This Island, though small, maintains many inhabitants, who are fix’d here in great security, being naturally fortified with Fastnesses of Mountains, and Water of every side. Upon the North-shore they yearly reap great crops of Corn, of which they always have a twelve-months Provision afore-hand, against an Invasion from their powerful Neighbours. Their Government is under two Kings, one presiding in Arms, the other in Hunting and Husbandry. They hold all things, except their Wives, in common; and their custome in eating is, that every man in his turn feasts all the rest; and he that makes the entertainment, is seated betwixt the two Kings; where having highly commended his own chear, they carve and distribute it amongst the guests.
At my arrival here, I met four stranger-Indians, whose Bodies were painted in various colours with figures of Animals whose likeness I had never seen: and by some discourse and signes which passed between us, I gathered that they were the only survivours of fifty, who set out together in company from some great Island, as I conjecture, to the Northwest; for I understood that they crossed a great Water, in which most of their party perished by tempest, the rest dying in the Marishes and Mountains by famine and hard weather, after a two-months travel by Land and Water in quest of this Island of Akenatzy.
The most reasonable conjecture that I can frame out of this Relation, is, that these Indians might come from the Island of new Albion or California, from whence we may imagine some great arm of the Indian Ocean or Bay stretches into the Continent towards the Apalatæan Mountains in the nature of a mid-land Sea, in which many of these Indians might have perished. To confirm my opinion in this point, I have heard several Indians testifie, that the Nation of Rickohockans, who dwell not far to the Westward of the Apalatæan Mountains, are seated upon a Land, as they term it, of great Waves; by which I suppose they mean the Sea-shore.
The next day after my arrival at Akenatzy, a Rickohockan Ambassadour, attended by five Indians, whose faces were coloured with Auripigmentum (in which Mineral these parts do much abound) was received, and that night invited to a Ball of their fashion; but in the height of their mirth and dancing, by a smoke contrived for that purpose, the Room was suddenly darkned, and for what cause I know not, the Rickohockan and his Retinue barbarously murthered. This struck me with such an affrightment, that the very next day, without taking my leave of them, I slunk away with my Indian Companion. Though the desire of informing my self further concerning some Minerals, as Auripigmentum, &c. which I there took special notice of, would have perswaded me to stay longer amongst them, had not the bloody example of their treachery to the Rickohockans frighted me away.
The fourteenth of June, pursuing a South-southwest course, sometimes by a beaten path, and sometimes over hills and rocks, I was forc’d to take up my quarters in the Woods: for though the Oenock-Indians, whom I then sought, were not in a direct line above thirty odde miles distant from Akenatzy, yet the Ways were such, and obliged me to go so far about, that I reached not Oenock until the sixteenth. The Country here, by the industry of these Indians, is very open, and clear of wood. Their Town is built round a field, where in their Sports they exercise with so much labour and violence, and in so great numbers, that I have seen the ground wet with the sweat that dropped from their bodies: their chief Recreation is Slinging of stones. They are of mean stature and courage, covetous and thievish, industrious to earn a peny; and therefore hire themselves out to their neighbours, who employ them as Carryers or Porters. They plant abundance of Grain, reap three Crops in a Summer, and out of their Granary supply all the adjacent parts. These and the Mountain-Indians build not their houses of Bark, but of Watling and Plaister. In Summer, the heat of the weather makes them chuse to lie abroad in the night under thin arbours of wilde Palm. Some houses they have of Reed and Bark; they build them generally round: to each house belongs a little hovel made like an oven, where they lay up their Corn and Mast, and keep it dry. They parch their Nuts and Acorns over the fire, to take away their rank Oyliness; which afterwards pressed, yeeld a milky liquor, and the Acorns an Amber-colour’d Oyl. In these, mingled together, they dip their Cakes at great Entertainments, and so serve them up to their guests as an extraordinary dainty. Their Government is Democratick; and the Sentences of their old men are received as Laws, or rather Oracles, by them.
Fourteen miles West-Southwest of the Oenocks, dwell the Shackory-Indians, upon a rich Soyl, and yet abounding in Antimony, of which they shewed me considerable quantities. Finding them agree with the Oenocks in Customs and Manners, I made no stay here, but passing thorow their Town, I travelled till the nineteenth of June; and then after a two days troublesome Journey thorow Thickets and Marish grounds, I arrived at Watary above fourty miles distant, and bearing West-Southwest to Shakor. This Nation differs in Government from all the other Indians of these parts: for they are Slaves, rather then Subjects to their King. Their present Monarch is a grave man, and courteous to strangers: yet I could not without horrour behold his barbarous Superstition, in hiring three youths, and sending them forth to kill as many young women of their Enemies as they could light on, to serve his son, then newly dead, in the other world, as he vainly fancyed. These youths during my stay returned with skins torn off the heads and faces of three young girls, which they presented to his Majestie, and were by him gratefully received.
I departed from Watary the one and twentieth of June, and keeping a West-course for near thirty miles, I came to Sara: here I found the ways more level and easie. Sara is not far distant from the Mountains, which here lose their height, and change their course and name: for they run due West, and receive from the Spaniards the name of Suala. From these Mountains or Hills the Indians draw great quantities of Cinabar, with which beaten to powder they colour their faces: this Mineral is of a deeper Purple then Vermilion, and is the same which is in so much esteem amongst Physitians, being the first element of Quicksilver.
I did likewise, to my no small admiration, find hard cakes of white Salt amongst them; but whether they were made of Sea-water, or taken out of Salt-pits, I know not: but am apt to believe the later, because the Sea is so remote from them. Many other rich Commodities and Minerals there are undoubtedly in these parts, which if possessed by an ingenious and industrious people, would be improved to vast advantages by Trade. But having tied my self up to things onely that I have seen in my Travels, I will deliver no Conjectures.
Lingua sile non est ultra narrabile quidquam.