AMERICANS. 
83 
by the application of herbs. But the power of these remedies is 
always attributed to the magical ceremonies with which they are 
administered. 
Manner of Treating their Prisoners. 
United as the Americans are in small societies, connected withia 
themselves by the firmest ties, their friendly affections, which glow 
with the most intense warmth within the walls of their own village, 
seldom extend beyond them. They feel nothing for the < enemies of 
their nation, and their resentment is easily extended from the individual 
who has injured'them, to all others of the same tribe. The prisoners, 
who have themselves the same feelings, know, the intentions of their 
' conquerors, and are prepared for them. The person who has taken 
the captive, attends him to the cottage, where, according to the dis- 
tribution made by the elders, he is to be delivered, to supply the loss 
. of a citizen. If those who receive him have their family weakened 
by w^ar or other accidents, they adopt the captive into the family, of 
whicTi he becomes a member. But if they have no occasion for him, 
or their resentment for the loss of their friends be too high to endure 
the sight of any connected with those who were concerned in it, they 
sentence him to death. All those who have met with the same sen- 
tence being collected, the whole nation is assembled at the execution, 
as for some great solemnity. A scaffold is erected, and the prisoners 
are tied to the stake, where they commence their death-song, and pre- 
pare for the ensuing scene of cruelty with the most undaunted courage. 
Their enemies, on the other side, are determined to put it to the proof 
by the most refined and exquisite tortures. 
They begin at the extremity of his body, and gradually approach 
the more vital parts : one plucks out his nails by the roots, another 
takes a finger into his mouth, and tears off the flesh w'ith his teeth ; a 
third thrusts the finger, mangled as it is, into the bowl of a pipe made 
red hot, which he smokes like tobacco ; then they pound his toes and 
fingers to pieces between tv,^o stones ; they cut circles about his joints, 
and gashes in the fleshy parts of his limbs, v»^liich they sear imme- 
diately with red-hot irons, cutting, burning, and pinching them alter- 
nately ; they pull off the flesh, thus mangled and roasted, bit by bit, 
devouring it with greediness, and smearing their faces with blood in 
an enthusiasm' of horror and fury. When they have thus torn off the 
flesh, they twist the bare nerves and tendons about an iron, tearing 
and snapping them, whilst others are employed in pulling and extend- 
ing their limbs in every way that can increase the torment. This con- 
tinues often five or six hours, and sometimes, such is the strength of 
the savages, days together Then they frequently unbind him, to give 
a breathing to their fury, to think what new torments they can inflict, 
and to refresh the' strength of the sufferer, who, w^earied out with such 
a variety of unheard-of torments, often falls into so profound a sleep, 
that they are obliged to api^V the fire to awake him, and renew his 
, suft’erings. He is again fastened to the stake, and again they renew 
their cruelty : they stick him all over with small matches, or wood that 
easily takes fire, but burns slowly ; they continually run sharp reeds 
into every part of his body ; they drag out his teeth with pincers, and 
