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SCENES

> INDIAN COUNTRY.

BY THE AUTHOR OP "SCENES IN CHU8AN," "LEABN TO SAT KO," AND *' HOW TO DIE HAPPT."

PHILADELPHIA : PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION,

NO. 821 CUESTNUT STREET.

/^sy

\

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1859, by ^

JAMES DUNLAP, Tbeas., in the Clerk's Oflace of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylyania.

STEllEOTTPED BT

JESPER HARDING & SON,

INQUmER BUILDING, SOUTH THIRD STKEET, PHILADELPHIA.

€<0)HT]lS?TSo
		PAGE
The Creek Indians,	. • •	. 7
Yan Biiren,	• •	13
Forest Kangers in the Town,	. 15
The up river Experience,		17
•Near sinking,	• . .	. 19
"Wooding,		21
Fellow Passengers,	. • *	. 22
The Lieutenant,		25
The Surgeon,	.	. 26
The White Indian,		28
Red men,	, • ,	. 30
The Piece that was lost.		31
What Boarding-schools have done,	. 33
Fort Coffee, .	.	34
Fort Gibson,	.	. 36
The Verdigris Landing,	,	37
Tallahassa Mission,	.	. 39
Kowetah Mission,	, .	41

(3)

CONTENTS.

Origin of the Kowetah Mission

The African Interpreter,

Uncle Frank,

The School, .

The Farmer Missionary,

Female Department,

How they work.

Their Kecreations,

Scene in the Dining-room,

Help those Women,

The Cause which was dearest,

Portrait of a Missionary,

The Teacher,

What is the Cause of this Difference,

The Contrast,

One that had not been a Pupil,

Preaching,

Evening Preaching at Cabins,

Night Meeting among the NegroeS;

Aunt Chloe,

The Whiskey Village,

The Challenge,

Drunken Indians,

Travellers disturbed, .

Itinerating,

The Vision,

Another Vision, .

Oddly constructed Vehicles,

CONTENTS.

^5

Journal contiuued, .

State of AVidowhood, .

Soaking the Seed,

Foot-prints iu the Rock,

Another Day's Work,

Tulsey Town,

A Sick Woman, .

"This be Indian's Hunting Ground

The Commons,

The poor lone Widow, »

Discussion with a Mekko,

Choosing the Broad Road,

Returning home, ,

The Assault, .

** Where other Indians go,"

Different Degrees of Civilization.

The Gentleman,

One of a Class Opposed to Civilization,

The Blowers, ....

Different modes of Burial,

Diffusive Influence of Religion and Knowledge,

Mingled Races,

Alarm in Prospect of Death,

Sofky, ....

White Wife, ....

Drunkards of Ephraim,

Prohibitory Laws,

Smugglers, ....

6 CONTENTS,
	PAGE
Morning after a Debauch, .	. 213
The way of Transgressors Hard, ^	215
Extracts from Letters,	. 217
Big Meetings,	218
Unlettered Preachers,	• 219
Examination Day, . ,	223
The Cold Plague,	. 225
Economical Lodgings,	229
Change of Weather,	. 230
Reckless Riding,	232
Indian Doctors,	. 234
Prophets, . , ,	238
The Busk, ....	. 241
Traditions,	248
Marriage and Courtship, .	. 250
Some Incidents of a Day's Ride,	252
The Gleaner,	. 257
A Funeral,	259
Eloquence of Silence,	. 262
A Visit to the Cherokees,	. 264
A Cherokee Preacher,	. 269
Blood Revenge,	274
Testimony of a Drover,	. 275
Is it a Paying Business ?	279

SCENES IN THE INDIAN COUNTRY,

THE CREEK INDIANS.

We propose to give some account of the things seen — of the facts learned, and the labours engaged in — of about a year spent amongst the Creek Indians, who are lo- cated along the Arkansas river, west of the State of Arkansas. This tribe was removed to their present country, from Georgia, within the memory of those who are now not far past the meridian of life. They were very reluctant to remove ; sorry to leave their old fields and orchards, their homes and hunting grounds, their council houses,

and the graves of their kinsmen and their

(7)

8 SCENES IN THE

braves. To this day, they talk much of the happy country from which they were driven^ as they express it : they discourse about its springs, and brooks, and rivers ; its rich soil, and abundant timber; its hills and val- leys, and genial climate ; and with it they are wont to contrast, depreciatingly, (like any homesick person,) the " woodless and waterless " country in which they are now settled : nothing is equal to what they had in Georgia ; the summers here are hotter, the winters are colder, the rain is wetter, the crops lighter, the game scarcer, and their people are dying off faster than ever was known in the "old nation."

But; however unfavourably it may, in their eyes^ compare with the country from which they came, they now have a goodly land, if they improve, and are disposed to enjoy it. They have prairie and woodland ; the " openings " with their grassy carpet and majestic trees to shade the grazing herds, and a fitting place they are, also, for the pensive Indian to roam in solitude and

INDIAN COUNTRY. ft

silence. They have the "deep tangled wild wood," where the earth never feels the en- livening influence of the sunshine, so dense are the tree tops with their trailing vines: they have upland and lowland, rivers and smaller streams; so many, that every family of the tribe might, if so disposed, fix its habitation on, or near a stream of living water. The face of the country is undulat- ing, with here and there a ridge thrown up, and occasionally an isolated hill.

When they first came to the west, they settled on lands belonging to the Cherokees. From fear of the wild Indians of the western plains, of whom they had heard frightful tales, they kept, for a time, close to their Cherokee neighbours. Then they went over upon tlieir own lands, but still continued huddled together in the north eastern cor- ner of their own territory, and as near as possible to Fort Gibson, which is on the Neosho, not far from its confluence with the Arkansas and Yerdigris rivers. The land in that vicinity was nearly all occupied with

10 SCENES IN THE

their cornfields ; but now, scarce a cabin re- mains tbere ; young trees are covering the ground ; the place bears the name of Tallahassee, or old fields, and the tribe has scattered about over their wide territory : some north along the Yerdigris, some along the Ar- kansas, some south and away to the south- west, On the different branches of the Cana- dian river, and some far out on the western borders, where the buffaloes still range, and where some enterprising Creeks have estab- lished stores, and drive a profitable trade with the wild tribes.

Such as wish to farm, make a clearing in the heavy timber, supposing that the best land is likely to be where the timber grew ; thus they are protected from the winter's winds, by that portion of the forest which still surrounds their field. Some erect their cabins on the borders of the groves, and make a farm partly on the prairie, and partly in the clearing.

It is not an uncommon occurrence to tear down the cabin, and remove it and the fences

INDIAN COUNTRY. 11

to another place, and make new improve- ments ; some because their old fields have become worn out, or too thickly seeded with weeds ; others, not to secure greater agricul- tural advantages, but because fire wood is becoming scarce in their immediate vicinity ; for, rather than go out and cut wood and "haul" it to the door, they prefer to move the house into the midst of standing trees, where they can fell and burn them at their lazy pleasure. Some change their location in order to get by the side of a better spring, or to find a better range for their cattle.

Many of the Creeks are tolerably good farmers, with well fenced and well tended fields, good horses, large herds of fine cattle, and many hogs. The hogs roam in the woods feeding on roots and nuts, and in the winter are fed sparingly on corn. The cat- tle fare well during the long summer, on the luxuriant grass of the prairies, and such as have provident owners, get a little hay in the winter ; otherwise they must shift for themselves, picking the sour grass of the

12 SCENES IN THE

lowlands, and browsing in the woods and cane brakes.

Now and then we see a small flock of coarse-wooled sheep ; but it is difficult to raise them, because of the prairie wolves which are numerous and troublesome.

A majority of the Indians are, as yet, but indifferent farmers, and a large class seem to be desirous merely to live, and to live with as little trouble as possible. You will perceive who these are if you travel much in the country ; their fields are small, and smaller this year than they were the year before ; for instead of making new rails to replace those that were broken or burned^ because there was nothing more convenient to boil the dinner, they diminish the size of the lot. The ploughing was done too late, and the planting was not in season; the scattering stalks of corn are sickly, and yielding the ground to weeds that thrive without care. Such men have but little stock ; but if possible, they will keep one pony, for there are many gatherings for

INDIAN COUNTRY. 13

amusement, feasts and games, at wide dis- tances apart over the country, which are most punctually attended by those who most dislike labour. It is not certain, however, that every man that rides away from home, will ride back again ; for the labour-hating are likely to be the ivhiskey -loving people, and the gamblers too ; and that one pony may be gambled away or pledged for li- quor.

VAN BUREN,

Our first introduction to the Indian Terri- tory, we may say, began at Van Buren, a town in Arkansas, on the river of the same name, and at the point where it enters the State from the west. We arrived Saturday evening, and found the place fall of people, with much noise and excitement. Here was the residence of the Superintendent of Indian affairs for all this portion of the In- dian Territory, and here the courts are held, and all difficulties which could not be set- tled at the agencies in the several tribes,

2

14 SCENES IN THE

and crimes of a grave character, were re- ferred to the Superintendent ; here, too, was the jail, in which prisoners were lodged. It being the time of court, many Indians were lodging in the town, or encamped around in its vicinity ; some as principals, others as witnesses in the various trials.

We noticed that some who had been fel- low passengers with us on the boat, and who were returning to their homes or places of trade in the Indian country, showed symptoms of anxiety, as they learned what was going on in town.

We asked the cause of their alarm, and they answered, " We'll have rows here, sir; so many Indians together ; for if there is any whiskey within reach, they'll be sure to scent it out, and if they find it, they'll not be long in getting drunk, you may depend ; and when they're drunk, they'll fight and kill: that's so." But we enjoyed a quiet Sabbath, worshipping with God's people.

INDIAN COUNTRY. 15

FOREST RANGERS IN THE TOWN.

Daring the forenoon of Monday we were looking about, and learning what we could of the Indian character and habits. Some were racing their ponies through the streets for the mere excitement of the thing. Here you might see half a dozen of swarthy faced young men, with the long black hair float- ing over their broad shoulders, issue from a grocery, unhitch their apparently sleeping nags^ spring upon their backs, and with a wild screech fly up the road whooping and yelling till their noise dies away in the dis- tance. We have forgotten them and are oc- cupied with other scenes, when suddenly in an opposite direction we hear the same frightful screeching and clattering of hoofs, then we see the foaming horses plunging furiously towards us, and on even to the hitching rail, where they halt in full career, and the riders slide down their sides, turn the bridle rein over the pony's head, hang it on the hitching peg, and lean themselves

16 SCENES m THE

against a post or the side of the house, and, with eyes dropped upon the ground and one leg twisted around the other, they at once appear as listless and unconcerned as if they were alone by their own cabin in the woods.

We go about among the shops. Here is a spruce young fellow purchasing a hunting shirt of gay coloured calico with red or yel- low fringe, and a beaded sash with long tas- sels: there an ambitious lad getting brass ornaments and flaming streamers for his bri- dle ; others, too poor to buy, yet examining the gaudy horse caparisons which are hung about in tempting style. In another shop scores of men are laying in supplies of pow- der, and lead, and percussion caps ; others are examining and trying the knives, rifles, and revolvers. Indian women are chatter- ing over the shawls, and cotton handkerchiefsj and gaudy calicoes ; and buying wooden pails, tin cups, and coffee pots.

Yonder is a gang of men and boys pitch- ing quoits ; and there another arranging far a foot race or ball play.

INDIAN COUNTRY. 17

THE UP RIVER EXPERIENCE.

About noon we go aboard the very little steamboat that is to convey us still on up the Arkansaw " as far as she can go ;" which, if the river does not fall immediately, will be up to the Old Creek Agency ; and that is where we would like to be landed, for it is near the Tallahassa Mission. The officers, though young men, are nevertheless " old hands" in Western waters ; and before you get to your journey's end, if skilful in ques- tioning, you will have learned many inter- esting and some thrilling as well as some prosy facts relative to steamboating in these fitful rivers. They will tell you how in low water all hands are sometimes compelled to jump into the stream to work the vessel over a sand bar, and may be they will have to " tote" the lading all ashore, and after they have passed the shoal to " tote" it back again.

When we came down the river, we had a

little experience in low water navigation. 2*

18 SCENES IN THE

la one place we saw a fine large steamboat away out on a sand plain, and many feet above the channel we were running in. She had, it appeared, been running in high water and thought to cut off a long bend by shooting across the bar ; but the river was falling too fast, and she found herself in a place where she neither could get back or forward ; and there high and dry she lay for months wait- ing another rise of the river. " The farthest way round would have been the shortest way home" for her that time.

Of high water boating we had some exam- ples on our way up. Soon after leaving Napoleon we met a flood, which the officers declared was four feet perpendicular as we met it. Certain it is, that from a perfectly smooth surface, we passed at once into a tur- bulent stream, covered all over with drift wood, as though all the old " rack heaps" in the river had suddenly broken loose. Two men were stationed at the bow with poles and hooks to look out for the biggest logs, and, if possible, to turn them to one side. We ride

INDIAN COUNTRY. ' 19

over logs and trees which thump and jostle us about; now a small tree is caught in the wheel, nor does it let go without leaving its mark. Some of the passengers say, " Cap- tain, is this quite safe, do you reckon V^' "Oh," he answers, "this is the United States mail boat, don't you kaow ? She's bound to go through, sir." By and by the carpenter reports a hole in the bottom, and we turn in towards the shore and repair. In the middle of the night again, while near- ly all the passengers are asleep in their berths, we hear the engine bells ringing ominously, and soon we are tied up to some trees on the bank, and the steam is let off. We go out to learn what's the trouble. " Oh, nothing special," says the mate, " only a little bit of a hole 'bout as big 's yer head ; 't will be plugged in less 'n half an hour."

NEAR SINKING.

In our little boat from Van Buren to Fort Gibson we still had high water. At Fort Smith, where we lay part of a day taking in

20 SCENES IN THE

cargo, we narrowly escaped a watery grave. Just at night they left the wharf to steam around to another landing which was at the mouth of a creek, and that creek too was high, and its waters were rushing down so impetuously that our craft could not make head against it, but the current caught and whirled her bow around against some sharp projectinjg rocks on the shore with startling force. The carpenter jerked off the hatch- way and jumped into the hold ; but he jump- ed out as quick as he jumped in ; and in an- swer to the quick inquiry from the pilot house, "How is it?" he shouted back in an agitated manner, " She's taking water as fast as ever she can." The youthful captain, who was himself at the wheel, did not lose his presence of mind ; but backed down a little, then with all the steam that could be let on, he rushed her hard into a cane brake ; and the canes bending under and at the sides of the boat, helped to buoy her up, and mean- time others were busy cramming bedding into the holes. We lay there nearly all the

INDIAN COUNTRY. 21

night till the damage was repaired, and " better than new," as they insisted. Had we gone down where we struck, there would nothing have been seen, even of the tops of our smoke pipes ; so they told us. Most of the passengers would have been glad to have been ashore. Some went out on the hurricane deck, and shouted long and loud to anybody on the land ; screeched with that Cherokee screech. One or two came lazily down to the water's edge and asked, " What's the matter?" and when they were told, they coolly replied, " Oh, is that all ?" and as laz- ily they walked away.

WOODING.

Wooding along those rivers far up the country is not the systematic and speedy business that it is where there are woodyards, and men who have ambition to chop and haul the wood to the river, and enterprise to be on the look out for opportunity to sell it. When our stock was getting low, all hands were put on the look out for a con-

22 SCENES IN THE

venient place to land, and where there was a prospect of gathering wood. Dry limbs were gathered, small trees were cut, and not a few rails from the fences near the river would be tossed aboard — "Pitch them in," thej would say, " pitch them in ; don't you see the bank is caving? They '11 be gone any how pretty soon, and we might as well save them — pitch them in."

FELLOW PASSENGERS.

Perhaps we are taking our readers on too fast: you may have a curiosity to look around amongst our passengers and see who they are. When we embarked at Yan Buren we found quite a company on board already ; a few white men, but many Indians, men and women ; and the Indians were the lords and ladies. The first day, at the table, a fat Indian woman fixed herself in the captain's seat ; nor was she asked to vacate it. All helped themselves to what they liked.

The women wore very small shawls, and gowns which were not very flowing ; with

INDIAN COUNTRY. 23

handkerchiefs tied about the head instead of bonnets.

At Fort Smith, more people came aboard; of whom some were white traders, some were Indians, who were merchants on a small scale, and had come down to lay in a stock of goods ; also a few people belonging to the United States service.

Amongst the Indians, there were a few petty chiefs, two of whom were very fat ; and one, a very tall, and very dark man, who bore himself rather haughtily, was pointed out to us as the third chief of the Creek Nation, and brother to the principal chief, and a merchant, and Baptist preacher be- sides.

One morning, one of the corpulent chiefs caused his companions much merriment, by his ineffectual efforts to contrive a way to descend safely from the upper berth, and at length, whether as a last resort, or by acci- dent, rolling over broadside, down upon the deck. This called forth floods of jokes,

24: SCENES IN THE

which we did not understand, with peals of laughter long and loud.

From Little Rock, we had as fellow pas- senger, a nephew of the Cherokee chief whom I had known once in Princeton, IST. J., where he was then attending school. Now he seemed to be quite a business man, having his residence at Tallequa, the capital of the Cherokee nation.

He had hitherto been dressed in a genteel suit of broadcloth, which he was wearing home from Philadelphia, whither he had been for the purchase of goods ; and he had been quite social and communicative all the way up the river, until we met, on board this last steamer, amongst other Indians. He had stowed the broadcloth away in his trunk, and appeared in his hunting shirt, and bead sash with long tassels, no vest, gay slippers, straw hat with red ribbon. He would not enter into any protracted conver- sation with the white men, and seemed to be extremely anxious all the time, lest possibly he might become implicated in some of the

INDIAN COUNTRY. 25

Indians' little quarrels. We regretted this, for he was an educated and intelli2:ent man, and we had already drawn much valuable information from him.

At Fort Smith we took on board a sur- geon, a lieutenant, and a sergeant. The lat- ter had in charge two soldiers, who had de- serted from Fort Gibson. During the night he managed to let them go again into the woods somewhere, when the boat landed — *i»he did it on purpose" — the surgeon said.

