Part 10 (1/2)
”It is not often,” said he, ”that I have an opportunity to honor the young warriors of the Senecas. It is seldom that they visit the country of the Oneidas, in time of peace.”
”The Oneidas and Senecas are brothers,” said Deersfoot. ”A cloud sometimes has pa.s.sed between them; but there is no cloud now. They are brothers still. The young men of the Senecas came to look on the hunting grounds of their brothers.”
”The country of the Senecas is not a good country, then?” asked Barton, ”I had heard that the Senecas dwelt in a garden--that they owned large lakes that are filled with fish, and forests that are filled with deer.”
”My father,” said Deersfoot, in deference to the grey hairs of Barton, ”my father tells the truth; such is the country of the Senecas. The Great Spirit has given us a good land to dwell in. He has given us lakes that are full of fish, and forests that are full of deer. The Senecas and Oneidas belong to the same nation;--together they conquered the Sennape; and the Senecas are proud when they hear of the fame of the Oneidas. Why should we not love to look upon the country of our brothers?”
”I am glad that you like to look upon this valley, Deersfoot. I am glad to hear that there is no cloud between the Senecas and the Oneidas. It would not be well if there were.”
Barton had carefully abstained from touching the point which was likely to be that of controversy. It never comports with the dignity of an Indian to show haste or curiosity; and he knew that he could maintain a better position on the question which would probably arise, if he suffered them, without any manifestation of curiosity on his part, to unfold the nature of their errand.
”The Five Nations were once a great nation,” said Deersfoot, ”they could travel a great many day's journey and not leave their country: the wolf that howled amidst the snows north of the great lakes, they had a right to hunt; and to gather fruits from under the warm sun of the south. But it is not so now. We are now weak; and the pale-faces are strong. The Great Spirit has willed it, and we cannot help it: we would help it if we could. But it does no good to talk. We grow weaker every day.”
”The Great Spirit,” said Barton, ”has not been so unkind to the Five Nations. The warriors of the Five Nations have not always been wise. If they had listened to the words of the Christian teachers who have talked to them, they would have been a stronger nation. But they dug up the hatchet against their brothers of the Colonies, and they lost a great many warriors.”
A gleam of deadly ferocity pa.s.sed over the face of Deersfoot for a moment, and his wild, dark eyes shot forth glances of hatred--but in an instant he recovered his composure.
”It may be that my father speaks wise. The Indians know but a little, and may be they were wrong. They lost a great many warriors, it is true.
But they pleased the eyes of their old men and squaws with many scalps of their enemies. A white man followed every warrior of the Senecas, in the path that leads to the happy hunting grounds of the Great Spirit.”
The tone in which this reply of the Seneca was uttered was sufficiently startling. Ichabod stretched his tall form as if he was about to intrude upon the conversation, but at a gesture from Barton, he remained silent.
Deersfoot, after a moment's silence, continued: ”We have come to have a talk with the pale-faces of the cottage. The Senecas have not got forked tongues. They have buried the hatchet with the Yengeese, and with the Colony pale-faces. They would not dig it up again. Let my brothers hear and be wise. Snake-tongue will speak.”
With these words, he stepped back, with dignity, while Snake-tongue, after a few moment's hesitation, advanced towards Barton. In a low but musical voice, he commenced his harangue:
”My name is Snake-tongue. It is a good name for friends to bear--it is a bad name for enemies. The warrior is known by his name.
”Deersfoot has said that the Five Nations are weak, and that the pale-faces are strong. It may be so; I cannot dispute it. I have seen the Yankee pale-faces fight the Great King over the water for seven winters and summers--they must be strong. Deersfoot has spoken the truth.
”Deersfoot has said that the Five Nations grow weaker every day. We are now _Six_ Nations, and we are weaker than when we were _Five_ Nations.
Why is it so? The pale-faces have slain a great many of our warriors; but that has not made us weak. It is because the Great Spirit has turned the hearts of his red children against each other. If a pale-face slays an Indian, it is wrong; but it is not so wrong as it is for one Indian to slay another. The sad spirit of the dead warrior goes on its path, and complains to the Great Spirit, that its enemy does not follow him, and the Great Spirit is angry. We must shed the blood of the murderer.
It is the law of the Great Spirit, and it is a good law.
”The Yankee pale-faces are strong, when they come together in armies; but are they strong _here_? My father is away from his friends in the settlements; he has but two or three pale-paces with him. Are two or three pale-faces a match for the young warriors of the Senecas? Let my father pause and think.”
”There are five of us, Snake-tongue, with plenty of rifles and powder; and good walls behind which we can stand and pick out our enemies,” said Barton, who saw the tendency of this harangue, and who was disposed to meet the issue half way.
Snake-tongue continued, cold and impa.s.sive. ”My father speaks the truth.
There are _five_ warriors to defend the cottage of the pale-faces. There are _four_ pale-faces, and a red man. But we have buried the hatchet with the pale-faces:--we are no longer enemies, but friends. We do not care whether there are five warriors or twenty in the cottage. We are at peace with the pale-faces. It makes no difference to us. We are friends.”
”Why then, does Snake-tongue make us this long war-speech? It is true that we are friends; let us continue so.”
”My father speaks wise. Let us remain friends. There is no cloud between us and the pale-faces, that the pale-faces cannot put away. A young warrior of the Senecas has been killed, and his enemy has got his scalp.
Did the pale-faces do that? No,--the pale-faces do not take scalps; but an Indian always does; a scalp looks good in his eyes. We would find the scalp of our young warrior! Where is it?”
”I am sorry,” answered Barton, ”if any of your young men have been killed; but Snake-tongue speaks true; he was not killed by the pale-faces. I do not know where his scalp is.”