pioneers of the old southwest-第8部分

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f　exploration。　These　seem　to　have　led　him　chiefly　northward　through　the　Appalachians；　of　which　he　must　have　been　one　of　the　first　white　explorers。

A　many…sided　man　was　James　Adaircultured；　for　his　style　suffers　not　by　comparison　with　other　writers　of　his　day；　no　stranger　to　Latin　and　Greek；　and　not　ignorant　of　Hebrew；　which　he　studied　to　assist　him　in　setting　forth　his　ethnological　theory　that　the　American　Indians　were　the　descendants　of　the　Ten　Lost　Tribes　of　Israel。　Before　we　dismiss　his　theory　with　a　smile；　let　us　remember　that　he　had　not　at　his　disposal　the　data　now　available　which　reveal　points　of　likeness　in　custom；　language　formation；　and　symbolism　among　almost　all　primitive　peoples。　The　formidable　title…page　of　his　book　in　itself　suggests　an　author　keenly　observant；　accurate　as　to　detail；　and　possessed　of　a　versatile　and　substantial　mind。　Most　of　the　pages　were　written　in　the　towns　of　the　Chickasaws；　with　whom　he　lived　〃as　a　friend　and　brother；〃　but　from　whose　〃natural　jealousy〃　and　〃prying　disposition〃　he　was　obliged　to　conceal　his　papers。　〃Never；〃　he　assures　us；　〃was　a　literary　work　begun　and　carried　on　with　more　disadvantages！〃

Despite　these　disabilities　the　author　wrote　a　book　of　absorbing　interest。　His　intimate　sympathetic　pictures　of　Indian　life　as　it　was　before　the　tribes　had　been　conquered　are　richly　valuable　to　the　lover　of　native　lore　and　to　the　student　of　the　history　of　white　settlement。　The　author　believes；　as　he　must；　in　the　supremacy　of　his　own　race；　but　he　nevertheless　presents　the　Indians'　side　of　the　argument　as　no　man　could　who　had　not　made　himself　one　of　them。　He　thereby　adds　interest　to　those　fierce　struggles　which　took　place　along　the　border；　for　he　shows　us　the　red　warrior　not　as　a　mere　brute　with　a　tomahawk　but　as　a　human　creature　with　an　ideal　of　his　own；　albeit　an　ideal　that　must　give　place　to　a　better。　Even　in　view　of　the　red　man's　hideous　methods　of　battle　and　inhuman　treatment　of　captives；　we　cannot　ponder　unmoved　Adair's　description　of　his　preparations　for　warthe　fasting；　the　abstention　from　all　family　intercourse；　and　the　purification　rites　and　prayers　for　three　days　in　the　house　set　apart；　while　the　women；　who　might　not　come　close　to　their　men　in　this　fateful　hour；　stood　throughout　the　night　till　dawn　chanting　before　the　door。　Another　poetic　touch　the　author　gives　us；　from　the　Cherokeeor　Cheerake　as　he　spells　itexplaining　that　the　root；　chee…ra；　means　fire。　A　Cherokee　never　extinguished　fire　save　on　the　occasion　of　a　death；　when　he　thrust　a　burning　torch　into　the　water　and　said；　Neetah　intahah〃the　days　appointed　him　were　finished。〃　The　warrior　slain　in　battle　was　held　to　have　been　balanced　by　death　and　it　was　said　of　him　that　〃he　was　weighed　on　the　path　and　made　light。〃　Adair　writes　that　the　Cherokees；　until　corrupted　by　French　agents　and　by　the　later　class　of　traders　who　poured　rum　among　them　like　water；　were　honest；　industrious；　and　friendly。　They　were　ready　to　meet　the　white　man　with　their　customary　phrase　of　good　will　〃I　shall　firmly　shake　hands　with　your　speech。〃　He　was　intimately　associated　with　this　tribe　from　1735　to　1744；　when　he　diverted　his　activities　to　the　Chickasaws。

It　was　from　the　Cherokees'　chief　town；　Great　Telliko；　in　the　Appalachians；　that　Adair　explored　the　mountains。　He　describes　the　pass　through　the　chain　which　was　used　by　the　Indians　and　which；　from　his　outline　of　it；　was　probably　the　Cumberland　Gap。　He　relates　many　incidents　of　the　struggle　with　the　French　manifestations　even　in　this　remote　wilderness　of　the　vast　conflict　that　was　being　waged　for　the　New　World　by　two　imperial　nations　of　the　Old。

