September 2, 2025 • 33 mins
Dive into the enchanting world of Washington Irving, the master storyteller behind timeless classics like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. This captivating collection features a remarkable array of tales that span the eerie and supernatural folklore of New England to the exotic legends and travel anecdotes inspired by Irvings journeys across Europe. Join narrator Ben Tucker as he brings these diverse stories to life, showcasing the rich tapestry of Irvings literary genius.
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Section twenty of the Chronicles of Wolfert's Roost and other Papers.
This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Rita Bututros Chronicles of
(00:21):
Wolfert's Roost and other papers by Washington irving the seminoles
from the time of the chimerical cruisings of old Ponce
Doleon in search of the Fountain of Youth, the avaricious
expedition of Pemphilo de Narvez in quest of gold, and
(00:41):
the chivalrous enterprise of Hernando de Soto to discover and
conquer a second Mexico. The natives of Florida have been
continually subjected to the invasions and encroachments of white men.
They have resisted them perseveringly but fruitlessly, and are now
battling amidst swamps and morasses for the last foothold of
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their native soil, with all the ferocity of despair. Can
we wonder at the bitterness of a hostility that has
been handed down from father to son for upward of
three centuries, and exasperated by the wrongs and miseries of
each succeeding generation. The very name of the savages with
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whom we are fighting betokens their fallen and homeless condition.
Formed of the wrecks of once powerful tribes and driven
from their ancient seats of prosperity and dominion, they are
known by the name of the Seminoles or wanderers. Bartram,
who traveled through Florida in the latter part of the
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last century, speaks of passing through a great extent of
ancient Indian fields, now silent and deserted, overgrown with forests,
orange groves, and rank vegetation, the site of the ancient Alachua,
the capital of a famous and powerful tribe, who in
days of auld could assemble thousands at bull play and
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other athletic exercises over these then happy fields and green plains.
Almost every step we take adds he over these fertile
heights discovers the remains and traces of ancient human habitations
and cultivation. We are told that about the year seventeen
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sixty three, when Florida was ceded by the Spaniards to
the English, the Indians generally retired from the towns and
the neighborhood of the Whites, and burying themselves in the
deep forests, intricate swamps and hummocks, and vast savannahs of
the interior, devoted themselves to a pastoral life and the
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rearing of horses and cattle. These are the people that
received the name of the seminoles or wanderers, which they
still retain. Bartram gives a pleasing picture of them at
the time he visited them in their wilderness, when their
distance from the abodes of the white men gave them
a transient quiet and security. This handful of people, says,
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he possesses a vast territory all east and the greatest
part of West Florida, which, being naturally cut and divided
into thousands of islets, knolls, and eminences by the innumerable rivers, lakes, swamps,
vast savannahs and ponds, formed so many secure retreats and
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temporary dwelling places that effectually guard them from any sudden
invasions or attacks from their enemies. And being such a
swampy hummocky country, furnishes such a plenty and variety of
supplies for the nourishment of varieties of animals that I
can venture to assert that no part of the globe
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so abouance with wild game or creatures fit for the
food of man. Thus they enjoy a superabundance of the
necessaries and conveniences of life, with the security of person
and property, the two great concerns of mankind. The hides
of deer, bears, tigers, and wolves, together with honey, wax
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and other productions of the country, purchase their clothing, equipage,
and domestic utensils from the whites. They seem to be
free from want or desires, no cruel enemy to dread,
nothing to give them disquietude, but the gradual encroachments of
the white people. Thus contented and undisturbed, they appear as
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blithe and free as the birds of the air, and
like them, as volatile and a active, tuneful and vociferous.
The visage, action, and deportment of the seminoles formed the
most striking picture of happiness in this life. Joy, contentment, love,
and friendship without guile or affectation, seem inherent in them,
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or predominant in their vital principle, for it leaves them
with but the last breath of life. They are fond
of games and gambling, and amuse themselves like children in
relating extravagant stories to cause surprise and mirth. The same
writer gives an engaging picture of his treatment by these savages.
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Soon after entering the forest, we were met in the
path by a small company of Indians, smiling and beckoning
to us long before we join them. This was a
family of Talahasotchte who had been out on a hunt
and were returning home loaded with barbicue hued meat, hides
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and honey. Their company consisted of the man, his wife
and children, well mounted on fine horses, with a number
of pack horses. The man offered us a fond skin
of honey, which I accepted, and at parting, presented him
with some fishhooks, sewing needles, et cetera. On our return
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to camp in the evening, we were saluted by a
party of young Indian warriors who had pitched their tents
on a green eminence near the lake, at a small
distance from our camp, under a little grove of oaks
and palms. This company consisted of seven young seminoles under
the conduct of a young prince or chief of Talahassotchte,
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a town southward in the Isthmus They were all dressed
and painted with singular elegance, and richly ornamented with silver plates, chains,
et cetera. After the seminole moat, with waving plumes of
feathers on their crests. On our coming up to them,
they arose and shook hands. We alighted and sat awhile
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with them by their cheerful fire. The young prince informed
our chief that he was in pursuit of a young
fellow who had fled from the town, carrying off with
him one of his favorite young wives. He said merrily
he would have the ears of both of them before
he returned. He was rather above the middle stature, and
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the most perfect human figure I ever saw, of an amiable,
engaging countenance, air and deportment, free and familiar in conversation,
yet retaining a becoming gracefulness and dignity. We arose, took
leave of them, and crossed a little veil covered with
a charming green turf, already illuminated by the soft light
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of the full moon. Soon after joining our companions at
camp our neighbors, the Prince and his associates paid us
a visit. We treated them with the best fare we had,
having till this time preserved our spiritu us liquors. They
left us with perfect cordiality and cheerfulness, wishing us a
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good repose and retire to their own camp. Having a
band of music with them, consisting of a drum, flutes
and a rattle gourd. They entertained us during the night
with their music vocal and instrumental. There is a languishing,
softness and melancholy air in the Indian convivial songs, especially
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of the amorous class, irresistibly moving attention and exquisitely pleasing,
especially in their solitary recesses, when all nature is silent.
