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An. 1681
And Account of the Moskito Indians.
or superstitious Observations among them, being ready to imitate us in whatsoever they saw us do at any time. Only they seem to fear the Devil, whom they call Wallefaw; and they say, he often appears to some among them, whom our men commonly call their Priests, when they desire to speak with him on urgent businefs; but the rest know not any thing of him, nor how he appears, otherwise than as these Priests tell them. Yet they all say they must not anger him, for then he will beat them, and that sometimes he carries away these their Priests. Thus much I have heard from some of them who speak good English.
They marry but one Wife, with whom they live till death separates them. At their first coming to- gether, the man makes a very small Plantation, for there is Land enough, and they may choose what spot they please. They delight to settle near the Sea, or by some River, for the sake of striking Fish, their beloved employment.
Far within Land there are other Indians, with whom they are always at War. After the man hath cleared a spot of Land, and hath Planted it, he seldom minds it afterward, but leaves the ma- naging of it to his Wife, and he goes out a striking: Sometimes he seeks only for Fish, at other times for Turtle, or Manatee, and whatever he gets he brings home to his Wife, and never stirs out to seek for more till it is all eaten. When hunger begins to bite, he either takes his Canoa and seeks for more game at Sea, or walks out into the Woods; and hunts about for Pecary, Warree, each a sort of Wild Hogs, or Deer; and seldom returns empty handed, nor seeks for any more so long as any of it lasts. Their Plantations are so small, that they cannot subsist with what they produce: for their largest Plantations have not above 20 or 30 Plan- tain-Trees, a bed of Yames and Potatoes, a bush of