Adair　undertook；　at　the　solicitation　of　Governor　Glen　of　South　Carolina；　the　dangerous　task　of　opening　up　trade　with　the　Choctaws；　a　tribe　mustering　upwards　of　five　thousand　warriors　who　were　wholly　in　the　French　interest。　Their　country　lay　in　what　is　now　the　State　of　Mississippi　along　the　great　river；　some　seven　hundred　miles　west　and　southwest　of　Charleston。　After　passing　the　friendly　Creek　towns　the　trail　led　on　for　150　miles　through　what　was　practically　the　enemy's　country。　Adair；　owing　to　what　he　likes　to　term　his　〃usual　good　fortune；〃　reached　the　Choctaw　country　safely　and　by　his　adroitness　and　substantial　presents　won　the　friendship　of　the　influential　chief；　Red　Shoe；　whom　he　found　in　a　receptive　mood；　owing　to　a　French　agent's　breach　of　hospitality　involving　Red　Shoe's　favorite　wife。　Adair　thus　created　a　large　proEnglish　faction　among　the　Choctaws；　and　his　success　seriously　impaired　French　prestige　with　all　the　southwestern　tribes。　Several　times　French　Choctaws　bribed　to　murder　him；　waylaid　Adair　on　the　trailtwice　when　he　was　aloneonly　to　be　baffled　by　the　imperturbable　self…possession　and　alert　wit　which　never　failed　him　in　emergencies。

Winning　a　Choctaw　trade　cost　Adair；　besides　attacks　on　his　life；　2200　pounds；　for　which　he　was　never　reimbursed；　notwithstanding　Governor　Glen's　agreement　with　him。　And；　on　his　return　to　Charleston；　while　the　Governor　was　detaining　him　〃on　one　pretext　or　another；〃　he　found　that　a　new　expedition；　which　the　Governor　was　favoring　for　reasons　of　his　own；　had　set　out　to　capture　his　Chickasaw　trade　and　gather　in　〃the　expected　great　crop　of　deerskins　and　beaver。。。before　I　could　possibly　return　to　the　Chikkasah　Country。〃　Nothing　daunted；　however；　the　hardy　trader　set　out　alone。

〃In　the　severity　of　winter；　frost；　snow；　hail　and　heavy　rains　succeed　each　other　in　these　climes；　so　that　I　partly　rode　and　partly　swam　to　the　Chikkasah　country；　for　not　expecting　to　stay　long　below　＇in　Charleston＇　I　took　no　leathern　canoe。　Many　of　the　broad；　deep　creeks。。。had　now　overflowed　their　banks；　ran　at　a　rapid　rate　and　were　unpassable　to　any　but　DESPERATE　PEOPLE。。。　the　rivers　and　swamps　were　dreadful　by　rafts　of　timber　driving　down　the　former　and　the　great　fallen　trees　floating　in　the　latter。。。。　Being　forced　to　wade　deep　through　cane　swamps　or　woody　thickets；　it　proved　very　troublesome　to　keep　my　firearms　dry　on　which；　as　a　second　means；　my　life　depended。〃

Nevertheless　Adair　defeated　the　Governor's　attempt　to　steal　his　trade；　and　later　on　published　the　whole　story　in　the　Charleston　press　and　sent　in　a　statement　of　his　claims　to　the　Assembly；　with　frank　observations　on　His　Excellency　himself。　We　gather　that　his　bold　disregard　of　High　Personages　set　all　Charleston　in　an　uproar！

Adair　is　tantalizingly　modest　about　his　own　deeds。　He　devotes　pages　to　prove　that　an　Indian　rite　agrees　with　the　Book　of　Leviticus　but　only　a　paragraph　to　an　exploit　of　courage　and　endurance　such　as　that　ride　and　swim　for　the　Indian　trade。　We　have　to　read　between　the　lines　to　find　the　man；　but　he　well　repays　the　search。　Briefly；　incidentally；　he　mentions　that　on　one　trip　he　was　captured　by　the　French；　who　were　so