THE LIEUTENANT.

lie was a wild, rollicking blade; he told tales about the many marvellous things he had seen or done, during the service in Mexico. What was truth, and what was fiction, it was hard to determine, and there- fore the safest plan was to reject it all. From the companions gathered around him, and from the many bad words he used, it was man- ifest that he was not fit company for decent people. We observed that the surgeon had Dothing whatever to do with him. But he

26 SCENES IN THE

had a horse that might be admired; a noble, and well trained animal. When we were approaching the place where he purposed to take the land again, the saddle, bridle, hol- sters, etc., were brought out and adjusted; the boat ran in to the shore, and prepara- tions were making to launch the planks in order to lead the horse off; but, *'No," says the lieutenant, and touching his fingers to the bridle rein, and a toe to the stirrup, he vaulted into the saddle, and touching his heel to the flanks of his steed, off from the deck he leaped, clambered up the steep bank, then galloped away over the greensward, and was soon out of sight in the woods.

THE SURGEON.

He was a polished gentleman, and a Christian, we trust. His speech was pure and elegant, unmixed with those vulgarisms which are so easily acquired in the army, and by mingling with all kinds of people. He was now past the meridian of life, and had been in the army constantly, since he had

INDIAN COUNTKY. 27

left the schools, yet he retained all the polish of manners, and kept up his reading with as much zest as if he had never left his city home. Through Florida, Texas, Mexico, and the Indian country, he had accompanied the troops, and had experienced the vicissi- tudes and privations of war ; but it had not made him coarse or negligent. His own sound, religious principles, the presence of a wife and daughter, who were his compan- ions when he was not following the army into battle ; the presence too, of a well se- lected library; served to keep him up in a moral and social atmosphere, which was healthful and refining, while so many around him were people of different habits, and dif- ferent tastes.

He loved much to talk of his Colonel, a pious man, who was not ashamed of his re- ligion, and always would have order whether in the cantonment or the camp ; who sup- pressed improper indulgences, and enforced a decent observance of the Sabbath. Many of the officers, therefore, complained of him

23 SCENES IN THE

as a bigoted old Puritan, that could not

toleral

merits.

tolerate amongst his men innocent amuse

THE WHITE INDIAN.

There was a young white man on the boat, a citizen of the Cherokee nation ; for any person may become a citizen of any of these tribes, by marrying a native woman : he can then take up as much land as he is able to cultivate, providing he does not en- croach upon the prior claim of any other man ; he may raise cattle, buy and sell, and enjoy all the privileges of a genuine In- dian ; but he is required to attend, and con- tribute to the support of all their national feasts, and the sports and games connected with them, however idolatrous or immoral they may be. If, at any time he should grow tired of his wife, or of the country, and wish to remove, he must leave behind all the property which, as an Indian, he claimed. This young man of whom we are speaking, had been well raised ; a tall, hand-

INDIAN COUNTRY. 29

somely formed person, with a sparkling eye, and finely wrought features. He had re- ceived some education, and had travelled some. When not too drunk he could con- verse pleasantly ; but, poor fellow I he had abandoned himself to every degrading vice, and had lent himself, with his education and fine talents, to the service of the devil, in leading the poor Indian into sin, and teaching him forms of wickedness he had not known before. In gambling and drink- ing, he spent whatever money came into his hands ; selling off, one after another, the cattle and horses which were the inheritance of his wife, and staking at the gambling table, the annuities which were to come to her from the United States government.

He was considerably intoxicated when he came aboard, though not noisy ; but there was a " Bar " kept on the boat, and be- fore long he became more drunk and more troublesome ; ready to provoke a quarrel with any one ; every now and then drawing out a frightful looking sheath-knife,

3*

30 SCENES IN THE

feeling its edge, then returning it to its place at his back, under the hunting shirt.

At length we arrived at the landing where we hoped to get rid of him, and to land some stores which he had purchased down the river ; but the captain refused to put them ashore, till he had found security for damage done to a box of dry goods, which he had wantonly tossed into the river on the way up, which was, however, fished up again, though well saturated with the red Arkansaw water.

RED MEN.

One evening, as we were nearing the shore to gather wood, and to put out a few cases of goods for a small store back from the river, we had a view of a company of Chero- kees, with painted faces, feathers in their hair, bare legs, moccasined feet, and armed with guns and knives. We were not ex- pecting to find any of this tribe still appear- ing so wild and savage ; but we subsequently learned that a portion of the nation have

INDIAN COUNTRY. 31

always been desperately opposed to schools, and to the improvements urged by our government, and by the missionaries ; they adhere to their old customs, and strive to train up their children in the same ; care- fully teaching them all their traditions, and charging them not to learn or adopt the re- ligion of the pale faces ; for it is not to the heaven of the pale faces, but to the happy hunting ground of the red men, they should wish to go.

THE PIECE THAT WAS LOST.

AVe had as passenger, a furniture dealer from Fort Smith. Wherever the boat made any long stop, he ran ashore to inform the people of the wares he had for sale, and em- ployed others to circulate the news further, and to give notice that the people should be ready when the boat might return on her downward trip. Just as the word had been given this evening to "cast off," and the hurried strokes of the bell were pealing through the woods, and the people were run-

82 SCENES IN THE

ning in on the narrow plank, an Indian wo- man came running, and calling, and throw- ing out her arms like one in great distress. We waited to hear her story. She was com- ing to buy a bureau, but on the way had dropped a ten dollar gold piece, and she wanted help to find it. The accommodating captain ordered the boat made fast again, and passengers and hands sallied forth with torches to help the poor woman find her piece of money, and they found it and re- turned it to her; whereupon she was ex- ceedingly rejoiced, and it seemed so much more valuable than it did before, that the furniture dealer was unable to close a bar- gain with her.

Then some of us thought of the woman of the parable, who lighted her candle and swept the house, and sought diligently till she found the piece that was lost, and then called together her neighbours and friends to rejoice with her: we thought too of the joy there is in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth ; and

INDIAN COUNTRY. 33

then we thought of this Indian woman her- self, and of those heathen red men, and of the work in which the missionaries to this people are engaged — work in which the an- gels would love to labour — not to find pieces of gold and silver; but to win souls, over whose salvation the angels may rejoice.

WHAT BOARDING SCHOOLS HAVE DONE.

On the Cherokee side of the river I went ashore one morning to procure, if possible, a pitcher of milk ; for that was a luxury not down on the boat's bill of fare. " Follow up that path," said a man on the shore, " and it will bring you to a house where they keep it." So I followed that winding footpath about a quarter of a mile till it brought me in front of a neat cottage of hewn logs, hav- ing a portico in front, vines running over the windows, a well cultivated flower and vegetable garden. Within everything wag clean and orderly; the lady was apparently a full blooded Cherokee, but genteel and easy ia her manners, and speaking the English

84 SCENES IN THE

language prettily. She was an educated woman, I saw at once ; and without fearing to be thought impertinent, I inquired where she had attended school. Her eye lit up with emotion, and a grateful, pleasurable ex- pression passed over her face as she quickly answered, "At the Old Dwight Mission, sir." I had not time to sit down, but yet had time enough to observe the appearance of herself, her house, and her household : and at my leisure I could contrast this scene with some others which we had witnessed, and could muse upon the influence of Chris- tian Missions, and of the Mission Boarding ScJiools, especially in civilizing and refining those who otherwise would still be ignorant, indolent^ and without the comforts even of this life.

FOKT COFFEE.

When we came to this place, which is on the Choctaw side of the river, it had begun to grow dark one evening. It was then oc- cupied as the Mission premises, and board-

INDIAN COUNTRY. 35

ing school under the care of the Methodist church. The buildings were old log houses on the top of a bold bluff, and the river bends itself around its foot. The boat was bring- ing stores for the Mission, and her shrill whistle brought out the teacher, with twenty or thirty Indian lads, and they came running down the hill.

It was a romantic spot, and a scene which a painter would love to sketch. The cone shaped hill bearing stately trees on its sides, those weather beaten block houses on its summit, Indian boys scattered here and there, their dusky features revealed by the torch light, and the river laving its rocky founda- tion. That fort once grinning with cannon th'-ough its port holes; that hill once brist- ling with infantry, now serving a better pur- pose, and now a far better defence for the tribe than when armed men were quartered there ; for now it is fostering an army of teachers, and men who will be friends of education and religion. A military station transformed into a nursery, for the religious

Sd SCENES IN THE

training of youth rescued from heathenism, is indeed a pleasing sight. And may the time speed on when the diffusion of know- ledge, and the peaceful influences of the gos- pel of Christ, the Prince of peace, shall ren- der forts and standing armies unnecessary — that time which prophets have foretold, when —

" To ploughshares men shall beat their swords, To pruning hooks their spears."

FORT GIBSON.

It was about daybreak when we drew near to this place, and our friend, the sur- geon, called us out to enjoy the sight with him : especially, he said, we should embrace the rare opportunity now afforded, of look- ing into the mouths of three rivers at the same time. Straight before us the Neosho, gliding smoothly down from the north ; the Arkansas, rolling along its turbulent red current, from the west, a part of which had come from the Rocky Mountains ; and be-

INDIAN COUNTRY. 37

tween the two, the melancholy Yerdigris, with its dark green waters.

Our friend politely pointed out whatever objects of interest there were in sight, re- marking upon their beauties, and the charms of that bright morning; "but," says he, *'we are doing wrong in standing here in these river fogs, and the humid morning air; we are drinking in fever now at every breath. I do not allow myself to go out in the morning air, in this warm damp coun- try, till the stomach is fortified by refresh- ment, and the air becomes dryer."

THE VERDIGRIS LANDING.

After spending a part of the day at Fort Gibson, we returned to the boat, to drop down the stream about two miles, and turn up the Arkansas once more.

We steamed up this broad, logwood co- loured stream, trying to make the Old Creek Agency. But the captain, who had been narrowly watching the banks, by and by gave the order to turn about ; he saw that

38 SCENES IN THE

the water was falling, and knowing that these streams subside as rapidly as they rise, he dreaded the thought of being left aground in these woods for months, during the hot summer. So back we came, and turned up the deep and narrow channel of the Yerdigris ; its high banks being covered with trees, which locked their great arms together over our heads, almost shutting out the daylight.

From Fort Gibson word had been sent to the- Tallahassa Mission, and the Superin- tendent was at the landing almost as soon as we arrived. It was dark by the time our goods were landed, and the ox-wagon had arrived to take the baggage and the stores for the Mission. For us there was a little buggy, which had already done too much service in the States before finding its way into the Indian Territory, and before it was a little black pony. An Indian boy belong- ing to the school was on horseback, and ready to serve as our guide, and so we started ; our horse following his through the

INDIAN COUNTRY. 39

bushes and over the sand beds, sometimes tilt- ed to one side, sometimes to the other. It was late in the night when we arrived at the Mis- sion. Such a ride as that, with all its at- tendant circumstances, it being, moreover, the introduction to a new country, and to new scenes of labour, is amongst the events which are not forgotten during a life- time.

TALLAHASSA MISSION.

Here is a substantial brick building of three stories high, with a modest cupola, in which is a small bell, and which commands a view of the country for many miles in every direction. One half of the building is the department for the boys, the other for the girls; having a wide hall and stair- case, with airy and commodious rooms on either side in each department. Each de- partment has its distinct yards; the dining and recitation rooms are in common.

The orchard, ganlen, workshop, tool-room, and stables, are near ; and the farm not far

40 SCENES IN THE

off. About a quarter of a mile distant is a frame building for a chapel, and a little dis- tance from this, the Mission burying ground, over which many ancient oaks wave their branches in solemn cadence with the moaning winds. Some that were pupils in the school lie buried there, and some who once were mis- sionaries in that field, but are now far away, often return thither in imagination, for there is dust in that ground that is precious to them.

The school building is situated between the Arkansas and Verdigris rivers, about four or five miles from each. From eighty to a hundred Indian youth, of both sexes, are gathered here for instruction, and from all parts of the nation they have come, for it is the school for the whole nation. Think what an influence such an institution must exert ; once in every three or four years, a body of eighty or a hundred youth going out through the tribe to spread more widely the leaven of the gospel. Every year some are leaving the school, who have been from

INDIAN COUNTRY. 41

two to five years under the tuition and guar- dianship of pious men and women, to carry to their homes and neio^hbourhoods, somethinfy, at least, of what they have been learning by precept and example; and when they be- come heads of families, to bring up their own children, not in the way that was prac- tised by their forefathers, but according as they have seen practised in Christian fami- lies, and according to the rules which they find in that Book of books which they have learned to read, and which some of them have learned to love.

KOWETAH MISSION.

This is eighteen miles west of Tallahassa, in the skirts of the timber which lines the banks of the Arkansas river. The road running from Fort Gibson, through Talla- hassa, past this Mission house, and then stretching on towards the west, is the old army trail. From Tallahassa to Kowetah, it passes over rolling prairies, crossing two or thr 'C small streams, but which, powerful

4*

42 SCENES IN THE

rains sometimes swell suddenly to rivers that cannot be forded.

The Mission premises are not in sig^ht from the prairie ; for the farm was made by clearing away the forest, leaving a thin belt of timber still standing between it and the prairie.

The Mission house is pleasantly situated. Grand old forest trees stand there, in all their native pride and strength. The build- ings are not at all imposing ; they have not any of that look which would lead one to won- der if they had been taken up out of the city, and set down there ; but they bear the marks of having been constructed of such materials and with such tools as were at hand, far out on the frontier ; they are inno- cent of paint, or needless ornament; but they look comfortable.

Let us see if we can set them before you, so that you may be at home with us there, for a little while.

There was first a solid one-and-a-half story building of hewed logs, facing the east,

INDIAN COUNTRY. 43

with a wide hall and two rooms on each side of it. Afterwards, as the school in- creased, a two story building was joined to its south end ; it was of hewed logs, and weather boarded with clap-boards, split out of oak trees, and covered with pine shingles. Along the front was an open shed with rude seats. On the west side of the old house another building was added. Of these buildings, No. 1 was tte girls' department : No. 2, the boys' : No. 3, the dining-room, store-room, kitchen, &c. You may think of these as in the centre of a large yard, which was surrounded by a high rail fence; the yard, however, being divided in the middle by a close picket fence, giving a separate yard to each department, and you must not forget about those noble trees, which were very much higher than the houses. And now we wish you to look along the west side of the yard, and you see a row of little cabins. The first was occupied by the black man, who was hired by the month to work on the farm, and who was also employed as

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interpreter. The second was the mill-room, where "Uncle Frank," the blind negro man, with an iron hand-mill, ground all the meal and hommony used in the establishment, to supply fifty mouths, and the bread used there was principally of corn. (Uncle Frank's own little cabin was still west of the mill- house, and on the other side of a narrow lane, in which lane is the "wood pile.") The third cabin in the row was generally reserved as a place for lodging strangers — Indian families that wanted entertainment for the night. For a time it was occupied by a young man and his wife, who wished to perfect himself in studies which had been broken off a year or two previously. Be- fore his marriage, he had acquired a taste for learning, and having begun to drink at this fountain, desired to drink still more.

Beyond this cabin was the smoke-house, where the bacon was hung. On further, and down back of all were the stables, hay stacks, cattle pens, &c. Off at the east, and down a little hill was a spring, and over

INDIAN COUNTRY. 45

it the milk-room. At the north- east was a capacious garden, guarded by its picket fence; the orchards at the west, and the fieUls spread out beyond and around ; and there were corn cribs here and there. And thiswasthefarm with its appurtenances, where Indian boys learned how to do all manner o^ out- door work; and there the girls learned to be good help-meets for educated Indian men, by getting a knowledge of the method of performing all manner of in-door work.

At the south, and in front of the house, was an open space, covered with a green- sward ; in the centre and most elevated point of the green, stood the chapel, which during the week days was also the school house. It had no steeple or bell; but a hand bell called the children into the school ; and to gather the people from the surrounding cab- ins for public worship, a man with strong lungs blew a trumpet — a trumpet of the most primitive kind, a long crooked horn of an ox.

46 SCENES IN THE

East of the Mission premises is a pretty valley ; and through that valley glides a stream of pure water over a rocky bed. Be- yond the stream is undulating ground with scattering timber; and one of the prettiest of those knobs is enclosed with a fence : it is the Mission burying ground ; and there lie the ashes of some of the saints. Some who lie there are the blessed dead who rest from their labours, their works following them; and by their side sleep some of those for whom they laboured, and who will rise with them in the first resur- rection— missionaries and those who, by means of their teaching, were turned to the Lord — teachers and pupils slumber together there ; and Jesus watches their dust.

We are describing things as they were when we were on the ground ; there have been changes since — changes in the internal economy, not in the external arrangement. And even if the whole were changed, yet what has been is worthy of record as a matter of history. Those who have advanced up

INDIAN COUNTRY. 47

into the comfortable ceiled house, love to talk about the first log cabin in the woods ;

so let me go on to tell you about the

ORIGIN OF THE KOWETAH MISSION

That little cabin No. 2, now the mill-house, was first erected by the pioneer missionary, who is the present Superintendent of the Tallahassa Mission. Afterwards he brought a wife to it, to share his labours. In that one little cabin they taught a little day-school. There they had experience of many priva- tions, of some sorrows ; but yet of much en- joyment through it all.

There, in that little log cabin, some who are now teachers, and interpreters, and church members, first began to acquire that education which has rendered them useful men and women in their nation : there they began to learn respecting the way of life, which some are now travelling, and as the "light of the world and salt of the earth," are leading others in the same narrow way. Among those early pupils was, I think, the

48 SCENES IN THE

boy, now the man and ordained minister, who at this present time has charge of this same Kowetah Mission, and the pastoral care of the church.

From such records as this we learn not to despise the day of small things. Look over the Annual Eeports of the Board of Foreign Missions, for the last fourteen or fifteen years, and see to what that Mission has grown, which commenced with one man in a little lone cabin. That missionary still lives to see the work go on ; indeed most of the im- provements at the different stations have been made under his superintendence, and with much of his own manual labour.

