Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Sketches Of The Manners And Customs Of The North-American Indians.
It has been a general complaint among travellers , who have viewed the manners of men in savage life , that they are always rapacious , unless restrained either by fear , or the dread of their superior's . This complaint is made b y Mr . Hearne of the Indians he met with ; nor can it be wondered at : the North American savage , wandering at will , and depending for his existence on what nature spontaneously producesis in the constant habit of appling to his use whatever he
, y finds . And this habit , unrestrained by civil obligation , leads him to think , that in the state of society in which he lives , the -want of any article constitutes a right to it . It appears also , that they are as anxious to plunder each other as they are to plunder Europeans .
RAPACITY OP THE NORTHERN INDIANS . "" The day after I had the misfortune to break the quadrant , several Indians joined me from the northward , some of whom plundered me and my companions of almost every useful article we had , among which was my gun ; and notwithstanding we were then on the point of returning to the factory , yet , as one of my companions littlout of order '
guns was a e , the loss was likely to beseverely felt ; but it not being in my power to recover it again , we were obliged ' to rest contented . " Nothing can exceed the cool deliberation of these villains ; a committee of them entered my tent * . The ringleader seated himself on my left hand . They firbt begged me to lend them skipertoga f
my n , to fill a pipe of tobacco . After smoking two or three pipes , they asked me for several articles which I had not , and among others for a pack of cards ; but on my answering them , that I had ° not any of the articles they mentioned , one of them put his hand on my baggage , and asked if it was mine . Before I could answer in the affix ? ' mative , he and the rest of his companions ( six in number ) had ail treasure
my spread on the ground . One took one thing , and another another , till at last nothing was left but the empty bag , which they permitted me to keep . At length , considering that , though I was going to the Factory , I should want a knife to cut my victuals , an awl to mend my shoes , and a needle to mend my other clothino- ' they readily gave me these articlesthough not without making
, me understand , that I ought to look upon it as a great favour . Finding them possessed of so much generosity , I ventured to , solicit- them for my razors ; but thinking that one would be sufficient to shave me during my passage home , they made no scruple tp keep the other ; luckil y they chose the worst . To complete their generosit y , they
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Sketches Of The Manners And Customs Of The North-American Indians.
It has been a general complaint among travellers , who have viewed the manners of men in savage life , that they are always rapacious , unless restrained either by fear , or the dread of their superior's . This complaint is made b y Mr . Hearne of the Indians he met with ; nor can it be wondered at : the North American savage , wandering at will , and depending for his existence on what nature spontaneously producesis in the constant habit of appling to his use whatever he
, y finds . And this habit , unrestrained by civil obligation , leads him to think , that in the state of society in which he lives , the -want of any article constitutes a right to it . It appears also , that they are as anxious to plunder each other as they are to plunder Europeans .
RAPACITY OP THE NORTHERN INDIANS . "" The day after I had the misfortune to break the quadrant , several Indians joined me from the northward , some of whom plundered me and my companions of almost every useful article we had , among which was my gun ; and notwithstanding we were then on the point of returning to the factory , yet , as one of my companions littlout of order '
guns was a e , the loss was likely to beseverely felt ; but it not being in my power to recover it again , we were obliged ' to rest contented . " Nothing can exceed the cool deliberation of these villains ; a committee of them entered my tent * . The ringleader seated himself on my left hand . They firbt begged me to lend them skipertoga f
my n , to fill a pipe of tobacco . After smoking two or three pipes , they asked me for several articles which I had not , and among others for a pack of cards ; but on my answering them , that I had ° not any of the articles they mentioned , one of them put his hand on my baggage , and asked if it was mine . Before I could answer in the affix ? ' mative , he and the rest of his companions ( six in number ) had ail treasure
my spread on the ground . One took one thing , and another another , till at last nothing was left but the empty bag , which they permitted me to keep . At length , considering that , though I was going to the Factory , I should want a knife to cut my victuals , an awl to mend my shoes , and a needle to mend my other clothino- ' they readily gave me these articlesthough not without making
, me understand , that I ought to look upon it as a great favour . Finding them possessed of so much generosity , I ventured to , solicit- them for my razors ; but thinking that one would be sufficient to shave me during my passage home , they made no scruple tp keep the other ; luckil y they chose the worst . To complete their generosit y , they