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William Priest - Travels in the United States of America
walked on together westward, without saying a word, though not forgetting to kindle our pipes afresh at
the first house we came to.
"We had no sooner entered the forest, than I began to be convinced, that all things around us were
precisely such as nature had finished them; the trees were straight and lofty, and appeared as if they had
never been obliged to art in their progress to maturity; the streams of water were winding and irregular,
and not odiously drawn into a right line by the spade of the ditcher. The soil had never submitted to the
ploughshare, and the air that circulated through this domain of nature was replete with that balmy
fragrance, which was breathed into the lungs of the long-lived race of men, that flourished in the first
ages of the world.
"At last we approached the wigwam, as I discovered by the barking of a yellow dog, who ran out to meet
us. The building seemed to be composed of rough materials, and at most was not more than eight feet in
height, with a hole in the centre of the roof, to afford a free passage to the smoke from within. It was
situate in a thicket of lofty trees, on the side of a stream of clear water, at a considerable distance from
the haunts of civilized men. A young indian girl was angling in the deepest part of the stream, whence
she every now and then drew a trout, or some other inhabitant of the waters. An old squaw sat at a very
small distance, and, after cutting off the heads, and extracting the entrails, hung the fish in the smoke, to
preserve them against the time of winter.
"The Indian and myself then entered the wigwam, and without ceremony seated ourselves on blocks of
wood covered with fox skins. The furniture of his habitation consisted of scarcely any thing besides. The
flooring was that which was originally common to all men and animals. I thought myself happy, that I
had been permitted to come into the world, in an age when some vestige of the primitive men, and their
manners of living, were yet to be found. A few ages will totally obliterate the scene.
"I now determined to teaze the Indian, if possible - 'But for a man of your education,' says I, 'sachem
Tomo-cheeki; to bury yourself in this savage retreat, is to me inexplicable. You who have travelled on
foot no less than one hundred and seventeen leagues, till you reached the walls of Havard college, and all
for the sake of gaining an insight into languages, arts, and mysteries; and then to neglect all you have
acquired at last, is a mode of conduct, for which I cannot easily account - What! was not the mansion of a
fat clergyman a more desirable acquisition than this miserable hut, these gloomy forests, and
yonder savage stream? - Were not the food and liquor belonging to the white men of the law far
superiour to these insipid fish, these dried roots, and these running waters? - Were not a
physician's cap, an elegant morning gown, and a grave suit of black clothes, made by an european
tailor, more tempting to your imagination, than this wretched blanket, that is eternally slipping from your
shoulders, unless it be fastened with skewers, which are by no means convenient?'
"Pardon me,' replied the Indian, 'if all those blessings and advantages you have mentioned seemed
nothing to my view, in comparison with these divine solitudes: opinion alone is happiness.
The Great Man, who has chosen his habitation beyond the stars, will dispose of us as he pleases.
I am under an obligation of passing happily here that life which he has given me, because in so doing I
serve and adore him. I could not but be sorrowful, were I to be removed for ever from this stream. Let me
alone, white man; others shall make laws, and pass sleepless nights, for the advantage of the world;
sachem Tomo-cheeki will leave all things to the invisible direction; and, provided he can be
contented in his wigwam, the end of his existence is accomplished.
"But,' continued he, 'of what great value can that education be, which does not inculcate moral and
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