USA > Ohio > Historical collections of Ohio in three volumes ; an encyclopedia of the state : with notes of a tour over it in 1886 contrasting the Ohio of 1846 with 1886-90, Vol. III > Part 37
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About the latter end of March we began to prepare for moving into town. in order to plant corn. The squaws were then frying the last of their bear fat and making vessels to hold it: the vessels were made of deer skins, which were skinned by pulling the skin off the neck without ripping. After they had taken off the hair, they gathered it in small plaits around the neck and with a string drew it together like a purse, in the centre a pin was put, below which they tied a string and while it was wet they blew it up like a bladder, and let it remain in this manner un- til it was dry, when it appeared nearly in the shape of a sugar loaf, but more rounding at the lower end. One of the vessels would hold about four or five gallons. In these vessels it was they carried their bear oil.
When all things were ready the party re- turned to the falls of Canesadooharie, and thence, after building another canoe of chun bark, to the town at the mouth of the river.
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KINDNESS OF THE INDIANS.
By this time, Smith was thoroughly do- mesticated among his Indian captors. He found himself' treated as an equal and often with disinterested kindness. His Indian name, by which they habitually addressed him, was Scoouwa. At length, he and his adopted brother Tontileaugo, started for a westward journey to Sandusky Lake-Smith on horseback along the strand of Lake Erie, and the Indian in a canoe near the shore. Here we resume our extracts :
A WYANDOT FARM.
We arrived safe at Sunyendeand, which was a Wyandot town, that lay upon a small creek which empties into the little lake below the mouth of the Sandusky. The town was about eighty rods above the mouth of the creek, on the south side of a large plain on which timber grew, and nothing more but grass and nettles. In some places there were large flats where nothing but grass grew, about three feet high when grown, and in other places nothing but nettles, very rank, where the soil is extremely rich and loose- here they planted corn. In this town there were also French traders, who purchased our skins and furs, and we all got new clothes, paint, tobacco, etc.
INDIAN MODE OF EATING.
As the Indians on their return from their winter hunt, bring in with them large quan- tities of bear oil, sugar, dried venison, etc., at times they have plenty and do not spare eating or giving-thus they make away with their provision as quick as possible. They have no such thing as regular meals, break- fast, dinner or supper, but if any one, even the town folks, would go to the same house several times in one day, he would be invited to eat of the best-and with them it is bad manners to refuse to eat when it is offered.
If they will not eat, it is interpreted as a symptom of displeasure, or that the persons refusing to eat were angry with those who in- vited them.
INDIAN AMUSEMENTS.
All the hunters and warriors continued in town about six weeks after we came in. They spent this time in painting, going from house to honse, eating, smoking and playing at a game resembling dice, or hustle cap. They put a number of plum-stones in a small bowl, one side of each stone is black and the other white ; they then shake or hustle the bowl, calling "hits, hits, hits, honesy, honesy, rego, rego ;" which signifies calling for white or black, or what they wish to turn up, they then turn the bowl and count the whites and blacks. Some were beating the drinn ( de- scribed elsewhere as "a short hollow gum closed at one end, with water in it, and
parchment stretched over the end thereof, which they beat with one stick") and singing; others were employed in playing on a sort of flute, made of hollow cane, and others playing on the jews-harp. Some part of this the was also taken up in attending the council and as many others as chose attended and at night they were frequently employed in singing and dancing.
THE INDIANS PREPARE FOR WAR.
Towards the last of this time, which was in June, 1756, they were all engaged in prepar- ing to go to war against the frontiers of Vir- ginia. When they were equipped they went through their ceremonies, sung their war songs, etc. They all marched off, from fif- teen to sixty years of age, and some boys only twelve years old, were equipped with their bows and arrows, and went to war, so that none were left in town but squaws and chil- dren, except myself, one very old man and another about fifty years of age, who was lame. The Indians were then in great hopes that they would drive all the Virginians over the lake, which is all the name they knew. for the sea. They had some cause for this hope, because at this time the Americans were altogether unacquainted with war of any kind, and consequently very unfit to stand their ground with such subtle enemies as the Indians were.
SMITH'S TALK WITH TWO OLD INDIANS.
