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FAMOUS AMERICAN INDIANS.

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

INCLUDING

INCLUDING AN ACCOUNT OF THE EARLY WARS OF THE SLK

NATIONS. AND THE BORDER WARFARE

OF THE REVOLUTION.

urf

EDWARD EGGLESTON

AND

LILLIE EGGLESTON SEELYE.

NEW YORK:

DODD, MEAD & COiMPANY,

PUBMSnERS.

.1 V'

Copyrif kt, 1879, by Dodd^ Mead & Comtamv. •

9 CO/

88 4 o

CONTENTS.

PAGE

Preface ix

CHAPTER I.
The People of the Long House ii

- CHAPTER n.

. , ' ' '

Champlain and the Five Nations 22

CHAPTER III.
A Battle in the Woods 32

CHAPTER IV. •
Champlain Attacks a Seneca Town 37

CHAPTER V.
An Indian's Revenge 48

CHAPTER VI.
A Prisoner among the Five Nations 51

IV CONTENTS.

•«

PAGB

CHAPTER VII.
A Mohawk Peace 66

CHAPTER VIII.
The Ruin of a Nation 74

CHAPTER IX.
Canada in Danger 8}

CHAPTER X. ,
In the Lion's Jaws 93

CHAPTER XI.
What Seventeen Young Men Did 106

CHAPTER XII.
The Conquerors 114

CHAPTER XIII.
How a Girl Defended a Fort 117

CHAPTER XIV.
Brant's Patron 128

CHAPTER XV.
An Indian War Council 137

■

+ f

CONTENTS. V

PAGE

CHAPTER XVI.
Brant's First Battle 142

CHAPTER XVn.

The Six Nations in Brant's Boyhood 150

CHAPTER XVIII.
Brant at the Battle of Niagara 159

CHAPTER XIX.
Brant's School Days 164

CHAPTER XX.
Sir William Johnson and the Pontiac War 167

CHAPTER XXI.
Brant in Time of Peace 176

CHAPTER XXII. .
The Storm Brewing 182

CHAPTER XXIII.
Brant, the War Chief 191

CHAPTER XXIV.
The Battle of The Cedars 197

vl CONTKNTS.

PAGE

CHAPTER XXV.
Wooden Guns and False Dispatches 202

CHAPTER XXVI.
Attempt to Kill Brant 206

CHAPTER XXVH
The Forerunners of a Siege 211

CHAPTER XXVni.-
The Siege of Fort Stanwix 218

CHAPTER XXIX.
The Battle of Oriskany 222

CHAPTER XXX.
How a Simpleton Raised the Siege 231

CHAPTER XXXI.
War on the Border 244

CHAPTER XXXII.
The Massacre of Cherry Valley 252

CHAPTER XXXIII.
Brant's Battle on the Delaware 261

CONTENTS. VII

TACK

CHAPTER XXXIV.
Red Jacket 266

CHAPTER XXXV.
The Invasion 270

CHAPTER XXXVI.
Brant Gives Battle to General Sullivan 276

CHAPTER XXXVII.
Brant and his Captives 286

CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Retaliation 295

CHAPTER XXXIX.
Brant's Second Visit to England 308

CHAPTER XL.
Red Jacket, the Orator 318

. CHAPTER XLI.
Red Jacket Tried for Witchcraft 333

CHAPTER XLII.
An Indian Game of Ball 340

VIU

CONTENTS.

PAGE

CHAPTER XLIII.
Red Jacket's Plot against Brant — Brant's Death. . 344

CHAPTER XLIV
The Battle of Chippewa

352

CHAPTER XLV.
Anecdotes of Red Jacket ,

359

PREFACE.

In this book we have endeavored to keep in
view the main purpose of the series — to make the
history of our country interesting to the general
reader, and especially to young people. We have
consequently treated with fulness those passages
in the history of the Iroquois, and in the lives of
Brant and Red Jacket, that had to do with per-
sonal adventure.

We have not thought it necessary to encumber
the pages of a book intended for popular use
with references to authorities.

We are of course very largely indebted to the
voluminous and painstaking works of Colonel
William L. Stone, the " Life of Brant," in two
octavo volumes, and the *' Life of f^ed Jacket."
These works, compiled from original documents,
are of the highest authority and value, but their
very fulness of information and quotation renders
them more useful to the historical student than to
the general reader. We are also greatly indebted
to *' The Campaign of Lieut.-Gen. John Burgoyne,"
by Willium L. Stone, Esq., the younger, and
" The Life and Times of Sir William Johnson."

- vnmsiii..

PREFACE.

by the same author. The younger Mr. Stone has
ably and diligently worked the historic lead
opened by his father, so that the careers of the
two writers seem to be but one. " The History
of the Five Indian Nations," by Cadwallader
Colden (1727); "The Annals of Tryon County,"
by William W. Campbell ; " The League of the
Iroquois," by Lewis H. Morgan; " History of the
Indian Tribes of Hudson's River," by E. M. Rut-
lenbcr ; " The Life of Capt. Joseph Brant "
(Brantford, Ontario, 1872); Cusick's "Sketches of
Ancient History of the Six Natimis;" Drake's
" Indian Biography ;" Bancroft's " History of the
United States ;" " Letters and Memoirs of Ma-
dame de Riedesel," with others of less importance,
have been laid under contribution in the writing
of this book. Mr. Schoolcraft's " Notes on the
Iroquois" we have examined carefully, but it has
furnished little of value.

Especial mention should be made of the elo-
quent histories of Mr. Francis Parkman, to which
we are almost wholly indebted for the account of
the early wars of the Iroquois, and all that part of
the narrative which touches on the relations of
the French and Indians. The reader who wishes
to pursue the study of the early history of
America with delight cannot do better than to
follow Mr. Farkman's lead.

The Authors.

.' f

■■aiaBifg|grjTTnrii_M;ii;,i*waii«<«iMWN»«>t«ii«»i^

CHAPTER I.

THE PEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE.

The most celebrated of North American Indian
nations was the confederation of tribes known as
the Five, and subsequently the Six Nations,
called by the French the Iroquois, and styled by
tliemselves Ho-dc-no-saii-iiCi\ or People of the Long
House. It is difficult to get any idea of this great
savage nation previous to the arrival of white men
in North America. Like all barbarous peoples,
the Iroquois have carried down volumes of tradi-
tions with regard to their origin. One of tlieir
legends relates how they and their world were
created. According to this talc, there were origi-
nally two worlds, an upper and a lower. The
latter was in darkness. At one time a woman sank
from the upper into the lower world, causing great
alarm to the monsters who lived there. They,
very hospitably, however, prepared to receive the
descending woman. \ turtle j)laced himself on
the surface of the water beneath her, while a
monster sank into the de[)ths and procured a hand-

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

ful of earth, which he deposited upon the turtle's
back, who immediately on receiving the woman
became a great island, covered with earth. (So
the Indians conceive of the American continent.)
This woman was the mother of twin boys ; the one
of a gentle disposition was called the Good Spirit,
the other, with the opposite characteristics, was
called the Evil Spirit.

When the children had grown up, the Good
Spirit became dissatisfied with the dark, unfruitful
v/orld in which he lived, while the Evil Spirit pre-
ferred his home as he had found it. The former,
however, took the head of his mother, who was
dead, and from it created the sun, which he hung
in the heavens. Of her body he made the moon
as a lesser light for night, and, according to Indian
imagination, traces of the woman's arms and legs
may yet be seen on the face of the moon. At the
sight of light, the monsters of the water retired
into the depths.

The Good Spirit now decorated the great island
with streams and forests, animals and fishes. But
the Evil Spirit went around marring his work by
making on the island waterfalls, mountains, and
steep places, which things are evil, being nothing
but obstructions, in the eyes of an Indian. The
Good Spirit at last created men and women to

THE PEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE.

inhabit the island, and appointed the thunder to
water the earth. The Evil Spirit made reptiles
and injurious animals, and finally made clay ima<;es
of the men which his brother had created, and
these became apes.

The brothers finally decided to settle by a battle
which should be ruler of the world. For tw(3
days they fou|^ht, leaving a track behind them like
the path of a whirlwind. The G(M)d Spirit at last
gained the victory, Indian-like, by stratagem. The
Evil wSpirit, as he fell dying to the ground, declared
that he would have equal power with his brother
over men's souls after death. Thus he became the
dreaded Evil Spirit, while his brother is the Good •
or Great Spirit.

The Iroquois, or Five Nations, were the wildest,
most ferocious and ambitious of Indian peoples.
Through the strength of their permanent confeder-
ation they swept the country with their conquests,
from the Mississippi to Maine, and from Canada to
the Southern States. They exterminated whole
tribes of Indians, drove other tribes from their ter-
ritory, and subjugated still others. The French in
Canada found the Algonquin Indians of their
neighborhood overshadowed with a constant fear
of the Five Nations. The Dutch settlers of New
York, in their early acquaintance with the Manliat-

IIRANT AND RED JACKET.

tan Indians, discovered them to be in a state of sub-
jugation to these same Five Nations, paying them
a yearly tribute of wampum ; and e\'en the English
in Virginia heard dread tales of the warlike en-
croachments of a people called the iMassaivajncks,
who were none other than the Iroquois.

When William Penn made his first treaty with
the Delaware Indians, he found them as peaceably
inclined as the Quakers themselves. They were
not lacking, however, in Indian fcnjcity and bar-
barity, as they afterward proved when they had
moved farther west ; but they had been c(^mpletely
subjugated to the overbearing confederacy, which
had forced them to lay aside arms and go under
the appellation of women, the worst of indignities
to an Indian warrior. Once in every year or so,
two old Iroquois Indians would go around among
the Delawares collecting the tribute money, or
wampum, which consisted of beads made of shell.
A single Mohawk chief in a ragged blanket and
dirty clothes might then be seen domineering over
whole bands of degraded warriors.

Traditions are yet handed down in the remnants
of eastern Indian tribes incorporated into civilized
life of the fierce inroads of the Indians of the Five
Nations. The historian Parkman tells with what
excitement a Penobscot Indian in Maine would re-

THE rEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE.

count traditions of the invasion of the Mohawks,
and of the tortures to vvliich tliis tribe of the Six
Nations had put whole villages of his people. " Mo-
hog all devil !" he would exclaim with deep indig-
nation.

Never were Indian tribes better situated for far-
reaching conquest. The Long House of the Five
Nations, as they figuratively styled their country,
lay within the limits (jf the present State of New
York. North of them was Lake Ontario and the
St. Lawrence; east of them, Lake Cham[)lain and
the Hudson; west of them Lake Erie o[)encd a
gateway to the other great lakes; and in llie very
heart of their country was a network of smaller
lakes and rivers. By means of these great natural
avenues, the Irocpiois Indians, witli their birch and
elm -bark canoes, coukl alight upon the h(,mes of
their most distant enemies with all the suddenness
which IS deemed so necessary in savage warfare.

The original Inxpiois confederacy c(msisted of
but hve nations, the Mohawks, Oneidas, Ononda-
gas, Cayugas, and Senecas, and as the Five Na-
tions they were known in early history. They
were subsequently joined by a tribe of siinilar
specch to their own, the Tuscaroras, who, living
farther south, had been their allies in some of their
wars, and who, having been driven from their

UUANT AND RED JACKET.

home in a war with the white settlers, were re-
ceived into the Long House as the sixth nation in
the confederacy. The Mohawks were situated at
the eastern boundary of the Five Nations, and the
Scnecas at the western; or, in the Iroquois fij^-urc
of speech, the Mohawks guarded the eastern door,
the Senecas the western door of the house.

This national bond between fierce and jealous
tribes could hardly have been permanent if it had
not been for that stran<^e Indian institution, the
totem. The Six Nations, in common with other In-
dian trilx3S, were divided into eiijht great clans, or
totems. These totems were known severally by the
names of the Wolf, Bear, Beaver, Turtle, Deer,
Snipe, Heron, and Hawk. Members of a totem
were bound by the strongest fraternal relations to
one another ; and as these totems traversed the
tribal lines, and were found in all the tribes of the
. confederacy, they bound it into one nation. An
Indian must marry into another totem than his
own, while the children belonged to the mother's
totem and not to the father's. Thus the chieftaincy
or sachemship descended in the female line, as this
office belonged only to certain totems. A sachem
was succeeded by his brother, by his daughter's
son, or by his sister's son. A council of the nations
decided upon the successor within the proper Um-

1^1

TIIK PKOl'LK OF 'HIK LONG HOUSE.

its of their customs of hereditary descent, and if
the sachem were not fitted to his ofTice, the council
might (lej)ose him. This office of i)eace-chief, as it
is sometimes called, is entirely different to that of
war-chief, to which an Indian arj-ives throuj^h his
own qualities as a leader, and not Ihroug^hany right
of descent. He who is bold in battle, or has a gift
for leadership, natu?-ally rises to power among the
young braves. So it was with Brant, the warrior,
and Red Jacket, the orator; for the great men of
the Six Nations were all chiefs and not sachems.

In the Onondaga Valley burned the figurative
council -fire of the Six Nations, and here stood the
national council -house where the great chiefs met
to discuss projects of war or treaties of peace. The
meeting of this council, which was called by the
sachems of any nation when they saw fit, was a
great event with the Indians. Belts of wampum,
which are a universal token among Indians of an
important message, were sent by rimners from one
nation to the other, and from that nation to the
next. Meanwhile, the news spread to every little
Iroquois hunting-party through all the wilderness
of their country ; and if the question of the moment
were of sufficient interest, men, women, and chil-
dren made the journey, no matter how toilsome,
to the place of meeting,

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

The council -house was a long structutt:, framed
of poles and covered with bark. Around the sides,
upon rude benches or on the ground, sat the sach-
ems, with perhaps some few favored guests. While
a speech was delivered, in a sing-song tone, the
auditors smoked with perfect stolidity. Nov/ and
then, when they agreed with the orator-, they
would solemnly utter the word *' Nee," or ** Yes."
By way of applause, at the end of a speech, they
would call out, " I lo-ho." Meanwhile, the Onon-
daga sachem who was appointed to keep the wam-
pum belts would receive that which perhaps
accom.panied this speech. He must have had hun-
dreds of belts, but he could tell just what idea each
represented.

At noon two men would enter this solemn as-
sembly, bearing a great kettle of meat swing-
ing from a pole resting on their shoulders. At the
side of this kettle hung a capacious wooden ladle.
The great kettle was carried around the circle, and
each Indian helped himself to an ample supply of
meat with the wooden ladle. After dinner the
grave council continued as before.
'^ The principal towns of the Six Nations were
well fortified, being sometimes surrounded with
three or four rows of high palisades, and furnished
on the inside with platforms for the use of the de-

»»<.'3

w w . ' i i . J 8 i ' .. ^ «^ rar jj|

THE PEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE.

tr*>r\

fenders. Stores of stones were laid up inside to be
hurled upon the heads of besiegers; rnd there
were even some sort of water- conduits provided,
in order that fire from the outside might be extin-
guished. These fortifications often enclosed sev-
eral acres, upon which long cabins were built by
driving posts into the ground, which were then
interlaced with horizontal poles and covered with
bark. Through the middle of these structures,
sometimes more than a hundred feet in length, ran
a hall, and upon each side were small, rude rooms,
partitioned off with poles and bark. Several fam-
ilies would occupy one cabin, building their fires
in tiie central hall, and using the rooms for sleep-
ing.

Around these fires, in the long winter-time, such
traditions as the one we have given at the begin-
ning of the chapter were handed down from parent
to child. Here old braves vaunted their deeds of
savage warfare ; here Indian youths, chafing under
the restraints of an idle life, longed for the excite-
ment of the war-path and the glory of a string of
scalps. These villages were surrounded with
apple -orchards and fields of corn, beans, and
squashes, sometimes several miles in extent.

The Iroquois Indians believe in three sister
deities, the Spirit of Corn, the Spirit of Beans, and

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

the Spirit of Squashes, who guard over these
fruits of the earth. They naturally enough dread
the Spirit of Thunder more than any of their other
gods. He is believed to be the messenger-of the
Great ^Spirit to punish those who displease him.
He lived originally, say the Indians, under Niagara
Falls. They, no doubt, imagined that he made the
thundering of those great waters.

Among the many poetic legends of the Five Na-
tions is that of Hiawatha, on which Longfellow
founded his famous poem. Hiawatha was, they
believed, a god who came and lived among the
Indians, giving them seeds and teaching them use-
ful arts. He it was who originated the great con-
federacy of the Five Nations ; and when this was
accomplished, he ascended into the heavens in his
mystic white canoe.

It may be noticed in all Indian warfare that the
Indians make every exertion to secure their dead.
They believe that unless the body has a proper
burial, the spirit will wander upon the earth in
misery for some time. For this reason they are
accustomed to mutilate the body of an enemy, be-
lieving that they are inflicting injuries upon his
spirit. According to their vague ideas of a future
life, the spirits of the dead must perform a long
journey toward the west before they reach their

'»

»*"■

THE PEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE.

destination. They place beside the body of the
deceased his bows and arrows, pipes, and various
other treasures, that he may have them in the
other world. They also place food upon his grave
and build a fire beside it that he may cook it, and
thus have something to sustain him during his
journey. One authority says that in old times the
spirit was supposed to be a year upon his journey,
but that it is now believed to be accomplished in
three days. We cannot give the reason for this
change, except it be on account of the introduction
of improved means of travel.

It is estimated that the Five Nations, in the days
of their glory, could not have sent four thousand
warri(jrs to battlo. Nevertheless, the dreaded con-
federacy was truly formidable to the infant col-
onies, and more than once it shook Canada almost
from her foundations.

CHAPTER II. "

CIIAMrLAIN AND THE FIVE NATIONS.

The Indians whom the French first encountered
on their settlement of the St. Lawrence were an
mferior race to ftie Iroquois, who .raised no grain,
and who, Uke all races depending solely on the
chase, alternated between gluttony and abject star-
vation. The French colonists, during their first
winter at Quebec, saw one day on the opposite
shore of the river a group of Indians who had
been driven by starvation to seek the home of the
strangers. The river was full of grinding blocks
of floating ice, and to all appearance impassable.
The desperate creatures, however, launched their
frail canoes, jumped into them, and began the pas-
sage. They were caught in the middle of the
stream between the great moving cakes of ice. In
an instant their light canoes v.'ere ground to pow-
der, and it seemed that the occupants must be lost ;
but the quick-footed Indians, men and women
with children on their backs, had leaped upon a
passing block of ice fast floating out to sea. Here

r 1

CIIAMPLAIN AND THE FIVE NATIONS.

2-^

»»'

their situation seemed no better, and a despairinj^
cry arose from the unhappy creatures. Fortu-
nately the block of ice, crowded by other masses,
touched for a moment the northern shore of the
island, and the agile Indians saved themselves.
Mere skeletons as they were, they soon devoured
the food given them by the French, and fell upon
a dead dog left in the snow by Champlain as fox-
bait.

It was the wise policy of the French to make
friends of the inhabitants of the country in which
they had planted their weak little colony ; but in
becoming allies of the Algonquin tribes of the
north and the Hiirons, they little knew what pow-
erful enemies they dared in the Five Nations. A
band of Indians encamped near Quebec, after
heavy and improvident meals from their store of
smoked eels, falling into troubled slumbers, would
see in nightmares the Iroquois upon them, scalp-
ing and torturing. The terror-stricken creatures
would rush to the fort and implore admission,
entirely unmanned by their portentous dreams.

Samuel de Champlain, the brave and adventu-
rous founder of Canada, desirous of making discov-
eries which he had not the means to undertake, and
looking ever, like all the explorers of his day, for a
route by water to the other ocean, resolved to ac-

imANT AxND RED JACKET.

cept the invitation ot the neighboring Indians to
join them in their war with the confederate nations,
at once binding these savages to the French and
affording Champlain an escort into the heart of the
continent. -

By the middle of May, Champlain, with eleven
men dressed in the light armor of the time, con-
sisting of a breastplate and backpiece, the thighs
protected by steel armor, a plumed casque on the
head, a s,word at the side, an" ammunition-box
strung across the shoulder, and in the hand an
arquebuse, or matchlock gun of the day, was pre-
pared to join his allies according to agreement.
But the tardy Huron and Algon(]uin Indians had
not appeared. Champlain, however, was ready to
start, and he started, accompanied only by a band
of Montagnais Indians. As he sailed up the St.
Lawrence in his small shallop, he spied the smoke
and cabins of a savage encampment, which he
found to be that of his savage allies on th'eir leis-
urely way to Quebec. Champlain moved toward
the cabin of the two chiefs, escorted by a gaping
crowd of savages who had never seen white men
' ?efore. Champlain they named " the man with
ti e iron breast." After the usual ceremonies of
ii as ing and mutual speeches were concluded, the
small army moved on down the river, for the In-

CIIAMTLAIN AND Till: TIVK NATIONS. 25

tlians must needs see the fioinc of tlie iron-breasted
strangers, of which they had heard wonderful tales.
At Quebec, Chaniplain alternately feasted his allies
and frijj;^htened theni with the roar of cannon and
nuisketry. Merc the savai^es celebrated their
hideous war-dance, with uneartlily yells and the
flourish of clubs and tomahawks in the ji^laring lirc-
liij;"ht. Champlain, beini^ one of tne war-party,
took part in this wild revel.

The im[)atient adventurer was at last })ermitted
to lead his warriors away. Surrounded by Indian
canoes, the Frenchman's shallop moved up the St.
Lawrence to the river then called by the name of
the Iroquois, but since known as the Richelieu.
Here the Indians camped for several days, fishini^,
hunting, feasting, and quarrelling, which last occu-
pation resulted in the desertion of three fourths of
the party. The remainder pushed on up the Riche-
lieu, the shallop with a fair wind sailing far in ad-
vance of the paddling savages, who had assured
Champlain of a smooth course to the great lake
which they had described to him by means of rude
charts. But the Frenchmen at length heard the
rushing noise of rapids in advance. Ahead of them
they could presently see the foaming water. Leav-
ing his boat at the shore in charge of four men,
Champlain pushed on up the river bank. Explora-

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

tion only convinced him that the rapids were im-
])assable ; his allies had deceived him. The canoes
had come np when Champlain returned to his
shallop. He rebuked the Indians for their lie, but
told them that he, for his part, would still keep his
pledge. In truth, difficulties could not discourage
the discoverer. I le sent his shallop with the most
of his men back to Quebec, while he, with two
Frenchmen who volunteered to follow him, took
the Indian-carry through the forests, in company
with his allies. Before re-embarking above the
rapids, the chiefs counted their forces, which con-
sisted of sixty warriors in twenty-four canoes.

They were now in the debatable land, the battle-
ground of the nations. Ahead of the party ran
swift scouts, behind them marched the main body
in silent Indian tile, and in the rear were hunters
busied in procuring game for the band.

At night all slept within a semicircular enclosure
of logs thrown up for the occasion. No guards
were appointed, but the inevitable medicine-
man, or prophet, was consulted every evening.
While the rude fortifications were being built he
had built himself a lodge of poles, fastened together
at the top, and covered with dirty deerskins. He
crept into his place, 'and began his mumbhng
incantations. Around him sat the awe-stricken

CIIAMPLAIN AND TIIK IIVH NATIONS.

warriors. Sik1(1cii)\- the mysterious cal/m bcij^an
r(jckii\i( from side to side. Behold ihe work of
t' 2 si)irits! thought the Inchans, hut Cliamphiiii
thought it was the work of the medieine-man him-
self, whose hands he beheved he eoukl see on the
shaking poles. '1 his worthy went through terrihc
contorti(jns, ealling loudly, in a strange la.nguage,
to the Spirit, who answered in a ludicrous squeal
from the stone in which he was believed to be
l)resent. Champlain believed this to be devil-wor-
ship.

A primitive mode of indicating the orde^of bat-
tle was used by the Indians on this exi)edition. A
chief took a number of little sticks, and sticking
them in position into the ground, gave each one
the name of some warrior, the taller ones indicat-
ing the chiefs, thus designating the position of each
warrior in battle without waste of words. The
Indians squatted around, studied for a time this
toy army, and then imderst(jod perfectly their
respective positions.

Champlain at last entered the lake which rightly
bears his name. The design of the Indians was to
move on down the lake to where Ticonderosra now
Stands ; from there through Lake George, carrying
their canoes from the south end of this lake into
the Hudson, where they might reach and attack

nUANT AXn U1I> lACKKf.

some Mnhnwlv vill;»i^r. ^t(^'^nvl^il^^ In llic i ii'Jit
lav ll\(* wild AdiKMulai ks, w il«l (\ (II Mill < t Mill i inu\
nn«l (ben ll\(' lunilini;-i;roniitl ol llir luc Nalinns.
ri\t' \\a» patt\ now daicd liaM-l (Mi1\ al iii;'Jil.

Owe «la\ ll\rv I'au (Muampcd iiol lar lioiu ( "lown
l\>i!^.f . 1 > teams ai (Mt| t lie ulniosl iinpot lance amiii^-
savaj^es, atui the ]\\iuc '\u\\h)\\,\\\\ \Uc divanua llic
nu>f(' inipojtanl the dream. I'.mm \ s»u li si;;n aixl
port(M\t is waUhrd r\u\ lor.snllcd h\ Indians on \\\c
war path. McMninj; ailtM niorniii!; ( 'liainplain had
hocai oai;cMl\ ipirstioncd abonl his dicains. \n\\ his
oxoiviso in tlu^ s\V(hM, hx^sh air had procnrcd him a
(iroamloss sloop. On this da v. ho\vr\ or, ho shrowdiv
tiix\inu\l that ho saw tho Iroipmis Indians dtowniniL;*
in tlu^ lako ; ho nndortook to rosouo thom. hnl I. is
allios ti^ld him to loavo thoni l>o. tlu^v worc^ j^ood
\^^v nothinj;". This droam. rooonnli'd to tho Indians
on awaking'. ]>i(>voil o\ooodini;l\ exhilarating" and
tho happiost ol portonts. idio war-part v omharkod
at dusk. About ton tVohndv, dark ohjoots woro soon
moving- on tho wator hoforo thom. It. was a partv
of Iroquitis in ihoir mo!0 pondorous olm-bark
canoos. whioh woro usod whoro birch-bark was
scarce. Instantlv tho war-whoop rose from botli
parties. Tho Iroquois })ushod ashore, antl bei;an
barricading- themselves with tiees w'hich they
felicd. Meanwhile, Champlain's friends lashed

ciiamim/Mn; AN'f) ifiK irvr, nations.

2t)

llu if ( .inncs In^rcf |)(|- ;iih1 i ( iii;iinc(| nii llic w.'ifrT,
i\ linW'Jiot llnlil llir I I u( |l|( »!'.. Ilx |||(|i;iim nil

slinic l.iln (I ( (I. 1 lie liidi.'iMS ill llir hnaf'; 'l;inM(| ;is
iiisolciillv iis llii'V dated in llini had (tail, tli<;
iii^lil K'sniindcd willi laiml;, lliicals, hoa^f'., and
sallies nl nidc Indian wil, llimun ha( k and [oitli
bt'twccn lli(s<' ninilal cncniics. ,

As day da\vn((l, llic llncf I'm ik Inn' n lay low in
scparalc Cannes. In llie(aily ni(»ininf', iIk tafl of
Ixials a|>|>i(ia( lied the slioie, and llie|>a»ly land( (I
{it sniiie dislaiKc Ikmii llie li(if|iinis l»ani(ade. Out,
()l (his (MkIosiik' liled llie r iiein y, some | wo lnin-
(Ired stalwart warriors, t Ik ir < liiefs marked hy tlic
tallest liead-dresscs. The Al^n)n(|iiin Indians ho
^an to treinhle. I hey (ailed lor their champion,
the man ol the iion hreast. ( hani|»lain passfd
through their ranks, and sto()d in hill view of the
ap|)roat:hin|!;- Inxpiois. (ireat was the ast(>nish-
inent of these Indians at the strange si^^ht, hut in
the next instant there was a Hash, a r<;j>'irt, and
t wo chiefs fell dead. The hrave Iro^piois raised a
hideons wai-whoo|), and stood for a moment, at.
their j)()sts, sending clouds of whi/.zinj^ arrows into
the enemy's i-anks. lint shot after shot from th(;
two ambushed I'VenchmtMi, and more execution
h"om Cdiamplain's match-lock, sent them flying in
terror at this supernatural warfare. Fiercely the

IN'

I1K/>\T AND Ur.D JACKKT.

llll

victorious Indians followed lliciu, killed sonic, and
took some j)i isoneis. The inexitahlr si-cjiiel lol-
lowcd, as il v.Muld have lollowcd in tlie li()(|nois
eainp had tliev Ik'cmi Ihe \iclors. A piisoner was
pnl lo lortnre. C'hainplain wanted lo send a hullc I
tln"oiii;li '.lie heart ol (he unllinehini;" victim, whose
j;-lorv w.«s to uttei" not a L;roan, tauntins;" and lanta-
li/iny; (<) tlu* last. Hut the i'renchman was relused.
lie tinned and lied into the woods, unahle to en-
tlurc the cruelty ol his savage liicuds, but he was
recalled, and permitted to end tlu' Indian's misery
■\vith his s;un.

'J'he savages quickly started honu^ward to enjoy
lluMr triumphs at tluMrown yilhii^es. At the mouth
of the Richelieu the llurons and AlL;'on(|uins sejia-
rateil from Champlain and the Moiitaii;nais Intlians,
fu'st dividiui^ prisoners ami inxitini^ Champlain to
join them ai;aiu in battle.

While in camp one ni<:;ht on their lionieward
journey, one of Champlain's Indian com])ani()ns
dreamed that the still dreaded Iroquois were upon
them. One and all, in darkness and rain, they
paddled to some islands and hid themselves in the
rushes. jNIorning light dispelled their fears, and
they reached that day their village, where they
were met by the squaws, who swam out into the
water to receive with fiendish triumph the tokens

CirAMI'l.AIN A\F) [III; I IVK NATIONS.

of victory. Chaiuplaiii liiiiisclf was allotcd ihc
head and arms of a dead Inxjuois, vvdiicli prcduub
gilts were to be presented to his king,

cii\rri-u 111.

A liAirii: IN '111' wood:

CjIAMVI \in h.ul. as he s. :«1. "(wo stiii\,i;s lo liis
bow." \\\c Mout;ii;n;MS ln(li;>ns h.ui promised to
iliiiilo him !o IIihIsimTs P..i\. ;uuI \\\c llmoiis lo
lakr Www \o iUc (\\ca\ l.aUos ami show liim roppci-
mim\s. l-athtM- ol tlu\so j;rcMl walors mii;lil opi-ii
the i\ncti\l route to liuha. To cacU tribr \\v had
prt>mis(.\l. in niurn. to ti^iil with i\\c\w their mu-
tual ontMuios, the Indians ol tiu^ hive Nations.

l>ne nhi^ht ha\i^ seen, on a hiii^ht June dav in
i(MO. an island at the mouth oi the Kiehelieu alive
with Indians in an unusual state ol ailivi'.v. idie
HuR^nsand Ali;om|uins wcmv expeeted to join them
in an cxpediti(>n aj^ainst the Inujuois. CMuunplain
was already there, and the i;ri>und must be i leaicd
of trees lor a danee ami least. Some I'reneh lur-
traders had just arrived at the spot, doubtless hop-
ing- tor brisk business on this festive ilav. vSud-
ilcnlv a solitary canoe was seen shot)tini2- tlown the
river. On it came, as thouirh the lives of the In-
diaiis within were at stake.

A ISA I I l,l': IN I III'- WOODS,

'I Ik Iii(|i;iii'. ill llic(;iii(»c wcic inrs' <ii^''('rs from
(lie iillics, wlio li;i'l iiHl.hiil .1 Ic.'ijmk from llicir
r(ii(lr/\( (lis, (Mic ol llic liiiKSu liini^ vv.ii p.'irtics ol
(lie I'ivc Niilioiis, No sooner fi.'id llic,- <\<\\\c] cii
I li<ii iiicssai^c lliiiti ;i Iickc yell rose hom llir Mon-
l;i^ii:iis I ii(ll;iiis, \\ lio Mi;it( lir'l shields ;iii(l vve;i[)'»fis
and I n milled into I heir eaiioes, scream in;; to (*ham-
nlain and I he Ini t radcrs lo follow them. I he hit-
ter were nol so inelined, however.

" ^'o^l :ire women, t^ood for nothing; hiil lo make,
war on l)ea\cr skins," wasthelaim) linn;; hack at.
them as Ihe Indians paddled away.

Champlain and four ni(;n who were .'ilica/ly in
canoes sped alont; with the Indians, whose boats
no sooner loiu lied shore than they disa|>j)eared in
the woods. The i'renchmen, burdened with ar-

mor, could not keej) up with their Indian allies,
whose war-whoops ^rew more and more distant.
Tliey soon found themselves alone on a sultry day
in the midst of a swamp, in a cloud of mosf|uitoes
"which were so thick," sa\n Chanijtlain, " that we
could not breathe, S(j cruelly did the\ perseci. .
us."

i i

I (I

15RANT AND RED JACKET,

SinkinjT knee -deep into the swampy ground,
wadiiii^, clamberini^, tripping, angry, the battie
going forward, they knew not where — in this ridic-
ulous i)ositi()n did the Frenchmen find themselves. |
They ])resently spied some Indians running
through the woods, to whom they called for guid-
ance, and in a short time heard the distant howl-
ing of an Indian battle. They ran toward a rude
clearing made by the Iroquois in building the
breastwork behind which they were now at bay,
fighting savagely. In the edges of the forest, fnjm
among the trees, fought the attacking allies. They
had just made an imsuccessful onslaught on the
enemy. Fierce }ells of encouragement arose as
the Frenchmen ap})eared on the scene, with an an-
swering whoop from the sa\ages within the barri-
cades. A stone arrow-head s})lit Champlain's ear
and lodged in his neck. He coolly pulled it out,
and tiu'ncd to do the same for one of his men who
had met with a like accident. In a moment more,
amid whizzing arrows, the Frenchmen ran up to
the barricade and shot through the crevices at the
Iroquois within. The latter had not yet overcome \
their terror of the bottled thunderbolt which they
themselves would wield so dexterously in a few
more v(\nrs. At everv explosion they would throw
thcmrelvcL; Hat upon the ground. Flated, the at-

A BATTLE IN THE WOODSc

tacking Indians tore down !()<;• after lof^ from the
stout barricade. Chaniplain had gathered a large
band of warriors at the edcfe of the forest for ifie
final scaling of the barriers with a rush, when
some traders, headed by a Frenchman named Des
Prairies, made their appearance, eager to take part
in the battle.

Chaniplain waited lor a moment in order that
the traders, as he savs brutiilly, " might share
in the s[)ort," and then led his wild attaek on
to the barricade, up and ovcm- which thev seram-
bled brax'elv, though sadlv torn and scratched,
the Irocjuois within leaping and writhing under
the liie of the Frenclnneii. The barricade was
scaled and the deadU' work tniished. The bat-
tle was won.

Fifteen survivors only remained to be l)urned
by their captors. Cham])lain saved one |)ris-
oner from torture, but the remainder eould
not be rescued from their fiendish victors. A
few were reserved for the squaws at home,
who were even more inventive in cruelty than
themselves.

It was not imtil three years after this battle that
Champlain claimed an escort of the Indians in a
voyage of discovery. This time he ascended the
Ottawa River in search <jf a i)assage to the north-

/; r

• 1.

I5Ry\NT AND RED JACKET.

n sea which an ini])()st()r named Vio-nan, who
liacl lived sonic time among the Indians, pretended
he had found.

'('Ml

liii.

ho
ed

CHAPTER IV.

ClIAMl'LAIN ATTACKS A SENECA TOWN.

CiTAMPLAiN saw his Indian allies "like brute
beasts, without faith, without law, without relijrion,
without God." lie returned from one of his voy-
a<^es to France with four Rccollet friars, inllanied
with zeal to carry the true faith into the wilder-
ness.

Meantime the Indian tribes otherwise separated
agreed in importuning Champlain for aid against
the common enemy, the Five Nations. It was the
policy of New France to give this aid, and Cham-
plain was ever ready for new adventure and fresh
discovery, He attended a council of Ottawa and
Huron Indians, at which they agreed to furnish
about twcnty-hve hundred men, to which Cham-
plain promised to add all he could command, and
with this force they planned to strike a blow at
the very heart of the redoubtable Five Nations.
Champlain went to Quebec to make preparations,
and when he returned to Montreal, where the
council had been held, he found that the lickle

'/ .,-

■I J

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

! !

Indians had vanished. One of the friars, Father
J()j^c])h Lc Caron, determined to spend the winter
anioni^ the savages, had gone with them, accom-
panied by twelve well-armed Frenchmen.

With Chnmplain, a project once undertaken was
pursued to the end. Taking with him two Indians,
Etienne Brule, his interi)reter, and one other
Frenchmon. lie ascended the Ottawa and its
tributary, ilr '»ttawan. He crossed the In-
dian carry Jrom tiiir stream to Lake Nipissing,
where lived : -^and of Indians of this name, after-
wards called " the Sorcerers" on account of their
special devotion to witchcraft and medicine-men.
Champlain's party descended the outlet of this
lake, and here they suffered nuicli from hunger;
for the im})rovident Indians had swallowed the
provisions destined for the whole journey, and
now bore the consequent hunger stoically enough,
no doubt. The party lived for days on blueberries
and raspberries, which they fortimately found in
abundance. One day their eyes were greeted
with the sight of Lake Huron, which was perhaps
the north sea described by Vignan, he having
heard doubtless of its wide expanse from the In-
dians. In their light canoes the party soon reached
a Huron town surrounded by Indian corn, pump-
kins, and simllowers. Here the travellers were

CHAMri.AlX ATTACKS A SKNECA TOWN. 39

bountifully feasted. They moved from town
to town until they reached the one of their desti-
nati()n,g-aarded by a triple palisade thirty-five feet
hi<^h. At this })lace Friar Le Canjn had his winter
home, a cabin of bark. The friar and Chainj)lain
embraced when they met.

Mass was celebrated by the Frenchmen. Mean-
time day after day passed in feasting and idleness.
Champlain became restless, and with some of his
men explored the neighborini^ country. At last
the llurons and their allies had assembled. More
were to join them in the country of the Irocpiois.
The army set out, sto])})in<4- at one place to fish
and at another to hunt deer. Five hundred In-
dians formed in line, and, closinj^ in around the
deer, drove them on to a })oint where Indians in
canoes slaughtered them as fast as they took to the
Avater. The interpreter, Etienne Brule, volun-
tarily heading a party of twelve Indians to hasten
the allies to the place of rendezvous, had parted
from the main band.

Crossing Lake Ontario, the Indians hid their
canoes, and the army began its rapid silent liliug
through the woods. F(jr four days this steady
march was continued through the country of the
Five Nations, one Iroquois hshing-partv of men,
women, and children being captured. They at

likWT ,\\I> KKI) lACKKT.

i}\ i

t i

':A

I :!

niit

last caino upon llu' StMUHNi jowti of ihc'w (Icsliiia-
tion. Skiilkiiii'' bi'lriiul liri's on llir v(.\iic ol \\\c
forest, \\\v\ could sec tlic Scticcas <j^alhcriiii^
tlicir liarvcsts of liuliaii corn and i)uin|)kiiis.
Nothiuix could restrain tlic ini[)ctuosity of the IIu-
rons. With a wiKl war-whoop thcv rushed upon
their enemies, wlio, in turn, fid'cely defended tlieni-
selves and routed the attackini:; i)arty. C'iuunphiin
and his conij)anions were obUi^yd to interlere from
thcedi^eof the forest with a brisk fire, wliicii foi-ced
tlie Senecas to retreat within tlieii" town ; not,
however, until thev iiad seciu'cd their dead and
woinuleil.

The disordered anil impulsive attack had now
closed the way to any furthei surprise; and this
castle ol the Senecas was very h)rmitlable. Before
the besiei;'ers rose the palisaded walls, four rows
deep and thirty feet in height, surmounted by a
shielded ii;allery. The town stcK)d upon the shore
of a pond or lake, and water was let into it from
this by means of sluices, wdiile gutters wxM"e
supplied upon the palisades for use in case of
fire.

Champlain berated his allies soundl}', around the
evening camp-fires, for their inconsiderate attack.
On the folUnving morning they all set vigorously
to work under his guidance. Trees were hewed

■5'

tllAMI'LAIN A'IIA( KS A SKNKCIA TOWN. 4I

down, and from llicni [i rude wooden tower
was hiiill, liii;lier than the palisades ol the Seneea
town. (Ireat, movable wooden sliields, under cover
of which the wallsof the town could Im' hred, were
made in imitation of tliose used in the middle
a.Lces. One can imai^ine the astonishment, of the
lro([uois warriors as tliey watched tliis work. In
a lew hours all was done, and the assault hei^an.
'J\vo hundred of tl:e stronj^^est Indians bravely
dra.i;,L,^ed the tower to within a pike's leni^th of the
town. Three I'retichmen mounted to the top of
tliis struetuie and opened Tiie upon the imnates.
The elated besie<^a'rs were frantic; nothini^ could
control them. Shoutin<;, leapin,i,s and dancin.i; in
every form of disorder, their arrows rattled around
the well-defended town, from which they were
answered with showers of stones. In their eai^er-
ness they abandoned the movable shields desi,i^ned
to cover attem})ts to lire the palisades. One bold
warrior ran forward, unshieliled, with firebrands.
He was followed by others with cr)mbustible ma-
terial. A lire was built at the foot of the pali-
sades, but Hoods of water (juickly descended upon
it from above. Champlain tried to nuister his
forces into somethiUL;- like order. It was of no use.
Fverv w^arrior had his owji opinion as to what
should be dc^ne. Every warrior shouted, and

IJRANT AND RED JACKET.

iii

Champlain could not licar liis own voice in the
confusion.

After three hours the attack was al:)an(h)ned.
Seventeen Indians were wounded, and Chani])lain
himself was disabled with two arrows in liis lej^s.
The savaj^es were now as disheartened as they had
been elated. It was a gl(K)iTiy concourse which vSat
around the evening- canij)-fire. Champlain urged
a renewed attack, but the Indians w(ndd not budge ;
so easily is Indian courage damj^ed. They re-
solved to wait the arrival of the hve hundred al-
lies who were expected to meet them here. • For
five days they waited, spending the time in skir-
mishing, and then the hckle army filed away, at-
tacked fiercely in the rear by the Senecas. The
wounded were carried off doubled up into baskets
and strapj)ed upon the backs of Indians. We can
imagine the impatience of Champlain, who was still
among the wounded, and who, as he says, could
"no more move than an infant in swaddlinsf-
clothes." Never was a man perhaps in a more
uncomfortable position. " I lost all patience,"
says he, " and as soon as I could bear my weight
T got out of this prison, or, to speak plainly, out of
hell."

Meantime where was Etienne Brule, the intrepid
messenger to the allies ? After leaving the main

CHAMPLAIN ATTACKS A SENECA TOWN. 43

body of warriors, he and his companions had
crossed Lal<e Huron and })icked tlieir way throui;h
the forests, avoidin^i;- paths and trails, for they were
in the Seneca country. They nevertheless suc-
ceeded in niakinjLj some Iroquois priscjners, which
they carried to the town where the allies — prob-
ably Erics — lived. Here, th()u<;h but three days'
march from the besieged town, the Frenchman
must needs be feasted and entertained, and when
the battle-g-round was reached the besiegers were
gone.

Brule must spend the winter among the Indians,
but, adventurer as he w^as, he was not averse to
this. He spent his time in exploring a kirge river,
probably the Susquehanna.

In the spring several Indians offered to accom-
pany him to the country of the llurons on his
homew^ard journey. As they were marching
through the enemies' country a band of Irocpiois
suddenly rushed u])on them. The i)arty scat-
tered. Brule ran from his pursuers deep into the
woods and found himself ahjne and saved, but only,
as it seemed, to die of hunger. For days he wan-
dered, and at last came upon an Indian foot-path.
Preferring to risk the Iroquois rather than to starve,
he followed the path. He saw ahead three Indians
bearing freshly-caught fish. Brule called to them

I^RANT AND RED JACKET,

in the Huron lan^iia^c, which was allied to the
Iroquois. Astonished at his strant^e costume and
arms, his pale face and beard, the Indians be^an
to run from him. But the starving Frenchman
flung down his arms and told the story of his
hunger. The Indians turned back, smoked a peace-
pipe with him, led him to their village, and fed
him. Me was surrounded by an amazed crowd of
Iroquois. * ■

" Where did you come from ?" said they. " Are
you not one of the men of iron who make war on
us?

" No," answered Brul6, " I am of a nation better
than the French, and friends to the Five Nations."

