair, 1775, p. 116.) 



Probably this "grass" was identical with the ''moss" from which 

 Bartram tells us the Creeks obtained their salt, for Catesby says that 

 the Indians of his acquaintance used "instead of salt, wood-ashes, yet 

 I have seen amongst the Chigasaws very sharp salt in christalline 

 lumps, which they told me was made of a grass growing on rocks in 

 fresh rivers" (Catesby, 173-43, vol. 2, p. x). 



As noted above, the Algonquians of North Carolina used the stalk 

 cf "a kinde of Orage." By burning this into ashes, Hariot (1893, pp. 

 21-22) tells us, "they make a kinde of salt earth, wherewithall many 

 vse sometimes to season their brothes." He says they knew of no 

 other salt, but this seems unlikely in view of the references made to 

 the use of sea salt in their immediate neighborhood. Of the Virginia 

 Indians Beverley (1705, bk. 3, p. 15) remarks: "They have no Salt 

 among them, but for seasoning, use the Ashes of Hiccory, stickweed, 

 or some other Wood or Plant, affording a salt ash." 



And finally a word from Lawson : 