The two old Indians asked me if I did not think that the Indians and French would subdue all America except New England, which they said they had tried in old times. I told them I thought not : they said they had already driven them all out of the mom- tains and had chiefly laid waste the great val- ley betwixt the North and South mountain, from Potomac to James river, which is a considerable part of the best land in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, and that the white people appeared to them like fools, they could neither guard against surprise, run, nor fight. These, they said, were their reasons for saying that they would subdue the whites. They asked me to offer my reason for my opinion, and told me to speak my mind freely. I told them that the white people to the east were very numerons, like the trees, and though they appeared to them to be fools, as they were not acquainted with their way of war, yet they were not fools, therefore after some time they will learn your mode of war and turn upon yon, or at least defend themselves. I found that the old men themselves did not believe they could conquer America, yet they were willing to propagate the idea in order to encourage the young men to go to war.
SMITH GOES A HUNTING.
When the warriors left this town we had neither meat, sugar or bear oil left. All that we had to live on was corn, pounded
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معاهم التروها
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into coarse meal or hominy-this they boiled in water, which appeared like well thickened soup, without salt or anything else. For some time we had plenty of this kind of hominy : at length we were brought to very short allowance, and as the warriors did not return as soon as they expected, we were in a starving condition with but one gun in the town and very little ammunition. The old lame Wyandot concluded that he would go a Imuting in the canoe and take me with him, and try to kill deer in the water, as it was then watering time. We went up Sandusky a few miles. then turned up a creek and en- camped. We had lights prepared, as we were to hunt in the night, and also a piece of bark and some bushes set up in the canoe, in order to conceal ourselves from the deer. A little boy that was with us held the light, I worked the canoe, and the old man who had his gun loaded with large shot, when we came near the deer, fired, and in this manner killed three deer in part of one night. We went to our fire, ate heartily, and in the morning returned to town, in order to re- lieve the hungry and distressed.
When we came to town the children were crying bitterly on account of the pinching hunger. We delivered what we had taken, and though it was but little among so many, yet it was divided according to the strictest rules of justice. We immediately set out for another hunt, but before we returned a party of warriors had come in and brought with them on horseback a quantity of meat.
PRISONERS RUNNING THE GAUNTLET.
These warriors had divided into different parties and all struck at different places in Augusta county, Virginia. They brought in with them a considerable number of scalps, prisoners, horses and other plunder : one of the prisoners was one Arthur Campbell, who was eventually taken to Detroit ; his company was very agreeable and I was sorry when he left me. When the prisoners were made to run the gauntlet, I went and told them how to act. One John Savage was brought in and a middle-aged man about 40 years of age. He was to run the gauntlet and I told him what to do. After this I fell into the ranks with the Indians, shouting and yelling like them, and as they were not very severe with him, as he passed me I hit him with a piece of pumpkin, which pleased the Indians much but hurt my feelings.
KINDNESS. OF THE INDIANS.
About the time the Indians came in, the green corn was ready, so that we had either green corn or venison and sometimes both, which was comparatively high living. When we could have plenty of green corn or roast- ing cars, the hunters became lazy and spent. their time in singing, dancing, etc. They appeared to be fulfilling the Scriptures be- yond those who profess to believe them, in that of taking no thought of to-morrow ; and
also in love, peace and friendship together. In this respect they shame those who profess Christianity.
Sometime in October, another adopted brother, older than T'ontileaugo, came to pay us a visit at Sunyendeand, and asked me to take a hunt with him on Cayahaga. As they always used me as a freeman and gave me the liberty of choosing, I told him that I was attached to Tontileaugo-had never seen him before, and therefore asked some time to consider this. I consulted with T'ontileaugo on this occasion, and he told me that our old brother Tecaughretanego (which was his name), was a chief, and a better man than he was, and if I went with him I might expect to be well used, but he said I might do as I pleased, and if I stayed he would use me as he had done. I told him he had acted in every respect as a brother to me, yet I was much pleased with my old brother's conduct and conversation, and as he was going to a part of the country I had never been in, I wished to go with him. He said that he was perfectly willing.