At first the Creeks were hostile to schools, and especially to Christian Missions. For- merly missionaries connected with other denominations had incurred the displeasure of the chiefs, and had been driven from the nation. Therefore, for a long time they had been left without schools, and without the preaching of the gospel ; except that there were a few Indians and Negroes that claimed

INDIAN COUNTRY. 49

to be preachers ; but from reports concern- ing them, it is to be feared that, however well meaning they may have been, they sometimes darkened counsel by words with- out knowledge.

Our church began to be interested in this nation ; especially the Secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions, who, from his long fa- miliarity with public affairs, had learned the history and condition of the Indian tribes, and had become ardently enlisted in every feasible plan for elevating them, both in temporal and spiritual things.

The chiefs of the nation were met in council, and permission obtained to send a man to them on trial. Such a man was found who was willing to undertake the mission. He travelled from his home, in Georgia, to the Indian Territory ; traversed the country on horseback, was present at a council, was granted liberty to construct a cabin ; and the ground lying between two streams that were specified, was designated as the Mission premises, so long as they saw

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fit to tolerate the Mission at all. There he might have permission to teach such children and youth as chose to come to him ; and he might preach in his own house, but nowhere else; and these privileges he could enjoy only so long as, in the opinion of the chiefs, he behaved with propriety. If he trans- gressed these rules, or meddled with the affairs of the nation to their detriment, he must be summarily expelled. That was a license for one year only. The missionary accordingly laboured within the limits pre- scribed, and at the termination of the year again went up to the council, reported what he had been doing, and petitioned for a wider field in which to preach. This was unhesitatingly granted, for he had won the entire confidence of the people, and disarmed the fears of the chiefs ; and now, on their part, they requested him to send to the States for more men just like him^ with a special reference to the enlarging of the school, that educational advantages might be more extensively enjoyed.

INDIAN COUNTRY. 51

In a short time he was allowed to go any- where in the nation, preaching the gospel ; and at the present time, our missionaries and native preachers may travel, and hold meetings, from the eastern limits of the tribe, to the westward as far as the people have carried their settlements, and from the boundary which divides between them and the Cherokees on the north, to the country of the Choctaws on the south. Therefore, again there is occasion to remark, " Despise not the day of small things." This little scrap of history also suggests the necessity there is for prudence on the part of the mis- sionary. The want of prudence caused the expulsion of missionaries, who already had a foothold on what seemed solid ground, and nothing but the exercise of great pru- dence could gain a new standing-place on precarious ground. "Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as doves," is a part of the charge which the Author of Missions gave to bis first missionaries, and it is needed now quite as much as then.

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THE AFRICAN INTERPRETER.

As we have not undertaken to give a mi- nute and formal history of the Mission, we may be allowed to describe scenes, and relate events as they occur to us, and as we have spoken of a small cabin in the south- west corner of the yard, we will expend a few words in speaking of the person that occu- pied it. It seems that missionaries to the aboriginal tribes of this country have beea accustomed to preach to them through in- terpreters, which is not the casein other for- eign missions; and missionaries who learn the language of the people to whom they are sent, have greatly the advantage over those who do not become familiar with the lan- guage of the people to whom they go, as Christ's ambassadors. Since, however, mis- sionaries to the Indians make much use of interpreters, it may not be unacceptable to the reader to hear a little about them. Well, one of our stated interpreters at the Kowe- tah Mission, was Robin, a negro, and he oc-

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cupied tlie cabin in the corner. Eobin was also a man of all work, and very *• handy " at repairing tools, and preparing many little "make shifts," which cannot be obtained in that far off country, except by making. Within, his cabin was like a boatswain's locker, having a great many things, but all in confusion. Under the window was the tool chest, which served also for a seat, and sometimes for a table ; there was a stool, and one chair with a piece of green cowhide, with the hair still on, drawn on it for a seat. Hanging about, you see scraps of old har- ness, buckles, spurs ; and there are hatchets and hoes, axe-helves, broom-handles and brooms, and some of these in process of con- struction ; for this man occupies himself at such labour in the evening, by way of over- work, to earn pocket money for himself. At the side of the room, opposite the great fire- place, is the low bedstead, constructed of poles, the ends of which are made fast in the logs ; but it is not always occupied, for Robin often sleeps on the floor : in the sum-

54 SCENES IN THE

mer to escape the mosquitoes, which he fancies are not so numerous close to the floor as a little above it, and in the winter, because then he may roll himself in blankets, not excepting the head, and place his feet close to the fire, and thus keep warmer than in any other way.

He was fond of talking, and once in a while we would listen to an old legend or tradition, as we were riding together, on our long missionary excursions. Some re- ference had been made once, to the colour of the people of different nations, and the ques- tion was started as to what may have been the original colour ; when he repeated the old Indian tradition of the three men who originally were all black. They came to a stream of water, and one of them washed in it, and came out entirely white, and he was the father of the white race. The second washed in the now turbid water, and came out only partially white, and he was the father of the red men. The third, seeing the water already too black, did not wash

INDIAN COUNTRY. Si

at all, except to touch the palms of his hands, and the soles of his feet, therefore he remained black, as do all the Negroes, his posterity, to this day.

Then he repeated that other old story, by which they account for the diversity of tastes and employments, which tradition many of the Indians firmly believe, and many likewise believe that the habits of the different races, and their social position, are so firmly and unalterably fixed, that it is useless to think of changing them.

The legend is, that those three men whose colour had become fixed, as above related, again started on their journey together, and travelled till they came to a place in which the Great Spirit had deposited a great va- riety of articles, arranged in three separate parcels. In one were books, maps, pens and paper, etc., and the white man chose these. In the second were bows and arrows, beads and feathers, and the like, and the red man caught up these ; and there was nothing left for the poor black man but the spades,

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and hoes, and grubbing tools. Therefore, in some instances, when we urge upon the Indians the advantages of education, and the importance of sending their children to school, they answer, " Oh, learning is for you white people ; the books were given to you ; but to us the bow and arrow ; there- fore the Great Spirit does not desire us to change our mode of living."

Though it may be interesting to be able to trace here a tradition respecting Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and to wonder how far back it had its origin ; yet it is humiliating to reflect that there are people so near us who still repeat over such stories, and teach them to their children for solid history; and who by means of them encourage themselves to continue in ignorance, and to neglect the means of elevation which are offered them.

But our interpreter was able to converse on other subjects; and during our long rides we learned many facts concerning the coun- try, and the habits of the people, their civil polity, and religious superstitions ; as well

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as many things relating to the extent and influence of Christianity amongst the Indians.

The missionary and his interpreter soon get to un(lerstan(] each other ; they warm up together, and one seems to stimulate the other, the interpreter becoming apparently as much interested in the subject as the preacher himself.

After a few years of such service the inter- preters become well stocked with Theological and Biblical learning; and, if they are pious men they are prepared to be very useful.

This man, of whom we have been speak- ing, thought he would be able to repeat, entire, many sermons that he had interpreted, and in which he had become especially interested : indeed this, he said, was the way in which lie occupied himself in his lonely hours. One of the ladies once asked him how he amused himself in his long rides over the prairie; for every other Saturday he rode, on his own pony, away several miles to spend the day with his wife. He an- swered, " Why, ma'am, some of the way I

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sings, and some of the way I prays, and some of the way I preaches." "Preach, Robin! and to whom do you preach ?" she asked. *' Oh, to myself, ma'am."

UNCLE FRANK.

This was the black man, whose quarters were in the rear of the mill-house, and who ground the meal. He was entirely blind ; had once been a bondman, was now free; and, what was better than all, he gave good evidence of being one of the Lord's freemen.

He kept hissnuglittle room in good order, neater than some do who have both their eyes. He chopped his own wood ; and some- times we found him engaged in mending his clothes, which he chose to do rather than to be the occasion of unnecessary trouble to others. With his cane he felt his way around : scarce ever was he absent from the religious meetings, or from the morning and evening worship. He was always devout, and always cheerful. God's ways, he said, were all right and merciful too. Occasion-

INDIAN COUNTRY. 59

ally we went to spend a few minutes with him, as he stood at his work, or sat in his door after the day's work was done, to bear him tell of what the Lord had done f^r his soul. He was wont to say that he never could express all his thankfulness to God for ever permitting him to hear the gospel, and for causing him to see what a sinner he was, and what danger he was in ; and then to see Jesus and to trust in him as the Lamb of God that taketh away sin. " And still" — he would go on to say — "still the good Lord is taking care of me so well ; giving me so good a home, and causing people to be so kind to me, a poor old black man, and blind, without money, relatives, or home of my own." Now his wants were all supplied, even better than many that were not blind ; and for himself he was happier than he was years ago when he could see ; for now he had such charming seasons of prayer : it seemed to him that in prayer he was very near to God, and did really talk with him : and now, oh, how he loved to think over what

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he had heard read out of the Bible I " Oh that delightful book, sir !" he would say. " Strange it is, sir, that we seem to hear it like a new book every time, and to get some fresh light from it every time ! Does it seem so to you, sir, when you read it? or have you learned it to the bottom ?" Often he would come to the rooms of the missionaries, and modestly

inquire, "Is Mr. or Mrs. or is

Miss at leisure for a few minutes?"

" Yes, al ways at leisure to serve Uncle Frank ; and what wSl you have?" would be the re- ply. " Well, if you please," he would say, " I would be so much obliged if you would read to me a few verses." So the Bible, or some good book is opened, and a few passa- ges read, with now and then a few comments, and Frank says, " Oh that is beautiful ! thank you. I am indeed. very much obliged." And he goes back to his work, or to his room to ruminate, and study upon what he has heard, and to employ himself in prayer; for there is evidence that he is a man of prayer, and that he prays for blessings on those who

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consider his infirmities, and do not despise his ignorance; and he prays too for bless- ings on those good people in the States who give money to support missionaries and schools amongst the Indians; that the mer- ciful may obtain mercy, that the liberal soul may be made fat.

As he goes out, and gropes his way through the pitchy darkness — for every-where, by day or by night, it is dark to him — the mis- sionary says to himself, " Happy man ! God bless and comfort him ever ! May the eyes of his understanding be more and more en- lightened, though his eyes are dark ;" and im- mediately he turns to other duties, and perhaps thinks no more of what he has done; but He who says, " I know thy works, and thy la- bour, and thy patience," has seen it. Deeds like this done for Christ's disciples, if per- formed with a right spirit, shall not fail of their reward : and every person may find some such work to do — ^some opportunity to give a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple.

6

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THE SCHOOL.

The regular study hours are from nine to twelve, and from one till four; and often parts of the evening are employed in giving additional instruction to some of the advanced classes ; or in familiar lectures to the whole school, to enlighten them in general know- ledge.

Before and after school hours, the pupils separate into different companies for work. Some of the boys with their axes repair to the wood pile, others with hoes are put to work in the field. Among such a number of boys just out of school, it would not be surprising if there were more inclination to play than labour: indeed the man who is with them has his patience tried no little ; but if he manages them skilfully he will get some work done ; but what is better, and which in fact is the chief object in putting the pupils to manual labour, he may teach them how different kinds of work should be done ; and by engaging with them himself they see that he is not above labour : also

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during the hours in which he is with them in the field he has opportunity for dropping many useful hints, and directing their minds to the various objects around them which manifest the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Creator and Preserver of all things.

In the larger missions there is one who manages the temporal affairs of the establish- ment, and who takes charge of the boys when out of school ; laying out their work, and directing and encouraging them in it. He is sometimes denominated the Steward and Farmer.

Suppose we attempt to draw a sketch of him and of his charge, as clearly as we can, and we will call him

THE FARMER MISSIONARY.

Missionary operations amongst the In- dians are conducted differently, in some respects, from the missions in India, China^ and Africa. Here the manual labour board- ing-schools are a very important auxiliary in the work; and to conduct these success-

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fully, there should be a number of mission- aries who oversee different departments.

For example, at one station there is a superintendent, who is also the chaplain ; a teacher and two assistants ; a farmer, who is also steward; a lady, who has care of the domestic apartment; another who has charge of the girls out of school, and teaches them in needle-work and other branches of indus- try proper for their sex ; and a lady who has charge of the boys' clothes.

These are all missionaries ; but just now we are to tell you something about the farmer. There are, perhaps, some that might look upon this as not the most honourable part of missionary labour; but, let us inquire what he does, and what his influence is likely to be, and what portion of the time he has the boys with him. We expect, of course, that he is a man of a good English education, of a strong mind, good common sense, of some experience, an enterprising man, and an active Christian. This man is with the hoys of the boarding-school, four or five

INDIAN COUNTRY. 65

hours each day, teaching them the various kinds of work which farmers have to do.

The Indians, you know, have been rovers in former times, living by hunting, fishing, or begging, and sometimes by plunder, and on such corn and beans as their women could cultivate ; for the men considered it dishonourable to work in the fields. There was no hope of civilizing these tribes unless they could be induced to abandon their mi- gratory habits, and settle down as farmers or herdsmen ; and the most effectual means for bringing about such a result, has been found to be the Mission boarding-school ; and in this work, as you at once perceive, a practical farmer is needed. Not merely a man who has the theory of farming, nor one who is wanting in the needful muscle, or the disposition to labour which is found in a practical farmer ; but he should be a man that can take hold and do the work; or, in farmers' phrase, not one that would say, "Go, boys," but, " Come, boys." One to go ahead,

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both encouraging the lads, and showing them how the thing is to be done.

Thus, putting his own hand to the work, or laying his own shoulder to the wlieel, he diornifies labour in the eves of the Indian youth ; they will not be ashamed or afraid to undertake anything the missionary can do. In the field he teaches the boys the practical part of ploughing, planting, and tending crops, with remarks as to the best time, and best mode of doing the same; and how to do this, and that, and a hundred other things, that we cannot now mention, and which are not likely to be thought of, only as they occur. For instance, the plough- handles break. What is to be done ? The farmer says, *' What's to be done now, boys ?" '' I don't know," says one. " I don't know," says another. "Beckon we can't plough any more," says a third. "Shall have to buy a new plough," is the verdict of the fourth. But the farmer says, " Come with me." So he gets an axe, and they go to the woods. " What sort of timber must we

INDIAN COUNTRY. 67

cut?" "I don't know," they all say. So he tells them what to get. Then he cuts and hews ; and goes to the tool-box, and selects the proper tools, and before long the handles are worked, and fitted, and the plough is ready to go to the field again. Perhaps, a great many years afterwards, when these boys become men, and have farms, they may break plough handles, or some other farming implements, and they

will remember how Mr. did when

tliey were "at the Mission," and they are able to go to work and mend what they break, or make new articles that they may require.

The farmer missionary has the best of opportunities for dropping here a word of counsel, and there a word of instruction ; or of enforcing or illustrating what they have learned in school, or in the sermon of the previous Sabbath; and these lessons will, doubtless, be remembered longer, or at least, as long as any others they receive.

Children that have been reared on a farm,

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and have had pious fathers, will remember how these fathers conversed with them in the field day after day, beguiling the hours, and rendering labour easier; and they will be reminded of the great amount of know- ledge which they acquired in those days, almost unconsciously. They will remember how they used to have illustrated to them the parable of the sower ; the tares and the wheat ; the wheat and the chaff; the barren tree ; and the things in the spiritual world, which, are represented by breaking up of fal- low ground, and the influences of the Spirit on the heart, like the sun and the rain on the fields. Well, now, you who remember with pleasure these things, and who venerate the memory of those godly fathers, just think of the farmer missionary as the father, if you please, of such a family of boys, embryo farmers — large families, it is true ; for some have twenty, some forty, and some even one hundred boys to look after. He will be re- membered by these boys as long as they live ; by many he will be loved, something,

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perhaps, as you remember a parent, and some, very likely, may remember him as the means, more than any other person, of their conversion.

FEMALE DEPARTMENT.

The girls, when out of school, are likewise appointed to their several tasks, or divisions of labour for the week; and the week follow- ing a change is made, so that all in turn are engaged in the different branches of domestic economy, having the ladies of the mission to direct them. Those ladies have to do more than to oversee them ; they have to put their own hands to the work, in order to show how it is to be done. Amongst the Indian girls there are spirits hard to manage — diffi- cult to tame: not unfrequently there is a case of "desertion" — a pupil broke loose from school, and escaped to its home. Un- tutored Indian children are not to be recon- ciled at once to the dull routine of school, and the stately uniformity of a well ordered household : it is a great change from the

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free and indolent life to wliicli tliey had been accustomed.

There were two little creatures — brother and sister. When brought to the Mission they were as shy as young partridges ; and many was the time that they ran away. As soon as they were missed, a messenger would be posted after them. Their quick ears, however, would hear the sound of ap- proaching footsteps, and they would turn aside and skulk in the bushes till the messenger had passed ; and when, not finding them at home, he turns back thinking that certainly he must meet them on his return, they, being quicker to hear than he to see, would again elude him ; and perhaps for se- veral days they would avoid being caught.

One morning two little girls were missing. They had been at the Mission a long time, and seemed contented ; their homes were far off, and they had no relatives near at hand : they were not to be found anywhere in the neighbourhood : we only knew that they were gone, and had taken some of their

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clothes with them. It was afterwards learn- ed that those two little girls, with no other company, had arisen sometime in the night, crept softly from the house, and carrying their bundles, had travelled eighteen miles through the dark woods and over the soli- tary prairie.

HOW THEY WORK.

Yisit one of those Mission boarding- schools, and if it is in the morning or even- ing, you would think it a very busy place. About the kitchen and dining room you see some of the girls assisting in cooking, others in preparing the tables ; some are at the milk-room ; others in the clothes room, some making or mending clothes, others ironing folding and laying them away — each child's garments in its own particular place; some are pounding corn in great wooden mortars, and others are cleaning it with such fans as the ancients in eastern countries used for winnow- ing grain ; this corn is for sofky^ and " large hommony." If it is Monday forenoon, many^

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of the girls are earnestly and cheerfully at work in the wash-room.

THEIR RECREATIONS.

