88 
THE HISTORY OB' 
Providence in the desolate wilderness, insomuch that if any of our people 
wanted one single meal during the whole expedition, it was entirely owing 
to their own imprudent management. Secondly, that not one man of 
our whole company had any violent distemper or bad accident befall him, 
from one end of the line to the other. The very worst that happened was, 
that one of them gave himself a smart cut on the pan of his knee with a 
tomahawk, which we had the good fortune to cure in a short time, without 
the help of a surgeon. As for the misadventures of sticking in the mire and 
falling into rivers and creeks, they were rather subjects of mirth than 
complaint, and served only to diversify our travels with a little farcical varie- 
ty. And, lastly, that many uncommon incidents have concurred to prosper 
our undertaking. We had not only a dry spring before we went out, but 
the preceding winter, and even a year or two before, had been much drier 
than ordinary. This made not only the Dismal, but likewise most of the 
sunken grounds near the sea-side, just hard enough to bear us, which other- 
wise had been quite impassable. And the whole time we were upon the bu- 
siness, which was in all about sixteen weeks, we were never caught in the 
rain except once, nor was our progress interrupted by bad weather above 
three or four days at most. Besides all this, we were surprised by no Indian 
enemy, but all of us brought our scalps back safe upon our heads. This 
cruel method of scalping of enemies is practised by all the savages in Ameri- 
ca, and perhaps is not the least proof of their original from the northern in- 
habitants of Asia. Among the ancient Scythians it was constantly used, 
who carried about these hairy scalps as trophies of victory. They served 
them too as towels at home, and trappings for their horses abroad. But 
these were not content with the skin of their enemies’ heads, but also made 
use of their sculls for cups to drink out of upon high festival days, and made 
greater ostentation of them than if they had been made of gold or the purest 
crystal. 
Besides the duties of the day, we christened one of our men who had been 
bred a quaker. The man desired this of his own mere motion, without be- 
ing tampered with by the parson, who was willing every one should go to 
heaven his own way. But whether he did it by the conviction of his own 
reason, or to get rid of some troublesome forms and restraints, to which the 
saints of that persuasion are subject, I cannot positively say. 
18th. We proceeded over a level road twelve miles, as far as George 
Hixe’s plantation, on the south side of Meherrin river, our course being for 
the most part north-east. By the way we hired a cart to transport our bag- 
gage, that we might the better befriend our jaded horses. Within two miles 
of our journey’s end this day, we met the express wp had sent the Saturday 
before to give notice of our arrival. He had been almost as expeditious as a 
carrier pigeon, riding in two days no less than two hundred miles. 
All the grandees of the Sapponi nation did us the honour to repair hither 
to meet us, and our worthy friend and fellow traveller. Bearskin, appeared 
among the gravest of them in his robes of ceremony. Four young ladies of 
the first quality came with them, who had more the air of cleanliness than 
any copper-coloured beauties I had ever seen ; yet we resisted all their 
charms, notwithstanding the long fast we had kept from the sex, and the bear 
diet we had been so long engaged in. Nor can I say the price they set upon 
their charms was at all exorbitant. A princess for a pair of red stockings 
cannot, surely, be thought buying repentance much too dear. The men had 
something great and venerable in their countenances, beyond the common 
mien of savages; and indeed they ever had the reputation of being the ho- 
nestest, as well as the bravest Indians we have ever been acquainted with. 
This people is now made up of the remnants of several other nations, of 