Travelers who have been among them in more recent times
before they had him arked in their present desperate struggle,
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represent them in much the same light as leading a pleasant,
indolent life in a climate that required little shelterer clothing,
and where the spontaneous fruits of the earth furnished subsistence
without toil, a cleanly race, delighting in bathing, passing much
of their time under the shade of their trees, with
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heaps of oranges and other fine fruits for their refreshment, talking, laughing, dancing,
and sleeping. Every chief had a fan hanging to his side,
made of feathers of the wild turkey, the beautiful pink
colored crane, or the scarlet flamingo. With this he would
sit and fan himself with great stateliness, while the young
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people danced before him. The women joined in the dances
with the men, excepting the war dances. They wore strings
of tortoish shells and pebbles round their legs, which rattled
in cadence to the music. They were treated with more
attention among the Seminoles than among most Indian tribes. Origin
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of the White, the Red, and the Black men a
Seminole tradition. When the Floridas were erected into a territory
of the United States, one of the earliest cares of
the governor, William P. Duval, was directed to the instruction
and civilization of the natives. For this purpose, he called
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a meeting of the chiefs, in which he informed them
of the wish of their great father at Washington, that
they should have schools and teachers among them, and that
their children should be instructed like the children of white men.
The chiefs listened, with their customary silence and decorum, to
a long speech, setting forth the advantages that would accrue
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to them from this measure, and when he had concluded,
begged the interval of a day to deliberate. Honored. On
the following day, a solemn convocation was held, at which
one of the chiefs addressed the Governor. In the name
of all the rest, my brother said he, we have
been thinking over the proposition of our great father at
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Washington to send teachers and set up schools among us.
We are very thankful for the interest he takes in
our welfare, but after much deliberation, have concluded to decline
his offer. What will do very well for white men
will not do for red men. I know you white
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men say we all come from the same father and mother,
but you are mistaken. We have a tradition handed down
from our forefathers, and we believe it that the Great Spirit,
when he undertook to make men, made the black man.
It was his first attempt, and pretty well for a beginning,
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but he soon saw he had bungled, so he determined
to try his hand again. He did so and made
the red man. He liked him much better than the
black man, but still he was not exactly what he wanted.
So he tried once more and made the white man,
and then he was satisfied. You see therefore that you
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are made last, and that is the reason I call
you my youngest brother. When the Great Spirit had made
the three men, he called them together and showed them
three boxes. The first was filled with books and maps
and papers, the second with bows and arrows, knives and tomahawks,
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the third with spades, axes, hoes and hammers. These my sons,
said he are the means by which you are to live.
Choose among them according to your fancy. The white man,
being the fait, had the first choice. He passed by
the box of working tools without notice. But when he
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came to the weapons for war and hunting, he stopped
and looked hard at them. The red man trembled, for
he had set his heart upon that box. The white man, however,
after looking upon it for a moment, passed on and
chose the box of books and papers. The red Man's
turn came next, and you may be sure he seized
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with joy upon the bows and arrows and tomahawks. As
to the black man, he had no choice left but
to put up with the box of tools. From this
it is clear that the Great Spirit intended the white
man should learn to read and write, to understand all
about the moon and stars, and to make everything even
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rum and whisky. That the red man should be a
first rate hunter and a mighty warrior. But he was
not to learn anything from books, as the Great Spirit
had not given him any, nor was he to make
rum and whiskey, lest he should kill himself with drinking.
As to the black men, as he had nothing but
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working tools, it was clear he was to work for
the white and red men, which he has continued to do.
We must go according to the wishes of the Great Spirit,
or we shall get into trouble. To know how to
read and write is very good for white men, but
very bad for red men. It makes white men better,
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but red men worse. Some of the Creeks and Cherokees
learned to read and write, and they are the greatest
rascals among all the Indians. They went on to Washington
and said they were going to see their great father
to talk about the good of the nation. And when
they got there, they all wrote upon a little piece
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of paper, without the nation at home knowing anything about it.
And the first thing the nation at home knew of
the matter. They were called together by the Indian agent,
who showed them a little piece of paper, which he
told them was a treaty which their brethren had made
in their name with their great father at Washington. And
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as they knew not what a treaty was, he held
up the little piece of paper, and they looked under it,
and lo, it covered a great extent of country. And
they found that their brethren, by knowing how to read
and write, had sold their houses and their lands, and
the graves of their fathers, and that the white men,
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by knowing how to read and write, had gained them.
Tell our great father at Washington, therefore that we are
very sorry we cannot receive teachers among us. For reading
and writing, though very good for white men, is very
bad for Indians. The Conspiracy of Niamathla an authentic sketch.
