LIFE OF WILSON. 
xcv 
entire. I this dny stopped at the house of a white man, who had two Indian 
wives, and a hopeful string of young savages, all in their fig-leaves ; not one 
of then) could speak a word of English. This man was by birth a Virginian, 
and had been forty years among the Chickasaws. His countenance and man- 
ners were savage and worse than Indian. I met many parties of boatmen to day, 
and crossed a number of bad swamps. The woods continued to exhibit the 
same open luxuriant appearance, and at night I lodged at a white man's, who 
has also two wives, and a numerous progeny of young savages. Here I met 
with a lieutenant of the United States army, anxiously inquiring for Gleneral 
Hampton. 
" On Friday the same open woods continued ; I met several parties of 
Indians, and passed two or three of their hamlets. At one of these were two 
fires in the yard, and at each, eight or ten Indians, men and women, squat on 
the ground. In these hamlets there is generally one house built of a circular 
form, and plastered thickly all over without and within with clay. This they 
call a hot house, and it is the general winter quarters of the hamlet in cold 
weather. Here they all kennel, and having neither window nor place for the 
smoke to escape, it must be a sweet place while forty or fifty of them have it 
in occupancy. Round some of these hamlets were great droves of cattle, 
horses and hogs. I lodged this night on the top of a hill far from water, and 
suflFered severely for thirst. 
" On Saturday I passed a number of most execrable swamps, the weather 
was extremely warm, and I had been attacked by something like the dysentery, 
which occasioned a constant burning thirst, and weakened me greatly. I stopped 
this day frequently to wash my head and throat in the water, to allay the burn- 
ing thirst, and putting on my hat, without wiping, received considerable relief 
from it. Since crossing the Tennessee the woods have been interspersed with 
pine, and the soil has become more sandy. This day I met a Captain Hughes, 
a traveller, on his return from Santa Fe. My complaint increased so much 
that I could scarcely sit on horseback, and all night my mouth and throat 
were parched with a burning thirst and fever. 
" On Sunday I bought some raw eggs which I ate. I repeated the dose at 
mid-day, and towards evening, and found great benefit from this simple 
remedy. I inquired all along the road for fresh eggs, and for nearly a week 
■made them almost my sole food, till I completed my cure. The water in these 
cane swamps is little better than poison; and under the heat of a burning sun, 
and the fatigues of travelling, it is difiicult to repress the urgent calls of thirst. 
On the Wednesday following, I was assailed by a tremendous storm of rain, 
wind and lightning, until I and my horse were both blinded by the deluge, 
and unable to go on. I sought the first most open place, and dismounting 
stood for half an hour under the most profuse heavenly shower-hath I ever 
enjoyed. The roaring of the storm was terrible; several trees around me 
were broken off, and torn up by the roots, and those that stood were bent almost 
to the ground : limbs of trees of several hundred weight flew past within a few 
yards of me, and I was astonished how I escaped. I would rather take my 
chance in a field of battle, than in such a tornado again. 
" On the fourteenth day of my journey, at noon, I arrived at this place, 