It is not "all work and no play" at these schools. Suitable and healthful recreations are encouraged.. Some portion of the time every day is theirs to use as they please ; and it is pleasant and exhilarating even to see and hear them stretching their muscles and expanding their lungs in their sports ; some of which we see practised by children in the States, and some of which we never witnessed except amongst the Indian children. On the holidays, or half-holidays, the girls may be seen in groups gathering wild flowers, resorting to the river's bank, or making little visits to young friends that reside near. Some of the older girls im- prove the time in writing compositions, or in getting instruction from the ladies in fancy-work.

The boys occasionally go out gathering berries or nuts ; or they go a hunting — not

INDIAN COUNTRY. 73

with fire-arms, but with sticks and dogs. An Indian boj would run down a rabbit without any trouble. Often on a moon-light night would be an application for permission to go and hunt racoons and opossums ; but generally they brought in more polecats than racoons.

The half day of the hunt was sometimes followed with an eveningof feasting, in hunts- man's style.

It was a picturesque scene, that frolick- some company of Indian boys around their fire, which was kindled on the ground at a safe distance from the house, dressing and barbacuing their game, and eating it, to- gether with potatoes roasted in the ashes.

Singing was an exercise much practised by the children, and in which they took great delight. We always had good music in our public and family worship, for all the pupils joined in the song, making melody.

They had also their own little concerts of singing. It was not uncommon of a summer evening for the boys to gather in their ve-

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randah, and tlie girls in their wide hall or under the spreading oaks, and the notes of sacred song with hymns of devotion, would rise and swell upon the evening air; and, as we were wont to fancy, rising through the tree tops, and floating upward to the skies. Such, we doubt not, was the case with the praises uttered by some of those once hea- then children, for there were amongst them those, we trust, who sung with the spirit, and with the understanding also.

We will suppose that, wearied with the multifarious duties of the day, you have re- tired to your room to enjoy a quiet hour in reading or writing, when gently stealing on your ear, comes the soothing sound of sacred melody, and willingly you lay down that book or pen, and listen to the soft music of twenty youthful voices, and your own soul seems to be wafted, as it were, on the wings of their sono^ to that

-happy land,

Far, far away, of which they are singing.

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The hymn is ended, and the last notes have died away on the still evening air, leaving you absorbed in pleasant reveries ; when from under the trees, where the girls are congregated, there comes a responsive song, and it may be the same hymn, but in their own native Muskogee tongue, and thus they chant,

" Ekvnv herata ! Hopiyetvn ! Em mekusapvlkeh, Apeyvtes ; Mvn yvhikvkepet, Pa Hesayecv Mekko : Akvsvmvkepet, Apokepes."

SCENE IN THE DINING-ROOM.

Let a stranger come in at breakfast, or supper time, and we think he would be in- terested. After the meal is ended, each, teacher and pupil recites a verse of Scrip- ture, beginning at the head of one of the tables and passing around through the en- tire company. At other times, the answers of the Catechism are thus recited. Then a chapter is read, with a few brief comments, explanations, and practical observations, as

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time and circumstances will allow ; then tlie hymn and the prayer. This is edifying and refreshing; for as our bodies require their daily bread, so do our souls need some spiritual aliment day by day : and the strangers who may be present, be they parents that have come on a visit to their children, or travellers who have turned in to tarry for a night, have, by this arrange- ment, an opportunity of learning about God, and the way to worship him.

We look to those brief religious exercises, especially those which followed the evening meal, with very much pleasure. All the people employed about the house or farm were present on these occasions ; and just now we seem to see that devout face of Uncle Frank, and that large and intelligent eye of the interpreter, rolling quicker as some new idea enters his understanding, or a new thought springs up in his own mind. The children, when questioned on the chapter, gave evidence by their answers, that they had not been listless, and that they were

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daily gathering up more of that knowledge which is able to make men wise unto eter- ual life.

HELP THOSE WOMEN.

" Hel}^ those women luJiich laboured luith me in the gospeV Phil. iv. 3.

That is a self-denying and arduous work in which the ladies in these Missions are en- gaged, and we ought to thank the Lord that he still disposes some to devote themselves to his service in these fields ; for without them, the whole work connected with the boarding-schools would have to stop. Ladies, to a large extent, are employed as teachers : and they are efficient teachers. There must, of course, be ladies to superintend all the domestic arrangements. Without ladies, from whence, in such an establishment, would come that subduing, softening, and refining influence which is found, or pre- served for any length of time, only where

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ladies dwell; and which influence is needed in enlightening and elevating any people ?

The trials — those trials which are the hardest to bear — of the female missionaries in these fields are such as are not paraded before the public, and which, therefore, they have to bear alone, because few know them. There are trials in getting to their place of labour. When there, they are far away from home and friends ; though on their own continent, yet in some measure, isolated from the stirring, news-reading world, of which they before formed a part. The Mis- sion stations are far apart, and when there is a vacation, in which they might go to visit their fellow-labourers at other stations, they find their modes of travelling slow and uncomfortable, compared with what they bad been accustomed to at home. Going to meeting in ox-wagons, or starting on a jour- ney of two hundred, or four hundred miles out and back, with rivers to ford, or per- haps to swim ; with horses breaking down, and then two ladies ^ated on one beast to

INDIAN COUNTRY. 79

prosecute the journey; this is a new thing to most of our missionary ladies, until they arrive in the Indian country. The luxuries, and many of the conveniences of life, to which, perhaps, they had always been ac- customed, are not now within their reach ; and help in the kitchen sometimes cannot be obtained, when absolutely necessary. Be- fore the Indian girls can be made useful, they have, in most cases, to be taught, and some have first to be tamed and subdued They are tried with the unruly and perverse temper of children who, in some cases, seem to delight to tease and worry their teachers and matrons ; this is not mentioned in the papers, nor referred to in platform speeches ; nor is the public told how sad and discour- aged the lady sometimes is, when she finds that the task she directed to be done, is not done, and that the girl has run away to play, and she herself has to perform the work. Letters written for the Missionary journals, do not let you into the inner heart of that good Christian woman, who has

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been for days and weeks endeavouring to win the affections of certain of the children who are members of the circle of which she has charge, and still they remain intractable, unthankful — do not return love for love.

The journals do not portray the state of that heart which, in hours of dejection, and discouragement, and loneliness, is thinking of a mother or sister far away, and that is pining for their society, just for the sweet privilege of even once unbosoming all to them, telling all its cares.

There are trials which result from sick- ness or enfeebled health, and impaired strength ; while the labours remain undi- minished ; trials also from the loss of fel- low-labourerS; and a consequently increased burden of cares and duties ; such trials, sometimes, as those experience, who have families that need medical treatment, or themselves are sick, but physicians are not at hand ; and there are trials, such as you may imagine, when many of the pupils are prostrated with an epidemic disease, and the

INDIAN" COUNTRY. 81

duties of nurse, both by day and by night, are added to all their other duties.

Therefore we say, " Help those women ivliich laboured 10 ith us in the gospel P^ Help them with the assurance that they have your sympathy: help them with your prayers: help them where you can, with material aid. This you can do : you can contribute the means by which they may be supplied with more of the thousand little conveniencies of life ; and, what would be more acceptable to them, you can send to their aid fellow-la- bourers, so that they need not be over- worked, and so that, when disabled by sick- ness, they may be relieved from cares, and thereby useful lives may be continued to the Mission, and to the service of Christ on earth.

To the ladies themselves we would repeat those words of our Master, where he says to his servants, " I know thy works, and thy labour and thy patience." Let this encourage and comfort you. Though the world does not, and cannot know the hundredth part of what

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you have to do and to endure, yet. He whom most it concerns, and who is able to appre- ciate, he knows, and he will reward it all. He knows all the works performed there in the daily routine of duty. He knows all the extra and exhausting labours which you perform, and to which love constrains you. He knows your assiduity in teaching from day to day, and on and on still for months and for years. He knows your pa- tience in this work, and the labour and pain it may cost you. When friends, or the com- forts of home invite you to retire from the field, and to leave the burden and heat of the day to other labourers, he knows how you overcome these temptations, and still have patience and faint not. He is a wit- ness to all that you do, because of the love you bear to him. He knows all your in- terest in the great work of Christian Mis- sions, and your love for the people for whose good you have voluntarily submitted to these many privations. Your works may never be published over the world, and when

INDIAIT COUNTRY. 83

you die, but a few of your fellow mortals may know it ; but your Saviour perfectly knows all. and will take care that your labours are not be in vain, and that you shall not lose your reward.

He knows your patience too — your pa- tience in the midst of discouragements; your endurance of trials ; your patience in wait- ing for the precious fruit, and your patience in affliction. He knows how you bear with the dulness, or indifference, or perversity of the children of your charge. When sick, or worn down with care and constant exer- tion, he knows with what patient endurance you still work on.

That patient woman who continues to hear some of her classes, though she is unable to leave her room, and when she cannot even sit up in her bed, still gives the girls instruc- tion in their work — let her know that He who loved the sisters of Bethany, who ap- proved what Mary had done in washing his feet, and what another had done in anoint- ing his head ; who stood over against the

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treasury when the poor widow threw in her two mites — let her know that He is near her, and knows her work, and her labour, and her patience. By and by he will say, " Inas- much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me."

There is a time coming when some of the acts which now glitter before the world will be of no account ; and when, on the other hand, such as worldly men did not heed at all, shall command the admiration of the universe. Then those women, who, be- cause they loved much, were ready to do, and to suffer much, and so left the comforts and refinements of home for a life of labour and privation in a Mission field, may be bidden to a seat that is higher than the seats of many who have in this world occupied high places, and been caressed and ap- plauded.

But their experience is not all discourag- ing : it is not all sowing in tears : they see harvest times also, when those who went forth weeping, bearing precious seed, come

INDIAN COUNTRY. 85

again with rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them.

When now and then one of those pupils who once caused so much anxiety, comes to the missionary, begging to be told what she shall do to be saved, the toil-worn servant of God forgets all her former weariness and heart-aches: and when she sees one and ano- ther at different times coming before the church to take upon them the vows of God, and when with her they sit down to the table of the Lord, she remembers no more her sor- row, for joy that they are born again. And in after years, when travelling or visiting in the nation, she stops at a comfortable farm house, and finds there an industrious, intel- ligent. Christian wife and mother, she feels more than paid for all the pains and patience expended upon her ; when she finds the com- mon schools of the nation taught by those who once gave so little promise, and were so troublesome, she reproaches herself for her little faith. Now, after many days, she

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finds the bread that was cast upon the waters.

THE CAUSE WHICH WAS DEAREST.

The Indian Missions afford many exam- ples of veteran soldiers of Christ who gave to his self-denying, toilsome, and sometimes perilous service the dew of their youth; and who, though their locks are growing white, and the weight of years is bowing their heads somewhat, yet have not asked to be discharged; and their faithful wives to- gether with them have patience, and labour, and faint not.

Kecently a lady withdrew from the Mis- sion, simply because she fancied that on ac- count of her advanced age she could no longer be of essential service to " a cause which was dearer to her than any other on earthP

When a young lady, she entered on her missionary life, the first portion of which was spent amongst the Cherokees. Together with a brother who was also a missionary.

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slie accompanied the tribe in several of their removals to the west of the Mississippi.

Soon after our Mission was established among the Creeks, she joined it, and for more than thirty years has she been toiling, plan- ning, and praying for the interests of these Missions, and for the good of the poor In- dian, just as that person would be expected to do, to whose heart this cause was the most precious. It did indeed seem to be her de- light to be able to serve her Master, in doing good to the bodies and souls of these rem- nants of the nations, that once were the lords of the continent.

Day after day she worked in the kitchen, or laundry, or school room, or in nursing the sick — anywhere, so that she might be useful. Day after day for thirty years, she laboured and fainted not. After thirty years' experience and observation, it was still the cause which lay nearest her heart.

Her long familiarity with the Indian character, and knowledge of his habits and prejudices, and her great experience in Mis'

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sion schools had qualified her for eminent usefulness: the missionaries were constantly consulting her, and freely and kindly was advice imparted.

As you may well imagine, she was a per- son of determined purpose, and being of a strong constitution and perfect health, hav- ing energy of body and an active mind, she always seemed to know what should be done, and was as prompt to do it.

Early one morning, while living at the Dwight Mission, when it was announced that three of the larger girls did not answer to the usual call, and were not to be found on the premises, she requested that the fleetest horse should be saddled, and at once started, and after them she rode. They, doubtless, had many hours the start of her, but she suspected what course they would take, and onward she pursued, and at length came in sight of them as they were swimming a river, with their clothes and their bundles tied to the back of their heads.

As they reached the farther bank, she

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rode up, and in the tone of one accustomed to command, ordered them to " stop, turn right around, and swim back again imme- diately." And they, all at once, answered, " 0 Miss N , is that you ? We saw some- body coming, but if we had known it was you, we wouldn't have tried to get away." So they turned, and recrossed the stream, and accompanied her home without a sign of demurring, or attempt to escape.

Though at times a little stern, yet she was always loved. Those very girls that she arrested, were very likely gathering wild flowers for her pretty soon, while on their return journey ; and she, as was her wont, would doubtless be engaging them in pleas- ant conversation; and possibly, they may have been amongst the number that were engaged in that demonstration of which we have heard, though I do not remember just the date of the occurrence, or the precise place. The teacher had been absent from the mission a short time; but to the girls, it seemed a very long time. When she was

8*

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seen coming along the road, the word flew

that " Miss N had come," and many of

the girls met her at the stile, and took forci- ble possession of her ; four of the largest making an extemporaneous seat with their joined hands, and thus they bore her, with boisterous demonstrations of joy, around the yard, and then to her room.

She could endure much. Many were the long rides which she took on horseback. We have heard her speak of being thrown from her horse on a dark night, and in a thunder storm, her horse being frightened by a fierce flash of lightning, close to his face. Where she was thrown was in the middle of a wide prairie, without a stone, stump, or a mound at hand to aid her in re- mounting, and with only an Indian boy for an escort. We have heard of her taking a horseback journey from the Arkansas to the Eed river, and back again.

Though she has retired from service in that field, yet while she continues here with us, a companion in tribulation, and in the

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kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, the church, we doubt not, will have her prayers; and when, at last, she rests from all her labours, we trust that many blessed fruits of that thirty years of missionary la- bour may follow her.

PORTRAIT OF A MISSIONARY AMONGST THE INDIANS.

We do not pretend to say that they all look alike ; nor that the men for this field are selected with reference to their stature or girth. But for this picture, you may im- agine a man still on the forenoon side of the meridian of life, more than six feet high, with broad shoulders, strongly built every way, and active as strong. There is little doubt that, when a youth, he could jump as far, and run as fast as the best in his neigh- bourhood ; and (in a whisper I may say it) he would sometimes give the school boys, in play time, a small specimen as to how such things might be done; their best run- ner could hardly catch him, and their best

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player couldn't beat him in knocking, throw- ing, or catching the ball : and he would try his hand with them in shooting with the blow gun, or bow and arrow. He was, you see, a believer in the doctrine that " All work (or all study) and no play, makes Jack a dull boy." He was an earnest man. As you observe hirn moving about through the rooms, up and down stairs, about the yards, to the garden, then to the fields, you say, Surely that is an earnest man in whatever he undertakes.

He is always cheerful ; he has a smile and a kind word for every child in the school, for every fellow labourer, for every man, woman, or child he meets ; be it the first chief or the poorest of the common people ; or be it at morning, noon, or night ; be it in a fair day or a dull day. Such a man, you may be sure, will be popular among the In- dians. We never knew him to be down sick, and scarce ever at all unwell ; for he was blessed with a good constitution ; and abundant exercise, and plain diet, with the

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blessing of God — without which, no rules of health would avail — have kept him healthy and robust. lie loves to preach, and he loves to sing; nor do these labours and exercises tire him, and the Indians and Indian children never tire of singing with him, whether in English or Muskokee.

Now you may see him preparing for a short preaching excursion. In those well worn saddle-bags, covered with black bear skin, is the Bible, an English and a Musko- kee hymn book, a few tracts and catechisms, in both languages, and a few simple medi- cines ; for the Indians persist in believing and declaring that he is a first rate doctor. That Mackinaw blanket strapped on the saddle, is to serve three purposes, viz : for a softer saddle seat, for a cloak when it rains, and for a bed at night. If it is for a long tour, you will see a tin cup, and coffee pot, and skillet, hanging from some part of the saddle on one side, and a small sack of pro- visions to balance it on the other. Willie, or Roan, or Wellington — whichever it is —

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seems to understand that it is for a long jaunt, and he moves off very moderately, in a swinging pace, and not in a lope as at other times. That noble fellow will walk his master safely through the shallow streams, and swim him over the deep rivers ; and should he go under now and then, because he can't help it, he will let him catch to his tail, if they are so much favoured as to rise to the surface at the same time, and thus he will tow him to the shore. If, where they turn in at night, there is no corn, as is not unlikely to be the case, he will put up with hay ; and if there is no hay, he will consent to be tethered with a long rope, and pick up what he can on the ground ; and if there is no long rope, the patient animal will stand all night tied to a tree, and browze upon the twigs, asking only the privilege of nibbling the grass by the way-side to- morrow, with a promise that he shall be baited at the first corn crib they come to.

AVhen the missionary gets home again, he is as busy as ever, and if you have busi-

INDIAN COUNTRY. 95

ness with him, it may cost you a sharp look- out to find him ; for he may be away over- seeing the work on the farm, or down in the timber to select a tree for the men to cut, for some particular purpose ; or he is called off to shoot down that wild steer that has been driven up to make them a change of diet; or perhaps he is out grafting trees^ or preparing ground for a nursery, or he has gone to the shop to make or mend some- thing; or possibly, there is some little diffi- culty between some of the scholars^ which their teacher feels incompetent to decide, and he is called in to hear, patiently, the whole case from beginning to end; or he is entertaining some stranger Indians from a distant village, or conversing with the parents of some of the pupils, who are on a visit to see how their children fare ; or he may be weighing out medicine for the sick, or himself just starting to visit a sick neigh- bour; but, if you fail to find him engaged in such like labours, make your way to his study, and there, with his interpreter, you

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will find him hard at work over a manu- script, and you perceive that it is a transla- tion of the Scriptures on which they are em- ployed, or a catechism or tract.

