that the French
were warmly greeted by the cacique Athore,
shown a stone column left by Ribaut in 1562
and conducted to a "beautiful grove of
bay trees."
"There they all sat together, making signs
of having great joy at our arrival and also making
signs to indicate the Seigneur de Laudonniere
was the brother of the sun and would go to make
war with them against their enemies, whom they
call Tymangoua (Timucua). They also made signs
to us
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|
by three indications
of nightfall that it was a journey of only
three days (up the River May).
"They (Tymangoua) are, moreover, the greatest
thieves in the world for they steal as well with
their feet as with their hands, and this in spite
of the fact that they have only skins before
their secret parts and are all painted (tattooed)
in black in very beautiful designs."
A representative selection of Le Moyne's pictures
and notes closes this chapter.
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| HOW OUTINA'S MEN TREATED SLAIN
ENEMY --- In their skirmishes, any who fall are
instantly dragged off by persons detailed for
the purpose; who, with slips of reeds sharper
than any steel blade, cut the skin of the head
to the bone, from front to back all the way round,
and pull off with the hair, more than a foot
and a half long still adhering done up in a knot
of the crown, and with that lower down around
the forehead and back cut short into a ring about
two fingers wide, like the rim of a hat. Then,
if they have time, they dig a hole in the ground
and make a fire,. kindling it with some coals
which they keep burning in moss, done up in skins,
and carry round with them at their belts; and
then dry these scalps to a state as hard as parchment.
They also are accustomed, after a battle, to
cut off with these reed knives the arms of the
dead near the shoulders, and their legs near
the hips, breaking the bones when laid bare,
with a club, and then to lay these, fresh broken
and still running with blood, over the same fires
to be dried. Then hanging them, and the scalps
also, to the ends of their spears they carry
them off home in triumph. |
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