304? RATTLE-SNAKE. 



iAmerican native lo death. * Thus (continued Pemaholend) was the monfter 

 rattie-'fnake!"'^ ^ ^'"^'^ by two mannitto men of the nation: for, you muft 

 know, in thofe days, we had fuch men among us, who could 

 Jive as well in the water as on land." 



* Convening one day with a Monfy (advanced in years) 

 on ancient times, on the migration of the Indians, &c. he, in 

 -order to convince me (fays Mr. Heckewelder) what the 

 Indians once were, mentioned the killing of the big fnake, 

 the hiftory of which, according to his relation, differing only 

 in the following points : 



" a: He did not think it had been arattle-fnake, but under- 

 flood the old men, from whom he had heard it fo often re- 

 lated (when he vvas young), that it was a fnake of a peculiar 

 kind, and had feet ; and that never fince had a fnake of this 

 kind appeared : 



: " b. That he was not fure as lo the place where this fnake 

 kept; believed it had been higher up the country, and kept 

 in a wide and deep place of the river, and in the country 

 of the Munfees (or Minfy) and was killed by a Mannitto 

 Munfee; 



" c. That after the nation had met in council, and the above 

 queftions put, a Munfee man of no character, nor feemingly 

 of any confequence to the nation, faid and declared, that he 

 had Mannittoie Fowtrs ; could and would deftroy the monfter, 

 prefcribing the ceremonies the aflembly were to obferve during 

 the expedition. That he then made a very ftrong arrow, or 

 fpear, fharp at both ends j and being equipped, took leave 

 of the atTembly — plunged into the river, and dived under 

 water, until he arrived within a fmall diftance of the place 

 where the fnake lay, or floated, balking in the fun. Here 

 he afcended to the furface, and calling out to the fnake to 

 receive him, he opened his mouth wide, and drew him in, 

 when, however, in an inftant, the fnake was ftabbed by him 

 through both his tides, with the fpear, which wounded him 

 -fo deadly, that he gave a whirl, and being under great pain, 

 difcharged his excrements, and with the fame this hero, who 



* Even this part of the Indian tradition feems to be borrowed 

 from the old viforld. See a curious relation of the capture of an 

 enormous ferpent in The Life of Set hos, as taken from firi-vate me- 

 moirs of the Egypians. Vol. i. p. 125—147. London^ 1737, 



then 



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