Alas! poor man; but I will not anticipate. We travelled three days,
during which we were supplied with a small portion of parched Indian
corn every day, just sufficient for our sustenance, and no more. On
the fourth morning the Indians, after an hour's travelling, set up
some shrill and barbarous cries, which I afterwards discovered was
their warhoop. These cries were replied to by others at a distance,
and in about a quarter of an hour afterwards we found ourselves close
to a number of wigwams, as they are termed (the Indian houses), and
soon surrounded by a large party of men, women, and children, who
greeted us with taunts and menaces.
We were led into a larger wigwam than the others, where we found
several Indians of grave aspect assembled, and a man who could speak
English was ordered in as interpreter. He asked us where we came from
in the canoe. I replied, that we came from the south, but we had been
wrecked in a big ship, and had taken the canoe, which we found on the
beach. They asked no more questions. We were led out, and in about an
hour afterwards the Indian who had spoken English to us when we were
captured, came up with two others and painted us black, saying, "The
white man like paint. Black paint good."
I did not know till afterwards that this painting black was a sign
that we were condemned to death, but so it was. They took off our
trowsers, the only garments we had on, and left us naked. To my
surprise, they did not take the diamond which was sewed up in leather
from off my neck; but as I learnt subsequently, the Indians are much
given to conjurors and charms, wearing many round their own necks and
about their persons, and they respect the charms that their enemies
wear, indeed are afraid of them, lest they should be harmed by having
them in their possession. We remained in a wigwam during that day,
with guards over us. The following day we were led out and cast loose,
and we found all the Indians, women and children, ranged in two lines,
each holding in their hands a club or stick, or rod of some
description or another.
We were led to the end of the row, and looked about us in amazement.
They made signs to us which we did not understand, and while we were
remaining in doubt as to what was to be our fate, an old woman, who
had been menacing and grinning at me for some time, and who was the
most hideous animal that I ever beheld in the shape of a woman, thrust
a straw into my eye, giving me most excruciating agony. I was so
carried away by rage and pain, that I saluted her with a kick in the
stomach, which laid her doubled up on the ground, expecting to be
scalped for so doing the next moment. On the contrary, the Indians
laughed, while some of the other women dragged her away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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