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"Susquesus Onondago" the red-man replied, laying a strong emphasis on the name of his tribe. "No Mohawk blood run in him. His people no dig up hatchet, this summer." "Why not, Trackless? You are allies of the Yengeese, and ought to give us your aid, when it is wanted." "Count leaves count Yengeese. Too much for one army. No want Onondago."
We need not waste time in going into the details of the feast that followed: how the goose was delightfully plump and tender especially tender to teeth that would have scarcely observed the difference if it had been tough how, in addition to the goose, they had wild-ducks enough shot earlier in the day to afford each one a duck to himself, leaving a brace over, of which Okematan ate one, as well as his share of the goose, and seemed to wish that he might eat the other, but he didn't, for he restrained himself; how they drank tea with as much gusto and intemperance as if it had been a modern "afternoon"; and how, after all was over, the Red-man filled the pipe-head on the back of his iron tomahawk and began to smoke with the air of a man who meant business and regarded all that had gone before as mere child's-play.
The red-man smoked over this remark in silence for a considerable time, evidently engaged in profound thought. He was one of those children of nature whose brains admit ideas slowly, and who, when they are admitted, turn them round and round and inside out without much apparent advantage. At last he looked earnestly at his companion and asked "Is there fire-water at Fort Dunregan?"
No sign of surprise, or of any other emotion, was visible on the countenance of the Red-man as he replied: "Okematan went out to meet a party of his tribe on the war-path." Dechamp was not so successful in concealing his own surprise at this answer.
These signals had their origin with the red-man, who often resorted to them, and were said to be more successfully practised by our own hunters and riflemen than even by those with whom they originated. On entering the ravine, the order of our march was changed. While Susquesus and Jumper were still kept in advance, Guert, Dirck, Jaap and myself moved abreast, and quite close together.
He narrated to the savages, clearly and briefly, the wrongs which had been done them, as well as himself, by the whites; how, as the ally and friend of the red-man, he had been cursed, defied and treated with much contumely, by those here present; how their friends had followed and slaughtered his braves; how the whites were every day becoming stronger and more aggressive; how that, unless speedily exterminated, they would presently drive the red-men from their hunting grounds, burn their wigwams, and murder their wives and children; referred them, as a proof, to the sacking and burning of the Chillicothe and Piqua villages, on the Little Miami and Mad rivers, the year preceding, by General Clark and his men; and wound up by demanding the death of the prisoners at the stake, and a speedy and bloody retaliation upon the pioneers of Kentucky.
The wanton aggressions of the whites oftentimes provoked the fearful retaliation of the red-man. The policy of the United States towards the Indians has generally been of a pacific and benevolent character; but, in carrying out that policy, there have been many signal and inexcusable failures.
Whether this proof of what seemed in Indian opinion a want of manliness had anything to do with their conduct or not, I cannot say, but certain it is that no further ceremonies towards making him a red-man were performed though he was allowed to wear his Indian costume. Neither did they allow him to hunt with them, as he had hoped.
Where a Pale-face comes, a Red-man cannot stay. The land is too small. They are always hungry. See, they are here already!" As the Teton spoke, he pointed towards the tents of Ishmael, which were in plain sight, and then he paused, to await the effect of his words on the mind of his ingenuous foe.
But they did not pull a bow on us, and the red-man, almost naked came out and beckoned for us to come on which we did. We tried to talk with the fellow in the sign language but he could understand about as much as an oyster.
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