was obtained, was of opinion that the event occurred when his mother
was a little girl, say about 1795, but it must have been earlier.
The locations are all in Swain county, North Carolina. Tikwali'tsi
town was on Tuckasegee river, at the present Bryson City, immediately
below and adjoining the more important town of Kituhwa. Deep creek
enters the Tuckasegee from the north, about a mile above Bryson
City. The place where the trail crossed is called Uniga'yata`ti'yi,
"Where they made a fish trap," a name which may have suggested the
simile used by the story teller. The place where the Cherokee crossed,
above Deep creek, is called Uniyâ'hitûñ'yi, "Where they shot it." The
cliff over which the prisoners were thrown is called Kala'asûñyi,
"Where he fell off," near Cold Spring knob, west of Deep creek. The
Cherokee halted for a night at Agitsta`ti'yi, "Where they staid up
all night," a few miles beyond, on the western head fork of Deep
creek. They passed Kûnstûtsi'yi, "Sassafras place," a gap about
the head of Noland creek, near Clingman's dome, and finally gave up
the pursuit where the trail crossed into Tennessee, at a gap on the
main ridge, just below Clingman's dome, known as Duniya'`tâ`lûñ'yi,
"Where there are shelves," so called from an exposure of flat rock
on the top of the ridge (see the glossary).
Magic arts--It is almost superfluous to state that no Indian war
party ever started out without a vast deal of conjuring and "making
medicine" to discover the whereabouts and strength of the enemy and
to insure victory and safe return to the departing warriors.
Wait for death--The Indian usually meets inevitable fate with
equanimity, and more than once in our Indian wars an aged warrior or
helpless woman, unable to escape, has sat down upon the ground, and,
with blanket drawn over the head, calmly awaited the fatal bullet or
hatchet stroke.