326 An Account of the Choktah Nation.
moved nearer from tree to tree, till I difcovered them to be Choktah creep ing over the fire. I withdrew without being difcovered, or the lead ap- prehcnfion of danger, as at the word, I could have immediately infwamped, fecured a retreat with my trufty fire-arms, and taken through the river and the broad fwamp, which then refembled a mixt ocean of wood and water. I foon obferved the tracks of my horfes, found them, and fct off. At the diftance of an hundred yards from the river, there was a large and deep lagoon, in the form of a femi-circle. As foon as I fvvam this^ and got on the bank, I drank a good draught of rum : in the middle of the river, I was forced to throw away one of my belt-piftols, and a long French fcalp- ing knife I had found, where the Choktah killed two of our traders. When I got on the oppofite more, I renewed my draught, put my fire arms in order, and fet up the war-whoop. I had often the like fcenes, till I got to the Chikkafah country, which was alfo all afloat. The peo ple had been faying, a little before I got home, that mould I chance to be on the path, it would be near fifty days before I could pafs the neigh bouring deep fwamps j for, on account of the levelneis of the land, the waters contiguous to the Chikkafah, are ufually in winter fo long in- emptying, before the fwamps become paffable. As I had the misfor tune to lofe my tomohawk, and wet all the punk in my mot-pouch by fwimming the waters, I could not ftrike fire for the fpace of three days, and it rained extremely hard, during that time. By being thoroughly wet fo long, in the cold month of December, and nipped with the froft, feven months elapfed before I had the proper ufe of the fingers of my right- hand. On that long and dangerous war-path, I was expofed to many dangers, and yet fo extricated myfelf, that it would appear like Quixotifm to enumerate them.
I often repented of trufting to the governor's promifes, and fo have many others. The Cheerake, AttabKuttab Kullah> whofe name is the fuperla- tive of a fkilful cutter of wood, called by us, " The Little Carpenter," had equal honour with me of receiving from his Excellency a conliderable num ber of letters, which he faid were not agreeable to the old beloved fpecch. He kept them regularly piled in a bundle, according to the time he re ceived them, and often fhewed them to the traders, in order to cxpofe their fine promifing contents. The firfl, he ufed to fay, contained a little
truth
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