. A TALK UPON THE WHITE MAN'S RELIGION.
I then went with Tecanghretanego to the mouth of the little lake, where he met with the company he intended going with, which was composed of Caughnewagas and Ottawas. Here I was introduced to a Caughnewaga sister and others I had never seen before. My sister's name was Mary, which they pro- nounced Manlly. I asked Tecaughretanego how it came that she had an English name. He said he did not know it was an English name ; but it was the name the priest gave her when she was baptized, and which he said was the name of the mother of Jesus. He said there was a great many of the Caughne- wagas and Wyandots that were a kind of half Roman Catholics ; but as for himself, he said, that the priest and he could not agree, as they held notions that contradicted both sense and reason, and had the assurance to tell him that the book of God taught him these foolish absurdities ; but he could not believe that the great and good Spirit ever taught them any such nonsense, and therefore he concluded that the Indian's old religion was better than this new way of worshiping God.
THE TENTS OF THE OTTAWAS.
The Ottawas have a very useful kind of tents which they carry with them, made of flags, plaited and stitched together in a very artful manner, so as to turn the rain and wind well-each mat is made fifteen feet long and five feet broad. In order to erect this kind of tent they ent a number of long straight poles, which they drive in the ground, in the form of a circle, leaning inwards ; they then spread the mats on these potes, beginning at the bottom and extending up, leaving a hole in the top uncovered-and this hole answers the place of a chimney. They make a fire of dry
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split wood in the middle, and spread down bark mats and skins for bedding, on which they sleep in a crooked posture all round the fire, as the length of their beds will not admit of their stretching themselves. In place of a door they lift up one end of a mat and creep in and let the mat fall down behind them.
These tents are warm and dry, and toler- ably clear of smoke. Their lumber they keep under birch bark canoes, which they carry out and turn up for shelter, where they keep everything from the rain. Nothing is in the tents but themselves and their bedding.
After remaining here several days the party embarked in their canoes, paddling and sail- ing along the shore until they came to the mouth of the Cayahaga, which empties into Lake Erie on the south side betwixt Cane- sadooharie and Presque Isle.
THE CAYAHAGA RIVER.
We turned up Cayahaga and encamped, where we stayed and hunted for several days, and so we kept moving and hunting until we came to the forks of Cayahaga. This is a very gentle river, and but few ripples or swift running places from the mouth to the forks. Deer here were tolerably plenty, large and fat ; but bear and other game scarce. The upland is hilly, and principally second and third rate land ; the timber chiefly black oak, white oak, hickory, dog-wood, etc. The bottoms are rich and large, and the timber is walnut, loeust, mulberry, sugar-tree, red haw, black haw, wild apple trees, etc. The west branch of this river interlocks with the east branch of the Muskingum, and the east branch with the Big Beaver creek that empties into the Ohio about thirty miles below Pitts- burgh.
From the forks of Cayahaga to the east branch of the Muskingum there is a carry- ing place where the Indians carry their canoes, ete., from the waters of Lake Erie into the waters of the Ohio.
From the forks I went over with some hunters to the east branch of the Muskingum, where they killed several deer, a number of beavers, and returned heavy laden with skins and meat, which we carried on our backs as we had no horses.
The land here is chiefly sceond and third rate, and the timber chiefly oak and hickory. A little above the forks, on the east branch of Cayahaga, are considerable rapids, very rocky for some distance, but no perpendicular falls.
From the cast branch of the Muskingum the party went forty miles north-east to Beaver Creek, near a little lake or pond which is about two miles long and one broad, and a remarkable place for beaver. After varions adventures in pursuit of beaver and other game, they went in February, 1757, to the Big Beaver, and in March returned to the forks of Cuyahoga. Here occurred a lesson on profane swearing, which is not unworthy of repetition.
AN INDIAN'S IDEA OF PROFANITY.
