LIFE OF WILSON. 
cxlix 
I was roused from this melancholy reverie by the roaring of 
Buffalo river, which I forded with considerable difficulty. I passed 
two or three solitary Indian huts in the course of the day, with a 
few acres of open land at each ; but so wretchedly cultivated that 
they just make out to raise maize enough to keep in existence. 
They pointed me out the distances by holding up their fingers. 
This is the country of the Chickasaws, though erroneously laid 
down in some maps as that of the Cherokees. I slept this night 
in one of their huts ; the Indians spread a deer skin for me on the 
floor, I made a pillow of my portmanteau, and slept tolerably well ; 
an old Indian laid himself down near me. On Monday morning 
I rode fifteen miles, and stopt at an Indian’s to feed my horse. 
The sight of my paroquet brought the whole family around me. 
The women are generally naked from the middle upwards ; and 
their heads, in many instances, being rarely combed, look like a 
large mop ; they have a yard or two of blue cloth wrapt round by 
way of petticoat, that reaches to their knees — the boys were gene- 
rally naked; except a kind of bag of blue cloth by way of fig-leaf. 
Some of the women have a short jacket, with sleeves, drawn over 
their naked body, and the rag of a blanket is a general appendage. 
I met to-day two officers of the United States army, who gave me 
a better account of the road than I had received. I passed through 
many bad swamps to-day; and at about five in the evening eame 
to the banks of the Tennessee, which was swelled by the rains, and 
is about half a mile wide thirty miles below the Muscle shoals, and 
just below a long island laid down in your small map. A growth 
of canes, of twenty and thirty feet high, covers the low bottoms; 
and these cane swamps are the gloomiest and most desolate look- 
ing places imaginable. I hailed for the boat as long as it was light, 
without effect; I then sought out a place to encamp, kindled a 
large fire, stript the canes for my horse, eat a bit of supper, and 
lay down to sleep ; listening to the owls, and the Chuck-Wilh-Wi- 
doxv, a kind of Whip-poor-Will^ that is very numerous here. I got 
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VOL. IX. 
