46. The Girl Captives

46. THE GIRL CAPTIVES

The Choctaw and Alabama once had a fight in which the Choctaw won and captured two young women. They carried them to their town and kept them there. By and by they saw the Choctaw gather grass, tie it in bundles and bring it in. They were frightened. "They are going to burn us to death," they said. "Let us run away." That night when the Choctaw were all asleep they went out and ran off. They came on in this direction. ¹ They came on without stopping. They came on day after day. After they had traveled for a long time they crept into a hollow log and lay down. They shut up the opening completely with punk. While they were lying

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there, their pursuers arrived, walked upon the log, passed by, and spent some time hunting about. When they did not find the trail they went back to the log and hunted about back and forth. After all had gone back and it was night the girls got out and came on. They came on steadily without stopping and next day reached a place where white people lived.

By that time the skin was all worn off of the soles of their feet, so the white people gave them deer hide which they dressed and made into moccasins. They remained there for a while, and when they started on again the white people gave them a note saying, "When you see any person, give it to him." They kept coming on and when they met a white man on the way they gave him the note and he received them, went with them, and pointed out the trail. When he left them they started on again. Wherever they encountered whites they gave them the note and the white people gave them food and anything else they were in need of. They went on in that way until they reached home.

Footnotes

155:1 This event could have taken place only in the old country and their course would have been eastward.