d fit of laughter, while one of them offered to purchase it by
giving some fruit in exchange.

"But if their manners are gentle in peace, they are more dreadful, when
provoked, than all the wildest animals of the forest. Bred up from
infancy to suffer no restraint, and to give an unbounded loose to the
indulgence of their passions, they know not what it is to forgive those
who have injured them. They love their tribe with a degree of affection
that is totally unknown in every other country; for they are ready to
suffer every hardship and danger in its defence. They scruple not in the
least to experience wounds, and pain, and even death itself, as often as
the interest of the country to which they are so much attached is
concerned; but the same attachment renders them implacable and
unforgiving to all their enemies. In short, they seem to have all the
virtues and the vices of the ancient Spartans.

"To one of these tribes, called the Ottigamies, was Colonel Simmons sent
ambassador, accompanied by a few more officers, and some private men,
among whom I had the honour to be included. We pursued our march for
several days, through forests which seemed to be of equal duration with
the world itself. Sometimes we were shrouded in such obscurity, from the
thickness of the covert, that we could scarcely see the light of heaven;
sometimes we emerged into spacious meadows, bare of trees, and covered
with the most luxuriant herbage, on which were feeding immense herds of
buffaloes. These, as soon as they snuffed the approach of men, which
they are capable of doing even at a considerable distance, ran with
precipitation into the surrounding woods; many, however, fell beneath
our attack, and served us for food during our journey. At length we came
to a wide and rapid river, upon whose banks we found a party of
friendly savages, with some of whom we embarked upon canoes made of the
bark of trees, to proceed to the country of the Ottigamies.

"After three days' incessant rowing we entered a spacious lake, upon
whose banks were encamped a considerable portion of the nation we
sought. As we approached the shore they saluted us with a volley of
balls from their muskets, which whistled just above our heads, without
producing mischief. I and several of the soldiers instantly seized our
arms, imagining it to be a hostile attack; but our leader quieted our
apprehensions by informing us that this was only a friendly salute with
which a natio