But the Indians did not believe him. The evi-
dence was against him, and they determined to
burn their victim. The chief endeavored to save
his life, but the bloodthirsty savages must have
their way. Brul6 was tied to a tree, tortured with
firebrands, and his beard was pulled out by the
handful. The prisoner wore around his neck an
Agnus Dei. One of the Indians asked what it was,
and tried to snatch ;'-

"If you touch that," said Brule, "you and all
your people will die."

But the Indian was determined to touch it. It
was one of those oppressive, sultry days which

!■ J

CIIAMPLAIN ATTACKS A SKNKCA TOWN. 45

precede a thunder-storm. Brul6 solemnly pointed
to the black clouds, uhicli had swept minoticetl
into the sky, as signs of the anger of his God. A
fierce storm broke, and the savages, struck with
superstitious fear, fled. Their victim must have
been indeed grateful, as he stood under the drench-
ing shower still bound to the tree. The friendly
chief returned, after a time, and set him free.
From this time on Brul6 was flieir companion at
feast and dance, and doubtless s{)ared no pains to
make himself agreeable to his Iroquois hosts.
When at last he escaped, and reached again his
home in the little colony, his face was marked with
the scars of his burning, and he was probably then
dubbed Etienne Brule, or Etiennc the Burned, the
name by which he has come down to us in history.
Champlain himself had had his adventures ere he
returned to Quebec. On reaching the home* of the
Huron Indians, the chief would fain have allowed
him an escort, but the w^arriors, in the free-
dom of Indian democracy, wxre none of them in-
clined to undertake the guidance of Champlain.
He, too, must spend the winter with the Indians.
He accompanied them on their fall hunt. At one
time he was lost. He had wandered away to shoot
a bird of bright plumage. For several days he
travelled through the woods, despairing of ever find-

I ;■

•liii

111

BRANT AxNI) KKD lACKF/I".

iiiiX the camps of liis friends. I leal last foiiiul a tiny
stream wliicli ho resolved to follow, hopini;- it
niij;lit lead to the liver o!) whieh the Indians were
encami)ed. lie followed this stream, walked
around the borders of a lake into whieh it lan,
followed it, ai;ain as it ran out, and at len.i;th came
upon the very eamp he was seekini;-, to the j^ieat
jov of the Indians, who never allowed C'haiuplain
to i^o olT alone ai;ain.

The winter was sjient in vcn'a^ces of discovery,
in w hieh the explorer soui^ht to extend the trade
of his colony, lie was at one time called upon to
settle an Indian quarrel whieh threatened to result
seriously. The llurons had presented the Ottawas
with an Iroquois prisoner, that they miij^ht have
the pleasure ol torturini;' him. The latter Indians,
however, adojited the Iroquois and treated him
kindly. The llurons were enraged, and one of
t'neir warriors stabbed the prisoner in the very
face of the chiefs who had adopted him, and they,
in turn, shot the murderer through and through
•with arrows. This seemed likelv to be a fruitful
source of trouble, and war between the tribes
would cut off much of the colony's trade with the
Indians. A collision had already taken place wdvjn
Champlain w^as called on to act as umpire. He
met the hostile chiefs in solemn council, spoke to

'. m

I ^

CIIAMI'I.AIN A'l lACKS A SKNKCA I OWN.

them of the folly of division rinionj^'' themselves
when the- eonnnoii ciR'Hiy, the I'ive Nations, stood
ready to destioy tliem. lie ur«;ed them to shake
jiands and be brothers again. I^eaee was made,
gifts of vvami)um were exehanged in reparation for
ail injuries done, and the ehiefs of both nations
smoked together again. Cliamplain at last reaehed
Quebee, where he was received as one risen fnjui
the dead.

n 1

i ; ; ; »

111

i 1:

ti *

CHAPTER V

AN INDIAN'S REVENGE.

The Hurons and their tribes of allies felt them-
selves powerless against the ev^er-encroaching Iro-
quois. There is a story in the early annals of the
Six Nations which shows with what a death-gripe
the Hurons and Algoncjiiins fought their great
enemy. Some of the war -chiefs of the latter In-
dians, who felt themselves helpless in more open
warfare, had resolved to effect what they could by
stratagem. Among them was Piskarct, the inmic-
diatc cause of whose revem^^eful hate was the burn-
ing of one of his brother-chiefs at the hands of the
Iroquois. Pi'ovided with guns purchased from the
French, Piskarct and four other chiefs set out in
search of the enemy. They paddled up the St.
Lawrence and into the Richelieu River, where they
saw five Iroquois canoes. Believing the chiefs to
be the forerunner of a large force, the Iroquois at j
first attempted to escape, but when they saw no
more follow, they gave their war-whoop and
ordered the chiefs to surrender.

AN INDIAN S REVENGE

" I am already your prisoner," answered Piska-
rct, " and 1 can no long^er survive the death of my
companion whom you have burned ; but that I may
not be accused of cowardice, come out into the
middle of the river."

Piskaret's guns had been previously loaded with
two bullets joined together with a wire, and de-
signed to tear in pieces the birch-bark canoes of
the Iroquois. These Indians paddled swiftly into
the centre of the stream.

" Each man choose his canoe," said Piskaret to
his companions.

As the Iroquois approached, Piskaret made a
feint of trying to escape. The Iroquois' canons
separated in order to surroimd the enemy, who
now sung their death -song in feigned despair.
Suddenly the dreaded matchlocks were raised,
each man levelled at a canoe, and the report echoed
in the distant woods. The Indians of the Five
Nations had not }'et overcome their dread of fire-
arms. Terror-stricken, they tumbled out of their
sinking canoes. Piskaret and his companions
quickly despatched them in the water, with the
exception of several chiefs, who were doomed to
underi^o a similar death to that of Piskaret's
friend.

But Piskaret's revenge was far from being sati-

TKANT ANT) Kl O JACK FT.

lit

atcd. No one was found hold cnou,<^li lo follow
hin) in liis next cxpcdilion. 1 \v slailt'd out in llic
(."ailv spring", wlu-n ihc sno\v had hcii^un lo int'lt.
I fc put. his snow-shoes im hackwards — a favorite
trick with the Indians to deceive people as to the
direction they have taken. I'iskaret also walked
lor some distance aloni;- a hai'e ridi;-e. When he
came within sii;ht of one of the vilhiij^es of the Five
Nations, he iiid in a hollow twc luitil nij^ht, when
he slij^peil out. and selected a place where four ])iles
of wood, placed close lojj^ether, left a small opening-
in the centre. When every one was fast asleej),
I'iskaret entered the villa^-e, walked into the first
cabin, and killin<^ four persons, retired to his hole
with their scalps. The Iroquois were m a great
commotion on the followini^ mornini^. They soon
discovered the footsteps of I'iskaret, which, seem-
ing to lead away from tlie villages, wx^re supposed
to be the track of the murderer who had escaped.
The vounix men of the \ illaire followed this track
in hot [Hirsuit until they came to the bare ridge,
where they lost it. On the h)llow^ing night Fiska-
ret again entered a cabin, and, killing the inhabi-
tants, returned to his wood -pile. Again there was
a great outcry in the morning. All ran in quest of
a track, but none was to be seen except that of the
previous day. They sought in the forests and

, ♦

AN INDIAN S RICVFNr.T-:.

s\vanii)S and clefts in the rocks, but no si^n of a
liuiiian l)''in<^ could he iound. I'lieii llie iiidiaiis
hciXan to suspect tlu" hand of I'iskarct, whom they
knew alread)' too well, in so hold and wily an at-
tack. The next nii^ht, when I'iskaret slij)|)ed into
the town, he saw that there were guards 'n (;very
cahin. But in otu; he discovered a sentinel noddin;^
over his j^ipe. I le resolved to strike his last blow.
With his bundle of scalps un(U;r his ai^n., he ent(T(.'d
and struck the Indian dead with his hatchet. Hut
a <riiard in the other end of the cahin raised the
alarm. Piskaret Hed, pursued by the Irofjuois.
But according- to the story, I'iskaret was so swift
on his feet as to run down deer and buffalo. Now,
Avhen his pursuers approached him, he would i^ive
them an enc()ura<^ing" whoop, and then spriiiL^ from
them and be out of their sii^ht in a moment.

The five or six youni;- men who iiad persisted in
the chase, beini^ worn out with hun^-erand fati<^ue,
stopped, when nig^ht came on, to rest, and were
Sf)on asleep. Meantime I'iskaret was hidden in a
hollow tree, watchini^ their movements, and when
everything was quiet lie slipped upon the sleeping
warriors and killed them all. Nevertheless the
Iroquois afterwards secured the head of this in-
domitable warrior in one oi their raids into his
country, in which they massacred and captured
hundreds of his peoi)le.

CHAPTER VI.

A PRISONER AMONG THE FIVE NATIONS.

! !

Some of the incidents sufficiently illustrate the
whole of the long wars of the Iroquois, which de-
vastated nation after nation of Indians and cramped
and harassed the French colony, cutting off the
trade with friendly tribes upon which it depended,
and making victims of many of her bravest men.
The Five Nations, and cs})ccially the Mohawks,
had now become all too familiar with fire arms
through their trade with the Dutch, with whom
they were on very friendly terms.

The experiences of Father Jogues, a gentle and
scholarly Jesuit, were those of many other captives.
The missionary, accompanied by two devoted
young laymen, Goupil and Couture, with some
eleven canoes of Huron Indians, was on his way
to the home of these savages, where a mission had
been planted. As they ascended the St. Lawrence,
the Iroquois war-whoop resounded through the
still air, and canoes shot forth from their hiding,
place along the banks. Many of the Hurons de-

A rRISONF.R AMONr, THE FIVE NATIONS. 53

vScrtcd their companions, though some stood their
[ground and fought witli the French. But more
Irocjuois a))|)cared from the opposite shore, and tlic
little band took refuge in flight. Goupil and sev
cral Christian Ilurons were captured. Father
Jogues had escaped into the rushes; but when lie
saw his Hock in the clutches of the enemy, he
returned and gave himself up. Couture also
returned, resolved to share the fate of his friends.
The Indians rushed at him; one of them attempted
to shoot him, but his gun missed fire, and Couture,
in his turn, shot the savage down. The others
rushed ii})()n the ^oimg man, tore off his clothes,
ran a sword through his hand, and gnawed and
mutilated his fingers. The tender-hearted Jesuit,
S})ringing toward his companion, threw his arms
around his neck; in a moment more the Indians
laid him senseless with their heavy blows. When
he returned to consciousness, they cut and bit his
hands like those of his friend.

Those who had been in pursuit of the flying In-
dians soon returned with a number of captives, and
the party departed, after having killed at a blow an
old man whom Jogiics had just baptized with his
mutilated hands, and who had refused to leave the
spot. Through the Richelieu they journeyed to
Lake Champlain, the prisoners tormented with

IJKANT AND KF.T) TACKKT.

their wounds and the attacks of mosquitoes. On
the lake tliey met a hir<^e haiul of Inxjuois Ijound
for battle. There was nuitual rejoicin*^ among- the
Indians, and the prisoners were forced to run the
jj^auntlet for the amusement of these warriors.
Father Jogues fell senseless in the midst of this tor-
ture, bruised and bleedin;^ from head to foot. Fire
was subse([uently ap])li'jd to his body in various
])laces, and his hands ag^ain undej'went torture.
The brave Christian Huron chief, also a captive,
Vv^as treated with even more liorrible barbarity.

The poor, bruised Jesuit was the 'first white man
who saw the waters of Lake George, to which he
gave its ancient name of Lac St. Sacrement. At
the head of the lake, the Indians started out by
foot, the wounded prisoners staggering under
heavy loads, while both captives and captors suf-
fered greatly from hunger. As they neared the
first Mohawk town, they were greeted by exultant
crowds of savages, and were immediately forced to
run the gauntlet. In this race Jogues once fell
fainting, but recovered his feet and ran on. The
Frenchmen had rcceiv^ed the heaviest blow\s, and
were bruised and mancrled from head to foot. On
reaching the town, the prisoners wxu'e placed on a
scaffold amid a taunting crowd. For a few mo-
ments they took breath, when a chief shouted to

lit

A PRISONER AMONG TFIE TTVE NATIONS. 55

the otlicrs to come and "caress" the prisoners.
This was a common j)lH-ase anionj^ tiie Indians for
tiie tortures to which tiiey i)ut their enemies. The
Indians now fell upon tlie captives, puttin*^ them tv)
every conceivable form of nuitilation and t(3rment
which wi)uld still leave them alive. After this
they were taken down, laid upon their backs, and
their hands and feet tied to stakes driven in the
^•round, the universal mode among the Indians of
chaining a })risoner. Here the savage cliildren
continue their torture bv placing hot ashes and
live coals upon their bodies.

The ])rogramme was much the same in each of
the three fortified towns of the Mohawks ; for the
Indians must exhibit their captives to all their
countrymen. Once Jogues was himg by the
wrists, but as he w\as on the point of fainting, an In-
dian pitied him and cut him down. Cruel as these
savages were, they were not ahva}'s without the
imj)ulse of pity. But the torturing of prisoners,
and even cannibalism, were a part of the barbarous
customs which were so inexorable among the In-
dians. The custom of torture was alwavs perpet-
uated by the desire for retaliation and the neces-
sity for revenge in the Indian superstition. In every
. Iroquois town were many Indians who had lost
friends by the most horrible death at the hands of

5^>

IJKAN'I* AM) ki:i) lACKKI'.

tlir I'lu'im . It was a pari of lluMr licalliniism lliat.
tlu'sc friends wvvv hrlicvcd to hv h:\\)\)\vv in tin;
future life if their deiith were revenii^ecl. Plius
piisoners must be vSaerificed not only to satisly the
natural barbarity of the coinniunity, but also to
(|uiet the injured relatiyes in anotiier world.

In eyery sufferiuL:^ tlie missionary Jesuits neyer
forn^ot their trust. Helieyin*^ that souls eould only
be sayed by baptism, they took e-very oi^portunity
thus to insure a ha})|)v future for the heathen
around them. Father Jo<;ues, with tortured and
fainting- body, was on the scaffold when four fresh
Huron captiyes were brought in and placed beside
him. lie immediately set to work to conyert his
fellow-sufferers, and, with a few dro})sof rain which
he foujid on an ear of green corn Ayhich was
thrown to him, Jogues baptized two of them.
When the i)aiM y were moying for another town, he
baptized the other two while passing through a
brook.

The young man Couture had gained the admira-
tion of these fierce warriors for his couracfc, not-
withstanding their rage at him for killing one of
'their number. After passing through the most
horrible tortures, he was adopted into an Indian
family in the i)lace of a dead relative. A council ,
was held oyer Jogues and Goupil, but no decision

A PKTSONKR AMONf; TIIK KIVF NATIONS. 57

; ^.i

was arrived at. The captives were taken hack to
the tirst. Mohawk town, to live in shiveiy and con-
stant dani^erof their hves. Meanwhile Joi;ues hap-
tized dyinij^ infants, and the younj^ ni;ui tanij^ht chil-
dren to make the si<;n of the cross. 'I'lie Indians,
su{)erstitions as they were, were often loused to
snspicion by this mysterious sii^n. Goupil had
made it on tlie forehead (A a ij^iandchild of an old
Indian who was his master, and who seein<r it, and
having- been told by some Dutchman that the sii^n
of the cross had to do with the devil, believed that
the child had been bewitched. A suspicion of
witchcraft amonjj^ the Indians will inevitably
cause tiie death of the suspected person, and none
dare take his part lest he also be proclaimed a
witch. jo<4"ues and Goupil had ^^one into the woods
for a walk, prayini;- and consoling one another in
the Hving- martyrdom which they endured. As
they returned toward the town, they were met and
joined by two youn^^ warriors with an evil look
on their stolid faces. As they ncared the village,
a hatchet suddenly gleamed from beneath the
blanket of one of the Indians, and Goupil fell to
the ground with the name of Jesus on his lips. We
cannot but be glad that the young man's death
. was so merciful. Jogucs kneeled beside his friend,
praying and awaiting a like death, when the

if !!

\]\

5«

HUANT AM) KF1> JACKKT.

Tndl.'inR snddiMilv told liiin to ^o lioni(\ Ilavini^
svvw llir l)od\ ot Ins liicMxl ( I i;i !;•<;(•( I lliroiiL;li the
town, |ol;iics spent tlic iiii^ht in j^riil over his hc-
reaviinrul. In ll\e niornini;, rarini^ little lor his.
own lile, the Jesuit started to seek his fiiend's re-
mains.

*' Where are v<'i> i^<>''V!4^ ^*' f*'^^ f*" demanded the
old Indian who had caused Cioupil's death.
*' Don't von see those rurce youn^ braves who are
watehiui;' to kill \'ou ?"

Hut Jollies eared not, and the old man, |)rol)al)ly
imwillinix to lose a slave who was not a witch, took
with him another Indian, and followed the Jesuit
to i)rotect liin\ ai^ainst the bloodthirsty yonntj; men.

Joi^ues founil the poor mans^led body in a nei'^h-
borinj;- ravine, where a little stream ran. I le diew
it. into the bn)ok anil covered it with stones, that
the doi^s might not i;et at it, hopinjj^ to escape from
the town and bury it w here it would not be dis-
turbed. A severe storm swelled the little stream
to a flood, and when Joii^ues cre])t forth in the early
mornins:^ to seek his dead, he fonnd the body goi"-.
He waded into the icy water, he looked among i j
rocks and in the forest, but he could not fmd the
corpse. The gentle-hearted priest kneeled by
tlie roaring brook, and, with tears and groans,
chanted the service of the dead. Long months

A I'UrSONKR AMONC THK FIVp: NATTONR. 59

aftcrwanls lie found I lie holies of his friend in .1
lonesome spot ulicrc" llir pililess huhans had
tliiown Ihe hoily, and j<>,i,nies liad tlie satisfaction
ul <;atIiei-inL;- tlieni n|» and lii(hni^ tliein.

Afte!' t!ie dcalli of his companion, tlie h"^>'''
would f^lacHv l>;i\(' died also, and indrcd he was
monu'nl:nil\- threatened with death. 'I he •^'•eritle,
studious priest was no ohjc ct ol admiration to the
wild wairiois. Thev could appreciate the hravc
Couture, who had killed one; ol his captors hefore
lie was taken, hut this meek man who slaved for
them like a s(|uaw, who relused \n cat their meat.
because they had offered it to their ^ods, who
crouched silcMit: and miserahic in his ra^L(ed skins
at their fireside, i)earin<j;- abuse and burdens j)a-
tienlU, but, risini;- lo slern and reckless indignation
when the\' lidiculed his iclii^ion this man was a
despicable object to the Mohawk braves, and was
cspcciall\- hated l)y the women.

Once when joi^ues was absent from the villa^-e
with a lishin<]^-party, a messens^-er arrived j^retend-
ini;' that si.^'ns of tlie enemv had been seen, but in
realitv telliiiij;' lojnies' master that a war-ixirty
wliich had gone out against the Fi-ench was de-
feated and destroyed, and that vengeance must be
wreaked on the head of the Jesuil. I>ut on leach-
ing the town, the party louiid that IrcbU ucws had

fio

nUANT AND Ki:n lArKF.'l'.

arrivod : (ho \v;n liofs wvw H\f\v mul nn iImmi jnimu'y
ol 1 1 iiMuph, w it h tiKiin pn.sniKMS. InjMics' lilc was
s;\\r»l U)v (his (inu\ h\it he womIiI i;i(hn h.i\c (hr<l

, (h.ni to \\i(noss (ho (oMiiios and tirath ol < aplivcs,
sonu^ituos ooi\vii((hI Indians and aUios ol the
Imxmu h. and sonu tinu^s his ow n ronnl i \ inon.

Thus |i)i;nos li\o»l, to \)v sacriru-od il ho(|nois
;\n\\s laiU^l, hn( s.ntd il (lu-\ woi^ vicloiions.
Moandnio ho ha^l boon now noai In a Near anioni; I ho
Mohawks, and as (lu \ hatl »»o ioat ol his osoapin^v*
tho Josnit was alhnvrd (o «Honp\ l\in»soll with his
old tnissionarv labors. |o^noslo»n»d ldins(*H tnoro
ha]>p\\ anvl lH\i;an (»> (hink (hat Ins snlloiinivs had
Ihhmi prv>\ iilontial. \\c wandonMl lr«Mn (own (t»
tow;;, oonv oiling tltuunod oaptixos and bapti/inj.',
Komo so\(mUv li\H)nois ohiUhoti. j

A\ one \\\\\c \\\c buli.ms (ook joiVwOS \vi(!i (luMn
to a hsinng-pkuv. twontv niilos Ik low (ho nn(oh
p<^st, Vorl (^r,nii;o, wlioro Albanv now stands.
AVhilo horo (ho sornpnlons |(\sni( hoa'd (hal a
<rosl\ war-party had rodnnod (o tho ^b)llawk (own,
and that two piisonors hatl b-oon bnrnod. Joi^nos

* hciiirod to bo aUowoci (o rotnrn los( (horc shonUl
} ot Ix" wi>rk for liini (o do aniono- the cap(ivos.
He xvas hnr.llv sont nj> tho rivor in a rotnrninj^
ln>quois canix\ The Indians whom ho was witli
sto]^pcd lo trade at Fort i)rani;e. a rough log Lniilu

■■EPH

A I'UISONIU AMONC fill MVK NA I lONH, Ct

\\\\\ Sill KMiiidrd hy ,1 hiilch liaml'l, whom- inlial))-
liiiils need liavr no ((;ii (>( llir MoliJiwksi itnd
vviindcffd Ml llic (<»m'hIm with \H',\\('X:\ saffly. 'Ilifr
l)iit(li li;id licMid (>( llic |<siiil.'H (:;i)»livil y, ;ifid li;id
iiiiidc iiKiiiy kindly rlddls lo sccinr liis; rcln.'isc, hut,
the liidiiiir. Iiiid iciiiscd lo f'jv*' *'•'" ••!' 'v'fi (or
(Hiilc M v.'ilii.'ililr ;imoiitil of jMMjds.

Some lime Ix (ore, ;m Iiidi.iii .liniiif fo '.rf out on
llic \v;ii |t;i(li li;id ollcMd lo hike a. \c\\(\ from
Jo^^iH's lo llic ( (Miimaiidaiit af 'I luce Rivers, liop-
in^', doi:hl less, lo do some ad ol Ircaehery \\\\(\('r
the pielciice of a jiarley. Jofoies wr;ll iiiidcrstood
the iiK-aiiiii^ ol lliis, and piohahly kiH-vv in what
daiij^V r his own lile vvoiihl he if ihe IndiafiH were
ollcndcd. Ncverlehless he wrote the letter, in .'i
inixtiire ol lM(ii(h, I.alin, and Ifuroii, ^(ivin^^ an
account (^f Ihe slate of t hinj^s afuoiif^ th(; Indians
of Ihe Imvc Nations. This letter was prcscnt.ed at
a new ImcucIi h>it atllie mouth of the f^ichclicu.
After reading tlie letter, tfie commandant of the
fort turned his cannon oa the hearers, wfio fled pre-
cijiitatc;!)', leavin;^ hehind them [>a^^a^e and guns.
The discomfited warriors v/ere now determined to
take their revenge on the Jesuit, wfio heard of their
deter ninaticm at Fort Orange.

This was notliing more than Jogues had expect-
ed, lie was about to bravely turn hib face toward

iln

ill I
lil

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

the Mohawk town, when some of the Dutch ol>
jcctcd, advising- him to escape a certain death, and
offering him passage to France in a small vessel
which lav in the river. Jognes objected that his
escape might excite the enmity of the Indians
against the Dutch, but still the Dutchmen urged,
and the Jesuit resolved to think and pray over the
matter. With many misgivings 1 jst he should de-
sert his duty, Jogues at last accepted the kind
offer.

A boat was to be left for him on the shore ;
meantime the Jesuit must watch his chance and
escape from his masters. Jogues slei)t with the
Indians in a large barn-like building, without par-
tition, where a Dutch farmer, his Mohawk wife,
lialf-breed children, and cattle all lodged. Going
out in the night to reconnoitre, the Jesuit was at-
tacked and bitten in the leg by the farmer's dog.
The man came out, brought him in, bantlaged his
leg, and securely fastened the door. All night
long Jogues lay awake, tormented with the pain of
the bite and with the excitement which human na-
ture could not but feel at the hope of escaping from
so unhapj)y a life. Before light a farm-hand en-
tered with a lantern. The Indians were still asleep,
and by signs the Jesuit implored the assistance of
the man in escaping. The Dutchman kindly led

A PRISONER AMONG THE FIVE NATIONS. 63

him out, reassured the dogs, and showed Jog-ues
tiic road to the river, half a mile away. vSufferinj^
great i)ain from his bite, he found the boat so high
u\) on the vSands that it was only with desperate
efforts that he at last worked it into the water and
rowed to the vessel. Here he was kindly received
and hidden in the hold. For two days he lived in
this stifiing place. Meantime the Indians searched
every house in the hamlet. They at last came t(;
the vessel, and now Jogiies was transferred at
night to the fort. Here he was given in charge of
a miser, who hid him in one end of the garret in
which he lived. Food was sent to him, but the
miser devoured the most of it, and Jogues was in
a state of half starvation.

The Indians were boimd not to give up the
Jesuit. The vessel sailed, and for six weeks
Jogues lived in the miser's garret behind a rough
board partition, with great chinks through which
he could see the Mohawks come and go; for in
the other end of the garret the miser, like most
of the other settlers, kept a store of Indian neces-
saries and luxuries, with whi-ch he kept up a trade
with the Mohawks. T(^ prevent the Indians innn
seeing him through the rude partition, Jogues
was obliged to creep behind some barrels in a cor-
ner whenever they entered, and here he would ro-

RRANT AND RED JACKET.

I I

main in a cramped position for hours at a time.
His injured leg became dangerously sore, but he
was relieved by the aid of a surgeon from the fort.
The Dutch minister also visited him and treated
him with liberality and kindness.

A large ransom was finally paid the Indians by
the Dutch, and the Jesuit sailed for Manhattan,
now New York, treated everywhere with the
utmost kindness, provided with- a suit of Dutch
cloth, and passage given him in a small vessel
bound for Europe. Even this voyage was not
without its hardships, Jogues sleeping on a coil
of rope and suffering from cold, robbed of his hat
and coat by desperadoes at an English port; but
assisted by some French sailors, he finally landed
on the coast of Brittany. Entering a cottage, he
inquired for the nearest church. The peasants,
who took him for some poor Irishman, asked him
to come to supper with them when he returned
from church. The Jesuit gladly accepted the
invitation, and, after having joyfully taken the
communion, again he entered the peasants' cot-
tage. They at once noticed his maimed and
distorted hands, and inquired how he could
have been so injured. Great was their surprise
when he told them his story. When Jogues
rca'':licd 'he Jesuit college at Rennes and begged

' A PRISONER AMONG THE FIVE NATIONS. 65

to sec the rector, he appeared so much like a be^-
^ar that the porter was not wilUng to admit him
until he said that he brought news from Canada.

The story of his captivity among the Mo-
hawks had reached France. The rector ques-
tioned the poor man about Canada, and finally
said, " Do you know Father Jc»gues ?"

*'I knew him very well," said Jogues.

*'The Iroquois have taken him," said the rec-
tor. "Is he dead ? Have they murdered him ?"

** No," answered the Jesuit, falling on his knees;
*'he is alive and at libert}-, and I am he."

CHAPTER VII.

A M O II AW K PEACE.

Tn one of Piskaret's bold adventures in 1645, he
with six companions had killed 'some eleven Iro-
quois and captured two prisoners. As they were
returning to the mission settlement just above
Quebec, their triumphant songs were heard. In-
dians and missionaries thronged upon the shore,
and a squad of soldiers hastened from Quebec to
deliglit the Indians wdth a salute from their guns.
The eleven scalps were hung around the town,
but, owing to the influence of the Jesuits, the aston-
ished prisoners escaped all torture. This forbear-
ance was hardly relished by the Indians.

" Oh, my father," said one woman to the Jesuit,
" let me caress these prisoners a little ; they have
killed, burned, and eaten my father, my husband,
and my children." But she was denied the sweets
of revenge, and lectured on Christian forgiveness.

It was the design of the French to use the
prisoners to effect a peace with the Five Nations.
On the following day a council was held, attended

A MOHAWK PKACK.

by Montmaf^ny, the s^overnor, whom the Indians
styled Onontio, as they did all siibse(|iient French
g-overnors. Piskaret opened the coinicil with a
s{)cech, g"ivinij^ the prisoners to the governor.
Montniagny answered with a present in return.
The two wondering Troquois could with difficulty
beheve that their lives were saved. One of them,
a fellow of magnificent size, made a speech of
thanks to the governor.

" ** The shadow is before my eyes no longer," he
said among other things. "The spirits of my an-
cestors slain by the Algonquins have disappeared.
Onontio, you are good ; we are bad. But our anger
is gone. I have no heart but for peace and rejoic-
ing." He began singing, when he suddenly picked
up a hatchet, brandished it in a way that must
have made the audience wince, anrl threw it into
the fire. "Thus 1 throw down my anger!" he ex-
claimed. " Thus I cast away the weapons of
blood ! Farewell, war ! Now I am your friend
forever!"

This prisoner was dressed in a new suit of
clothes, equipped for the journey, and sent home
with a message offering [)cace to the Iroquois, and
the return of other prisoners if the Indians would ^
come and get them. About a month after he re-
turned to Three Rivers with two ambassadors and

Mil V

Pi:::,!

' i

URANT AND Ki:i) JACKKT.

a fourth man. who n]i]>carc(l to l)c an Indian also.
It was Couture, bron/cd hv exposure and (hcssed
in Iiuhan costume. He had come to he a man of
inlUiencc anions^ the Moliawks, and liad not; failed
to do his utmost in favor of peace. The ambassa-
dors were feasted abundantly and presented with
j^pes and tobacco.

" You mav be sure thai you arc safe here," said
the commandant to one of them- who was a chief.
"It is as thoug"h you were amoni^ your own peo-
ple and in your own house."

*' Tell your chief that he lies," answered the In-
dian, turning to the interpreter. The commandant
was somewhat surprised. .Vfter smoking- a mo-
ment, he continued : " Your chief says it is as
thou<i:h I were in my own country. This is not
true, for there I am not so honored and caressed.
He says it is as though I were in my own house;
but in my own house I am sometimes very ill
served, and here you feast me with all manner of
good cheer."

The Indians were entertained for a week, and
then a great peace-council was held, attended by
Hurons and Algonquins, the Governor of Canada
and officers, the Superior of the Jesuits and Father
Jogues, who had returned to his labors. The
speech of the Mohawk orator at this council may

A MOHAWK PKACF.

give US some idea of tlic cl(X]ucncc of later Iro-
(jiiois orators, like Red jacket, wlio were univer-
sally admired, but whose s[)eeches in the dull, con-
densed ollicial reports are shorn of their original
beauty.

In the centre of the council was a space, across
which a line was strung' to bear the wampum-
belts, which were some of them huns^ upon the
bodies of the two Indians and part of them stored
in a bag. The chief marched int(j this space,
looked up impressively at the sun and then around
at his audience.

" On(mtio, give ear," said he. " I am the mouth
of all my nation. When you listen to me, you
listen to all the Iroquois. There is no evil in my
heart. My song is a song of peace. We have
many war-songs in our country, but we have
thrown them all away and now we sing c^f nothing
but <.Jadness and rejoicing." After a peace-song
he thanked the governor fen" the life of the prisoner
who had been returned, but with Indian subtlety
rebuked him for sending the man without an
escort. He now led out Couture, and, tying a belt
of wampum on his arm, said, " W^ith this 1 give
you back this prisoner. I did not say to him,
* Nephew, take a canoe and go home to Quebec'
I should have been without sense had I dune so. I

15RANT AM) RED JACKET.

should have been troubled in my heart lest some
evil mii^ht befall him. The prisoner whom you
sent back to us suffered every kind of dang^er and
hardship on the way." And the orator proceeded
to represent by j)antomimc the journey of the In,
dian. The assembly was struck with his wondcr-
fid acting-, lie was rowing in a canoe, now he
toiled with a boat on his head over a lonely carry,
stopping" with l:)reath almost gone or tripping with
his load. Again you could see him ascending
rapids, unable to stem the rushing current, look-
ing in dcs^'pair at the dangers around, at last with
a desperate effort making the attempt. '' What
did you mean," resumed the chief, " by sending a
man alone amon": these dani^ers? I have not done
so. * Come, nephew,' 1 said to the prisoner before
you, * follow me. I will see you home at the risk
of my life.' "

As the orator presented each wampum-btfll. he
gave it a meaning. Among others, one was to
wipe out all memories which might lead to the
desire for revenge. " I passed near the place
where Piskaret and the Algonquins slew our war-
riors in the spring," said the chief. " I saw the
scene of the fight where the two prisoners were
taken. I passed quickly ; I would not look on
the blood of my people. Their bodies lie there

A MOIFAWK rFACF.

he
to
he

ICC

ar-
he
;re
on
;re

still; I turned away my eyes that I mij^ht not be
an<^ry." He sto()|)C(l and knocked on tlie "ground.
Then he Hstened a moment. " I heard the voice
of my ancestors slain by the Alg'onciuins," said he,
'^crying- to me in a tone of affection, * My <j;-rand-
son, my grandson, restrain your anger. Think no
more of us, for you cannot deliver us from death.
Think of the livinir ; rescue them from the knife

.-> '

and the fire.' "

He gave the fifth belt to drive away war-parties
from the waters, the sixth to smooth down rapids
and falls in the streams, and the seventh to f^uiet
the waves in the lakes. The eighth was to
make a clear path by land between the
French and the Five Nations. The orator
cut down trees, chopped off branches, cleared
away brush, and fdled up holes, all in panto-
mime. "Look," he exclaimed, "the road is open,
smooth, and. straight." He stooped, felt of the
ground, and announced that there was " neither
thorn nor stone nor log in the way." Belt after
belt followed, each with its particular meaning.
The fifteenth was to say that the Indians had
always intended to send Jogues home. " If he had
but been patient," said the chief, " I woidd have
brought him back myself. Now 1 know not what
has befallen him. Perhaps he is drowned." Jogues

!'■'!

lU<y\NT AND KKD fACKF'.T.

smiled, and whispered to the Jesuits nc»ir him,
"They had the pile laid to burn inc. Tlu'v would
have killed me a lumdred times if Ciod had not
saved my life." i

The couneil ended in a j^eneral dance of all the
Indians present. Thus was a hollow peace con-
cluded between the French and the Mf)hawks ; for
thoui^h the orator had pretended otherwise, this
was the only one of the Five Nations concerned in
the council. It was a frequent trick in this singular
confederacy to offer peace by the hands of one of
its nations, and to strike by the hands of another.
The restless warriors of the Mohawks, however,
were not long to be restrained. Lying as they did
nearest to Canada, the Mohawks chiefly led in this
war, while the other nations busied themselves in
subjugating nearer neighbors.

Father Jogues was the first to fall in the renewed
war. Ordered by his Superior to return to the
country of the Mohawks, to help bind the peace
and to start a mission, he at first recoiled, but
bravely undertook the task. At the advice of a
Christian Indian, he did not at first preach, as the
Christian religion would have the effect of anger-
ing the savages, since it overturned all that they
thought dear ; neither did he wear his long gown,
for, said the Indian, " that preaches as well as your

'Ml

A MollAWK rKACK.

lips." Father Jogucs made one journey into the
Mohawk country, and left liis chest, h)cke(l, in
tlie care of the Indians, having liist shown
them the contents. The sui)erstiti()us Inthans
nevertheless suspected that this box contained
some pestilence. This was enougii to inflame the
smoiddering hatred. When Jo^ues returned to
start his mission, well knowin^^ that he was J^oinj;
to his death, he was received with heatinj^ and
abuse, althouj^h there was a lar<^e party in his
favor. Jle was invited to dinner at an Indian's
cabin. As he stooped to enter the door, a warrior
stood ready with a hatchet. A friendly Indian
held out his arm to protect the gentle priest, but
the descendin<^ hatchet cut throuj^h his arm and
sank into the head of Father Jogues. And this is
how the Mission of Martyrs, as it was to have been
called, was attempted among the Mohawks.

1^ I

1 il

CIIAITER VI II.

Tlir: RUIN OI' A NATION.

TllK Miirops bcl()ni';('<l 1<> llu" s;mu> j^ical family
with tli(^ I'ivi* Nalions. Like llicsc liulians, and
unlike 1 'ic waiuleiiiiij; Aii;"()iK|uiiis ol the norlli, lliev
sii]>I)<)rtc(l lluMiiselves niainlv h\ a rude amieullurc
and lived in fortified towns. Their lioine was on
the «;reat Cieor^ian Bay c)f Lake Huron. Tlieir
customs were sim"ilar to those of the Irociuois.
Like all Indians, they were superstitious and hithy.
The Hurons were also an espeeially immoral peo-
ple. Here it was that the Jesuits did the most
of their nrissionary work. Here they had ])lanted
their chief missions, and here they had labored
amoni^ the savag-es when they were dyins^ of the
pestilence and the small-pox.

The larg-er Muron towns now bore the names of
Christian saints. A sort of headquarters for the
w^ork had been planted in a central position and
called Sainte ^Llrie. Here the Jesuits had tlieir
storehouse, their permanent mission-house, and a
showy htll'^ church, the wonder and delight of

THE KUiN OF A NA HON.

•5

the Indians, with its ^aud}' paiiitini^s and inuiges
well calcidatcd lo please a savant: taste.

Saiiitc Marie was lortilied with walls of :-;t()iie
airl palisades. VV^ithoiit the: walls was a lari^e i)aii-
sadcd i)eii coiitaiiiiiii^ bai'k buildiiiLCS whieh eoiild
accommodate many Indians. 1 1 ere the Jesuits were
visited daily by some of their conyerts, who were
fed and treated with the utmost liosjiitalil y ; here,
alio, some thousands o! Indians .veic succcjred ia
time of famine.

In spite of labor and charity the Huron was
lonsj^ but a l)arren field. The Indians were not
wi'li.i^ to meet eyen the slii^ht recinircnicnls of
the Jesuits to become Christians. Thiv could s('C
no pleasure in ^oini;- to a white man's licaven
where there was no iiuntin^- and llshiuL^- ; in fact,
they were seriously afraid of staryin,^- here. They
thoui^ht baptism was a charm, and they turned all
too (juickly from conyersion to medicine-men and
sorcerers.

When an Indian was converted he \vas often en-
couraged by such cheerful })rophecies as these on
the part of his uni^odly brethren: "You \yill kill
no more game. All your liai^ will ctjinc out before

spnn^

p-.

The persistent fathers labored under unnum-
be?.c(.l difficulties, discomforts, and perils. .^lurc

]5KANT yvNl) RED J/VCKET.

i I

than once hatchets were raised over the heads of

Jesuits. They wciv accused ot being- the cause of

the ])estilence. I'ubUc suspicion at one time rose

to such a heiL'-ht that the doom of the missionaries

seemed sealed. They took the bold measure of

giving a farewell feast after the manner of the ITu-

rons, and the storm gradually blew over. By the

year 1648 the mission, with man}' outlying branches,

was well established. The Jesuits- had gradually

gained in inlluence, and the}' h' d great hopes for

their work, amonsjf the Ilurons. There were at

this time about eighteen Jesuits, besides laymen

and soldiers, attached to the mission of Sainte

Marie. Of the priests, fifteen travelled to scattered

missions at various Indian towns, reuniting at

Sainte Marie several times a year and returning

there singly once in a while for meditation and

s})iritual refreshment.

During all this time a cc^nstant petty warfare
had been kept u^) between the Hurons and the Five
Nations. Many a time Huron war-parties had
gone out never to return. Many a night the toi-
ture-hres had burned within Huron towns and a
tumult of wild voices annoimced the slow death of
an Irocjuois, whose body was perhaps aftei'wards
eaten. The influence of the Jesuits was probably
too slight to allow of their interfering in this sav-

¥4i

THE !;UIN OF A NATION.

mt/-

af^c custom, thoiig-h indeed they cared little for
bodily torment if the soul could but be sa^/cd by
baptism. Then, too, they had every reason to hate
and dread the Iroquois, who had never shown
the French colony the friendly side which they
turned toward the Dutch and the Eni^lish,and who
persecuted their flock without mercy. The Iro-
quois stood to the Jesuits in the place of Satan
himself.

In 1647 the Huron Indians could not vSummon
courage to go down to the settlements on their
■annual trading visit f(^r fear of the Iroquois, who
mfested all the water highways. During the fol-
lowing year, however, they made the attempt.
They had neared the fort of Three Rivers in safe-
ty, and had stopp'^d before entering the place, after
the manner of Indians, to decorate and paint them-
selves in order that they might make a fine ap-
pearance, when the dreaded alarm, " The Iroquois,
the Iroquois !" came from one of their scouts.
Dropi)ing their toilet articles and springing for
their weapons, the ITurons rushed to meet the
enemy. They were welcomed h\ a brisk fire,
but they fell flat to avoid it, and then jumping to
their feet began a fierce fight. They outnumbered
the Iroquois, whom thcv soon routed, killing and
capturing many. The Hurons were frantic with

^^mmm^^

W I

ii !i

II-!!

J5RAXT AND l;F.T) JACnKT. ,

deliijhi. After trading with the French they made
a triumi)lKil i)n)i;'rcss to tlieir h.)nie, only to find
ruin there.

The Huron town of St. Joseph, in spite of the
ravages of war and ])estilence, contained some
two thousand inhabitants and Mas the chief town
of tlie nation. It hiy on the southeastern fron-
tier of the Huron country, and was the great
Huron stronghold where nuHiberless prisoners
had suiTered death.

The Jesuit Father Daniel liad labored here four
years. His task had been a difficult but a suc-
cessfid one. In the midsummer of 1648 he had
just returned with fresh courage to his labors after
a short retreat at Sainte Marie. The warriors
were nearly all absent from the town, some trad-
ing, some hunting, and some on the war-path
against the Iroquois. The father had been hold-
ing mass in the early morning in his little church,
which was crowded to the doorway. Suddenly
cries of terror startled the little congregation from
'ts prayers. The Iroquois were rushing from the
V)rcst and across the corn-fields to the unguarded
opening in the palisade of the town. Within all
was in a panic. Dan.iel ran from the church to the
palisades, hurried forward those who could fight
to the poiiit of danger, inspiring cojrage in them,

■»

i.4
■'J

L^P^

THE RUIN OF A NATION.

and " prom i sin ![^ them paradise if they defended
their homes and reUj^ion. Then he ran from house
to house caUini^ on the heathen to repent.

The helpless ereatures throng-cd aroimd him,
be£ririn<r to be saved. Hedipi)ed his handkerchief
in a bowl of water and, sprinkling it on the crowd,
baptized them. They followed him to the church,
where he found old men, women, and children.

" Brothers, to-day we shall be in heaven !" cried
the brave i)riest again and again, as he baptized the
crowd.

The town could not long be defended. The
palisades were forced, and, with whoops and yells
like demons, they were Vvithin the town.

" Fly ! fly !" cried Father Daniel, pushing the
thronging Indians away from him. " I will stay
here. We shall meet agam in heaven." Many
succeeded in escaping through the opening in the
])alisades opposite tf ■ that which the Iroquois had
forced. Daniel, too, might have ikd, but he stood
by his duty, a\v'aiting martyrdom ; f(n- there might
still be more dying sovds to rescue from perdition.
A moment more imd Ik* s:iw (he fnxnK.is comiuir.
lie stenpeil f<irth Irom th church in hi.-, priestly
robes and stood facing the enemy. They stopj)ed
in astonishnK.nt. Then a shower of arrows fell
upon him and wounded him in many places, fol-

^.tji -4»^fcj.-:>*iuy i iiW<M» <I W W" " ^1— IW

b'O

liRANT AND KKD |A(KF,T.

lowcfl (iiiicklv l)^ a hullcl lhi-<)iii:;-|i his hcnrfe. Diiji-
icl li'll (k-ad, aiul llic hociiiois luslicd upon the
hiclcss body to imitihitc it and bathe tiicii^ laces
in the Jesuit's bhxxl to make tiiein brave.

Anotiier paiisacU'd town near vSt. Joseph was
also laid in ashes, and tlie Inxpiois turned home
with some seven hundred piisouers, nuuiy of whom
thev killed on tlu^ road.

A severe blow iiad been struck at the Ilurons;
a wide breach was juade in the I lunm country.
The Iroquois were (]uick to follow it up. A larijc
band oi wari'iors set out in the fall for the unfor-
tunate nation, but s[)ent the winter in the forests.
Meantime the Jesuits did their utmost ta induce
the llitrons to <;uard themselves and take every
precaution ajj^ainst the enenn . Hut it was of r.o
use; the lixlians were overwhelmed with dread of
their ciienn , Init, accordinjj^ to the CTistoms of their
torelathers, thev sle])t unguarded ; bands of war-
riors went forth to tiij^ht «»r hunt at their own
l>leasiu(\ find some were a[)pointed to tlefend the
palisades.