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In the autumn of eighteen twenty three, Governor Duval and
other commissioners on the part of the United States concluded
a treaty with the chiefs and warriors of the Florida Indians,
by which the latter, for certain considerations, ceded all claims
to the whole territory, excepting a district in the eastern
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part to which they were to remove and within which
they were to reside for twenty years. Several of the
chiefs signed the treaty with great reluctance, but none opposed
it more strongly than Niamathla, principal chief of the Mikasukis,
a fierce and warlike people, many of them Creeks by origin,
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who lived about the Mikosuke Lake. Niamathla had always been
active in those depredations on the frontier of Georgia which
had brought vengeance and ruin on the Seminoles. He was
a remarkable man, upward of sixty years of age, about
six feet high, with a fine eye and a strongly
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marked countenance over which he possessed great command. His hatred
of the white men appeared to be mixed with contempt
on the common people. He looked down with infinite scorn.
He seemed unwilling to acknowledge any superiority of rank or
dignity in Governor Duval, claiming to associate with him on
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terms of equality as two great chieftains. Though he had
been prevailed upon to sign the treaty, his heart revolted
at it. In one of his frank conversations with Governor Duval,
he observed, this country belongs to the red men, and
if I had the number of warriors at my command
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that this nation once had, I would not leave a
white man on my lands. I would exterminate the hull.
I can say this to you, for you can understand
me you are a man. But I would not say
it to your people. They'd cry out I was a
savage and would take my life. They cannot appreciate the
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feelings of a man that loves his country. As Florida
had but recently been erected into a territory. Everything as
yet was in rude and simple style. The Governor, to
make himself acquainted with the Indians, and to be near
a hand to keep an eye upon them, fixed his
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residence at Tallahassee, near the foul towns inhabited by the Micusukes.
His government palace, for a time was a mere log house,
and he lived on Hunter's Fair. The village of Namathla
was but about three miles off, and thither the governor
occasionally rode to the old chieftain. In one of these visits,
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he found in Niamathla seated in his wigwam in the
center of the village, surrounded by his warriors. The governor
had brought him some liquor as a present, but it
mounted quickly into his brain and rendered him quite boastful
and belligerent. The theme, ever uppermost in his mind was
the treaty with the Whites. It was true, he said,
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the red men had made such a treaty, but the
white men had not acted up to it. The red
men had received none of the money and the cattle
that had been promised them. The treaty therefore was at
an end, and they did not mean to be bound
by it. Governor Duval calmly represented to him that the
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time appointed in the treaty for the payment and delivery
of the money and the cattle had not yet arrived.
This the old chieftain knew full well, but he chose
for the moment to pretend ignorance. He kept on drinking
and talking, his voice growing louder and louder, until it
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resounded all over the village. He held in his hand
a long knife with which he had been rasping tobacco.
This he kept flourishing backward and forward as he talked.
By way of giving effect to his words, brandishing it
at times within an inch of the Governor's throat. He
concluded his tirade by repeating that the country belonged to
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the red Man, and that sooner than give it up,
his bones and the bones of his people should bleach
upon its soil. Duval knew that the object of all
this bluster was to see whether he could be intimidated.
He kept his eye therefore fixed steadily on the chief,
and the moment he concluded with his menace seized him
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by the bosom of his hunting shirt and his other fist.
I've heard what you have said, replied he. You have
made a treaty, yet you say your bones shall bleach
before you comply with it. As sure as there is
a sun in heaven, your bones shall bleach if you
do not fulfill every article of that treaty. I'll let
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you know that I am first here and will see
that you do your duty. Upon this, the old chieftain
threw himself back, burst into a fit of laughing, and
declared that all he had said was in joke. The
governor suspected, however, that there was a grave meaning at
the bottom of this jocularity. For two months everything went
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on smoothly. The Indians repaired daily to the log cabin
palace of the Governor at Tallahassee and appeared perfectly contented.
All at once they ceased their visits, and for three
or four days not one was to be seen. Governor
Duval began to apprehend that some mischief was brewing. On
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the evening of the fourth day, a chief named yellow Hair,
a resolute, intelligent fellow who had always evinced an attachment
for the Governor, entered his cabin about twelve o'clock at
night and informed him that between four and five hundred warriors,
painted and decorated were assembled to hold a secret war
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talk at Niamathla's town. He had slipped off to give
intelligence at the risk of his life, and hastened back
lest his absence should be discovered. Governor Duval passed an
anxious night after this intelligence. He knew the talent and
the daring character of Niamathla. He recollected the threats he
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had thrown out. He reflected that about eighty white families
were scattered widely apart over a great extra of country,
and might be swept away at once should the Indians,
as he feared, determined to clear the country that he
did not exaggerate. The dangers of the case has been
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proved by the horrid scenes of Indian warfare which have
since desolated that devoted region. After a night of sleepless conjutation,
Duval determined on a measure suited to his prompt and
resolute character. Knowing the admiration of the savages for personal courage,
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he determined, by a sudden surprise to endeavor to overawe
and check them. It was hazarding much, but where so
many lives were in jeopardy, he felt bound to incur
the hazard accordingly. On the next morning, he set off
on horseback, attended merely by a white man who had
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been reared among the seminoles and understood their language and manners,
and who acted as interpreter. They struck into an Indian
trail leading to Neamathela's village. After proceeding about half a mile,
Governor Duval informed the interpreter of the object of his expedition.
