Captives among the Indians : $b first-hand narratives of Indian wars, customs, tortures, and habits of life in colonial times — John Shaqi
Captives among the Indians : $b first-hand narratives of Indian wars, customs, tortures, and habits of life in colonial timesRowlandson, Mary White
History
Captives among the Indians : $b first-hand narratives of Indian wars, customs, tortures, and habits of life in colonial times
Rowlandson, Mary White
Indian captivities -- Northeastern States
As Tontileaugo could not speak English, I had to make use of all the
Caughnewaga I had learned, even to talk very imperfectly with him; but
I found I learned to talk Indian faster this way than when I had those
with me who could speak English.
As we proceeded down the Canesadooharie waters, our packs increased by
the skins that were daily killed, and became so very heavy that we
could not march more than eight or ten miles per day. We came to Lake
Erie about six miles west of the mouth of Canesadooharie. As the wind
was very high the evening we came to the lake, I was surprised to hear
the roaring of the water, and see the high waves that dashed against
the shore, like the ocean. We encamped on a run near the lake, and, as
the wind fell that night, the next morning the lake was only in a
moderate motion, and we marched on the sand along the side of the
water, frequently resting ourselves, as we were heavily laden. I saw on
the sand a number of large fish, that had been left in flat or hollow
places; as the wind fell and the waves abated they were left without
water, or only a small quantity; and numbers of bald and gray eagles,
etc., were along the shore devouring them.
Some time in the afternoon we came to a large camp of Wyandots, at the
mouth of Canesadooharie, where Tontileaugo's wife was. Here we were
kindly received; they gave us a kind of rough, brown potatoes, which
grew spontaneously, and were called by the Caughnewagas _ohnenata_.
These potatoes, peeled and dipped in raccoon's fat, taste nearly like
our sweet potatoes. They also gave us what they call _canaheanta_,
which is a kind of hominy, made of green corn, dried, and beans, mixed
together.
We continued our camp at the mouth of Canesadooharie for some time,
where we killed some deer and a great many raccoons; the raccoons here
were remarkably large and fat. At length we all embarked in a large
birch-bark canoe. This vessel was about four feet wide and three feet
deep, and about five-and-thirty feet long; and though it could carry a
heavy burden, it was so artfully and curiously constructed that four
men could carry it several miles, or from one landing-place to another,
or from the waters of the lake to the waters of the Ohio. We proceeded
up Canesadooharie a few miles, and went on shore to hunt; but, to my
great surprise, they carried the vessel we all came in up the bank, and
inverted it, or turned the bottom up, and converted it to a
dwelling-house, and kindled a fire before us to warm ourselves by and
cook. With our baggage and ourselves in this house we were very much
crowded, yet our little house turned off the rain very well.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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