THE TEACHER.

He is a graduate of an eastern college, has taught in academies in the States where he received a fine salary, and was in a way to advance, like other teachers, to the rank of professor ; but he heard a call from the church, or rather from the Head of the church, to go and teach the poor Indian ; and you will find him now where he has been for years, applying himself diligently day after day in the school room. He can teach either A, B, and C, or the mysteries of the natural sciences, the elegancies of the ancient languages, or the sublimities of mathematics. Steadily he returns to this work every morning, and on through all the days of the term, and all the terms of the year ; and not only throughout the day does he work, but how often at night does he

INDIAN COUNTRY. 97

gather the school to listen to an oral lesson, or a lecture, with illustrations, pictures, or apparatus! Sometimes it happens that there is no steward or farmer in the Mission, and he for a time attends to the duties of that department, in addition to his other labours. But he is always a busy man, whether from necessity or choice. Many useful articles, which you may see about the house, were made by him during the intervals of school.

Not unfrequently he may be met roaming over the prairie and through the woods, gathering specimens in botany, mineralogy, or entomology, and other facts in science, to send to the great masters and professors at the east, who have requested the favour of such services, and who are building up a re- putation of their own for great research. diligence, &c., partly by means of such agents as this, who themselves are never known to fame.

The labours of the day all done, and the children all settled in their beds, you may see the light still burning in his room ; and

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there he is at his books, and his wife with him : they are making a grammar of the language, or preparing a tract.

And now, let us inquire what it is that can reconcile a person of education, of refine- ment, and accustomed to the society of learned and polite people — what can recon- cile him to a comparatively isolated situa- tion, and to the work and dull routine of such a school as this in which we find him? What but the consciousness that he is in his Master's service, and the hope that his la- bours shall not be in vain in the Lord — the hope that he is contributing the influence of one man, of one life-time towards elevat- ing the character and social position of a whole tribe — the hope that future genera- tions may witness the fruits of seed sown by his hand, though his own eyes may not see much of it while he lives ? He is stimulated by the evidence afforded all around him of the absolute necessity of schools, in order to the greatest success of an Indian Mission, as well as by the great improvement already

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effected by means of such schools ; he is cheered by the belief that a rich field lies open before every teacher of children and youth to sow the seeds of saving knowledge, and thus to be instrumental in training im- mortal souls for heaven. Again at times, he reasons like a philosopher on the subject, and his conclusions strengthen his deter- mination to hold on his way. He says, " If, as we have read, ' He is a benefactor of his race luJio causes two sinres of grass to grow where only one grew before ;'^ is not he who is an agent in starting into being many ideas in minds where there were but few before — ■ is not he who is raising up teachers, native teachers for a people that had them not be- fore— who is preparing the way to give a literature to a nation that had none before; and who is preparing the way for the erec- tion of schools and churches, and who is laying the ground work for supplying a na- tive ministry to a people that had none of these things before ?

Other people in passing about over the

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country notice indeed a great dissimilar- ity in the conduct of the people, as well as in the appearance of their dwellings and im- provements, but they notice it only to icon- der how it happened so ; our missionary however has often noticed the same, and has found food for encouragement in it, for he knows

WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF THIS DIFFERENCE?

Let us turn our horses up this trail, and call at yonder cabin. We pass a small field, yet small as it is, more than half of it is un- tilled, and the corn growing in the remain- ing part must have been late planted, and is badly tended. Let us go into the cabin ; but you must stoop, for the door is low ; a dirty Indian woman sits inside with slovenly dress carelessly put on ; she does not rise to give us a seat. We say, "Good morning;" she answers with a grunt. We ask, "Are all well ?" she answers with another grunt. We look about. There are children with thick, uncombed, and untrimmed hair ; dirty, and

^v:

-.^

"Who is that girl— her hair so neatly put up- dress clean, and tidily put on ? "—Page 101.

INDIAN COUNTRY. 101

as ignorant, almost, of religious truth, as the half-starved and sneaking dogs that are bark- ing about the door.

We will ride on. By and by we turn up another trail. We pass large corn fields — here is a small orchard — a garden — many cattle near — a covered two-horse wagon in the yard. But who is that girl — her hair so neatly put up — dress clean and tidily put on ? She is attending to the milking of the cows, and seems to have the care of the milk- house. We tie our horses and go in ; chairs are placed for us under the shade of a tree before the door. Soon that girl comes from the milk-house, she advances with a pleasing frankness to shake hands, then goes to the garden and brings a watermelon, and hands us knives, that we may eat and refresh our- selves with this cooling fruit. She seems to have the care of the family, for her mother is unwell. But what is the cause of the dif- ference between this girl and the girls in the cabin at which we first stopped ?

This girl is a pupil in the Mission boarding- 9*

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scliool. She is at home now, for it is vaca- tion. She is a member of the Mission church, and, we trust, a true disciple.

Is there any encouragement in trying to elevate the Indian? Is any good accom- plished by Mission boarding-schools ?

THE CONTRAST.

You see that tall Indian standing by the side of the path, endeavouring to cover some parts of his body with the half of the hunt- ing shirt which still hangs on hira. He has little friendship towards the missionaries ; he dislikes the white physicians ; he believes in conjuration; if his neighbours are sick, he tries to persuade them to throw away the white doctor's medicine and send for a " blower," a medicine man ; he observes all the ancient Indian ceremonies at the death of any member of his family. He is in the gallof bitterness and bonds of iniquity; and lie desires to remain as he is.

But go with me a short distance. You notice broad fields of corn on the rich bottom

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land at the right; you observe they have been well tended, and are well fenced. At the left you see the cow-pens ; here a pen with thirty calves ; not far off are horses, and sheep, and cattle; there are corn-cribs and out-houses. The house is small but neat, verandahs in front and rear, fruit and shade trees growing. Now go into the house; the wife is spinning wool, but politely hands you a chair. The owner of the establish- ment is at home, for he is not in good healthy and had sent for the missionary to converse with him about the way of salvation. He is neatly dressed, is polite, and speaks correct English. Quite a contrast, certainly, you say, between this and that tall Indian ; yet they are both Indians] why is the differ- ence? You ask. Where did this man get his habits of order, neatness, and thrift? And more than all. Where did he get so much correct religious knowledge? Let me tell you. In his youth he had been in a Mission boarding-school.

Perhaps the missionaries who had the care

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of this man when a youth in school, were quite discouraged in regard to him, seeing no fruit of their labours ; but they cast bread upon the waters, and now after many days it appears; we see it; they, perhaps, have not, and never may in this world. These are thoughts which we will lay up; they may help us when we begin to feel discour-

aged.

ONE THAT HAD NOT BEEN A PUPIL. On a Sabbath, in midsummer, there was an appointment for preaching about twelve miles west of the Mission. It was a very hot day. The rays of the sun were poured down upon us, even through our umbrellas, and fearing a sun-stroke, we frequently lifted our hats to let fresh air in upon our heads. The ground too, which had long been scorched, seemed to be in a humour to scorch others, and it sent up its steaming vapours, and radiated heat into our faces. We dared not urge our horses lest they might melt, and, as you may suppose, by

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the time we arrived at the house where the meeting was to be, we were pretty tired ; and when the Indian woman started out to the trees near by, to pick up some of the fallen fruit, we began to feel revived, just with the thought of ripe mellow fruit to wet our parched throats. Soon the woman returned with six uncommonly large and rich peaches. She laid them carefully on the table. Then went for a knife, and placed it beside the peaches. Then put a stool up by the side of the table. And then — then what did she ? Why, she just sat down on that stool, and took the knife, and herself devoured those six peaches without saying a word to any one, and then arose and walked away with an air of satisfaction ; leaving it for the hens and their chickens to dispose of the parings.

We didn't inquire where that woman was educated : it was not at any of the Mission schools.

But, in regard to the meeting. When we arrived, one of the men took down an ox- horn, (a common piece of furniture in an

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Indian's cabin,) and walked out upon a slight eminence, and away from the trees, and blew it ; making a noise that might have been heard for miles around. Scarce any re- sponded to to it, however, for there was a "a big meeting" somewhere, and the Indians, who delight in great gatherings in the woods, will travel many miles to a camp meeting, or any " big meeting," passing by the quiet chapel. We preached, nevertheless, though it was to but eight souls ; and rode our twelve miles home again, holding umbrellas over our heads, except where we passed through por- tions of the forest.

PREACHING.

On each Sabbath day there was preaching at the Mission, and an evening meeting at least once during the week. Sabbath schools were conducted in adjacent neigh- bourhoods, where it was practicable, by the lay brethren. The ministers had stated meetings at different points in the nation ; some on the Sabbath, and some on week days.

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Of these, some were not so far off but that we might ride to them on Sabbath morning, and return in the evening; to other places, it was necessary to go on Saturday and re- turn on Monday.

At a few of these out stations, there were men residing. who were qualified and will- ing to serve as interpreters. Such a place was Conchatee, a village several miles to the west, and on the opposite bank of the river, where were a few Christian families, in which a missionary would be cheerfully en- tertained.

EVENING PREACHING AT CABINS.

Few services were pleasanter than were those meetings held on a week-day evening, in an Indian's humble dwelling. Taking the interpreter, and a few of the larger boys of the school, in order to secure good sing- ing ; and taking a candle, (for the people of the cabin have none,) we walk to the huts, one, two, or more miles distant. The dull fire, in the wide fire-place, gives light enough to

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enable us to see that there are people present, but not enough to enable us to distinguish who they are. We light our candle, and in lieu of a candlestick, we fix it with a pen- knife to the wall; but the wind coming in between the logs, and through the roof, and down the wide chimney, flares it, so that we take it in our fingers; and under such circumstances we stand up to read the hymns and Scripture, and to preach.

Perhaps you can fancy the scene. The half bent forms of these dusky people, in this dusky light; men, women, and chil- dren : the women in gowns, and a faded handkerchief tied over the head ; the men in trowsers, and what looks like a farmer's frock with a belt over it; and the children, with a shirt, and nothing more: these ar- ranged, some on stools, two or three on chairs, some on the bed, others crouching on their heels; while our school boys stand together, where they have found a vacant place. The preacher stands before them, with a pocket Bible in one hand, and a ra-

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pidly wasting tallow candle in the other ; he speaks one short sentence, or, but a piece of a long sentence, and waits for the inter- preter, who stands close beside him, to re- peat the same in the Muskokee language.

Some of the audience scarcely raise their eyes from the floor during the entire ser- vice ; others give us their eye, but now and then they raise a hand quickly to brush away a tear. In every such assembly we may expect to find one or more to whom the name of Jesus is precious, even as oint- ment poured forth.

After meeting, we make the best of our way home ; now along the cattle path, and amongst the bushes, to the peril of our clothes ; thankful if our faces escape a scratching, or our heads a beating against the trees, when we come into the thick and darker woods.

NIGHT MEETING AMONG THE NEGROES.

About two miles from the Tallahassa Mission, was a cluster of cabins occupied by

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the negroes of a plantation. One of these cabins was large, and we occasionally held a meeting in it. The people all seemed glad to have this privilege, and it may be that their pleasure was partly on account of being noticed by the missionaries. When we preached there, the house would be well filled with both Indians and negroes, seated on rough benches, and the great fire-place, with its bright fire, sent a cheering light over the audience.

Not far off was an Indian village, where whiskey was sold, and where disorderly fel- lows congregated ; and sometimes we were disturbed by them. Now and then a drunken band would ride by with shouts and yells. Occasionally a drunken Indian would surge against the door, and force it in, and stag- ger in himself, and reel along towards the preacher.

Such an occurrence would produce a commotion ; for an Indian intoxicated is an object of terror, and especially so to any of that race which, according to the creed of

INDIAN COUNTRY. Ill

some of the Indians, was intended by the Great Spirit to use the spade and the hoe. Much management was required to bring the Indian to a seat, and to keep him quiet. By and by he wouhi get dry again, and leave us unceremoniously; or, he would fall asleep, and thus we would be rid of his noise.

Those were pleasant seasons. The simple- hearted people appeared to drink in the words that were spoken: it was not like re- peating a thrice told tale to sluggish ears ; but it seemed to be received joyfully, like good news. The historical portions of the Bible, and parables, they listened to without ever being tired of them ; and the story of the cross was not there repeated to people, all of whose ears were dull, and their hearts closed.

One of the company with which we wor- shipped there, and who was attentive and devout, was a pious old negro woman, fa- miliarly called Aunt Chloe.

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AUNT CHLOE.

On the da}^ we were leaving the nation, as we were on the way to Fort Gibson to take the boat, we met her; and she says, ** What! goin' away, MasV?" "Yes," we answered. "What! goin' clear away off'? goin' back to the States?" "Yes," we re- sponded again. Then dropping both hands as suddenly as she had raised them at her first exclamation, and in a melancholy voice, she added, " Well then, may the good Lord be merciful ! but what are us poor ignorant black folks to do ? Missionaries and teach- ers comes ; but then missionaries and teach- ers goes away again, as many as comes, and there gets no more on 'em after all. Why ! ar'n't ye never coming back to preach to these ere Indians, and to give us black ones some of de crumbs now and again?" "No, aunt Chloe, we don't much expect to come back again, and well not see one another any more in this world then ; so, good bye ; God bless you." " Well then — if ye must

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go — when ye gets back to the States, won't ye tell them good peoples there, to think about us all, poor ignorant perishing ones away out here ? and you, sir, please — you won't never stop praying for me, a poor old black critter away out west of Arkansaw. Good bye. Good bye. May the Lord be a wall of fire about ye — your never failing help."

THE WHISKEY VILLAGE.

That little cluster of cabins which we have termed a village, and of which we spoke two or three pages back, had a bad reputation. We called it a cluster of cabins, and yet it was not much of a cluster, nor were they very near together. There were three or four that were only a few rods apart ; and others from a quarter to half a mile distant.

We were accustomed to make frequent excursions; leaving the Mission in the mor- ning, and spending the day in visiting from village to village, and from house to house ; conversing with families, and preaching

10 »

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wherever a little congregation could be gath- ered.

For one of those days' works I had nnap- ped out the course in my own mind, making this village the first to be visited ; and when we were in the saddle and had proceeded a little on the way, the interpreter inquired what place we were to make for; and when told that we would go right down to that town on our right, he exclaimed, " Ah, sir, that won't do. It's not far enough past the holidays yet. Christmas, you know," he added, "lasts as long as there is any whiskey." The Indians in that country are rather re* markable for their observance of Christmas ; but the most that many know about it seems to be only that which they have learned from the loose-living white men that have lived among them, and who usually distin- guished the day by their hardest drinking, and most reckless carousing.

Our interpreter, who was at that time an elder of the church, and who is now a minis- ter, did not wish to expose himself to more

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insult and abuse than he might be able to bear. " It might," as he said, " get the In- dian up, and if he were provoked he might do something that he would be sorry for."

He was in the habit, you perceive, of pray- ing, " Lead us not into temptation," and then endeavouring to practise in accordance with his prayers.

"THE CHALLENGE.

*' Discretion," somebody has said, " is the better part of valour," and having the inter- preter's account of the villagers, and seeing his aversion to going amongst them, we passed along on the straight road ; and he proceeded to give some account of an excit- ing affair in which he was engaged a few evenings before. It was just in the dusk of the evening — a cold evening, the ground was frozen, the doors were shut, and he and his little family were huddled around the fire ; when suddenly a horseman galloped into the yard, and wheeled before the door ; and with terrible yells, and awful curses,

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called out his name, daring him to show himself outside the door. After hesitating a few moments, trying to think what he ought to do, he arose and went out. Then the drunken Indian assailed him with his tongue, saying, "So many years ago, you remember, we were at a ball play. I got mad at you and tried to kill you ; but you were then the strongest, and you whipped me. I have never forgotten it. I mean to kill you yet, and I have got drunk to-day for this very purpose. I have come here just now to fight you, and I shall kill you. Whiskey makes me strong." The interpreter said that he felt the Indian in him growing, and get- ting stronger than the Christian ; and he was afraid that if he had to hear more of that fellow's insolence he would get too mad, and, may-be, strike him ; therefore he kept his teeth shut tight together so that he should not say a word, for he knew that if he would allow himself to begin to scold, his passions would rise the faster ; but he walked up to the horse's head, took him by

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the bit, led him rapidly out of the yard, and with a smart blow and a whoop, he sent them botli galloping down the road ; for the In- dian had slightly overdone the thing : he had taken an over-dose of the stuff that such fellows often take to give them courage ; and instead of making him strong, it had proved too strong for him : it had made the strong man weak.

After relating the circumstance, the inter- preter asked, "Did I do right? Had I suf- fered him to remain, very likely he might have killed some of us. But I don't know when he may come back again ; or I may meet him on the road at some time when he happens to be just strong enough. These Indians are curious ; for when they get drunk, they seem to remember all their old grudges — all the old scores that they haven't paid off, and at such times they don't care if they get killed themselves, providing they can first kill their enemy."

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DRUNKEN INDIANS.

It is not pleasant to encounter Indians, when the demon, called up by intemperance, possesses them.

Once, when riding alone, and in a lonely place, I heard the discordant whooping which proceeds only from those who are greatly excited and thoughtless. Soon, three tall, lank forms appeared in sight, and coming on to meet me. They were on foot. My horse was tall and strong, and had gradually been getting up a strong and steady pace that would carry him past any slight obstruction. They began shouting, "Who are you? Where you come from ? Where you going ?" and were closing in around as if to shake hands ; we reached out a hand to the nearest one — for it is best to exhibit confidence in them, and friendli- ness. Good naturedly we answered all their questions, and put others to them. Yery likely they may have been peaceably enough disposed ; but somehow, many of the

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Indians retain the notion that all this country once belonged to them, and by right should still be theirs; that the white man robbed them of it ; that, therefore, all his present wealth was made from the Indian's lands, and consequently, the Indian has still a right to whatever he can get from the white man. This may account in part for the surliness with which they receive their annuities from the Government ; and for the large demands, and small thanks with which they receive the missionaries and teachers that come to labour and suffer for their good : they regard it, not as a boon, but as a debt.

