THE lHVlDli\(^ LINE. 
59 
dance and sing round these wretched mortals, showing all the marks of 
pleasure and jollity. And if such cruelties happen to be executed in their 
towns, they employ their children in tormenting the prisoners, in order to 
extinguish in them betimes all sentiments of humanity. In the mean time, 
while these poor .wretches are under the anguish of all this inhuman treat- 
ment, they disdain so much as to groan, sigh, or show the least sign of dismay 
or concern, so much as in their looks ; on the contrary, they make it a point 
of honour all the time to soften their features, and look as pleased as if they 
were in the actual enjoyment of some delight ; and if they never sang before 
in their lives, they will be sure to be melodious on this sad and dismal occa- 
sion. So prodigious a degree of passive valour in the Indians is the more to 
be wondered at, because in all articles of danger they are apt to behave like 
cowards. And what is still more surprising, the very women discover, on 
such occasions, as great fortitude and contempt, both of pain and death, as 
the gallantest of their men can do. 
21st. The apprehensions we had of losing the horses in these copse woods 
were too well founded, nor were the precautions we used yesterday of 
driving them up sufficient to prevent their straying away afterwards, not- 
withstanding they were securely hobbled. We therefore ordered the men 
out early this morning to look diligently for them, but it was late before any 
could be found. It seems they had straggled in quest of forage, and, besides 
all that, the bushes grew thick enough to conceal them from being seen at 
the smallest distance. One of the people was so bewildered in search of his 
horse, that he lost himself, being no great forester. However, because we 
were willing to save time, we left two of our most expert woodsmen behind 
to beat all the adjacent woods in quest of him. 
In the mean while the surveyors proceeded vigorously on their business^ 
but were so perplexed with thickets at their first setting off, that their pro- 
gress was much retarded. They were no sooner over that difficulty-, but 
they were obliged to encounter another. The rest of their day’s work lay 
over very sharp hills, where the dry leaves, were so slippery that there was 
hardly any hold for their feet. Such rubs as these prevented them from 
measuring more than four miles and two hundred and seventy poles. Upon 
the sides of these hills the soil was rich, though full of stones, and the trees 
reasonably large. 
The smoke continued still to veil the mountains from our sight, which 
made us long for rain, or a brisk gale of wind, to di.sperse it. Nor was the 
loss of this wild prospect all our concern, but we were apprehensive lest the 
woods should be burnt in the course of our line before us, or happen to take 
fire behind us, either of which would effectually have starved the horses, and 
made us all foot soldiers. But we were so happy, thank God ! as to escape 
this misfortune in every part of our progress. We were exceedingly uneas)?- 
about our lost man, knowing he had taken no provision of any kind, nor was 
it much advantage towards his support, that he had taken his gun along with 
him, because he had rarely been guilty of putting any thing to death. He 
had unluckily wandered from the camp several miles, and after steering 
sundry unsuccessful courses, in order to retlirn, either to us or to the line, 
was at length so tired he could go no farther. In this distress he sat himself 
down under a tree, to recruit his jaded spirit, and at the same time indulge a 
few melancholy reflections. Famine was the first phantom that appeared to 
him, and was the more frightful, because he fancied himself not quite bear 
enough to subsist long upon licking his paws. In the mean time the two 
persons we had sent after him hunted diligently great part of the day with- 
out coming upon his track. They fired their pieces towards every point of 
the compass, but could perceive no firing in return. However, advancing a 
