was with us, and hearing he was arrived, came to us, as we had alighted from our horses. He was accompanied by several old men: the first salutation was a hearty shake of the hands, (or rather arms,) saying, "You are come." We followed him to an apartment prepared for the reception of their guests. The pipe being filled, was then handed round as a token of friendship; and a large bowl, of what they call thin drink, was set down on a small, low table, out of which every person helped himself to as much liquor as he pleased, with a great wooden ladle, till it had gone round the circle.

This chief is known by the title of the cowkeeper: he assembled his council, that they might hear the trader's proposals, for bartering with his people European goods, for furs and the skins of wild beasts. The bargain was soon struck, and both sides seemed satisfied.

You may believe I was highly gratified in being present at this conference; the persons, dress, and manners of the Indians being so new to me. They are of a copper colour, and have thick, straight black hair, generally a flat nose, high cheek bones, and small eyes, This chief is a tall, well-made man, of a cheerful countenance and behaviour; yet there is something ferocious in his look, that, if he were angry, would make one tremble. He has been a great warrior, having many captives,

who

who attend him as slaves: they waited on him with the most obsequious attention, and appeared very much afraid of him.

We partook of a great feast, consisting of venison, stewed in bear's oil, fresh corn cakes, milk, and hominy: our drink was honey and water, which I found cool and pleasant.

This town is the capital of the Alachua tribe, and contains about thirty habitations, which are each formed of two distinct houses, of nearly the same size. The dwelling-house is divided into two equal apartments; one of which serves for the kitchen and common hall, the other is the general chamber for the family. The other house stands at a small distance, and mostly has two stories. The end towards the dwelling-house is supported by posts or pillars, and is an open loft, to which there are no other stairs than a movable ladder: this is a cool, airy apartment, where the chief of the family receives company, or reposes himself in the heat of the day. The other half of this building is closed on all sides with notched logs. The rooms are used for store-houses, where they lay up corn, potatoes, and other provisions. Every dwelling stands in the middle of a square yard, bounded by a low bank, formed with the earth taken out of the yard, which is always carefully swept. Every town has a public square, or council-house, where the chief and the elders assemble to transact public affairs. I have been particularly

exact in describing this town, as I imagine it will serve for a picture of the rest we shall visit in our future travels. Taskawila is charmingly situated on a high, swelling ridge of sand hills, opposite to a large, beautiful lake; the sloping bank terminated on one side by extensive forests, composed of orange groves, overtopped by grand magnolias, palms, poplars, oaks, &c. Huge herds of cattle, belonging to the cowkeeper and his townsmen, graze in a vast savannah that stretches out at some distance from the town. In this extensive plain are herds of sprightly deer, and squadrons of wellproportioned, fleet Siminole horses, which live almost in a state of nature. In order to make us more completely welcome, a party of young Indians, on horseback, were dispatched to the savannah, to pick out some of the best cattle to feast the whole town, in honour of our arrival. The feast was held in the public square. The first course consisted of prime joints, well barbecued ; and the second of bowls and kettles of stewed fish and broth, with a very disagreeable dish called tripe soup, made of the paunch of the ox, cut and minced, and boiled into thin soup; but the aromatic herbs, added as seasoning, were not sufficiently powerful to disguise the want of cleanliness in preparing this dish.

We are continually making excursions during our stay here, that we may lose no opportunity of indulging our curiosity. I hear the trampling of

the

the horses at the door, waiting to carry us on one of these jaunts. I wish you could be of our party; but as that is impossible, I must bid you adieu. ARTHUR MIDDLETON

LETTER XVI.

Arthur Middleton to his Brother Edwin.

MY DEAR BROTHER,

Pensacola, West Florida.

I CANNOT give you such a clear account of our route through the territories of the Siminole and Muskogee, or Creek Indians, in the southern part of Georgia, as if we had travelled from one post town to another, along a high road, in a cultivated country. We have passed through all the varieties of soil and surface that you can imagine-hill, dale, plain, and forest. Sometimes we have traversed over extensive savannahs, that maintain innumerable herds of deer, cattle, and Siminole horses, which are of a small breed, but beautifully proportioned; they enjoy their perfect liberty, and approach to the state of wild horses. When it is intended to catch one of them, a domestic horse, which is much nimbler, is used to overtake and entangle them. Every year, as they

come of age, a troop of them is sent to Charlestown, where they are sold to the highest bidder. At other times we have taken our course through an inclosed country, covered with forests of such grandeur, that those who have never seen them can form no idea. Sometimes we have pursued the course of rivers, and wandered over swampy meadows. Amongst the natural curiosities are those vast circular sinks, seen in many places in the neighbourhood of St. Juan's river, which are situated generally in the midst of rocks, and formed by an extraordinary eruption from the earth, or probably from some mighty body of water, restrained in its natural course. A person who was present at the formation of one of these receptacles of water, gave me the following account of the phenomeA tremendous rushing noise, like a hurricane or thunder-storm, first alarmed him; and looking round, he saw the earth overflowed by torrents, which rushed down a valley near the place. The inundation soon overwhelmed the higher grounds. When he had recovered from his surprise, he took courage to go to the place whence the terrific sound proceeded, when he perceived a prodigious fountain in this spot, rushing upwards, many feet high, and deluging the ground on all sides. It continued to flow in this manner for several days, forming a stream that discharged its waters into a distant lake. It gradually ceased to overflow, and at length confined itself within this bason, which

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