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The latter, though a bold man, paused and remonstrated the
Indians among whom they were going were among the most
desperate and discontented of the nation. Many of them were
veteran warriors, impoverished and exasperated by defeat, and ready to
set their lives at any hazard. He said that if
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they were holding a war council, it must be with
desperate intent, and it would be certain death to intrude
among them. Duval made light of his apprehensions. He said
he was perfectly well acquainted with the Indian character and
should certainly proceed so, saying, he rode on. When within
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half a mile of the village, the interpreter addressed him
again in such a tremulous tone that Duval turned and
looked him in the face. He was deadly pale, and
once more urged the governor to return, as they would
certainly be massacred if they proceeded. Duval repeated his determination
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to go on, but advised the other to return, lest
his pale face should betray fear to the Indians and
they might take advantage of it. The interpreter replied that
he would rather die a thousand deaths than have it
said he had deserted his leader when in peril. Duval
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then told him he must translate faithfully all he should
say to the Indians without softening a word. The interpreter
promised faithfully to do so, adding that he well knew
when they were once in the town, nothing but boldness
could save them. They now rode into the village and
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advanced to the council house. This was rather a group
of four houses forming a square, in the center of
which was a great council fire. The houses were open
in front toward the fire, and closed in the rear.
At each corner of the square, there was an interval
between the houses for ingress and egress. In these houses
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sat the old men and the chiefs. The young men
were gathered round the fire. Nea Mathla presided at the council,
elevated on a higher seat than the rest. Governor Duval
entered by one of the corner intervals and rode boldly
into the center of the square. The young men made
way for him. An old man who was speaking paused
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in the midst of his harangue. In an instant, thirty
or forty rifles were cocked and leveled. Never had Duval
heard so loud a click of triggers. Its seemed to
strike to his heart. He gave one glance at the
Indians and turned off with an air of contempt. He
did not dare, he says, to look again, lest it
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might effect his nerves. And on the firmness of his nerves,
everything depended. The Chief threw up his arm, the rifles
were lowered. Duval breathed more freely. He felt disposed to
leap from his horse, but restrain himself and dismount it leisurely.
He then walked deliberately up to Nea Mathla and demanded,
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in an authoritative tone, what were his motives for holding
that council. The moment he made this demand, the orator
sat down. The chief made no reply, but hung his
head in apparent confusion. After a moment's pause, Duval proceeded,
I am well aware of the meaning of this war, Council,
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and deem it my duty to warn you against pro
secuting the schemes you have been devising. If a single
hair of a white man in this country falls to
the ground, I will hang you and your chiefs on
the trees around your council house. You cannot pretend to
withstand the power of the white men. You are in
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the palm of the hand of your great father at Washington,
who can crush you like an eggshell. You may kill me,
I am but one man, but recollect. White men are
numerous as the leaves on the trees. Remember the fate
of your warriors, whose bones are whitening in battle fields.
Remember your wives and children who perished in swamps. Do
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you want to provoke more hostilities? Another war with the
white men, and there will not be a Seminole left
to tell the story of his race. Seeing the effect
of his words, he concluded by appointing a day for
the Indians to meet him at Saint Mark's and given
account of their conduct. He then rode off without giving
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them time to recover from their surprise. That night, he
rode forty miles to Appalachicola River to the tribe of
the same name, who were infued with the Seminoles. They
promptly put two hundred and fifty warriors at his disposal,
whom he ordered to be at Saint Mark's at the
appointed day. He sent out runners also, and mustered one
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hundred of the militia to repair to the same place,
together with a number of regulars from the army. All
his arrangements were successful. Having taken these measures, he returned
to Tallahassee to the neighborhood of the conspirators to show
them that he was not afraid. Here he ascertained through
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yellow hair that nine towns were disaffected and had been
concerned in the conspiracy. He was careful to inform himself
from the same source of the names of the warriors
in each of those towns, who were most popular, though
poor in destitute of rank and command. When the appointed
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day was at hand for the meeting at Saint Mark's,
Governor Duval set off with Niamathla, who was at the
head of eight or nine hundred warriors, but who feared
to venture into the fort without him. As they entered
the fort and saw troops and militia drawn up there,
and a force of Apalachicola's soldiers stationed on the opposite
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bank of the river, they thought they were betrayed and
were about to fly, but Duval assured them they were
safe and that when the talk was over they might
go home unmolested. A grand talk was now held in
which the late conspiracy was discussed. As he had foreseen,
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Niamathla and the other old chiefs threw all the blame
upon the young men. Well replied duval with us white men.
When we find a man incompetent to govern those under him,
we put him down and appoint another in his place. Now,
as you all acknowledge you cannot manage your young men,
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we must put chiefs over them who can so saying,
he deposed Neamathla, first appointing another in his place, and
so on with all the rest, taking care to substitute
the warriors who had been pointed out to him as
poor and popular, putting medals round their necks and investing
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them with great ceremony. The Indians were surprised and delighted
at finding the appointments fall upon the very men they
would themselves have chosen, and hailed them with acclamations. The warriors,
thus unexpectedly elevated to command and clothed with dignity, was
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secured to the interests of the governor, and sure to
keep an eye on the disaffected. As to the great
chief Neamathla, he left the country in disgust and returned
to the Greek nation, who elected him a chief of
one of their towns. Thus, by the resolute spirit and
prompt sagacity of one man, a dangerous conspiracy was completely defeated.
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Governor Duval was afterwards enabled to remove the whole nation
through his own personal influence, without the aid of the
General Government. Note. The foregoing anecdotes concerning the seminoles were
gathered in conversation with Governor Duval. The original of Ralph
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Ringwood and of Section twenty
Section twenty of the Chronicles of Wolfert's Roost and other Papers.
