Дванадцять років рабства

           Circlingawayinvariousdirections,theforestechoingandre-echoingwiththeirwhoops,theywouldpresentlyreturnatthesamedashing,headlongspeedwithwhichtheystarted. TheirvillagewasonIndianCreek,knownasIndianCastle,buttheirrangeextendedtotheSabineRiver. OccasionallyatribefromTexaswouldcomeoveronavisit,andthentherewasindeedacarnivalinthe"GreatPineWoods." ChiefofthetribewasCascalla;secondinrank,JohnBaltese,hisson-in-law; withbothofwhom,aswithmanyothersofthetribe,Ibecameacquaintedduringmyfrequentvoyagesdownthecreekwithrafts. Samandmyselfwouldoftenvisitthemwhentheday’staskwasdone. Theywereobedienttothechief;thewordofCascallawastheirlaw. Theywerearudebutharmlesspeople,andenjoyedtheirwildmodeoflife. Theyhadlittlefancyfortheopencountry,theclearedlandsontheshoresofthebayous,butpreferredtohidethemselveswithintheshadowsoftheforest. TheyworshipedtheGreatSpirit,lovedwhisky,andwerehappy. 

           OnoneoccasionIwaspresentatadance,whenarovingherdfromTexashadencampedintheirvillage. Theentirecarcassofadeerwasroastingbeforealargefire,whichthrewitslightalongdistanceamongthetreesunderwhichtheywereassembled. Whentheyhadformedinaring,menandsquawsalternately,asortofIndianfiddlesetupanindescribabletune. Itwasacontinuous,melancholykindofwavysound,withtheslightestpossiblevariation.