I remember that Tecaughretanego, when something displeased him, said " God damn it." I asked him if he knew what he then said ? He said he did, and mentioned one of their degrading expressions, which he sup- posed to be the meaning, or something like the meaning of what he said. I told him that it did not bear the least resemblance to it ; that what he had said was calling upon the Great Spirit to punish the object he was dis-' pleased with. Ile stood for some time amazed, and then said, if this be the mean- ing of these words, what sort of people are the whites ? When the traders were among us these words seemed to be intermixed with all their discourse. He told me to reconsider what I had said, for he thought I must be mistaken in my definition ; if I was not mis- taken, he said, the traders applied these words not only wickedly but oftentimes very foolishly, and contrary to sense or reason. Ile said he remembered once of a trader accidentally breaking his gun lock, and on that occasion calling out aloud, "God damn it." Surely, said he, the gun lock was not an object worthy of punishment for Owananeeyo or the Great Spirit ; he also observed the traders often used this expres- sion when they were in a good humor and not displeased with anything.
I acknowledged that the traders used this expression very often, in a most irrational, inconsistent and impious manner ; yet I still asserted that I had given the true meaning of these words. He replied, if so, the traders are as bad as Oonasharoona, or the under- ground inhabitants, which is the name they give to devils, as they entertain a notion that their place of residence is under the earth.
Making a large chestnut canoe, the party embarked, had an agreeable passage down the Cuyahoga and along the south side of Lake Erie mitil they passed the mouth of Sandusky, then the wind arose, and they put in at the mouth of the Miami of the Lake, at Cedar Point, and sailed thence in a few days for Detroit. After remaining in the Wyandot and Ottawa villages opposite Fort Detroit until November, a number of families pre- pared for their winter hunt, and agreed to cross the lake together. Here occurs a des- cription of the Island Region of Lake Erie.
THE ISLANDS OF LAKE ERIE.
We eneamped at the mouth of the river the first night, and a council was held whether we should cross by the three islands, mean- ing of course, East Sister, Middle Sister and West Sister, or coast around the lake. These islands lie in a line across the lake, and are just in sight of each other. Some of the Wyandots or Ottawas frequently make their winter hunt on these islands, though, except .- ing wild fowl and fish, there is scarcely any game here but raccoons, which are amazingly plenty and execedingly large and fat, as they feed upon the wild rice, which grows in
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abundance in wet places round these islands. It is said that each hunter in one winter will catch one thousand raccoons
INDIAN IDEAS UPON RATTLESNAKES AND RACCOONS.
It is a received opinion among the Indians that the snakes and raccoons are transmigra- tory, and that a great many of the snakes turn raccoons every fall, and the raccoons snakes every spring. This notion is founded on observations made on the snakes and raccoons on this island.
As the raccoons here lodge in rocks, the trappers make their wooden traps at the mnouth of the holes ; and as they go daily to look at their traps, in the winter season the commonly find them filled with raccoons, but in the spring, or when the frost is out of the ground, they say they can find their traps filled with large rattlesnakes, and therefore conclude that the raccoons are transformed. They also say that the reason why they are so plenty in winter is, every fall the snakes turn raccoons again.
I told them that though I had never landed on any of these islands, yet, from the numerons accounts I had received, I believed that both snakes and raccoons were plenty there, but no doubt they all remained there both summer and winter, only the snakes were not to be seen in the latter ; yet I did not believe that they were transmigratory. These islands are but seldom visited, because early in the spring and late in the fall it is dangerous sailing in their bark canoes ; and in the summer they are so infested with the various kind of serpents (but chiefly rattle- snakes) that it is dangerous landing.
A DRIVING HUNT.
I shall now quit this digression and return to the result of the council at the mouth of the river. We conclude to coast it around the lake, and in two days we came to the mouth of the Miami of the Lake, and landed on Cedar Point, where we remained several days. Here we held a council, and conelded we would take a driving hunt in concert and in partnership.
'T'he river in this place is about a mile broad, and as it and the lake form a kind of neck, which terminates in a point, all the hunters (which were fifty three) went up the river, and we scattered ourselves from the river to the lake. When first we began to move we were not in sight of each other, but as we all raised the yell we could mnove regularly together by the noise. At length we came in sight of each other and appeared to be marching in good order. Before we came to the point both the squaws and boys in the canoes were scattered up the river and along the lake to prevent the deer from making their escape by water. As we advanced near the point the guns began to crack slowly, and after some time the firing was like a little engagement. The squaws
and boys were busy tomahawking the deer in the water and we shooting them down on land. We killed in all about thirty deer, though a great many made their escape by water.