In the month of March a th()us;ind M(thav\'k
and Seneca liulians were within the very country
of tnc Ilurons unsuspected, havnig cnt'^red over
the nuns of St. Joseph. In the nii^littime they
crept to the walls of St. Ignace, which u'cre total-

Tlir: RUIN OF A NATION.

ly uni^iiardod. Hcforc (laylii^hf. the Ii<)(|U()is war-
wlioop woke the sI^'cpiiiL^ iiiinalcs to dcalli or
slavery. The woik was clone in a lew minutes ;
there was lio exit from this town, and hut tiirec
out of four luuulred eseaj)e(l. The inxjuois now-
hurried U) the neiij^h boring- town (;f vSt, Louis.
Here three Indians who iiad eseaped Irom St. I^i;-
naee had s])read the tidin^-s. The inmates fled
throiii^h the forest, with the excej)tion of some
ei<2;litv warriors, the Jesuit missionaries Drebeuf
and Lalemant, who refused to leave the post of
dan^i^er, and those who were t(^() old or sick to
make their escape.

The warriors sang- their war-songs and prepared
to defend the })alisades to the last. The panic-
stricken inliabitants had scarcely fled from tlu^
town when the thousand Iroquois were at the pah-
sades. The defenders fought like tigers with ar-
rows, stones, and guns, with which they were not
so well supplied as the warriors of the Five Na-
tions. When breaches were made in the i)alisadcs,
a deadly battle ensued with knife and tomahawk,
In the thickest of the fight were the two Jesuits,
the iron-framed Brcbeuf and the delicate Lale-
mant, one baptizing and the other giving absolu-
tion.

At last the fight was over. Ordy some few

■W

: I

! Ml;.

i ; r

■\

r? l'.RANT AM) KKl) JACKET.

■bounded warriors and two priests remained as
jdisoners. The houses, with what helpless in-
mates had been left there, were in a blaze. The
airiy retreated to St. If^nace, where the priests,
who had so bravely encouraged their ilock, were
:ti especial object for savage blows. The Iroquois
LOW divitled themselves into bands and destroyed
ti'C smaller villages.

The two Jesuits were doomed' to die by the most
excruciating tortures that Indians could devise :
slow fire, scalding water, the knife, red-hot irons,
all these were applied to the indomitable Brcbeuf
to make him utter one groan, but it was of no use.
The grand martyr, defiant, luiflinching, among his
fiendish torturers, was a wonder even in the eyes
of savage courage. When he was dead, the In-
dians drank his blood, and their chief ate his heart,,
that they might gain some of his courage. The
t'U'licate and nervous Laiemant must go perhaps
t en a harder road to paradise. For long hours
his tortures endured, while he had not the strong
frame to withstand them without a sign of his tor-
ment. The "noble Indians" of poetry and ro-
mance fade from our sight when we read these
accounts. The Indians had their own savage vir-
tues doubtless, but they had also very savage
faults.

THE RUIN OF A NATION.

The inmates of vSaiiite Marie had seen in the dis-
tance the risin*;' smoke of St. Louis. They fully
exi>ectc(l their turn to come m^xt. The walls were
{guarded ni<j^ht and day, and the Jesuits made vows
and prayers without number. The Irociuois rcaily
intended to strike this stront^hold of the fathers.
Meantime some three hmulrcd warrior-converts
ot the UuroHH had come to the lissistance of the
Jesuits. Tbt-'V^ hiid an aT:buscade on the route to
Sainte Marie. An advance-party of the Iroquois,
setting out for this place, fell u[)on one small band
of the Hurons, routed them, and chased them un-
der the very walls of Sainte Marie. The remain-
der of the Hurons came to the rescue, njuted the
Iroquois in turn, and pursued them inside the
broken walls of St. Loi'is. Here they killed those
who did not escape l)y a precipitate llig-ht. The
Hurons were again in possession of the charred re-
mains of St. Louis. They were soon attacked by
the whole L-oquois force. Their ginis were scarce,
and their main fighting was with knife and toma-
hawk. Again and again they sallied. It was a
most ferocious battle : Hurons goaded to fury and
at bay; Iroquois inspired with the ferocious cour-
;;ge which laid waste so many Indian iiahons. But
twenty exhausted priso!iers remained to the victo-
rious Iroquois.

ill;

r •

::i"\.

ii ■

HiM

i !

rsRANT AND RED JACKET.

The Iroquois did not wait to carry their work
any farther. They had met several severe rebuffs,
much loss of men, and had tested the mettle of the
Jesuits. With Indian fickleness they now turned
homeward, but first they tied those prisoners
whom they had determined to kill within the
house of St. l^nace, and, setting- fire to the
whole, they left them to burn.

Many of the fugitive Hurons had fled to a ncigh-
boring tribe of Indians, known asthc Tobacco Na-
tion. The Jesuits had two missions among these
Indians, St. Jean and St. Matthias* The former
was a large town for an Indian town, and its popu-
lation was greatly augmented by the Tlurons who
had taken refuge there. But the Iroquois hunted
their prey wherever they could find it, and their
taste for conquest was unbounded.

Late in the fall of 1649 the inhabitants of St.
[can were warned that a large war-party of the
enemy was hovering near. Instantl}' all was prepa-
ration within the town. Warriors painted and
decked themselves, sang their war- songs, and
danced their war- dance. They waited for two
(lays and the enemy did not appear. They fancied
they had frightened them away, and they probably
fancied right; for Indians will wait a long time be-
fore tlicv brave an enemv wluj cMiecls them. The

TITK RUIN OF A N ATT ON".

ii'npaticiit w»irriors had now whetted their appetite
for war, and they started out to meet the enemy,
leaving" St. Jean defenceless.

One December da}, as the Jesuit Garnier was
going- around the town visiting the sick, the Iro-
quf)is war-wh()0{) resounded from the neighboring
woods. The town was instantly in a wild panic.
The priest ran to the little church. Here some
of his converts had run for safety. He gave them
his benediction and told them to fly. He ran back
to the houses, in and out of which he moved, bap-
tizing and giving absolution.

As he was thus busied, he was met by an Tro-
(juois; for the enemy were now within the town,
doing their terrible work. The Indian put three
shots through the Jesuit's body and hastened on.
Near the dying priest lay a wounded Huron, not
yet dead. Garnier got upon his knees and crept
toward the man in order to give him absolution.
He fell down again, but presently rose up and
moved again toward the Huron. At this moment
the Iroquois saw him, and he was struck dead with
an Indian hatchet.

The t(jwn was now.blazing. The Iroquois has-
tened their deadly work, dreading the return of
the warriors to their home. The following morning-
brought these rash Indians back to find St. Jean

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URANT AND KEi:) JACKET

Dut a mass of ashes alid charred bodies. Silently
the desolate warriors sat d(jwn among the niins
ond bowed their heads. Squaws mij^ht cry ; thus
an Indian brave mourned.

The ruin of the Huron nation was complete.
Hundreds of Indians were homeless in a C(nmtry
much too thickly populated to support the inhabit-
ants by huntingalone, and hundreds died of famine.
Attacked successively by pestilence, the Iroquois,
and famine, the Hurons as a nation were wiped
from the face of the earth. Sainte JNIarie was
abandoned, and 'die Jesuits moved the little rem-
nant of the people to an island in Lake Huron.

But the Hurons dared not hunt for fear of the
Iroquois. Their main s'jstenance was a scanty
store of pounded acorns. The Jesuits spent the
winter administering' to famished and fever-strick-
en Indians, who died by the hundreds. When

spring came on the Hurons grew reckless and sal-
lied forth upon the mainland in hunting-parties,
only to be cut off by their relentless persecutors.
Those that were left subsequently moved to the
Island of Orleans, below Quebec ; but even here
they were destined to be. carried off piecemeal.
Another remnant of the Hurons wandered west
until they were driven back by the fierce Sioux.
They were the ancestors of the Wyandots of more
recent hstir*

i ii

CHAPTER IX.

CANADA IN DANGER.

CuAMPLAiN, the single-hearted founder of the
little colony was dead, but Canada must long suf-
fer for liis adventurous meddling in the wars of
the Five Nations. In 1653 these almost irresisti-
ble warriors threatened Canada at every point,
and many were the prayers, fasts, penances, and
vows offered for the safety of the miserable little
colony. All was plundered and burned outside
of fortifications. The outposts (jf Montreal and
Three Rivers were invested. The former, with a
garrison of twenty -six Frenchmen, was attacked
by two hundred Iroquois ; at the latter post some
six hundred Mohawks, determined on revenge for
the death oi a famous chief, beleagured the fort.
Around Quebec itself there was no safety. The
Jesuit Poncet, taking with him a man named
Franchetot, was going to the relief of a poor
woman who could not get her patch of corn har-
vested. Thcv fell into tlic hands of liic lro(]uois,
and were botii carried off. Thirty-two French-

I i

IhW

h I

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

men followed to rescue them, but, nearing Three
Rivers and finding it besieged by the Mohawks,
they threw themselves into the fort, to the joy of
the garrison and rage of the besiegers.

For a short time the colony was granted a res-
pite. A deputation of Onondaga chiefs, begged
admittance to Montreal, and there concluded a
treaty of peace. To the pious inmates this was
a miracle caused by the direct interposition of
Heaven ; but a more commonplace reason could
be found for it. The western tribes of the Five
Nations were now making war on the Fries,
whom they afterwards totally exterminated. And
"one war at a time," said the Iroquois, ' wiser
than some more civilized nations.

Meantime Father Foncet was dragged through
the woods, sleeping on damp ground, suffering
from colic as he waded in water waist-deep, and
with a blistered foot and a benunbed leg. Worst
of all, the savages snatched from him the little
case which he wore containing sacred relics and
scattered them to the winds. He consoled him-
self, however, with some religious pictures. He
hid them in the bushes, fenring to let the savages
see them lest they should laugh at him.

Arrived at the lower town of the Mohawks, the
Jesuit and Franclictot were stri{)ped of their

CANADA IN DANGER.

clothes and forced to run the gauntlet between
rows of cruel savages, each aiming to deal the
hardest blow at their victims. The poor Jesuit
was then placed on a bark scaffold and sur-
rounded by his torturers. It began to rain, how-
ever, and, the torture being postponed, Poncet
was taken into a cabin. But the dull hours must
be whiled away. The Jesuit was made to sing,
dance, and go through various performances for
the amusement of his captors. But, according to
a literal translation of the narrator, tl.e poor man
** did not succeed to their liking in these monker-
ies," and would have been put to death if a
young Huron prisoner had not offe»"ed himself to
" sing, dance, and make wry faces in place of the
father, who had never learned the trade."

Franchctot was burned, and Poncet also was
still destined for the stake. A hideous one-eyed
Indian began his tortures by calling a Mohawk
child of four or five years of age and giving him
a knife with which to cut one of the father's
finger's off. Father I'oncet, believing his martyr-
dom to be at hand, sang the Vcxilla Regis while
•this operation was performed. Everything is pre-
j)ared, the Jesuit is to be burned, when an Indian
squaw steps forward and says that she adopts
this man in place of a dead brother. The tor-

i t

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

turcrs immediately desist. This is strictly accord-
ing to Indian custom. Some imjnilse occasion-
ally moved an Indian accustomed to delight in
barbarous torments to save the life of a doomed
prisoner. It was also customary among the Five
Nations, after they had sufficiently glutted their
frenzy of revenge, to adopt the remaining cap-
tives, scattering them around among the tribes,
and thus replenishing their population, drained
as it was by constant war.

Poor Father Poncet, who was, he thinks, un-
worthy of martyrdom, was nevertheless doomed
to be made ridiculous. He must now see him-
self dressed in leggins, moccasins, and dirty shirt,
and masquerade as an Iroquois warrior. After
some three months among the Mohawks, peace
had been concluded, the French in their treaty had
especially provided for the return of Poncet, and
the Jesuit found himself again engaged in the
hard duties of a wilderness mission.

An Indian peace is always more or less uncer-
tain. The old chiefs and wiser warriors may
have honest intentions, but they nave little con-
trol over the restless young braves, who must win
their laurels or else remain insignificant in coun-
cil and in courtship. Thus an irruption is apt at
any time to break out involving the whole tribe.

CANADA TN DANGER.

The Iroquois would not be satisfied until they
had exterminated the Hurons. The Mohawks
and Onondagas both laid plans to entice the rem-
nant of these people into their own nations, that
tiiey might murder the warriors and increase
their own numbers by the adoption of the women
and children.

When the Mohawks had returned Poncet, they
took occasion to secretly invite the Hurons, in
the friendliest manner, to move to their towns.
These doomed Indians knew well what this meant.
They came to the French in terror for advice.
But the struggling colony could not help them.
It was doubtful whether she could save herself
from the clutches of these terrible people. The
Hurons promised to comply, but meanwhile put
off the time of their removal under various ex-
cuses.

The Onondagas, more wily still, invited, or
rather commanded, the French to plant a Jesuit
colony in their midst, hoping thus to draw the
Hurons, who loved the missionaries, into their
towns. Now it was the Frenchmen's turn to
look aghast. But the brave missionaries turned
to this as a new field of labor, braving martyr- '
dom, and hoping to cultivate a lasting peace be-
tween the Six Nations and France. The French

llil
i! !

HRANT AND RED JACKET.

agreed to the proposition of the Onondagas, but
began by vsending as an experimental ambassador
Father Simon Le Moyne into the country of the
Six Nations.

lii

CHAPTER X.

IN THE lion's jaws.

In the month of July, 1654, Le Moyne set out
on his dangerous mission, accompanied by a young
Frenchman and several Indians. He seems to have
had the keenest enjoyment of the wild woods life.
On arriving at the capitol, or, as the Indians would
term it, the council-house, of the Six Nations, among
the Onondagas, the Jesuit was received with the
warmest welcome. Crowds of Indians came out
to meet him. He was feasted upon roasted corn
and bread made from the pulp of green corn, which
is considered a choice dainty among the Indians.
He was called brother, uncle, and cousin by the af-
fectionate Indians. " I never had so many rela-
tives," said he. To the Jesuit's great joy he found
that many Hurons who had been adopted among
the Onondagas had not forgotten the teachings of
the missionaries. When representatives from the
Senecas, Cayugas, and Oncidas had been sum-
moned (the Mohawks were angry that the am-
bassador had not first been sent to them), a

IIRANT AND RED JACKET.

council was opened. In the midst of the council-
house, among the assembled chiefs and warriors,
Father Le Moyne knelt, praying for the protection
of angels, and cursing the demons naturaHy sup-
posed to attend Indians. The Jesuit, well versed
in the Indian language, began his speech, imitating
the flowery oratory of the savages, using the tone
ot a chief, and moving back and forth in the Indian
manner as he spoke. He had not forgotten to
bring suitable presents with him. What more
natural than that the savages should have been de-
lighted, especially as he presented them with four
hatchets, emblematical of encouragement in their
war with the Erics? When Le Moyne closed his
telling speech, the council - house resounded with
the applauding Ho ! ho! ho ! of chiefs and warriors.
Meantime the Mohawks, enraged with jealousy,
and having no part in the Erie war, constantly
threatened the settlements. A war-party attacked
Father Le Moyne on his return journey and killed
all his Indians, with the exception of an Onondaga
who used such threats that he and the Jesuit were
released. There were several outbreaks on the
part of the Iroquois until they received a rebuff at
Montreal, when they again made peace, but boldly
announced their intention of still making war upon
the neighboring Huron and Algonquin Indians.

IN TIIF I-TON*S JAWS.

The French were pledged in every way to protect
tlicse allies, but they must now swalKjw the dose
given them by the arrogant Mohawks. The in-
trepid Le Moyne made a trip to the Mohawk
towns to soothe and (latter these dreaded Indians.
Meantime the Onondagas demanded that the
promised colony be planted in their country. The
promise was renewed, but two of the indefatigable
Jesuits were sent into the Onondaga country to
gain time. Here Father Chaumonot outdid the
Indians in their own style of oratory. The latter
were delighted. The Jesuits were answered with
suspiciously word}- and affectionate protestations of
friendship. Meantime the fathers saw ominous
signs of the bloodthirsty mood of the Six Nations.
Erie prisoners were tortured, and the adopted
Hurons were killed on the most trivial provoca-
t'ums. The Jesuits perceived tnat if the French .
colony w^ere founded at Onondaga it must be
founded quickly. The Indians now^ not only offered
urgent invitations, but they began to threaten.
The state of the case must be set before the
authorities at Quebec immediately. It was w^ith
difficulty that Father Dablon procured an escort
on his dangerous return journey to the colony,
over thawing ice, through slush, and in spring
rains. After long and anxious council at Quebec,

BRANT AND KKD JACKET.

it was decided to found the colony at Onondaga.
The Jesuits l)()re tlie expense, and the Jesuits
undertiKjk tiie dangenjus mission. Accompanied
by some forty or fifty soldiers and civilians, Huron,
Onondaga, and Seneca Indians, the Jesuits set out
in boats and canoes, watched from the shore by
the anxious colonists.

The Mohawks were enraged with jealousy
when they heard of the expedition. The Ononda-
gas had not only stolen a march upon them, but
the Mohawks, through this French colony, would
lose the paying trade which they had kept up with
the more western nations in arms, ammunition,
beads, blankets, and brandy ; they having re-
ceived these articles from the Dutch. Three hun-
dred of their braves were already on the war-path.
Ambushed some thirty miles above Quebec, they
let the Frenchmen's boats pass unmolested, but
they fired at the Indian canoes, and falling upon
as many of the Indians as they could catch, they
beat and tied them. The Onondagas remon-
strated with their captors for this breach of faith
in members of the confederacy. The Mohawks
immediately pretended to great astonishment, |
saying they had taken their brothers for Huron
Indians. They then released them, and, passing
Quebec in the nighttime, placed themselves in

I-

IN rilK I, ION S I WVS.

ambush around the cornfields of the lluroiis.
When \hv latter caiiu' to work, they succeeded in
killing six and oai)turin<^ cij^hty. the riMnaindei'
seekiiif^ refuij^e in their fort.

The ins(jlent Mohawks now [nissed before Que-
bec in broad daylight, dis[)layin<^ their booty and
forcinj^ their captives, many of whom were girls,
to dance in the canoes. Some of the Mohawks
evert landed and plundered the houses in the
neiirhborhood of Ouebec fn^m which the inhabi-
tants had fled. Still the I^^rench dared not make
a move. VVith a part of their colony in the very
heart of the wSix Nations they were helpless. The
captives were carried to the Mohawk towns ; six
of them were burned and the remainder were
ado})ted.

Meanwhile the adventurous little band of colon-
ists were making their way to Onondaga. The
Indians of their party came upon a band of Mo-
hawks, whom they robbed, venting on them their
revenge for the indignities they had received at
the hands of their nation. At another time they
heard a loud wail in the woods. Beating their
drums to announce that they were Frenchmen,
they were answered by the appearance of a fright-
fully scarred and emaciated Huron. He had been
through the first stage of Mohawk burnings

DRANT AND KED JACKKT.

and torture; his tormentors had lain down to
sleep, prepared to continue their amusement when
they awakened. The poor savage had managed to
escape from his bonds, and had fled, naked as he
was, to the woods. He had wandered for fifteen
days, living upon what wild strawberries he could
find. The French fed the happy fellow and gave
him a canoe, that he might reach his home in
safety. ' - ' '

Before the adventurers had ncarcd their desti-
nation their provisions were gone, fishing had
failed them, most of their Indians had deserted,
and the Father Superior was sick. They were
forced to live upon the dried and weather-beaten
cranberries of the last year's growth which they
found. It was with faint and discouraged hearts
that they began the ascent of the Oswego, when
they were met by three canoes laden with corn
and salmon, sent by the Onondagas as a welcome.
The adventurers landed at Onondaga Lake with
impressive pomp. Their five miriature cannons
were fired, and the party approached the shore
four canoes abreast, headed by their white banner
embroidered with the name of Jesus. The "black
robes," as the Indians called the Jesuits,' among
the bright, glittering costumes of the soldiers, the
picturesque dress of woodsmen, and the gala paint

IN THE lion's jaws.

and ornaments of the Indians made a bright
show.

The Frenchmen immediately began the erection
of their fort on the lake shore. The Jesnits, with
an escort of soldiers, went on to Onondaga, some
fifteen miles farther. Here a national council was
held, attended by Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas,
Cayugas, and Senecas. The French were feasted
and \vondered at. Some Mohawks alone showed
a sarcastic turn of mind, but they were quickly put
down by the ready wit of Father Chaumonot.
Here the Jesuits attended the council, here a tiny
chapel was built, and the missionary work went
forward.

Meantime, in spite of heat, mosquitoes, and sick-
ness, a palisaded fort arose at Onondaga Lake ;
and the banner of France was planted deep within
the continent, where it might bid defiance to the
encroachments of the Dutch.

In their first affectionate reception the Jesuits
had thought that if the Indians should murder
them it would be " from fickleness, and not from
premeditated treachery," but daily intimacy with
the savages soon showed them the unsafe ground
on which they trod. Still the fathers labored,
hoped, and endured, travelling on their missionary
labors among all the tribes of the confederacy ex-

lOO

l^RANT AND RFD fArKFT.

ccpt the M()ha\vk. The Jesuits found that their
iuilucuce was nioslly with tlic woiiuMi, and upon
this tiicy louiidcd <>rcat hopes, as women were
very inlluenlial anioui^ tiie Iroquois, holdini^ a
couneil of tiieir own and senchnj^* a delegate to the
councils of the sachems.

Tlie remnant of the ITurons had abandoned the
island of Orleans and fortified theuKselves at One-
bee, under the very walls of the fort. But in the
spring- followin<2- the establishment of the French
in I he Irocjuois country those insatiable tyrants,
the Mohawks, descended upon the remaining band
to carry it into bondage. Still the wc'dk com-
mander of the French made no resistance, and the
Mohawks, becoming- more and more overbearing
as they found their power, sent insolent messages
to the fort and demanded boats in which to carry
olf their captixes. No boats wxre to be found,
however, and the Intlians were forced to make
S(Mne, into Avhicli they loaded as many as they
could of the unhappy Hurons.

The Onondagas were furious with jealousy
when they found the Mohawks thus getting the
advantaire over them. A band of their warriors
innnediately went down to Quebec and brought
home most of the remainder of the Flurons. The
Five Nations were now seething with savage pas-

! I

IN TTTE UON'?; jaws.

lot

; their

upon

were

liiii^ a

to the

ccl the
t Que-
in the
French
y ran Is,
ir band
: com-
nd the
)earin<j^
;ssages
) carry

found,
make

; they

^alousy
ng the
arriors
rought
The
re pas-

sions. A chief who had been for a fourlh time
rebuffed in his courlshij) of a Cf/Dvertcd Huron \
l!;]v\ killed her with one blow of his tomahawk. '
This was followed by the massacre of seven more I
captives in the very face of one of the Jesuits,

The next year was a desperate one with the
colony at Onondaga. The entire force of Mohawk
warriors poured out in a war up^m the Algon-
quins of Canada. Meanwhile war-belts were cir-
culating. An army of twelve hundred warriors
from all of the Five Nations was gathering. Tha
settlements upon the St. Lawrence were a prey to
Iroquois dejiredations. " They aj)proach like
foxes," said a Jesuit, "attack like lions, and disap-
pear like birds." Three Frenchmen were killed
near Montreal. Meantime, a man of more force
was in command at Quebec. Me seized twelve
Iroquois to serve as hostages. The Indians were ""
enraged. They demanded the release of the
])risoners, but they received a very decided refusal.

Affairs grew more and more threatening at the
Onondaga mission. The young warriors, less
crafty than their elders, displayed the prevailing
thirst for blood. Huron captives were murdered
from time to time. Rumors often came to the
ears of the French that a plot was afoot and that
their lives were in jeopardy. At last a dying In-

I02

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

dian, doubtless attended at his deathbed by the
Jesuits, lioldin^LT out hopes of lieaveu and threaten-
ing- with future punishment, confessed that the
French were to be taken prisoners. The Fi\e
Nations would then descend upon Quebec, torture
their French prisoners in the eyes of the inhabit-
ants, and thus force them to such terms as the In-
dians miglit choose. This plot would already
have been carried out had it not been for the
detention of the twelve hostasres at Quebec,
which somewhat embarrassed the plotters.

The French at Onondaga sent hasty messen-
gers to bring in the Jesuits from the mission out-
postF. The little band was dl soon gathered with-
in the palisaded house at the lake. Around them
encamped the watchful Indians. That dissembled
friendliness prevailed which always precedes an
Indian massacre. The Jesuits were n(3t to be out-
done in dissimulation. An observer would have
supposed the Indians, who lounged in and out of
the fort as usual, and the Jesuits, who dispensed
their wonted hospitality, to be the firmest and
most unsuspicious of friends.

The colony must make a speedy escape or it
was lost. It seemed impossible to effect escape in
the faces of the suspicious Onondagas, and, first of
all, the Frenchmen were without boats. The Jesuits

IN THE LION'S JAWS.

103

by the
irealcn-
lat the
ic Five
torture
inhabit-
thc lu-
ll ready
for the
Quebec,

messen-

on out-

d with-

:l them

em bled

des an

be oiit-

d have

out of

:)cnsed

st and

e or it
ape in
first of
Jesuits

laid their plans. There was an empty loft above
their mission-house. ! lore the eolony's carpenters
were set to work to secretly build two large boats.
It must have been a dilficult taSk to procure the
material and do the work without arousing sus-
picions in the minds of the surrounding Indians.
The boats were built, however, and now the
most dangerous problem yet remained to be
solved, how the boats were to be launched and
the escape effected. ^

There was an institution among the Indians
known as the medicine-feast. It was celebrated in
behalf of some Indian who was believed to be
thus saved from some supernatural trouble, and
who took no part in the feast himself. The
esjiccial characteristic of the feast was that the
f casters were obliged to eat until the object of
their anxieties consented that they should stop.
The efficacy of this superstitious institution seemed
to have consisted in the amount eaten, and Indians
were sometimes known thus to have ruined their
health for life in behalf of some friend. The
Jesuits had always denounced the mcclicine-fcast
as an institution of the devil, i)ut lliev now planned
to take advantage of the superstition of the sav-
ages within whose clutches they were. A young
Frenchman who had been adopted by an Indian

104

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

went and told his adopted father that he had
dreamed that he would soon die, unless a nicdiciiie-
feast were given in his behalf. Dreams were
oracles among the Indians, and thc}^ immediately
set a day for the ceremony. The French killed
their hogs and robbed their store to furnish a
plentiful feast. When the appointed night came,
the festivities were begun with dancing and games,
at which the Jesuits offered rewards. Soon the
great steaming kettles were brought in, and each
Indian filled the wooden bowl which he had
brought with him and fell to work. The feast
was accompanied by the French musicians with
drum, trumpet, and cymbal. We may be sur ;
they redoubled their noise when they knew that
those not [)resent at the feast were stealing down
the stairs of the mission-house, and out to the lake
shore with the boats wliich wore to save them.
The Indians continued to irorPTC. Airain and airain
they begged the young Frenchman to release
them.

"Will you let me die?" cried he. And the In-
dians continued to eat. It was nearing midnight.
At last the young man said : " That will do, you
have eaten enough; my life is saved. Now you
can sleep till we come in the morning and call you
to prayers/'

IN TTIF: LTr)N S JAWS.

T05

LjlcilSC

ic Ill-
light,
you
you
I you

One of the Frenchmen played softly on the
vioHn, and the stuffed Indians were soon engagctl
in sleeping off the excesses of the feast. Now the
Frenchmen slipped away from the slee})ing assem-
bly and stole down to the lake shore, where they
found the rest of their companions alread}' in the
boats. It was a March night, and the snow was
falling. The winter's ice was broken up, but the
lake was covered with a thiji coating. Men in the
foremost boat broke a road through this crust
with clubs, and the boats rowed swiftly for the
outlet.

When the Indians waked in the morning- from
their heavy slumbers, they wondered that they
were not summoned to prayers, and were amazed
at the stillness which reigned about the mission-
house and within the palisades of the little fort.
Those who had lived here for nearly two years
had now left Onondaga Lake far behind. After u
time the Indians broke into the Frenchmen's
buildings, but found them deserted. They
searched for footsteps, but the falling snow had ob,
literated the tracks of the night before. They
knew that the Frenchmen had no t)oats, and they
concluded that the Jesuits liad bv magic flown
away through the au" with their lollowcrs.

CHAPTER XI.

WHAT SEVENTEEN YOUNG MEN DTD.

For the next two or three years the Five
Nations kept up that constant petty warfare with
the Canadian settlements with which Indians de-
light to harass their fMiemies. Brave soldiers and
brave priests lost their lives under the blow of the
Iroquois tomahawk. The adventurers and nns-
sionaries who came to Canada, many of them
courting martyrdom, believed that their cause was
a holy one, and that the Iroquois warriors were led
on by the very hand of Satan himselt. " I came
here only to die in the service of God," said Major
Closse, who was afterv/ards killed by the Iroquois,
" and if I thought I could not die here I would
leave this country to fight the Turks, that I might
not be deprived of such a glory."

♦' Hobgoblins," a chronicler of these times calls
the Iroquis, who "sometimes appeared at the edge
of the woods, assailing us w^ith abuse; sometimes
they glided stealthily into the midst of the fields,
to surprise the men at work; sometimes they ap-

WHAT SEVENTEEN YOUNG MEN DID. 107

j^roiichcd the houses, hiinissin;; us without ceasing;,
and, Hke importunate harpies or birds of prey,
swooping down on us whenever they could take us
unawares."

In the spring of 1660, some Algonquin allies of the
French captured a Mohcgan Indian who had been
adopted among the Iroquois. He was sentenced
to the usual cruel death of the Indians. He was
first instructed in religion and baptized by the
Jesuits, who cared not to raise their hands to save
b!)dily torment, but looked out (^nly for the future
welfare of the savages. In fact they felt surer of
heaven for these untamable Iroquois if they could
but pass first through the fire. This particular
Indian made a revelation which fell like a thunder-
bolt upon Quebec. There was something more
serious afoot than the ordinary harassing warfare.
Twelve hundred .Iroquois were on the war-path,
some of them now near Quebec, preparing to kill
the Governor, destroy the town, and then turn
upon Three Rivers and Montreal. The inhabitants
were terror-stricken ; all fled within the town ;
every measure was taken to be ready for the terri-
ble attack.

Some three years before, a 3'oung man of good
fiimily named Oaidac had come to Canada, aml)i-
tious to wipe out some stain upon his name in the

Il I

loK

BRANT AM) KVA) JACKKT.

Old World, by brave deeds in the New World.
1 le held the office of commandant at Montreal, and
here he was the leader of a band of sixteen
younjj^ men, as daring as himself. A month before
the alarm at Quebec, Daidac asked i)crmission of
the governor to lead his adventurous little com-
pany in an expedition against the Iroquois. The
young men had all sworn a solemn oath never to
accept quarter. When they had gained the per-
mission of the governor, they made their wills,
attended the confessional, and received the sacra-
ments. Indian-fighting had become an occupation
with the brave inhabitants of Montreal. They
envied the ycnmg men their hazardous exi)editi()ii.
Some of them begged the yoinig men to wait until
the spring sowing was ovxt and tliey would go
with them. But Daulac refused ; the young men
wanted the glory to themselves.

The little band ascended the St. Lawrence to
the Ottawa, and the Ottawa to the rapids known
as the Long Saut. Mere they stopped, for here
the Iroquois were sure to pass. They were joined
at the Long Saut by some forty Indians, the last
renuiant of the Huron warriors, under their noted
chief Aunahotaha, with a band of conveited Ab
gonquins. 'Phese hidians had followed them, am,
bitious tu join in the adventure.

WTTAT SEVENTEEN YOUNr. MEN HIT).

109

The Frenchmen had found a rude little fort, of
lo^s, planted in a circle, which had been left by
an Algonquin war-party. This would serve them
for defence, and here they encamped. Frenchmen
and Indians joining in prayer three times a day.
They had planted themselves, without knowing it,
upon the road of a large part of the Iroquois army,
which was descending iq)on Quebec to de-
stroy it.

The Frenchmen had been here but a few days,
when their sccjuts came running into camp, saying
tliat two Irocjuois canoes were ascending the
rapids. Daulac cpiickly placed his men in ambush
where he thought the enemy likely to land. They
fired on the Iroquois Indians, but so |)recipitately
that two escaped to carry the news to some two
hundred warriors who were now on their way
down the rapids. These were almost instantly
upon Daulac's band, leaving them scarcely time to
get into their fort. The Iroquois n.ade a disorderly
attack, but met a sharp repulse. They then set to
work to build themselves a rough fort in the
neighboring woods. Meantime the French
strengthened their fort as best they might, planting
a row of stakes within the palisades, and filling the
spaces between the two with earth and stones.
They also prepared rude loopholes, at each of which

I lO

IJKANT AND RED JACKET.

"i:

i iC!

three iiu'ii were stationed. Tliey liad not linished,
\v Ikii the Inxjuois were a^aiii upon tlieni, vvilli their
own hircli eanoes broken up and hhizint;, with wliieh
to lire the pahsades of the liltle fort. Tlie Inxpiois
were aj^ain (h"iven baek by a steady lire from the
Freneh and IncHans within. vXgain tliey attacked,
and a<ijain they were rei)ulsed, leaving many dead
behind them, anionic whom was one of tlie piinci-
pal Seneca chiefs. Some of the French made a
rush from tlie fort, cutoff liis head, and raised it on
the pahsades, to tlie rai^e of the yelliui^ Inxpiois.
A third time they attacked, antl a third time they
were defeated.

The batlled Indians (Icsjiatched a messenger to a
band of five hundred Iroquois at the mouth of the
Richelieu, where they were only waiting- for the
remainder of the army to attack Quebec. The
grand plan must now all be delayed by this little
band behind their rude palisades. For iive days
the two hundred Iroquois kept up a harassing fire
from behind trees, and waited for reinforcements.
INIean while the inmates of the fort had but dry
hominy for food, a.nd were suffering for water.
Under cover of a fire from the fort, some of them
managed to nm down to the river and get water
in whnt few vessels they had. Hut ihis was but a
drop to the thirsty men. They dug a hole withm

J*.

WHAT SEVENTEKN YOUN(; MKN DID.

I II

tlic palisades and at last, reached a little imiddy
water, with which they must content them-
selves.

Ad()i)ted Tlurons were amongr the besiegers, and
they coaxed over those within the fort who were
snfferin<2^ from hunger and thirst. One by one they
deserted over the palisades, but the brave Annaho-
taha stood by his p(;St, and when he saw his
nephew, who went by the significant name of The
Mouth among the French, join the renegades, he
fired his pistol after him.

After five days, a chorus of war-whoops an-
nounced the arrival of the reinforcements. 8eve?i
hundred Iroquois to reduce a little band of twenty-
three within a poor pen of a fort. The Irocpiois
advanced to the attack. But the P>enchmen were
ready for them. Being entirely covered them-
selves, with a steady fire from muskets and great
musketoons, wdiich scattered scraps of lead and
iron, they made havoc among the crowds of Iro-
quois warriors. Three days followed each other
in successive attacks, but made in the disorderly
way common among the Indians.

With their well-known fickleness, the Indians were
now discouraged, and would fain have abandoned
the siege. But the pride of the Five Nations was
in the way of this. Volunteers to lead in an assault

112

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

!■ I

10- ^ i H!

IM ''

!l!lt

I i :H

were called for. Buncllcs of little sticks were
thrown upon the ground, and those brave enough
to dare the front of the battle picked them up.
Large shields were made of split logs, and, with
this protection, the army advanced on the poor
little fort with its worn and fainting defenders.
Notwithstanding their brave fire, the Indians
reached the palisades and commenced hewing to
make v breach. Those who hewed were below
the range of shot. Daulac making a sort of gren-
ade of a musketoon, crammed to the mouth with
[)owder, hghted the fuse, and attempted to throw
it into their midst, but it struck on the palisades,
and fell back to burst among the little band within,
killinii: some of them. In the confusion of the mo-
ment, the savages gained the loopholes and fired
upon the inmates. An instant, and they had made
a breach. Firm to their vow never to surrender,
Daulac and his companions sprang to the breach
and fought. This was soon followed by other
breaches. Daulac was killed, but the survivors,
w^ith hatchet and knife, battled against the furious
assailants. They were not to be taken alive, and
the Iroquois were forced to fall back and shoot them
down. Truly these young men were the bravest
of the brave. So the Iroquois thought; for after
burning those bodies that had a little life lingering

WHAT SEVENTEEN YOUNG MEN DID.

IT3

vvitliin them, and falling in their thirst for blood
upon the miserable rene<j^a(le Ilurons, they aban-
doned the attaek on Quebec ; for if seventeen
Frenchmen could fight thus, what could the
whole colony do? Canada was again saved
from destruction.

:.r

? ''i

'nil

iii ill! ;

I ^::

CHAPTER XIT.

THE C O N O U E R () R S

Meantime tribe after tribe had fallen under the
tomahawk of the relentless Five Nations. An In-
dian tribe known as the Neutral Nation, because
they had taken no part in the wars of the Hurons
and Iroquois, nevertheless quickly went the road of
the former nation under the furious attacks of the
conquerors. The Neutral Nation deserve no sym-
pathy, for they, on their part, had just been engaged
in an equally destructive and barbarous war upon
a more western neighbor, the Nation of Fire.

At the outbreak of the Erie and Iroquois war,
which, as usual in Indian wars, began by an act of
treachery upon one side, followed by revenge from
the other, an Onondaga chief was captured by the
Erics.

He mannged to show them their own rash-
ness in entering into a war with the confederacy,
and coaxed them to conciliate their powerful
neighbors by saving his life. This the Eries agreed
to do, and, according to custom, the chief was pre-

THE CONQUERORS.

I I

scntcd to an Eric woman In place of her brother
who had been imirdcrcd by the InKjuois. i'hc
woman was absent at the time. The adopted chief
was feasted and entertained ; bnt when the womnn
returned she refused to accept the new brother
assii^ned her, and demanded that he should be
burnt in revenf^e for the death of her rehitive.
In(Uan custom was inexorable : the chief suffered
death. To the last he warned the Eries that in
burning him they were burning their nation. His
jjrophecy proved true. The Iroquois stormed the
Erie stronghold, carried their elm-bark canoes for
shields, and, placed against the palisades, climbed
up the cross-pieces of the canoes and scaled the
walls. They did not cease until they had obliter-
ated the Eries.

For twenty -five years the Five Nations now
fought the Andaste Indians, another nation of their
own language. The Andaste war was a most
stubborn one, but it resulted in the ruin of this
tribe also. The Iroquois themselves suffered terri-
bly from this constant warfare. If it had not been
for the numbers of prisoners whom they adopted
and converted into Iroquois, the Five Nations
would also have destroyed themselves as a power-
ful Indian nation. " But," said an Iroquois orator,
"our young men are too warlike to stay at home."

ii6

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

They made at one time a terrible raid upon the
Illinois Indians. When the young^ warriors ol the
Five Nations lacked other employment, they would
attack even the Indians of the south, and the wan-
dering tribes of the <;Teat Algonquin family were a
constant prey to their crual war-parties.

CHAPTER XIII.

HOW A GIRL DEFENDED A FORT.

To the events wc havx related ensued a series of
French expeditions into the heart of the Five Na-
tions, usually resulting in a burned village or two
and the destruction of what grain was found there.
They always seem rather ridiculous, those severe
•blows at an Indian nation by which white men,
both French and English, have proposed to
subjugate entirely the savages attacked. The
mustering of a great army at a great expense ; the
laborious march of the brave soldiers into the heart
of the wilderness, to fight cornstalks and butcher
pahsades and bark cabins. The slippery Indians
have disappeared with all their movable treasures,
such as furs, trinkets, tools, and weapons. The
lumbering army, with its slow-moving artillery and
baggage, can but return ; and we do not blame the
brave general for making the most of the destruc-
tive work he has done, and its salutary effect on
the Indians. They on their part rnay suffer famine
for some months, but in a few months palisades

ii8

l^RANT AND RED JACKET.

! I

. I i: '

]

and bark cabins will have risen on the ashes of the
ruined town. These chastisements sometimes did
intimidate the savages, but more often the}^ resulted
in a much more terrible retaliation upon the homes
of the white settlers. Thus the island of Montreal
was once the scene of a horrible massacre,
brought about by such an incursion into the
Iroquois country.

Until the beginning of the seventeenth century
it was much the same old story of border warfare
between the Five Nations and Canada. One more
anecdote will illustrate the state of affairs in which
the Five Nations kept the French colony.

There w^as a settlement called VerchLires, some
twenty miles below Montreal. Settlers must
always have a place of refuge. Here there was a
fort connected by a covered passage with a block-
house. One October morning in 1692, the inhabi-
tants were in the fields at work. There were but
two soldiers within the fort. The commander and
his wife were absent. Their daughter, Madeleine,
a gir' u .. 'x-^n, stood on the landing with a hired
mail .'.riv'A ..e heard firing.

" Run, Jiir:'o;v fioiselle, run !" cried the man, "here
come the Troquois !"

Looking around, the girl saw the Indians near
at hand. She ran for the fort, and the Indians,

now A CriiL DEFENDED A FORT.

119

seeinf^ thcv could not catch her, fired at her.
Their bullets whistled around her and " made the
time seem very long," as she afterwards said. As
soon as Madeleine neared the fort, she cried out,
"To arms! to arms!" hoping that she would get
assistance. But the two soldiers were so frightener'
that they had hidden in the block-house. When
Madeleine reached the gate of the fort she found
two women there crj-ing for their husbands, who
were in the fields and had just been killed.
Madeleine forced them in and shut the gate. She
instantly took command of the fort, and went to
examine her defences. She found that some of the
pahsades had fallen down, leaving holes through
which the enemy could easily enter. She ordered
them immediately set up, and even helped to carry
them herself. Then the little commander repaired
to the block-house, where she found her brave
garrison of two, one man hiding in a corner and
the other with a lighted match in his hand.

*' What are you going to do with that match ?"
said Madeleine.

*' Light the powder and blow us all up,"
answered the soldier. -• .

" You are a miserable coward," said the girl ;
"go out of this place."

People are always likely to obey, in time of panic,

' ii

It''

120

l^KANT AND RKD JACKKT.

the one person of resolution and coolness. The
soldier (lid as Madeleine hid. She then Muni; aside
hei" boiuiet, put on a hal, and took a ^un. Made-
leiiLc's whole force consisted of the above-men-
tioned soldiers, her two brothers, of ten and twelve
}'ears of age, and an old man of eighty, with some
wcMiicn and children.

"Let us fight to the death," said Madeleine to
her brothers. " We arc fighting for our country
and our religion. Remember that our father has
taught you that gentlemen are born to shed their
blood for the service of God and the king."

Madeleine now })laced her brothers and the
/ soldiers at the loopholes, where they hred at the
Indians, who were cautious about attacking the
fort, especially as they did not know how large the
garrison w^as. Besides, they wore yet occupied
in chasing and killing the men whom they had
surprised at their work. Madeleine commanded
tliat a cannon should be fired to impress the In-
dians the more, and with the hope also thus to warn
some of the soldiers who were out hunting. Mean-
time the women and children had kept up a con-
tinual screaming. The girl now ordered them to
keep still for fear the Indians should be encouraged
by their fright to make an attack. A canoe was
soon seen in the river approaching the landing. It

■1

•

HOW A (IIRI. DKFrXDKI) A FORr.

121

:h\

contained a settler and his family who were tryinp^
to make their escape to the fort. Madeleine tried
to <^et the soldiers to j^o to their assistance, but
their new-found coura^^^e could not be brought u]>
to this point. The girl conceived the idea that if
she went to the landing to meet the settler and his
family, the Indians would believe it to be a ruse
to draw them near the fort that a sally might be
made upon them. She stationed the man-servant
at the gate to watch it, and, walking down to the
landing alone, escorted the settlers back. The In-
dians did not touch them. " We put so bold a face
on il/' she afterwards said, "that they thought
thev had more to fear than we."

She now ordered the Iroquois to be hred upon
whenever they came in sight. Toward evening a
violent wind began to blow, snow and hail fell, and
a stormy night set in. The little commander
thought to herself that this would be just the time
when the Indians would try to enter the fort under
cover of the darkness. ''I assembled all my
troops," said Madeleine, grandly ; " that is to say,
six persons."

" God has saved us to-day from the hands ot
our enemies," the young girl said to them, " but
we must take care not to fall into their snares to-
night. As for me, I want you to see that I am not

■:i I

122

BRANT AND RKD JACKET.

afraid. I will take charf^c of the fort with an old
man (^f eij^hty and another who never fired a gun,
and you, Pierre Fontaine [the settler], with La
Bont6 and Ciachet [the vSoldiers], will go to the
block-house with the women and children, because
that is the strongest place ; and if I am taken don't
surrender, even if I am cut to pieces and burned
before your eyes. The enemy cannot hurt you in
the block-house if you make the least show of
fight."

