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"moft all the Indian Nations of this vaft Conti"nent."

Their Matters of Confequence, which concern all the Nations, are transacted in a general Meeting of the Sachems of each Nation. Thefe Conventions are commonly held at Onnondaga, which is nearly the Center of their Country; but they have fixed on Albany for the Place of treating with the British Colonies. They ftrictly follow one Maxim, formerly used by the Romans to increase their Strength, that is, they encourage the People of other Nations to incorporate with them; and when they have fubdued any People, after they have fatiated their Revenge by fome cruel Examples, they adopt the reft of their Captives; who, if they behave well, become equally esteemed with their own People; fo that fome of their Captives have afterwards become their greatest Sachems and Captains. The Tufkaroras, after the War they had with the People of Carolina, fled to the Five Nations, and are now incorporated with them; fo that they now properly indeed confift of fix Nations, though they ftill retain the old Name of the Five Nations among the English. The Cowetas alfo, or Creek-Indians, are in the fame Friendship with them.

The Tufkaroras, fince they came under the Province of New York, behave themselves well, and remain peaceable and quiet; and by this may be feen the Advantage of ufing the Indians well, and I believe, if they were ftill better ufed (as there is Room enough to do it) they would be proportionably more useful to us.

The Cruelty the Indians ufe in their Wars, towards thofe that do not or cannot refift, fuch as Women and Children, and to their Prisoners, after they have them in their Power, is defervedly indeed held in Abhorrence: But whoever reads the Hiftory of the fo famed, ancient Heroes, will find them, I'm afraid, not much better in this Refpect. Does Achilles's Behaviour to Hector's dead Body, in Homer, appear lefs

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favage?

favage? This Cruelty is alfo not peculiar to the Five Nations, but equally practifed by all other Indians. It is wonderful, how Cuftom and Education are able to foften the moft horrid Actions, even as mong a polite and learned People; witnefs the Carthaginians and Phenicians burning their own Chil→ dren alive in Sacrifice; and feveral Paffages in the Jewish Hiftory; and witness, in later Times, the Chriftians burning one another alive, for God's Sake.

When any of the young Men of these Nations have a Mind to fignalize themselves, and to gain a Reputa tion among their Countrymen, by fome notable Enterprize against their Enemy, they at first communicate their Defign to two or three of their most inti→ mate Friends; and if they come into it, an Invitation is made, in their Names, to all the young Men of the Castle, to feast on Dog's Flesh; but whether this be, because Dog's Flesh is most agreeable to Indian Palates, or whether it be as an Emblem of Fidelity, for which the Dog is diftinguished by all Nations, that it is always used on this Occafion, I have not fufficient Information to determine. When the Company is met, the Promoters of the Enterprize fet forth the Undertaking in the best Colours they can; they boast of what they intend to do, and incite others to join, from the Glory there is to be obtained; and all who eat of the Dog's Flefh, thereby inlift themfelves.

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The Night before they fet out, they make a grand Feaft, to this all the noted Warriors of the Nation are invited; and here they have their War Dance, to the Beat of a Kind of a Kettle-drum. The Warriors are feated in two Rows in the Houfe, and each rifes up in his Turn, and fings the great Acts he has himself perforined, and the Deeds of his Ancestors; and this is always accompanied with a Kind of a Dance, or rather Action, representing the Manner in which they were performed; and from Time to Time, all present join in a Chorus, applauding every notable Act. They exaggerate

exaggerate the Injuries they have at any Time received from their Enemies, and extol the Glory which any of their Ancestors have gained by their Bravery and Courage; fo that they work up their Spirits to a high Degree of warlike Enthufiafm. I have fometimes perfuaded fome of their young Indians to act thefe Dances, for our Diverfion, and to fhew us the Manner of them; and even, on these Occafions, they have work'd themselves up to fuch a Pitch, that they have made all prefent uneafy. Is it not probable, that fuch Defigns as these have given the firft Rife to Tragedy?

