The country is comparatively populously inhabited by Indians. They live partly in wigwams, partly in bark cabins. Before one of these huts, or cabins, hung a skinned otter, upon which they seemed preparing to make a meal. The Indians roast their maize on the naked coals, then they throw it into a cavity made in a trunk of a tree, and pound it with a stick of wood into a sort of coarse meal. I bought a species of nuts, which were roasted, ground-nuts, and amused myself with the propensity to thievery a young Indian displayed. As I was putting the nuts in my pocket, one or more would drop, instantly the young fellow would step forward, as if by accident, set his foot on the nut, take it between his toes, and move off. We passed through a tolerably cleared, fenced, and built district, in which several negro quarters of a decent appearance were scattered about. This plantation belonged to a chief, one of the principal of the Creeks, called the Big Warrior, who owns above three hundred negroes, whose wooden dwelling-house stands in the centre of his property. He is now at Washington, as one of the deputies of his nation. We came over another cleared spot, where the Indians were routed in the last war by the Georgia militia under General Floyd.
Not far from this place, we noticed a number of Indians collected in the neighbourhood of a plantation. We left our carriage to inquire into the cause of it. There had been a horse race of middling unsightly horses: the festival was, however, ended, and the meeting was on the point of breaking up. A white planter who was there, conducted us to the son of the Big Warrior. He was himself a chief, and possessed a high reputation, as was said amongst those of the nation. He sat upon a felled tree between two inferior chiefs. His dress was a tunic of flowered, clear blue calico, a piece of the same stuff was wrapped round his head like a turban. He wore richly ornamented leather leggings set with glass beads, and mocassins, and had an equally ornamented hunting pouch hung around him. Moderately fat, and of a great stature, he appeared to be about thirty years old. He had mustaches like all his countrymen. I was introduced to him, and shook hands with him. The conversation was very trifling and short. It took place through an interpreter who appeared to be a dismissed soldier. This creature caused the chief to rise when we commenced speaking to him; when I begged him to remain sitting, he reseated himself mechanically. He directed no questions to me, and answered mine with yes and no. To the question, whether he knew any thing of the country of which I was a native, he answered by a shake of the head. He looked no more at me. Several Indians wore their hair in a singular style; it was shorn on both sides of the head, and the middle, from the neck over to the forehead, stood up like a cock’s comb. Seen from behind, they appeared as if they wore a helmet. Quite small boys practised themselves already in shooting with a little bow. I attempted to joke with a little fellow, three years old, but he took the jest in bad part, and threatened me with his bow.
After sunset, towards six o’clock in the evening, we reached Walker’s, and found a good reception in a large log-house, each of us had a separate chamber. The landlord was a captain of infantry in the United States’ service formerly, and had, as our host of yesterday, an Indian wife.
On the following day we rode to Montgomery, twenty-five miles distant. The road was in the beginning bad, afterwards, however, really good. We crossed a bridge over a stream one hundred paces long, and were then obliged to toil over a long, wretched causeway. The vegetation was again exceedingly luxuriant, it was remarkably beautiful on the banks of Line Creek, a little river, which forms the boundary between the Indian territory and the state of Alabama, eight miles from Walker’s. Very lofty live oaks, and oaks of other descriptions, several magnolias, and amongst them, a particularly handsome and lofty macrophylla.
As we entered upon the territory of Alabama, we soon observed that we were upon a much better soil. It was darker, much wood was removed, and signs of cultivation every where. Upon several plantations, the cotton fields exhibited themselves in beautiful order; the log houses were only employed as negro cabins; the mansion-houses, two stories high, are for the most part painted white, and provided with piazzas and balconies. At most of them the cotton gins and presses were at work. The planters had not finished the whole of their crop, on account of the unusual drought. The Alabama river was so low that the steam-boats had not been able for several weeks to pass from Mobile to Montgomery. This place had therefore, for a length of time, suffered for the want of the most necessary supplies, which are drawn from Mobile; fifteen dollars had been asked for one bushel of salt. We met several caravans of emigrants from the eastern part of Georgia, who were on their way to Butler county, Alabama, to settle themselves on land which they had purchased very cheap from the United States. The number of their negroes, wagons, horses, and cattle, showed that these emigrants were in easy circumstances. On account of the bad road, we went at first a good deal on foot; at one of the creeks, the carriage passed through the ford, and we footmen crossed over on one of the simplest bridges in the world, namely, a felled pine tree of great size. We arrived at Montgomery about two o’clock. In the night it had frozen, but the day had solaced us with the warmth of spring.
Montgomery lies on the Alabama river, a navigable stream, which rises about two hundred and twenty miles above this place, and after it has joined itself to the Tombigbee, empties into the Mexican gulf, below Mobile. The town contains about one thousand two hundred inhabitants, of both complexions. It has two streets, which are very broad, tolerably good houses, one, not yet finished, of brick, which material is very bad here. This place was first laid out about five years ago, and has already a very lively appearance. On the bank of the river, they were employed in loading two steam-boats with cotton bales, as, within a few days, the river had risen five feet, and the navigation was once more carried on with animation.
The journey by water from Montgomery to Mobile, is four hundred miles, and as we intended to go this way, we took a look at the two steam-boats lying here, the Steubenville and Hornet, bound for Mobile. We chose the Steubenville, which gave out to start on the next day. The construction of both these boats, and their arrangement, was far inferior to that of the steam-boats in the north: every thing was coarser, and displayed the difference between the civilization of the two different sections of the union. This town is so new, that the original forest still stands between the houses. In a street there was a well digging; I discovered by this that the earth was exceedingly well adapted to brick-making, and that an industrious man, who should establish a kiln here, must make a handsome profit on the business. The bricks which they sell here at ten dollars a thousand, are scandalous. Of the inhabitants I heard nothing commendable: and how can this young town, whose situation, at least in summer, is unhealthy, have a fixed character; how can it attain a high degree of cultivation? All come here for the purpose of amassing property, or are driven here by the prostration of their fortunes, in their old residence!
[CHAPTER XVII.]
Journey from Montgomery, on the Alabama river, to Mobile, and residence in that city.