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Show 43 ~ TRAVELS THROUGH UPPER CANADA~ ing in a fltort time to ereCt a log houfc. They hacl not, however, Le n punctual to their word, and unable to widd an axe, or_ to _do ~u:y one thing for thcmfClves, thcfe unfortunate wretches .Glt mopmg m theu· h_ut, fuppo1 ting themfe lves on fomc :Ctlt provi!ions they had br~ught Wtth them, hut whi h were now nearly exh:.mll:ed. The people ll1 the fettlemcnts, vvh m, on arriving there, we alked fomc few quefl:ions rc!~)ccl:ing thdl: poor creatures, turned them into th~ grca~ ·11: ridicule im~ g~nablc for being fo helplcf~ j and i:1de ·J they did prdcnt a m 0: finkmg piCture of the folly of any man's attempti11g to il:tlk in 1 merica without bcinr· wdl acquainted with tl c country prt:vioully, and com1' ·tLnt to do every fort or country work for himfl:lf. It \Vas not wit! out very great vex<1tion that we perceivC'd, {hartly after 1ca vin__; this b ut, evident fympt ms of drun! ennds in o 1c of the Indians, ~nd 011 c.'ar 1inint, out bra .. dy calk it was but tor) phin that it had been pilla_;l'll. Durin~ th , prcc_din.,. p.ut f our journ y we had ke )t a \i'<ltch(uJ eye upon it, but dr.lwin~-r tow:ucls the enJ of 0 tr e.'pcditi0 1l, and hwing h.1 i every ruflm to be ftti ..,fied with the cotHlu3:: of the In· dians, \\t: lLHl not paid ful1icicnt attultion to it thi; thy; and though it ould not bave het:n much m o r·~ tl1an five minute out of our 1lght, y..:t in that Owr {pace of time the [crew haJ been forced, and the calk drained to the laft: drop. The Ind i,1n, whom we Jill-overed to be drunk, was advantc 1 a li•tle before the othets. I e \vent on for fume time H.t1,gcring about fiom fide to fi {e, but at Llfl, flopping and layinr)· hold of his iC~1lping J·niCc, w 1i ·h th ·y always carry with them by their ildc:>, be b ·g,ln to I rantUh it with a threatening :tir. There is but one J:ne of onduCl: to h' p•trCucd when you hav_; to d ·, l w·th Jncli.ms in fuch a fi tu .ltiou, and that i ·, t~> aCt With the mofl: llc tLI'll1in~d refo1ution . If }Oll ktr.1y th\! linalkfl f}·.-npto:1JS of ii:ar, or appear at all wavering in your con u(l, it unly i~rves to r~ndcr them more ungovern ;1hlc anJ furious. I accordi; 1gly took hilll by the !bould r, pu01cd him fin-ward, and prefentino- my t icr·t:, n,we him to under! and th,1t I would nwot him if he did not hc! l.we himCd pr1:Jper1y. M' comp.mions, whill I vvas t.l ·ing care of him, w~.-1 t b lck o f..:e in what l ::tte the other Tndi,ms were. Lucl ily he li.1uor, though th re w. s rcafon to apprehend they had all 1 ~•d a fh::trc • R E A C U G E N E E f. R I V E H.. -+3.3 fl :trc of it, had not made the flunc impreOion upon th<.:m. One of tl t:m, jndced, w,1s beginning to he refrac1ory, and abfulnt<.:ly thn.:w down hi-; load, and r fufcd to go farther; but a few words fi-om CIJma-breajt-plat inducc.d him to r fume it, and to go on. On oming np to the firfl: Indian, and feeing the i:td fbte he was in, they 01ook their h..-.1d~, and crying, " No good Indiat1," " No g od Indian," cndeav urcd by Jl/ 1s w in1orm U:> that it was he who had pillaged the cafk, and drank ,dl tlt~; brandy; but as it was another Indian who carried tht: calk, no doubt remained but that they mull: all have had a fl1are of the plunder; that the fidl fellow, however, had drank moi·e than the rcft: was apparent; for in a few minutes he dropped down fpccchlcfs umlcr his load; the others hafltncd to take it off from his back, and having divided it amongfi: themfclves, they drew him afide from the path, and threw him uncl r fomc buf11cs, where he wa left to flcep till he 010uld come agaia to his fcnfes. About noon we reached the Gencft:c River, at the opp fite fide of whi h was fitunted the village where we expected to procure hor[c;s. W c croficd the river in c,tnoes, and took up our quarters at a houfe at th uppermofl end of the village, where we were very glad to find our Indian fri nds could get no accommodation, for we knew well that the firfl: ufe they would make of the money w were going to give them would be to buy liquor, and intoxicate them(clves, in which ilate they would not fail of becoming v ry trouble(ome c m~~aniuns; it_ was fcarcdy dark inc.ked wh ·n news was brought us from a haul..: ncar the nver, that they went to after w had difchargcd them, that they were grow a quite outrag"ous with the quantity of fpirit. they had drank: and wcr~ fighting and cutting each oth~r in a mofl: dreadful ma_nner._ 1 he~ 1 cv:l rcfcnt the injuries they receive from any pcrfon that u; ev1dentl~ 1I1tOXtcated, but attribute their wounds entirely to the liquor, on whlCh they vent their xecrations for all the mifchi"f it has committed. Before I di1inifs the fubjcCl ntirely, I muft obfcrv<.: to you, th~lt the Indian did not fcem to thin!· the arry ing of our baggage was 111 :my manner degradm. g to tlu:m; an d a fit er h avw. g t. e · ccivcJ their du , they nw..o , k lunds with us, and parted hom us, not as from employers who had hued 3 l\r.. them, |