Madeleine now stationed her brothers on two of
the bastions, while she and the servant took charge
of the other two. Thus one girl, a man who did
not know how to fire a gun, and two little boys
kept guard over the fort as sentinels, while " All
wells " could be heard from time to time, answered
back and forth from the fort to the blook-house.
The night was very stormy. About one o'clock
the servant, whose station was near the gate,
called out :

" Mademoiselle, I hear something."

Madeleine went to the gate, where she could see
dimly defined upon the snow-covered ground the
outlines of what few cattle the Iroquois had not
butchered. The other sentinels were in favor of
letting them into the fort.

" God forbid !" exclaimed Madeleine. " You

now A r.IRI. DKFENDFI) A TOKT.

123

see
the
not
of

if'-'.i

don't know all the tricks of the savrii^^cs. They
are no doubt followini; the cattle, covered with
skins of beasts, so as to ^et into the fort, if we are
simple en:)ujj^li to open the i;atc for them."

IJut NFad-jleine at kist conchided that she would
let the animals in. Siie made her brothers stand
ready with their j^uns cocked in case anythini^
went wroni^, and so she and the man admitted the
cattle in safety. The ni<j^ht passed without any
farther incident. The Indians afterwards con-
fessed that they had held a coimcil and decided
upon a plan for takinj^f the fort, but had not carried
it out because the garrison were so much on their
guard.

The anxious watchers were much cheered when
day dawned. Everybody now felt courageous
except Fontaine's wife, who was very timid, "as
all Parisian woman are," remarks Madeleine. She
begged her husband to carry her to a place of
safety.

" I will never abandon this fort while
Mademoiselle Madeleine is here," said her hus-
band. '

" I will never abandon it," said the girl. " I
would rather die than give it up to the Iroquois.
I think it very important that they should never
get possession of any French fort, because if they

,.l

I !

124

HKANT AND RED JACKl-rr.

do tlicy will think they can fj^ct others, and will
be more hold and iiiiprdent than ever."

Madeleine conimanded her little i^arrison for a
week. Duiinj;" this time they had frecjuent alarms,
for the Inxjuois still hovered all about them. " I
may say \Vith truth," said the little heroine, "that I
did not eat or sleep for twice twenty-four hours. I
did not irn into my father's house, but kept always
on the bastion, or went to the block-house to see
how the people there were behavin*^. I always
kept a cheerful and smiling face, and cncouraj^ed
my small company with the hope that help would
come quickly." At last a detachment of forty
men, under a lieutenant named La Mouncrie, were
sent from Montreal to the relief of the fort. They
came up stealthily in the night, not knowing
whether the Iroquois had taken the fort or not.
But one of the alert sentinels thought he heard a
sound, and called out, " Qui vive ?" The girl com-
mander had just dropped into a doze, with her
head upon a table and her gun lying across her
arms, when the sentinel spoke to her, telling her
that he had heard something from the river. Mad-
eleine immediately mounted the bastion.

** Who are you ?" cried she.

'* We are Frenchmen : it is La Mounerie, who
comes to bring you help," was the answer.

»♦

4
if

a !

i 1

now A C.IRI, DKI'KNDF.I) A FORT.

125

•I

Placiiif^ a sentinel at the j^ate, Madeleine went
down to the river to meet the reinforcements.

" Monsieur, 1 surrender my arms to you," said
the ^^irl, with a military salute to La ^^ouncrie.

"Mademoiselle, they arc in j^ood hands," gal-
lantly answered the lieutenant.

" Better than you think," said Madeleine.

La Mouncrie accompanied her to the fort, in-
spected it, and found all in satisfactory order,
with the sentinels at their posts.

" It is time to relieve t'nem, monsieur," said
Madeleine. " We have not been off our bastions
for a week."

In some of their excursions into the Iroquois
country, the French succeeded in doin<^ the In-
dians some serious damage. Peace was at last
made between the colony and its enemies. The
French governor figuratively buried the hatchet
in a very deep hole, which he covered over with a
very big stone, over which he ran a river, that it
might never be dug up again. The hatchet did
not always remain quiet in its grave after this, but
the days were gone when the Five Nations could
seriously injure the colony.

With the new century, fresh troubles came up-
permost. The Five Nations were a great object
of jealousy between the French and English

126

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

iii

it I

colonies. Both coveted their trade, and both
claimed sovereignty over them in the name of
their sovereigns. The Five Nations, delighted to
find tliemsclves of so much importance, were fickle
in conferring favors, and refused to acknowledge
the dominion of either English or French king
over them.

The relations of the Five Nations with the
Dutch, and subsequently with the English, were
in the main friendly. Through good luck the
colony of New York had been thrown into no
early broil with these people. Her own policy
with regard to them was far from judicious. The
French in their dealings with Indians always
studied to please them, made them gaudy
presents, flattered their pride, and accorded with
their customs, many of them intermarrying with
the savages. The English, on the contrary, were
often cold, haughty, and indifferent. The present
for the Iroquois sent yearly from England was too
often stolen by corrupt public officers. The traders
through whom the English carried on their negotia-
tions w^ere despised by the Iroquois, who styled
them " rum-carriers." Meanw^hile the Jesuits, who
always proved themselves very useful for poUtical
purposes, insisted on pushing themselves into the
heart of the Five Nations, where they exercised

now A GIRL DEFENDED A FORT.

127

more or less influence in favor of France, and
dt)ubtless, too, against the interests of the English
colonies. The effects of the unwise pohcy of the
English would probably have been seriously felt
when war broke out between the two rival powers,
had it not been for a young Irishman who came to
America in the year 1638.

riiliMlilh> l»iM»iiiil

CllAlTEU XIV.

r\ U A N T *S P A r RON.

Till' boautilul vallov ol llir Mohawk Riv(M- ivS
nowono oi the most itMlilc soctioiKs ol ihc •Slate
of Now York, a i(\i;i<>t» oi {iairy-laiins, of j;roat
ritics and lar^'O nuimilat luriiii;- cntcMpriscs. Hnt
awa; oack in tho colonial (in>cs, when ii was yet
the vorv Ifontioi* post ol while softlonionts, the
most important occasion of popular asscinblini;;
was the licneral militia mustei'. On one such day
there was a lar^e i^atherinj; of haidy settleivS —
men. women, and children cliessed in roui;h i;ar-
n\ents of homespun cloth. Minified with the
whites were Indians in the various lorms of lio-
t^uois costnmes. riieie weie short kilt skirts and
iciicins, and moccasins ol l)uckskin embroidered
with porcupine quills. Sometimes these were
made oi red and l>lue bniadcloth bt)Ui;ht from
the settlers, and trimmed with beads. Over their
shoulders and aroimd their waists they wore belts
of wampmn, or shell beads, and over all the
blankets which had taken the place of robes of

MKANI' S I'A IKoNf,

12<)

skills, now bccoiric valii.ihlc for Ir.'ulr vvilh llic
whiles. The Inchim vvnineii were simil.nly
(hcssed, evt ep( lh:il 1 heir skills were lorijj;ei-, and
tlicy liiid, besides, a iikmc mo(h-s( ovef^r.-itnienf,
Conspieiioiis amon^^ lh<; mililia odiceis was oui;
gentleman dressed in \\h'. showy imilonii of the
lime, lie was a man of lall, line lif.;-nre anrl a di^-
nihed and powerfnl fac('. This was ('olonel-afler-
wards Sii VVillian) — Johnson, a very ^reat man
anion^ Ihe lndi:ms, and a very inlhienfiai man
ainon^ his hnlch and Scotch neif^hhfjrs.

A pretty, daring Mohawk ^irl, of ajjoiit. sixteen
years ol a^e, stood amon^ the crowd of spe(;tii-
fors. l-Jij^i'if^^ed in hatitcr with a fieiti officer, she
asked ii she mi^hl momil his horse. Not, drcarri-
in;^ that tin; ^irl could do it, the officer <(ave
liis |)ermission. in an instant, she ha(J sj^rnnj^ \.<)
the crupper l)ehind tlic officer, and tliey b(;t[i
went dashin<^'^ away over tlie parade-f^round, t.fic
ji^irl's blanket, and hair flyin/^^ in the wind. The
scene produced a ^rrcat deal of merriment amoDfr
the Ri)cct,ators, and Colonel Johnson was then
struck with the f)cauty of the Indian maiden.

This IS the tradition of the way in which John-
son's attention was first drawn to Mr;lly Brant,
the dashing Mohawk irirl. He certainlv took her
to his house, nominally as his housekeej^er. M(.'!ly

.IIJ...I.J..UUUJ

130

liRANT AND KFA) JACKET.

Brant considered herself married to Colonel John-
son according- to the Indian custom, which needs
but the consent of b(Uh parties. She lived with
him for the remaider of his life and bore him a
number of children. In the writings of a lady
who knew the domestic life of Johnson's family
well it is said that " Miss Molly," as she was styled,
" possessed an uncommonly agreeable person and
good understanding." This lady, though she did
not know of their ever being " formally married
according to our custom," said that they *' lived
together in great union and affection."

Colonel Johnson was a very remarkable man.
He was born in Ireland in 171 5, and was of a good
family. He came to America at the age of twenty-
three to take charge of an estate in the Mohawk
Valley belonging to his uncle, Admiral Sir Peter
Warren.

Amons: other romantic stories told of him is
one that he came to America on account of some
disappointment in love. He occupied his time
in girdHng the trees on his uncle's land, prepara-
tory to clearing it, and keeping a country store.
The enterprising young man also took great pains
to learn the Indian language, and to gain the re-
spect of the savages themselves. There is a letter
extant fn>m Johnson's uncle, written to the yor :g

■4

,-.»

BKANT S PATRON.

131

iti

man during his first year in America, which con-
tains some prudent advice on which Johnson acted
during his whole Hfe. In this letter the future
baronet is addressed as "Dear Billy." The young
gentleman vSecms to have made some rellections on
the horses of the Patroon of Albany. The letter
closes thus :

" Kecj^ well with all mankind. Act with honor
and iionesty. Don't be notional, as some of our
countrymen are often foolishly ; and don't say
anything of the badness of the pairoon's horses, for
it may be taken amiss. He is a near relation of
my wife, and may have it in his power very much
to serve you."

The key to much of William Johnson's great
success in life is that he kept on good terms with
everybody, was not notional, and instead of fol-
lowing the grasping methods of most Indian tra-
ders, he followed a much UKjre far-sighted policy,
dealing truthfully and fairly with his Iroquois
customers.

In a few years the young man became the owner
of large estates in the wild land of New York, had
built him a mansion, handsome and elegant for his
day, known as Mount Johnson, and held office afs
Superintendent of Indian Affairs, lie had super-
vision not only over all the Indians of the Six

1 1

ill

132

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

Nations, but also over many more southern and
western tribes. He attended numerous. councils,
in which he always exerted a great deal of in-
fluence over the Indians. He flattered the savages
by conforming to their customs. He danced in
their wild dances, plr J their games, and joined
them in all their sports, kic 'vus formally adopted
into the Mohawk nation, given an Indian name,
and made a war-chief, il^ dcniu-d the Indian
costume, painted himself, dressed his head with
the customary feathers, and marched with all dig-
nity and gravity into Albany at the head of his
adopted people. After the death of his first wife,
a German girl for whom, according to tradition,
he had paid five pounds to the captain oi the
emigrant vessel in which she had come over, and
whom he had only married on her death-bed that
her children might be legitimate, he married
in Indian fashion Molly Brant. This alliance with
a Mohawk wife greatly pleased her people and
strengthened Johnson's influence over them. His
home was always hospitably open to the coming
and going of crowds of Indians. He lived a
curious life, lord over an immense estate, a general
in the king's army, an Enghsh baronet, and yet the
friend and companion of hordes of squalid Indians.
There is a tradition with regard tu the way in

BRANT S PATRON.

^33

which Johnson acquired a large tract of land,
known as the "Royal Grant," and which illustrates
his management of Indians. While the famous
Mohawk chief known as King Hendrick was
once lounging around Johnson's mansion, in the
free and easy way of an Indian, Johnson re-
ceived two or three very handsome suits of mili-
tary clothes. The old chief, with the Indian love
for personal adornment, looked with covetous
eyes upon the rich costumes. He soon after came
again to the mansion and said to Johnson, " I
dream." ,

" Well, what did you dream ?" said Johnson.

" [ dream you give me one suit of clothes," was
the answer.

" Well, I suppose you must have it," said John-
son, and he gave Hendrick the suit. Perhaps it
would not have done to have allowed such dream-
ing to become customary among the Indians ; at
any rate, next time Colonel Johnson met King
Hendrick, he said, '' I dreamed last night."

''What you dream?" asked Hendrick.

" I dreamed you gave me a tract of land," said
Johnson, describing a piece of land about
twelve miles square.

" I suppose you must have it," said Hendrick,
" but you must not dream again."

134

I5UANT AND RKI) JACKET.

ill -s-'

The j^rcat Mohawk war- chief Brant was
brother to "■ Miss Molly," and her inlUiential posi-
tion as Indian wife of Sir William Johnson had
much to d(^with shaping the career of her brother.
There are several conflicting accounts of the
parentage of Brant. All agree that he was born
on the Ohio River. It was quite common for the
Iroquois to go on hunting expeditions into the
parts of the western country over which tliey
claimed supremacy. So it came about that Brant
was born on the banks of the Ohio. According to
one story, Molly was Brant's twin sister ; but this
could not have been true, for, according to the
generally accepted date of his birth, Brant was
much younger than Molly. Mis father's name was
Tehowaghwengaraghkwin ; his own name was
Thayendanegea ; and doubtless Molly had her long
Indian name also, though it is not now remem-
bered. According to the traditi(3n preserved in
the family of Brant, his father died when he w^as
very young, and his mother married an Indian
who went by the name of Brant among the Eng-
lish. Thus Thayendanegea was known among the
w^hites as Joseph Brant, very naturally being
called by the surname of his step-father, who was
perhaps the influential chief mentioned in Sir
William Johnson's diary as " old Nickus Brant."

BRANT S PATRON.

135

Some writers take a j^reat deal of pains to try
to })r()ve that this or that great Indian was of
" noble blood." Nothin<^ is more foolish. There
was no aristocracy among the Indians. The son
of some influential warrior-chief may perhaps be
the more likely to inherit the highest Indian quali-
ties, but neither elected war-chief nor hereditary
sachem lived in any more elegant bark house or
had any better corn and venison than his compan-
ions, who could not be called his subjects in any
sense of the term. In fact, a sachem or chief was
frequently among the poorest of his people, giving
away what he had in order to retain his influence
and show his disinterestedness.

Brant, though there is no evidence that his
father was a chief, as some have tried to prove,
was still pretty certainly a grandson of one of five
representative sachems who visited England
during the reign of Queen Anne. They were
called the " Indian kings," and were received with
the greatest curiosity. Addison, in The Spectator,
says that he ''often mixed with the rabble" to
follow these strange monarchs a whole day at a
time. He made some imaginary notes of their
stay, and the impression the strange sights of
London made upon the savages. He makes one
of the "kings" say, in speaking of St. Paul's

136

in<ANT AND RED JACKET.

Church, that it seems' to have been dcsij^ncd for a
temple, and that these pe()[)le have some traditions
of a religion having existed among them, but that
he could not observe anything like worship when
he went into one of these holy houses, though in-
deed there was a man in black who seemed to say
something with a great deal of vehemence, but the
rest of the people, instead of paying worship to the
deity of the place, were bowing and courtesying to
one another, and quite a number of them were fast
asleep. He also supposed the chiefs to remark
that the English people's dress was "very barbar-
ous," especially as they bound themselves so
tightly around the middle of their bodies.

CHAPTER XV.

AN INDIAN WAR-COUNCIL.

Brant was but thirteen years old at the bcj^in.
nirig of that war between the French and Enghsh
colonies which resulted in the conquest of Canada.
F'our expeditions were undertaken in 1755 on the
part of the English, one to secure the boundary
line as the English desired it in Nova Scotia,
another to conquer the Ohio Valley from the
French, still another to take the French Fort
Niagara, and the last to reduce Crown Point on
Lake Champlain. The command of this last ex-
pedition was to be given to Colonel Johnson on
account of his intimate knowledge of the Indians
of the Six Nations, who were to be used as allies.
Johnson had some time before this resigned the
superintendency of the Indians on account of
troublesome jealousies, but he had still continued
to use his great influence over them for good.
The Iroquois were, however, greatly dissatisfied
that their favorite Warraghiyagey, as they called
Johnson, was not allowed to manage their affairs.

livli

*'f 1

I3S

nUANT AND RFD JACKET.

Ajj^nin and acfnin they requested that he iiiij^ht be
reinstated in his former position. I'^inally tlie
Mohawk chief Little Abraham rose m council, and
said that for three years the Indians had desired
that Johnson nii<;lit aj^ain have charge of the man-
aj^ement of their affairs; that the Goveinor of New
York had i)r()mised to tell the kini; of their desire,
and that they had heard nothinj^ more of it. lie
now laid a belt of wampum before the En^-lish, re-
peating the request ; " For," said Little Abraham,
" wc all lived happy while we were under his
management, for we love him and he us, and he
has always been our good and trusty friend." Just
as he was taking his seat the cliief said sarcastically :
** Brethren, I forgot something. We think our
request about Colonel Johnson, which Governor
Clinton promised to convey to the king our
father, is drowned in the sea."

When the French war broke out Johnson was
again made Superintendent. He immediately sent
wampum belts to all the fortified towns, or castles
as they are frequently call 1, of the Six Nations.
The belts were accompanied by a message calling
the Indians to a council with Warraghiyagey at
Mount Johnson. The Iroquois were delighted
when they heard that Johnson again had charge.
More than eleven hundred of them crowded to

AN INDIAN WAR (« )II N( I [,.

KVJ

his house. Johnson had not. expected so heart y
a response to his invitation, and he had dinieulty
in pi()vidin<;" for so hir^e a company. Sonic of iUj
Indians who came t(» llie conncil were disaffected
and had hstened to tlie insinuations of the l''renc!i
airents who were always busy anionic them. In
his openinj^ speech Johnson hi^uratively removed
the embers from the previous council-fire at.
Albany, with which he rekindled "the fire of
council and friendship" at Blount John' on ; "and
this tire," said he, " I shall make of sucii wood as
will ^ive the clearest light and greatest warmth,
and I hope it will prove comfortable and useful to
all such as will come and light their pipes at it,
and dazzle and scorch all th(jse wdi(j are (jr luay be
enemies to it."

After several days of preliminary talking, for
the Indians are very slow in their deliberation on
such occasions, Johnson delivered his war-speech
to the Iroquois, in which he moved them after the
manner of one of their own orators. The great
assemblage had been called together by the firing
of two cannon. On the table behjrc Johnson lay
four great volumes of Indian records. " These,"
said he, " are the records of the many solemn
treaties which have passed between your fore-
fathers and your brothers, the English. They

I H

i !:»

1 1

140

r.RANT AND RED JACKET.

I -i:
v

testify that upon our first acquaintance we shook
hands, and, finding we should be useful to one an-
other, entered into a covenant of brotherly love
and mutual friendship." He then asked every
Iroquois present to put his hand on his heart and
answer which had always been the friends of the
Five Nations, the English or the French. " If you
can be one moment in doubt," said Johnson, " I
must tell you yOu will not act like those brave
and honest men whom you call your forefathers,
but like Frenchmen in the shape of the Five
Nations." He appealed to them to stand by their
brothers, the English, and not to break that cove^
nant chain by which, in Indian figure of speech,
the Five Nations were bound to their ancient
friends. " If you desire to treat me as a brother,"
said Johnson, ** go with me. My war-kettle is on
the fire, my canoe is ready to put in the water, my
gun is loaded, my sword by my side, and my axe
is sharpened." By such appeals Colonel Johnson
had wrought his audience into a frenzy of enthusi-
asm. When he threw down the war-belt it was
eagerly picked up by the Indians, who thereupon
began the war - dance. At Colonel Johnson's
order, a great tub of punch was now brought into
the midst of the council, and the Indians drank
to the health of the king. Doubtless Brant

i..

AN INDIAN WAR COUNCIL.

141

was among them, his boyish ambition to be a
great warrior fired by the Speeches of Colonel
Johnson, who had already taken notice of the
promising boy.

V*.

I ;ii

I i

CHAPTER XVI.

brant's first battle.

King Hendrick, the Mohawk chief, led the
Indian force of about two hundred and fifty
braves in this expedition against Crown Point in
1755. Among these warriors was Brant, a boy
of thirteen, and two of his brothers, doubtless
older than himself. Johnson's forces consisted
chiefly of Massachusetts and Connecticut militia.
There was one New York regiment, and five hun-
dred mountaineers were on their way from New
Hampshire. They had been ordered by the gov-
ernor of that State to build a fort on the Connecti-
cut River, which he suppos>ed to be on the route
to Crown Point. This order was countermanded,
and after a toilsome march through the wilderness
to Albany, the New Englanders doubtless realized
that Crown Point was farther distant than they
had supposed. Here the army was organized.
Part of the troops were sent ahead to build Fort
Edward on the upper Hudson, and Johnson
marched to the head of the lake which Father

brant's first battle.

Toirucs had discovered, and which still bore the
name of St. Sacrement, " Never was house or fort
erected here before," said he. The first thing that
Johnson did was to name tlie beautiful sheet of
water Lake George, in honor of his king, and in
defiance of the French. The water route from the
St. Lawrence, up the river Richelieu, through
Lake Cham plain to Ticonderoga, thence through
Lake George to t^^c head of the lake, and from
there by a carry of a few miles to the Hudson,
had been, perhaps for centuries, the great war-})ath
of the savage nations, and was destined still to be
the war-patli of the white people. It was of the
first importance to secure this road by which the
French and their Indians might any day descend
upon the defenceless settlements of New York.

A great clearing was made for a camp, and on
Sunday white men and Indians assembled under
the trees to listen to a sermon. While General
Johnson was planning to build a fort at the head
of the lake and another at Ticonderoga, before he
struck a blow at Crown Point, the French took the
aggressive. Baron Dieskau, whose motto was
" Boldness wins," had taken two hundred regu-
lars, seven hundred Canadians, and six hundred
Indians, and pushed to the head of Lake Cham-
plain, where he landed, designing to march from

144

BRANT AND RED JACKET,

there to Fort Edward, take that fort, and, having
cut off Johnson's retreat, attack that general's
forces. This was certainly a very bold plan.
The baron's guides, however, led him astray, and
he was within a few miles of Lake George before
the mistake was discovered. A council of war
was called. The Indians always insist on acting
according to their own ideas in spite of the com-
manding officer. They were unwilling to attack
the fort on account of their dread of artillery, but
understanding the camp at the lake to be without
cannons, they were ready to fall upon that. The
baron encamped for the night on Long Pond,
about four miles from Johnson's forces.

Meantime a council of war was held at the
camp on the lake shore. It was known that the
French marching upon Fort Edward were within
a few miles of the English, and it was agreed by
the officers that a detachment of a thousand should
be sent out to meet the enemy. Chief Hendrick,
however, opposed the details of the plan.

" If," said the wise old man, " they are to fight,
they are too few ; if they are to be killed, they
are too many." |

But the chief was overruled. It was next pro-
posed to send out the detachment in three divi-
sions.

,-•5' I

fi\

BRANT S FIRST IJATTLK.

145

*' Put these together," said Hendrick, holding
\ip three sticks, "and you cannot break them; take
thcrii one by one and you will do it easily," and
he snapped them in pieces.

lie nevertheless bravely led his Indians out in
tlic detachment commanded by Colonel Ephraim
Williams, a brave young man who had made his
will when he passed through Albany, leaving his
property to found a school, greatly needed in that
day, and which afterwards became Williams Col-
lege. Perfectly unsuspicious of the neighborhood
of the enemy. Colonel Williams marched his
column right into the arms of a crescent-shaped
ambuscade formed at a rocky defile by Baron
Dieskau. Ahead of the line rode the wdiite-haircd
Hendrick, the only man on horseback. The baron
had ordered his men not to fire until the Enpflish
were all within their clutches, but a gun went off,
and in an instant the Indian yells rose on all sides,
and volley after volley was poured in upon the
English. Hendrick fell dead at the first fire.
Colonel Williams jumped upon a rock to direct
the movements of his troops. He was soon killed
with a shot in the head. Had hh troops been
regulars they would have been cut to pieces, but
being backwoodsmen they retreated slowly
through the woods, fighting from behind trees.

i> J

[ i

146

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

Colonel Whiting, upon whom the command de-
volved, rallied some of his men behind a gloomy
, little pond covered with lily-pads, which has ever
since been called Bloody Pond. There is a local
tradition that it was filled with Ihe bodies of the
slain, which is hardly warranted by the facts of his-
tory. Here the little band fought, and the pursuit
of the enemy was checked until the arrival of a
detachment sent out by General Johnson to cover
the retreat.

Baron Dieskau, according to his favorite motto,
desired to follow up the retreating soldiers into
their very camp, and make his attack with the ad-
vantage which the confusion of the moment would
give. But as he neared the edge of the woods the
Indians discovered that here, too, was artillery.
They refused to move farther, and the courage of
the Canadians also wavered ; for both Indians and
Canadians, well educated in their own kind of
warfare, were unaccustomed to attacking a fore-'
warned enemy face to face. Their motto was
" Stratagem wins." Much to the baron's disgust,
they refused to join the assault, but, dispersing
through the woods, fired upon the English army
from behind trees, leaving the regulars to take the
brunt of the battle.

Meanwhile there was time for the English to

f '

brant's first rattle.

147

nand dc-
gloomy
has ever
s a local
Js of the
:ts of his-
J pursuit
val of a
to cover

c motto,
ers into

the ad-
it would
)ods the
irtillery.
irage of
ans and
kind of

a fore-*
tto was
[iisgust,
persing
h army
ake the

lish to

add something to the mere barricade behind which
they lay down to aim at ^hc enemy. Rough
backwoodsmen that they were, it was strange to
them to see first through the trees the glittering
bayonets — '* like a row of icicles on a January
morning," said one of them — and then the white
uniforms of the Frenchmen. It was a discour-
aging moment for the English colonists ; they an-
swered rather faintly the shout of the enemy.
Upon three sides a fire was poured upon them
from a distance, but the Frenchmen attempted no
assault. Soon Johnson's men took heart again.
They were good marksmen, and with their
fowling-pieces they greatly thinned the ranks of
the regulars. Their artillery was not much to be
dreaded, however. With the two cannons which
were in position they fired into the woods where
the Indians and Canadians were fighting from
behind trees. The cannons were ill managed and
aimed entirely too high, but the crashing of the
branches overhead was enough to terrify the
savages. Deserted by Indian and Canadian forces,
brave Baron Dieskau still stood his ground. He
was dangerously wounded, but he supported him-
self against a stump and directed his men. Two
Canadians came up to carry him off. One was
shot down at his side, and he ordered the other

148

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

one away. The battle was continued for nearly
five hours, and the French were badly cut to
pieces. They began to waver, and the EngHsh
with triumphant shouts sprang over their barri-
cade and rushed upon them, striking them down
with the butts of their guns, and pursuing them
through the woods. The English forces were re-
called, however, from the pursuit. But the poor
Frenchmen fell into an ambuscade at the very spot
where in the morning they had entrapped the
English. It was dusk when they reached the de-
file, and here they were attacked by a scouting
party of New York and New Hampshire
rangers, and completely routed. Baron Dieskau
himself was captured, still leaning against
the stump. General Johnson had received
a wound early in the day, in consquence
of which he had retired from the field,
Many 3''ears after, when his coffin was taken up,
the bullet which he received in this battle was
found among his bones.

As for young Brant, he was probably with
King Hendrick in the first battle of the day. He
confessed afterwards that he was seized with
trembling at the first firing, and was obliged to
take hold of a small sapling, but he soon recovered
his courage and fought bravely during the rest

BRANT'S FIRST BATTLE.

149

the clay, seeking to win the reputation of a brave
man, so highly prized by every ambitious Indian.
This was the year of Braddock's disastrous de-
feat. The force sent against Niagara had failed
to do anything, and the expedition in Nova Scotia
had come off successful, but with little honor. In
the battle at Lake George the rustic American
colonists first opposed the trained soldiers of
Europe. General Johnson did not accomplish the
main purpose of the expedition, but the victory
over French arms was cheerin"- after the failures
of the year. Johnson was doubtless better in In-
dian diplomacy than in generalship, but he was
rewarded for this success with a baronetcy and
five thousand pounds.

I! il

'■^ I

CHAPTER XVII.

THE SIX NATIONS IN BRANT'S BOYHOOD.

TiiE' battle of Lake George was the only
success which EngHsh arms were to have over
those of France in this part of the war.
Meantime the braves of the Six Nations looked
on anxiously at the struggle between the rival
European powers. Indians appreciate prompt-
ness, courage, and, above all things, success. But
they were destined to be disappointed in their
English allies. The English generals in charge of
the campaign for 1756 were weak and cowardly.
While General Abcrcrombie was jealously disput-
ing the rights and the courage of the colonial
militia, and quartering his regular troups in mid-
summer upon the disgusted inhabitants of
Albany, the Marquis de Montcalm was preparing
to take Fort Oswego, an important frontier post.
Colonel Bradstreet with three hundred men, im-
patient of the delay, had thrown provisions and
stores into the threatened fort. On his return
Bradstreet heard that the enemy designed to en-

THE SIX NATIONS IN BRANTS BOYHOOD. 151

trap him, and took every precaution to keep his
men together. As they were passing up the
Oswego in boats they were suddenly attacked by
a force of nine hundred French and Indians. The
brave colonel, with but twelve men, landed on an *
island. Here he forced party after party of the
enemy to retreat from the attack while his boat-
men were landing. Seeing some four hundred of
the French forces crossing a ford with the inten-
tion of surrounding him, Colonel Bradstreet, leav-
ing some of his men to guard the boats, marched
directly up to the enemy where they had ambushed
in a swamp, dislodged and routed them. He now
hurried to Albany to represent to the general the
necessity for reinforcing the garrison at Oswego.
Sir William Johnson also warned Abercrombie
that he could no longer restrain the Six Nations if
the English soldiers remained in idleness and Fort
Oswego were taken. Still the general waited for
the Viceroy Loudoun, and Loudoun waited for
nobody knows what.

Montcalm laid siege to Fort Oswego in August.
On a commanding hill upon the opposite side of
the river stood Fort Ontario. Montcalm first at-
tacked this. The garrison, after using up their am-
munition, spiked their cannons and retired to the
main fort. Heedless of a report that the deserted

til:

152

IlKANT AND Kill) lACKKT.

fori was mined, the Freiicli rushed to the spot,
vvliere tliey poured a hot tne upon tlie garrison of
Fort Oswego. The commandinu^ officer was
killed with a cannon-ball. Montcalm soon made
a breach in the walls, and was ])rei)arinii;' to storm
the fort when the discouraj^i^ed ij^arrison of about
sixteen hundred men surrendered. The Indian
allies of the French had lost some of their braves.
They craved revenge. As ever in such cases,
they were ready to fall upon the prisoners. In-
stantly Montcalm ordered out a file of soldiers to
defend the helpless garrison. Six Indians were
shot down before they learned the mettle of their
commander. The victorious general planted a
cross and the arms of France within the fort.
This fort had been an eyesore to the Indians of
the Six Nations, who dreaded more and mcjre the
encroachments of white men. Montcalm most
wisely destroyed it, to the delight of the Iroquois.
Meantime General Webb, on his way to Fort
Oswego, hearing the news, was seized With panic,
and, after hastily building a barricade in the
road of the enemy, fled to Albany, while the
enemy were barricading themselves for fear of
him. The Earl of Loudoun himself did not know
what the French might do " flushed with sue.
cess." He quartered his troops for the winter

i ii^ . i . i - 'i|i> ;ij -'* r] i gHi ' *.'*' i * '" mw i wj F » w uu- i' L

TIIK SIX NATIONS IN DKANT's lU)YII(K)I). 1 53

ab(nit
ndian
nivcs.
cases,
In.
rs to
vvcrc
their
^cl a
fort.
s of

the
lost
ois.

ort
lie,
the
the

upon Ihc New Yorkers, in spite of Iheir ol)j(H>
tions.

The wSix Nations no ion<^c'r wavered. Tliey sent
deputations to Canada, and made peace witii tlie
f^overnor. Tiiere was now no l)arrier of friendly
Indians between the lui^lisli settienunts and the
sava<;e allies of the French. Numerous murders
occurred on the frontier. In such warfare the
defenceless settlements must suffer for the cow-
ardice or mismana<^ement of the leaders.

The Delaware Indians had lonj^- Ijeen women
under the iron hand of the Iroquois. Tiiis is illus-
trated in the story of the famous '* walking pur-
chase" in Pennsylvania. One of those fraudulent
transactions by which land was taken from the
Indians, and which frequently did much harm, was
the raking up in 1737 of an old and forgotten In-
dian deed to land defined by the distance a man
could walk in a day. Men were trained for the
^' .ik, a smooth road was laid for them, and an

mense tract of land was inclosed by the walk.
, lie Delaware Indians were summoned to move
from their homes and fields of half-grown grain.
They re^ sed. The proprietors were at first at a
loss v/hr to do, but they thought of the Six Na-
tions, hey sent for the Iroquois. Some of tlu ir
chiefs uie down to Philadelphia, where they

154

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

were well bribed and given a false account ol
the transaction. Proud doubtless of their power,
they soon settled the matter.

" You ought to be taken by the hair of tl>e
head and shaken soundly till you recover your
senses," said they to the poor Delawares. " How
came you to take upon you to sell land at all?
We conquered you. We made women of you ;
you know you are women, and can no more sell
land than women. This land you claim is gone
down your throats ; you have been furnished with
clothes, meat and drink by the goods paid you for
it, and now you want it again, like children as you
are. What makes you sell land in the dark ? Did
you ever tell us you had sold this land? Did wc
ever receive any part, even the value of a pipe-
shank, from you for it. Wc charge you to re-
move instantly ; we don't give you the
liberty to think about it ? You are women. Take
the advice of a wise man and remove immediately.
You may return to the other side of the Delaware,
where you came from; but we do net know
whether, considering how you have demeaned
yourselves, you will be permitted to live there ; or
wnether you have not swallowed that land down
your throats as well as the land on t\\\^ side. We
therefore assign you two places to go, either to

THE SIX NaIIONS IN BRANT'S BOYHOOD. I55

Wyoming 01 Shamokiii. We shall then have you
more under our eye, and shall see how you be-
have. Don't deliberate, but take this belt of wam-
pum and go at once." The Delawares had obeyed
this hard order. But is it surprising that when at
last they threw off the Iroquois yoke and became
men and w^arriors, it was to retaliate on the fron-
tier settlements of Pennsylvania ?

The campaign of 1757 was no more calculated
to impress the Indians with awe of the Enghsh
than that of the previous year. Montcalm with a
force of ten thousand, including two thousand In-
dians, laid siege to Fort William Henry, at the
head of Lake George. Monro, the commandant
of the fort, had but a little over two thousand men.
General Webb was lying at Fort Edward, fourteen
miles away, with reinforcements, but in abject
terror of the enemy. Montcalm summoned Monro
to surrender, but was answered with defiance. He
opened his artillery with telling effect upon the
English, but Monro sent express after express to
Webb for aid and bravely held out, sure that he
would get help at last. The cowardly Webb,
though he had a force of four thousand and |)()wer
to call upon the miiitia of tlic neighborhood, did
not move. He refused to let General Johnson go
to the rescue, and at last sent an express with ex-

O.H I*

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'II

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156

TYRANT AND RED JACKET.

ni^s^cratcd accounts of the French forces, and
advising Monro to surrender. Montcahii cap-
tured the messenger, but after reading the message
he sent it in to Monro. Still the brave commander
held out until the greater part of his guns had
burst and his ammunition gone. When he sur-
rendered, it was with the honors of war. Mont-
calm, fearful of the temper of his treacherous
Indians, refused to give them any liquor, and
warned the English not to do so. The English,
however, disregarded his w^arning, thinking to
propitiate the Indians. In the morning, when the
English garrison set out on their road to Fort
Edward, the maddened savages were there with
threatening looks. A massacre began, and the
English fled, (lro})ping their baggage, arms, and
clothes upon the road. The massacre was greatly
exaggerated in the partisan accounts of the day,
but the Indians improved what time they had.
The instant Montcalm and his officers heard of it
they rushed to the rescue, risking their own lives
to save those of their prisoners. They begged
and threatened the savage allies. French soldiers
got prisoners into their tents and stood guard over
them. Those who had not escaped or been toma-
hawked were re-clothed and sent to Fort Edward
in .saietv. Fort Willium llcnr\- wa^; razed to the

THE SIX NATIONS IN BRANT's IIOVIIOOT). 1 57

ground and the French retreated, leaving Lake
George again a solitude.

Loudoun was at Hah fax with ten thousand men,
intending to take Louisburg, a strongly fortified
town of Nova Scotia, the walls of which were
thirty feet high, and which was surrounded by a
ditch eighty feet wide. But Loudoun s})ent his
time in making a parade-ground and a vegetable-
garden. Meantime the enemy was reinforced, and,
finding that the French had one mc^re ship tlian
himself, Loudoun sailed back to Ne*,/ York. He
next talked of defending the continent by encamp-
ing on Long Island.

Meantime the Indians of the Six Nations saw in
the cause of France the winning side. Wily
French agents were busy among them. It was
whispered in their ears that the French were
fighting merely to drive the Englishman from the
land of which the Indian was so jealous. This
was confirmed by the destruction of the obnoxious
forts of Oswego and William Henrv. Sir William
Johnson had his hands full trying to influence and
restrain the Indians, and at the same time to pre-
vent Lord Loudoun from making open war on the
Six Nations. The Indians still entertained a
friendly feeling toward Sir William. The Mo-
hawks were yet under his influence, and doubtless

i^^

i \ !

158

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

the boy Brant held strongly to the cause of his
friend, as lie always in after-life took sides with
the Johnson family.

But when at length a band of Canadians and
Indians fell upon the German settlement on the
Mohawk and massacred the inhabitants, the whole
valley of the JMohawk was thrown into conster-
nation. The Six Nations were no longer a barrier
to the incursions of the enemy.

CHAPTER XVIII.

BRANT AT THE BATTLE OF NIAGARA.

With the coming into power of William Pitt in
England, a wiser management caused tLe tide to
turn. The king was heartily discouraged with
the bad conduct of the war in America. When
Wolfe was appointed some one represented to the
king that he was a young madman. " If he is
mad, 1 hope he will bite some ui my generals,"
was the reply.

The campaign of 1758 was more vigorous than
the preceding ones. Louisburg, in Canada, was
captured by Amherst and Wolfe, and Fort Du-
quesne, at the head of the Ohio, was taken and
named Pittsburg in hon(3r of William Pitt, to
whom this year's success was due.

One disaster marred the general success. Lake
George had been covered with a great army under
Abercrombie and Lord Howe, on their way to
attack Montcalm at Ticondcroga. In a prelim-
inary skirmish the brave Lord Howe fell before
he could lead his troops to success. The hope of

lir

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i6o

15RANT AND RED JACKET.

the expedition had been in Howe. The manage-
ment of the attack now devolved on Abercrombie,
who was easily terrified and took pains to keep
safely in the rear during battle. Montcalm worked
bravely for his almost hopeless cause. With his
small but intrepid force he met the storming col-
umns of the English, who on their part also
displayed the utmost courage. The English again
and again attacked the walls. Nineteen hundred
men were mowed down by French arms and ar-
tillery, and the English were at last repulsed.
Without waiting to try the effect of his artillery
upon the fort, Abercrombie with his army fled in
the night, and did not rest until the length of Lake
George lay between him and Montcalm.

In si)ite of this defeat the English success seemed
certain. The French were on the point of starv-
ing ; scanty crops had been raised and Canada had
been drained of every resource. The ever-fickle
Indians had mostly deserted the losing cause.
Montcalm said for himself and his troops, " We
are resolved to find our graves under the ruins of
the colony."

Let us now return to the vacillating Six Nations.
Some of the Delaware Indians had captured a
French dispatch. They found some one among
them who could read, }>crhaps an Indian or half-

fe, -r

ha.

1.1

II''

f' 'f

.; r,

^ <

^ ■

i V

nUANT AT THE DATTLE OF NIAGARA.

161

breed who had been taught by the Quakers. Tliey
crowded around with eager curiosity wliile the
dispatch was spelled out. It proposed the exter-
mination of the Iroquois. The French urged the
western tribes to join in this, as the Six Nations
claimed their territory. The Delawares were
much astonished at so bold a proposition, for they
still held the Iroquois in dread. They immediately
. sent information of the plot to the Senecas. Vari-
ous friendly councils with Sir William Johnson
followed. He could say to the Indians with truth,
" I told you so."

In 1759 an expedition was imdertaken by Eng-
lish and colonial troops under General Prideaux
against Fort Niagara, a post which commanded
the fur trade of the west, and was therefore con-
sidered very important. General Prideaux was
joined by Sir William Johnson with nearly a
thousand Indians. Among them was Brant, now
a youth of seventeen. Prideaux was killed by the
accidental explosion of a coehorn, and the com-
mand devolved upon Sir William Johnson. He
understood the general's plans thoroughly, and
carried them out with a great deal of energy.
The siege was pressed with great eagerness.
Each day batteries were brought nearer the fort.
Meanwhile the French General D'Aubrey had

1 62

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

gathered from the garrisons of the forts of Detroit,
Venango, La Bouuf, and I'resque Isle some twelve
hundred men with an additional body of Indians,
and was on his way to relieve Niagara, without
which these other forts would be useless. Indian
scouts brought news of D'Aubrey's approach.
Leaving a guard in the trenches to prevent co-
operation from the fort, Johnson placed his main
army in a position to intercept the enemy and
support the guard. The French army advanced.
The Mohawks tried to open a parley with the
French Indians, but failed. The war-whoop was
the signal for battle. The British regulars charged
the French in front, and the Iroquois Indians at-
tacked their flanks. This threw the French into
disorder, and when the English again charged fu-
riously the French were forced to retreat. They
were pursued and killed in great numbers by the
victorious army.

Sir William Johnson sent an account of the
battle to the commandant of the fort, with a sum-
mons to surrender, and with it the threat so fre-
quently, in border warfare, hung over the heads
of a garrison, that if the Indians were exaspe-
rated by further resistance they could not be
restrained when the surrender should at length be
made. The commander with his six hundred men

»S/1

BRANT AT THE BATTLE OF NIAGARA.

163

capitulated, and the Indians behaved very well,
partly perhaps through Johnson's influence, and
partly because they had been satiated with slaugh-
ter in the pursuit of the routed army. Brant got
his second experience of war in this successful
campaign.

The fall of Niagara was followed by the de-
sertion of other western posts. Ticonderoga and
Crown Point were abandoned before Amherst's
great army, agam descending Lake George. Que-
bec, defended by the brave Montcalm, remained
to be taken by the brave Wolfe to complete the
fall of the French power in America.

CHAPTER XIX.

brant's Sc:il()()L DAYS.

Sir Wilfjam Johnson, though not a man of
very exemplary morals himself, had taken a great
deal of interest in the improvement of his Mo-
hawk neiglibors. He had helped to establish mis-
sitHiaries and build churches among them. He
also sent some Indian boys to the iNIoor Charity
School at Lebanon, Connecticut. This school was
the germ fr(.)m which grew Dartmouth College.
It was taught by Rev. Eleazar Wheelock, the first
president of Dartmouth. He had been very suc-
cessful with the first Indian pupil under his care.
His name was Samson Occom, and he became a
missionary among his people, visiting England in
1766, and attracting much attention. Among the
boys whom Jchnson sent to school was Brant.
This was probably immediately after the battle of
Niagara. Possibly Brant had received some of the
rudiments of education, through the kindness of
Sir William Johnson, before he went to the Con-
necticut school. Certainly he was then already

BRANT S SCIIOOr. DAYS.

165

an accomplished warrior. But the education that
even a white b( y i^ot in the frontier settlements
was rude enoM<;h. The first school-master in
Cherry Valley used to do his farm-work while his
scholars followed him about, reciting their lessons
in the fresh air.

Brant used to tell with amusement one story of
his school days. Among the Indian boys who ac-
companied him was a half-breed named Willii.m.
Dr. Wheelock's son one day ordered this boy to
saddle his horse. ;.. .

" I won't," said William.

*' Why not?"

"Because," said the Indian, ** I am a gentleman,
and it isn't a gentleman's place to do such things."

" Do you know what a gentleman is ?" young
Wheelock snceringly asked.

