HE youth of both fexes are

beads, wampum, porcupine quills,

feves with external ornaments. The men fhave their head, leaving only a narrow creft or comb, beginning at the crown of the head, where it is about two inches broad, and about the fame height, and ftands frized upright; but this creft tending backwards, gradually widens, covering the hinder part of the head and back of the neck: the lank hair behind is ornamented with pendant filver quills, and then jointed or articulated filver plates; and ufually the middle fafcicle of hair, being by far the longeft, is wrapped in a large quill of filver, or the joint of a fmall reed, curioufly fculptured and painted; the hair continuing through it terminates in a

tail or taffel.

"Their ears are lacerated, feparating the border or cartilaginous limb, which at firft is bound round very close and tight with leather ftrings or thongs, and anointed with fresh bear's oil, until healed: a piece of lead being faftened to it, by its weight extends this cartilage an incredible length, which afterwards being craped, or bound round in brafs or filver wire, extends femicircularly like a bow or crefcent; and it is then very elaftic, even fo as to fpring and bound about with the leaft motion or flexure of the body: this is decorated with foft white plumes of heron feathers.

"A very curious diadem or band, about four inches broad, and ingenioufly wrought or woven, and curiously decorated with ftones,

front peak of it being embellished with a high waving plume of crane or heron feathers.

"The clothing of their body is very fimple and frugal. Sometimes a ruffled fhirt of fine linen, next the skin, and a flap which covers their lower parts; this garment fomewhat refembles the ancient Roman breeches, or the kilt of the Highlanders; it ufually confifts of a piece of blue cloth, about eighteen inches wide; this they pafs between their thighs, and both ends being taken up and drawn through a belt round their wafte, the ends falldown, one before, and the other behind, not quite to the knee; this flap is ufually plaited and indented at the ends, and ornamented with beads, tinfel lace, &c.

"The leg is furnished with cloth boots; they reach from the ancle to the calf, and are ornamented with lace, beads, filver bells, &c.

"The ftillepica or moccafin defends and adorns the feet; it feems to be an imitation of the ancient bufkin or fandal, very ingenioufly made of deer fkins, dreffed very foft, and curiously ornamented according to fancy.

"Befide this attire, they have a large mantle of the finest cloth they are able to purchase, always either of a scarlet or blue colour; this mantle is fancifully decorated with rich lace or fringe round the border, and often with little round filver or brafs bells. Some have a fhort cloak, juft large enough to cover

the

the fhoulders and breaft; this is moft ingenioufly conftructed, of feathers woven or placed in a natural imbricated manner, ufually of the scarlet feathers of the flamingo, or others of the gayeft colour.

"They have large filver crefcents, or gorgets, which being fufpended by a ribband round the neck, lie' upon the breaft; and the arms are ornamented with filver bands, or bracelets, and filver and gold chains, &c. a collar invefts the neck.

"The head, neck, and breast, are painted with vermilion, and fome of the warriors have the fkin of the breast, or mufcular parts of the body, very curioufly infcribed, or adorned, with hieroglyphic fcrolls, flowers, figures of animals, ftars, crefcents, and the fun in the centre of the breast. This painting of the flefh, I understand, is performed in their youth, by pricking the thin with a needle, until the blood ftarts, and rubbing in a blueish tinet, which is as permanent as their life. "The fairt hangs loofe about their waift, like a frock, or fplit down before, refembling a gown, and is fometimes wrapped clofe, and the waist encircled by a curious belt or fafh.

"The drefs of the females is fomewhat different from that of the men: their flap or petticoat is made after a different manner, is larger and longer, reaching almoft to the middle of the leg, and is put on differ ently; they have no fhirt or fhift, but a little fhort waistcoat, ufually made of callico, printed linen, or fine cloth, decorated with lace, beads, &c. They never wear boots or ftockings, but their bufkins reach to the middle of the leg. They never cut their hair, but plait it in wreathes, which are turned up, and fastened on the crown, with a filver broach, forming a wreathed top

knot, decorated with an incredible quantity of filk ribbands, of various colours, which stream down on every fide, almoft to the ground. They never paint, except those of a particular clafs, when difpofed to grant certain favours to the other fex.