We had now great feasting and rejoicing, as we had plenty of hominy, venison and wild fowl. The geese at this time appeared to be preparing to move southward. It might be asked what is meant by the geese prepar- ing to move. The Indians represent them as holding a great council at this time con- cerning the weather, in order to conelude upon a day that they may all at or near one time leave the northern lakes, and wing their way to the southern bays. When matters are brought to a conclusion and the time ap- pointed that they are to take wing, then they say a great number of express are sent off, in order to let the different tribes know the result of this council, that they may all be in readiness to move at the time appointed. As there was a great commotion among the geese at this time, it would appear from their actions, that such a council had been held. Certain it is, that they are led by instinct to act in concert, and to move off regularly after their leaders.
Here our company separated. The chief part of them went up the Miami river, that empties into Lake Erie at Cedar Point, whilst we proceeded on our journey in company withi Tecanghretanego, Tontileaugo, and two families of the Wyandots.
As cold weather was now approaching, we began to feel the doleful effects of extrava- gantly and foolishly spending the large quantity of beaver we had taken in our last winter's hunt. We were all nearly in the same circumstances ; scarcely one had a shirt to his back, but each of us had an old blanket which we belted around us in the day and slept in at night, with a deer or bear skin under us for our bed.
THE FALLS OF SANDUSKY.
When we came to the Falls of Sandusky we buried our birch bark canoes, as usual, at a large burying place for that purpose, a little below the falls. At this place the river falls about eight feet over a rock, but not perpendienlarly. With much difficulty we pushed up our wooden canoes ; some of us went up the river, and the rest by land with the horses, until we came to the great meadows or prairies that lie between San- dusky and Scioto.
A RING HUNT.
When we came to this place we met with some Ottawa hunters and agreed with them to take what they call a ring hunt, in partner- ship. We waited until we expected rain was very near falling to extinguish the fire, and then we kindled a large circle in the prairie. At this time, or before the bucks began to ran, a great number of deer lay concealed in the grass in the day and moved about in the
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night, but as the fire burned in towards the centre of the circle, the deer fled before the fire ; the Indians were scattered also at some distance before the fire and shot them down every opportunity, which was very frequent, especially as the cirele became small. When we came to divide the deer there were about ten to each hunter, which were all killed in a few hours. The rain did not come on that night to put out the outside circle of the fire, and as the wind arose it extended through the whole prairie, which was about fifty miles in length, and in some places nearly twenty in breadth. This put an end to our ring hunting this season, and was in other respects an injury to us in the hunting busi- ness, so that upon the whole we received more harm than benefit by our rapid hunting frolic. We then moved from the north end of the glades and encamped at the carrying place.
This place is in the plains, betwixt a creek that empties into Sandusky and one that runs into Scioto ; and at the time of high water, or the spring season, there is but about one half mile of portage; and that very level and clear of rocks, timber or stones, so that with a little digging there may be water- carriage the whole way from Scioto to Lake Erie.
From the mouth of Sandusky to the falls is chiefly first rate land, lying flat or level, intermixed with large bodies of clear meadows where the grass is exceedingly rank, and in many places three or four feet high. The timber is oak, hickory, walnut, cherry, black ash, elm, sugar-tree, buckeye, locust and beech. In some places there is wet timber land-the timber in these places is chiefly water-ash, sycamore or buttonwood.
From the falls to the prairies the land lies well to the sun, it is neither too flat nor too hilly, and is chiefly first rate; the timber nearly the same as below the falls, excepting the water-ash. There are also some plots of beech land that appear to be second rate, as they frequently produce spice-wood. The prairie appears to be a tolerably fertile soil, though in many places too wet for cultiva- tion ; yet I apprehend it would produce tim- ber, were it only kept from fire.
INDIAN IDEAS ABOUT SQUIRRELS.
The Indians are of the opinion that the squirrels plant all the timber, as they bury a number of nuts for food, and only one nut at one place. When a squirrel is killed, the various kinds of nuts thus buried will grow.
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