" Yes," said William ; " a gentleman is a person
who keeps race-horses and drinks Madeira wine ;
and that is what neither you nor your father do.
So saddle the horse yourself."

Sir William Johnson was probably the young
Indian's ideal of a gentleman. Brant spent several
years at this school. According to one account
he accomplished nothmg more than to "read but
very indifferently in the New Testament, and to
write but very little." This, however, could hardly

lis

!!■

1 66

BRANT AND RED JArRET.

have been true, since he was somewhat accom-
plished, according to other statements, lie cer-
tainly could write, and was employed as a secre-
tary in after-life. In Dr. Wheelock's letters to Sir
William Johnson Joseph Brant is frequently well
spoken of, as : " Joseph and the rest of the boys arc
well, studious, and dilic^ent ;" " Joseph and the
other boys behave very well ;" " Joseph is indeed
an excellent youth," and so on.

There were several Indians at schooi at I cban-
on at this time. Two Delaware boys had entered
the school before Brant. The latter was at one
time eno:ag-cd by Sir William Johnson to persuade
good Mohawk boys to attend the school. The In-
dian school-boys, however, were always restless;
they wc.uld rather hunt than study, and Brant was
like the rest of them. Only two remained to
graduate. After he left the school, we hear of
Brant being employed as interpreter for a young
minister who had resolved to devote his life and
his small fortune, sufficient to support himself and
his interpreter, to the missionary work. But the
Pontiac war broke out, and the young brave
could stay at no such tame business when war was
abroad.

CHAPTER XX.

SIR WII-T.IAM JOHNSON AND TIIK TONTIAC WAR.

TlIF, Indians aloni^ the border, at the close of
the French war, were many of them in ahnost
o}^en hostihty. There was much (hscontent in
the nnr*^'; west, and one of the Six Nations, the
Seneca., was involved in it. It was (Hscovered
tliat these Indians had sent belts of w^ampum to
the tribes of the north-west, inviting the Wy-
andots to massacre the [garrison at Detroit, and
[)lotting-, in conjunction with the Delawares and
Shawnees, to fall treacherously upon Niag-ara and
Fort Pitt.

Under these circumstances Johnson set out on a
wearisome wilderness journey to Detroit to hold a
general Indian council. At Niagara he called a
council of the Senecas. lie told them about the
discovery of their plot, and asked the meaning of
such conduct. They replied with innocent sur-
prise, denying all knowledge of such a conspiracy,
and onfirming their speech as usual with a belt.
But Sir William was not in a mood for the

; I

I >

.,j_i ;rr

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1 68

URANT AND RED JACKET.

mild remonstrances which he commonly used
when (lealinjj- with the Indians. lie had trained
their affection and respect by his kindliness,
and now when he used harsh words they were
effective.

" As this is so villainous an affair," said he, " and
carried so far, I must tell you plainly that I look
upon what you now tell me as only an evasion and
a kind of excuse to blind us. And I tell you that
all the excuses you can make, and all the rhetoric
your nation is the master ui, will not satisfy the
general nor convince me of your mnocence, unless
a deputation of your chiefs appears at the general
meeting which I am now calling at Detroit, and
there, in the presence of all the nations, declares
your innocence and disapprobation of what was
done by the two messengers last month at Detroit.
This I expect 3'ou will do to show your bn^thren
your innocence and all the Indians your detesta-
tion of so vile a plot." Sir William then returned
their belt to show them that he did not beheve
what they had said. This staggered the Indians
Thev consulted together for some time.

" Brother," they said at Ias<:, "you are very ha/J
upon us af<er our hoiiCst dociaration of innocence.
However, as \t does !iOt give you sathii'.cXnm,
we Vvill send off to-niorrinv moniin^f ymr belt

-^" —

THE rONTIAC WAR.

169

to our nation, with wliat you liavc said thereon,
and wc doi'bt not hut sonic ol our chiel men
will be ready to go to tlie proposed meeting- at
Detroit, and there satisfy you and the worhl of
their innocence."

Sir WilHam Johnson gave them some presents,
such as must always sugar-coat any transaction
with the Indians. They wanted anununition.

** How can you expect i.nmiunition to be given
to a people who arc mad enough to think of cpiar-
relling with the English?" said Johnson. Never-
theless he gave tliem enough to kill some game
on their way home.

When Sir William Johnson had arrived at De-
troit he was waited on by deputations of Indians
with presents of corn. He returned the compli-
ment by giving them pipes and tobacco, with, the
feast of a barbecued ox.

Before the opening of the great Indian coimcil
Johnson was kept occujjied with various official
business, but, like the gentlemen of his time, he
found leisure to attend the balls given at Detroit
in his honor, and to dance till fivi o'clock in the
morninir.

Willi the tiring of two cannon the great Indian
council o|)ened. An imnit i-'* concourse ol the
savages had gathered from the north, west, and

|1'

' t

I70

15UANT AND KKD lACKKT.

— i

south to sec* (he man at whose lioiisc was the coun-
cil-lire ol the Six Nations. Tliev were all in irala
(liess, painted and ornanienti'd ; lor no one is more
])ai"tieular about peisonal aj)i)carance than the In-
tlian. W'luMi the (.onneil was i^atlu'i'ed Sir Wil-
liam and his ollicers, in lull uniform, walked
into the assenii)lv. Johnson then made them
a loni;- Irientlly speech, after which the coun-
cil adjourned till the foUowinj^ day, lest, said
the Wyandot chiefs, some of the Indians, loiter-
ino- around the fort, mi<j;^lU jj^et drunk. On the
foUowiui:^ day two cannon were ai^ain tired, and
the orcat council ai^ain i^athered. The nations of
the north-west made a very satisfactory answer to
Sir William's speech. Kaiaghshota, a Seneca chief,
arose, and made an elei;ant S|>eech cleariui; liini-
self and his nation of participating^ in the rccxMit
plot. But Atlariai^hta, an influential Wyandot
brave, sprang tt) his feet and confronted the Seneca
with an exact account of how he had been one of
the main plotters, and had been with the messen-
gers sent to the Wyand(^ts by the Scnecas. Up*m
this an Ohio Indian, called the White Mingo,
spoke accusing the Wyandot of endeavoring in his
turn to incite the Indians of his l(»cality to a massa>
ere of the English garrisons. A hubbub ensued,
which was likely to end in blows, when Sir Wil-

TIIK PONTIAC WAR.

r '
171

liam dissolved the assembly, amioiineiii^ tliat
to - inoiTow he would disl tihiite j)reseiils, of
wliitli he had i)rouL;hl a lar<4-(^ ('iiaiititv with
him. I'he c^oimci! eii(U'(l, and in a few more
(lavs Johnson stalled h)r home, hi"st f4ivin<^
a farewell dinner and ball to the inhabitants of
Detroit.

Manv Indian tribes had been forced by tlu; re-
sults ol the war to chanii^e from a loni; alliance
with the I'^rench to an alliance with the h^n^-lish
power. The French were most adroit in Indian
diplomacy, insinuating^ themselves sometimes even
into the affections of the implacable Inujuois.
With some few notable exceptions, such as Sir
William Johnson, Caj)tain John wSmith, and Wil-
liam IJenry Harrison, the Enj^lish and Americans
were lar from bein<^ successful mana<^ers of In-
dians. In the forts, where they had been formerly
llattercd and loaded with presents by the French,
they found themselves gruffly treated, and their
annual gifts stinted and sometimes cut off entirely.
The English Government, now that there was no
dangerous rival to compete with it in the affections
of the Indians, unwisely thought to economize by
stopping all gift-making. Moreover, the Indians,
ewcroached upon by hjrts and settlements from all
sides, and no longer courted by rival powers, found

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15RANT AND RED fACKKT.

I I

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■

1 ;
i ;

■ _);.■_

i 1
i

i
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i 1

''..Va'

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tliat tlicir di^^nit}' and influence were fast waning.
These were the causes ol the tearful war wiiich
broke upon the remoter settlements, annihilating^
the garrisons, and sweeping from existence all tho
smaller forts of the west. The master-si)irit ol
this wai was the great l^)ntiac, who had laid a
plot to massacre the garrison of Detroit, which
only failed llirough the tender heart of a Chip-
pewa girl, who revealed the conspiracy U) the
commandant.

While this blood}' war was raging, it was most
important that Sir William Johnson should pre-
serve friendly relations with the Six Nations,
otherwise the frontier of New York would have
been devastated and all commimication with the
western posts cut off. The more eastern tribes of
the confederacy were inclined to " hold fast to the
chain of friendship," as they expressed it; but the
Senecas, who were much the most powerful, hav-
ing fully a thousand warricors, were implicated in
the conspiracy. Sir William Johnson held various
coimcils with the friendly Iroquois at this time.
In one of his speeches he handed them an axe,
saying, with regard to the Senecas, " I now de-
liver you a good English axe, which I desire you
will give to the warriors of all your nations, with
directions to use it against these covenant-breakers

TIIK PONTIAC WAR.

173

by cuttinn^ (^ff the bad links which linvc sullied ihc
chain of friendship."

Tiirouf^h llic influence of Sir Wilham Johnson,
the friendly Indians of tlie Six Nations sent this
message to their old subjects who were in open
hostility: "Cousins, the Delawares : We have
heard that many wild Indians in the west, who
have tails like bears, have let fall the chain of
friendship and taken uj> tlie hatchet against our
brethren the English. We desire you to hold fast to
the chain, and shut 3'our ears against their words."

Notwithstanding all this, bands of hostile Indians
occasionally got a chance at the more remote set-
tlements of New York. A general terror spread
over the country. The inhabitants of one settle-
ment fled for life, terrified by hearing a band of
hunters fire their guns off simultaneously at a
covey of partridges. The hostile tribes especially
threatened Sir William Johnson's life on account
of his influence with the Iroquois, lie armed his
tenants, numbering some hundred and twenty
Highland Scotch families, and fortified his home.

A war-party of the hostile Senecas lay in am-
bush on the carry at Niagara rapids and falls. As
a convoy of wagons from Fort Schlosser, escorted
by twenty-four soldiers, wound along the road,
they rushed upon them, butchering them and

» s

itf^--

i74

r.RANT AND RKT) TACKET.

driving men, horses, and wnjjfons over a precipice
into the ravine known as ihe Devil's Hole. Two
companies of soldiers luirryini^ to their relief
shared the same fate, and the Senecas returned
with eighty scalps.

The friendly Irocpiois had acce|>led wSir William
Johnson's axe, and engaged themselves in the
various expeditions of smaller war-j)arties against
the hostile Indians. It was in such expeditions
that Brant fought during the l^ontiac war. lie
was a tall, handsome yoimg Indian, with a rather
lighter complexion than most of his race and a
very bright eye. In the light costume of the In-
dian warrior, divested of blanket and shirt, and
decorated with war-paint, he sang the dismal war-
song and danced the war-dance around the Mo-
hawk camp-fire, joined by some ambitious young
men who were ready to go to battle under his
cadership. They fl(jurished their hatchets over
each others' heads, worked themselves into
ferocious courage, and then set out upon the
war-path. They creep through the unbroken for-
est, noticing every trail and marking the slightest
sound. Thev come upon the track of a small war-
party like themselves, and creep stealthily upon
their camp, kill a hostile Delaware chief, and take
three prisoners. With the scalp waving like a

(

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THE rONTIAC WAR.

175

banner before them, and the prisoners oound and
guarded, tliey march trium|)hantly to their viUaj^e,
and from there to Johnson Hall to receive appro-
bation and perhai)S a reward from the baronet; f(jr
he at one time offered hfty dollars apiece for the
heads of two chiefs of the Delawares. Such was
the warfare in which Brant engaged. An Indian
who boldly carries out such expeditions gains re-
nown as a brave, and is on the road to chieftaincy
in coming battles.

The mere fact of the body of the Six Nations
having taken the part of the EngHsh had a very
salutary effect upon the hostile Indians. The
Senccas were quick to sue for peace. Sir William
Johnson was overrun with business in settling the
affairs of both friendly and hostile Indians. In 1764
he wrote : " I have at present every room in my
house full of Indians, and the prospect before me of
continual business all the winter, as the Shawnees
and Delawares may be expected in a few days."

In finally making the great peace, Pontiac said :
" I now deliver my pipe to be sent to Sir William
J(3hnson, that he may know I have made peace
and taken the king of England for my father in
presence of all the nations now assembled ; and
whenever any of these nations go to visit him
thsy may smoke out of it with him in peace."

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I i

CHAPTER XXI.

BRANT IN TIME OF PEACE.

Brant married the daughter of an Oneida
chief, probably about 1765. According to the
ancient custom of the Mohawks, the mother of a
young brave arranged the marriage, and her son
had nothing whatever to say about it. She
usually waited until her son was about twenty-
five years of age, that up to that time he piisrht
be free as a hunter and wr^rrior, and also that he
might gain distinction as a brave ; for no Indian
maiden respects a young man who does not pos-
sess a string of scalps. When the mother con-
siders it the proper time for her son to be married,
she goes to the mother of the girl whom she has
selected, and they arrange the matter together.
They then announce their intentions to the bride
and groom, and the following day the girl is taken
to the young man's home, where she presents his
mother some cakes of Indian corn-bread, signify-
ing her ability to do the household work of her
husband, and the mother-in-law in turn gives the

■

BRANT IN TIME OF PEACE.

177

bride's mother venison or other game, signifying
the young man's ability to provide for his wife.
This is the marriage ceremony. It is very likely
that Brant was married according to the custom
of his fathers, though his wedding may also have
been sancti(^ned by the marriage ceremony of the
English Church ; for there were Episcopal mis-
sionaries then in the Mohawk Valley.

Brant rettled at Canajoharie, on the Mohawk
River, the middle of the three Mohawk towns,
and the home of his childhood. Here he had a
comfortable house, with all needful furniture. It
was a place of entertainment for the missionaries
among the Mohawks. Brant was often employed
at this time by Sir William Johnson on various
diplomatic missions to the different Indian nations
with which Sir William had business. He was
undoubtedly very intimate in the Johnson family.
Sir William Johnson was at the height of his pros-
penty. In addition to the original home, he had
built Johnson Hall, in the present village of Johns-
town, a summer villa which he called Castle Cum-
berland, and a rustic hunting-lodge. He was
passionately fond of fishing, and to this hunting,
lodge he used to come to enjoy his favorite sport.
He took great pride in his fruit-trees, and in the
culture of rare plants. He introduced blooded

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. I

Mil
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178

DkANT AND RED JACKET.

horses and cattle into the valley of the Mohawk,
and was continually adding to his library. He
exerted himself in every way to improve the set-
tlements around him. "He formed with his own
hand," said a gentleman of his day, "a little
world, as it were."

Sir William Johnson presents the strange anom-
aly of a man with all the tastes and habits of an
English country gentleman, with immense estates
and a devoted tenantry, but with a Mohawk wife
and half-breed children, his " mansion" thronged
with vsavages, and he himself pushing his affairs
with all the energy born of a new country.

He especially encouraged athletic sports. Once
a year he invited the braves of the Six Nations to
Johnson Hall, to play the Indian games. He en-
couraged the old English field-sports among his
tenantry, and he appointed *' sport-days" at Johns-
town. He was fond of boisterous fun, and on
" sport-days" he introduced the bag-races known to
college boys, and burlesque horse-races, in \vhich
the riders were seated with their faces toward the
horses' tails. There were also races in which
young men chased Guinea-pigs whose tails were
shaved and greased, the one who succeeded in
catching and holding the pig by the tail winning
the prize. He had matches in which each one

BRANT IN TIME OF PEACE.

179

tried to sing the worst song, and matches at mak-
ing the ugliest faces. He superintended an annual
fair for the benefit of the surrounding country,
giving the prizes from his own purse for the best
farm products. He fitted up a Masonic hall at
his home, and here Brant was initiated into the
lodge.

A story is told of the summary way in which
Sir William Johnson enforced justice. He heard
that one of his tenants had maltreated his old
father. Johnson sent for the man, and took him
into his private office. He talker- with him on
•various subjects. *

"How is your father, the old man ?" casually
asked Sir William. " I have beard that he is
troublesome. If such is the case, I don't know as
you could do better than to chastise him a little."

" I have done it," answered the man.

Sir William turned the key in the door, and,
taking down a horsewhip hanging un the wall, he
whipped the man soundly.

" Go home, you villain, and flog your father
again !" exclaimed the baronet, as he oi)ened tile
door.

In this insight into the home life of Sir William
Johnson we see also the surroundings in which
Brant lived. He was in and out of Johnson's

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tTSQfi

WSSS^

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BRANT AND RFD JACKET.

niruision almost daily. lie doubtless participated
ill the sports at Jolinst)n Hall, and he was the
trusty inevSsenger of its master.

Hraut had two little children, a son and a
daughter. In 1771 his wife died of consumption,
a disease very common among- Indians. After this
Brant came down to Fort Hunter, some thirty
miles beh)w Canajoharie, on the site of the lower
Mohawk castle, or fortified town. He lived here
for some time in the family of an Indian mission-
ary, Dr. Stewart, assisting him in making some
translations into Mohawk for missionary use.
About this time also he joined the church, attend-*
ed sei*vice regularly, and was very mucii inter-
ested in the improvement of iiis peojile.

It is customary for a young Indian to bind iiini-
self as a friend for life to some other young man.
A great deal of importance is attached to this re-
lationship. Brant selected for his friend a half- »
l)av officer in the British service. Lieutenant John
Prevost, to whom he became greatlv attaciied.
The young Englishman was then living in the Mo-
hawk Valley. At the ai)proach of the Revolu-
tionary war. Lieutenant Frevost was ordered to
the West Indies. Brant w^as inconsolable for the
loss of his friend.

"Do not be so i^urrowful," said Dr. Stewart.

•^

HRANT IN TIMF, ()!• IM-ACK.

I8l

"Console yourself with another friend- myself,
for instance."

" No," said Brant, " I cannot do that. I am
Captain John's friend, and 1 cannot have another
friend at the same time."

He showed his affection for the friend whom
perhaps he never met again by selecting an entire
Indian outfit of the richest furs, and sending it to
Lieutenant iVevost at Jamaica.

In 1772 Brant asked Dr. Stewart to marry him
to his first wife's half-sister. The minister refused,
as it is against the law of the English Church to
marry a deceased wife's sister. Brant argued
very sensibly that the relationship was an advan-
tage, as his sister-in-law would make a better
mother to his children. Still Dr. Stewart refused
to violate the law of the church, and Brant was
compelled to get the Lutheran minister at the
German settlement in the Mohawk Valley to per-
form the ceremony.

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ii I

CMArXER XXII.

THE STOKM liRKWING.

TllK Revolution was aj)])r()achin<^. New YorK
constantly protested her loyalty, but still claimed
her liberty. The people even in llie valley of the
Mohawk were in a ferment. A wise and observ-
ant man like Sir William Johnson could not but
read the si^ns of the times. lie was i)laeed in a
difil'icult position. Havinj^ buih. his own fortinie
and raised himself from the pe()[)le, it was believed
that he sympathized witli the people in their
grievances. But he had been honored and en-
riched by the crown, and would undoubtedly have
sided with the crown. On th'j other hand, he was
the one man who had a great influence over the
Indians. King George was resolved to hold abso-
lute power over England's great child, who had
grown beyond the reins of her distant authority,
and the stubborn monarch had no hesitation about
using mercenaries and Indians in subduing rebels.
Sir William Johnson would be compelled to exert
his immense influence to turn savages with their

^U.„..,

THE SToRM BREWING.

183

war of fire and tomahawk upon the thrivinj^ scttlc-
nients of the Mohawk, the "little world" which
he had built up around him, as well as upon thj
whole frontier which he had labored so lon^ to
protect. The younger members of the Johns(;n
family, Colonel Claus and Colonel Guy Johnson,
who had married Sir William's eldest daughters,
and Sir John Johnson, his eldest son, were hotly
l(jyal to the king. They lived in handsome houses
and with a great deal of splendor.

But Sir William Johnson was not destined to
take part in America's fresh struggles. lie was
one day holding an Indian council under a burn-
ing July sun. I le had been speaking for two hours
when he was seized with a serious attack of the
disease from which he had suffered for several
years. His eldest son was sent for. Sir John
Johnson mounted a swift blooded horse and n^de
for Johnson Hall with all speed. His horse
dropped dead when he was yet three cjuarters of
a mile away, and, having procured another, he
reached the hall just in time to see his father dying
in the arms of an old servant.

Great was the sorrow (jf the Indians at the loss
of their friend. The Mohawks attended his
funeral in a body. On the following day they
made the speech of condolence customary among

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184

llKAN'r AND Ki:r) JACKI/r.

llir Indians to his son and sons-in-law. Wit! a
lu'lt oi \vani|»utn llu'v swept llic lin'i»lat;i' (•lf..n,
tiial tlu'v nii^lit rontinnc to sit aronnd it ; witli an-
otiicr tlu'v ck'ansfd the nionrncis ol tlicii* ^ricf ;
witli another they swept, the l)lac:k clonds from
tlie sky. tliat tlie snn inif»ht l)e seen; and with still
another tiiey pnt the sun in its pro|)er course
a^ain : all tliese disorders l)ein«:^ supposed to have
been pi«)du(HMl hy the death of their friend.
Colonel (iuy Johnson, accordins^ to the baronet's
wish, became Indian Superintendent, while Sir
John succ:eeded to his title and to ample estates.
Hy his will his vast tracts of land were divided
amouij; his children and friends, nnd Miss Molly
was ami>ly provided lor. liraiit now became sec-
retary to Colonel (iuy Johnson.

The yt)uni^ men of the Johnson family thought
to crush the risiui^ si)irit of liberty in their own
neighborhootl. One day some three hundred peo-
ple had i^athered at a neijj;;hl)or"s house to raise a
liberty-pole. Before this object, most hateful in
the eyes of loyalists, had been raised the mectinj^
jwas interrupted by Sir John Johnson with his
brothers-in-law, i^uarded by a band of servants
and tenants, all well armed. Ciuy Johnson mounted
a high stoop and made the assembled people a
speech, eutlcavoring to show them their folly in

Till', STOKM l!ki;VVJN(;.

rS:

f)p|)f>sin|j; the Kiii;^^ of (•ji^laiul. lie ahiisctrl tlic
icIk'Is nuiiidly. Ihc p('<»|>lc were lot.illy iiiiarrncd.
'They boiled uilli iiidi^iialion Ml hciii;^ lliiis irilirni-
datcd. At las! a wealthy farmer's s(mi, Jacoh Sam-
nioiis, called out in the midst of the eolrjiicd's
speech, " Voii are a liar !U)d a villain!" VVhere-
iij)()ii Johnson answered with at» oath and sei/ed
Sammotis by the throat. There was a seiiflle be-
tween Ihi; two men, and the farmer was struck
down with a loaded whip by one <, I the lovalists.
1 1(; came to his senses to find one of Johnson's
servants sittinu^ npon his borly. With a blow he
knocked the fellow off, and, sprirjj.dnj^' io his feet,
pulled off his coat, for a fi^ht. 'J' wo j^ist.ols, how-
ever, were held at. his breast., and he was knocker!
down and beaten with clubs. Most, of the assc;m-
bled peo[)le had f^one home when Sammons a^ain
recovered his feet. Johnson's party now retired,
havinjj^ broken u\) the meetini^. This was but a
foreshadow iij'j;- of the hornjr of civil war, that
hatred of neii^hbors for neighbors which en^'cn-
dcrs the worst cruelties. But an older and a wiser
man mi<>^ht have t(jld the youn^ loyalists that they
could not thus stamp out the spirit of liberty in the
f)cojjle. The meetings were c(3ntinued and enthu-
siastically attended.

The Indians, naturally enough, did not appre-

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1 86

IIRANT AND RED JACKKT.

' ^

ciatc the causes which led the American people to
a revolt. To Brant and his people it seemed but
ri^ht that they should still hold to the covenant
chain which had bound the Six Nations to the
Kini^ of EnjTfland for so many 3'ears. The Johnson
family made the best use of their influence with
the Iroquois on the side of Great Britain. Kirk-
land, a faithful missionary among the Oneidas, was
instructed by the Provincial Congress of Massa-
chusetts to use his influence among the Indians on
the side of the colonics. Brant had been a great
friend of Mr. Kirkland, but the Indian now feared
his influence among the Oneidas, and j^lotted for
the removal of the missionary. At Brant's instiga-
tion a dissolute Oneida chief made charges against
Mr. Kirkland to Guy Johnson. The missionary,
however, defended his character well, and the
Oneidas supported him, so that the superintendent
dared not remove him, though he forbade him to
speak a word to the Indians, which of course he
did not obey.

The remnant of the Hudson River Indians,
known as the Stockbridge Indians, remained firm
in their attachment to the colonists, and used their
influence with the Six Nations in their favor.

" You remember when you first came over the
great waters," said the Stockbridge Indians to the

THE STORM nUFAVING.

187

^^Olonial Congress, " I was great and you were
little — very small. I then took yim in for a friend,
and kept you under my arms, so that n(^ one might
injure you. . . . But now our eonditions arc
changed. You have become great. You reach
to the clouds. You are seen around the world,
and I am become small — very little. I am not so
high as your heel. ... I am sorry to hear of
this great quarrel between you and Old England.
It appears that blood must be siied to end this
quarrel. We never tiil this day understood the
foundation of this quarrel between )ou and the
country you came from. Whenever I see your
blood running you will soon find me about to
revenge my brothers' blood. Although I am
low and very small, I will gripe hold of your
enemy's heel. ... I have been thinking, before
you come to action, to take a run to the west-
ward and feel the mind of my Indian brethren,
the Six Nations, and know how they stand —
whether they are on your side or for yoar enemies.
If I find they are against you, I will try to turn
their minds. I think they will listen to me, for
they have always looked this way for advice con-
cerning all important news that comes from the
rising of the sun. . . . One thing I ask of you,
if you send for me to fight, that you will let me

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1 88

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

fight in my own Indian way. . . Only point
out to me where your enemies keep, that is all I
want to know."

" We have heard of the unhappy differences and
great contention between you and Old England,"
said the Oneidas. " We wonder greatly and are
troubled in our minds. Possess your minds in
peace respecting us Indians. We cannot inter-
meddle in this dispute between two brothers. . . .
The present situation of you two brothers is new
and strange to us. We Indians cannot find nor
recollect in the traditions of our ancestors the like
case. We, the sachems and warriors and female
governesses of Oneida, send our love to you,
brother-governor, and all the other chiefs in New
England."

The people were now exceedingly suspicious of
the Johnson family. Sir John had fortified John-
son Mall. Upon either side of it stood two stone
towers, and around it was a strong stockade
guarded with artillery. The tenants and retainers
of the family were all well armed. Meantime
Colonel Guy Johnson had received some intima-
tion that the New Englandcrs intended to steal
u[)on him and capture him. He wrote letters to
some of the chief magistrates complaining of this,
and notifying them that if the superintendent of

THE STORM BREWING.

189

the Indians were tamper'^d with they would take
a dreadful revenge. Colonel Johnson and the In-
dians under his influence seem to have had an
especial fear of the sly designs of Bostonians in
particular, probably because they were the au-
thors of the famous tea-party.

A letter written by Brant to the Oneida sachems
was intercepted. It ran thus : " This is your let-
ter, you great ones or sachems. Guy Johnson
says he will be glad if you get this intelligence,
you Oneidas, how it goes with him now ; and he
is now more certain concerning the intention of
the Boston people. Guy Johnson is in great fear
of being taken prisoner by the Bostonians. We
Mohawks are obliged to watch him constantly.
Therefore we send you this intelligence, that you
shall know it; and Guy Johnson assures himseif
and depends upon your coming to his assistance."

A council with the Mohawks was held at Guy
Park, Colonel Johnson's mansion, in the spring of
1775. It was attended by some of the members of
the county committees, who assured the Indians
that their superintendent would not be molested.
But Colonel Johnson was not satisfied with an In-
dian council under the eyes of the detested com-
mittees. He moved up the Mohawk accompanied
by Brant and a large company of Indians, ostensi-

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190

IIRANT AND UKD JACKET.

bly to hoid a council. The settlers on the Mohawk
were in constant dread lest Johnson should return
upon them and, in conjiniction with Sir John, fall
upon the settlements. They stopped his supplies,
and thus embarrassed him as much as was possi-
ble. Colonel Johnson moved on west to Ontario,
where he could hold a <i;-rand council away frofti
the supervision of the rebellious colonies.

While the American people were resolving; to
die for their liberties the more powerful part of
the Six Nations were, as Brant afterwards said,
thinking of their time-honored covenant with the
king, and saying, " It will not do for us to break
it, let what will become of us.

m»iUiiT,r,Ti?,fMi,

CHAPTER XXIII.

BRANT, THE WAR-CHIEF.

From Ontario Colonel Johnson returned to
Oswego, and here held another Indian council. It
is said that he got up an entertainment for the In-
dians, inviting them to come and feast on a Bos-
tonian and drink his blood. The Bostonian in
this case was a barbecued ox, and the blood was
wine furnished by the colonel. This was a joke
well appreciated among the Indians, as a Boston-
ian was the representative rebel in their eyes, but
it is said that in the partisanship of the time
the colonial patriots pretended to understand
the circumstance literally, and made good use
of it in demonstrating the inhuman cruelty of
loyalists.

Colonel Johnson with Brant and the Mohawks
now crossed into Canada, and attended a great
council of the Six Nations, held by Sir Guy
Carleton and Sir Frederick Haldimand. Here
the main body of the Iroquois engaged to take
part on the British side. One town of the Mo-

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192

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

hawks who had remained in the valley, and still
kept up friendly relations with the united colo-
nies, was attacked with a fearful epidemic which
nearly exterminated the inhabitants, immediately
after a peaceful visit to Albany. With character-
istic superstition, they attributed the pestilence to
the anger of the Great Spirit that they had not
joined the cause of the king. The survivors im-
mediately decamped, following Colonel Guy
Johnson into Canada. - '

Meantime Washington had ordered General
Schuyler to keep his eye upon Sir John Johnson.
This gentleman kept up a correspondence with
his brother-in-law in Canada by means of the Mo-
hawk Indians, who carried letters in the heads of
their tomahawks and hidden in the numerous
ornaments of their costumes. It was, moreover,
beheved that there was a large depot of arms and
ammunition in the neighborhood of Johnson Hall.
General Schuyler with a force of seven hundred
men marched upon the troublesome baronet. Sir
John Johnson surrendered, promised neutrality,
and was allowed to remain at liberty on parole.
He also delivered up his arms and ammunition, and ^
his Highland tenants grounded their arms before
the American troops. The country was scoured
for Tories, and the depot of arms was sought for,

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BRANT, THE WAR-CTITEF.

193

but it was not in existence. After his surrender
the baronet still worked secretly for the royal
cause among the Indians. General Schuyler re-
garded the parole as broken, and undertook to
again capture Sir John, but, warned by his loyal-
ist friends in Albany, he fled the country, hastily
burying the family silver in his cellar and intrust-
ing the secret to an old negro servant. He dared
not go to Canada by way of Lake Champlain, not
knowing whether royalists or rebels were in pos-
session there. He struck off into the wilderness
with his band of followers, and sulTcred much
from hardship and hunger before he reached
Canada.

Brant, or Thayendancgca as he was called
among the Indians, had now become, by the exi-
gencies of war, by his connection with the John-
son family, and by his own superior mind and
gift for leadershii), a chief. Writers have disputed
as to whether Brant was tJic war-chief, the irreat
captain of the entire confederacy. As no such
office was known to them, it was impossible for
Brant to hold it. They had no commander-in-
chief, but fought as all Indians fight, in small
parties under separate chiefs. Still Brant was un-
doubtedly much the most powerful and influential
of the Iroquois war-chiefs.

194

r.RANT AND RED JACKET.

Before the Americans were yet sure whether
Brant would take up the tomahawk a<^ainst them,
his old school-master was asked to write to him
on the subject. President Wheelock accordingly
wrote Brant a very long letter, using every argu-
ment in favor of the colonists that he thought
would have weight with an Indian. Brant an-
swered with Indian wit that he very well remem-
bered the happy hours that he had spent under the
doctor's roof, and he especially remembered the
family prayers, and above all how his school-
master used to pray ** that they might be able to
live as good subjects, to fear God, and honor the
king."

Meantime the American successes in Carada
were, for the time, very influential with the Indians
on the American border, many of whom took
sides with the colonies. It is possible that Brant,
too, felt the power of success, and that the English
wished him to see the mother-country that he
might judge of her resources. At any rate. Brant
sailed for England in the fall of 1775. On his ar-
rival in London he was taken to an inn called the
Swan with Two Necks, All haste was made, how-
however, to prepare other lodgings more suitable
for an " Indian king." Brant, however, refused to
move, saying that the people at the inn had

URANT, THE WAR-CHIEF.

195

treated him so kindly that he preferred to stay
there. Brant was much Honizcd while he was in
England. He was courted by that celebrated
worshipper of great men, Boswell. He sat for his
picture twice during the visit, once at Boswell's
request, and once for the Earl of Warwick. He
commonly wore European clothes, but he had
with him a splendid costume made in Indian style,
in which he appeared at court and upon other
great occasions. The ladies at court must have
been shocked at the sight of his handsome glitter-
ing tomahawk with "J. Thayendanagea" engraved
on it. He bought during his stay a gold ring,
upon which he had his full name engraved, that
his body might be identified in case of his death
in the coming battles. Before he left England
Brant promised to lead three thousand Indians
into the field on the royal side. He returned to
America by way of New York early in the spring,
and was secretly landed at some quiet spot in the
neighborhood of the city. From here he under-
took the dangerous enterprise of stealing through
the country to Canada.

" When I joined the English in the beginning of
the war," said Brant long afterwards, " it was
purely on account of my forefathers' engagements
with the king. I always looked on these engage-

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196

IJRANT AND RED JACKET.

ments, or covenants between the king and the In
dian nations, as a sacred thing ; therefore I was
not to be frightened by the threats of rebels at
the time."

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE BATTLE OF THE CEDARS.

The general of the royal forces in Canada, Sir
Guy Carleton, was a mild and cautious though a,
brave man. He would not allow the Indians at
his disposal to cross the border, lest they should
open war, in their cowardly style, on the frontier
settlements. Thus the Iroquois did not play a
very important part in the first struggles of the
Revolution.

" You will never have cause to blush for your
Montgomery," said the American general of that
name, as he bade his young wife good-by, on
starting for the campaign in Canada. With ill.
disciplined troops, composed of New Englanders
and New Yorkers, of whom he said that they
were "all generals but not soldiers," Montgomery
undertook the siege of St. Johns. Carleton, with
great difficulty having gathered together about
eight hundred men, attempted to raise the siege.
He crossed the St. Lawrence at Montreal, but, as
he neared the opposite shore, his forces were fired

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198

BRANT AND KED JACKET.

Upon by a detachment of the famous Green Moun-
tain Boys and forced to retreat. After a deter-
mined siege of fifty days St. Johns capitulated,
and Montgomery took triumphant possession of
Montreal. The Canadians were now many of
them friendly to the invaders, and the Indians,
said Carleton, " chose to be of the strongest side,
so that when they were most wanted they van-
ished." It was at this juncture that Brant sailed
for England, and while he was there the tide of
success turned.

In dire need of soldiers, money, and artillery,
Montgomery still resolved to take Quebec if pos-
sible. The detachment sent to meet him at Que-
bec under Arnold arrived, tattered, starved, and
half frozen, after a long wilderness journey. In
the depth of winter Montgomery encamped before
Quebec. His troops were all enlisted for a short
length of time, and if he did anything it must be
done before the new year. On the night of the
thirtieth of December, under a fierce midwinter
storm, the daring enterprise of storming Quebec
was undertaken. The men had to hold down
their heads to avoid the pelting of the storm, and
cover their guns with their coats to keep them
dry. They attempted drawing a field-piece on a
9iV i, but that was abandoned. Two feints were

THE BATTLE OF THE CEDARS.

199

made along the line of defence while Mongomery
attacked from one quarter, and Arnold from the
opposite. Arnold was severely wounded, but his
men carried the battery. Montgomery pressed to
the attack, but the brave general fell at the can-
non's mouth. With the death of Montgomery all
hope of success was gone.

The Continental Congress could not yet give
up the subjugation of Canada. Reinforcements
were sent there only to suffer from want and die
of the small-pox. When, at last, an English fleet
anchored at Quebec, the only alternative left to
the colonial forces was to retreat.

It was about this time that Brant reached
Canada, after his return from England. In com-
mand of large bodies of Indians, he entered imme-
diately into the service. Carleton ordered him,
with six hundred Iroquois, to join a company of
regulars in dislodging the Americans from a point
of land about forty miles above Montreal, known
as The Cedars. The American commander. Bedell,
when he saw the English and Indians approaching,
deserted under pretence of going for reinforce-
ments. The command was left to Major Butter-
field, who seems to have been hardly less cow-
ardly than Bedell. After a brief fight with mus-
ketry, he was intimidated by a threat that the

f
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200

HRANT AND RED JACKET.

Indians would have no mercy if the Americans
held out any lon^^er, and surrendered, against the
wishes of his men. lie had hardly surrendered,
when a detachment was sent to his relief by
Arnold. Ilavins^ no intimation of the surrender,
the detachment was attacked by Brant when
within four miles of The Cedars. A sharp battle
ensued ; sometimes the Indians were driven back,
and the Americans would attack even more
fiercely, then the Indians would rally again, and
the Americans, in their turn, would be forced to
fall back. But the colonial troops were at last
compelled to surrender. The savages murdered
several of the prisoners before they could be
stopped. Brant immediately exerted himself in
every way to prevent a massacre. One of the
prisoners, Captain McKinistry, who was wounded,
was selected by the Indians to be put to death by
torture. Brant would not permit this, but a
chief's influence is not very great in such cases,
and it was with a good deal of trouble that he
prevented it. To soothe the feelings of his disap-
pointed savages, he and some of the British officers
made up a purse, with which they bought the
Indians an ox to roast instead of Captain McKin-
istry, who was treated with so much kindness by
the young chief that he and Brant became fast

TIIIi: BATTLE OF Till: CEDARS.

201

friends. In after-years Brant never passed down
the Hudson without visiting the captain at his
home.

As soon as Arnold heard of the disaster, he
marched upon the Enghsh and Brant, but he re-
ceived a threat that if he gave battle the Indians
could not be restrained from butchering the pris-
oners in their power. Arnold secured the ex-
change of the prisoners, however, promising to
release British prisoners in return. The Ameri-
can Congress thought itself justified in neglecting
to fulfil this promise, on the ground that the Brit-
ish had committed a breach of faith in allowing
the Indians to kill prisoners of war.

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CHAPTER XXV.

WOODEN GUNS AND FALSE DISPATCHES.

Carleton was censured by bitter partisans on
the English side for having damped the zeal of the
Indiars in not allowing the savages to pass the
border of Canada. A different policy was in-
augurated, and a cruel border warfare began.
The small bands of the Oneidas and Tuscaroras
remained friendly to the United States. But the
strength of the vSix Nations followed Brant, and
the famous confederacy was thus rent in two. It
was announced that the council-fire at Onondaga
was cxtinofuished.

Brant was gathering his forces at the Indian
town of Oquaga, on the Susquehanna, in 1777.
The settlers on the Mohawk trembled. Colonel
John Harper, one of four brothers who had
founded a settlement called Harpersfield, was
sent to find out the intentions of the warriors.
Taking a white man and an Indian with him, he
visited Oquaga. The Indians with characteristic
duplicity said that their intentions were peaceful,

WOODEN GUNS AND FALSE DISPATCHES. 203

and that thej were very sorry for the country's
troubles. In a few months after this, however,
Brant ascended the river to UnadiUa with a band
of eighty warriors, and called upon the militia
officers and the minister to furnish him provisions.
He said that if the provisions were not given to
him peaceably he would use force.

"The Mohawks always were warriors," said
Brant, when cjuestioned as to what were his inten-
tions. " Our agreement with the king is very
strong, and we are not such villains as to break
our word."

Nothing remained for the scattered settlers but
to furnish the provisions Brant had demanded,
but when he was gone they fled to a more popu-
lous country. Many of the people at the outposts
of frontier settlements had taken refuge at Cherry
Valley. Here the settlers, to protect themselves,
threw up an embankment of logs and earth around
the largest house of the neighborhood and its
barns, and bmlt also two small block-houses within
the enclosure. Those who were either too young
or too old to go into service elsewhere formed
themselves into a company for the protection
of the settlement, while even the boys paraded
with wooden guns. Meantime Brant at Oc^uaga
planned an attack upon Cherry Valley. He

204

IIRANT AND RED JACKET.

ni)i)r()achccl the settlement with his Indians one
brij^^ht May morning, and t(X)k an observation from
tlic distant woods. It happened just at this moment
that tlie boys of the vSettlement were parading in
front of the rude fort with their wooden swords
and guns. Brant mistook the amateurs for real
soldiers. lie with his party moved to a hiding-
j>lace along the roadside, hoping to intercept some
one who would give him information. At the
spot he had chosen the road wound along the edge
of a [)recipicc a hinidred and fifty feet deep. In
this wild chasm was a waterfall called by the In-
dians Tckaharawa. That morning Lieutenant
Wormwood, a rich young gentleman from the
Mohawk, had come over to Cherry Valley to tell
the inhabitants that reinforcements were to be
sent for their defence. lie attracted much atten-
tion at the settlement, being dressed in a suit of
ash-colored velvet. As he started away he threw
down his portmanteau, saying that he would not
take it, as Le would be back there the next day
with his regiment. lie was accompanied on his
ititurn by a man named Peter Sitz, who bore dis-
patches. A crowd watched the two men as they
rode away from the settlement. As they neared
the wild ravine of Tckaharawa Brant hailed them,
but instead c)f answering tlic\' put s[)iirs to their

WOODEN (UJNS AND FALSE DISPATCTIES.

!05

horses and tried to pass. Then it was that the
people at tlie village heard the crack of musketry.
The young man fell dead, shot down by Brant,
while Sitz's horse was shot from under him. The
Indians rushed out and captured the messenger,
while Brant scalped the young ofBcer. Sitz had
been provided with double dispatches, and he had
the presence of mind to deliver the false ones to
Brant. By means of these Brant was fortunately
deceived as to the strength of Cherry Valley and
retired. It is said that the chief regretted the
death of the young man, as they had formerly been
friends. He had fired upon him supposing him to
be an officer of the Continental army.

Lieutenant Wormwood's horse returned to the
vSettlement with blood upon the saddle, and his
body was found behind a rock on the roadside,
and this is all the settlers knew of the affair. In-
dians of course were the slayers, but /t was not
yet known in the settlement that Brant had com-
mitted any act of hostility.

i .1

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ml
lilt'

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'.r

CHAPTER XXVI.

ATTEMPT TO KILT, BRANT.

■J

li,i

:ij!

BraisT'.s forces at Oqiiai^a continued to in-
crease. It was evident (hat he was i)rei)arinij^ for
some hostile movement. The people on the
frontier which he threatened were in terror.
General Herkimer, who was an old neijj^hhor and
friend of Brant, determined to have an interview
with him, hoping perhaps still to influence him to
remain neutral, and probablv intending to capture
the chief if possible. He sent a messenger inviting
Brant to an interview with him at Unadilla. He
marched to this place with over three hundred of
the militia. Brant moved to meet him with some
five hundred braves. He encamped within two
miles of Herkimer, and sent a messenger to the
general.

" Captain Brant wants to know what you came
here for," said the messenger.

" I merely came to see and talk with my
brother, Captain Brant," answered Herkimer.

" Do all these men want to talk with Captain

m^muftimtmitffpnilfggf

ATTKMI'T TO KILL I'.KANT.

207

I-

Bnmt too?" inquired the Indian. "I will carry
your talk back to Captain Brant, but you must
not come any farther."

After much sending back and forth of messen-
gers, a meeting between the chief and the general
was brought about. A temporary shed was built
half-way between the two encampments, and the
parties agreed to meet here iniarmed. General
Herkimer was already stationed in the shed when
Brant appeared on the edge of the woods, accom-
panied by a Tory named Captain Bull, young Wil-
liam Johnson, Sir William's son and Brant's own
nephew, another Mohawk chief, and an Indian
woman, perhaps Brant's wife. He had also about
forty braves with him. He approached Herki-
mer's party somewhat cautiously, naturally sus-
pecting treachery. He greeted the general, and
began to converse, but watched his face with a
keen eye.

" May I inquire the reason of my being so
honored ?" said the polite chief.

" I came only on a friendly visit," answered
Herkimer.

"And all these have come on a friendly visit
too?" and Brant eyed Herkimer's companions.
" All want to see the poor Indians ? It is very
kind," said the chief, sarcastically.

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308

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

The general wanted to move forward to the vil-
lage, but Brant told him that he was near enough,
and would not be allowed to go nearer. Herkimer
questioned Brant about his feelings and intentions
with regard to the war between England and the
colonies.