"But thefe decorations are only to be confidered as indulgencies on particular occafions, and the privilege of youth; as at weddings, feftivals, dances, &c. or when the men affemble to act the war farce, on the evening immediately preceding their march on a hoftile expedition: for ufually they are almost naked, contenting themfelves with the flap and fometimes a fhirt, boots, and moccafins. The mantle is feldom worn by the men, except at night, in the winter feason, when extremely cold; and by the women at dances, when it ferves the purpose of a veil; and the females always wear the jacket flap and bufkin, even children as foon or before they can walk; whereas the male youth go perfectly naked until they are twelve or fifteen years of age.

"The junior priefts or ftudents conftantly wear the mantle or robe, which is white; and they have a great owl fkin cafed and ftuffed very ingenioufly, fo well executed, as almoft to reprefent the living bird, having large fparkling glais beads, or buttons, fixed in the head for eyes: this enfign of wifdom and divination they wear fometimes as a creft on the top of the head, at other times the image fits on the arm, or is borne on the hand. Thefe bachelors are always diflinguithable from the other people, by their taciturnity, grave and folenin countenance, dignified itẹp, and finging to themfelves fongs or hymns, in a low fweet voice, as they ftroll about the towns,

"Thefe

"Thefe people, like other nations, are fond of mufic and dancing: their mufic is both vocal and inftrumental; but of the latter they have fcarcely any thing worth the name; the tambour, rattle-gourd, and a kind of flute, made of a joint of reed, or the tibia of the dear's leg: on this inftrument they perform badly, and at beft it is rather a hideous melancholy difcord than harmony. It is only young fellows who amuse themselves on this howling inftrument; but the tambour and rattle, accompanied with their fweet low voices, produce a pathetic harmony, keeping exact time together; and the countenance of the musician, at proper times, feems to exprefs the folemn elevated state of the mind: at that time there feems not only a harmony between him and his inftrument, but it in ftantly touches the feelings of the attentive audience, as the influence of an active and powerful fpirit; there is then an united univerfal fenfation of delight and peaceful union of fouls throughout the alfembly.

"Their music, vocal and inftrumental, united, keeps exact time with the performers or dancers.

"They have an endless variety of fteps, but the most common, and that which I term the moft civil, and indeed the moft adinired and practifed among themfelves, is a flow fhuffling alternate ftep; both feet move forward one after the other, first the right foot foremost, and next the left, moving one after the other, in oppofite circles, i. e. first a circle of young men, and within a circle of young women, moving together oppofite ways, the men with the courie of the fun, and the females contrary to it; the men ftrike their arm with the open hand, and the girls clap hands, and raife

their fhrill sweet voices, anfwering an elevated fhout of the men at ftated times of termination of the ftanzas; and the girls perform an interlude or chorus feparately.

"To accompany their dances they have fongs, of different clafles, as martial, bacchanalian, and amorous; which laft, I must confefs, are extravagantly libidinous; and they have moral fongs, which feem to be the most efteemed and practifed, and anfwer the purpose of religious lectures.

"Some of their most favourite fongs and dances they have from their enemies, the Chactaws; for it seems these people are very eminent for poetry and mufic; every town amongst them strives to excel each other in compofing new fongs for dances, and by a cuftom amongst them, they must have at least one new fong, for exhibition, at every annual bufk.

"The young muftee, who came with me to the Mucclaffes from Mobile, having Chactaw blood in his veins from his mother, was a fenfible young fellow, and by his father had been inftructed in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and could fpeak Englith very well. He took it into his head to travel into the Chactaw country: his views were magnanimous, and his defigns in the highest degree commendable, nothing lefs than to inform himself of every species of arts and fciences that might be of use and advantage when introduced into his own country, but more particularly mufic and poetry. With thefe views he privately left the nation, went to Mobile, and there entered into the fervice of the trading company to the Chactaws, as a white man; his eafy, communicative, active, and familiar difpofition and manners, being agreeable

to

to that people, procured him accefs every where, and favoured his fubtilty and artifice: at length, how ever, the Chactaws hearing of his lineage and confanguinity with the Creeks, by the father's fide, pronounced him a Creek, and confequently an enemy and a fpy amongst them, and fecretly refolved to difpatch him. The young philofopher got notice of their fufpicions and hoftile intentions, in time to make his efcape; though clofely purfued, he kept a head of his fanguinary purfuers, arrived at Mobile, and threw himself under the protection of the English, entered the fervice of the trader of Mucclaffe, who was then fetting off for the nation, and notwithstanding the freed with which we travelled, narrowly escaped the ardour and vigilance of his purfing enemies, who furprised a company of emigrants, in the deferts of Schambe, the very night after we met them, expecting to intercept him thereabout.

