Adventure and adventurers > Away in the wilderness, or, Life among the red Indians and fur-traders of North America

AWAY IN THE WILDERNESS.
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roche—but what makes you start, friend Jasper 1
Do you know anything of this man V’
“ Yes, he’s a friend of mine. Go on, let me
hear about it.”
“ Well, there’s not much to tell,” resumed
the guide. “ This Laroche, it would appear, has
got into hot water. He has a daughter, a good
lookin’ wench I’m told, and, better than that, a
well-behaved one. One o’ the Indians had been
impertinent to the girl, so old Laroche, who seems
to be a fiery fellow, up fist, hit him on the nose,
and knocked the savage flat on his back. A tre¬
mendous howl was set up, and knives and hatchets
were flourished; but Mr. Pemberton, who is in
charge of Fort Erie, ran in and pacified them.
The Indian that was floored vows he’ll have the
hair off old Laroche’s head.”
This taking the hair off people’s heads, or scalp¬
ing, as it is called, is a common practice among
the North American Indians. When a savage
kills his enemy he runs his scalping-knife round
the dead man’s head, seizes the hair with his left
hand and tears the scalp off. Indeed this dread¬
ful cruelty is sometimes practised before death
has occurred. The scalp with its lock of hair is
taken home by the victor, and hung up in his
tent as a trophy of war. The man who can
show the greatest number of scalps is considered
the greatest warrior. The dresses of Indian