SWANTON] INDIANS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNTITED STATES 593 



We now come to the Cherokee. 



Their canoes are generally made of a large pine or poplar, from thirty to 

 forty feet long, and about two broad, with flat bottoms and sides, and both 

 ends alike; the Indians hollow them now with the tools they get from the 

 Europeans, but formerly did it by fire: they are capable of carrying about fifteen 

 or twenty men, are very light, and can by the Indians, so great is their skill in 

 managing them, be forced up a strong current, particularly the bark canoes; 

 but these are seldom used but by the northern Indians. (Timberlakc, Williams 

 ed., 1927, pp. 84-85.) 



Du Pratz is the only French writer who devotes much attention to 

 this subject. After describing the method in which trees were felled, 

 a method almost identical with that employed in Virginia and Car- 

 olina, he goes on : 



This occasions them an infinite amount of labor, since they have no utensils 

 for this work other than wood for making fire and wood for sci'aping, and 

 only small pieces of wood must be used in burning. In order to set fire to this 

 tree destined for a pirogue, a pad of clay, which is found everywhere, has to 

 be made for the two sides and each end. These pads prevent the fire from 

 passing beyond and burning the sides of the boat. A great fire is made above, 

 and when the wood is consumed it is scraped so that the insides may catch 

 fire better and may be hallowed out more easily, and they continue thus until 

 the fire has consumed all of the wood in the inside of the tree. And if the fire 

 burns into the sides they put mud there which prevents it from working 

 farther than is demanded. This precaution is taken until the pirogue is deep 

 enough. The outside is made in the same manner and with the same attention. 



The bow of this pirogue is made sloping, like those of the boats which one 

 sees on French rivers. This bow is as broad as the body of the pirogue. I 

 have seen some 40 feet long by 3 broad. They are about 3 inches thick which 

 makes them very heavy. These pirogues can carry 12 persons and are all of 

 buoyant wood. Those of the Arkansas are of black walnut. 



To guide these pirogues the natives make little oars, which are not fastened 

 to that boat. They are called paddles (pagaies). They are similar to those 

 given in illustrations, where they are placed in the hands of river gods when 

 they are depicted. They are only 6 feet long. The French make thera only 

 an inch thick, and they are infinitely lighter. (Le Page du Pratz, 1728, vol. 2, 

 pp. 188-189; Swanton, 1911, pp. 66-67.) 



It is not surprising that we get a considerable diversity of opinion 

 as to the carrying capacity of these canoes. Garcilaso de la Vega 

 says that the largest had 25 "oars" to the bench and the smallest 14, 

 and that the former carried from 75 to 80 warriors. We look for 

 exaggeration in the figures he gives, but Biedma states that some of 

 those canoes assembled to attack De Soto's men during their descent 

 of the Mississippi held 80 men, and Elvas gives the number as 60 to 70. 

 In Virginia Percy saw a canoe about 45 feet long, Beverley one of 

 30 feet. (Garcilaso, 1723, p. 240 ; Bourne, 1904, vol. 2, p. 39 ; Robertson, 

 1933, p. 276; Narr. Early Va., Tyler ed., 1907, pp. 10-11; Beverley, 

 1705, bk. 3, p. 61.) As noted already, Strachey (1849, p. 74) gives the 

 length of some canoes as 40 to 50 feet and their capacity as 40 men, 



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