Illustrations of the manners, customs, & condition of the North American Indians, Vol. 2 (of 2): With letters and notes, written during eight years of travel and adventure among the wildest and most remarkable tribes now existingCatlin, George
History
Illustrations of the manners, customs, & condition of the North American Indians, Vol. 2 (of 2): With letters and notes, written during eight years of travel and adventure among the wildest and most remarkable tribes now existing
Catlin, George
Indians of North America
[40] From accounts which left Fort Moultrie a few days after I
returned home, it seems, that this ill-fated warrior died, a
prisoner, the next morning after I left him. And the following
very interesting account of his last moments, was furnished me by
Dr. Weedon, the surgeon who was by him, with the officers of the
garrison, at Os-ce-o-la’s request.
“About half an hour before he died, he seemed to be sensible that
he was dying; and although he could not speak, he signified by
signs that he wished me to send for the chiefs and for the officers
of the post, whom I called in. He made signs to his wives (of whom
he had two, and also two fine little children by his side,) to
go and bring his full dress, which he wore in time of war; which
having been brought in, he rose up in his bed, which was on the
floor, and put on his shirt, his leggings and moccasins—girded
on his war-belt—his bullet-pouch and powder-horn, and laid his
knife by the side of him on the floor. He then called for his red
paint, and his looking-glass, which was held before him, when
he deliberately painted one half of his face, his neck and his
throat—his wrists—the backs of his hands, and the handle of his
knife, red with vermilion; a custom practiced when the irrevocable
oath of war and destruction is taken. His knife he then placed in
its sheath, under his belt; and he carefully arranged his turban
on his head, and his three ostrich plumes that he was in the habit
of wearing in it. Being thus prepared in full dress, he laid down
a few minutes to recover strength sufficient, when he rose up as
before, and with most benignant and pleasing smiles, extended his
hand to me and to all of the officers and chiefs that were around
him; and shook hands with us all in dead silence; and also with his
wives and his little children; he made a signal for them to lower
him down upon his bed, which was done, and he then slowly drew from
his war-belt, his scalping-knife, which he firmly grasped in his
right hand, laying it across the other, on his breast, and in a
moment smiled away his last breath, without a struggle or a groan.”
LETTER—No. 58.
NORTH WESTERN FRONTIER.
Having finished my travels in the “Far West” for awhile, and being
detained a little time, sans occupation, in my nineteenth or twentieth
transit of what, in common parlance is denominated the Frontier; I
have seated myself down to give some further account of it, and of the
doings and habits of people, both red and white, who live upon it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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