TRAVELLERS DISTURBED.

Two of the missionaries, one a minister, the other the steward and farmer, were re- turning from the Seminole Mission, where they had been to attend a sacramental meet- ing: the minister to preach and administer the ordinances. Where they stopped for the night, they were refused admittance into the house, and were only allowed to

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spread their blankets under the open ahed in front of the cabin. There they were sleeping soundly after a hard day's ride. But in the middle of the night they were awakened by the yelling of Indians, and the sound of many horses' feet ap- proaching nearer and nearer. Presently the horses stop, and no sound is heard : then they move again, but only one approaches the place where our travellers are. He drew up before the cabin, and in the Indian language, called out to the people within, to arise, and bring him instantly a drink of cold water. But they had barricaded their doors before going to bed, and they made no answer whatever to the insolent demand. The Indian still sat on his pony, on the other side of the low rail fence, and still demanding a drink of cold water. The mis- sionaries remained quiet for a while, till one of them, thinking that if he should get Lis drink of water, he would go on his way, and leave them to their slumbers once more, arose and went to the spring for it. The

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lordly Indian drank, but immediately de- manded whiskey. "No," says the missionary, "we have no whiskey," and immediately went back to his bed again. The Indian insisted that there was whiskey on the premises, and he would not go away till he should get some, and he grew more noisy and abusive. Now he dismounted, and came over the fence to where the travellers were lying. One of them, who was the farmer, arose and sat on one side of the table that stood by the wall, and the Indian leaned or sat upon the other side. "Now," said the Indian, " I must have some whiskey." The traveller assured him that they had none, and that it would be an impossibility to get it.

" Well, then," said the other^ "you have money, and with that I can help myself to what I want. White men never travel with- out money, and I am bound to have some ; and I will not leave you till I get it."

"You'll never get it from me,"said the tra- veller, in a slow and steady voice.

Then the Indian began drawing out bis 11

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knife, and running "his tbumb along its edge ; and then the farmer also quietly drew out his big pocket knife, and displayed its long blade. The Indian was still talking largely ; but, apparently without seeming to do it with any particular design, he reached across the table and felt the white man's arm, before he ventured to grapple with him; and he found there a large round mass of hard muscles. The tone of the Indian's voice now changed, and, beating as honour- able a retreat as possible, he left the travel- lers to sleep till morning.

So, we see, presence of mind and a strong arm are very convenient, oftentimes.

ITINERATING.

It has been intimated that, whenever we could command the time, and could have the services of an interpreter, we were ac- customed to spend a day in visiting from village to village, and from house to house, over a given section of the country. It would be tedious to relate everything that

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might occur in sucli a day's work; and yet, if we could but lake our readers around with us ou two or three such excursions, they would get a more correct view of this kind of missionary labour, than in any other way. Suppose you come with us then. It is a day in the month of December, but not very cold ; for you must recollect we are in latitude 36° where the winters are not very severe. We have quite sudden, and some- times extreme changes, however ; therefore we lay a heavy overcoat over the saddle, for though we do not need it in the morn- ing, we may before night. The interpreter is well mounted on his own horse, and we have Wellington, who has been the favour- ite of several missionaries, a noble, intelli- gent, and affectionate creature. We strilie out N. W., towards what is termed The Mountain, which is about three miles from the Mission.

On the opposite side of it is a family, of which we know but little: they are never seen at church, therefore we will carry the

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gospel to them, so that they shall not have it to say that nobody cared for their souls. In passing through a stretch of low land, we worry through tall grass and weeds ; it is higher than our heads while seated on the horses' backs.

We reach the house; it is nothing differ- ent from a great many others in the country. There is a field, a cow pen, and a small log- pen, covered with thatch, for a stable. A small square log-house with one room, co- vered with long narrow pieces of oak split thin for shingles, and these not nailed, but held to their place by heavy poles laid along the roof. There is not a sawed board about the premises. The floor is of what are called puncheons — thick plank split and hewed tolerably smooth on one side ; seats are made of the same material. The table was made with the hatchet, of such boards as cover the roof, and they are fastened to- gether with small wooden pegs. The doors have wooden hinges and a wooden latch. At the side of the room are holes bored into

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the logs, and wooden pins driven into the holes — on some of the pins are placed split boards: a few articles of dress hang on the pins, and a few dishes are set on the shelves. Over the door, a well kept rifle rests on its wooden hooks.

They have two guests whose home is away to the south-west, on the south fork of the Canadian river ; and they are journeying to the " Missouri line ;" we did n't ask if they were going to buy whiskey, though we sus- pected it might be the case. The guests were at breakfast. Their fare was salt pork fried hard, corn cake, a large bowl of pork gravy instead of butter, sweet potatoes boiled, and coffee very strong without milk or sugar.

We make a few remarks and inquiries, such as are usually heard when neighbours meet. They answer in monosyllables, but make no inquiries of us. All is silent, ex- cept while loe are speaking. We see there is no such thing as engaging them in a con- versation on any subject ; so without fur- 11*

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ther delay we tell them wlio we are, and on what business we have come all this distance on purpose to see them.

They know, or pretend to know, scarce anything at all of the gospel plan of salva- tion, and the children, a half-dozen of them, seem altogether ignorant on religious sub- jects; therefore we undertake to impart as much instruction as is possible to be given in half an hour, on points the most needful for a person to know, if he were not to hear another sermon before he goes to the judg- ment.

We ask the children a few questions on what has been said, sing a Muskokee hymn, the interpreter leads in prayer, and we rise to depart, shaking hands all around again ; and while we stand with one hand on the door-latch, and the hat in the other, a short dialogue is spoken, through the in- terpreter.

" Now Mr. , we shall see you at meet- ing at the Mission next Sabbath, won't we ?" " Don't know when that day comes." " It

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comes day after to-morrow — you will be there, won't you?" "Doubtful." " Why not come?" " Too far." " Its only about three miles." " Too far." " No, it's not too far, if you may there be told how to find the way to heaven. Think of these children. Don't you wish to have them instructed in the way to worship God, and to secure immortal life?" He makes no reply, only mutters something to himself; and again, and finally we ask, "You will bring all your family over to the Mission next Sabbath, won't you? Half-past tea is the time. Good day."

THE VISION.

The next place we will take you to is the residence of the Mekko or king of Osichee town. He is the Mekko No. 2. He has no seat or vote in the national council, but has more influence in his own town, and amongst his own clan, than the Mekko No. 1, who is a member of the council of the na- tion. The secret of their preference for one above the other is, that No. 1 receives pay

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for his services, and No. 2 does not. In the same way they "take to" ministers and physi- cians. They have strong prejudices against a *' hireling priesthood ;" but a fondness for any ox that will patiently tread out the corn with the mouth muzzled.

The interpreter expressed fears that we might not be cordially received should the Mekko be at home, for he knew him to be a bitter enemy to Christianity and its reforms; and stoutly attached to all the old Indian ceremonies and traditions.

We find two cabins near each other, and both seem to be occupied. This looks as if the man had two wives ; and it is not unlawful, we believe, for a man in this na- tion to take as many wives as he can sup- port ; at any rate, polygamy is practised here to some extent. We go up to one of the cabins, and knock at the door. A faint voice bids us come in. The occupant of the room is a poor sick woman, apparently near her death ; it is the Mekko's wife. She is free to converse — says she is glad, very glad

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to see us ; she seems hungry for instruction, and puts away the bed clothes from her ears, and stretches out her head towards the inter- preter, so as to catch every word.

She has " an expedience," and seems de- sirous that we should hear it, and give an opinion as to whether it is sufficient to base a hope on. Former!}^ (as she proceeds to re- late) she had been in the practice of going to preaching whenever opportunity was afford- ed ; but she had never felt any special inter- est in religion, or alarm in respect to her spiritual condition, till she was taken sick; and she was very sick and getting worse ; and so she continued for many weeks, and they told her she must die.

One day her man was gone to procure something for her, and there was no person in the house, and all was still around; when she heard ( imagined she heard ) the sound of a great multitude of voices far, far up in the sky, and they were singing — oh, so beau- tifully were they singing! faintly at first, but gradually descending towards the earth,

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and their music swelling more full and loud till it seemed to be just at the door, and she expected the next moment to behold the glory-clad visitants from heaven ; but then the singing ceased, and she saw and heard no more.

From that time she began to think seri- ously about death, and to wish for that pre- paration for it which was necessary, what- ever that preparation might be. She spent much time in prayer and tried to be good. Afterwards she recovered ; and for a long time she attended preaching when there was a meeting within reach — she sung and prayed, and endeavoured to do right, and thought she was succeeding pretty well in pleasing God, and getting a preparation for death. But unfortunately, a neighbour woman came in and talked saucily and provoked her, and she scolded back; and then her good feelings left her, and she felt ugly and wicked ; and after that she did n't strive any more to be good. But very soon after this she was ta- ken sick again ; and she had no doubt that

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it was in judgment from God, because sbe flew into that passion and scolded the woman, and ceased praying and singing hymns ; and now she feared she should never arise from that sick bed again, and she did not feel at all easy in regard to her prepar- ation for the next world ; but then — and this was the straw which the drowning wo- man was catching at — but then she had heard (fancied she had heard) that sweet sing- ing such as mortals could not equal — what did that mean, she argued, unless it was that " Hesaketumese" ( God) had taken this meth- od to give her a sign that he was pleased with her ?

We told her what we thought of it, that it was probably a sort of dream — she might have been half asleep, and half awake. We told her that she needed a better hope than that ; she needed to see herself a sinner, and Christ the Saviour of sinners. We told her, and endeavoured to explain how it was, that her prayers and hymns in themselves, and her trying to be good, had not been helping

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her on to heaven at all ; for we are so imper- fect, while God is so holy, and his law so high, that nothing but the righteousness of Christ can reach it.

For a longtime we talked to her, shelistened with almost painful earnestness. We alluded to the subject of her dream, or her fancy— the music of the heavenly inhabitants ; and we told her that none can join in that song but those who have been taught it by the Holy Spirit, and she could be taught it: God was ready to forgive all her sins; Christ was ready to wash her in his blood ; the Holy Spirit was ready to sanctify her whol- ly ; she had only to cry, " God be merciful to me a sinner ;" but she must do it in all earnestness, and look nowhere else for help; and now was the time if ever, for her days on the earth were few, it was very likely, as her friends had warned her.

During our conversation other members of the family had gathered into the room, and remained eager listeners.

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After singing and prayer we pass on. The woman lived but a day or two; and whether, when the soul was freed from the body, angels bore it home to join in their song, and the song of the redeemed, we will not know till we also get there, if indeed that blessedness shall be granted us.

ANOTHER VISION.

When we were on our way again, I said to the interpreter, "Indians seem to be fa- voured with more dreams and visions than other people, don't they ?" " I guess so," be said, '* they must imagine these things; or may-be their eyes are sharper than white men's. They see ghosts, and witches, and such like, a great deal easier than you do, you know.'' And then he proceeded to re- hearse part of a conversation which he over- heard the other day, between two old men ; one an Indian, the other a negro. The old Indian was boasting that he was never going to die, at least, not for many years yet. "IIow do you know that?" asked the negro.

12

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" Because," responded the other, '' I had a vision lately, ahd the prophet has inter- preted it to me as meaning that I shall never die, or, at any rate, not for a great while yet." " Well, what was your vision ?" asked the negro. " Well, it was this," said the other. " I saw God ; that was the amount of it." " Saw God ! and how did he look ?" *' Why he was an old man, with white locks, a row of great white feathers stood out across his back, and there was a circle of fire all around him, and it was very hot, so that nobody could come near him." " Ha !" said the negro. " More like it was the devil you saw ; for the Scriptures say that no man hath seen God's shape, and no man could see him and live."

ODDLY CONSTRUCTED VEHICLES.

On our way, we meet a yoke of oxen haul- ing a primitive kind of wagon. The wheels are nothing more nor less than sections of a saw-log — a very short saw-log, say about four inches long, and two feet in diameter,

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with the heart chiselled out, and this runs on the axle. Soon another carriage is met, more primitive yet : it is nothing more nor less than the crotch of a tree, in the shape of the letter Y, with the sharp end forward and upright stakes set in to hold the load on. There are good wagons in the country, but not very many of the Indians are rich enough to own one.

JOURNAL CONTINUED.

We approach heavy timber ; and now we come to a "branch "near to its junction with the Yerdigris. We have to descend a steep bank. It is far down to the water, and is dark on account of the overhanging trees: the interpreter, however, makes no- thing of it, and keeps his seat in the saddle, humming a hymn to himself, while his horse is carefully trying to hold himself from plunging headlong down the almost precipi- tous foot path ; but I was afraid, and dis- mounted, and led the horse down to the water's edge, then remounting, we forded,

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and clambered up the opposite bank. Sooq we emerge from the thick woods, and come into the " openings," where are scattering trees. The earth is covered with grass, very rank ; the fire has not yet run through it, but it is dry ; yet near the ground it is still green — here, and all about over the country, is space for thousands of farms, and pasture for such a stock as Job had, and that many times over. It is a long stretch now till we come to the Osichee busk house, and " square :" a desolate country it is to ride over, and not a habitation in sight ; not a person do we meet, nor have we any trail, not even a cattle path. It is past noon when we arrive at the busk house. We find here, and in the vicinity, several fami- lies. The women and children are at home, but no men are seen. The people seem poor : they are scantily clad ; some of the little ones almost naked : the women show but little taste or ambition to appear well. Their busk house is a rude affair ; merely crotches set in the ground, and covered with

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poles and bushes. We are not at all cor- dially received here; the children are rude, and the women are surly. We begin to talk with one, and she starts out to pick up sticks to replenish a feeble fire outside of the house, over which is a small black pot, in which, perhaps, is their dinner. They do not even ask us to a seat. The sun is very warm now, and we are weary, and begin too, to feel the want of some refreshment, but that we will not find till we get home ; and this cold reception is very dishearten- ing, and causes us to feel our bodily fatigue more ; but we ride on, going southerly, then bending around towards the south-east, on a trail which will take us home. By and by we come to a house, in which we find several people. They are better dressed, and more polite than some we were last with. A few rods from the house, we had stopped to speak with a couple of men who were putting up a little structure over a new made grave — a miniature cabin it was. It was the grave of an Indian that I had seen

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and conversed with, only three or four days before, at a gathering where the chiefs were distributing the annuities just received from Washington. This man had exposed him- self; perhaps had slept on the ground, and without covering, and his camp fire had gone out ; for it was a cold and rainy time. He took a violent cold, which seized some vital part — the pleura, or the lungs, and he died in a day or two. " The Cold Plague," they call it; and many go off in this way.

Some of the neighbours and relatives were at the house, and we tried to improve the oc- casion by some timely instruction on the sub- ject of death; the state after death, the pre- paration needed, and the consolations those may have who have lost friends that gave evidence of having been the friends of God, and are now taken to dwell for ever with him. But our conversation did not seem to be relished by them, and that dampened our spirits again. " Who hath believed our re- port?" we say.

The widow of the deceased was there, and

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of all the company, she alone refused to shake hands with us. She had, already, by her friends, been put into what they call

Which must continue for three years, though they may reckon the years like as do some of the Asiatic nations ; not neces- sarily three whole years, or three times three hundred and sixty five days ; but there may be parts of the three years as marked by the annual revolution of the earth — there may be in the time during which they are so " devoted " only a part of the first and third years, with the whole of the second.

Some have thought that this may be some- thing resembling the vow of the Nazarite ; or like the perpetual virginity or widowhood of Jephthah's daughter.

During the time of her widowhood, a woman is appointed to take care of her ; it may be her mother-in-law, or sister-in-law. This woman must feed her, comb her hair,

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and attend her wherever she goes. The widow may not shake hands with a man during the time of her widowhood ; for should she do it the charm is broken, and she must commence anew. Of course she may not marry during the time, and when at length she does marry it must be under the direction of the relatives of her former husband, and a person of his clan ; but if no suitable person can be found in that clan, she is at liberty to marry as she pleases.

The penalty (according to the statute) for breaking these rules, is to be beaten by the re- latives of the deceased husband, and to have both the ears cut off. AVidowers are like- wise put under similar restrictions, but the season of widowhood is shorter — only four months. The penalties however are the same.

How the Indians came by these, and many other customs which bear not a faint resem- blance to some of the old Levitical rites, we will not now stop to inquire. But really it may well awaken a curiosity, and we have

INDIAN COUNTRY. 14.1

a right to wonder if some, at least, of the aborigines of this continent did not come around from Asia by Behring's Strait, bring- ing with them some of the traditions bor- rowed from the Jews, if indeed they were not stragglers of the lost Ten Tribes.

But we are detaining you with scraps of the conversation which we had with the interpreter on the way home.

When we start again it is with the pur- pose of going through without any more stops. The weather has now changed, and we need that big coat ; it is raining too, and there's a prospect of a wet, dark night Dis- regarding the trial, we take a direct course to the Mission; which however is not always best, and seldom safe unless you travel by compass, or with an experienced guide who knows where to cross the sloughs and the ravines.

As we neared the Mission, the interpreter turned to me inquiring, *' And what should a man do when he is coming home?" This requires that we explain a short conversa- tion of the morning about

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SOAKING THE SEED.

We were in sight of the first house on our outward journey, and were riding slowly along ; neither of us having spoken for some minutes, when I broke the silence by asking the interpreter, "Are you soaking the seed,

Mr. W ?" "Am I what?" said he.

" Are you soaking the seed ?" I repeated. Then I had to repeat, as nearly as I remem- bered it, the anecdote respecting the clergy- man who was lamenting to his brother clergyman that though he endeavoured to be faithful and abundant in all his minis- terial labours, sowing good seed ; yet he saw no apparent fruits of his work in the conversion of sinners : and his neighbour replied, "Do you soa^ your seed, brother? The ground may be properly prepared, and the seed may be good^ but do you soak it ?" By which, as we explained to the inter- preter, he meant, Do you pray over the word as you study and preach ? Do you go

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forth weeping while you bear the precious seed ?

