The good, the bad, and the ugly

Throughout the passage, Byrd is constantly analyzing and making generalizations about all the different people groups he encounters. Overall, he tends to bring much disdain upon men who lavish in passivity--both the Indians and the Englishmen. He also sheds a light of approval upon the work ethics of the women. But there is one generalization that he tends to be inconsistent with--namely his view of the Native American People.
In the beginning of the passage, he remarks on how the Indians have, "Constitutions untainted by lewdness." He also states that with, "Morals and all considered, I can't think the Indians were much greater Heathens than the first Adventurers..." At this point it seems that he has much respect for the Indians and their way of life. There is a stark contrast between his view of the Natives in this quote and with a quote found towards the end of the passage which reads as follows: "They are very cunning in finding out new ways to torment their unhappy captives, though, like those of hell, their usual method is by fire." He also goes further about their torture methods and how they are, "so far from being touched with tenderness and compassion..."
It is interesting to try to break down Byrd's motivation in being so ambivalent in his representation of the Natives. Although there are times where he praises the Indians for their efficiency and their respect for nature, there are also times where he represents them as malicious, barbaric, and inhuman. Perhaps Byrd is attempting to show that, like Englishmen, all Natives cannot be put into one stereotypical group. There are tribes who are welcoming and cordial while there are also tribes who are unrelentingly warlike and hostile.
Thankfully, whenever there is dark side to a certain people group, there is also a bright side. Where he labels most of the English settlements that he comes across as indolent and unproductive, he does come across one settlement called Edenton. He states that, "not a soul has the least taint of hypocrisy or superstition, acting very frankly and aboveboard in all their exercises." Throughout the passage, this is one of the times that he actually approves of a certain settlement or village. In the same way, although the Indians were often described as inhuman, he does give the natives his stamp of approval on a few occasions. Overall, Byrd's biases and standards are very evident in this passage. He has high expectations set for at what level settlements and tribes should be.