They come to these Dances with their Faces painted in a frightful Manner, as they always are when they go to War, to make themselves terrible to their Enemies; and in this Manner the Night is fpent. Next Day they march out with much Formality, dreffed in their finest Apparel, and, in their March, obferve a profound Silence. An Officer of the regular Troops told me, that while he was Com. mandant of Fort-Hunter, the Mohawks, on one of thefe Occafions, told him, that they expected the ufual military Honours as they paffed the Garifon. Accordingly he drew out his Garifon, the Men prefented their Pieces as the Indians paffed, and the Drum beat a March; and with lefs Refpect, the Officer faid, they would have been diffatisfied. The Indians paffed in a fingle Row, one after another, with great Gravity and profound Silence; and every one of them, as he paffed the Officer, took his Gun from his Shoulder, and fired into the Ground near the Officer's Foot: They marched in this Manner three or four Miles from their Castle. The Women, on thefe Occafions, always follow them with their old Clothes, and they fend back by them their Finery in which they marched from the Caftle. But before they go from this Place, where they exchange their Clothes, they always peel 2 large Piece of the Bark from fome great Tree; they commonly B 4

chufe

chufe an Oak, as most lafting; upon the smooth Side of this Wood they, with their red Paint, draw one or more Canoes, going from Home, with the Number of Men in them padling, which go upon the Expedition; and fome Animal, as a Deer or Fox, an Emblem of the Nation against which the Expedition is defigned, is painted at the Head of the Canoes; for they always travel in Canoes along the Rivers, which lead to the Country against which the Expedition is defigned, as far as they can.

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After the Expedition is over, they ftop at the fame Place in their Return, and fend to their Caftle, to inform their Friends of their Arrival; that they may be prepared to give them a folemn Reception, fuited to the Succefs they have had. In the mean Time, they represent on the fame, or fome Tree near it, the Event of the Enterprize, and now the Canoes are painted with their Heads turned towards the Caftle the Number of the Enemy killed, is reprefented by Scalps painted black, and the Number of Prisoners by as many Withs, (in their Painting not unlike Pothooks) with which they usually pinion their Captives. These Trees are the Annals, or rather Trophies of the Five Nations: I have seen many of them; and by them, and their War Songs, they preferve the Hiftory of their great Atchievements. The folemn Reception of these Warriors, and the Acclamations of Applaufe, which they receive at their Return, cannot but have in the Hearers the fame Effect, in raising an Emulation for Glory, that a Triumph had on the old Romans.

After their Prisoners are fecured, they never offer them the leaft Male-treatment, but, on the contrary, will rather starve themselves, than fuffer them to want; and I have been always affured, that there is not one Inftance, of their offering the leaft Violence to the Chastity of any Woman that was their Captive. But notwithstanding this, the poor Prisoners afterwards undergo fevere Punishments before they

receive

receive the last Doom of Life or Death. The War riors think it for their Glory, to lead them through all the Villages of the Nations fubject to them, which lie near the Road; and thefe, to fhew their Affection to the Five Nations, and their Abhorrence of their Enemies, draw up in two Lines, through which the poor Prifoners, ftark naked, muft run the Gauntlet; and on this Occafion, it is always obferved, the Women are much more cruel than the Men. The Prisoners meet with the fame fad Reception when they reach their Journey's End; and after this, they are prefented to thofe that have loft any Relation in that or any former Enterprize. If the Captives be accepted, there is an End to their Sorrow from that Moment; they are dreffed as fine as they can make them; they are abfolutely free (except to return to their own Country) and enjoy all the Privileges the Perfon had, in whofe Place they are accepted; but if other wife they die in Torments, to fatiate the Revenge of those that refuse them.

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If a young Man or Boy be received in Place of a Hufband that was killed, all the Children of the Deceafed call that Boy Father; fo that one may fometimes hear a Man of thirty fay, that fuch a Boy of fifteen or twenty is his Father.

Their Castles are generally a Square furrounded with Palisadoes, without any Baftions or Out-works; for, fince the general Peace, their Villages lie all

open.

Their only Inftruments of War are Mufquets, Hatchets, and long sharp pointed Knives; these they always carry about with them: Their Hatchet, in War-time, is ftuck in their Girdle behind them; and befides what Use they make of this Weapon in their Hand, they have a dexterous Way of throwing it, which I have seen them often practife in their Exercife, by throwing it into a Tree at a Distance: They have, in this, the Art of directing and regulating the Motion, fo that though the Hatchet turns round

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