Beautiful Princess
Lawson is enraptured by Indian
eliarnier as lie continues liis 1700
exploration of tlie Piedmont area.
"The Queen hod
о
Doughler by
о
former Husband, who wo* fhc
Bcautifulcst Indion I ever sow, and
had on Air of Majesty with her
quite controry to the general Car-
riogc of the Indians."
Ai the House we lay at, there was
very good lintcrtainmcnt of Vcnsion
Turkics and Bears; and which is cus¬
tomary amongst the Indians, the Queen
had a Daughter by a former Husband,
who was the bcautifulest Indian I ever
saw, and had an Air of Majesty with
her quite contrary to the general Car¬
riage of the Indians. She w’as very kind
to the English during our Abode, as
well as her Father and Mother.
This Morning most of our Company
having some Inclination to go straight
away for Virginia, when they left this
Place. I and one more took our leaves
of them, resolving ( with God's Leave)
to sec North-Carolina, one of the In¬
dians setting us in our way. The rest
being indifferent which way they went,
desired us, by all means, to leave a
Letter for them at the Achonechy
Town. The Indian that put us in our
Path, had been a Prisoner amongst the
Sinnagers, but had outrun them,
although they had cut his Toes and
half his Feet away, which is a Practice
common amongst them. They first raise
the Skin, then cut away half the Feet,
and so wrap the Skin over the Stumps
and make a present Cure of the
Wounds. This commonly disables them
from making their Escape, they being
not so good Travelers as before, and
the Impression of their Half-Feet mak¬
Part six in a republication of
parts of “History of North Caro¬
lina,” by John Lawson.
ing it easy to trace them. However,
this fellow was got clear of them,
but had little Heart to go far from
home, and carried always a Case of
Pistols in his Girdle, besides a Cutlass
and a Fuzee. Leaving the rest of out
Company at the Indian-Town. we
traveled that day about twenty Miles,
in very cold, frosty Weather; and
passed over two pretty Rivers, some¬
thing bigger than Heigh warcc. but not
quite so stony. Wc took these two
Rivers to make one of the Northward
Branches of Cape-Fair River, but
afterwards found our Mistake.
The next day wc traveled over very
good Land, but full of Free-Stone and
Marble, which pinched our Feet
severely. We took up our Quarters in
a sort of Savanna-Ground that had
very few Trees in it. The Land was
good and had several Quarries of
Stone, but not loose as the others used
to be.
Next Morning wc got our Breakfast
of Parched Com, having nothing but
that to subsist on for above one hun¬
dred Miles. All the Pine-Trees were
vanished, for we had seen none for
two days. Wc passed through a delicate
rich Soil this day; no great Hills but
pretty Risings and Levels, which made
a beautiful Country.
We likewise passed over three
Rivers this day, the first about the big¬
ness of Rocky River, the other not
much differing in Size. Then wc made
not the least Question, but we had
passed over the North West Branch of
Cape Fair, traveling that day above
thirty Miles.
We were much taken with the Fer¬
tility and Pleasantness of the Neck of
Land between these two Branches, and
no less pleased that wc had passed
the River which used to frighten Pas¬
sengers from fording it. At last deter¬
mining to rest on the other side of a
Hill which wc saw before us; when wc
were on the Top thereof, there ap-
THE STATE. M»Y 28. 1960
9