This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Rita Bututros Chronicles of
(00:21):
Wolfert's Roost and other papers by Washington irving the seminoles
from the time of the chimerical cruisings of old Ponce
Doleon in search of the Fountain of Youth, the avaricious
expedition of Pemphilo de Narvez in quest of gold, and
(00:41):
the chivalrous enterprise of Hernando de Soto to discover and
conquer a second Mexico. The natives of Florida have been
continually subjected to the invasions and encroachments of white men.
They have resisted them perseveringly but fruitlessly, and are now
battling amidst swamps and morasses for the last foothold of
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their native soil, with all the ferocity of despair. Can
we wonder at the bitterness of a hostility that has
been handed down from father to son for upward of
three centuries, and exasperated by the wrongs and miseries of
each succeeding generation. The very name of the savages with
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whom we are fighting betokens their fallen and homeless condition.
Formed of the wrecks of once powerful tribes and driven
from their ancient seats of prosperity and dominion, they are
known by the name of the Seminoles or wanderers. Bartram,
who traveled through Florida in the latter part of the
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last century, speaks of passing through a great extent of
ancient Indian fields, now silent and deserted, overgrown with forests,
orange groves, and rank vegetation, the site of the ancient Alachua,
the capital of a famous and powerful tribe, who in
days of auld could assemble thousands at bull play and
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other athletic exercises over these then happy fields and green plains.
Almost every step we take adds he over these fertile
heights discovers the remains and traces of ancient human habitations
and cultivation. We are told that about the year seventeen
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sixty three, when Florida was ceded by the Spaniards to
the English, the Indians generally retired from the towns and
the neighborhood of the Whites, and burying themselves in the
deep forests, intricate swamps and hummocks, and vast savannahs of
the interior, devoted themselves to a pastoral life and the
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rearing of horses and cattle. These are the people that
received the name of the seminoles or wanderers, which they
still retain. Bartram gives a pleasing picture of them at
the time he visited them in their wilderness, when their
distance from the abodes of the white men gave them
a transient quiet and security. This handful of people, says,
(03:20):
he possesses a vast territory all east and the greatest
part of West Florida, which, being naturally cut and divided
into thousands of islets, knolls, and eminences by the innumerable rivers, lakes, swamps,
vast savannahs and ponds, formed so many secure retreats and
(03:43):
temporary dwelling places that effectually guard them from any sudden
invasions or attacks from their enemies. And being such a
swampy hummocky country, furnishes such a plenty and variety of
supplies for the nourishment of varieties of animals that I
can venture to assert that no part of the globe
(04:06):
so abouance with wild game or creatures fit for the
food of man. Thus they enjoy a superabundance of the
necessaries and conveniences of life, with the security of person
and property, the two great concerns of mankind. The hides
of deer, bears, tigers, and wolves, together with honey, wax
(04:30):
and other productions of the country, purchase their clothing, equipage,
and domestic utensils from the whites. They seem to be
free from want or desires, no cruel enemy to dread,
nothing to give them disquietude, but the gradual encroachments of
the white people. Thus contented and undisturbed, they appear as
(04:54):
blithe and free as the birds of the air, and
like them, as volatile and a active, tuneful and vociferous.
The visage, action, and deportment of the seminoles formed the
most striking picture of happiness in this life. Joy, contentment, love,
and friendship without guile or affectation, seem inherent in them,
(05:18):
or predominant in their vital principle, for it leaves them
with but the last breath of life. They are fond
of games and gambling, and amuse themselves like children in
relating extravagant stories to cause surprise and mirth. The same
writer gives an engaging picture of his treatment by these savages.
(05:41):
Soon after entering the forest, we were met in the
path by a small company of Indians, smiling and beckoning
to us long before we join them. This was a
family of Talahasotchte who had been out on a hunt
and were returning home loaded with barbicue hued meat, hides
(06:01):
and honey. Their company consisted of the man, his wife
and children, well mounted on fine horses, with a number
of pack horses. The man offered us a fond skin
of honey, which I accepted, and at parting, presented him
with some fishhooks, sewing needles, et cetera. On our return
(06:24):
to camp in the evening, we were saluted by a
party of young Indian warriors who had pitched their tents
on a green eminence near the lake, at a small
distance from our camp, under a little grove of oaks
and palms. This company consisted of seven young seminoles under
the conduct of a young prince or chief of Talahassotchte,
(06:48):
a town southward in the Isthmus They were all dressed
and painted with singular elegance, and richly ornamented with silver plates, chains,
et cetera. After the seminole moat, with waving plumes of
feathers on their crests. On our coming up to them,
they arose and shook hands. We alighted and sat awhile
(07:10):
with them by their cheerful fire. The young prince informed
our chief that he was in pursuit of a young
fellow who had fled from the town, carrying off with
him one of his favorite young wives. He said merrily
he would have the ears of both of them before
he returned. He was rather above the middle stature, and
(07:33):
the most perfect human figure I ever saw, of an amiable,
engaging countenance, air and deportment, free and familiar in conversation,
yet retaining a becoming gracefulness and dignity. We arose, took
leave of them, and crossed a little veil covered with
a charming green turf, already illuminated by the soft light
(07:57):
of the full moon. Soon after joining our companions at
camp our neighbors, the Prince and his associates paid us
a visit. We treated them with the best fare we had,
having till this time preserved our spiritu us liquors. They
left us with perfect cordiality and cheerfulness, wishing us a
(08:18):
good repose and retire to their own camp. Having a
band of music with them, consisting of a drum, flutes
and a rattle gourd. They entertained us during the night
with their music vocal and instrumental. There is a languishing,
softness and melancholy air in the Indian convivial songs, especially
(08:42):
of the amorous class, irresistibly moving attention and exquisitely pleasing,
especially in their solitary recesses, when all nature is silent.
