217 Virtues of Savage Life. tended. This exclusive persuasion of our own perfection is indeed the common fault of humanity:-one nation considers the rest of the world as barbarians; those who are devoted to one sect, imagine its votaries alone are favoured of heaven; and the followers of a party would represent all who differ from them in theory, or in practice, as inimical to the safety and constitution of their country. In forming an opinion of those who differ from us, we seldom take into consideration the many points of resemblance which exist between ourselves and them; we allow them vices of their own, but we are unwilling to make them participators in our virtues. In no instance does this prejudice exert itself more actively than in the view which is commonly taken of the condition of savage life; a name which we seem to have bestowed in order to check any admiration of those unfortunate beings to whom the light and the blessings of civilization have been denied. It The tales of massacre and devastation, and of the ungoverned excesses of savage tribes, which the recitals of travellers contain, afford but too full a proof that vice and passion exert a most powerful sway over uncultivated minds. The history of polished nations, however, furnishes a similar picture; and the errors of the latter are the more disgraceful, for they prefer darkness when they might walk in light. would be a disgusting task to compare the wickedness of men, and we turn with pleasure to the contemplation of their virtues; and these, even though they should be light in the balance, when weighed against the vices and errors of our uncultivated fellowcreatures, may yet afford some redeeming features in what is usually considered only a picture of cruelty and of blood. Cruelty is indeed the great vice of savage nations. With minds which are for the most part only capable of being affected through the medium of the senses, the means of their punishment and revenge is the keenness of bodily suffering. 218 most rejoicing serenity, with which the Indian welcomes the approach of his tormentors, shew how little effect tortures have on a mind which is superior to bodily anguish. The contempt, nay, even the proud affront of danger and death, which these daring spirits display, is a mar| vel to the effeminacy of those who live under the protection of well-regulated laws. The instances of this hardihood are so numerous and so well known, that it may seem superfluous to relate any of them here, except such as are either singular or new. The speech of Logan, an Indian much attached to the Europeans, but whose family had been murdered in cold blood by Col. Cnesap, is a fine burst of savage sentiment. In a war which ensued after the murder, Logan had taken his full revenge. "There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any living creature.-—This called on me for revenge,--I have fought for it,-I have killed many,—I have fully glutted my vengeance for my country,-I rejoice at the beams of peace, but do not harbour a thought that mine is the joy of fear;-Logan never felt fear, he will not turn on his heel to save his life;-who is there to mourn for Logan? not one!-(Jef ferson's Notes on Virginia.) There is a fine poetical adaptation of this sentiment in Campbell's Gertrude of Wyoming. The constancy of civilized bravery often fails before the test of an Indian ordeal. The courage of their prisoners is sometimes put to the proof, by compelling them to run the gauntlet through a file of armed enemies, men, women, and children, or else to suffer the severest punishments, or perhaps even death. Three American prisoners were one day brought in by fourteen warriors from the garrison of Fort Mc. Intosh: as soon as they passed the Sandusky river, they were told by the captain of the party to run, as fast as they could to a painted post, which was shewn to them; the youngest of the three, without a moment's hesitation, immediately The weakness and the protected ten- started for it, and reached it, fortuderness of civilized man would sink at nately, without a blow; the second once under the severity of such pain; hesitated for a moment, but, recollectbut in the spirit of the unbending sa- ing himself, he also ran as fast as he vage, there is a re-action which de-could, and likewise reached the post prives the blow of half its force. The unhurt; but the third, terrified at beconstancy, the proud firmness, the al- holding so many men, women, and No, 25.-VOL, III, P 219 Virtues of Savage Life. children with weapons in their hands ready to strike him, kept begging the captain to spare his life; saying, he was a mason, and would build him a fine stone house, or do any work for him he pleased. "Run for your life," cried the chief, " and don't talk now of building houses." The poor fellow still insisted; but the Indian, fearing the consequences, turned his back upon him, and would hear him no longer. The mason then began to but received so many blows, that he had nearly fallen, which would have decided his fate. He, however, reached the goal, amid the scoffings of the Indians, while his companions were applauded as men of courage and resolution. run; 220 The treatment of women among savage tribes, is generally considered very harsh and severe. In many instances, however, they display a strength of affection which would surprise an European husband. During a famine, a sick Indian woman expressed a great desire for a mess of Indian corn. Her husband having heard that a trader in lower Sandusky had a little, set off on horseback for that place, a hundred miles distant, and returned with as much as filled the crown of his hat, for which he gave his horse in exchange, and came home on foot, bringing his saddle back with him. -The following proposal of marriage, made by a young Indian to the father The natural virtues, as they may of his bride, gives us a high notion of be called, of affection to those related the poetical gallantry with which the to us by blood, and charity to the dis-woods of the untutored savage abound: tressed, are often found very strong in the breast of the American Indians. 