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.I know it from my own experience.It was a source of pleasureto surprise Master Ford with a greater day's work than was re-quired, while, under subsequent masters, there was no prompt-er to extra effort but the overseer's lash.53It was the desire of Ford's approving voice that suggested tome an idea that resulted to his profit.The lumber we weremanufacturing was contracted to be delivered at Lamourie.Ithad hitherto been transported by land, and was an importantitem of expense.Indian Creek, upon which the mills were situ-ated, was a narrow but deep stream emptying into BayouBoeuf.In some places it was not more than twelve feet wide,and much obstructed with trunks of trees.Bayou Boeuf wasconnected with Bayou Lamourie.I ascertained the distancefrom the mills to the point on the latter bayou, where our lum-ber was to be delivered, was but a few miles less by land thanby water.Provided the creek could be made navigable forrafts, it occurred to me that the expense of transportationwould be materially diminished.Adam Taydem, a little white man who had been a soldier inFlorida, and had strolled into that distant region, was foremanand superintendent of the mills.He scouted the idea; but Ford,when I laid it before him, received it favorably, and permittedme to try the experiment.Having removed the obstructions, I made up a narrow raft,consisting of twelve cribs.At this business I think I was quiteskillful, not having forgotten my experience years before on theChamplain canal.I labored hard, being extremely anxious tosucceed, both from a desire to please my master, and to showAdam Taydem, that my scheme was not such a visionary one ashe incessantly pronounced it.One hand could manage threecribs.I took charge of the forward three, and commenced pol-ing down the creek.In due time we entered the first bayou,and finally reached our destination in a shorter period of timethan I had anticipated.The arrival of the raft at Lamourie created a sensation, whileMr.Ford loaded me with commendation.On all sides I heardFord's Platt pronounced the "smartest nigger in the PineWoods" in fact I was the Fulton of Indian Creek.I was not in-sensible to the praise bestowed upon me, and enjoyed, espe-cially, my triumph over Taydem, whose half-malicious ridiculehad stung my pride.From this time the entire control of bring-ing the lumber to Lamourie was placed in my hands until thecontract was fulfilled.54Indian Creek, in its whole length, flows through a magnifi-cent forest.There dwells on its shore a tribe of Indians, a rem-nant of the Chickasaws or Chickopees, if I remember rightly.They live in simple huts, ten or twelve feet square, constructedof pine poles and covered with bark.They subsist principallyon the flesh of the deer, the coon, and opossum, all of whichare plenty in these woods.Sometimes they exchange venisonfor a little corn and whisky with the planters on the bayous.Their usual dress is buckskin breeches and calico huntingshirts of fantastic colors, buttoned from belt to chin.They wearbrass rings on their wrists, and in their ears and noses.Thedress of the squaws is very similar.They are fond of dogs andhorses owning many of the latter, of a small, toughbreed and are skillful riders.Their bridles, girths and saddleswere made of raw skins of animals; their stirrups of a certainkind of wood.Mounted astride their ponies, men and women, Ihave seen them dash out into the woods at the utmost of theirspeed, following narrow winding paths, and dodging trees, in amanner that eclipsed the most miraculous feats of civilizedequestrianism.Circling away in various directions, the forestechoing and re-echoing with their whoops, they wouldpresently return at the same dashing, headlong speed withwhich they started.Their village was on Indian Creek, knownas Indian Castle, but their range extended to the Sabine River.Occasionally a tribe from Texas would come over on a visit,and then there was indeed a carnival in the "Great PineWoods." Chief of the tribe was Cascalla; second in rank, JohnBaltese, his son-in-law; with both of whom, as with many othersof the tribe, I became acquainted during my frequent voyagesdown the creek with rafts.Sam and myself would often visitthem when the day's task w as done.They were obedient to thechief; the word of Cascalla was their law.They were a rude butharmless people, and enjoyed their wild mode of life.They hadlittle fancy for the open country, the cleared lands on theshores of the bayous, but preferred to hide themselves withinthe shadows of the forest.They worshiped the Great Spirit,loved whisky, and were happy.On one occasion I was present at a dance, when a rovingherd from Texas had encamped in their village.The entire car-cass of a deer was roasting before a large fire, which threw its55light a long distance among the trees under which they wereassembled.When they had formed in a ring, men and squawsalternately, a sort of Indian fiddle set up an indescribable tune.It was a continuous, melancholy kind of wavy sound, with theslightest possible variation.At the first note, if indeed therewas more than one note in the whole tune, they circled around,trotting after each other, and giving utterance to a guttural,sing-song noise, equally as nondescript as the music of thefiddle.At the end of the third circuit, they would stop suddenly,whoop as if their lungs would crack, then break from the ring,forming in couples, man and squaw, each jumping backwardsas far as possible from the other, then forwards which grace-ful feat having been twice or thrice accomplished, they wouldform in a ring, and go trotting round again.The best dancerappeared to be considered the one who could whoop theloudest, jump the farthest, and utter the most excruciatingnoise.At intervals, one or more would leave the dancing circle,and going to the fire, cut from the roasting carcass a slice ofvenison.In a hole, shaped like a mortar, cut in the trunk of a fallentree, they pounded corn with a wooden pestle, and of the mealmade cake.Alternately they danced and ate [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]