Travelers who have been among them in more recent times
before they had him arked in their present desperate struggle,
(09:02):
represent them in much the same light as leading a pleasant,
indolent life in a climate that required little shelterer clothing,
and where the spontaneous fruits of the earth furnished subsistence
without toil, a cleanly race, delighting in bathing, passing much
of their time under the shade of their trees, with
(09:25):
heaps of oranges and other fine fruits for their refreshment, talking, laughing, dancing,
and sleeping. Every chief had a fan hanging to his side,
made of feathers of the wild turkey, the beautiful pink
colored crane, or the scarlet flamingo. With this he would
sit and fan himself with great stateliness, while the young
(09:48):
people danced before him. The women joined in the dances
with the men, excepting the war dances. They wore strings
of tortoish shells and pebbles round their legs, which rattled
in cadence to the music. They were treated with more
attention among the Seminoles than among most Indian tribes. Origin
(10:10):
of the White, the Red, and the Black men a
Seminole tradition. When the Floridas were erected into a territory
of the United States, one of the earliest cares of
the governor, William P. Duval, was directed to the instruction
and civilization of the natives. For this purpose, he called
(10:32):
a meeting of the chiefs, in which he informed them
of the wish of their great father at Washington, that
they should have schools and teachers among them, and that
their children should be instructed like the children of white men.
The chiefs listened, with their customary silence and decorum, to
a long speech, setting forth the advantages that would accrue
(10:56):
to them from this measure, and when he had concluded,
begged the interval of a day to deliberate. Honored. On
the following day, a solemn convocation was held, at which
one of the chiefs addressed the Governor. In the name
of all the rest, my brother said he, we have
been thinking over the proposition of our great father at
(11:20):
Washington to send teachers and set up schools among us.
We are very thankful for the interest he takes in
our welfare, but after much deliberation, have concluded to decline
his offer. What will do very well for white men
will not do for red men. I know you white
(11:40):
men say we all come from the same father and mother,
but you are mistaken. We have a tradition handed down
from our forefathers, and we believe it that the Great Spirit,
when he undertook to make men, made the black man.
It was his first attempt, and pretty well for a beginning,
(12:02):
but he soon saw he had bungled, so he determined
to try his hand again. He did so and made
the red man. He liked him much better than the
black man, but still he was not exactly what he wanted.
So he tried once more and made the white man,
and then he was satisfied. You see therefore that you
(12:25):
are made last, and that is the reason I call
you my youngest brother. When the Great Spirit had made
the three men, he called them together and showed them
three boxes. The first was filled with books and maps
and papers, the second with bows and arrows, knives and tomahawks,
(12:45):
the third with spades, axes, hoes and hammers. These my sons,
said he are the means by which you are to live.
Choose among them according to your fancy. The white man,
being the fait, had the first choice. He passed by
the box of working tools without notice. But when he
(13:06):
came to the weapons for war and hunting, he stopped
and looked hard at them. The red man trembled, for
he had set his heart upon that box. The white man, however,
after looking upon it for a moment, passed on and
chose the box of books and papers. The red Man's
turn came next, and you may be sure he seized
(13:29):
with joy upon the bows and arrows and tomahawks. As
to the black man, he had no choice left but
to put up with the box of tools. From this
it is clear that the Great Spirit intended the white
man should learn to read and write, to understand all
about the moon and stars, and to make everything even
(13:52):
rum and whisky. That the red man should be a
first rate hunter and a mighty warrior. But he was
not to learn anything from books, as the Great Spirit
had not given him any, nor was he to make
rum and whiskey, lest he should kill himself with drinking.
As to the black men, as he had nothing but
(14:14):
working tools, it was clear he was to work for
the white and red men, which he has continued to do.
We must go according to the wishes of the Great Spirit,
or we shall get into trouble. To know how to
read and write is very good for white men, but
very bad for red men. It makes white men better,
(14:36):
but red men worse. Some of the Creeks and Cherokees
learned to read and write, and they are the greatest
rascals among all the Indians. They went on to Washington
and said they were going to see their great father
to talk about the good of the nation. And when
they got there, they all wrote upon a little piece
(14:58):
of paper, without the nation at home knowing anything about it.
And the first thing the nation at home knew of
the matter. They were called together by the Indian agent,
who showed them a little piece of paper, which he
told them was a treaty which their brethren had made
in their name with their great father at Washington. And
(15:20):
as they knew not what a treaty was, he held
up the little piece of paper, and they looked under it,
and lo, it covered a great extent of country. And
they found that their brethren, by knowing how to read
and write, had sold their houses and their lands, and
the graves of their fathers, and that the white men,
(15:42):
by knowing how to read and write, had gained them.
Tell our great father at Washington, therefore that we are
very sorry we cannot receive teachers among us. For reading
and writing, though very good for white men, is very
bad for Indians. The Conspiracy of Niamathla an authentic sketch.
(16:07):
In the autumn of eighteen twenty three, Governor Duval and
other commissioners on the part of the United States concluded
a treaty with the chiefs and warriors of the Florida Indians,
by which the latter, for certain considerations, ceded all claims
to the whole territory, excepting a district in the eastern
(16:28):
part to which they were to remove and within which
they were to reside for twenty years. Several of the
chiefs signed the treaty with great reluctance, but none opposed
it more strongly than Niamathla, principal chief of the Mikasukis,
a fierce and warlike people, many of them Creeks by origin,
(16:51):
who lived about the Mikosuke Lake. Niamathla had always been
active in those depredations on the frontier of Georgia which
had brought vengeance and ruin on the Seminoles. He was
a remarkable man, upward of sixty years of age, about
six feet high, with a fine eye and a strongly
(17:13):
marked countenance over which he possessed great command. His hatred
of the white men appeared to be mixed with contempt
on the common people. He looked down with infinite scorn.