" The Indians are in concert with the king as
their fathers were," answered Brant, earnestly.
" We have yet got the wampum-belt which the
king gave us, and we cannot break our word. You
and your followers have joined the Boston people
against your sovereign. Yet, although the Bos-
tonians are resolute, the king will humble them.
General Schuyler was very smart on the Indians in
his treaty with them, but at the same time he
could not afford to give them the smallest article
of clothing. The Indians have before made war
upon the white people when they were all united ;
now they are divided, and the Indians are not
frightened." . '^

Brant was answered by an American named
ColoP'el Cox. He said something in his speech

ti <?> .,U;.red the Indians. Brant made a signal
Ic, ;-':. \' a-riors. They ran back to camp, and re-
tunitid aiii ed. The war-whoop rang through the
air, and for a moment there was a great deal of
excitement. Meantime Brant was soothed. He

vil.

ATTEMPT TO KILL RRANT.

209

peremptorily refused to surrender the Tories in
his party, when this was demanded. He agreed
to meet Herkimer again on the following morning.

White men in Indian warfare often become as
treacherous as the Indians themselves. Herkimer
must undoubtedly have designed some attack on
Brant, had not the chief's force been so great and
he himself so guarded in his movements. He now
secretly planned with three men to assassinate
Brant in the council of the following day, at a
given signal. But Brant was wary. He marched
up to General f lerkimer in the morning with great
dignity. ^^

" I have five hundred warriors with me, armed
and ready for battle," said he. " You are in my
power ; but as we have been friends and neighbors
I will not take the advantage of you." Brant gave
a signal. Instantly five hundred Indians rushed
out of the woods, armed, painted, and yelling the
war-whoop.

•* Now," said Brant, " General Herkimer, I ad-
vise you to go back to your own home. I thank
you for your civility in coming so far to see me,
and perhaps some diiy I may return the compli-
ment. Now I will return to my village, and you
may rest assured that, for the present, the Indians
will commit no hostilities."

11 \ il

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2IO

BRANT AND RED JACKKT.

It is needless to say that Brant war> not assassi-
nated. Herkimer promised to follow his advice,
and presented the Indians with some cattle, de-
siring perhaps to occupy their thoughts. They
fell upon the animals instantly and began slaugh-
tering them, while Brant turned and walked
proudly away. The morning had been exceed-
ingly clear and lovely, but black clouds now
covered the sky and a violent storm burst upon
the country.

Soon after this Brant and his Indians' removed
to Oswego, where Sir John Johnson was concen-
trating the Tories under his influence. Here the
Six Nations were again figuratively invited to eat
the flesh and drink the blood of a Bostonian, and
here a great council was called. There was at
this council much display of the tawdry presents
which Indians value so highly. The council was
called to encourage the Six Nations to harass the
colonists by a border warfare. At the close of
the council every Indian was presented with a suit
of clothes, a brass kettle, a gun, a tomahawk, a
scalping-knife, ammunition, and a piece of gold.
Rewards were also offered for scalps.

CHAPTER XXVII.

THE FORERUNNERS OF A SIEGE.

The rebel colonies were to be subjugated by
the campaign of 1777. By the employment of
German mercenaries and of Indians, the king had
made every effort to furnish a sufficient force for
this purpose. Part of the plan for the year was
the descent of General Burgoyne, by way of Lake
Champlain and Lake George, into the heart of
the countr}^ where he was to make a junction
with Howe's forces. Burgoyne was provided
with a large and well-trained army. He made a
grandiloquent speech to his Indian allies, in which
he said : " Warriors, you are free ; go forth in the
might of your valor and of your cause ; strike at
the common enemies of Great Britain and
America, disturbers of public order, peace, and
happiness, destroyers of commerce, parricides of
the state. . . . Be it our task to regulate your
passions when they overbear. 1 positively forbid
bloodshed when you are not opposed in arms.
Aged men, women, children, and prisoners must

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212

r.UANT AND RED JACKET.

be held sacred from the knife and the hatchet."
Meantime the general of the German mercenaries,
Baron von Riedesel, exclaimed, " Wretched colo-
nics ! if these wild souls are indulf^ed in war."

While the British army, graced by the presence
of some of the officers' ladies, was gayly march-
ing in triumphant progress toward the Hudson,
Brant accompanied a detachment under Colonel
St. Leger to make a diversion in the direction of
the young chief's old home, the Mohawk Valley.
St. Leger was to ascend the St. Lawrence to
Oswego, where he was to be joined by the Indians
and Sir John Johnson with his regiment of loyal-
ists, known as the Royal Greens. From here, by
way of Oneida Lake and Wood Creek, the forces
were to march upon Fort Schuyler, or Stanwix,
the name by which it is better known. The fort
was to be reduced, and St. Leger was to form a
junction with Burgoyne.

The inhabitants of the Mohawk Valley were in
a deplorable condition of fright and discourage-
ment. The first news that reached them of the
coming invasion was brought by a half-breed
Oneida Indian, who said he had attended a council
of the hostile Indians held by Colonel Claus.

" Ticonderoga is mine," announced this gentle-
man, in bravado. " This is true, you may depend

'imr^

THE f"()rekunni:rs ok a siegk.

213

on it, and not one ^un shall be fired. The same is
true of Fort Scluiyler. I am sure when I
come before that fort, and the commanding
ofificer shall see me, he also will not fire a shot, but
will surrender the fort to me." Curiously enoujE^h,
Burgoyne had taken Ticonderoga without a shot,
and this led the Indians to believe in Colonel
Claus's powers of prophecy.

" Brothers !" exclaimed the Oneida, " now is your
time to awake, and not to sleep any longer, or, on
the contrary, it shall go with Fort Schuyler as it
went already with Ticonderoga. ... If you
don't come soon, without delay, to assist this place,
we can't stay much longer on your side ; for if
you leave this fort without succor, and the enemy
shall get possession of it, we shall suffer like you
in your settlements."

But the settlers were deeply dejected, and many
of them were incHned to go over to the British
side. John Jay said of them at the time that
their situation was " both shameful and alarming.
. . . God knows what to do with or for them.
Were they alone interested in their fate, I should
be for leaving their cart in the slough till they put
their shoulders to the wheel."

From time to time parties of disaffected inhab-
itants would steal away to join the British.

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214

It KANT AND KKP JACKKT.

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Fri};litfiil rumors were ronstaiilly rcacliin^ the
sctlltMiUMils. Men (laic'd not work in the fields
without a conii>;uiy ol neii;l)!)ors to j^uard them,
the luilian rava|L;'ers were expected every (hiy.
In the sprini;; of 1777 Colonel Harper, who was ii\
command of one of the little neighborhood forts,
had made a circuit throui;h the woods to llarpcrs-
(ield. and set out to return. 7\s he climbed a hill he
suddenly saw^ a band of Indians a|)j)roachini!f. I lis
overcoat covered his uniform, mid he walked ri^^ht
up to the Indians. He recoi^^nized amonjj;' them a
Mohawk of his acquaintance, but fortunately they
did not know him. He saluted them in the
usual manner, and ij^ave them the impression by
his conversation that he was a loyalist. They in-
formed him that they were on their way to cut off
a small settlement upon the Susquehanna. When
out of their sight, the Colonel returned to Harpers-
field in all haste. Here he collected a band of
fifteen brave men accustomed to border life. Each
man provided himself with two days' provisions
and a rope. They then w^ent in pursuit of the In-
dians. That same night, as they stole along through
the woods, they saw their camp-fire. The white
men halted and waited. Toward morning, when
the Indians were in their soundest sleep, Harper
and his men crept up. The Indians had stacked

Till', lOUKkUNNl'.KS OK A SIK*;!;,

215

tlicirarins in llic centre of tlu- ciu anijinu'nt. The
while men lirst (|Mielly removed these. I^aeh man
chose his liuhan, and at a ^ivefi sij^iial every In-
dian was grasped and b(jund before he was fairly
awake.

" Ufj^h ! Colonel I larger !" (^xclaitned the Mo-
hawk, as dayli;^ht appeared, " why didn't. 1 know
yon yesterday ?"

Fort Stanwix, in tlie snmmer of 1777, was in a
l)ad condition to withstand attack. It had /^one
to decay, the ditch snrroundini^ it was tilled nj),
and it was poorly <^arris(..)e(l. Colonel I'eter
(iansevoort, who was j)laced in command, did his
best in the short time remaining to strengthen the
defences. Those of the jj;-arrison who were not
sick from destitution were kept constantly at
work. Meantime it became daily more difficult
to do any work outside of the fort, on account of
lurkinj^ parties of Indians. Of some soldiers at
work within three quarters of a mile of the f(jrt,
one was killed and mangled, two wounded, and six
missing. Meanwhile there were only provisions
enough in the fort to last about six weeks, and the
garrison was in want of ammunition. Prowling
parties of Indians were more and more infesting
the neighborhood. One day the air was filled
with clouds of pigeons. Two men, Captain Gregg

I ! '

i\<^

nUAM ANP uin |\< Kir.

r\\\i\ {\\v\'>\SM\\ Mi\tlisou, ron(iin\ lo ohIimm, unit,
out to lunU m ihr ihM^hlMMiM)) wimuIm. Thr\ wi'li'
]>oth shot «lo\\n, :M)ii iustanll\ tlic linliiiim i imlir<l
wyxm \\\vn\ to t;>ko thri» srnlps, (';>|»t;»in l«H'f^K
ha»l hcvw shot thn>\iti,h thr hni k, ;nul wim Htill
alive \\ \tl\ i\\V',\{ pu'srnt't' ol min<l hr putnulrd
to Uv y\\\\y\. i\\\k\ \\\\v\vy\ no jMonn ilniin^ llu'
p;nnl\il oiHi;\tion ol scMlpin^. \Vh(M» (he IiwHohm
\vm\ ^vono ht' rropt to tlu' <lr;hl ior|>oral ami laid
bis hoail upon Ins liion^l's boily. Captain (mc^^'h
vlv^j;, \vh\) was with hi«n. now «an to a plait' whcic
two nuM^ w<M(^ tishin|;>, Hv his iniplotin^; a«ti«MiH
ho attrai'toil tlun attintion. anti I(mI thrni to his
master. 'V\\c hslua nion in\n\(Mliatrlv hnnicd to
the iv>it with tlu> tunvs, an<l a pattv ol soMiciH
i\in\t^ to (^iVii'iiV voliol. His winnuls wvvv very
tlani;vi\nis, but ho Imallv rorovorod hom tlx in.

Aj^ain, as CohnuM Willot was taking his noon-
day rest, ho was ono k\,\\ slartK^I by tlu^ report ol
musko1r\. \\c haston(ul to tlio patapot,;nul saw a
bttlo i;ir]. with a bask(^t on hor aim, innnin^
toward tho t\Mt, whilo tho blood trioklod down the
b^^S(^nl ol hor dross. vSlio had boon ont ])iokin^
IxMTios with twt> othor i;iils. rhov had boon lirod i
ii]>i^n bv Si>mo bubans, and two oi thorn wore
killoii The child who escaped was but slightly
\>'oinHied.

THK I'HMKkl/NNKUM « M' A y^lV.dV..

t\1

\\\^ hU'^tc I'mi ((iiiiilrlv, \ii\'tt( 1 1 wim f'»f» lih f / (M
foriXMiiciiJM (il IWM IhiimIm'I Jiimi itrnvrfl, wilfi fvvo
lilltriMix nf pioviMinMM ;mmI ittririiiinilioh WiMi mII
hiiMlr IIh' IkuiIm wtf iMilojiJrfl, A4 fhf hisf of (li/-
liMliiijr rc'fK IimI flir («»il, flir lioqfilf (fMli;ifm H|i-

|K>ill(M| (ll lll«' Vi\^r() n( (llf VVnO'l'i Jlfl') mil (f('<U(\ ifi

cnpluiifif; flir nipliiid <i\ llif l»o;il. Ifc j(;irri^ofi
iMiw (nimhMl scvni liuii»l»''l ;i(i'l liffy 'rKfi.
riicy li.'ul pKiviHioiiM MiM(i((li lor mx wr(;)<s, fxif
ihcy wore very hum h m vv;iiif ol arnniiiniliofi for
llic <iimi(Mi. VV'M'il of ;ill III flifii ryes, flicy hud
iiol ji fliiji Willi wliif ll Jo liifl dcfiaficc lo (lie army
now Im'Ioic (he walls ol Ihr fori, llw Ko\(]'io.r%
Hai:i-ili(.('«l, liowcvrr, llicir wliilf sIimIs to thf; < mi^', ■
a liliic (ainlcl cloak, (aiiliirc^l froiri tfic i-ncniy,
wan Hlii|)|H'd up, vvliilct various orMs ariH rnfh of
red were added, and a |)icccd uj; flag y^on waved
l^ailanlly ovcj I lie furl..

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CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE SIECE OF FORT STANWIX.

St. Leger set out from Oswego with an army
of seventeen hundred men, including Brant's In-
dians. In advance of the main army marched five
columns of Indians in single file. Back of these
were Indians walking ten paces apart, and forming
a line of communication with the advance-guard
of the army. This, in turn, was a hundred paces
ahead of the main line. A hundred paces from
the right and left flanks moved large guards of
Indians, while the rear-guard was of regular
troops. In addition to these precautions a small
detachment of soldiers and Indians, under Lieuten-
ant Bird, were sent a day or two in advance of the
army. From this lieutenant's diary we learn that
he had a great deal of trouble with the Indians,
who are always the most independent of soldiers.
For instance, on Tuesday he marched two miles,
and no Indians coming up, he halted. After two
hours, sixteen Senecas appeared. He moved on
and waited again, when seventy or eighty more
Indians came up.

mmm

THE SIEGE OF FORT STANWTX.

219

Bird suggested marching forward, but they had
st(»len two oxen from the drove of the main army
and must stop to feast on them. On Wednesday
morning he waited till six for the Indians, but they
did not come ; so he set off without them. Thurs-
day a number of savages were again with Lieuten-
ant Bird. On Friday they decHned to proceed
farther. Bird called a council of the chiefs and
told them that he was ordered to go near the fort,
and if they would not go with him he and his men
would go without them. Some of the Indians
consented to go, but the Senecas grumbled that
Lieutenant Bird had promised to take their advice.
That officer answered that he had meant to fol-
low their advice only as to fighting in the woods,
and that he aad told them before that his plans
were to invest the fort and prevent the Americans
from building any obstruction in Wood Creek.
He said, however, as he had promised to be ad-
vised by them, that he would wait till morning
and then certainly they would march. They
seemed to assent to this, but they in reality, like
most Indians, stood in dread of the guns of the
fort. On the following morning they absolutely
refused to move, with the exception of a Mohawk
and one other Indian. Bird stated the case in a let-
ter to his commanding officer, and expressed his

f:(

220

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

! iJ

willingness to invest the fort at any rate. St. Leger
answered ordering him to do so ; and detached
Brant and his forces to aid in the investment. He
also instructed Bird that, in case the enemy
should wish to surrender, the lieutenant was ndt
to conclude matters, but to tell them that he was
sure his commander would listen favorably to such
overtures. "This," he said, "is not to take any
honor out of a young soldier's hands, but, by the
presence of the troops, to prevent the barbarity
and carnage which will ever obtain where Indians
make so superior a part of a detachment."

Brant and Lieutenant Bird made the investment
just as the garrison had secured the additional
provisions as we have seen. The main army came
up on the following day. A flag was immediately
sent to the fort with high-sounding proclama-
tions, a kind of harmless artillery with which offi-
cers sometimes try to frighten a garrison into
submission. It produced no effect, however, on
the men in Fort Stanwix, and the siege was imme-
diately begun.

Every stump and shrub was alive with Indians.
The men who were employed in raising the para-
pets were much annoyed by their fire. Sharp-
shooters took every opportunity to return it. The
next day the enemy fired shells into the fort, and

THE SIEGE OF FORT STANWIX.

221

on the following evening Brant's Indians, number-
ing about a thousand, sppead themselves in the
woods encircling the fort, and kept up a most
frighful yelling during the main part of the night.
This probably was for the same purpose as St.
Leger's proclamation.

Meantime no sooner was the dreaded army
really upon them than the inhabitants of the Mo-
hawk Valley began to find courage. General Her-
kimer summoned the militia, who responded
nobly, and set out to assist the garrison at the
fort. He marched to Oriskany. From here he
sent an express to Colonel Gansevoort announc-
ing his approach. General Herkimer now began
to have misgivings as to whether he ought to ad-
vance farther without reinforcement. In a consul-
tation some of the officers, impatient to proceed,
used high words, and called their general a Tory
and a coward. The old man calmly answered
that he considered himself placed over them as a
father, and that he did not wish to lead them
into trouble which he could not get them out of.
He predicted that they would be ready to run
when they should see the enemy. The officers
persisted, however, and Herkimer at last became
irritated, and cried " March on !" His troops gave
a shout Qf joy and rushed forward.

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CHAPTER XXIX.

THE BATTLE OF ORISKANY.

The eager troo^ys h ■ '^oved forward but two
ni'les, when the guards uoth in the front and on
tb^ flanks were shol lown. They were in the
midst of an ambuscade. Si. Le^cr, hearing of
Herkimer's advance, had sent Brant with a large
body of Indians, accompanied by some of the
Royal Greens and rangers, to prevent an attack
in the trenches. Brant had chosen his position
where the road crossed a marshy ravine over a
causewa}^ On the high land above the ravine
Brant laid his ambuscade in a circular form, leav-
ing but a small opening to admit the hostile forces.
Thus, at the first fire, Herkimer's whole army,
with the exception of the rear-guard, was inclosed
in the trap, and the Indians immediately completed
the circle. The baggage and ammunition wagons
with the rear-guard were thus cut off and left in
the ravine. Overpowered by numbers of hidden
Indians, with their hideous war-whoop, the rear-
guard fled, as their general had predicted. They

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THE nATTI-E OF (MIISKANY.

223

were pursued by some of the Indians, and suffered
most severely.

But there was no flight for those within the cir-
cle. They were thrown into hopeless confusion
at the suddenness of the attack. The Indians fired
with unerring aim from behind trees, and it seemed
that the Americans would be entirely destroyed.
When an American had fired and before he had
time to reload his gun, an Indian would rush upon
him with tomahawk and scalping-knife. Many
hand-to-hand conflicts ensued, and sometimes both
Indian and white man died in a death-grapple.
General Herkimer's leg was shattered by a ball,
but seated on his saddle, and leaning against the
trunk of a tree, he continued to command his
men, who dropped dead about him on every side.
The battle had lasted forty-five minutes, when the
cool old general succeeded in restoring some kind
of order. The fatal Indian circle was gradually
closing in upon the Americans, who formed them-
selves into circles that they might repel the attacks
of the enemy from all sides. The resistance of
the Americans was now more effective. For a
short time the firing almost ceased ; then the en-
emy charged with the bayonet. At the crossing
of bayonets a hand-to-hand struggle began. Man
to man the royalists and Americans fought. Her-

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PRANT AND RED JACKET.

kimer's forces withstood the charge bravely; the
enemy seemed to waver, when suddenly a storm,
which had come up unnoticed by the struggling
combatants, broke upon them with tropical fury.
The enemy, who had sufTered severe loss as well
as the surrounded Americans, retired to seek such
shelter as they could find.

The storm lasted for about an hour, and the
Americans took advantage of it to take a more ad-
vantageous position, and there to form themselves
into a circle, sheltered, after the mode of border
warfare, behind trees. The Indians had hereto-
fore considered themselves safe in attacking with
the tomahawk a man who had just fired. The
Americans now prepared themselves for this
style of warfare, placing two men behind every
tree, one man firing at a time, and the other re-
serving his fire for the defence of his companion
until the latter had reloaded. They stood thus,
awaiting attack as the shower cleared away.
Whe;i the fighing was again renewed the Ameri-
cans, under their new arrangement, succeeded in
making the Indians suffer severely. The latter
were about to give way, when Major Watts ap-
peared upon the scene with a fresh detachment of
Johnson's Greens. As the royalists advanced upon
the American militia, neighbor recognized neigh-

THE BATTLE OF ORISKANV.

225

bor, and, with the bitter hatred of civil warfare,
the battle was waged the more fiercely. The
Americans fired upon the Greens as they came
up, and then, with uncontrollable ferocity, sprang
from the sheltering trees and attacked them with
their bayonets and the butts of their muskets.
The contest grew even closer, and militiamen and
royalists throttled and stabbed one another, often
dying in each other's embrace. General Herkimer
was still seated upon his saddle upon a little hil-
lock, that he might the better command his forces.
He was advised to take a less exposed position.

** No," said the brave old man, " I will face the
enemy," and he continued to give his orders, at
the same time coolly taking out his tinder-box
and lighting hi: pipe.

While this fierce conflict was raging, a ruse was
attempted on the English side which came near
deciding the battle. A detachment of the Greens
was suddenly sent from the direction of the fort,
disguised as Americans. Lieutenant Sammons
first saw them, approaching in the direction of a
body of men commanded by Captain Gardenier.

"Gardenier, here comes help from the fort,"
called out Sammons.

" Not so ; they are enemies. Don't you see their
green coats?" answered the quick-eyed captain,

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URANT AND RED JACKET.

The men continued to advance upon the doubtful
Americans. Gardenier hailed them. Just at this
moment one of Gardenicr's men, recognizing an
old friend in the approaching line, rushed forward
to meet him, holding out his hand.

" You are a prisoner," he was told ; at the same
\ time his hand was caught with no friendly grasp,
and he was dragged into the line of the disguised
enemy.

Gardenier had watched for the result, and he
now sprang forward, and, striking down the cap-
tor with his spear, released his struggling man.
Two of the enemy instantly sprang upon Garde-
nier. He killed one and wounded the other.
Three more rushed at him. His spur became
entangled in their clothes and he was thrown to
the ground. Two of the royalists pinned him
there, running their spears through his thighs.
The third presented his spear to Gardenier's
breast to finish the work. The captain, however,
grasped the spear with his hand, and, with a sud-
den wrench, brought the owner down upon him-
self. Here he hugged him close, as a protection
against his assailants. One of his men now flew to
his assistance, and, as the two royalists turned
their spears upon him, Gardenier rose to a sitting
posture, still holding; his man, and snatched his

THE DATTLE OF ORISKANY.

227

own spear with the hand with which he had
grasped that of the enemy, and which was severely
cut by the spear being drawn through it. In an
instant he ran it into the man he held, who was a
loyalist officer, and killed him. The whole strug-
gle had been almost instantaneous.

" For God's sake, captain, you are killing our
own men !" shouted one of the Americans.

" They are not our men, they are the enemy.
Fire away !" cried Gardenier.

The Americans obeyed, and, under a deadly
fire, about thirty of the greens and many Indians
fell dead. The battle was once more hand to
hand, the combatants rushing upon one another
with the bayonet. The Americans were inspired
by the quickness and courage of Gardenier. At
one time three of the loyalists rushed within the
American circle and tried to make a prisoner of
Captain Dillenback, who had declared he would
never be taken alive. One of the three loyalists
seized his gun, but the captain wrenched it from
him and struck him down with the butt. lie
turned upon the second man and shot him dead,
and in an instant more he had thrust the third
through w^ith his bayonet. Hardly had he accom-
plished this feat when a musket-ball killed him.

Brant's Indians had suffered much more severely

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15UANT AND RKD JACKET.

than they usually suffer in their kind of warfare.
Tiieir attack had been persistent and brive, but
many of their chiefs were dead, and the Ameri-
cans held out with incredible stubbornness. The
Indians at last raised the retreating cry of
" Donah !" and fled amid the triumphant shout of
the surviving militiamen.

Meantime a sally from the fort had been made
under Colonel Willet immediately after the rain,
and this now drew off the loyalist forces. Colonel
Willet had made his movements with the utmost
rapidity, driving in the enemy's sentinels and
attacking the advance-guard. Sir John Johnson,
who was in his tent with his coat ofT, had not time
to [Hit it on, but was obliged instantly to retreat,
being unable to bring his troops into order.
Colonel Willet took possession of Johnson's camp
and the Indian camp in succession. The spoil
was instantly drawn to the fort in seven large
wagon-loads. Among the other things, five British
standards and all of Sir John Johnson's [>apers,
containing valuable inforn^'tion for the garrison,
were captured. When Colonel Willet returned
toward the fort. Colonel St. Leger, who was on
the opposite side of the river, tried to intercept
him. Willet immediately formed his troops, and
gave the enemy a full fire in front. Tlicir returned

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THE MATT I, K OF ORISKANY.

229

fire was so wild as to be harmless, and tlie Ameri-
can forces returned to the fort without the h)ss of
a man. The captured British Hags were hoisted
under tiie home-made American one, and the men
ascended the parapets and gave three hearty
cheers.

But the h)ss on the main battle-field was severe
enough on both sides. The British claimed it as
a victory, but the Americans remained in posses-
sion of the field. They were busied maklig litters
upon which to carry off the wounded. As they
were placing General Herkimer upon one of these,
three Indians approached and were instantly shot
down by the riflemen. These were the last shots
of the battle. Major Watts was left on the field
by the loyalists, supposed to be dead. He fainted
from loss of blood, but reviving, he succeeded in
crawling to a brook, where he satisfied his thirst,
and in two or three days was found by some In-
dians and carried to St. Lcger's camp.

" I beheld the most shocking sight I ever wit-
nessed," said an American scout who returned
from a distant errand some days after and crossed
the battle-field. "The Indians and white men
were mingled with one another, just as they had
been left when Death had first completed his

work."

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BRANT AND RED JACKET.

The Tndiiins were almost inconsolable for their
severe loss. When they returned to their villages
great was the mourning expressed by shrieking
and howling over the slain. Brant often spoke
sadly in after-life of the sufferings of his " poor
Mohawks" in this battle. The loss of a hundred
men meant much more to the thin and fast-dimin-
ishing population of the Six Nations than it did to
the thickly-settled whites.

General Ilerkimxr did not long survive the bat-
tle. Mis leg was amputated, but the blood could
not be stanched, and the brave old soldier read
tlie thirty-eighth psalm to those who surrounded
his bed, and soon afterwards died.

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s^fciM»*«*s«?»«r»««'"'''

CHAPTER XXX.

HOW A SIMPLETON RAISED THE SIEGE.

In a communication to the bcsicg-cd garrison,
St. Leger represented the result oi the battle of
Oriskany as favorably for the English side as pos-
sible. Along with this letter he sent a verbal de-
mand to surrender.

" I will answer no verbal summons but at the
mouth of the cannon, unless delivered by Colonel
St. Leger himself," said Colonel Gansevo(jrt to the
messenger.

Next day a white flag approached the iort with
a request from its bearer that Colonel Butler, a
loyalist of the Mohawk Valley, and two other offi-
cers might be admitted to the fort with a message.
Consent was given, and the messengers were blind-
folded and conducted within the fort to Colonel
Gansevoort's dining-room, where the blinds were
closed, candles lighted, and the table spread with
refreshments. The room was filled with American
officers. The bandages were remoNed from the
messengers' eyes, and wine was passetl.

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BRANT AND RED JACKET.

" I am directed by Colonel St. Leger, the officer
commanding the army now investing this garri-
son," began one of the messengers, Major Ancrom,
" to inform the commandant that the colonel has
with much difficulty prevailed upon the Indians to
agree that if the garrison, without further resist-
ance, shall be delivered up, with the public stores
belonging to it, to the investing army, the officers
and soldiers shall have all their baggage and pri-
vate property secured to them. And in -t5fder that
the garrison may have a sufficient pledge to this
effect, Colonel Butler accompanies me to assure
them that not a hair of the head of any one of
them shall be hurt. That, I think, was the expres-
sion made use ol, was it not ?" turning to Colonel
Butler.

'' Yes," was the answer.

'' I am likewise directed to remind the com-
mandant that the deto>it of General Herkimer must
deprive the garrison of all hopes of relief, espe-
cially as General Burgoyne is now in Albany ; so
that sooner or later the fort must fall into our
hands. . , . Should, then, the present terms be
rejected, it will be out of the power of the colonel
to restrain the Indians, who are very numerous
and exasperated, not only from plundering the
property, but from destroying the lives, probably,

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HOW A SIMPLETON RAISED THE SIEGE. 233

of the greater part of the garrison. Indeed the
Indians are so exceedingly provoked and mortified
by the losses they have sustained in the late ac-
tions, having had several of their favorite chiefs
killed, that they threaten — and the colonel, if the
present arrangements should not be entered into,
will not be able to prevent them from executing
their threats — to march down the country and de-
stroy the settlement and its inhabitants. In this
case, not only mei. but women and children will ex-
perience the sad effects of their vengeance. These
considerations, it is ardently hoped, will produce a
proper effect and induce the commandant, by com-
plying with the terms now offered, to save himself
from future regret when it is too late."

"Do I understand you, sir?" answered Colonel
Willett, hotly. " I think you say that you come
from a British colonel, who is commander of the
army that invests this fort ; and by your uniform,
you seem to be an officer in the British service.
You have made a long speech on the occasion of
your visit, which, stripped of all its superfluities,
amounts to this : that you come from a British col-
onel to the commander of this garrison to tell him
that if he does not deliver up the garrison into the
hands of your colonel, he will send his Indians to
murder our women and children. You will please

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234

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

to reflect, sir, that their blood will be on your
heads, not on ours. We are doing our duty, this
garrison is committed to our charge, and wc will
take care of it. After you get out of it, you may
turn round and look at its outside, but never ex-
pect to come in again, unless you come as a pris-
oner. I consider the message you have brought a
degrading one for a British officer to send, and by
no means reputable for a British officer to carry.
For my own part, I declare, before I would con-
sent to deliver this garrison to such a murdering
set as your army, by your own account, consists of,
I would suffer my body to be filled with splinters
and set on fire, as you know has at times been
practised by such hordes of women-and-children-
killers as belong to your army."

The American officers received this speech with
applause. This was all the answer the British
officers could get to their demand for a surrender.
Colonel Gansevoort agreed, however, to the pro-
posal of a three days' armistice — his ammuni-
tion being scarce. The besieging army now
issued an appeal to the inhabitants signed by
their old influential neighbors, Sir John John-
son, Colonel Claus and Colonel Butler. This
was very much the same as Major Ancrom's
speech : the settlers were promised favor in case

HOW A SIMPLETON RAISED THE SIEGE. 235

of submission, threatened with destruction by the
Indians if they did not submit, and advised to em-
ploy every means to overcome the " muHsh ob-
stinacy" of the garrison of Fort Stanwix. Mes-
sengers were sent through the neighboring coun-
try with this paper.

Meantime the situation of the garrison was in-
deed becoming desperate in spite of their brave
refusal to surrender. The British artillery was
not heavy enough to make much impression on
the defences, but the provisions within the fort
would not last much longer. Colonel Willett was
very popular among the inhabitants of the neigh-
boring settlements of Tryon County, and it was
thought that if he showed himself among the mil-
itia he might still rally a force large enough to
raise the siege. The brave officer determined to
attempt to pass the enemy's lines, and to make his
way some forty or fifty miles through marsh and
woods infested with Indians to the settlements.
Taking with him Major Stockwell, Willett pre-
pared for the daring attempt. They dressed
themselves as lightly as possible. For weapons
they each took a spear, for provisions some crack-
ers and cheese, and a canteen of spirits. At ten
o'clock at night they left the sally-port, and were
lost to the eyes of the anxious garrison.

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I5RANT AND RED JACKET.

Meantime Colonel St. Lcger pushed the siege
vigorously. He began to approach the fort by-
sap, digging trenches which protected his men
and came every day nearer to the works. As the
trenches neared the defences, the garrison suc-
ceeded in annoying the enemy a great deal. Still,
when the mining had approached to within a hun-
dred and fifty yards of the fort, they began to
grow uneasy. All this time they knew nothing of
the fate of Colonel Willett and his companion.
Their provisions were fast going, and there be-
gan to be whispers among the soldiers that it
would be better to surrender and save the garri-
son from another Fort William Henry tragedy.
But their commander was firm in his determina-
tion. Colonel Ganscvoort knew well that in any
case the exasperated Indians were not to be
trusted with defenceless prisoners. He resolved
that if the worst came to the worst, no assistance
arrived and provisions were exhausted, he would
make a night sally and attempt to cut his way
through the enemy's lines.

Meantime the bold officers who had gone for
reinforcements, issuing from the sally-port, crept
on their hands and knees along the edge of a
marsh to the river. They crawled over this upon
a log. They passed very near the enemy's sen-

HOW A SIMPLETON RAISED THE SIEGE. 237

tinel, but succeeded in getting by unseen. They
next entered the forest, where they lost their way
in the darkness. After groping a time they heard
the barking of a dog. They were now really in
danger, for this announced the neighborhood of
an Indian encampment. They therefore stood
perfectly still for several hours. When daylight
appeared they started cautiously forward, making
a zigzag course toward their destination, some-
times walking through the beds of streams or
stepping from stone to stone along their banks to
conceal their trail, after the Indian manner. They
travelled thus all day without halting once. When
night again came on they dared not strike a light,
but lay down in each other's arms to sleep. The
next day their provisions were exhausted, but they
fortunately found plenty of raspberries and black-
berries in an opening in the woods made by the
blowing down of trees. At three o'clock in the
afternoon they arrived at Fort Dayton. Colonel
Willett here heard that General Arnold had been
ordered to march to the relief of Fort Stanwix.
He immediately took horse for Albany to join
Arnold.

Meanwhile the enemy had been busy in trying
to influence disaffected inhabitants. Colonel Wes-
ton, the commander of Fort Dayton, heard of a

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KKANT AND KKl) lACKI'/r.

secret Tory nicctinp^ at. tlic house of a Mr. Shoe-
maker in the nei<;hborhoo(l. He sent lliere a
detachment of troops, who took tlie ineetini; by
surprivSe, just as Lieutenant Buller from vSt. Lei^er's
army was makini;' a sp^ ecli. 'lliis younj;' man liad
come into the country secretly with fourteen sol-
diers and as many Indians, for tlie purpose of
distributinu^ the pai)er which had been prej)ared
for tliis purpose. lie was tried by court-martial,
Colonel Willett, who had returned from Albany,
presidinix as judy^e. Lieutenant Butler was sen-
tenced to death. A number of American officers
who had been collej2^e students with him interceded
for him, and his life was saved b}' a reprieve. He
was imprisoned, but he subsequently ran away, to
return with the Indians in their border warfare
upon his native Mohawk Valley.

Arnold was all this time waiting at Fort Dayton
for supplies and reinfoi cements before he marched
to the relief of Fort Stanwix. Among the Tories
captured at the secret meeting with Lieutenant
Butler WMS a half-fool named Hon-Yost Schuyler.
Hon-Yost is a nickname for Johannes Justus.
Living on the border, Hon-Yost associated much
with the Indians, and was regarded by them with
the superstitious reverence which they have for
simple-minded people. He had taken the loyalist

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HOW A simi'm:t<)N KAisr.i) Till-: sik(;i<:. 239

side, and now when lie was captured he too was
tried l)y court inartial (uul ^ ondcnuied to die.
I lis motiier, an old hall-^^ypsy creature, and liis
brother Nicholas came to General Arnold to heiif
for I Ion-Yost's life. The old woman pleaded for
her son elocpiently, hut Arnold was inexorahle.
Still she bcf^j^ed and implored passionately. She
became almost frantic in her j^rief, and Arnold at
last pn posed terms on which he would <^rant
Mon-Yost's pardon. He must hurry to lM)rt
Stanwix and alarm St. Le^'er's army, so that he
would raise the sie<;e. The half-fool immediately
accej)ted these conditions, and his old mother
cai^erly offered herself as a hostai^e for its faithful
performance. Arnold, however, preferred to im-
prison the brother Nicholas in Ilon-Yost's stead.
Nicholas readily consented to forfeit his life if
Hon-Yost proved untrue to his commission. I Ion-
Yost now made an arrangement with a friendly
Oneida Indian to aid him. Before he set out his
rough backwoodsman's clothes were hung up and
several shots were fired through them. Me then
started by one route for St. Legcr's army, and the
Oneida took another.

Brant's Indian warriors had been morose
and dissatisfied since the battle of Oriskany.
They had been promised an easy success and

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I'.RyVNT AND RED lACKFT.

much plunder, and they liad found neither the one
nor the other. They were now liokhng- a great
pow-wow to consult the spirits about the success
of the present siege. In the midst of the ranting,
and drumming, and dancing, and other mysterious
jugglery, IIon-Yost arrived in camp. The Indians
had already heard some indefinite rumors of
Arnold's approach. Hon-Yost was well known to
be on their side, and they crowded around him to
hear the news. With the trickiness of a half-witted
man he did not deliver his message in plain words.
He knew the effect of mystery with an Indian.
He shook his head ominously ; he pointed to his
riddled clothes to denote his narrow escape from
the oncomins: foe.

" How many men — how many men are there ?"
asked the eager Indians.

Hon-Yost looked up and pointed to the leaves
of the trees over his head. The report ran like
wild-fire through the camp. It quickly reached
the ear of the commander. St. Leger sent for Hon-
Yost. The wily fellow adopted a different policy
in talking to the English commancl^r. He told a
straight and pitiful story : how he had been cap- /
tured, tried, and condemned ; how, on the way to
his execution, finding himself carelessly guarded,
he had fled, thinking he would die any way, and he

HOW A SIMPLETON RAISED THE SIEtlE. 24I

would as soon be shot as hun<^. His escape had
indeed been narrow, as the colonel might sec by
looking at his clothes. And the Americans were
coming in great force to raise the siege.

While Hon-Vost was being interviewed at head-
quarters the Oneida messenger arrived with wam-
[)um to say that the vVmcricans were indeed
coming in great force. On his way the Oneida
had met several Indian friends, whom he had
engaged to assist the scheme by following him at
intervals and confirming his story. Thus, from
time to time, excited bidians would drop into cam;)
from different directions witli alarming rumors.
Birds had brought them momentous news, they
would say. Even the spirits consulted in the pow-
wow gave ominous warnings. St. Leger saw
that the Indians were about to decamp. He tried
to reassure them. He called a council, but neither
the influence of Brant nor that of Johnson and
Claus was of any avail.

" The pow-wow says we must go— the pow-wow
says we must go," persisted the Indians.

The beleagured garrison looked on with won-
der to see the enemy hastily retreat, leaving tents,
t>^^g"g'\i?e, and artillery behind them. Arnold,
meantime, had heard that St. Leger had pushed
his sapping process to within a short distance of

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URANT AND KKD [ACKKT.

the ramparts, and, fcarinj^ lest the l)ravc garrison
would fall viclhns to the Indian tomahawk, he
])ushed forward without waitinij^ lon<j^cr for rcir.-
forcements. lie liad marched but ten miles when
mi express from Colonel Gansev^oort reached him
Vv'ith the p;o()d news tiiat tiie sie<^e had been raised.
Gansevoort knew not how, l)ut Arnold knew full
well.

Meantime the sullen savaj^cs in the retreating
army were amusing themselves at the expense of
the loyalists. They would raise a shout that the
Americans were upon them, and then their mock-
ing laugh would arise on all sides at the panic
they thus produced. It is related that Colonel St.
Leger and Sir John Johnson at one time had a dis-
pute. They were standing quarrelling, the colonel
reproaching the baronet for the defection of the
Indians, and the baronet charging St. Leger in
turn with indifference in prosecuting the siege.
It was just at dusk on a summer evening. Two
Indian chiefs were not far behind the officers and
overheard the high words.

" They are coming ! they are coming !" cried
the chiefs, instantly putting a stop to the dispute,
for the officers quickly resumed the retreat. The
troops threw away knapsacks and arms that they
might proceed the faster. The Indians kept up

now A SIMPLETON KAISKD TIIIO SIKGIC. 243

the ^riin joke from time to time all the way. They
were by 110 means in a pleasant frame of mind.
They robbed the oflieers at tiieir pleasure and
j)lundered seveial of ihearmv's boats. They even
murdered some of the slra'j;'j4linf^ soldiers of the
British army before the retreat was ended.

Hon- Yost accomjjanied the army a little way
and then returned to Fort Dayton, where his
brother was released, to the f^reat joy of the old
mother. He nevertheless took the first oi)por-
tunity to join the Tories, runnini; away with
some of his neighbors to Sir John Johnson's forees.

"Britons never go baek!" Buri^oyne had ex-
claimed at the trium})hant be^-innini^ of his cam-
paig^n. But St. Leger's retreat was but one of the
many disasters which accompanied that great
expedition. American farmers, in the sim})le uni-
form of shirt-sleeves and armed with fowling-
pieces, rose up to meet the disciplined forces of
invading army.

vt Schiiylerville, on the Hudson, a decisive
battle was at length fought between the royal
forces and the American army, the latter headed
by an ii 'Tferent general. Burgoyne's whole
force, in ding the brave German mercenaries
who hai ^een sold by their princes, was surren-
dered inl the hands of the Americans.

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CHAPTER XXXI.

W A R O N T II E B O R D E R . ^

Brant was again at Oquaga in 1778, the terror
of the border. Women turned pale, and children
trembled at his very name. Joined with him were
forces of l()3'alist settlers embittered by the loss
of their homes and ready to strike terrible blows
at their old neighbors. The Indians, from cime
to time, destroyed isolated families who lived on
the defenceless outskirts of the frontier. It was,
over and over again, the same old story, a war-
whoop, a short and bloody struggle, massacre,
fire, and captivity. In the bitter animosity of the
day no story of cruelty was too black to be laid
up(Mi Brant, the great chief of these savage war- '
riors. lie was even accused of the famous massa-
cre at the Wyoming Valley, wh:,:h was long
exaggerated in its horrors, and which is imr lortal-
ized in Campbell's well-known poem.

Brant felt keenly the hatred with which he was
regarded in after-life among fr )ntier-men. The
proud chief wished, according to his ideas, to be

was
The
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WAR ON THE IJORDER.

245

a gentlemen in every respect. lie always denied
that he had ever committed any act of cruelty
during this cruel war, and none has been proved
against him, while many stories of his mercy ar.:
well authenticated. lie led indeed a savage force
and fought in the savage way, as the English
officials who manao-ed the Indian alliance desired.
When Indians were accused of cruelty Brant
would return the charge upon the whi<-es, who
sometimes, in fact, almost excelled the savages in
their revencreful barbarity. To Brant the civi-
lized custom of imprisoning men was the worst of
cruelty. A man's liberty, he held, was worth
more than his life. Of the Indian custom of tor-
ture he did not approve, but when a man must
die for a crime, he thouglit it better to give him
some chance to make atonement in a courageous
and warrior-like death than to execute him after
the manner of the whites by the humiliatincf ir^l-
lows. Brant used in after-life to defend the Indian
mode of warfare. He said the Indians had neither
the artillery, the numbers, the forts, nor the
prisons of the wliite men. In place of artillery
they must use stratagem; [is llicir forces were
small, they must use every means to kill as many
of the enemy with as small a loss to themselves as
possible, and, as they had no prisons, their cap-

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BRANT AND RED JACKET.

tives must in some cases be killed. He held it
more merciful to kill a suffering person, and thus
put an end to his miser3\

During the summer of 177S, when every bor-
derer trembled lor his life, a boy named William
M'Kown was one day raking hay in a field alone.
Happening to turn around, he saw an Indian very
near him. He involuntarily raised his rake for
defence. '

"Don't be afraid, young man; I shan't hurt
you," said the Indian. ''Can you tell me where
Foster's house is ?"

The youth gave the directions to the loyalist's
house, and then said, " Do you know Mr. Foster?"

** I am partially acquainted with him. I saw
him once at Half-way Creek," answered the In-
dian. "What is your name?"

"William iM'Kown."

" Oh, you are a son of Captain M'Kown, who
lives in the north-east part of the town, I sui)pose.
I know your father very well ; he lives neighbor
to Captain M'Kean. I know M'Kean very, very
well, and a very fine fellow he is too."

" What is your name ?" the boy ventured to ask.

The Indian hesitated a moment and then said :
"My name is Brant."

" What ! Captain Brant ?" cried the boy, eagerly.

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WAR ON THE BORDER.

247

" No ; I'm a cousin of his," answered the chief,
smiling as he turned away.

The first blow that Brant struck in 1778 was at
a small settlement about ten miles from Cherry
Valley. The inhabitants were aroused by the
terrible war-whoop in the dead of night. Some
escaped, the rest were taken prisoners. Under
Brant's guidance there was no massacring of
helpless women and children. The houses and
barns were fired, and their flames lighted up the
country. The men were tied and carried into
captivity. Brant had left one house unburnt. Into
this he gathered the women and children, and
here he left them unharmed.

The alarming news that Brant's forces were
increasing, and that he was fortifying himself
at Unadilla, reached Cherry Valley. Captain
M'Kean, with five men, started out to reconnoitre.
They stopped at the house of a Quaker named
Sleeper. The Quaker said that Brant had been
there that very day with fifty men, and would
return again at night.

