heir rates set upon them as unalterable, and
current as the values of our money are.

The Indians have likewise some pearl amongst them, and formerly had many
more, but where they got them is uncertain, except they found them in
the oyster banks, which are frequent in this country.

CHAPTER XIII.

OF THE HANDICRAFTS OF THE INDIANS.

Sec. 47. Before I finish my account of the Indians, it will not be amiss to
inform you, that when the English went first among them, they had no
sort of iron or steel instruments; but their knives were either
sharpened reeds or shells, and their axes sharp stones, bound to the end
of a stick, and glued in with turpentine. By the help of these, they
made their bows of the locust tree, an excessive hard wood when it is
dry, but much more easily cut when it is green, of which they always
took the advantage. They made their arrows of reeds or small wands,
which needed no other cutting, but in the length, being otherwise ready
for notching, feathering and heading. They fledged their arrows with
turkey feathers, which they fastened with glue made of the velvet horns
of a deer; but it has not that quality it's said to have, of holding
against all weathers; they arm'd the heads with a white transparent
stone, like that of Mexico mentioned by Peter Martyr, of which they have
many rocks; they also headed them with the spurs of the wild turkey
cock.

They rubbed fire out of particular sorts of wood (as the ancients did
out of the ivy and bays) by turning the end of a hard piece upon the
side of a piece that is soft and dry, like a spindle on its inke, by
which it heats, and at length burns; to this they put sometimes also
rotten wood and dry leaves, to hasten the work.

Sec. 48. Under the disadvantage of such tools they made a shift to fell
vast great trees, and clear the land of wood in places where they had
occasion.

They bring down a great tree by making a small fire round the root,
and keeping the flame from running upward, until they burn away so much
of the basis, that the least puff of wind throws it down. When it is
prostrate, they burn it off to what length they would have it, and with
their stone tomahawks break off all the bark, which when the sap runs
will easily strip, and at other times also, if it be well warmed with
fire. When it is brought to a due length, they raise it upon a bed to a
convenient height for their working, and then, begin by gentle fires to
hollow it,