〃well　acquainted　with　the　great　damages　I　had　done　to　them　and　feared　others　I　might　occasion；　as　to　confine　me　a　close　prisoner　。。。in　the　Alebahma　garrison。　They　were　fully　resolved　to　have　sent　me　down　to　Mobile　or　New　Orleans　as　a　capital　criminal　to　be　hanged。。。BUT　I　DOUBTED　NOT　OF　BEING　ABLE　TO　EXTRICATE　MYSELF　SOME　WAY　OR　OTHER。　They　appointed　double　centries　over　me　for　some　days　before　I　was　to　be　sent　down　in　the　French　King's　large　boat。　They　were　strongly　charged　against　laying　down　their　weapons　or　suffering　any　hostile　thing　to　be　in　the　place　where　I　was　kept；　as　they　deemed　me　capable　of　any　mischief。。。。　About　an　hour　before　we　were　to　set　off　by　water　I　escaped　from　them　by　land。。。。　I　took　through　the　middle　of　the　low　land　covered　with　briers　at　full　speed。　I　heard　the　French　clattering　on　horseback　along　the　path。。。and　the　howling　savages　pursuing。。。；　but　MY　USUAL　GOOD　FORTUNE　enabled　me　to　leave　them　far　enough　behind。。。。〃


One　feels　that　a　few　of　the　pages　given　up　to　Leviticus　might　well　have　been　devoted　to　a　detailed　account　of　this　escape　from　〃double　centries〃　and　a　fortified　garrison；　and　the　plunge　through　the　tangled　wilds；　by　a　man　without　gun　or　knife　or　supplies；　and　who　for　days　dared　not　show　himself　upon　the　trail。

There　is　too　much　of　〃my　usual　good　fortune〃　in　Adair's　narrative；　such　luck　as　his　argues　for　extraordinary　resources　in　the　man。　Sometimes　we　discover　only　through　one　phrase　on　a　page　that　he　must　himself　have　been　the　hero　of　an　event　he　relates　in　the　third　person。　This　seems　to　be　the　case　in　the　affair　of　Priber；　which　was　the　worst　of　those　〃damages〃　Adair　did　to　the　French。　Priber　was　〃a　gentleman　of　curious　and　speculative　temper〃　sent　by　the　French　in　1786　to　Great　Telliko　to　win　the　Cherokees　to　their　interest。　At　this　time　Adair　was　trading　with　the　Cherokees。　He　relates　that　Priber；

〃more　effectually　to　answer　the　design　of　his　commission。。。ate；　drank；　slept；　danced；　dressed；　and　painted　himself　with　the　Indians；　so　that　it　was　not　easy　to　distinguish　him　from　the　natives；he　married　also　with　them；　and　being　endued　with　a　strong　understanding　and　retentive　memory　he　soon　learned　their　dialect；　and　by　gradual　advances　impressed　them　with　a　very　ill　opinion　of　the　English；　representing　them　as　fraudulent；　avaritious　and　encroaching　people；　he　at　the　same　time　inflated　the　artless　savages　with　a　prodigious　high　opinion　of　their　own　importance　in　the　American　scale　of　power。。。。　Having　thus　infected　them。。。he　easily　formed　them　into　a　nominal　republican　governmentcrowned　their　old　Archimagus　emperor　after　a　pleasing　new　savage　form；　and　invented　a　variety　of　high…sounding　titles　for　all　the　members　of　his　imperial　majesty's　red　court。〃

Priber　cemented　the　Cherokee　empire　〃by　slow　but　sure　degrees　to　the　very　great　danger　of　our　southern　colonies。〃　His　position　was　that　of　Secretary　of　State　and　as　such；　with　a　studiedly　provocative　arrogance；　he　carried　on　correspondence　with　the　British　authorities。　The　colonial　Government　seems；　on　this　occasion；　to　have　listened　to　the　traders　and　to　have　realized　that　Priber　was　a　danger；　for　soldiers　were　sent　to　take　him　prisoner。　The　Cherokees；　however；　had　so　firmly　〃shaked　hands〃　with　their　Secretary's　admired　discourse　that　they　threatened　to　take　the　warpath　if　their　beloved　man　were　annoyed；　and　the　soldiers　went　home　without　himto　the　great　hurt　of　English　prestige。　The　Cherokee　empire　had　now　endured　for　five　years　and　was　about　to　rise　〃into　a　far　grea