SwANTON] INDIANS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES 595 



vol. 2, pp. 188-189; Swanton, 1911, pp. 66-67; Adair, 1775, p. 395.) 

 Pine was used by the coast Indians of North Carolina, and Timber- 

 lake implies that it was the principal canoe wood of the Cherokee 

 (Timberlake, Williams ed., 1927, p. 84; Burrage, 1906, p. 232). 



The ornamentation of canoes is scarcely touched upon by any of 

 our authorities, and therefore Garcilaso's statement is of some in- 

 terest to the effect that "the boats of the [Indian] fleet were painted 

 within and without, yellow, blue, white, green, red, or some other 

 color, according to the fancy of him to whom the vessel belonged" 

 (Garcilaso, 1723, p. 240). Without doubt, then, there was a certain 

 amount of decoration, though one may question whether decoration 

 was carried anywhere near as far as on the North Pacific coast. But 

 when Garsilaso goes on to say that the clothing of the occupants 

 of each canoe was colored to match the canoe itself, one is inclined to 

 be skeptical. 



Du Pratz's mention of 6 feet as the length of paddles is about 

 all the information vouchsafed us regarding these necessary articles 

 (Le Page du Pratz, 1758, vol. 2, p. 189; Swanton, 1911, p. 67). The 

 paddle found by Gushing was burned off, and he does not even tell 

 us the length of the portion preserved. Two Cape Fear Kiver Indians 

 came off to visit the Barbadoes explorers in a canoe, "one paddling 

 with a great cane, the other with his hands" (Lawson, 1860, p. 122) . 



It will be remembered that Barlowe speaks of the use of canoe 

 poles "as the depth serveth," and Lawson tells us that both the Indians 

 and the English were in the habit of making poles out of prickly 

 ash "to set their canoes along in shoal water" because it "grows up 

 like a pole" (Burrage, 1906, p. 233 ; Lawson, 1860, p. 168) . Dickenson 

 mentions poling as a common means of progression along the shallow 

 lagoons on the east coast of Florida (Dickenson, 1803, p. 48; Swanton, 

 1922, p. 392). 



Along the coast of Georgia the Indian paddlers employed a peculiar 

 method which came to be known as "Yamasee stroke" (Hodge, 

 1910, ai't, Yamasee). In Virginia, Byrd tells us that the Indian 

 swimmers used their hands alternately instead of synchronously, and 

 he regarded the method as superior (Bassett, 1901, p. 305). 



Our only authority who discusses the manufacture and employment 

 of bark canoes at length is Beverley : 



When in their Travels, they meet with any Waters, which are not fordable, 

 they make Canoes of Birch Bark, by slipping it whole off the Tree, in this 

 manner. First, they gash the Bark quite round the Tree, at the length they 

 wou'd have the Canoe of, then slit down the length from end to end; when 

 that is done, they with their Tomaliawks easily open the Bark, and strip it 

 whole off. Then they force it open with Sticks in the middle, slope the under- 

 side of the ends, and sow them up, which helps to keep the Belly open ; or if the 

 Birch Trees happen to be small, they sow the Bark of two together ; The Seams 



