TRAVELS 1 % 
CHAP. YIIL 
November 27th, 1777, ft? off from Mobile* 
in a large boat with the principal trader of the 
company, and at evening arrived at Taenfa, where 
v/ere the pack-horfemen with the merchandize, 
and next morning as foon as we had our horfes 
in readinefs, I took my lad leave of Major Far- 
mer, and left Taenfa. Our caravan confided of 
between twenty and thirty horfes, fixteen of 
which were loaded, two pack-horfemen, and my- 
felf, under the direction of Mr. Tap y the 
chief trader. One of our young men was a 
Mudee Creek, his mother being a Chadtaw (lave, 
and his father a half breed, betwixt a Creek and 
a white man. I loaded one horfe with my effedts, 
forrte prefents to the Indians, to enable me to pur- 
chafe a frefh horfe, in cafe of necedity ; for my 
old trudy Have, which had ferved me faithfully ai- 
med three years, having carried me on his back at 
lead fix thoufand miles, was by this time almod 
worn out, and I expedted every hour he would give 
up, efpecially after I found the manner of thefe 
traded travelling. They feldom decamp until the 
fun is high and hot ; each one having a whip 
made of the toughed cow-fkin, they dart all at 
once, the horfes having ranged themfelves in re- 
gular Indian file, the veteran in the van, and the 
younger in the rear; then the chief drives with 
the crack of his whip, and a whoop or fhriek, 
which rings through the foreds and plains, fpeaks 
In Indian, commanding them to proceed, which 
is repeated by all the company, when we dart 
at once, keeping up a brifk and condant trot, 
■ y * ' * which 
