374 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 137 



sort of potatoes, they likewise dry them over a moderate fire, and chiefly use 

 them in the spring-season mixt with their favourite bear's oil. As soon as the 

 larger sort of corn is full-eared, they half-boil it too, and dry it either by the 

 sun, or over a slow fire ; which might be done, as well, in a moderately hot oven, if 

 the heat were renewed as occasion required. (Adair, 1775, p. 438.) 



Du Pratz speaks of preserving pumpkins, but his account may 

 refer rather to Creole customs than to those of Indians (Le Page du 

 Pratz, 1758, vol. 2, p. 11; Swanton, 1911, p. 77; see above, p. 360). 

 Lawson appears to be the only writer to mention definitely the preser- 

 vation and storage of beans or peas. 



They plant a great many sorts of pulse, part of which they eat green in the 

 summer, keeping great quantities for their winter's store, which they carry along 

 with them into the hunting quarters and eat them. (Lawson, 1860, p. 337). 



Mention is made of dried venison in the De Soto narratives (Bourne, 

 1904, vol. 2, pp. 79, 99) and this was a customary means of preserving 

 the flesh of the deer, bison, and bear throughout the Gulf region. 

 Speaking particularly of the Natchez, Du Pratz says : 



That the meat may keep during the time they are hunting and that it may 

 serve as nourishment for their families for a certain time, the men during the 

 chase have all the flesh of the thighs, shoulders, and most fleshy parts smoked, 

 except the hump and the tongue, which they eat on the spot. All the meat that 

 is smoked is cut into flat pieces to cook it well. It is not cut too thin, however, 

 for fear lest it dry up too much. The grill is on four fairly strong forked sticks 

 and iwles above a foot apart and above these canes 4 inches apart. This grill 

 is raised about 3 feet above the earth, in order that one may be able to put a 

 fire made of large sticks of wood underneath. They turn the meat and withdraw 

 it only when it is cooked to such a degree that the upper side is roasted and very 

 dry. Then they take off what is cooked and put other pieces on. Thus they 

 smoke their meat, which can be carried everywhere and preserved as long as it is 

 desired. (Le Page du Pratz, 1758, vol. 3, p. 11 ; Swanton, 1911, p. 72.) 



Catesby : 



Besides roasting and boiling, they Imr'becue most of the flesh of the larger 

 animals, such as buffalo's, bear and deer ; this is performed very gradually, over 

 a slow clear fire, upon a large wooden gridiron, raised two feet above the fire. 

 By this method of curing venison it will keep good five or six weeks, and by its 

 being divested of the bone, and cut into portable pieces, adapts it to their use, for 

 the more easy conveyance of it from their hunting quarters to their habitations. 

 Fish is also thus preserved for the better conveyance of it from the maritime 

 to the inland countries. (Catesby, 1731-43, vol. 2, p. x.) 



Jackson Lewis, one of my best Creek informants, described as fol- 

 lows the manner in which deer meat was preserved : 



They first made an incision down the middle of the deer's belly and 

 then stripped the body meat off of the bones from front to back. The 

 resulting piece was large and flat. It was dried in the sun, and as 

 others were dried they were made into a pile, which was carried back 

 to the village on the back of a pony. The thighs were treated in this 

 way. First the long bones were removed, and then the meat was cut 



