THE DIVIDING LINE. 
37 
Long has the furious priest assayed in vain. 
With sword and faggot, infidels to gain, 
But now the milder soldier wisely tries 
By gentler methods to unveil their eyes. 
Wonders apart, he knew ’twere vain t’ engage 
The fix’d preventions of misguided age. 
With fairer hopes he forms the Indian youth 
To early manners, probity and truth. 
The lion’s whelp thus, on the Lybian shore. 
Is tamed and gentled by the artful Moor, 
Not the grim sire, inured to blood before. 
I am sorry I cannot give a better account of the state of the poor Indians 
with respect to Christianity, although a great deal of pains has been and still 
continues to be taken with them. For my part, I must be of opinion, as I 
hinted before, that there is but one way of converting these poor infidels, 
and reclaiming them from barbarity, and that is, charitably to intermarry 
with them, according to the modern policy of the most Christian king in 
Canada and Louisiana. Had the English done this at the first settlement of 
the colony, the infidelity of the Indians had been worn out at this day, with 
their dark complexions, and the country had swarmed with people more than 
it does with insects. It was certainly an unreasonable nicety, that prevented 
their entering into so good-natured an alliance. All nations of men have 
the same natural dignity, and we all know that very bright talents may be 
lodged under a very dark skin. The principal difference between one people 
and another proceeds only from the different opportunities of improvement. 
The Indians by no means want understanding, and are in their figure tall 
and well-proportioned. Even their copper-coloured complexion would admit 
of blanching, if not in the first, at the farthest in the second generation. I 
may safely venture to say, the Indian women would have made altogether 
as honest wives for the first planters, as the damsels they used to purchase 
from aboard the ships. It is strange, therefore, that any good Christian 
should have refused a wholesome, straight bed-fellow, when he might have 
had so fair a portion with her, as the merit of saving her soul. 
8th. We rested on our clean mats very comfortably, though alone, and the 
next morning went to the toilet of some of the Indian ladies, where, what 
with the charms of their persons and the smoke of their apartments, we 
were almost blinded. They offered to give us silk-grass baskets of their 
own making, which we modestly refused, knowing that an Indian present, 
like that of a nun, is a liberality put out to interest, and a bribe placed to the 
greatest advantage. Our chaplain observed with concern, that the ruffles of 
some of our fellow travellers were a little discoloured with pochoon, where- 
with the good man had been told those ladies used to improve their invisible 
charms. 
About 10 o’clock we marched out of town in good order, and the war 
captains saluted us with a volley of small arms. From thence we proceeded 
over Black-water bridge to colonel Henry Harrison’s, where we congratulated 
each other upon our return into Christendom. 
Thus ended our progress for this season, which we may justly say was 
attended with all the success that could be expected. Besides the punctual 
performance of what was committed to us, we had the pleasure to bring 
back every one of our company in perfect health. And this we must ac- 
knowledge to be a singular blessing, considering the diiTiculties and dangers 
to which they had been exposed. We had reason to fear the many waters 
and sunken grounds, through which we were obliged to wade, might have 
F 