66 Father! I love your daughter,-will you give her to me, that the small roots of her heart may intertwine with mine, so that the strongest wind that blows shall never separate them?"-Ellis's Voyage to Hudson's Bay. The mode in which the American Indians educate their children, is in many respects praise-worthy. They are taught to put the highest value on the praises of their parents; and the word good has almost a magical effect when applied to them. If a child carry a dish of victuals to an aged person, all who are in the house will join in calling him a good child. They will ask whose child he is; and on being told, will exclaim, What! has the tortoise or the great bear so good a child? The following anecdote, from Ellis's Voyage to Hudson's Bay, displays an affectionate courage, which has been seldom equalled. Two small canoes were passing Hayes' river; when they had reached the middle, one of them, which was made of the bark of the beech-tree, sunk, in which was an Indian, his wife, and child. The other canoe being small, and incapable of receiving more than one of the parents and the child, produced a most extraordinary contest between the man and his wife. It was not, that either was not willing to perish to save the other; but the difficulty lay in determining which would be the greatest Joss to the child. The man used many arguments to prove it more reasonable How seldom will a man devote his that he should be drowned than the wo-life, even to preserve that of a friend! man. She, on the contrary, alleged, The story of Damon and Pythias has that it was more for the advantage of excited the sympathy and admiration the child that she should perish, be- of mankind for ages; but the following cause he, as a man, was better able anecdote, the truth of which is well to hunt, and consequently to provide attested, surpasses it in magnanimity. for its sustenance. The little time that was still remaining was spent in mutual expressions of kindness. The woman, loosening her hold of the canoe, sunk, and the man and his child arrived in safety on shore. The Indian women are extremely attached to their young children; and if they die, they lament their loss in the most affecting manner; even after their death, for months they visit their little graves, and shed over them some very bitter tears. During a tremendous hurricane, a vessel, unable to outlive the violence of the gale, foundered. An Englishman, who was one of the passengers, endeavoured to save himself by clinging to a plank, which was only just buoyant enough to support him. In this perilous condition, an athletic black man, who had cast himself into the sea, swam towards him, as if to seize the plank. The Englishman, conscious that such an attempt would be his destruction, vehemently be 221 Virtues of Savage Life. The sense of justice is often very strong in uncultivated minds. The artifices of law, which so often clash with justice, are not found amongst savage nations. An Indian of a plain understanding, would be surprised at the dispute which arose on the question, whether a tobacco-pipe was a drawn weapon; yet this very question was the subject of a serious argument in the construction of the statute of stabbing, 1 Jac. 1. That they are not, however, ignorant of the essential principles of justice, the following anecdotes may prove : 222 sought him to desist. The negro he- men, with the canoe, who had taken sitated a moment, then turned away, charge of the property of the others, ceased his useless struggles, and sunk. and by their neglect lost the whole, The white man was saved, and, it is | were not liable to pay the loss? It needless to add, was ever afterwards was decided in the negative, on the' the warmest advocate of the rights following grounds: 1st, That the and liberties of our black brethren. canoe men had taken the articles on board, with the pleasing hope that they would thereby oblige their fellow men, and did not expect any recom→ pense for that service. 2d, That although they might have avoided the danger and the loss by unloading the canoe at the head of the fall, and carrying the cargo by land below it, (which was but a short distance,) as was customary when the river was not in a proper state to run through, yet' that, had those who travelled by land been in the place of those in the canoe, they might, like them, have attempted to run through, as is sometimes done with success, and lost, like them, the cargo. 