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
We again proceeded towards the lakes; I on horseback and Tontileaugo by
water. Here the land is generally good, but I found some difficulty in
getting round swamps and ponds. When we came to the lake I proceeded
along the strand and Tontileaugo near the shore, sometimes paddling and
sometimes poling his canoe along.
After some time the wind arose, and he went into the mouth of a small
creek and encamped. Here we staid several days on account of high wind,
which raised the lake in great billows. While we were here Tontileaugo
went out to hunt, and when he was gone a Wyandot came to our camp. I
gave him a shoulder of venison which I had by the fire well roasted,
and he received it gladly; told me he was hungry, and thanked me for my
kindness. When Tontileaugo came home I told him that a Wyandot had been
at camp, and that I gave him a shoulder of roasted venison. He said
that was very well, "and I suppose you gave him also sugar and bear's
oil to eat with his venison." I told him I did not, as the sugar and
bear's oil were down in the canoe, I did not go for it. He replied,
"You have behaved just like a Dutchman.[3] Do you not know that when
strangers come to our camp we ought always to give them the best that
we have?" I acknowledged that I was wrong. He said that he could excuse
this, as I was but young; but I must learn to behave like a warrior,
and do great things, and never be found in any such little actions.
[3] The Dutch he called Skoharehaugo, which took its
derivation from a Dutch settlement called Skoharey.
The lake being again calm, we proceeded, and arrived safe at
Sunyendeand, which was a Wyandot town that lay upon a small creek which
empties into the little lake below the mouth of Sandusky.
The town was about eighty rood above the mouth of the creek, on the
south side of a large plain, on which timber grew, and nothing more but
grass or nettles. In some places there were large flats where nothing
but grass grew, about three feet high when grown, and in other places
nothing but nettles, very rank, where the soil is extremely rich and
loose; here they planted corn. In this town there were also French
traders, who purchased our skins and fur, and we all got new clothes,
paint, tobacco, etc.
After I had got my new clothes, and my head done off like a red-headed
woodpecker, I, in company with a number of young Indians, went down to
the corn-field to see the squaws at work. When we came there they asked
me to take a hoe, which I did, and hoed for some time. The squaws
applauded me as a good hand at the business; but when I returned to the
town the old men, hearing of what I had done, chid me, and said that I
was adopted in the place of a great man, and must not hoe corn like a
squaw. They never had occasion to reprove me for anything like this
again; as I never was extremely fond of work, I readily complied with
their orders.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account