that they should have taken any notice of me, when I was, to all appearance, drowned at Shenanggo? nay, I have often thought that the hand of Providence guided me in making my escape from my father, as, in all probability, I would have been at the school, where the master and scholars were murdered, as I had two cousins among the number, one of whom was scalped, and who, I believe, is yet alive;-or even when Mussough'-whese came to me, after he had murdered Green, with the bloody knife in his hand. I say, methinks I I see the hand of Providence remarkably displayed throughout the whole. How often are we exposed to dangers, which we have neither had knowledge of, nor power to prevent? I could have related many dangers that I was exposed to, during my captivity, which I have thought proper to omit in the foregoing narrative; as I am conscious that there are numbers, who never has had the trial of what they were able to undergo, would be ready to charge me with falsehood, as I have often observed what other narrators have met with. Perhaps it will not be amiss to conclude this narrative, with a few observations on the manners and customs of the ABORIGENES of our country. INDIAN MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. They count it very bad manners, for any one to speak while another is talking, or for any one to interrupt another in discourse. They will readily cast up to any one who would do so, that they were no better than Sho-wan'-nough-kock, or white people. Whilst one is de livering a discourse, or relating a story, they pay the greatest attention to him, occasionally repeating the word ke-hel'-lah, which signifies, I am paying attention to what you are saying. I shall now enter on the detail, as near as I can recollect. They have some confused notion of the immortality of the soul, but they differ widely even in that point of of their creed. Some are of opinion, that after the soul leaves the body, it enters into the body of some foetus of their own nation, where it will have to undergo all the vicissitudes of life, as they had done whilst they were in the former body, and that they will go from one body to another throughout the endless ages of eternity. Others are of the opinion, that as soon as their Lin-nappe-oc-can, or soul, leaves the body, it takes its flight to Keesh-she-la-mil-lang'-up, or a being that thought us into being, as the word signifies, or to Mah-tan'-tooh, or bad spirit, that is, the devil, there to enjoy happiness or endure misery, according to the deeds done in the body. Others are of opinion, that their Lin-nap-pe-oc-can, will have to wander about on the earth, for the same period of time that they had lived in the world, and undergo the same vicissitudes that they had done whilst they remained in the body; then after that, they will go to Keesh-she-la-mil-lang-up, where they expect to remain in a happy state forever. I never understood by them, that they had any idea of the resurrection of the body after death.* As to their religion, (if they may be said to have any,) they generally select their seed corn, when they are *The above were the general points, or heads of their creed, before their prophet made his appearance amongst them. pulling it. After they plant, they take part of what is left, and sometimes the whole, and pounds it into meal, then kneads it into a large cake, and bakes it under the ashes, having previously procured the head and neck of a doe, which they boil into Jelly-then invites one of the oldest Indians in the town to come and eat of it; permitting him, or her, to carry off the remainder with them. This, they say, is an offering to their maker, praying that he would give them a good increase of what they put in the ground. In like manner, when their corn is in the roasting-ear; before they eat any of it themselves, they hunt for a buck; if they happen to get a large one, they count it a good omen. They boil the whole in their kettles, and take as much of the green corn as they judge to be sufficient for their purpose, scraping it off the cob, and thickening the broth with it; then invites twelve of the oldest persons in the town, to wit: six men and six women. When they assemble at the place, each brings a small kettle and a spoon with them; they are told that the provision prepared, is an offering to Keesh-she-la-mil-lang'-up. Having previously divided the meat into twelve shares, they give each an equal portion, and also divide the broth, or rather mush, in the same manner. After they have eaten till they are satisfied, they raise a loud halloo, thus, ho, holding the sound as long as they are able to retain it with one breath, repeating it twelve times; stopping at certain intervals and thanking their Maker for sending them such good provisions. After the ceremony is over, they take the skin of the buck and give it to one of the twelve, whom they think is most in need of it; at the same time giving one of the other sex as much wampum as they value the skin to be worth; at which they : step out of doors and sit down, with their faces towards the rising of the sun, and perform the same ceremony, with the addition of sounding the word ho, twice, with a low voice. After all is over, each retires home, carrying what they left from their meal, home with them. They have also several other rites; such as making a burnt offering of the head and neck of a buck to the sun; which they will perform with great solemnity, in the following manner: When the hunting season commences, the first large buck they kill, they cut the neck off the body, close to the shoulders, carry it home with the horns on; they kindle a large fire, placing the wood east and west; lay the offering in the middle of the fire, with the face of it toward the east; then take a tarapine shell, with a parcel of small whites stones in it, and walk round the fire, rattling the shell, and singing very loud, until the whole is consumed. The rest of the family sitting round the fire the whole time without uttering one word; neither will they eat any of the flesh of the buck, till after the offering is entirely consumed. It would be endless to describe the offerings they make to their various deities: such as the Moon, burnt offerings to Angels, which they denominate Sink-ho-leek'-cannack, which signifies spirits above. They also make offerings to their deceased relatives; such as tobacco, bread, meat, watermelons, and sometime wampum and apparel. It would be unnecessary to be particular in describing the various offerings that they offer to their various deities. I shall therefore decline this subject, and enter on others, more interesting. When a woman is in her pregnancy, she generally provides a hut, to which she resorts, when the time of her delivery approaches-as she does also at certain S other times-during which period, she has no communication with any other person, except those who carry provisions to her. Before she comes to her house again, she washes herself, and all her clothes, let the season be ever so severe. How they became so far acquainted with the Mosaic law, as treats of uncleanness, is a mystery to me! I shall therefore leave the subject to be developed by abler writers. Of their Mode of Warfare.-When any one takes it into his head to go a tour at war, he informs some of his friends, or intimates, of his design, and if any of them approves of it, they tell him they will go along with him. As soon as he has three or four of a company made up, they go to their council-house, (as they have one in every town,) at night; having previously provided a drum for that purpose, they beat it, and sing war songs, and dance war dances-they are soon joined by others; as soon as they think they have a sufficient number, they proclaim the day they intend to march, and he that made the first proposition of going, is their Moy-a-oohwhese, or foreman, for that tour. When they are ready to march, their Moy-a-ooh'-whese, or captain, puts his luggage on his back, takes up his gun and tomahawk, and sometimes his baugh-cas-king-gue-heek'-can, or what we call death mallet, the rest following his example; he sings a war song, the rest, at the same time, pronouncing a kind of articulation, or noise, (which I am not able to spell, with all the assistance the English alphabet can give.) When he is done, they all at once set up a most hideous yell; he then marches foremost out of the house, the rest following one after another, in the form of what we call Indian file; when he is got clear of the town, he fires off his gun, and the rest follow his example; he then raises |