I was very careful of mentioning the English, or anything about their
settlement, although I was anxious to know where it was; but I asked him
whether they were at war with any other nation. He said, "No, they had
been at war with other tribes, but that they had all made peace that
they might join against the white man, who had taken their land."
"I am an Indian now," said I.
"Yes, and you will forget the white man," said he. "You have now red
blood in your veins. You marry Indian wife, you all the same as one
Indian."
I said, "War Indian beat his wife, suppose she talk too much?"
"Plenty talk, plenty beat," said he.
"Suppose my wife talk too much and I beat her, what Indian people say?"
"Say good. Suppose wife too old, you take two wife, one more young."
I was very much pleased with this conversation; not that I had the
slightest idea of profiting by his information by taking another wife,
but I felt such a disgust at my present one, and had already seen what a
fury she could be, that I was resolved, if necessary, to show her that I
was master, for I felt certain that if I did not, she would soon attempt
to master me and so it turned out.
On the third day she took down a bow and arrows and made a sign to me to
go out, and, I presumed, bring back food; and as there was nothing in
the house I thought the request reasonable. I therefore went out of the
wigwam and found that many of the young men were going out on a
hunting-party, and that I was to join them. We set off and travelled
for six hours before we came to the hunting-ground, and as the deer
passed me I thought of Whyna and my hunting excursions with her. I was,
however, fortunate, and killed two deer, much to the surprise of the
Indians, who thought a white man could not use a bow and arrows, and I
rose very much in their estimation in consequence. The deer was cut up,
and we hung upon branches what we could not carry.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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