>/?*• mantle doubled, w hich, from its fizc, appears to be the ikim
Ap_rl1, , o f an e lk , or buffalo tanned. T h is they fatten on, in thecommon
m a n n e r ; and it is fo contrived, that it ma y reach,
up, and cover the breaft quite to the throat, fa llin g , at the
fame time, almoft to the heels. It is, fometimes, ingenioufly
painted in different compartments; and is not only fuffi-
ciently ftrong to refill arrows ; but, as they informed us b y
figns, even fpears cannot pierce i t ; fo that it may be confide
red as their coat o f mail, or moft complete defenfive armour.
Upon the fame occafion, they fometimes wear a
kind o f leathern cloak, covered with rows o f dried hoofs o f
deer, difpofed horizontally, appended b y leathern thongs,
covered w ith quills ; which, when they move, make a loud,
rattling noife, almoft equal to that o f many fmall bells. It
feems doubtful, however, whether this part o f their garb
be intended to ftrike terror in war, or only is to be con-
fidered as belonging to their eccentric ornaments on ceremonious
occafions. For we faw one o f their mufical entertainments,
conducted by a man drefted in this fort o f cloak,
w ith his rnaik on, and ih a k in g his rattle.
T h o u gh thefe people cannot be viewed w ith ou t a kind o f
horror, when equipped in fuch extravagant dreffes, yet,
when divefted o f them, and beheld in their common h ab it
and aitions, they have not the leaft appearance o f ferocity
in their countenances ; and feem, on the -contrary, as ob-
ferved already, to be o f a quiet, phlegmatic, and ina&ive
difpofition; deftitute, in fome meafure, o f that degree o f
animation and vivacity that would render them agreeable
as focial b eings. I f they are not referved, they are far from
b e in g loqua cious; but their gravity is, perhaps, rather a
confequence o f the difpofition juft mentioned, than o f any
convidlion o f its propriety, or the e ffe it o f any particular
mode
mode o f education. For, even in the greateft paroxyfms o f 1 1 1
their rage, they feem unable to exprefs it fufpciently, either __
•with warmth o f language, or fignificancy o f geftures.
T h e ir orations, w hich are made either when engaged in
any altercation or difpute, hr to explain their fentiments public
ly on other occafions, feem little more than ihort fentences,
or rather fingle words, forcibly repeated, and conftantly in
one tone and degree o f ftrength, accompanied only with a
fingle geflure, which they ufe at every fentence, je rk in g
their whole body a little forward, by bending the knees,
their arms hanging, down by their fides at the fame time.
T h o u g h there be but too much reafon, from their bringin
g to fale human iku lls and bones, to infer that they treat
their enemies with a degree o f brutal cruelty, this circum-
flance rather marks a general agreement o f character w ith
that o f almoft every tribe o f uncivilized man, in every age,-
and in every part o f the globe, than that they are to be reproached
with any charge oF peculiar inhumanity. We
had no reafon to ju d g e unfavourably o f their difpofition in
this refpeit;. T h e y feem to be a docile, courteous, go od -
natured p e o p le ; but notwithftanding the predominant
phlegm o f their tempers, q u ick in refenting what they look
upon as an injury ; and, lik e moft other paflionate people, as
foon forgetting it , I never found that thefe fits o f paflion
went farther than the parties immediately concerned ; the
fpeiftators not troubling themfelves about the quarrel, w he ther
it was with any o f us, or amongft their own body y,
and preferving as much indifference as i f they had not
known any thing about it. I have often feen one o f them
rave and fcold, without any o f his countrymen paying the
leaft attention to his a gitation; and when none o f us could
7 trace