1770.
December. tooth; nor is the blacknefs a ftain, but a covering, which
may be waffied off at pleafure, and the teeth then appear as
white as ivory, which however is not an excellence in the
eftimation of the belles and beaus of thefe nations.
Thefe are the people among whom the practice that is
called a m o c k , or running a muck, has prevailed for time immemorial.
It is well known, that to run a muck in the
original fenfe of the word, is to get intoxicated with opium,
and then ruffi into the ftreet with a drawn weapon, and kill
whoever comes in the vtyty, till the party is himfelf either
killed or taken prifoner; of this feveral inftances happened
while we were at Batavia, and One of the officers, whofe bu-
finefsitis, among other things, to apprehend fuch people,
told us, that there was fcarcely a week in which he, or fome
of his brethren, were not called upon to take one of them
into cuftody. In one of the inftances that came to our know-
lege, the party had been feverely injured by the perfidy of
women, and was mad with jealoufy before he made himfelf
drunk with opium; and we were told, that the Indian who
runs a muck is always firft driven to defperation by fome outrage,
and always firft revenges himfelf upon thofe who have
done him wrong: we were alfo told, that though thefe unhappy
wretches afterwards run into the ftreet with a weapon
in their hand, frantic and foaming at the mouth, yet they
never kill any but thofe who attempt to apprehend them, or
thofe whom they fufpedt of fuch an intention, and that whoever
gives them way is fafe. They are generally Haves, who
indeed are moll fubjedt to infults, and leaft able to obtain
legal redrefs: freemen, however, are fometimes provoked
into this extravagance, and one of the perfons who run a
muck while we were at Batavia, was free and in eafy circum-
ftances. He was jealous of his own brother, whom he firft
killed, and afterwards two others, who attempted to oppofe
8 £ him:
ROUND THE WORLD. 351
him: he did not, however, come out of his houfe, but en- 177°-
deavoured to defend himfelf in it, though the opium had fo . — —
far deprived him of his fenfes, that of three mufkets, which
he attempted to ufe againft the officers of juftice, notone
was either loaded or primed. If the officer takes one of
thefe amocks, or mohawks, as they have been called by an
eafy corruption, alive, his reward is very confiderable, but
if he kills them, nothing is added to his ufual pay; yet
fuch is the fury of their defperation, that three out of four
are of neceffity deftroyed in the attempt to fecure them,
though the officers are provided with inftruments like large
tongs, or pincers, to lay hold o f them without coming within
the reach of their weapon. Thofe who happen to be
taken alive are generally wounded, but they are always
broken alive upon the wheel, and if the phyfician who is appointed
to examine their wounds, thinks them likely to be
mortal, the punilhment is inffidted immediately, and the
place of execution is generally the fpot where the firft murder
was committed.
Among thefe people, there are many abfurd practices and
opinions which they derive from their Pagan anceftors: they
believe that the devil, whom they call Satan, is the caufe of
all ficknefs and adverfity, and for this reafon, when they
are fick, or in diftrefs, they confecrate meat, money, and
other things to him as a propitiation. If any one among
them is reftlefs, and dreams for two or three nights fuccef-
fively, he concludes that Satan has taken that method of
laying his commands upon him, which if he negledts to
fulfil, he will certainly fuffer ficknefs or death, though they
are not revealed with fufficient perfpicuity to afcertain their
meaning: to interpret his dream, therefore, he taxes his
wits to the uttermoft, and if, by taking it literally or figuratively,
diredtly or by contraries, he can put no explanation
upon