And again addressing the interpreter we added, "By your silence and seriousness, one might presunne that you were thus soaking the good seed of the word — pray- ing for God's blessing on all the work of the day before us."

He seemed pleased with this new way of expressing an idea, and of illustrating a duty with which he was already familiar: and as appeared, had not forgotten it through the day ; and after that day's planting was done, he enquires what else there was to be done. " When we go out, we must soak the seed. When we come back, what shall we do ?" We replied, " How do you treat your garden ? You plant not only, but you hoe, and pull up weeds, and kill the insects and vermin ; if it is a dry time, you yater the tender plants ; and you keep it well fenced. Now all this must be done in our spiritual garden. It is not enough to go over the ground once; we will have to visit

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it again and again. We will have to ' get up early to the vineyards and see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth.' "

That man is a preacher now, and we trust that he does not forget to soak the seed, nor grow weary in the equally necessary work of watering the plants.

FOOT PRINTS IN THE ROCK.

On our return we must have come very near the rocks which have the " foot prints ;" a broad space of bare rocks, it is, in a low place too, and water runs over a part of it, and it is marked all over with tracks of people, large and small ; but for the ring of your horse's hoofs you might suppose you were ridinor over a bed of mud all tracked over. The Indians have been questioned about it, but from their various accounts, it is clear that the present owners of the country know nothing more about them than we would be able to conjecture. Some suppose that they were cut by Indians once living, or roaming

INDIAN" COUNTRY. 145

hereabouts, to warn their friends that there were enemies near ; and that the bearing of the tracks indicated the direction in which the foe was marching. In another place, we were told, were similar foot marks of deer, and other game. This they said was prob- ably made as a sign that such game was in the neighbourhood. Bather a tedious way of talking by the impromptu method of signs it struck us ; but as we had no more plausible theory to offer, we let it pass. We visited that locality once in company with a friend, who had provided himself with chisel and mallet, and bag. He selected a pair of large moc- casoned foot prints which were found side by side ; he cut a channel around them, and deeper than the foot prints, and then split off the slab. He contended strongly that it was a " recent formation ;" others tried to prove to him that the tracks were cut with some instrument. However, he boxed up his specimen, and forwarded it to the Smith- sonian Institute.

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ANOTHER DAY'S WORK.

Early on the morning of a day in Febru- ary we started from the Tallahassa Mission for a day of missionary work in a town ly- ing in the fork of the Yerdigris and Arkan- sas river. We rode directly there, that we might have as much of the day as possible for visiting the families of the village.

Passing a store kept by a white trader, all the living thing we saw was the merchant, with a bland smile, giving the morning sal- utation to a hard looking, very black, and very small specimen of an Indian, who had dismounted from a little black pony, and who was coming towards the store with a little black bottle, to get it filled there or somewhere else with that liquid which leads to the perpetration of so many black crimes, and which hurries so many ruined souls to the place of outer darkness. We paid but little attention to either of the parties; not dreaming that we were again that day to en- counter the same dark trio.

INDIAN COUNTRY. 147

This village bears the name of

TULSEY TOWN.

And there is another place of the same name, we believe, farther up the country; but both belong to one clan. The latter town, as we notice in the last Annual Report, is an out station of the Kowetah Mission, and there were several additions to the Church from these people. We found their settlement on the rich land of the river bottom, where the trees grow larger; and to make a clearing for a farm must have been a formidable undertaking. These are the peccan tree, the cottonwood, oaks, and hick- ory, and a great many others, with their trailing vines ; and some of these vines had trunks from four to six inches through. Along the edges of the forest, and in the openings, many of the great trees were spot- ted over with great tufts of green ; this is the " misletoe bough."

We proceed first to the farthest house in the settlement, intending if possible to see

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and have conversation with every individual to be found in it. At this house they had just been butchering a beef, and several men were about. They made no objection to giving us a little time ; and all gathered before the door under the thatched shed, and we had a short religious service. Some of these people were friends of our Master ; and they welcomed us to their town, and thanked us for the words of instruction and consolation. That was a cheering begin- ning of our day's labour.

Next we made our way towards a very little hut. As we drew near, a woman came out, and attempted to escape into the woods which were close by. She was a frightfully squalid creature. We judged that she was in widowhood, and that those whose business it should be to attend to her toilet were ne- glecting their duty ; and that her fear of be- ing asked to shake hands might account for her vehement haste to get away from us. Her hair was hanging in matted bunches ; the remnants of an old calico dress were

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still hanging about her ; a dirty and tattered shawl or blanket was drawn close over her head and shoulders.

We wished to arrest her flight, if it were only for a few moments, just enough to speak a word or two, which might lead her to think about her soul, and the importance of obtaining a preparation for that place where there is no more widowhood, and where the days of mourning are ended. To our morning salutation, she made no an- swer : to some other inquiries she simply waved the hand, and would have hurried into the woods ; but we tried again to arrest her attention, and we asked if she had ever heard about Jesus. To this she answered, "Yes ;" and said that her son had sometimes been to meeting, and when he came home, told her what the preacher had said. And this was the sum of our conversation with her.

Two small children were playing in the

dirt, near the house ; but it could not make

them anv more dirty than they were. 13-*"

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In the house where we next stopped, we found a young man and two women. "We had no difficulty in introducing the subject of religion here. They professed to be dis- ciples of Jesus, and as far as we could judge, they bore pleasing marks of being disciples indeed. As we read portions of Scripture^ and 'Commented on them, they listened with an interest not usually manifested by In- dians; and in the hymn and prayer they joined in that manner that warm-hearted Christians are wont to do. It was pleasant to sit with them, though it was on a narrow stool in a little cabin, with no light when the door was closed, except the few sooty rays which came down the stick chimney.

The falling tears, and the earnest pressure of the hand when we parted, was an assur- ance that our visit was gratefully received. There is a peculiarly delightful, grateful feeling, which we would in vain attempt to describe to any person that had not felt it ; that feeling which one who has long been living amongst those who are strangers to

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Christ, and who are the enemies to religion, has, when he meets with a friend of Christ — a converted pagan, now loving the Saviour whom he loves, singing the songs which he sings, able to join with him in the same prayer, and longing for the same heavenly inheritance.

We continued in this manner to go from house to house ; but time wore on, and we were likely to fall far short of accomplish- ing our desire of visiting every family ; therefore, that we might have an opportu- nity of delivering our message to every in- habitant of the place, we attempted to gather all the people in one place and preach to them. A central position was selected, and permission obtained of the inmates of the cabin to hold our meeting before their door. "We went about circulating the notice, and requested others to do the same.

While the people were collecting, I went inside the cabin, and there found a poor suffering creature — -

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A SICK WOMAN.

She was lying before the fire-place, ia which were two half-burnt sticks, and the smoke, instead of going up the chimney, was wandering about the room. She had scarcely any dress, and no other cover- ing ; and had only two narrow split boards to keep her emaciated body from the damp earth ; for the cabin had no floor. She said that her husband sold whiskey, and drank it too; that he was absent that day. She voluntarily confessed, and with the signs of a troubled conscience, that she had helped him in the shameful business of obtaining, secreting, and dealing out the fire-water.

She could talk a little in broken English, and we had some conversation, which, per- haps, may have been profitable to her. She was sensible that her time was short. Her previous life gave her no satisfaction when she looked back over it ; the present was gloomy and troubled, and the future was all uncertain. In youth, she was giddy, and

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spent her time in frolics, and going about seeking pleasure; when she became a wo- man, slie was still thoughtless and wicked ; when thoughts about death and eternity came into her mind, she hastily drove them out again. But now, for three or four months she had been sick, and for much of the time, had been lying as I saw her, un- able to cook her husband's victuals, or even to help herself When he went away, he left scarce anything for her comfort, and when he returned, it was to ill-treat her. Her notions about a future state were much con- fused ; but she had heard too much of the Bible and its teachings, and was too well convinced of its truth, to feel at ease in the creed of the Indian, viz : that the Great Spirit, being their father, has a hunting ground for them, and that he will certainly take all his red children to it. She desired to know how to avoid going to the place of torment ; and as we undertook to explain to her, in few words, how the sinner may flee from the wrath to come, and lay hold

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on eternal life, she turned up her haggard face, and with her trembling, bony fingers put aside the uncombed hair, as we told of Him who came to save sinners, even the chief — that we have only to feel our need of him, and to cry, Lord, save or I perish. We told her of his acts of love and mercy, while on the earth ; how he healed the sick and forgave sins ; how the thief on the cross found pardon. We told her of the mansions which Jesus had gone to prepare, and if she was only willing to be his friend, he would, by and by, come and take her home to him- self.

But she was afraid she could not understand all this ; her mind, she said, was dark, and her heart was hard, and she had been such a wicked woman; but she felt that there could be but few more days for her on the earth, and what must she do? Poor woman ! what indeed could she do ? We prayed that she might be able to see the whole truth ; to see that she was lost, and unless Jesus rescued her she would be lost for ever ;

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and we directed her to pray — even as she lay there on the ground, for Jesus was present everywhere — to pray to Jesus telling him that she was poor, and ignorant, and dull; that she was a sinner, and had no goodness ; and beg him to have mercy and help her, forgive her sins, and give her a new heart. We assured her that if she would with all her heart offer this prayer, and con- tinue to offer it, Christ would hear and answer : for he says, " Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out."

We felt that it was a great privilege to be able to point a dying fellow creature to the Lamb of God that taketh away sin ; and we earnestly prayed to Him whose gospel is prepared for the poor, that he would now look in compassion upon her who was every way so wretched and miserable ; open- ing the eyes of her understanding, taking away her sins, and clothing her in his own righteousness.

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**THIS BE INDIAN HUNTING GROUND."

A company of perhaps twenty people had assembled in the yard, on the leeward side of the house : there were no men in the company, but women and children only. The women with blankets drawn lightly over their heads, and witli their shy looks ; the children bare-headed, and bare-footed.

The service was proceeding pleasantly; we were engaged in reading and explaining a portion of the word of God ; all was still ; the audience was attentive, and the door of the cabin was a-jar so that the sick woman might hear ; when all at once there was a nervous movement in the company, as when the leaves of the forest are stirred by a single puff of wind. Then all was still again ; they held their breath ; every head was inclined, and the open ears, held in a certain direction: then asimultaneous "hiih;" and then our own dull ears caught the sound of an Indian whooping ; and then the clatter- iog of horses' hoofs coming rapidly down a

INDIAN COUNTRY. 157

path in rear of the cabin, and around tlirough the gap and into the yard. A frightful ap- parition ! It was that little black Indian we had seen near the store in the morning ; and yet not quite the same person either, for then he was sober, now he was crazy drunk. His long and coarse black hair flew about more wildly ; his skin seemed blacker, his eyes bigger and more fiery, his mouth wider, and his teeth sharper than then. Cursing in bad English, and scolding in Indian, he plunged into the yard, bounded from his pony, and came fiercely towards us, swinging both arms lustily, and crying out, "This be Indian hunting ground! What white man doing here ? This be Indian hunting ground,! say ! What white man doing here ?" The women drew their blankets tighter about their heads and scat- tered ; some behind the cabin, some into the bushes. The interpreter stood his ground, but was considerably disconcerted.

I stepped forward — but quite uncertain as to the result — and offered my hand to the

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Indian. He indignantly refused it, and shouted again — indeed, he screamed^ " This be Indian hunting ground ; white man no business here !" " We come as friends," said I. " We have no weapons, you see ; we only wish to teach what is good : if you are displeased with our being here, we can go elsewhere. But just let us sit down and have a little friendly talk about the mat- ter, so that when we part we may part as brothers." All this time I was holding out my hand, and at last took hold of his, and was gently drawing him towards our seat. The terms " friend" and " brother" his ear had caught, and he said, " You my friend! then you shall drink with me," and at once he drew out, and presented the bottle. We declined. He urged. We refused, and said, "No — whiskey bad, very bad." " Whiskey bad ? Whiskey bad, eh ?" responded he ; and then put it to his own mouth and turn- ed it up, and drained it. " Whiskey good," he says. "Ha! ah! — Indian say, Whiskey good." "No!" said we, "whiskey no good!"

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" Whiskey no good ?" he answered, " then what for white men bring it to the Indian's country ? White men make it, white men bring it, and white men sell it to Indian."

"They are not good white men," we an- swered, " they no love the Indian, they only love the Indian's money. We love the In- dian, and we say the laws of the Creek na- tion to keep whiskey out of the country, are good laws." " Ah !" said he, " that be true, whiskey seller no love Indian, but love Indian's money. But what for you say whiskey bad ?" " Why, because it makes the person that drinks it different from him- self, takes away his senses, makes him un- kind, sometimes makes him feel like fighting everybody; and it makes him poor: and besides, the Bible says that drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

By this time he had quieted down con- siderably, and was seated beside us, my hand laid on his shoulder, and his hand on my knee, and we looking pleasantly into each other's faces. By this time also the

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frightened women and children had begun to come forth from their hiding places, and to gather around us. The Indian had caught at my last statement. Said he, " You say, 'No drunkard can enter the kingdom of God/ Suppose Indian drink whiskey, he not go to heaven, eh ! But I have been to heaven already ; it was just the other night. Let me tell you about it." And now his face brightened up, and he seemed all changed from the fierce, frothing, scolding, creature of a few minutes before.

We listened to his story. He proceeds, " The other night I was lying on my back, and looking up into the skies — looking up, up, up beyond the stars ; and I saw far away in the blue sky an opening, and within the chamber all was bright, shining bright. I wished for some way to get up there, but could find none. Presently a long — a mighty long ladder was let down through the trap door — let down till it touched the ground. Nobody saw it but me, and I scrambled to get on it, and climb up. When I had climbed

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up there, and looked in, I saw heaps of peo- ple; oh, such heaps of people ! And I called out and says, ' Where's your king?' But then I began to be afraid, and — well I can't tell you much more about it."

" Oh, my friend," said I, " that was only a dream ; and when you began to be afraid you were waking up. But listen while we tell you something about that place — some- thing that is not a dream, but solid truth ; we will read it in God's own word, and you may depend upon it."

"Ah," said he, " yes, you white men have the books ; we red men took the bow and arrow, and so we have to listen to you whea. we want to learn anything." Then we went on reading and discoursing about heaven, and the one only way to get there, the inter- preter translating it to the audience; the In- dian interrupting every little while. We made out quite a discourse ; all the people listening eagerly.

Then we turned to the Indian, and said, " And now, wouldn't you like to have us

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sing about that happy land, far, far away ?" With some hesitation he assented. After singing, we again asked, " And now, would you like to have prayer offered for us all, that we may be made meet for that place of pur- ity and bliss ?" He hesitated; but we waited for his answer. At length he complied, and arose with us in prayer. After prayer we shook hands around ; then, taking the In- dian's hand the second time, we said, "You would like to have us come again, wouldn't you ? Shall we set a time ?" He did not an- swer, and we repeated the question. Final- ly he said, "Yes, come;" but, still he wished us to bear in mind that all that country was the Indian's hunting ground, and that the white men were there only by permission, and whenever the Indians pleased they could expel them.

During the conversation he betrayed that feeling which is common with many of the older people of the nation in opposition to Christianity — a jealousy in respect to the in- fluence of the schools, and the preaching of

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the gospel, lest it might at length subvert their owq religion and customs. They could see already that a change had com- menced, and was going on. In some of the clans it was becoming difTicultto keep up their feasts, and heathen ceremonies; the old peo- ple, or some of them, might still get toge- ther, but there were not enough of the young people to carry on the games ; and such was the case in this same Tulsey-town. Their busk house was going to ruins ; the danc- ing ground was grown over with weeds, and the pole that stood in the centre was fallen down.

THE COMMONS.

The inhabitants of this town have a com- mon field. Each family is expected to do its share of fencing, ploughing, planting, and tending. Each family has its own crib, and these cribs are scattered about over the field.

The bottom land on which the village and field are situated is subject to overflow; and

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it sometimes occurs that the inhabitants are driven from their houses, and their crops destroyed.

These facts we learned by observation, and in conversation with the interpreter, as we were passing out of the town ; for the day was drawing towards a close, and it was ne- cessary for us to hasten home; and for our health we ought to have started earlier. On the way we met a few persons, and had a few moments' conversation with them. One of these, a negro, told us of the preaching they had in a cabin in the woods, by a co- loured man. For himself he hoped he was " travelling towards Canaan."

THE POOR LONE WIDOW.

Farther on we saw an old log hut off from the road. We turned aside to it. A well cultivated garden was near it. The dirt and sticks were carefully swept away from the door. An elderly negro woman came to the door as we rode up. She was plainly dressed, but very clean : a number of small

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black cliildren followed her. She seemed to be visiting there, and was taking care of the little ones while their parents were away at work.

Without alighting, we began talking at once on the great concern, and found her ready to converse with us. We asked, " Do you love to hear the Scriptures read?" "The what, sar? I guess we never heard of them." "Well, the Bible, you love the Bi- ble, don't you ?" " The Bible! 0 yes, now I understand ; sartin me love de Bible ; but me can't read, mas'r.

" You love to pray too, don't you ?" " Oh yes, yes; me love prayer: I don't know what a poor soul like me could do without prayer — so many troubles as comes on me — my children all scatter from me ; some to Texas, some down river, and some I don't know where ; and I can't find none on 'em any more. Oh, me's a poor widder — a poor lone critter in this worl' any how ; may the good Lord be merciful : for there's no hope on anything in dis worl'." While she was

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saying this, the tears were streaming faster and faster down her sable cheeks. It was a satisfaction to be able to speak to her about the widow's God, who says, " Leave thy fa- therless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me."