3d, That the canoe men having had all their own property on board, which was all lost at the same time, and was equally valuable to them, it was clear that they had expected to run safely through, and could not intentionally or designedly have brought upon themselves the misfortune which had happened, andtherefore the circumstance must be ascribed entirely to accident. From the clearness of the arguments, we should almost be tempted to believe, that these dusky gentlemen of the long robe had consulted Sir William Jones's excellent treatise on the law of Bailments. A hunter went out to kill a bear, some of those animals having been seen in the neighbourhood. In an obscure part of the wood, he saw at a distance something black moving, which he took for a bear, the whole of the animal not being visible. He fired, and found he had shot a black horse. Having discovered his mistake, he informed the owner of what had happened, expressing at the same time his regret that he was not possessed of a horse, with which he could replace the one he had shot. "What!" said the Indian whose horse had been killed, "do you think I would accept of a horse from you, even if you had one, after you have satisfied me that you killed mine by accident?-No, indeed, for the same misfortune might also happen to me." For a more detailed character of the Indian tribes, our readers may consult the account of the Indian nations, conTo those who have studied the Eng-tained in the transactions of the Amelish law, the following learned argu- rican Philosophical Society, from, ment of an Indian jurisconsult will be which several of the foregoing anecvery entertaining, from the many points dotes are taken. of resemblance which may be remarked. The case was stated thus:-Two Indians with a large canoe going down the Muskingum river to a certain distance, were accosted by others going by land to the same place, who requested them to take their heavy articles, as kettles, axes, hoes, &c. into their canoe; which they freely did, but unfortunately were shipwrecked at the rocks of White Eyes Falls, where the whole cargo was lost, but the men saved themselves by swimming to the shore. The question was put, and fully discussed, whether those It would be impossible in this place to cite the many travellers, whose works bear testimony to the virtues and warm-heartedness of many savage nations. The eulogium of the unfortunate Mungo Park, on the women of Africa, can never be forgotten. by any one who has once read it; and in the pages of Le Vaillant, the despised Hottentots appear in a very amiable light. Barrow also bears witness to the virtues of this people. According to him, they are mild and quiet; perfectly harmless, honest, and faithful; and though extremely phleg 223 Virtues of Savage Life. 224 matic, they are kind and affectionate | ried him to their country in sad tri to each other, and not incapable of strong attachments. A Hottentot would share his last morsel with his companions. They have little of that art or cunning which savages usually possess. If accused of crimes of which they are guilty, they generally divulge the truth. They seldom quarrel amongst themselves, or make use of provoking language. Though naturally fearful, they will run into the face of danger, if led on by their superiors. They suffer pain with patience. They are by no means deficient in talent. After all, perhaps the noblest part of the savage character is that energy and endurance of mind which never fail in danger, or in death. It is this great weapon, the "equal to all woes," which nature has given us to combat the evils of our being, and which is the basis of the sublime virtues of patience and fortitude. On this principle rests the awful sublimity of character which the Greek fabulists threw around their wondrous creation of the heaven-scaling Titans, and the proud constancy by which Prometheus shook even the majesty of Jove himself. umph; yet though he had filled them with grief and shame for the loss of so many of their kindred, their love of martial virtue induced them to treat him, during their long journey, with much greater respect than if he had acted the part of a coward. The women and children, as he passed through the towns, beat and whipped him severely, according to their usual custom on such occasions, and at last he was condemned to die by the fiery torture. It might be thought that the sufferings which he had by this time experienced, (scantily fed, and lodged on the bare ground, and exposed to all the changes of the atmosphere, with his arms and legs extended in a pair of rough stocks,) would have affected his bodily powers, and have worn his spirit to a state of imbecility. This, however, was not the case; for when he was unpinioned, and, surrounded by his numerous enemies, led to the place of execution, which lay near a river, he suddenly dashed down those that stood next him, plunged into the water, and, swimming beneath the surface like an otter, rising occasionally to take breath, reached the opposite shore. He now ascended the steep bank, and turning round towards his enemies, who were pursuing him like blood-hounds, and in the midst of the bullets which had been flying around him from the time he plunged into the river, he made a ludicrous sign of defiance, struck up his war-whoop, as his last salute, till a fitter opportunity presented itself, and then darted off, like a beast escaped from the toils of the hunter. He continued his speed, so as to run, by the midnight of that day, a distance which his eager enemies were two days in traversing. There he rested, till he happily discovered five of the Indians who were pursuing given in Adair's Travels. A party of him; and he concealed himself a little the Seneca Indians came to make war way off their camp, till they fell into a against the Ratahban, bitter enemies sound sleep. Every circumstance