"The young traveller having · learned all their moft celebrated new fongs and poetry, at a great dance and feftival in the Mucclaffe, a day or two after our arrival, the youth preffed him to give out fome of his new fongs; he complied with their entreaties, and the fongs and dance went round with harmony and eclat, There was a young Chactaw flave girl in the circle, who foon after difcovered very affecting fenfations of affliction and diftrcfs of mind, and before the conclufion of the dance, many of her companions complimented her with fympathe. tic fighs and tears, from their own fparkling eyes. As foon as I had an opportunity, I inquired of the young Orpheus, the caufe of that fong being to diftreffing to the

young flave. He replied, that when fhe was lately taken captive, her father and brothers were flain in the conteft, and fhe understanding the fenfe of the fong, called to remem brance the tragical fate of her fa mily, and could not forbear weeping at the recital.

The meaning of the chorus was,

All men must furely die,
Tho' no one knows how foon.
Yet when the time fhall come.
The event may be joyful.

"Thefe doleful moral fongs or elegies have a quick and fenfible effect on their paffions, and difcover a lively affection and fenfibility: their countenance now dejected, again, by an eafy tranfition, becomes gently elevated, as if in folemn addrefs or fupplication, accompanied with a tremulous, fweet, lamentable voice: a ftranger is for a moment loft to himself as it were, or his mind, affociated with the perfon immediately affected, is in danger of revealing his own distress

unawares.

"They have a variety of games for exercife and paftime; fome particular to the men, fome to the female fex, and others wherein both fexes are engaged.

"The ball-play is esteemed the most noble and manly exercise. This game is exhibited in an extenfive level plain, ufually conti. guous to the town: the inhabitants of one town play against another, in confequence of a challenge, when the youth of both fexes are often engaged, and fometimes stake their whole fubftance. Here they perform amazing feats of strength and agility. The game principally confifts in taking and carrying off the ball from the oppofite party,

after

after being hurled into the air, midway between two high pillars, which are the goals, and the party who bears off the ball to their pillar wins the game; each perfon has a racquet or hurl, which is an implement of a very curious conftruction, fomewhat refembling a ladle or little hoop-net, with a handle near three feet in length, the hoop and handle of wood, and the netting of thongs of raw hide, or tendons of an animal.

"The foot-ball is likewife a favourite, manly diverfion with them. Feafting and dancing in the fquare at evening ends all their games. "They have befides, feafts or feftivals almoft for every month in the year, which are chiefly dedicated to hunting and agriculture.

"The bufk, or feaft of firft fruits, is their principal feftival; this feems to end the laft, and begin the new year.

"It commences in Auguft, when their new crops of corn are arrived to perfect maturity: and every town celebrates the bufk feparately, when their own harveft is ready.

"If they have any religious rite or ceremony, this feftival is its most folemn celebration.

"When a town celebrates the bufk, having previously provided themselves with new cloaths, new pots, pans, and other household utenGils and furniture, they collect all their worn-out cloaths, and other defpicable things, fweep and cleanfe their houfes, fquares, and the whole town, of their filth, which with all

the remaining grain and other old provifions, they caft together into one common heap, and confume it with fire. After having taken medicine, and fafted for three days, all the fire in the town is extin guifhed. During this faft they abftain from the gratification of every appetite and paffion whatever. A general amnefty is proclaimed, all malefactors may return to their town, and they are abfolved from their crimes, which are now for gotten, and they restored to favour.

"On the fourth morning, the high-prieft, by rubbing dry wood together, produces new fire in the public fquare, from whence every habitation in the town is fupplied with the new and pure flame.

"Then the women go forth to the harvest field, and bring from thence new corn and fruits, which being prepared in the best manner, in various dishes, and drink withal, is brought with folemnity to the fquare, where the people are af fembled, apparelled in their new clothes and decorations. The women and children folace themselves in their feparate families, and in the evening repair to the public square, where they dance, fing, and rejoice during the whole night, obferving a proper and exemplary decorum: this continues three days, and the four following days they receive vifits, and rejoice with their friends from neigbouring towns, who have purified and prepared themselves."

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