We will not soon forget how heartily, and over again, she thanked us for condescending to talk to one poor old black woman, all friendless and alone in the world : and we will not forget that scene ; the good woman wiping the fast falling tears on her check apron, and speaking alternately of the sor- rows of this life and the joys of the next ; bewailing the afflictions which seemed to have crowded upon her as one born unto trouble, and expressing her fears lest her future state might be worse than this. She said, " Many times me thinks I's on the right road ; and many times me's afeard I's got astray agin. Oh, may de Lord be merciful — that's all my hope."

I intimated that we had not started home- ward early enough. This was apparent

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on the following day. A rough trotting pony, too much talking, sitting too much in the open air with a damp and chilly South- east wind blowing on me, brought on, or hastened another attack of chill and fever, more violent. than anything I had ever ex- perienced before.

DISCUSSION WITH A MEKKO.

This was a morning in the beginning of winter, white frost lay about upon every- thing, but a warm sun was beginning to climb up the eastern sky when we started, with the African interpreter, for a day of visiting in the neighborhood of the Kowetah Busk House. There was quite a settlement here ; it was within convenient distance of the Mission, and we longed for the privilege of preaching there statedly ; but hitherto every effort of the kind had been repulsed.

We rode directly to the house of the Mekko, or town chief, thinking there might be a bare possibility of getting into his favourable regards. He seemed to have some

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of the good things of this world around him ; large corn fields, and cattle pens. He had a tolerably comfortable log house with a porch along in front, and he was at work upon another : they were " daubing " it ; that is, they were gathering handfulls of mud, which was prepared in a pit near by, and with force they were throwing it into the chinks between the logs, then smoothing it with the hands instead of a trowel. In the same way were they plastering the chimney, which, with the fireplace, was all outside of the house : the fireplace was of logs : the upper part of the chimney of sticks : the whole was thickly daubed with- in and without.

We began with conversation on general subjects, and he was sociable, still keeping at his work. He could not speak or under- stand English, therefore our conversation was all through the interpreter. We talked on ; but still found no place for an easy transition to religious discourse, and so we said right out, " This would be a pleasant

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place to liave preaching: wouldn't you like to have meeting here, or somewhere in the neighbourhood occasionally on the Sabbath or on a week day evening?" This roused him. He threw down the mud which he had just taken in his hands, and turned and looked upon us, especially eyeing the in- terpreter who quailed before his steady gaze, and he said, " While we were yet in Georgia, and the government agents were trying to get us away, they told us that if we remained there, the whiles would settle all around us, and would crowd in amongst us, and by little and little they would teach our people their customs and their laws, and ours would gradually go from us. But, go west, said they, — far away beyond the settlements, and you may be by yourselves always, without any fear of intrusion : and we be- lieved their talk, and came west, even away here west of Arkansaw, and now you are on after us again."

" No, sir," we said, " we are not on after you to interfere with any of your rights and

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privileges as a nation, nor to interfere in any of your political affairs. As teachers in the schools, we serve the people ; the schools are open every day for the inspection of any person in the nation ; and frequently the Chiefs, or the Trustees whom they have ap- pointed, are called together to examine into all its operations, and they assure us they are perfectly well satisfied, and glad too, to have us continue in the work. As preachers, we are the humble servants of our Master, and in whatever part of the world we may be, we are bound to be faithful to him ; and he requires us to pub- lish his gospel to all people, exhorting men to repent, to cease to do evil and learn to do well. .Jesus, when on the earth, did not in- terfere with the strictly political affairs of the nations ; his apostles did not, and his ministers now ought not. We have enough to do to keep at our proper work of preach- ing the gospel, and in this we harm nobody, but benefit everybody; for the gospel is designed for all, and to all it is a message of peace

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and good will." "Ah, but," says he, ''our customs, our busks, dancing, ball-plays, races, drinking, card-playing, and such things; if you come here to preach, will you preach that they are all right? or will you even promise to say nothing at all about them, one way or the other ?" We answered that if we preach we must follow the Bible, and whatever sins it denounced we must also de- nounce ; and so far as any practices are con- trary to God's commandments we must, of course, expose them, and exhort the people to forsake them. There are some things which are wrong in themselves, and at any time ; and some things may be done on a week day, but not on the Sabbath. All games on the Sabbath are wrong, and some things in some of them are wicked at any time. It is never right to get drunk. " Ah, that is it," said he. " We like all these things ; our fathers taught them to us, and the Great Spirit taught the same to them. We are bound to per- petuate them, and we loish to perpetuate

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tliem; indeed we like them, and we mean to practise them."

Then again he asked specifically, " You will preach against liquor, will you ? And do you say that it is a sin to drink whis- key ?" *' We say that it is wicked to get drunk," we answered, " and it is wrong to use any stimulant to such a degree as to be- come unnaturally excited. It is wrong to entice others to drink ; it is dangerous to cultivate a taste for strong drink; and any person that is too fond of it, and is liable to become intoxicated by it, had better never touch it at all ; and in fact, as it very rarely does any good whatever, but generally does a great deal of harm, the safest and best way is not to touch it at all."

" Well," said he, " I love whiskey; and I mean to drink it : and I love to get drunk ; and I intend to get drunk whenever I can afford it, and find it convenient." "Well, sir," I answered, " as your friend, I am bound to tell you what I believe is true." *' Well, and what is it?" " Why with that

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determination you will not expect to go to heaven, I suppose; for the Bible says that * no drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of God.' " " But," he rcvsponded, " how do you know that there is any such place as hea- ven ? lias any body been up there, and come down again to tell it ?" We replied that Jesus Christ the Son of God came down from heaven to teach us about it, and that God in both the Old and New Testament had instructed mankind very plainly in re- spect to heaven, and the way to secure an eternal rest there. And now he asked, "And how do you know there ever was such a per- son as Jesus Christ ? Did you ever see him ?"

"No, I never saw him; nor did I ever see General Washington, nor General Jack- son, nor was I ever in Georgia. But I be- lieve there is such a state as Georgia, because the geographies and histories speak of them ; and there are many incidental allusions to it in books and newspapers, and I have seen people that profess to have lived in Georgia.

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I believe there were such men as Washing- ton and Jackson, though I never saw them ; for there were men who did see them, and we have their testimon}^ ; history records their deeds ; we have the letters they wrote, and the speeches they made ; in books and newspapers there are innumerable allusions to them ; and any person that should rise up now and say there never was such a man as Washington or Jackson, would be taken for a fool or a madman. Now precisely such testimony have we that there was such a person as Jesus Christ, and that what the New Testament says of him is true ; and it testifies that he performed miracles, and that those miracles were to prove that he was the Son of God, and came down from heaven."

" Well," said he, " I can't read, and I don't know anything about the Bible, but some of your own white men tell me that it's only a ' pack of lies.' " " Yes," I replied, " I know there are some who say it, and that is ano- ther evidence that the Bible is true, for it

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tells us that there will be scoffers ; and it tells us that there will be those that deny the truth, and even say that there is no God; it says that before conversion all people dis- like holiness, and hate the light ; and you see that we find that it is just so. If there were no scoflfers, the Bible wouldn't have spo- ken truly. And now, sir, can you tell us why it is that wicked men dislike the Bible so ; and only the Bible? Why do they not make war upon other books?" To this he made no reply, but after studying a minute he asked, " Well then, are there two Gods, or are there different Bibles?" "No, but one God, and but one Bible," we replied. " Then how is it," he inquired ; " how is it that there are so many different kinds of Christians, such as Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians? Why do you differ, why are you not just alike, if you have but the one book to go by ?" " We answered him, that all the Christian sects that we regard as the Church of Christ, hold the main doctrines of the Bible in the same way ; they disagree in

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whom we had the discussion in the morning. It stood alone amidst the rank grass and scattered trees of the oak openings. No fields were near, nor even a cow pen. A pony was tied to a tree, saddled and bridled rather gaily ; and his master stood by his cabin door, dressed in pants and calico shirt, ditto hunting shirt which had a broad collar or cape, and fringed all around with red ; a patent leather belt with brass buckle ; a palm leaf hat over his shining black locks, which had just been wet and combed, hung about his shoulders ; and spurs, with long gaffs, strapped to his heels.

Seeing him ready to start for some gather- ing over the river, as he said, we did not alight, but after the usual salutation told him what was the especial business we were out upon that day ; and that we were unwilling to pass by any one without at least one word, and we hoped he would not take it unkindly, nor think us meddling with what was not our business, if we inquired what were his religious sentiments.

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He understood wlio we were, and wishing to dismiss at once an unpleasant subject, with a tone of impatience and a countenance charged with somewhat of bitterness, he an- swered, " When we left the old country it was with the assurance that if we would come to the new reservation, we should never be interfered with in any way, but that we should have our laws, and our ancient customs."

When he had proceeded thus far, we in- formed him that we had been over the whole of that ground in the morning with his father-in-law, and neither of us seemed to have time to discuss the subject thoroughly that day, and we would not hinder him if he was anxious to be upon the road, further than to ask if he thoug^ht that he was also travelling the road which leads to heaven. To this he promptly replied, "You teach that in order to get to heaven a person must leave off every sin." "Yes," we said, "we are commanded to forsake all unrighteousness. God is displeased with any neglect of his

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commandments, and his commandments are all good, and his law forbids even sinful thoughts, and evil desires ; and that person who is unwilling to give up his sins, even all of them, does not please God ; he show^ that he loves his sins more than he loves God, and of course he cannot go to heaven ; for God will not permit to dwell with him for ever, any that he is not pleased with ; and no person that still loves sin would feel comfortable in heaven, for there can be no sin there.

"Then," he replied, "I can't keep any sin, you say, not the little ones ? I must turn short about, and reform in every re- spect, must I ?" " Yes," we said, " the terms of the Scriptures are, Eepent or perish, Turn or die. Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die?" " Well," he continued, "ac- cording to your reasoning, and according to what I have heard from other preachers, the little sins seem to be as much in the way of a person's getting to heaven as the big ones ; and one sin will send him to hell as surely

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as a hundred could. As for myself, there are some customs wbich your kind of people say are wrong, but which I like, and I don't intend to give them up ; and if I must be sent to hell for even a few sins, why then, for ought I see, I might as well take a full swing in all of them and enjoy myself as much as possible ; for with one sin I would be sent to hell, and with ten thousand sins I couldn't any more than go there." "Not quite right," we answered ; " for a man may be treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath : the greater the guilt, the greater the condemnation : at the judgment every one shall receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done : the servant that knew not his lord's will, yet committed things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few ; while he that knew, and did not, shall be beaten with many stripes. You seem to know what you ought to do, but are deter- mined not to do it. You say you like sin ; and certain sinful courses you say you are resolved to continue in. You doubt-

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less suppose that there is no enjoyment in religion, but we can assure you that if you were to become a Christian you would then hate sin as much as you now love it, and you would find more pleasure in religious exercises than you have ever found in the pleasures of the world." He responded, " There are some practices which to me do not seem very bad, but which you say must be abandoned if one would get to heaven ; but I like them, and I intend to con- tinue in them ; and as I must go to hell any way, unless I leave off' every thing that is bad, why I may just as well enjoy myself the best I can." " Well," we said, " if you have deliberately made up your mind to continue in your present manner of life, which in some respects you yourself have acknowledged to be wrong, then so it must be. We have only to tell you what God's law requires, and how men may escape the wrath of God which is due to us for sin, and entreat men to be reconciled to God. It is for us only to say, Choose ye whom ye will

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serve, and it is left for them to do the choos- iag. We do not compel you, and God does not compel any person to become a Christian against his will. We have only to say : This is the strait and narrow path which leads to life, and that is the broad road which leads to death. You, as you say, have chosen the broad road ; and you know whither it leads, and you have your eyes open. Go on, then : you will soon come to the end of your earthly journey, and will find yourself where he that hath served the devil will receive his wages — the wages of sin is death. *Wo unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the re- ward of his hands shall be given him.' Per- haps you have heard what the Bible says about a certain rich man who in his life- time received all his good things, and in hell lifted up his eyes, being in torment. Good bye."

Before we had finished this short conver- sation he was beginning to look very seri- ous ; his eyes were riveted on the ground,

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and in that posture he was standing, still leaning against the door-post until we were out of sight. I never saw him afterwards.

RETURNING HOME.

We were moving homewards ; and when we had passed the boundaries of this neigh- bourhood, the interpreter, who had not felt really comfortable during all the day, now began to breathe more freely, and to sit eas- ier in his saddle. He had been running the gauntlet, almost, as he seemed to think, and now was feeling comparatively safe when he found himself beyond the enemies' border. Turning to him, I said, "So, this will have to do for this time." "For this time!" says he. " And what shall we have to do for the next time?" "Why," we answered, "we will have to go over the ground again, of course. You do not get a crop of corn by travelling over the ground just once, do you ? You grub it, then break it, then plough and plant it ; and how many times do you have to harrow and plough the field

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agaia while the corn is growing. And still again, if you are a good farmer, you go through the field, pulling up every cockle, burr, and every other weed ; and you wouldn't expect a spiritual harvest without labour in some measure corresponding with this, would you?

" Well, I warn you, sir," he said, " I warn you that we will have these peoples all down upon us. These peoples about here are mighty rough when you get them up once ; and they be amazing prejudiced against reli- gion, for they say it will put a stop to all their frolics as soon as a majority of them becomes religious. I will tell you, sir, how

they were mighty nigh to finishing Mr.

who was here- before you came; and he went on to describe

And became quite eloquent, as the remem- brance of the event, our present proximity to the place of the action, and the occurrences

of this day all tended to revive in him that 16*

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former feeling of alarm, and caused him to reflect how narrowly he then escaped.

Said he, " We were riding home on a Sab- bath afternoon, for we had been to preaching away up the country ; and as we were pass- ing the square back yonder at the Busk- house, a parcel of fellows who were gathered there, and pretty smartly drunk, began yell- ing at and scolding us as soon as we came in sight, and while we were going by. They said, * What business you to come to In- dians'country to preach your notions? What business you to meddle with our sports ? What is it your concern how much whiskey we drink, or what games we have, or how we spend the Sunday ? We'll teach you — we'll run you out of the country. Go and preach to white men ; teach them to stop cheating, and drinking, and card playing, be- fore you come to reform the Indians.' And when we had got well on past them, one of the crowd picked up a club and raced after us on his pony, yelling and cursing, and rushed up to Mr. , and caught his bridle

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rein, and began to strike at him. Then I rode around and caught his pony by the bit,

and Mr. improved his chance, and put

the whip to his horse, and I saw no more of him till I got home. But then the fellow made at me, as though he would knock my brains out ; but somehow I knocked the club out of his hand, and while he was get- ting off to pick it up, I got away, and run for my life. And, sir, I don't like that sort of sport. I'm afraid of these peoples, sir. They know how to be mighty unpleasant if once they take a dislike to a man ; they can make his life very uncomfortable if they set out for it." "But," we replied, " don't you think the gospel can soften them? At any rate, hadn't we better give the field a thor- ough trial before we abandon it? There are none here so terrible as was Africaner, of whom we told you the other night at the monthly concert." " Ah sir," said he, " but it seems to me we have done our duty when we have once offered to them the waters of life, and they so positively turn to their bro-

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ken cisterns that can hold no water; and be- sides, this is not the first time they have been asked to the gospel feast, and it seems to me

that after treating Mr. as they did, and

after answering us as they did to-day, it is time to shake ofif the dust of our feet against them."

WHERE OTHER INDIANS GO.

With some of the Indians there appears to be a belief that the red men and the whites will have separate places assigned them after death; therefore not unfrequently when we ask a person where he expects to go when he dies, he will answer, quite un- concernedly, "Oh, where other Indians go, I suppose."

We one day received this answer at two or three houses in succession. At one there was a mother with several children around her. She appeared as unconcerned for her- self, or for the spiritual interests of her chil- dren as it was possible for a person to be.

She reckoned they would be about as well

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off in the next world as most Indians ; they would be found in the biggest crowd at any rate. Two neighbouring women that were present exhibited the same ignorance on re- ligious subjects, and utter indifference about the soul and its concerns.

At another house was a tall gray-headed Indian — an old warrior. We said to him, "You have seen a good many summers; about how many do you think?" "I don't know ;" he answered. " What ! don't know how old you are?" "No." " Well, you must be pretty near the end of your journey, ac- cording to the common age of man ; and have you made all ready for leaving this world, and going to the other?" "That's not a matter that troubles me at all," he an- swered. " But you have some ideas about another state of being, haven't you ? Where do you expect to go ? or what do you sup- pose becomes of the spirit after death ?"

" Oh," he said, " Tl] go where other In- dians do, I guess."

There were in the Kowetah school *.wo

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little Indian boys, brothers, very nearly of a size. They kept by themselves a good deal ; their progress in learning to speak English was slow ; their Bible and Cate- chism lessons were not learned very thor- oughly. The duty of secret prayer was enjoined on all the children ; and some of the pupils, we have reason to believe, prac- tised it ; and a few there were that loved to pray in secret to our Father in heaven. But those two boys would never do it ; and once they gave their reasons to one of the other boys for not praying as the teachers instruct- ed them. They said that their parents had strictly charged them not to worship the white man's God, for none of their relatives Lad gone to the white man's heaven ; and unless they wished to be separated from their parents and kindred after death they should not learn the white man's religion, Dor pray to the white man's God.

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DIFFERENT DEGREES OF CIVILIZATION.

You have doubtless remarked that there must be a great variety of character to be met with in that tribe of Indians, and a wide difference between individuals as to the de- gree of civilization to which they have ad- vanced.

THE GENTLEMAN.

Here, for example, was a man very gentle- manly in his appearance every way, in dress and in manners ; a man of education and in- telligence. He has often been to Washington on business for his nation. You may see him, a portly figure, on his stately horse, moving along majestically slow; never in that break-neck gallop of the wild Indians. He is the friend of Missions, attends reli- gious meetings, is the patron of the schools, and always present at the examinations, and meetings of the Board of Trustees. ( There is considerable Scotch blood running in his veins, they say.) His early education was

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attended to, his father having employed for him and for his brother, a private tutor; and thus he did for him, and for the Creek nation through him, an invaluable service — just what you who support the Mission schools amongst the Indians are now doing. That father prepared one man for usefulness; and see what he has done, and is still doing for