Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-09-03
From The Franklin Gazette.
CREEK INDIANS.
EXTRACT FROM A JOURNAL WRITTEN IN
THE CREEK NATION OF INDIANS.
Esq.
Cashier - Bank.

(Contiuued.)
An Indian is at home in any part OF tile
forest; he carries with him parched corn
pulverised, and at night, if he has shot no,
! thing, he cooks his parched corn with water
alone, which although insipid 10 the taste,
| is exceedingly nutritious, and sleeps in the
open air. 1.-The intends encamping for Sc
yeral days, or the weather is bad, he strips
the bark from pine tree and makes a shell
ter that secures him from rain.
passed where little girl had been shot
through the arm, and scalped, notwithstan-
ding which she is in fair way TO recover.
Scalping is custom among these people,
when they have killed or wounded an enc
my, by making circle round the top ofthe
head with knife, and stripping off the
skin; this is generally followed by coup
de-grace with the tomahawk. Scalps are
trophies held in great esteem among them,
and he who can produce the greatest num-
Der is entitled 10 the high honors awarded
a great warrior, title of much distinction
among them. Frequent instances have oc-
Cured OF recovery of persons who have
been scalped, when the other wounds they
have received were slight. During the war
of the revolution, and in the last war, the
Indians employed by the British govern
ment received their compensation in st-
pulated price for each scalp they produced.
am sorry to say that The practice of scalp
ing is sometimes adopted by our frontier
militia.
The facility with which an Indian can
discover the track or trail Of man OF beast,
is really surprising where an inexperien-
ced observer is unable to discover that Ell
ther have passed, an Indian will trace the
marks with unerring accuracy, and be able
to tell how many there were, aud how long
it has been since they passed. On all sub
jects that it is indispensably necessary for
them to have an acquaintance with, in the
prosecution of their wars, or in the pursuit
Of their game, they discover an acuteness
and sagaoity very surprising, considering
their ignorance on abstract subjects.
General Gaines has had a narrow escape
when General Jackson arrived at Hart
ford, Gen. Gaines, anxious to prepare his
brigade for movement, and fearful that the
officer commanding at Fort Scott, should,
unaware of the approach Of supplies, abah-
don his post, resolved on making the hazar.
dous attempt of reaching the Fort. The
Flint river, on which Fort Scott is situated,
was at this time very much swollen, and its
current exceedingly rapid and wide. He
embarked on board boat with two officers
and twelve men. He had proceeded down
the river but 10 miles, when his boat struck
upon stump on an Island then overfowed |
by water the boat filled but luckily did net
sink. twas night; major Wright and two
soldiers Immediately attempted to swim
ashore, but they persisted in the attempt
The General remained On the boat about
one hour; he then prepared himself to
swim, and started with FIVE soldiers and
strong active Indian named Billy. The
current was extremely rapid, and they had
half mile to swim. The Indian had torn
a piece Of board from the boat 10 which he
attached string, that he carried in his
teeth, and by that means rendered the Gen.
great assistance. They reached the shore,
with the loss of three out Of the seven that
started. General Gaines hailed the boat
and informed major Nicks Of the loss he
had sustained, in consequence OF which,
those who survived remained on the wreck
until day, when they all except one, reach
ed the shore, opposite to that on which the
General had landed.
General Gaines now found himself ma
ked, without food, in a wilderness, sur
rounded By hostile Indians, who would i'm
put him to death if they disco
vered him. He decided on endeavoring to
reach Fort Scott. distant as he imagined 50
miles !; but be soon became weak, sick, ex-
and unable TO proceed. He dis
patched the Indian aud soldier, to en-.