SWANTON] INDIANS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES 691 



another in the most cowardly manner ; yet their confidence in, and the opinion 

 they have of the prowess of white men is such, that a party of them being led 

 on by an European or two, have been frequently known to behave with great 

 bravery. 



Their savage nature appears in nothing more than their barbarity to their 

 captives, whom they murder gradually with the most exquisite tortures they 

 can invent. At these diabolical ceremonies attend both sexes, old and young, 

 all of them with great glee and merriment assisting to torture the unhappy 

 wretch, till his death finishes their diversion. However timorous these savages 

 behave in battle, they are quite otherwise when they know they must die, 

 shewing then an uncommon fortitude and resolution, and in the height of 

 their misery will sing, dance, revile, and despise their tormentors till their 

 strength and spirits fail. (Catesby, 1731-43, vol. 2, p. xiv.) 



To warfare he attributed the relatively small population of North 

 America at the arrival of Europeans, who also contributed to a fur- 

 ther decline: 



The Indians (as to this life) seem to be a very happy people, tho' that hap- 

 piness is much eclipsed by the intestine feuds and continual wars one nation 

 maintains against another, which sometimes continue some ages, killing and 

 making captive, till they become so weak, that they are forced to make peace 

 for want of recruits to supply their wars. This probably has occasioned the 

 depopulated state of north America at the arival of Europeans, who by intro- 

 ducing the vices and the distempers of the old world, have greatly contributed 

 even to extinguish the race of these savages, who it is generally believed were 

 at first four, if not six times as numerous as they now are. (Catesby, 1731-43, 

 vol. 2, pp. xv-x^^.) 



In Timberlake's time the Cherokee warriors were provided with 

 bows and arrows, darts, scalping knives, and tomahawks, but had also 

 obtained guns, and trade tomahawks with a pipe opposite the blade 

 were already common. Like the other Indians of the section, they 

 went on these war expeditions wearing little besides their breech- 

 clouts, but elaborately painted. Again, like the other Indians, they 

 were in the habit of leaving a club "something of the form of a 

 cricket-bat, but with their warlike exploits engraved on it, in their 

 enemy's country." Timberlake adds that "the enemy accepts the 

 defiance, by bringing this back to their country." In case they won 

 a victory it was their custom "to engrave their victory on some neigh- 

 boring tree, or set up some token of it near the field of battle" (Tim- 

 berlake, Williams ed., 1927, pp. 82-83) . Warriors were not compelled 

 to take part in an expedition or to support their leader once they had 

 set out, except apparently in the action itself. Timberlake also tells us 

 that there were two grades of warriors under the chiefs, and that 

 many women were famous both in war and in council. In 1762 

 this explorer witnessed the return of a war party which had been 

 out against the northern Indians : 



On the 10th of March, while we were again preparing for our departure, the 

 Death Hallow was heard from the top of Tommotly town-house. This was to 