He seemed unwilling to acknowledge any superiority of rank or
dignity in Governor Duval, claiming to associate with him on
(17:36):
terms of equality as two great chieftains. Though he had
been prevailed upon to sign the treaty, his heart revolted
at it. In one of his frank conversations with Governor Duval,
he observed, this country belongs to the red men, and
if I had the number of warriors at my command
(17:58):
that this nation once had, I would not leave a
white man on my lands. I would exterminate the hull.
I can say this to you, for you can understand
me you are a man. But I would not say
it to your people. They'd cry out I was a
savage and would take my life. They cannot appreciate the
(18:19):
feelings of a man that loves his country. As Florida
had but recently been erected into a territory. Everything as
yet was in rude and simple style. The Governor, to
make himself acquainted with the Indians, and to be near
a hand to keep an eye upon them, fixed his
(18:40):
residence at Tallahassee, near the foul towns inhabited by the Micusukes.
His government palace, for a time was a mere log house,
and he lived on Hunter's Fair. The village of Namathla
was but about three miles off, and thither the governor
occasionally rode to the old chieftain. In one of these visits,
(19:03):
he found in Niamathla seated in his wigwam in the
center of the village, surrounded by his warriors. The governor
had brought him some liquor as a present, but it
mounted quickly into his brain and rendered him quite boastful
and belligerent. The theme, ever uppermost in his mind was
the treaty with the Whites. It was true, he said,
(19:26):
the red men had made such a treaty, but the
white men had not acted up to it. The red
men had received none of the money and the cattle
that had been promised them. The treaty therefore was at
an end, and they did not mean to be bound
by it. Governor Duval calmly represented to him that the
(19:49):
time appointed in the treaty for the payment and delivery
of the money and the cattle had not yet arrived.
This the old chieftain knew full well, but he chose
for the moment to pretend ignorance. He kept on drinking
and talking, his voice growing louder and louder, until it
(20:09):
resounded all over the village. He held in his hand
a long knife with which he had been rasping tobacco.
This he kept flourishing backward and forward as he talked.
By way of giving effect to his words, brandishing it
at times within an inch of the Governor's throat. He
concluded his tirade by repeating that the country belonged to
(20:33):
the red Man, and that sooner than give it up,
his bones and the bones of his people should bleach
upon its soil. Duval knew that the object of all
this bluster was to see whether he could be intimidated.
He kept his eye therefore fixed steadily on the chief,
and the moment he concluded with his menace seized him
(20:57):
by the bosom of his hunting shirt and his other fist.
I've heard what you have said, replied he. You have
made a treaty, yet you say your bones shall bleach
before you comply with it. As sure as there is
a sun in heaven, your bones shall bleach if you
do not fulfill every article of that treaty. I'll let
(21:19):
you know that I am first here and will see
that you do your duty. Upon this, the old chieftain
threw himself back, burst into a fit of laughing, and
declared that all he had said was in joke. The
governor suspected, however, that there was a grave meaning at
the bottom of this jocularity. For two months everything went
(21:44):
on smoothly. The Indians repaired daily to the log cabin
palace of the Governor at Tallahassee and appeared perfectly contented.
All at once they ceased their visits, and for three
or four days not one was to be seen. Governor
Duval began to apprehend that some mischief was brewing. On
(22:07):
the evening of the fourth day, a chief named yellow Hair,
a resolute, intelligent fellow who had always evinced an attachment
for the Governor, entered his cabin about twelve o'clock at
night and informed him that between four and five hundred warriors,
painted and decorated were assembled to hold a secret war
(22:29):
talk at Niamathla's town. He had slipped off to give
intelligence at the risk of his life, and hastened back
lest his absence should be discovered. Governor Duval passed an
anxious night after this intelligence. He knew the talent and
the daring character of Niamathla. He recollected the threats he
(22:51):
had thrown out. He reflected that about eighty white families
were scattered widely apart over a great extra of country,
and might be swept away at once should the Indians,
as he feared, determined to clear the country that he
did not exaggerate. The dangers of the case has been
(23:12):
proved by the horrid scenes of Indian warfare which have
since desolated that devoted region. After a night of sleepless conjutation,
Duval determined on a measure suited to his prompt and
resolute character. Knowing the admiration of the savages for personal courage,
(23:33):
he determined, by a sudden surprise to endeavor to overawe
and check them. It was hazarding much, but where so
many lives were in jeopardy, he felt bound to incur
the hazard accordingly. On the next morning, he set off
on horseback, attended merely by a white man who had
(23:55):
been reared among the seminoles and understood their language and manners,
and who acted as interpreter. They struck into an Indian
trail leading to Neamathela's village. After proceeding about half a mile,
Governor Duval informed the interpreter of the object of his expedition.
