Becoming America - An Exploration of American Literature from Precolonial to Post-Revolution, 2018a

BECOMING AMERICA
PRE- AND EARLY COLONIAL LITERATURE
Then they put them all in the water, and two men in each boat, with their
baggage; and they made one of the men from each canoe go by land about a league
and a half, the length of the rapid, which is not so violent as at its mouth, except in
certain places where rocks obstruct the river, which is not more than 300 or 400
paces wide. After we had passed the rapid, which was not without diculty, all the
savages who had gone by land by a pretty good path and level country, although
there were a great many trees, re-embarked in their canoes. My men went by land,
too, and I by water, in a canoe. They had a review of all their men and found that
they had twenty-four canoes, with sixty men in them. When they had had their
review, we continued on our way as far as an island three leagues long, covered with
the most beautiful pines that I had ever seen. They hunted, and caught some wild
animals there. Going on farther, about three leagues from there, we encamped, to
rest that night.
Immediately they all began, some to cut wood, others to strip o the bark of
trees to cover their cabins, to provide shelter for themselves; others began to fell
big trees for a barricade on the bank of the river about their cabins. They know so
well how to do this that in less than two hours ve hundred of their enemy would
have had a good deal of trouble to attack them without losing a great many of their
number. They do not barricade the side toward the river, where their canoes are
drawn up, so as to be able to embark, if occasion requires.
When they were lodged they sent three canoes with nine good men, as is their
custom in all their encampments, to reconnoitre for two or three leagues, to see
if they can discover anything. Later these come back. They sleep all night, relying
upon the exploration of these scouts, which is a very bad custom among them; for
sometimes they are surprised while asleep by their enemies, who knock them in
the head before they have a chance to get up to defend themselves.
Being aware of that, I explained to them the mistake that they were making, and
told them that they ought to watch, as they had seen us do every night, and have
men on the lookout, to listen and see if they saw anything; and that they should not
live like beasts. They told me that they could not keep watch, and that they worked
enough by day in hunting; and, above all, when they go to war, they divide their
bands into three parts, viz., one part to hunt, distributed in various places; one to
constitute the main body, who are always under arms; and the other part as scouts,
to explore along the rivers, to see if there is any mark or sign to indicate that their
enemies have passed, or their friends. This they recognize by certain marks that
the chiefs of dierent tribes exchange. These are not always alike, and they inform
themselves from time to time when they are changed. In this way they recognize
whether those who have passed are friends or enemies. The hunters never hunt in
advance of the main body, or of the scouts, in order not to cause alarm or disorder,
but in the rear, and in the direction where they do not expect their enemies; and
they continue thus until they are two or three days journey from their enemies,
when they go at night by stealth, all in a body, except the scouts. And by day they
retire within the thickest part of the woods, where they rest, without wandering
Page | 69