" Your house, Friend Sleeper, sliall be my fort
to-night," said M'Kean, examining the stout log
structure. " I have five good marksmen with me,
and I am not myself deficient in that qualification
of a soldier."

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248

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

The Quaker objected. He wished to remain
neutral, and if the borderers carried out their
wild plan he would lose his property, and perhaps
his life. So M'Kean returned to the settlement,
contenting- himself with writing a challenge to
Brant to meet him either in sinirle combat or with
an equal number of men, with the insulting addi-
tion that if Brant would come to Cherry Valley
they would change him " from a Brant to a goose."
This letter was put in the Indian post-office ; in
other words, it was tied to a stick and put in an
Indian foot-path, and was sure to reach the chief.
In a letter to a loyalist, a few days after. Brant
added this postscript : " I heard the Cherry Valley
people is very bold and intended to make nothing
of us ; they call us wild geese, but I know the con-
trary." In the letter he said : " I mean now to
fight the cruel rebels as well as I can."

Brant on one of his predatory expeditions, in
company with loyalists, was met by a brave hand-
ful of men under Captain Patrick. An open battle
ensued. The w^hite men were surroun ;ed. The
captain and twenty-one men were killed. Only five
men escaped, and they were all wounded. The
victorious enemy turned upon the settlements and
destroyed fhem by fire.

The loyalist and Indian forces fell at one time

..<f'

WAR ON THE BORDER.

249

upon the Schoharie settlement, kiUing and captur-
ing the inhabitants, burning their property, and
besieging the small fort, whose commander had
not the courage to attempt anything fur the reliei
of the settlers.

Disgusted with his commander, Colonel Har-
per, who was within the fort, succeded in making
his escape on horseback through the enemy's
forces, and rode for Albany, hoping to procure
assistance. Several loyalists and Indians, discover-
ing his escape, pursued him. They overtook hira
where he lodged the first night. He heard the
noise of their arrival, and, jumping up from his
bed, he was ready for them. When they broke
open his door he threatened to kill the first man
who offered to enter. No one made the attempt,
and he stood thus on guard all night. Toward
morning he succeeded in again getting to his
horse and escaping. He was pursued almost to
Albany by an Indian trving to get a shot at him.
When the Indian would near him Harper would
turn and gallop towards him. The Indian would
retreat, only to renew his attempts again when the
colonel turned his back. At Albany, Harper pro-
cured a detachment, which rode all night and into
the settlement at early morning, to the great joy
of the survivinir inhabitants. A cIkivv^q \vas

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BRANT AND RED JACKET.

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III

sounded upon the besieging forces, and thej
retreated precipitately.

Tlie borderers became savage Indian fighters.
They fought the Indians with their own weapons
of stratagem and surprise. One man was taken
prisoner by a party of seven Indians. They
marched him off into the woods. When night
came they bound him and laid down to sleep.
During the night he managed to release himself
from his bonds. He cautiously slipped a toma-
hawk from the girdle of one of the sleeping In-
dians. With swift blows he killed six of the
Indians. The seventh one was wounded, but
escaped, while the white man, having thus released
himself, returned home without fear of being
chased by his captors.

One of the daring border characters was Tim
Murphy, a Virginian, who had joined the militia,
and, after his term had expired, remained on the
frontier to wage war on his own account, just from
a delight in adventure. His was an unerring aim,
,and he had a double-barrelled rifle which at first
struck terror to the hearts of the Indians, who
supposed he could fire all day without reloading.
When they at last learned the true powers of the
mysterious gun, they thought themselves safe in
attacking the owner after his second fire. Many

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\,.\:i ON TlIK IJORDKR.

251

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were the attempts made on his Hfe by the savaj^es.
Murphy was one day pursued by sonic Indians.
He outran them all except one, whom he turned
"jpon and shot. He supposed the others iuid
given over the chase, and stopped to plunder the
body of the fallen Indian. Before he knew it the
pursuers were upon him. Picking up the rifle of
the dead Indian, he fired upon the foremost pur-
suer. The Indians then rushed upon him, think-
ing themselves safe after the second shot. The
savages thought they now had their invincible foe,
when he turned upon them and killed one of their
number with the remaining barrel of his own gun.
The pursuers fled, sure that Murphy could fire all
day without loading. This Murphy could take a
scalp with as much gusto as a savage, and he
boasted after the war was over that he had slain
forty Indians.

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CHAPTER XXXI I.

THE MASSACRE OF CHERRY VALLEY.

The finest and richest part of the Mohawk
V^alley was known as the German Flats. Here
was a thriving settlement, barns well filled from
an abinidant crop, and here stood a stone church
built by Sir William Johnson. Brant, with his
Indian armv, made his swift march upon this set-
tlement in the early fall of 1778. Fortunately four
scouts from the settlement were out. Three of
them were killed bv the Indians, but the fourth
one escaped to warn the settlers. Men, women,
and children took to Fort Dayton and Fort Herki-
mer for safetv. vSome of their most valuable
property Avas hastily thrown into boats and taken
to the forts. The stealthy Indians nearcd the set-
tlement The evening was very dark and rainy.
Brant did not know that his approach was ex-
pected. He waited for the abating of the storm
in a ravine near Mr. Shoemaker's house, where
young Butler and Hon-Yost had been captured
flu' v:\ir before. Before morniuir the stor?n broke

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TITF, MASSACRE OF CTIKRRV VAT, LEV.

253

away and the Indians were on the move. Tliey
swept into the settlement from different directions,
that they mijj;-ht take it entirely by surprise. Tliey
found the houses deserted. A moment more and
the settlement was in a blaze. Each family could
see from the fort its own home and the stored-up
fruits of their year's labor fast burning up. But
they might indeed be thankful they were not in the
houses. The Indians dared not brave the artillery
of the forts. As day dawned they could be seen
rushing into the meadows after the cattle, and
driving away shcc}) and horses. They left the
settlers nothing, but fortunately they had found
only two men to kill.

The friendly (Oneida Indians imdcrtook an ex-
pedition agamst Brant's villages in return, and did
some damage. They came back with prisoners
whom they presented to the settlers for slaves, as
they said.

A war of retaliation was now begun. A regi-
ment of American troops marched upon Brant's
headquarters. They approached Unadilla with
the greatest caution, thinking to surprise the In-
dians in their homes, but Indians are not often so
surprised. They found that Unadilla had been
deserted for some days. Capturing a loyalist,
tlr-.-y made him guide them to Ocjuaga. . This

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HRANT AND RED JACKET.

town had been but just deserted in the greatest
confusion, and much of tlie Indians' p()rtal)hf
jjioperty was left behind. Here were a number
of well-built houses which denoted Brant's efforts
at civilization. The soldiers feasted upon the poul-
try and vegetables of the Indians, and then every-
thing was set on fire and destroyed.

Near to this place was an Indian fortificat'on.
This, too, was laid in ruins. On the return two
mills were burned, and the village of Unadilla
was left in a blaze.

• From his ruined villages Brant returned to
Niagara for winter quarters. He was met on the
way by the young Butler who had been impris-
oned among the Americans. Butler, with a force
of loyalists, was marching to attack the settle-
ments. He brought orders for Brant to join him.
The Mohawk chief was much displeased to be put
in a subordinate position under this young man,
whom he disliked. He was at length persuaded
to join him, however, with some five hundred
warriors.

It was late in the fall. The scattered settlers had
returned to their homes, thinking it too late in
the season for further danger from the Indians.
Cherry Valley's fort w^as the church surrounded
with a stockade and in the care of eastern soldiers.

THE MASSACRE OF CHERRY VALLEY. 255

who knew little of Indian fightini^. They received
some intelh'<^cnce of an approach from tlie ln(Uans,
but contented themselves with sending out scouts,
who when night came on built a fire and lay down
to sleep by it. They awoke to find themselves
prisoners. Butler and Brant a[)proached the set-
tlement on a stormy nig-ht. They fired upon a
straggling settler, who escaped to give the alarm,
but the infatuated commander of the garrison did
not yet believe that the Indians were there in
force. The wild army were about to enter the
village. Unfortunately Butler's men halted to
examine their arms, as their powder had been in-
jured by the rain. The Indians pressed forward,
and foremost of all the Scnecas, uncontrollable in
their ferocity. The house of Mr. Wells, a promi-
nent citizen, was first surrounded. Every person
in the house was killed. The officers of the
garrison had been quartered among the settlers.
The commander, Colonel Alden, was pursued
down a hill by an Indian. He turned and snapped
his pistol repeatedly upon his pursuer, but the
savage threw his tomahawk at the officer's head
and laid him dead. Several famihes were entirely
cut off. One man returned from the field to find
his wife and children all killed. There was no-
thing left for him but to remove their bodies

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I5RANT AND RKD JACKET.

tenderly to tlu; fort. The tiuinlerers entered the
house of nn old man, killed his wife, and were
about to kill him and his dauj^hter, when Lillle
Aar<jn, a Mohawk ehief, led the old man totterinj;'
with aj^e and the others to the door and stood
f^uard over them. The loyalists assisted in the
massacre. Thirty-two settlers, mostly women and
children, and sixteen soldiers were killed. Some
of the settlers escaped to the woods, and from
there to the Mohawk Valley.

Brant was much chaj^rined at the murder of the
Wells family, with whom he was well acquainted.
He had tried to anticipate the Indians and reach
the Wells house first, but did not succeed. His
next care was to ask after Captain M'Kean. lie
was told that he had probably escaped to the
Mohawk with his family.

" He sent me a challenge once," said Brant. " I
have now come to accept it. He is a fine soldier
thus to retreat."

" Captain M'Kean would not turn his back upon
an enemy when there was any probability of suc-
cess," answered his informer.

" I know it," said Brant. " He is a brave man,
and I would have given more to take him than
any other man in Cherry Valley, but I would not
have hurt a hair of his head."

TIIK MASSACKK ol ( IfKUKV VAI.I.I.V.

^57

Dull 11^ the massacre Brant entered a house
where lie found a woman j^oinj^ about, hei" ie<j;uhir
duties.

" I low does it iiapijen you are at this kind of
work while your nei<;hbors are all murdered
around you?" exclaimed the chief.

" We are kin<^'s people," answered the wo-
man.

"That i)lea won't sa-ve you to-day," said Brant.

"There is one Joseph I3rant; if he is with the
Indians, he will save us," said the woman.

" I am Joseph Brant," answered the chief; "but
I am not in command, and I (h)n'tknow that 1 can
save you, but 1 will do what I can."

At this moment some Senecas approached the
house. "Get into bed and pretend you are sick,"
said Brant. The woman hurried into bed and
Brant met the Senecas.

"There's no one here but a sick woman and her
children," said he. lie prevailed upon the Indians
to leave, after a little conversation. When they
were out of sij^ht he went to the door and <^ave a
long, shrill yell. Immediately some Mohawks
came running across the fields.

"Where is your paint?" Brant called out to
them. " Here, put my mark upon this woman
and her children." The Mohawks obeyed, and

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JIKAM' AND Ki:i> JAeKKT.

Hratit tiinuul t(> \\w woman, sayiii^^, " Vou arc
now |>r«>l)al)lv sale."

riu* i;anisoii ot \Uc fort dared niako no sallv,
on arconnl ol llio snpciior nninhcis of \\\v Indians
and lovalisls, who, on tlu-if ]>ait, gained no snccrss
in i\:\ attrnipli'd assanll. '\\\c vwvuw t-ncampcd
for \hv nii;hl in the \alirv. The prisoners, sonic
thirt\ or forlv incw, women, anti eliil(hen, were
j;athered aronnd a i;real lu'e while iheii* I'aplors,
by the lii;ht of n-.m^^ous snrronndtni;- hrts, were
distrilnitini;- and diviihni;' ]>lnnder. The prisoners
spent a slee[iless ni^ht. Tht^v leaned tliat torture
was reserved for then.i. In the mornini;- they were
(hvided into small ei>mpanies and distributed
amoui;- the various Indian bamls. The whole
force then beg;an its march down Cherry Valley
Creek. On the mornini^ of the followinj^ day the
prisoners were all gathered tog^cthcr, and were in-
formed that the wonvMi and children \> ere all to
be sent back with the exception of Mrs. Campbell
and her children and Mrs. Moore and her children.
The husbands of these two women had been
active in bt^rder warfare, and it was resolved, as a
punishment, to keep their families in captivity.
Mrs. Campbell was taken into the Seneca country.
She was separated from her little children, one of.
them a baby. The children were adopted into

V. mm

illl', MASSACkK OF CHKUkV VAI.LKV.

2i(

(lilfcrciil. lainilics. Slic made licisclf useful to tlio
f;imily vvlio adoplcl lier l)y makiiif^ thcrn Rai-
ments, aiul it. was wit li great, dilliciilty t li;»f tliey
well" |H rsiiiided to give lier up wlieu she and tier
eliildreu were exeliauged for Ijritisli i)ris(jiiers
amoiiL; tl»(; y\merieaiis.

All incident: lia|)])eiK!d while these prisoners
were in captivity wliich shows that "Miss iMolly,"
who was now hvinj^ at Niagara, was very much
like other Indian women. For some reason,
founded, |)erha|)s, on sonu^thing lia[>peiiiiig in her
life at Johnson Mall, Molly Brant had a mortal
hatred for Colonel Stacia, who was one of the
ca|)lives. In true Indian fashion she dreamed, and
came to Colonel Hutler with lier dre^im. It was
that she h.ad the " Yankee's head," and she and
her countrymen were kicking it about the fort.
Colonel Butler answered this blo(j(lt!iirsty hint by
scMiding her a small, painted keg of rum. But she
came to the Colonel with a second dream. This
time she was kicking the " Yankee's head *' about
with a hat uj)on it. But Butler again presented
her with a keg of rum, and told her decidedly
that Stacia would not be given into the hands oi
the Indians. •

Among othsr captives, i^rant had carried away .
a man named Vrooman, who was an old friend uf

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TiRANT AND RED JACKKT

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the chief. Dcsirlnj;^ to ^ivc his friend a chance
to escape, Brant sent him back about two miles to
<j^et some birch-bark. lie, of course, expected to
see no moix' of him, but what was his surprise
when, a few hours after, Vrooman came hurrying
up with tho bark, which the chief did not want,
Brant said afterwards that he had sent Vrooman
back on ])urpose to give him a chance to escape,
but he was such a big fool that he did not do it,
and he was forced to lake liiiii to Canad i.

ran

CHAPTER XXXIII.

brant's battle on the Delaware.

Brant had planned some ^rcat winter expe-
dition. But Colonel George Rogers Clarke* had
strwck his wonderful and successful blow at the
western posts of Vincennes and Kaskaskia, which
for a lime paralyzed the Indians. In the mid-
summer of 1779 the town of Minisink, on the
Navisink River, near the border f)f New Jersey
and Pennsylvania, was left unprotected, except by
its own inhabitants. With a band of sixty Mo-
hawks and twenty-seven Tories disguised as
Indians, Brant stole upon the Minisink people,
whose first warning was the burning of houses.
Most of the inhabitants fled, but some were killed
and others taken captive. The houses were plun-
dered and burned, property destroyed, and cattle
driven away. His object acccnnplished, Brant
swiftly moved away, joining his main force at
Grassy Brook.

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262

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

The flying" inhabitants had run to Goslicn. Here
Colonel Tusten called toirether tlie militia. The
colonel himself thought it Uxiwise to luulertake
the punsuit of Brant, as the Indian force was
l^robably greatly superior to the militia. Many
of the men did not agree with him, however, and
one of the officers jumped upon his horse, waved
his sword, and called out, " Let the brave men
follow me, the cowards may stay behind !"

There was no more debate, and a hundred and
fifty men niarched out against the chief's great
f(n'ce. As they neared the Indians, they discov-
ered the deserted camp. Here were many cam})-
fires still smouldering, and it was evident that
Brant's force was much superior to the band which
was marching against it, but the men would not
listen to prudent advice. They hurried on. A
scout was killed. Still they pushed forward, imtil
they reached the hills of the Delaware River.
Brant's forces could be seen in full view, three
quarters of a mile away, marching toward a ford-
ing place. The American commander. Colonel
Hathorn, resolved to intercept the Indians at the
ford. Preparing for this manoeuvre, the Americans
were obliged to move through the woods, losing
sight of the enemy. Brant suspected the man-
oeuvre of Colonel Hathorn. lie instantly wheeled

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brant's IJAl'TLi: ON Till: DKLAWARE.

;63

about, and threw himself in the rear of his enemy.
The Americans reached the ford to find the In-
dians gone. They hahed. A small body of
Indians showed themselves in an unexpected
(juarter. Brant, accordin:^ tn his own account,
stepped forward and hailed the colonel.

" My force in ambush is very i^reat," said the
chief, frankly. "It is stroni^ enough to destroy
you. Now, before any bhjod has been shed, 1 can
control my warriors, but if the battle once begins
I cannot."

But Brant said the Americans refused to j)arlc\',
and fired upon him. At any rate, the battle began
about elev^en o'clock in the morning. Brant gave
the war-whoop, and the Indians rushed in upon
the enemy from all sides. They succeeded in
cutting off one third of Hathorn's forces from the
main body. The Americans were short of am-
munition.

"Don't fire until you're very sure )-our powder
won't be wasted," cried the commander.

The battle was a long one. Gradually the
brave Americans were hemmed in to an acre of
land. Still theii unninishing nundx-rs ko})t the
Indians at bay until sundown. Their ammunition
was gone, and thev attempted to retreat. The
fierce savages, fiercer for (he long resistance.

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264

IJKANT AND Ki:!) lACKKT.

rushed upon them with the tomahawk. Colonel
Tiisteii, wlio was a physician, was dressing the
\\'(ninds of his men behind tlie rocks when the re-
treat began. lie and his wounded men fell
victims. But thirty men escaped the tomahawk.

Brant told long afterwards a strange incident
of this battle-field. After the battle was over, in
movinir around amon^f the dead the chief dis-
covered a prominent citizen of Goshen, Lieutenant
Wisner, still alive. Brant examined his wounds,
and saw that there was no hope of his recovery,
thouirh Wisner was able to talk and aware of
everything that went on around him. " Now,"
thought the chief, '' wdiat shall 1 do? I cannot
carry this man away. It woidd be cruel to leave
him here to die a lingering death. Besides, when
we are gone the wolxrs \v\\\ be here t(3 increase
his tortures." Brant decided that the best thing
he could do would be to j)ut the dying man
quickly out of his miserw and that without
wcjundiui^ his feelinafs. He talked with him a
moment pleasantly, and having thus distracted
his attention, unperceived bv Wisner he suddenly
struck him dead with his tomahawk.

One man during the massacre following the
battle had made a sign mdicating that he was a
freemason. Brant immediately saved his life.

grant's liATTI.E ON THK DELAWARK. 265

but was very indiij^nant when he discovered that
the man was not a member of tlie order. He
spared his life, but treated liim harshly ; nothing
could exceed his scorn for the man who had thus
imposed upon him. The captive on his part, it is
said, felt bound to join the order immediately on
his release from a long captivity.

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CIIAPER XXXIV.

RED JACKET.

Red Jacket was some years younger than
Brant, having been born about 1750. I lis birtli-
place is said to be on the site of the present town
of Geneva, at tlie foot ol Seneca Lake. There has
been no effort made, as in the case of Brant, to
claim " noble descent" for Red Jacket. He came
of an ordinary Indian famil)-, and doubtless was
regarded with little hope of future glory by
his parents. For he was remarkably small and
insignificant for an Indian. But like many men
who are physically deficient, Red Jacket made
up for it in an immense conceit. He showed
no predilection for war. Indeed, he did not
go upon the war-path until the invasion of his
country, when he was twenty-nine years of age,
forced every Iroqu(ns man to defend his home.
Red Jacket was a remarkal:)ly swift runner. In his
youth he was called Otctiani, or " Always Ready."
He was employed a great deal among lils people

RED JACKET.

267

as a messcng-er. He was also very successful in
huntin*^ because of his swiftness.

During the war of the Revolution, Reel Jacket
made himself very useful to the British officers as
a messenger. He was doubtless the more so be-
cause of his intelligence and gift for oratory. In
return for his services the officers presented the
young man with a scarlet jacket, very richly em-
broidered. One can ini;igine the immense pride
with which Otetiani d(^nned this brilliant jacket,
and which gave him the name by which he is best
known. He took such delight in the garment
and in the name that he was kept in red jackets
as fast they were worn out, during the Revolution-
ary war. And after the war, when the Americans
wished to gain his favor, they gave l.im a red
jacket.

Brant and Red Jacket were essentially oppo-
sites in every regard. Brant was a Mohawk, Red
Jacket was a Seneca, from the opposite end of the
"Lorq^ House." Brant was tall, muscular, and in-
clined to corpulency, with a large bright eye and
broad lower forehead ; Red Jacket was small and
wiry, with little sharp eyes looking out from be-
neath frowning brows, and a towering forehead.
Brant was at least the grandson of a chief, con-
nected with the powerful Johnson family, reared

268

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

under Sir William's influence, educated among thr
whites, a member of the Ri)iscopal Church, and a
gentleman in his bearing ; Red Jacket was an In-
dian of the Indians, hated civilization, could speak
English but very imperfectly, detested education
and Christianity, and made no pretence at con-
forming to the polite customs of white society.
Above all, Brant was proud. He had gained his
influence through his gifts as a warrior, and could
afford to be frank and truthful. Red Jacket, on
the other hand, was vain and lacked courage, He
was very smart, and he had no scruples as to what
means he used to gain influence among his people.
They were both great men among the Indians of
the Six Nations, they were both patriotic, and they
both loved their own people and customs, and
preferred them to those of the whites.

Brant hated Red Jacket very heartily. He could
find no excuse for the latter's lack of courage.
Brant was a powerful young chief, with his heart
in the English cause. Red Jacket was a rising
young man of gifts, but he was not a warrior, and
was totally unscrupulous as to which side he took
so long as he gained influence thereby. The two
men very naturally clashed. Brant gave Red
Jacket the nickname of Cow-Killer. He used to
tell that at one time during the Revolutionary

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RED JACKET.

269

war, Red Jacket with his usual eloquence ex-
horted the Indians to courage, and promised to be
with them in the thickest of the flight. When the
battle came off, however. Red Jacket was missing,
having stayed at home to cut up a cow which he
had captured. The brave Seneca chief Cornplan-
ter had as strong a dislike for the intriguing Red
Jacket as Brant himself. These two chiefs one day
dined at a wliite gentleman's house in company
with .Red Jacket. During the meal Cornplanter
took occasion to tell the story as though it had
been done by some other Indian. Brant and Corn-
])lantcr laughed very heartily, enjoying the joke
and the evident confusion of Red Jacket, wIk^ tried
to join in the laugh but could not conceal his
wounded vanitv.

When some one sneeringly questioned Red
Jacket as to his gifts as a warrior, he burst out
with, " I am an orator ! I was born an orator !"
And indeed, from the accounts of all who heard
him, Red Jacket must have been a very eloquent
speaker. What better tribute could there be to
his eloquence than the name which was given him
when he became a chief ? It was Sagoyewatha, or
He-Keeps-Them-Awake.

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CHAPTER XXXV.

THE INVASION.

Washington was long known among the Iro-
quois Indians under the name of Town-Destroyer.
They well knew that he had planned the great in-
vasion into their country in 1779. Two divisions
moved Into the country of the Six Nations at once.
One from Pennsylvania, under General Sullivan,
was to ascend the Susquehanna to the Tioga River,
where it would be met by the other irom the
north, under the cominand of General Clinton.
A large amount of stores were thrown into Fort
Stanwix to be used in case of necessity, and Clin-
ton's army was ready to proceed from the Mo-
hawk Valley. They must first traverse a portage
of about twenty miles to Otsego Lake. Stores
were carried across and two hundred boats drawn
over this long, rough portage. It took four
horses to draw a boat. The regiments were
stationed along the road to guard the carry, and
to assist in the most difficult places.

The Oneida Indians were invited to join General

THE INVASION.

271

Clinton, but they preferred to stay and guard their
homes, fearful lest the British or their sister-na-
tions should wreak vengeance on them. General
Clinton built a dam across the outlet of Otsego
Lake and thus greatly increased its depth.

The Indians, meantime, were hovering around
the army. Elerson, a famous frontier rifleman,
wandered awr.y from the camp to gather some
pulse for his dinner. He filled his knapsack with
the lierb and had just thrown it over his shoulder,
when he heard a rustling in the tall, coarse grass.
He turned and saw ten or twelve Indians, who
were just on the point of jumping upon him to
make him a prisoner. The hunter grasped his
rifle, standing at his side, and with a spring tried
to escape. A shower of tomahawks were thrown
at his head. Elerson, however, had already
reached a thicket. One of the hatchets hit him
on the hand, nearly cutting off one of his fingers.^
Elerson did not pause a moment, but scrambled
over an old brush fence and into the woods, with
the Indians after him. He led them a lively chase.
Despairing of catching him alive, they fired but
did not succeed in wounding him. From eleven
in the morning until three in the afternoon Eler-
son kept up his breathless pace. He used every
dodge and device to deceive his pursuers and put

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URANT AND RED JACKKT,

them upon the wrong track, but in vain. At last
he stopped a moment to breathe, believing he had
outrun the savages. Instantly an Indian sprang
up in front of him. Elerson raised his rifle, when
he received a flesh-wound in the side from another
quarter and heard the crack of still another rifle.
The Indian in front had disappeared when Eler-
son's rifle had been pointed at him. Elerson fled
again, his wounded side bleeding a little. He
crossed a ridge and descended into a valley. He
lay down by the little stream which ran through
it to take a drink, for he was very thirsty. Scarcely
had he done so when he saw an Indian's head ap-
pear over the crest t)f the hill. He raised his rifle
to shoot, but his arm trembled so that he could
not steady it. The Indian was coming ; in a mo-
ment more he would be upon the white man. The
exhausted man managed to rest his gun against a
tree, and, with unerring aim, he brought his pursuer
tumbling down the hill. Hastily he reloaded his
gun, when the rest of his pursuers came rushing
over the ridge. Elerson now gave himself up for
lost. He hid, howeve r, behind the trunk of a large
hemlock, but he knew that the Indians' quick eyes
could not fail to discovc* him. Their attention
was, for the moment, attracted to the wounded
Indian, who was not yet dead. They drew a

THE INVASION.

273

circle around him and began the death-wail. Tak-
ing advantage of this momentary pause, Elerson
sped away. He buried himself deep in a hemlock
thicket and crept into a hollow tree. Here he took
breath, having run twenty-five miles. For two
days he stayed, and then, stealing from his hiding-
place, moved cautiously along, not knowing
where he was. He soon found familiar landmarks
and reached the settlement of Cobbleskill.

There stood on the outskirts of the Cherry Valley
settlement one house which had been missed in
the destruction of the settlement. The owner,
Mr. Shankland, had removed his family to the
Mohawk for safety, but he and his son were stay-
ing in the house. Failing in their attempt to cap-
ture Elerson, the Indians discovered this lonely
house and assailed it. They cut away at the door
with their hatchets and awakened the inmates.
Shankland sprang up, and, taking two guns,
ordered his son to load them while he fired. He
could not get an aim at the Indians, however, and
resolved to make a sally with a spear which he
happened to have in the house. Carefully unbar-
ring the door, he suddenly rushed violently at the
Indians. The Indians tumbled back in astonish-
ment. One of them fell over a log; vShankland
struck at him, but his spear entered the log and

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BRANT AND RED JACKET.

parted from the handle. He stopped to wrench it
out, and then retreated into the house and barred
the door, the Indians having been too much aston-
ished to fire at him. Meantime the son had
escaped from the house and tried to reach the
woods. He was, however, pursued and captured.
Shankland continued the fight from within, firing
upon the besiegers and wounding some of them,
while they could but shoot at random through
the windows. He meditated rushing out and
fighting the Indians, selling his own life with as
many of theirs as possible. But he reflected that
they would then wreak vengeance on his son.
The Indians at last set fire to the house. As the
flames burst up through the building they danced
around in savage glee, sure now of their victim.
But Shankland had quietly crept out at the back
of his house into a field of hemp, and, hidden by
this, to the woods. Meantime the Indians watched
around the house until it was consumed, and, sure
that their victim had died in the flames, they
raised a triumphant shout and left with their pris-
oner, whose life they saved.

Meantime General Clinton was impatiently
waiting at Otsego Lake for the order from Gen-
eral Sullivan to move forward. When early in
August this came, a strange thing happened to

THE INVASION.

275

the Indians. It was a very dry season, there had
been no rains, but suddenly the Susquelianna came
rushing down in a roaring torrent, overspread ini»-
its banks into their very fields, and destroying
their corn and vegetables at Oquaga and in the
neighborhood. Clinton had broken his dam and
released the accumulated water at Otsego Lake,
and in a short time the great boats of the white
man's army came down where nothing but Indian
canoes had ever been seen before. The savages
concluded that the Great Spirit must have made
the flood to show that he was angry with them.

The two armies met at Tioga in the latter part
of August, forming together an army of five
thousand men, which began its march up the Che-
mung River. They soon destroyed the first In-
dian town and standing corn. Washington's
orders had been that the destruction of the Indian
viiiages should be thoroughly completed before
any terms were made.

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CHAPTER XXXVI.

BRANT GIVES 15ATTLE TO GENERAL SULLIVAN.

Brant was resolved to defend his country, if
possible, from the ravages of the Americans. The
English supported their Indian allies in their
defence. The elder and younger Butler, and Sir
John and Guy Johnson, with two hundred and
fifty regular troops and rangers, were with Brant
and his Indians. The Americans estimated that
Brant had more than a thousand Indians under his
command, but an English writer states it at
scarcely more than half that number. Brant cer-
tainl}' had all the force he could command from
the depleted villages of the warlike Iroquois. He
had had ample time to prepai'e while the clumsy
white man's army was making its slow movements
into his country. He was stationed near the pres-
ent site of Elmira. The Indians and hjyalists had
built them a breastwork half a mile in length, par-
tially protected by a bend in the river, and by a
steep ridge upon which it rested. Besides the
natural woods and brush the Indians had cut

HKANT GIVES IJATTLE TO SULLIVAN.

277

down a j^rcat many low shrub oaks and stuck
them in the ground around their breastwork to
mask it.

The advance-guard of the American army dis-
covered the enemy about eleven o'clock on the
morning of the 29th of August. Skirmishing
instantly began, small parties of Indians sallying
out, from time to time, and attacking the white
forces with fearful war-whoops. When the main
army had come up, Sullivan conjectured that the
savages had possession of the hill. He ordered
General Poor's brigade to wheel off and attempt
to gain the enemy's left flank, while the main force
attacked the front. The Indians gave battle from
every side ferociously. Each tree, bush, and rock
was alive with an Indian, and the woods resounded
with their whoops and yells. Always in the
thickest of the fight was Brant, shouting and
encouraging his warriors on to victory. Both In-
dians and loyalists stood their ground bravely.
They only gave way inch by inch before the supe-
rior force. As Sullivan's troops gradually forced
them from tree to tree they contested their ground
at the point of the bayonet, so much were they in
earnest. The artillery now began to play in a way
that Sullivan pronounced "elegant," and which
sent dismay into the hearts of the Indians. They

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278

IJRANT AND RED JACKET.

ii
I'

still, h(nvcvcr, fou<^ht bravely. Brant was the first
to guess the enemy's designs. Assisted bv p bat-
talion of the rangers, he gave Pour's brigade a
brave fight as they attempted to ascend the hill.
During the contest the chief was rushing from
point to point, everywhere at once, animating his
men and encouraging them to hold out. But it
was of no use. Poor gained the summit and turned
the flank of Brant's little army. The latter saw
that his men were likely to be surrounded.

" Oonah ! oonah !" arose from all sides, and the
Indian forces made a swift retreat across the river,
dropping tomahawks and scalping-knives on the
way. They had carried off their dead during the
battle as usual, but in the hurry of retreat they
left eleven bodies upon the field, and fourteen
more were subsequently discovered hastily buried
among the leaves. The American forces pushed
them in their flight at the point of the bayonet, and
eight scalps were taken by the Americans during
the pursuit. Brant had lost more warriors than
he could afford to lose. The American loss was
but hair a dozen killed and forty or fifty wounded.

From the battle-field a flying campaign was be-
gun. Only some small field-pieces were taken
with the army, and the men were put upon short
rations. Several small Indian villagers were de-

BRANT GIVES DATTLK TO SULLIVAN.

279

fcitroycd, and large cornfields laid waste. The sol-
diers now had a rough journey before them through
dangerous defiles, where the Indians, had they not
been demoralized by their defeat, might have
done them serious injury. Several times the
troops had to ford streams, the men up to the
waist in water. Once the rear of the army spent
the night in a great swamp, the men being too
tired to move further. Fortunately for them the
Indians, who were feasting on roast corn a few
miles from the place, did not dream of Sullivan
advancing on so dark a night through so bad a
way.

Early in September the army reached the head
of Seneca Lake. Here an Indian town was
burned, corn destroyed, and even the very
orchards hacked down. Some of the American
officers objected to this as wanton.

*' The Indians shall see that there is malice
enough in our hearts to destroy everything that
contributes to their support," said General Sulli-
van. The Americans had been exasperated by a
long border war. Every town was destroyed,
every field laid waste, ancient orchards and even
pear and peach trees were hacked down.

Meantime Brant, with his Indian forces, was
hovering near the destroymg army, bent o!i har-'

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liKANT AND Rli:!) JACKEl'.

assing them as much as possible. I'crliaps he
would have accomplished more had it not been
for the divisions among his own warriors; for an
Indian chief has to be controlled by the fickle
courage of the independent Indians whom he
leads. Brant always ascribed much of his people's
misfortunes in this campaign to Red Jacket. This
ambitious young politician was bent on acquiring
influence in some way or other. He would be of
small consequence following the policy of Brant,
Cornplanter, and the older chiefs. Defeat always
produces dissatisfaction in Indian forces. Red
Jacket joined the dissatisfied party. He held
secret council among the young warriors and
younger chiefs. He used his eloquence, i)erhaps
not unwisely, in favor of conciliating the enemy.
At Red Jacket's suggestion a messenger was sent
to Sullivan with information of the disaffection in
Brant's camp, and inviting peaceful propositions.
But Brant, by some means, had information of
this move, so contrary to his own policy, and so
humiliating to his pride. He feared the conse-
quences in his own camp if the Americans should
propose peace. Brant settled the matter in a
truly Indian way. He sent out two confidential
runners to waylay the messenger on his way from
the American camp, and to put him to death.

HRANT GIVES HATTLli TO SULLIVAN*.

281

Thus a stop was put to Red Jacket's maiuruvres
and to all peacefMl proposals.

Cornplanter had planned to make a stand
aj^ainst a detachment of Sullivan's forces at the
Indian town of Canandaigua. When the Ameri-
ccuis ap|)roached, Red Jacket and some of the In-
dians began to retreat. Cornplanter tried to rally
his men. He sprang in front of Red Jacket and
vehemently encouraged him to fight. It was of
no use, and the Seneca chief had to abandon his
undertaking.

" Leave that man ; he is a coward !" said the
wrathful Cornjilanter to Red Jacket's wife.

The Indians found that Sullivan intended to
advance even upon their beautiful Genesee coun-
try. After holding a council they decided to
strike another blow at the invaders. Placing their
women and children at a safe distance within the
woods, they laid an ambuscade on the j)ath of the
army. Without waiting till they got the main
army within their clutches, however, they arose
and fired upon the advance-guard. There was a
lively skirmish, and the advance-guard fell back
upon the main army. The Indians gained noth-
ing but the capture of two Oncidas, who had
been serving as guides to Sullivan's army. This
sad civil war had not onlv divided the families of

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282

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

white people but those of Indians. One of the
Oneidas had a brother among the hostile Indians
who had vainly tried to persuade him to join the
British cause at the outset of the war. This In-
dian now strode up to his captive brother and
delivered this speech :

" Brother ! You have merited death, and shall
die by our hands. When those rebels had driven
us from the fields of our fathers to seek out new
houses, it was you who dared to step forth as their
pilot and conduct them even to the doors of our
wigwams to butcher our children and put us to
death. No crime can be greater. But though
you have merited death and shall die on this spot,
my hands shall not be stained with the blood of a
brother. Who will strike ?"

A moment's pause, and the chief Little Beard
stepped out. His hatchet flashed, and the Oneida
lay dead. Little Beard turned to the other
captive: ^

" I am fighting only against the whites, and your
life shall be spared," said he.

General Sullivan dispatched Lieutenant Boyd
with twenty-six yncn to reconnoitre Little Beard's
town, which was fortified. Boyd had performed
his mission, and had found but two Indians in the
deserted town. These were killed and scalped,

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BRANT GIVES BATTLE TO SULLIVAN.

283

after the manner of white men engaged in savage
warfare. On his return, Bo)^d was intercepted by
Brant with some five hundred warriors. Sur-
rounded by Indians, Boyd resolved to try to cut
his way through them. In his first attempt he
and his men killed several Indians without any
loss to themselves. Boyd was, however, forced
back. He attempted a second and a third time to
cut his way out, and his men fell all around him.
He was left with a band of but eight. Some
of these were killed, and others succeeded in
escaping by flight. Among them was Murphy,
the famous rifleman. Boyd was captured. He
asked permission to speak with Brant, and told
him that he was a mason. Brant promised to
protect him. He conducted him to Little Beard's
town, where the Indian and Tory forces were now
assembled. Brant was called away, and it i;5 as-
serted that he was left in charge of the loyalist
Butler, and that on his refusing to give information
with regard to the Americans, Butler delivered
him into the hands of the Indians. It is certain
that a band of Senccas, among whom was Little
Beard, by some means got possession of him, and
he was most cruelly tortured to death. •

Sullivan attempted to gain the enemy's rear, but
the Indians retreated precipitately. The Anieri-

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284

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

cans marched forward to the Genesee Valley.
They were surprised to see a smiling country,
evidently long under cultivation. The troops im-
mediately began their work of destruction. The
palisaded fortress was burned, and the fields were
laid waste. The town of Genesee, containing
twenty-eight large houses, was burned. It was
surrounded by miles of corn and vegetable fields.
The ears of corn were sometimes twenty-two
inches long. In one orchard fifteen hundred fruit-
trees were cut down.

From Genesee the army returned, having de-
stroyed some forty or fifty towns and innumerable
orchards and fields of grain. It was, perhaps, the
only way to chastise the slippery Indians. Num-
bers of them died of famine, and the i)estilence
which goes hand in hand with famine, in the en-
suing winter. Many of them were driven to seek
subsistence at the British post of Niagara, where
Brant had his winter quarters. 1 he winter was
an unusually cold one, but in spite of cold and
want the Indians followed Brant in an expedition
of vengeance upon the Oneidas. Their fortress,
their homes, and their little church were de-
stroyed. They, in turn, were driven back upon
the United States for support during the remain-
der of the war.

BRANT GIVES BATTLE TO SULLIVAN.

285

Another expedition was sent out from Pittsburg
under Colonel Brodhead, which succeeded in de-
feating a small band of Indians and laying waste
well-built towns and fertile cornfields belonging
to the Iroquois.

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CHAPTER XXXVII.

BRANT AND HIS CAPTIVES.

One of the Cherry Valley captives, MiSvS Moore,
was courted by a British officer of the Niagara
garrison. The marriage took place during the
winter. It was a great event for the lonely wil-
derness post, and was celebrated with a great deal
of enjoyment by the British and loyalist officers.
Brant was invited to the wedding. Brant's second
wife had died, and he was now living with a
third. He took the opportunity to have the
marriage ceremony performed. It was doubtless
celebrated with a great deal of enjoyment on the
part of the garrison. Brant wore at this time
leggins and breech-cloth of very fine blue cloth,
moccasins beautifully ornamented with beads, a
short green coat, silver epaulets, and a small round
hat trimmed with lace. At his side hung a hand-
some silver-mounted cutlass. Over all was a blue
broadcloth blanket with a gorgeous red border.
This he took pains to drop off of his shoulders,
that the silver epaulets might be seen. We may

BRANT AND HIS CAPTIVES.

287

be sure the bride was dressed in a costume of the
gayest broadcloth, richly embroidered with bead-
work.

In the early spring of 1780 Brant was again on
the war-path. He led a small band of Indians and
Tories upon the settlement of Harpersfield. For-
tunately most of the inhabitants had left so exposed
a home. Few were killed, and but nineteen made
pi'ivSoners. Brant now crept upon the upper fort
of ikihoharic, hoping to take it if he found it
weak enough. Before he reached the fort, how-
ever, he came upon thirteen of its men under
Captain Alexander Harper, busy makmg maple-
sugar for the use of the garrison. The small band
of Indians and Tories then under Brant crept up
around the unsuspecting sugar-makers. At the
first shot three of them fell dead. Brant immedi-
ately rushed out from behind the trees, and going
up to Captain Harper, tomahawk in hand, said,
" Harper, Fm sorry to find you here."

" Why are you sorry. Captain Brant ?" boldly
asked Harper.

" Because," said Brant, raising the tomahawk,
" I must kill you, although we were schoolmates
in our youth." Suddenly his arm fell. lie looked
at Harper very sharply and asked, " Are th'2r(? anj
regular troops at the forts in Schoharie?"

I %.

I .

11:.
ill

1 i

■■ u f 4

Ill

V. -,

' n mm tmm it^iti'

288

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

li p>

Harper knew that if he told the truth Brant
would fall upon the almost defenceless settlement.
With a pause, and returning Brant's scrutiny un-
blushingly, he answered, " Yes ; a reinforcement
of three hundred Continental soldiers arrived at
the Schoharie forts only a day or two ago."

Brant was much disconcerted at this news. He
forbade the prisoners being touched for the time
being, and called a council. Night had come on.
The eleven prisoners were shut up in a pHi of
logs, and guarded by the seven loyalists who ac-
companied the expedition. Their leader was a
brutal fellow named Becraft. The debate in the
Indian council as to whether the prisoners should
be killed or carried to Niagara occupied them
nearly all night. Harper could hear the loud
words of the speakers, and, understanding thei.
language, could gather the import of what was
said. They were in favor of death. Becraft
meantime took pleasure in tantalizing them, say-
ing, with an oath, "You'll be in hell before
morning." Brant, however, finally overcame the
majority in favor of death.

In the morning Harper was called into council j
to be examined. Brant looked at him very hard
and told him that they were suspicious that he
had not told the truth. Harper coolly answered

S .r.

rant
lent.
r un-
ment
jd at

time

le on.

1^ of

lo ac-

ivas a

in the

,hould
them
loud
thei.
t was
ecraft
I, say-
jefore
le the

)uncil I
hard

iat he
re red

BRANT AND HIS CAPTIVES.

289

that his story was true, and repeated his state-
ments. Brant then rchictantly resolved to return to
Niagara. Me told Harper that he had designed
to attack the fort, having heard that it was ahnost
undefended. Brant's Indians were much disap-
pointed thus to be deprived of the phnidcr which
they had expected. It was with difficuUy that
Brant could keep them from massacring the pris-
oners in their chagrin.

The Indians began their return march. The
captives were loaded with heavy packs of the
plunder taken at Harpersfield. They moved first
down the Delaware to a mill, where they provided
themselves with provisions. The miller, who was
a Tory, advised the Indians to kill their prisoners.
On the following day they were met by a loyalist
who knew Brant and his prisoners well. Me as-
sured Brant that there were no troops at the Scho-
harie forts. Marper was again bronght up lor
examination. Brant again seemed to look him
through and through, and Harper again told so
straight a story that the chief was inclined to be-
lieve him. An old man and two grandsons were
captured soon after. The old man was not able to
keep up with the Indians, and saw that he must
die. He bade the boys an affectionate farewell,
and then lagged behind. A young warrior, whose

i \

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290

nUANT AND RED JACKET.

face was painted l)lack in denote liiin as llic execu-
tioner, linj^fercd too and soon came up with the
old man's scalp.

On their lon<j^, roui^h journey, with very heavy
burdens, the privSoners seemed Ukely to be forced
to h\^ behind Hke the old man. Fortunately for
them, however. Brant was attacked with the ague,
and was unable to travel on every alternate day.
He used a characteristic Indian remedy for his
disease, lie sought a rattlesnake's h'lunt, and
here he watched for a snake to creep out to enjoy
the spring sunshine. Having caught one, he had
it made into soup. He took this soup and recov-
ered from his chills.

A very unfortunate incident for the prisoners
now happened. On setting out from Niagara,
Brant had detached a small band of warriors to
again fall upon the Minisink settlement. They
had succeeded in capturing five stalwart frontiers-
men. On their return, while the Indians were one
night sleeping soundly, one of the prisoners man-
aged to get one hand out of his bonds. With
this he released himself, and very quietly unbound
his four companions. They then each slipped a
tomahawk from an Indian belt and fell upon their
captors. They killed nine Indians almost instantly,
and the two survivors attempted to escape. They

I j'

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BRANT AND HIS CAPTIVES.

