760 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 137 



and down in long streams, that I was afraid it would have taken hold of a 

 barrel of powder I had in my vessel, and so blown me up; but it pleased 

 God that it did me no harm ; j^et the violence of the wind had blown 

 all the water away, where I rid at anchor, so that my canoe lay dry, and some 

 Indian women came with torches in their hands to the side of the canoe, and 

 told me an Indian was killed with lightning. The next day, I think, he was 

 buried, and I staid to see the ceremony, and was very tractable to help the 

 Indians to trim their reeds and make the coffin, which pleased them very 

 much, because I had a mind to see the interment. Before he was interred, 

 according to their custom, they dealt every one some hot victuals, which he took 

 and did what he would with. Then the doctor began to talk, and told the i)eople 

 what lightning was, and that it killed everything that dwelt upon the earth; 

 nay, the very fishes did not escape ; for it often reached the porpoises and other 

 fish', and destroyed them; that everything strove to shun it except the mice, 

 who, he said, were the busiest in eating their corn in the fields when it lightened 

 the most. He added, that no wood or tree could withstand it, except the black 

 gum, and that it would run round that tree a great many times to enter therein, 

 but could not effect it. Now you must understand that sort of gum will not 

 split or rive; therefore, I suppose, the story might arise from thence. At last 

 he began to tell the most ridiculous, absurd parcel of lies about lightning that 

 could be; as that an Indian of that nation had once got lightning in the 

 likeness of a partridge ; that no other lightning could harm him whilst he had 

 that about him : and that after he had kept it for several years it got away 

 from him; so that he then became as liable to be struck with lightning as any 

 other person. There was present at the same time an Indian that had lived 

 from his youth, chiefly in an English house; so I called to him and told him 

 what a parcel of lies the conjurer told, not doubting that he thought so as 

 well as I, but I found to the contrary ; for h'e replied, that I was much mistaken, 

 for that old man, who, I believe was upwards of an hundred years old, did 

 never tell lies ; and as for what he said, it was very true, for he knew it himself 

 to be so. Thereupon seeing the fellow's ignorance, I talked no more about it. 



Then the doctor proceeded to tell a long tale of a great rattlesnake, which, 

 a great while ago, lived by a creek in that river, which was Neus, and that it 

 killed abundance of Indians ; but at last a bald eagle killed it and they were rid 

 of a serpent that used to devour whole canoes full of Indians at a time. 



I have been something tedious upon this subject, on purpose to show what 

 strange, ridiculous stories these wretches are inclinable to believe. I suppose 

 these doctors understand a little better themselves, than to give credit to 

 any such fooleries, for I reckon them the cunningest knaves in the world. 

 (Lawson, 1860, pp. 344r-347.) 



From Francisco of Chicora, Peter Martyr obtained a story of 

 tailed men which embodies a common Southeastern mythic element, 

 though it was recorded by the Spanish historian as if it had been 

 related as a historical fact. 



There is another country called Inzignanin, whose inhabitants declare that, 

 according to the tradition of their ancestors, there once arrived amongst them 

 men with tails a meter long and as thick as a man's arm. This tail was not 

 movable like those of the quadrupeds, but formed one mass as we see is the 

 ease with fish and crocodiles, and was as hard as bone. When these men wished 

 to sit down, they had consequently to have a seat with an open bottom; and 

 if there was none, they had to dig a hole more than a cubit deep to hold their 

 tails and allow them to rest. Their fingers were as long as they were broad, 