of to each other. In the woods, the for- his situation inspired him with heroism. mer discovered a sprightly warrior be- He was naked, torn, and hungry, and longing to the latter, hunting in his his enraged enemies had at length. light dress on perceiving them, he overtaken him. Resolution, a convesprung off for a hollow rock, four or nient spot, and sudden surprise, would five miles distant, as they intercepted effect the object of all his wishes and him from running homewards. He hopes, He accordingly crept towards was so extremely swift and skilful with them, and, seizing a tomahawk, killed his gun, that he killed seven of them in all five, and, clothing himself, took the his running fight, before they were able best gun, some provisions and ammuto surround and take him, They car-nition, and commenced a running The Titan of Lord Byron breathes this spirit through every line and every word, to a degree almost impious: "His wretchedness and his resistance, There is also a fine specimen of the character of the "Stoic of the woods, The man without a tear.' 225 Influence of Example. march. He set off with a light heart, and did not sleep for several successive nights, except when he reclined, as usual, a little before day, with his back against a tree. As if it were by instinct, when he found he was free from his pursuers, he returned to the very place where he had been led to the torture, and where he had killed seven of his enemies. He digged them up, burned their bodies, and returned home in triumph. Some of the tribe, on the evening of the second day, arrived at the spot where their brothers had suffered; and, concluding that their single enemy, who had, unarmed, performed such surprising feats, was now well provided with instruments of defence, and believing him to possess supernatural powers, they abandoned the pursuit, and returned home. A singular scene occurred between the falls of the Ohio and the river Wabash. A young white man, who had been, when a boy, taken prisoner by a tribe of the Wabash Indians, by whom he was brought up, and had imbibed all their notions, had so wounded a large bear, that he could not move from the spot; and the animal cried piteously. The young man went up to hiin, and with seeming great eagerness addressed him in the Wabash language, now and then giving him a slight stroke on the nose with his ramrod. He was asked what he had been saying to this bear? I have, said he, "upbraided him for acting the part of a coward; I told him that he knew the fortune of war, that one or the other of us must have fallen; that it was his fate to be conquered, and he ought to die like a man, like a hero, and not like an old woman; and if the case had been reversed, and I had fallen into the power of my enemy, I would not have disgraced my nation as he did, but would have died with firmness and courage, as becomes a true war rior." 226 ples which have been communicated to them in their earliest years, and by the conduct of their parents or guardians, is a truth which I think none will deny. In all probability, therefore, the child who has been instructed in the principles of religion at an early period, who has been taught to fear God and keep his commandments, and who has been strictly prohibited from associating with persons who are addicted to swearing, or vicious actions, under the penalty of severe punishment, will, when he arrives at the years of maturity, become a blessing to the country in which he dwells, a useful member of society, and a bright ornament to the Christian church. But, on the contrary, the child who has not been early taught the truths of Christianity; who has not been told that there is a God; who, though invisible, is, nevertheless, an observer of his conduct; who regards the righteous, and bestows upon them his best blessings, while he abhors the wicked, and despises all their actions; and who, in short, has been left to wander hither and thither, without any to take charge of him, to correct him when he does evil, to commend him when he does good, and to encourage him in the practice of virtue; will, no doubt, be characterised, in maturer years, by all manner of wickedness; and, therefore, will be viewed by the pious and the good, as an object of deep commiseration. Hence the indispensable necessity of an early religious education, and a becoming behaviour exhibited to youth. But the influence of example has also a very powerful effect upon persons in every period of life. In youth, I presume, it operates most strongly, and gives rise to the best or the worst consequences. Men are naturally disposed to imitate the example, and to follow the practice, of one another. The man, therefore, who manifests a very inconsistent character, who leads a life of debauchery and lewdness, and who never regulates his conduct by the principles of morality or religion, while he is a disgrace to the country in which he resides, may be the cause of much evil, by leading others astray from the paths of righteousness, and thus exposing them to future misery; while he, on the contrary, who maintains a digMR. EDITOR, nified and respectable character, a chaSIR, That the future character of chil-racter formed by every amiable and virdren is often determined by the princi- tuous principle, will, by the sweetness We think Sir Henry Torrens could not do better than to make this anecdote the order of the day, and cause it to be read at the head of every regiment. On the Influence of Example. |