(24:16):
The latter, though a bold man, paused and remonstrated the
Indians among whom they were going were among the most
desperate and discontented of the nation. Many of them were
veteran warriors, impoverished and exasperated by defeat, and ready to
set their lives at any hazard. He said that if
(24:39):
they were holding a war council, it must be with
desperate intent, and it would be certain death to intrude
among them. Duval made light of his apprehensions. He said
he was perfectly well acquainted with the Indian character and
should certainly proceed so, saying, he rode on. When within
(25:01):
half a mile of the village, the interpreter addressed him
again in such a tremulous tone that Duval turned and
looked him in the face. He was deadly pale, and
once more urged the governor to return, as they would
certainly be massacred if they proceeded. Duval repeated his determination
(25:22):
to go on, but advised the other to return, lest
his pale face should betray fear to the Indians and
they might take advantage of it. The interpreter replied that
he would rather die a thousand deaths than have it
said he had deserted his leader when in peril. Duval
(25:42):
then told him he must translate faithfully all he should
say to the Indians without softening a word. The interpreter
promised faithfully to do so, adding that he well knew
when they were once in the town, nothing but boldness
could save them. They now rode into the village and
(26:03):
advanced to the council house. This was rather a group
of four houses forming a square, in the center of
which was a great council fire. The houses were open
in front toward the fire, and closed in the rear.
At each corner of the square, there was an interval
between the houses for ingress and egress. In these houses
(26:25):
sat the old men and the chiefs. The young men
were gathered round the fire. Nea Mathla presided at the council,
elevated on a higher seat than the rest. Governor Duval
entered by one of the corner intervals and rode boldly
into the center of the square. The young men made
way for him. An old man who was speaking paused
(26:49):
in the midst of his harangue. In an instant, thirty
or forty rifles were cocked and leveled. Never had Duval
heard so loud a click of triggers. Its seemed to
strike to his heart. He gave one glance at the
Indians and turned off with an air of contempt. He
did not dare, he says, to look again, lest it
(27:11):
might effect his nerves. And on the firmness of his nerves,
everything depended. The Chief threw up his arm, the rifles
were lowered. Duval breathed more freely. He felt disposed to
leap from his horse, but restrain himself and dismount it leisurely.
He then walked deliberately up to Nea Mathla and demanded,
(27:34):
in an authoritative tone, what were his motives for holding
that council. The moment he made this demand, the orator
sat down. The chief made no reply, but hung his
head in apparent confusion. After a moment's pause, Duval proceeded,
I am well aware of the meaning of this war, Council,
(27:56):
and deem it my duty to warn you against pro
secuting the schemes you have been devising. If a single
hair of a white man in this country falls to
the ground, I will hang you and your chiefs on
the trees around your council house. You cannot pretend to
withstand the power of the white men. You are in
(28:18):
the palm of the hand of your great father at Washington,
who can crush you like an eggshell. You may kill me,
I am but one man, but recollect. White men are
numerous as the leaves on the trees. Remember the fate
of your warriors, whose bones are whitening in battle fields.
Remember your wives and children who perished in swamps. Do
(28:42):
you want to provoke more hostilities? Another war with the
white men, and there will not be a Seminole left
to tell the story of his race. Seeing the effect
of his words, he concluded by appointing a day for
the Indians to meet him at Saint Mark's and given
account of their conduct. He then rode off without giving
(29:05):
them time to recover from their surprise. That night, he
rode forty miles to Appalachicola River to the tribe of
the same name, who were infued with the Seminoles. They
promptly put two hundred and fifty warriors at his disposal,
whom he ordered to be at Saint Mark's at the
appointed day. He sent out runners also, and mustered one
(29:29):
hundred of the militia to repair to the same place,
together with a number of regulars from the army. All
his arrangements were successful. Having taken these measures, he returned
to Tallahassee to the neighborhood of the conspirators to show
them that he was not afraid. Here he ascertained through
(29:53):
yellow hair that nine towns were disaffected and had been
concerned in the conspiracy. He was careful to inform himself
from the same source of the names of the warriors
in each of those towns, who were most popular, though
poor in destitute of rank and command. When the appointed
(30:14):
day was at hand for the meeting at Saint Mark's,
Governor Duval set off with Niamathla, who was at the
head of eight or nine hundred warriors, but who feared
to venture into the fort without him. As they entered
the fort and saw troops and militia drawn up there,
and a force of Apalachicola's soldiers stationed on the opposite
(30:38):
bank of the river, they thought they were betrayed and
were about to fly, but Duval assured them they were
safe and that when the talk was over they might
go home unmolested. A grand talk was now held in
which the late conspiracy was discussed. As he had foreseen,
(30:58):
Niamathla and the other old chiefs threw all the blame
upon the young men. Well replied duval with us white men.
When we find a man incompetent to govern those under him,
we put him down and appoint another in his place. Now,
as you all acknowledge you cannot manage your young men,
(31:21):
we must put chiefs over them who can so saying,
he deposed Neamathla, first appointing another in his place, and
so on with all the rest, taking care to substitute
the warriors who had been pointed out to him as
poor and popular, putting medals round their necks and investing
(31:42):
them with great ceremony. The Indians were surprised and delighted
at finding the appointments fall upon the very men they
would themselves have chosen, and hailed them with acclamations. The warriors,
thus unexpectedly elevated to command and clothed with dignity, was
(32:03):
secured to the interests of the governor, and sure to
keep an eye on the disaffected. As to the great
chief Neamathla, he left the country in disgust and returned
to the Greek nation, who elected him a chief of
one of their towns. Thus, by the resolute spirit and
prompt sagacity of one man, a dangerous conspiracy was completely defeated.
(32:30):
Governor Duval was afterwards enabled to remove the whole nation
through his own personal influence, without the aid of the
General Government. Note. The foregoing anecdotes concerning the seminoles were
gathered in conversation with Governor Duval. The original of Ralph
(32:50):
Ringwood and of Section twenty
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