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
A few days after this the Indians demanded me, and I was obliged to go
with them. I was not yet well able to march, but they took me in a
canoe up the Alleghany River to an Indian town that was on the north
side of the river, about forty miles above Fort Du Quesne. Here I
remained about three weeks, and was then taken to an Indian town on the
west branch of Muskingum, about twenty miles above the forks, which was
called Tullihas, inhabited by Delawares, Caughnewagas, and Mohicans.
The day after my arrival at the aforesaid town a number of Indians
collected about me, and one of them began to pull the hair out of my
head. He had some ashes on a piece of bark, in which he frequently
dipped his fingers in order to take the firmer hold, and so he went on,
as if he had been plucking a turkey, until he had all the hair clean
out of my head except a small spot about three or four inches square on
my crown; this they cut off with a pair of scissors, excepting three
locks, which they dressed up in their own mode. Two of these they
wrapped round with a narrow beaded garter made by themselves for that
purpose, and the other they plaited at full length, and then stuck it
full of silver brooches. After this they bored my nose and ears, and
fixed me off with earrings and nose jewels; then they ordered me to
strip off my clothes and put on a breech-clout, which I did; they then
painted my head, face, and body in various colors. They put a large
belt of wampum on my neck, and silver bands on my hands and right arm;
and so an old chief led me out in the street, and gave the alarm
halloo, _coo-wigh_, several times repeated quick; and on this, all
that were in the town came running and stood round the old chief, who
held me by the hand in the midst. As I at that time knew nothing of
their mode of adoption, and had seen them put to death all they had
taken, and as I never could find that they saved a man alive at
Braddock's defeat, I made no doubt but they were about putting me to
death in some cruel manner. The old chief, holding me by the hand, made
a long speech, very loud, and when he had done, he handed me to three
young squaws, who led me by the hand down the bank, into the river,
until the water was up to our middle. The squaws then made signs to me
to plunge myself into the water, but I did not understand them; I
thought that the result of the council was that I should be drowned,
and that these young ladies were to be the executioners. They all three
laid violent hold of me, and I for some time opposed them with all my
might, which occasioned loud laughter by the multitude that were on the
bank of the river. At length one of the squaws made out to speak a
little English (for I believe they began to be afraid of me), and said
_no hurt you_. On this I gave myself up to their ladyships, who were as
good as their word; for though they plunged me under water, and washed
and rubbed me severely, yet I could not say they hurt me much.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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