291

:xccu-
:h the

heavy
forced
3ly for
i a^ue,
:e day.
for his
it, and
[) enjoy
he had
i recov-

■isoners
liagara,
iors to
They
fontiers-
ere one
irs man-
With
Inbound
[pped a
m their
[stantly,
They

struck one of them a blow between the shoulders,
and then made good their own retreat towai'd
home. The remaining Indian retnriicd to watcli
over his wounded comi)anion. While I5raiit's
party was now journeying toward Niagara one of
the warriors gave a whoop, ft was answered l)y
a lonely voice with the death-yell. Startled, they
ran in the direction of the noise. They were met
by the only survivor from the detachment that had
gone against Minisink. As they gathered around
him he told them his story. Instantly they were
bent on revenge. They encircled their prisoners
with menacing looks and prepared to kill them.
The hatchets were raised for the massacre, when
the survivor, who had excited them to revenge by
his pitiful story, rushed into the circle and made
an appeal in behalf of the prisoners. He said that
they were not the murderers of his brothers and
ought not to be punished for it. With an earnest
speech he appeased the enraged Indians, and the
prisoners' lives were again saved.

Both the Indians and their captives suffered
much from hunger during the remainder of the
journey. What little they had was always divided
with the utmost fairness, under the supervision of
Brant. They had now but a handful of corn
apiece for their dinner. They found at one time,

i f

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292

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

however, a dead horse. He had been left by Sul-
livan's expedition, and had died in the cold of the
severe winter. The wolves had eaten the poor
horse's bones bare, but on the under side there re-
mained tlcsh that they could not get at. This was
equally divided and distributed, under Brant's
direction. Reaching the Genesee River, the fam-
ished party found a band of Indians preparing to
plant corn. They had a fine horse, which was
killed and dressed by Brant's order. The chief
showed the prisoners how to use the white ashes
of wood for salt, and they all had a feast.

It was customary among the Indians to send a
runner ahead of the returning war-party to an-
nounce the results and the number of prisoners.
Thus they were sure to be met by men, women,
and children on their arrival at the village, and
must run the gauntlet for their amusement. At
Genesee, Brant forwarded the customary messen-
ger to Niagara. The Tories of the party amused
themselves in describing to the prisoners the hor-
rors of the ordeal through which they must pass
when they should enter the two Indian encamp-
ments this side of Niagara, at which the main
body of the Six Nations was now gathered. The
prisoners were bordermen and knew well what to
expect. They knew that even Brant could not

11^

RRANT AND IIIS CAPTIVES.

293

end a
o an-
oners.
omen,
, and
At
essen-
used
hor-
pass
amp-
main
The
at to
not

save them from this. What was their surprise,
on entering the first encampment, that, instead
of being met by a hooting, whooping crowd arn.cd
with hoes, chibs, knives, and tomahawks, they
found the Indians gone and a regiment of British
soldiers in their place! "Never mind," said the
disappointed prophets, "there is another one to
come, and the Indians of that camp are especially
fierce." But here, also, the Indians were absent,
and the war-party marched through two parallel
lines formed by anotl.er regiment of soldiers.

The secret of it al! la ; with the dignified chief.
The Miss Moore who had been married to a
British offtcer was Captain Harper's niece. Har-
per, however, did not know of her marriage,
nor even that she was at Niagara. Brant had
remained perfectly silent about the whole matter,
although he knew of the relationship very well.
When he arrived at Genesee, desirous of saving
his old-time friend from the gauntlet, under pre-
tence of sending ahead the usual runner he had
sent a message to Miss Moore's husband inform-
ing him of the approach of his wife's uncle, and
proposing a trick by which he might be saved
from Indian cruelty. Consequently the Indians
had been enticed away to a feast supplied from
the public store, and, to further protect the prison-

1 ■.

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294

•" UKANT AND KKI) JACKKT.

ers from the violence of any straj^f^lin^ Indians
around the camps, tlie two rc<^iments were sent
out. With tliis ruse Brant had saved his prisoners
from injury. We may be sure Captain Harper
had a pleasant surprise in meetin<f his niece at
Niagara.

iiii

-e^

CflAITKK XXXVfir.

ki;'iAi,iA'noiN/,

'rill': IJrilisfi Jiiid lii'li.'iiis planned tlio (h^sfnir-
tioii ()( llu! ciiliic cliaiti (»( frunlicr sctlkirncnts in
17.Su. Tlic loyalists, who liad lost their projx rty
and thcii" houics, wen; very hitter against, their
rebel ne'^hhors, as they called thern, arifl many
were the cruel detuls which the brutal meri anion^
them j)erj)etrated in this border warfare;, thmj^h
tliese indeed were fj^reatly exaggerated in the
j)artisan accounts of the day. The Inrlians, too,
were bent, on retaliation for the destruction of
their villaf^es. Sir John Jf^lmson first made an
attack upon the settlement in which he was born.
Some of his neighbors were killed anrl others
v/cre taken capMvc. Sir John liimself marchcrl to
Johnson Hall. The faith tul ne^rrj slave who
alone knew of the buried family silver had been
living with a former neighbor oi Sir John's, but
had never disclosed the secret. Assisted by fowr
soldiers he now dug up the silver, which filled

1 : 1 I

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296

I5RANT AND RED JACKET.

two barrels, and, carrying it upstairs, laid it at
his master's feet. It was distributed in the knap-
sacks of some forty soldiers, whose names were
taken down, and thus it was carried off.

In August Brant planned the destruction of the
settlement at Canajoharie, the home of his child-
hood. A large quantity of stores were being
moved to Fort Schuyler. Hovering around the
settlements, Brant spread a rumor that he was
about to attack these stores. The militia in
the settlements lower down the Mohawk Valley
was immediately moved to protect the stores.
Having thus diverted attention. Brant now passed
around the convoy and attacked the unprotected
settlements. When the Indians approached a
woman gave the alarm by firing a cannon, but the
able-bodied men were nearly all absent, and there
was no one to defend their homes. Sixteen peo-
ple were killed, fifty or sixty taken pris(Miers,
over fifty houses and as many barns burned, with
a mill, a church, and two small forts. Fields were
laid waste and some three hundred cattle and
horses driven away. Even the tools and arms of
the farmers were destroyed. The women and
children were carried into captivity, but no out-
rages were committed upon them. The rising
smoke was seen at Johnstown, fifteen miles away,

RETALIATION.

297

Ising
vay,

and the militia marched to Canajoharic, but Brant
had already gone with plunder and prisoners.

The great blow was yet to be struck. About a
thousand whites and Indians, under Sir John
Johnson, Brant, and Cornplanter, were preparing
to invade the settlements. Every man was pro-
vided with eighty rounds of cartridges, and, by
way of artillery, the army had two small mortars
and a brass three-pounder, which they called a
grasshopper, because it was mounted on legs
instead of wheels. They moved first upon the
Schoharie settlements. They slipped by the upper
fort in the night unobserved. The middle fort
was garrisoned by some two hundred men, under
JSlajor Woolsey. The first intimation the garrison
had of the enemy's presence was the kindling
of a fire early on an October morning in some
buildings near at hand. The firing of three can-
nons from the upper fort announced the discov-
ery in that quarter. The whole settlement was
soon in a blaze. The farm-houses and the barns,
well filled from a bountiful harvest, were quickly
destroyed. About sunrise the army began invest-
ing the middle fort. The " grasshopper" and the
other artillery were i)lantcd upon high ground
commanding it.

The garrison was in a very poor condition for

! ^1

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298

LRANT AND RED JACKET.

defence, being almost entirely destitute of powder.
r.Iajor Woolsey was inclined to surrender imme-
diately. It is said that this oflficcr was so cowardly
that he ran into the quarters of the women and
children to conceal himself when the fort was
attacked. The inmates quickly drove him out by
their ridicule ; and it is related that he actually
crawled about the intrenchments on his hands
and knees, to the great merriment of the soldiers,
whose spirits were much raised by the hearty
laughter they enjoyed at the expense of the com-
mander. The women in the fort showed a great
deal of courage. A girl, who observed some re-
luctance in a soldier who was ai)pointcd to get
water from a well outside the fort, seized the pail
from his hands and walked coolly to the well
many times for water. '

A white flag approached the fort to demand a
surrender. The order was ij^iven to cease firinir-
Within the fort was the irrepressible Murphy.
He feared lest the garrison would surrender il
terms were offered. He announced his determi-
nation to fire upon the bearer of the flag. The
officers of the regular troops forbade it, but the
militia supported him. Murphy fired, and the
messenger was forced to return without an answer.

The **grasshopi)er" and its companions did not

RETALIATION.

299

wder.

immc-

k^ardly

:n and

t was

out by

:tually
hands

)ldiers,

hearty

le com-

a great

omc re-
U) get
he pail
c well

land a

hring.

Airphy.

Inder il

letermi-

Thc

)ut the
Ind the

mswer.

did not

(

produce much effect. Some of the shells fell
short of the fort, others went over it, and some
exploded in the air. One shell fell through the
roof of a house within the fort, sank into a feather-
bed, and exploded ; another set the roof afire, but a
pail of water quickly extinguished the blaze.
The siege was carried on in the way customary
with Indian besiegers. Now the savages would
attack the fort from a distance, again they were
busied in plundering and burning a house or barn.
There was one large barn surrounded with wheat-
stacks near the fort. Several times the Indians
tried to fire this, but Lieutenant Spencer with
forty men sallied forth and protected it.

Sir John Johnson did not know but that the fort
was well garrisoned and supplied with anunuui-
tion. The manner in which his flag had been re-
ceived made him think that the garrison was re-
solved to hold out. He sent a flag of truce again
during the forenoon toward the fort. Murphy
asrain threatened to shoot at the bearer. The
regular officers objected as before ; one of them
threatened to run him through with his sword if
he did it. But Murphy persisted, saying that he
believed Woolsey intended to surrender the fort,
and, in such a case, he for one would certainly not
be sparetl at the hands of the Indians. The militia

-'^^sSBsaam

300

I{RANT AND RED JACKET.

encouraged him, and the bearer of the flag again
returned discomtited. Orders were given for a
white flag to be raised upon the fortifications, but
Murphy threatened to shoot any man who made
the attempt. Sir John finally formed his forces
under cover of a small building near the fort, pre-
paratory to making an assault. He again sent a
flag toward the fort. Murphy again raised his
rifle to shoot.

" Don't shoot," cried a regular officer.

** Shoot," commanded a militia officer standing
at Murphy's side.

The regular officer began to draw his sword on
the militia officer, but the latter threatened him
with the butt of his gun, which caused him to step
back. Murphy again frightened the flag away
with a shot from his rifle. There had been an
attempt to arrest Murphy for insubordination, but
he was too great a favorite with the militia; they
would not allow it. Meantime Sir John called a
council of war. The invading army had not com-
pleted their plans for destruction, and they must
hasten before reinforcements should be sent to the
aid ('' J :^'Jements. It was resolved to abandon
the M -■ : o; I post so well defended.

The i!i -.iu .;.' army made a rapid march down
;the Schoharic-kill to its junction with the Moliank

RETALIATION.

301

again
for a
IS, but
made
forces
t, pre-
sent a
ed his

inding

^rd on
him
o step
away
en an
n, but
they
lied a
com-
must
to the
[ndon

lown
liaak

River. Evcryrhing in their road met with de-
struction. They made a short stand at the lower
fort, where they were attacked by some sharp-
shooters stationed in the church-steeple. They
brought "grasshopper" to bear on the steeple,
but did not succeed in bringing it down, for they
were just then treated to a shower of grape-shot
from the fort. They reached Fort Hunter, on the
Mohawk, during the night, leaving the Schoharie
Valley behind them, a scene of desolation. Some
of the inhabitants had been killed, of whom a part
were women and children ; some had fled to the
woods, and many were made captive. The only
houses which remained standing were those be-
longing to Tories, but their exasperated neighbors
did not long leave these.

After destroying the settlements in the neighbor-
hood of Fort Hunter the army began a destruc-
tive march up both sides of the Mohawk. As
heretofore, houses and barns were destroyed, in-
habitants killed or taken captive. Major Fonda, a
confidential friend of Sir William Johnson, had
incurred the especial enmity of the loyalists be-
cause he had sided with the colonies. He was
absent, but his mansion was burned, and property
amounting to sixty thousand dollars in value de-
»strt)ycd. His wife escaped by the hclj) of 11 dense

■'i : •

IJRANT AND RED JACKET.

io^, and made her way, twenty-six miles on foot,
to Schencctad3\

When the invasion was known at Albany, Gen-
eral Van Rensselear marched against Sir John
Johnson with a force of militia. Me ordered
Colonel Brown, who was in command of a small
fort at the settlement of Stone Arabia, to attack
Johnson's forces in front while he attacked in the
rear. Colonel Brown gave battle as directed, but
Van Rensselear's advance was impeded in some
way, and he was not there to support Brown.
The brave colonel fell with some forty of his men,
but his force was not sufficient to accomplish any-
thing alone, and the survivors retreated to their
fort. The settlement was immediately destroyed,
and the army proceeded to a spot known as
Klock's Field. Here the men, being worn out
with their arduous work of destruction, and
heavily burdened witli plunder and provisions,
were forced to stop, though Van Rensselear was
in pursuit of them. v

The general was unpardonably slow in his
movements. He had arrived opposite Brown's
battle-ground in the morning immediately after
the action. The river was easily fordable, but
Van Rensselear had delayed under various pre-
texts. The army was finally marched across on a

RETALIATION.

303

foot,

, Gcn-
John
dered
small
attack
in the
:;d, but
1 some
Brown.
is men,
sh any-
) their
roycd,
)\vn as
rn out
1, and
isions,
r was

in his
gown's
after
le, but
Is p re-
Is on a

bridge made ot baggage- wagons, and this process
of crossing took a'long time. Meanwhile the gen-
eral was enjoying a leisurely dinner. He arrived
at the wagon-bridge about four in the afternoon,
just as the last man crossed over. An Oneida
chief who had joined the army with an Indian
force, impatient of this delay, shook his sword at
the general and called him a Tory when he ap-
peared on the scene. The American forces now
marched upon Sir John Johnson, who was pre-
pared for them. He was stationed at a bend
in the river, and was surrounded on three sides
with water. Across the front he had thrown
up a slight breastwork. Brant and his Indians
were advantageously posted in a thicket of shrub-
oak. When the American army approached, the
ambushed Indians raised the war-whoop, which
was answered by the Oneidas from the other side.
They rushed to the attack of their own country-
men. Captain M'Kean with some eighty volun-
teers followed the Oneidas in their attack upon
the Indians. Colonel Dubois also charged them
with his regiment. For a moment they withstood
the charge, and then they fled, Brant receiving a
wound in the heel. Accordinii: to some accounts.
Sir John fled with the Indians. The regulars and
rangers of the enemy, however, fought bravely for

I 14

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304

UKANT AND RED JACKET.

a short lime. They were on the point of bcinj^
conquered, when Van Rensselear, in spite of the
eagerness of his men to charge them, ordered a
cessation of hostilities that he might finish the
battle more advantageously in the morning. In
the morning the enemy was gone.

While the American forces were crossing the
river, preparatory to pursuing the enemy, some of
the volunteers, who held themselves independent
of the main army, were strolling around and found
a block-house where nine of the enemy where im-
prisoned.

** How did you get here ?" the soldiers ex-
claimed.

" Why, I am ashamed to tell," answered one of
them, a Johnstown loyalist. " Last night, after
the battle, we crossed the river. It was dark. We
heard the word, ' Lay down your arms.* Some
of us did so. We were taken, nine of us, and
marched into this little for't by seven militia-men.
We formed the rear of three hundred of Johnson's
greens, who were running promiscuously througti
and over one another. I thought General Van
Rensselear's whole army was upon us. Why
didn't you take us prisoners yesterday after Sir
John ran off with the Indians and left us ? We
wanted to surrender."

RETAMATION.

305

ex-

Sir
We

The British and Indian army pushed directly
for Onondaga Lake, where their boats were
concealed. The American army followed, the
Oneidas and volunteers having been sent in ad-
vance. These came up with the rear of Sir John's
army, but found that Van Rensselear had given
over the chase, and so the invading army escaped
unmolested.

We have one incident of Brant's behavior dur-
ing this cruel border invasion. Among the be-
reaved settlers was a woman whose husband and
other friends were missing, but worst of all her
little baby had been taken from its cradle. The
next morning, while the officers of Van Rens-
sclear's advancing army were at breakfast, a
young Indian came bounding into the room with
a baby in his arms. He brought a letter from
Brant addressed " To the commanding officer of
the rebel arm}^" It ran:

" Sir : I send you by one of my runners the
child which he will deliver, that you may know
that, whatever others may do, T do not make war
on women and children. I am sorry to say that I
have those engaged with me in the service who
are more savage than the savages themselves."
The child was found to belong to the mourning
mcther, and vv^as restored to her.

■fh

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3o6

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

There was another curious incident which is
said to have happened in connection with this ex-
pedition. The famous Cornplanter, who com-
manded with Brant, was a half-breed. He said of
himself: *' When I was a child I played with the
butterfly, the grasshojiper, and the frogs. i\s I
grew up I began to pay some attention, and play
with the Indian boys in the neighborhood, and
they took notice of my skin being a different color
from theirs and spoke about it. I inquired of my
mother the cause, and she told me that my father
was a resident of Albany."

Cornplanter's father was, in fact, a trader named
O'Beel, who was settled down somewhere in the
Mohawk Valley at the time of its invasion. Dur-
ing the progress of the army Cornplanter went,
with a band of Indians, to his father's house, and,
taking him prisoner, marched off with him. After
going some ten or twelve miles he stopped
abruptly, and, walking up in front of his father,
said :

" My name is John O'Beel, commonly called
Cornplanter. I am your son. You are my father.
You are now my prisoner and subject to the cus-
toms of Indian warfare. But you shall not be
harmed. You need not fear. I am a warrior.
Many are the scalps which I have taken. Many

RETALIATION.

307

prisoners I have tortured to dcatli. I am your
son. 1 am a warrior. I was anxious to sec you
and greet you in fricndsliip. I went to your cabin
and took you by force, but your life shall be
spared. Indians love their friends and their kin-
dred, and treat them with kindness. If now you
choose to follow the fortunes of your yellow son, I
will cherish your old age with plenty of venison,
a'nd you shall live easy. But if it is your choice
to return to your fields and live with your white
children, I will send a party of my trusty young
men to conduct you back in safety. I respect
you, my father. You have been friendly to In-
dians ; they are your friends."

The old man preferred to go back, and Corn-
planter sent him with un Indian escort.

i i

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i;i;(i

iiii!

CHAPTER XXXIX.

brant's second visit to ENGLAND.

The destructive war was at last over. A treaty
of peace had been concluded between Great
Britain and the United States, and not one word
had been said in it about the Six Nations. Indians
have a great sense of their own dignity and im-
portance. They were much hurt at being thus
overh)oked by the power which they had aided
in the late war. The Mohawks had left forever
their own beautiful country in New York. At
the close of the war they were encamped on the
American side of the Niagara River. Brant imme-
diately exerted himself to get a home for his peo-
ple. The Senecas, who were very anxious for the
aid of the Mohawks in any future wars, offered them
a home in the Genesee V'alley. But Brant said
the Mohawks were determined to " sink or swim"
with the English. He refused to cross the Ameri-
can line for a home. Brant went down to Quebec
and asked of General Haldimand a grant of land
on th(^ St. Lawrence, at the entrance of Lake On-

BRANTS SECOND VISIT TO ENGLAND.

309

. treaty
Great
le word
Indians
and im-
ig thus
:1 aided
orever
k. At
on the
t im me-
ns peo-
for the
id them
nt said
swim"
Amcri-

Kie

|()

bee

f land

ike On-

tario. Haldimand promised to procure the land
for the Mohawks, and Brant returned to Niaga-
ra. But the Senecas were much disappointed at
the idea of the Mohawks moving so far away from
the other nations of the confederacy. Brant again
went down to Quebec and requested that a change
should be made. He selected the Guise, or Grand
River, flowing into Lake Erie. He asked that the
Indians might have a title to six miles on both
sides of this river, from its mouth to its source.
The grant was made, and the Mohawks soon after-
ward removed to their new home. Their land
was both beautiful and fertile, twelve miles wide
and a hundred miles long.

Brant's life was not now spent in idleness. By
virtue of his great influence and superior mind,
he- ruled over his people. He sought to supply
their wants, he labored for their improvement, he
was his own secretary, foreign minister, and am-
bassador. The chief even found time to translate
the Gospel of Mark into Mohawk, and planned to
write a history of the Six Nations.

A charming German lady, the Baroness De
Riedesel, who had been made captive by the
Americans with her husband, the general com-
manding the German mercenaries, commonly called
" Hessians," during Burg; vnie's campaign, met

ll '

310

IIRANT AND KKI) JACKFT.

4-tei 'f

i:
iff

Brant at, Quebec. Slic snys in lier memoirs: "1
saw at tliat time the famous Indian chiel, Cajjtain
Brant. His manners are polislied ; he expressed
liimself with lluency, and was much esteemed by
(icneral Ilaldimand. I dined with him once at
the General's. In his (bess he showed off to ad-
vantaj^c the half-mihtary and iialf-savai^e costume.
His countenance was manly and intelligent, and
his disposition very mild."

Like other ambitious chiefs, Brant })lanned, at
one time, a confederac}^ of the north-western tribes
over which he should be the chief. He never
succeeded in uniting the Indians, however.

Brant made a visit to England in 1785. He was
received with the greatest honors and courted in
the best society. He had already gained the
friendship of some of the nobility in the Rev(jlu-
tionary war. He knew Sir Guy Carleton, after-
wards Lord Dorchester, well. Earl Moira, after-
wards Marquis of Hastings, had formed an attach-
ment for Brant and gave him his picture set in
gold. Sir Charles Stuart, fourth son of the" Earl
of Bute, had often slept under the same tent with
the chief. Lord Percy, who afterwards became
Duke of Northumberland, had been adopted by
the Mohawks, and on the occasion of his adoption
Brant had given him the name of Thorighwegeri,

BRANTS SKCOND VISIT 'To KNCr-AND.

■s

iptain
rcsscd
cd by
II CO at
to ad-
stum c.
tit, and

ncd, at
1 tribes
3 never

He was
rted in
cd the
^cvolu-
1, after-
a, after-
attach-
set in
le Earl
lit with
became
ted by
loption
vvegeri,

or the Kver_i4rc'(^:i Ijiake. Hrant, therefore, harl
many friends in I'jJLcland. I \c was presented at
c)r.:l. lie ivliised to kiss the kinj^'s hand, but
said that he would kiss the hand of tlic(|ueen. lie
became (|uitc a favorite with t lie royal family. 'I'lie

rmcc ol

ifl.

;ucs, aiicrwai

•d C

»eoi"^e

wlio was

then very wild, with tastes exactly opposite to
those of his lather, took a ^ood deal of pleasure
in the Indian's company. • He invited Brant to ^o
with him on some of his rambles, in which he
visited ])laces, as Br.uit afterwards said, " very
cjueer for a prince to j^o to." He is said to have
been a <;uest at the prince's table anions^ the Whii^
leaders with whom he associated, and to have
learr.ed from their conversatitm to have less re-
spect for the kin<^ than he had been taui^ht in
America. Fox presented Brant with a silver snuif-
box, with his initials enjrraved on it.

Brant met, in society, a nobleman of whom he
had heard the scandalous story that his honors
were purcliased at the ex[)ense of the virtue of his
beautiful wife. This nol)leman rallied Brant
rather rudely u[)on the wild customs and manners
of the Indians.

" There are customs in Eni^land also which
the Indians think very strange," said the chief,
coolly.

I'd! 3

>.»

312

BRANT AND REP JACKET.

"And pray what are they ?" inquired the nobie-
man.

" Why, the IncHans have heard," said Brant,
'* that it is a practice in England for men who are
born chiefs to sell the virtue of their squaws for
place and for money to buy their venison."

While Brant was in London a great masquerade
was given, to which he was invited. He needed
no mask. He dressed himself for the occasion in
his rich semi-savage costume, wore his handsome
tomahawk in his belt, and painted one half of his
face in the Indian manner. There were some
Turks also present at the ball. One of them ex-
amined Brant very closely, and at last raised his
hand and pulled the chief's Roman nose, supposing
it to be a mask. Instantly Brant gave the war-
whoop and swung his glistening tomahan'k around
the Turk's head in that dangerous way in which
Indians handle this instrument. It was only an
Indian joke, but the Turk cowered in abject ter-
ror and the ladies shrieked and ran as though
they had been in as much danger as the settlers'
wives and daughters of America, who had dreaded
this same sound but a few years before. i

Brant accomplished his purpose in visiting
England. Some reparation was promised the
Mohawks for the losses they had sustained in the

lobie-

3rant,
lo are
vs for

leradc

leccled

sion in

idsomc
of his

; some

lem ex-

^ed his
posing
c war-

larc^und
which
nly an
ct ter-
hough
cttlers'
readed

'isiting

id the

in the

BRANTS SECOND VISIT TO ENGLAND. 313

war. The chief hoped to inchicc his Indians to
devote themselves more to agriculture. His great
desire now was to have a school and a church for
their benefit. He returned home to begin his
labors for the improvement of his people.

Meantime peace was not by any means settled
between the Indian nations and the United States.
The western tribes were in a state of ferment.
Great Britain still held her frontier posts, and her
agents used their influence among the Indians in
favor of hostility. The western nations looked to
the great war-chief, Brant, for advice. Brant thus
retained his importance. He was under half-pay
as a British officer and received many presents
from the government. When he visited Philadel-
phia, then the capital of the United States, the new
government offered to double his salary and
make him many presents if he would influence
the western nations for peace. Brant refused the
offer, knowing that he would be accused of du-
plicity if he received anything from the United
States. An Indian chief loses his influence quickly
if he is suspected of being mercenary.

Brant in fact joined the western Indians with
one hundred and fifty Mohawks in the fierce bat-
tle which resulted in St. Clair's defeat.* '

* * See " Tecurosch" in this strios.

ifu

111 A

I5UANT AND RED JACKET.

So bitter was the hatred to Brant in the Mo-
hawk Valley that it was almost unsafe for
him to pass through that part of the country.
Indeed, while he was on his visit in the United
States he was followed by a German named
Dygert, some of whose friends had fallen at the
battle of Oriskany, and who declared that he would
kill Brant. Colonel VVillett and Colonel Lewis,
who had opposeo. th hief in this same battle,
called on Brant at his hoiel in New York, and the
chief told them thai he was followed by a man
bent on murdering him.

" There is Dygert now," said Brant, looking out
the window.

Colonel Willett went down into the street and
talked with the man.

"Do you know," said he, "that if you kill that
savage you will be hanged ?"

" Who would hang me for killing an Indian ?"
exclaimed the man.

" You will see," said Willett. " If you execute
your purpose, you may depend upon it, you will
be hanged immediately."
I The man was frightened by this bit of informa-
tion, and concluded to go home without killing
Brant.

When Brant visited the United States in 1802

aer-

BRANT S SECOND VISIT TO ENGLAND.

315

c Mo-
[e for
mntry.
United
named

at the
; would

Lewis,

battle,
and the
' a man

dng out

eet and

ill that

dian ?"

[execute
'^ou will

Inform a-
kilUng

lin 1802

the hatred for him had not yet died out. He said
that he was insulted by a " Yankee colonel " on
the road between Philadelphia and Jersey, and
the affair came near coming to blows. There
were still many among the German settlers of the
Mohawk Valley who threatened to kill Brant.
When the chief was at Albany, Mr. Wells, the
only survivor of his family in the Cherry Valley
massacre, hurried to the tavern where the chief
was staying. He asked for J3rant, and furiously
threatened to kill him. His friends remonstrated,
but he was determined on revenge. Brant was
upstairs. He asked the cause of the disturb-
ance below, and was told that a young man,
whose father had been killed at Cherry Valley,
threatened to take revenge on him. Brant drew
himself up in his chair, and simply said, '* Let him
come on."

The young man was finally p)ersuaded to leave
the tavern. Brant was received with the greatest
kindliness and appreciation of his qualities as a
warrior by American officers. More than once
he dined with veterans of the Revolution, and
they talked the battles over together, comparing
notes from opposite sides. Brant told General
Gansevoort that during Sullivan's campaign he
was hovering about him when the general had

3i6

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

' HHi']

i',.:^;

t^^m'mi'

■|i

IHI'l

1 ■.?

' ■

!■:.!

1' ■'

■BH ?

if r

:; ?i

not supposed he was anywhere within a hundred
miles.

*' Why, I roasted my venison by the fires that
you left," said Brant.

He was once talking* with General Philip Van
Courtlandt with regard to the battle with Sulli-
van's forces.

"General," said he, "while you were standing
by a large tree during the battle, how near to
your head did a bullet come which struck a little
above you ?"

The general thought a moment, and then an-
swered, " About two inches above my hat "

" I had remarked," said Brant, "your activity in
the battle, and calling one of my best marksmen,
pointed you out and directed him to bring you
down. lie fired, and I saw you dodge your head
at the instant I supposed the ball would strike.
But as you did not fall, I told my warrior that he
had just missed you and lodged the ball in the
tree."

Brant was on very friendly terms with Aaron
Burr. Colonel Burr gave him a letter of in-
troduction to his talented daughter Theodosia,
then but fourteen years old. Her father said of
Brant in his letter :

" He is a man of education — speaks and writes

I 1

fiRANT S SKCONI) VIST T TO KXCIT.AND.

ty in

smen,

you

head

trike.

lat he

n the

the English perfectly — and has seen miicli of
Europe and America. Receive him with respect
and hospitality. He h not one of those Indians
who drink rum, but is quite a gentleman ; not one
who will make you fine bows, but one who imdcr-
stands and practices what belongs to })roi)ricty
and good-breeding. He has daughters ; if you
could think of some little present to send to one of
them — a pair of earrings, for example — it would
please him."

Miss Burr received Brant with great hosp'
tality, and gave him a dinner-party, to which sh
invited some of the most eminent gentlemen in
New York. Several years afterward, when Theo-
dosia was married, she and her husband visited
Brant at Grand River.

1 \\

i|:

Idosia,
id of

rites

fry.

CHAPTER XL.

(

m'.

RED JACKET, THE ORATOR.

Red Jacket dreamed. Mc dreamed that he
ought to be a chief, and that the Great ^Spirit was
angry that his people had not made him one.
The announcement of his dream did not at first
have the desired effect. The dream was repeated
several times, when it happened that the small-
pox appeared among the Senecas. Behold here
w^as a judgment upon the Indians for their dis-
regard of the Great Spirit's commands ! Thus
through superstition and intrigue Red Jacket be-
came a chief.

A treaty was made with the Six Nations on the
part of the United States at Fort Stanwix in 1784.
General Lafayette was present at this council, and
was struck with the eloquence of Red Jacket.
The warrior Cornplanter was in favor of peace,
while Red Jacket, the coward, used all his elo-
quence for war. But Cornplanter as a great
brave naturally had the most influence in this
case.

RED JACKET, THE ORATOR.

319

Aiid now came a lon^ scries of councils between
the Americans and Indians. Inevitably wliat re-
mained of the country of the Six Nations was
lopped off from time to time. The Indians would
sell their birthright, as they considered the beau-
tiful country over which a few hundred of them
roamed and hunted, for a mess of pottage, and
there were plenty ready to buy. Every such
transaction was done in council, and in council
Red Jacket was a great man. There were always
a great many preliminaries to these councils.
Red Jacket, perhaps, would open the council with
a speech of welcome to the American commis-
sioners, thus :

" Brothers ! You have travelled long, with tears
in your eyes on account of the bad roads and bad
season of the year. Besides the disturbances be-
tween the bad Indians and our brothers the white
people, everythmg has been trying to prevent
your coming and to stop your business and
make you lose your way. Thus the big waters
might have stopped your coming, and the wars
might have stopped you, and sickness might have
stopped you. . . . But how could it be that
anything bad could have happened to you while
you have such important business to transact as
we understand you have come on ! You must

320

BRANT AM) Rl'.D JACKKT.

wipe away those tears occasioncrl by all the p^rcat
dangers you have eoiiie thr()u<j^h. And now we
set you on a seat where you can sit up straight,
and a seat where you are secure from the fears of
your enemies, where you can look around and see
all your friends and brothers in peace. Besides,
you have come along with your heart and your
throat st()i)ped up to keep all that you had U) say
in your body. But now we open your heart witii
your brother's hands, and we run our fingers
through to open your mouth that you may speak
clear.

A great council wms held by the United States
with the Six Nations in 1794. Sixteen hundred
Indians attcnd:;d this council. Colonel Pickering,
the conmiissioner from the government, had hrst
to console the Indians for the loss of one of their
brothers, who had been killed by a white man.
According to Indian custom, he hguratively bur-
ied the dead and covered his grave with leaves,
that it might be no more seeji in passing. He
had removed the tomahawk from the dead man's
head, and no\v he tore up a great pine-tree, in
' pantomime. Underneath this he dug a deep hole,
in which he placed the hatchet, on top of which
he placed stones, and over all planted the tree.
Colonel Pickering finally wiped the blood from

MMMMMM

first

their

man.

bur-

3UVCS,

lie

man's

te, in

hole,

hich

tree.

I from

RED JACKET, 'II IK ORAroR.

321

the Indians' heads, removed the tears from their

eyes, and opened tiie path ol peace.

On the foUowins^ (hiy the celebrated fanatic,
jemima Wilkinson, thrust herself into the coniicil
with some oflicr followers. She professed to be
the world's Saviour at his second appearance upon
earth, and was livin<^ in the wx'stern i)art of New
York State with her proselytes. vShe is said to
have dwelt in hue style, with half a dozen beautiful
maidens to w^ait on her. When she preached she

>tood

iber-d(

joat,

' wearmg- a wais
stock, and white silk cravat. There is an anec-

)te of Brant with re<^ard to Jemima Wilkinson.
A his chief had some desire to sec the sin^^ular
woman, and she was of course flattered to have
an interview with him. When they met, she bej^an
a conversation with him. Brant immediately an-
swered her b}^ a long speech in Mohawk. When
he had done, she told him that she did not under-
stand the language. Brant then began to talk
volubly in another Indian dialect. Somewhat
disconcerted, Jemima objected that she could not
understand him. He tried another dialect, but
she could not comprehend this. He then began
in a fourth dialect, and she interrupted him, much
displeased.

"Madam," said Brant, rising, and this time in

■■■•li

^ii

UKANl ANh Ulh I A( Kl I

lMU|lish. " \ n\» ;\ir \\o\ ihr pci'm* \ nu pnliiitl Id

Wrll M'; :\t\.>tl\ri ." \{ ll\is he IrM her.

riu'. w <MU;\n now (l\n«^( hiM^rll ii|m>h iltc ttMIM-
I'll. AlI'M a sprrrh h nm llu- rliirl I'isli (iHliri,
an<l i\\\ i\\U\\VHS \\ o\\\ M «lrlot|!>lion nl pn;ilviMs w Im
won^ |>iostM<t. Joiwitnn m\il lui Inllnvvcm iIh>|i|hmI
iip.^n \hv\\ knocks muiI tnndr m piM\ri . mIIci w hi* li
s)\v' ;h]\h ss^^i llu^ liuli;\ns wilh ;i mrillr\ nl S( lip,
!inv <CN<s atul \;\ono iilcus »>l hn o\\j». Whni llu»
iHMUU'ii as:^;nti «>p(m\(m1 xm [\\v lollowiiiLV <la\, il)(»
luvh.m wonuMi nH)uos(iHl lo l>(> lu';n«l. riir\ \vri(»
u^trovi\U( vl b\ \\Vi\ .l;hkrl. who was cvidctillv
\^\n(o a tavoiilo with \\\c sipiaws. as lluv always
ihoso h\u\ to sp(\ik lot thiiw in atw tualln in
whivh t]u\\ ha^i a voivv. Ht^ i\ow saiil lot |I\(>im
tbat thcv wvshod to tiMwaiU that thrv liillv aiMccd
\vit]\ thoir sav'honis that tho wlutc poopli> had
oausod tho trv>viMos ol the Indians. \\w wliili*
jHN^)>lo havl sqiuHvcd thtan together mitil it i;a\c
thoni a pain at thoir hearts, and tlicv tlunii;ht \\\c
white ix\>ple iHiiihl to i;ivv' bark all the lands
whieh thev had taken. One ol the while women,
s^^id Red Jacket, had told the Indians to repent al
tho last meetinii". and tho Indian women now (\dled
on tho white jx\>ple to repent, h . they needed

iTix'ntancc as much as the India

ns.

le eoininis-

ki'.h JA( kivi, (Mr. oiiAfoM,

J 'J

siniiri lli(Uil<rfl IIm- hiflijiii woMirii for (Ik ir <;|ir^rlf,
iiidI Miiid fli.'il Im- wmmM ;iIw;iv^ Uc >^I;i'I f'» li'.ir
llolii ;Im'IM, hut lli:il tlir vvliih* wntfi;i>i wito li;i'l
Hpnkf II yrqlrKhiy ItJi'l loM cd lirfsclf info Mi'

('(MiiH il i«i2iMiml his wish

iiriiit' the ((MMk il u rri.iii ri;irrM-'

I h,f

Ifl'.OM ,'![>

|»('iii(i| ;is ;i iiic^^di^Mi hnni IJianf. Ih lirhl

H(M icl r< Mihi ciMc^ ;imoiij^ thr

hwl

i;in«;, mikI rniri^hr

wilh (hem <liiiiii|^ Ihc (oiiiKil in n way fhat r;x-
<;il(Ml llic Himpiciuim «»l Ihr Airu'rican (:ofnrriisHiofi<;r.
Mr (hiKiiiiiccd Ihc man aH a IJritish S|»y. Ih^; ffi-
(lians appeared ^n(',\\\y ^|^|Mi^rf|. ( 'ornplanter
lose and said thai il was ash>nishin^^ that surfi an
I'lntipalhy evislfd hetwecn the Arn' rir;afis and I'/nj/-
lish thai they eoiihl nf>t hear to sit, fKar ea(;h

nlhei in an

hid

tan conneil

e said that the mc<i.

seii|Mi had nieicly come, to remind the, ln(harjs of
a ^real ( oimeil to ]>(' held at a fiitnre- time.

"Captain iiiant," added ( "orn planter , " sends his
compliments to the chiefs at ( 'anandaif^iia, and

says

'on reme,ml)(;r w

hat

we airreco ur^on

la!^fc

year, and the line we marked out. If tfiis line h
complied with, p(;aer^ will take place;' and lie de-

sires us to mention

this I

lere

Colonel I'iekerinp^ knew well wliat this meant.
Brant had recently taken part in the Indian war

f ti

le w

estern nations. lie aLrrecd with tficm in

324

BRANT AND REP JACKET.

claiming the Ohio River for a boundary-line be-
tween the whites and Indians, and he wished the
Six Nations to do so in this treaty. The Indians
had been very successful in routing the armies oi
Ilarmcr and of St. Clair, and they were now very
arrogant in their claims. Colone' Pickering was
very angry to have his council thus interfered
with by the British, as he considered 't. He made
a very vehement speech.

"The council-fire grows warm," remarked the
Indians. " The sparks fly about very thick."

They requested the withdrawal of the white men
for a short time, that they might have a consulta-
tion. In about half an hour they opened the coun-
cil-door again and Cornplanter rose to speak. He
said that the Indians had discovered that the white
peo})le had told them a lie when they said the
chain of friendship had been renewed between
England and Americo.

" What shall we dt?" said Cornplanter. ''Shalt
we shove Johnson off? Yet this is not agreeable
t(^ my mind ; for if I had kindled a council-fire,
I would suffer a very bad man to sit in it that he
mij^ht be made better."

The chiefs finally prepared a letter to Brant
whicii tficy read in council. They said in this
tliat they were surrv that Johnson had not been

RED JACKET, THE ORATOR.

325

Shalt
able
-fire,
It he

>rant

this

t)ecn

permitted to remain in council, that he would ex-
plain the reason why, that they were determined
to adhere to the boundary -lines as they had agreed
with him, and that they were "a poor, desi)iscd
though still an independent people, brought into
suffering between two white nations striving which
should be the greatest." Colonel Pickering was
not at all pleased with this letter. The sparks
again flew about the council, but before the mat-
ter was settled a Tuscarora runner came in with
the intelligence of Wayne's great victory over the
western Indians. Immediately matters took a dif-
ferent turn. Success had its usual effect on the
Indians.

Cornplanter, however, came into trouble next,
probably through the intrigues of Red Jacket,
who had an old spite against his brother -chief.
Cornplanter had had many private interviews with
the commissioner, and this excited the suspicion
of the Indians. A chief named Little Billy re-
buked Cornplanter for taking so important a part
in the councils when he was a war -chief. Corn-
planter was on the point of returning home, but
Colonel Pickering interfered in his favor.

When the commissioner came to the main busi-
ness of the council, that of settling the boundary-
lines. \ic(\ Jacket said :

■.iij

>■

jii

t:,l

!" •

V. *l

■^' ^'^-

326

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

Ih \

'* We told you before of the two rusty places on
the chain of friendship. . . . We thought you
had a sharp file to take off the rust, but we be-
lieve it must have been dull, or else you let it slip
out of your hands. . . . Although we are but
children, we are sharp -sighted, and we can see
you want that strip of land along the lake shore
for a road, that when you have vessels on the
lakes you may have harbors. . . . You are
cutting off our land piece by piece. You are a
kind-hearted people — seeking your own advan-
tages. . . . We have told you of the rusty
part which the file passed over without brighten-
ing, and we wish you to take up the file again and
rub it very hard."

The colonel told the Indians that it was very
necessary to have the strip of land along the lake
shore for harbors, but that the Indians were to
have a large increase in their annuities for it, and
that other concessions would be made.

" Now we are conversing together to make the
chain bright," answered Red Jacket. " When we
told you what would give us satisfaction, you pro-
posed reserving the piece of land between Cayuga
and Buffalo Creek for building houses, but we ap-
prehend you would not only build houses but
towns. You told us these houses ivould be for

RED JACKET, THE ORATOR.

327

I and

very

lake

;re to

t, and

:e the
m we
[I pro-
^yiiga
re ap-
but
for

the accommodation of travellers in the winter, as
they cannot go by water in that season, and the
travellers would want a staff to help them along
the road. . . . We conclude that we do not
understand this as the white people do. If we
consent to your proposals, we know it will injure
us. If these houses should be built, they will tend
to scatter us and make us fall in the street by
drinking to excess. . . . As soon as the white
people come there, they will think the land theirs ;
for that is the way of white people. ... I see
there are many of your people here now watching
with their mouths open to take up this land. If
you are a friend to us, then disappoint them. Our
patience is spent. Comply with our request."

Colonel Pickering made some concessions. The
matter was finally settled, and the great council
broke up.

Though the Indians were constantly selling
their lands, they still dreaded the gradual en-
croachments of white settlers. Red Jacket, in all
the councils, opposed all land sales, and acquired
great popularity by this means, while Cornplanter,
who honestly favored the sales, incurred all the
blame when the Indians came afterwards to rcirret
the loss of their lands.

" We stand on a small island in the bosom of

328

nUANT AND RED JACKET.

the great waters," said Red Jacket in one of his
speeches. " We are encircled, we are encompassed.
The evil spirit rides upon the blast, and the waters
are disturbed. They rise, they press upon us, and
the waves once settled over us, wc disappear for-
ever. Who then lives to mourn us ? None. What
marks our extermination ? Nothing."

Red Jacket often excited his Indian audience to
the highest pitch by such outbursts as this. At
one council Mr. Thomas Morris, who was acting
for the company which desired to purchase the
land of the Senecas, remarked that their lands
were of little value in their present uncultivated
state. Red Jacket admitted that, but said that it
was the knowledge of ownership which the In-
dians valued.

" That knowledge is everything to us," said he.
" It raises us in our own estimation. It creates in
our bosoms a proud feeling which elevates us as a
nation. Observe the difference between the esti-
mation in which a Seneca and an Oneida are held.
We are courted, while the Oneidas are considered
a degraded people, fit onl}^ to make brooms and
baskets. Why this difference ? It is because the
Senecas are known as the owners of a broad do-
main, while the Oneidas are cooped up in a nar-
row space."

RED JACKET, THE ORATOR.

329

The commissioners who accompanied Mr. Mor-
ris at last became impatient of tlie loni^ dehiy of
the Indian proceedings. At their desire, Mr.
Morris tried to brimi: matters to a close, lie
answered a proposal on the part of the Indians,
saying it would be better to rake up the council-
fire at once than to accept such a proposition.
Red Jacket sprang to his feet.

" You have now arrived at the point to which I
wished to bring you. You told us in your first
address that even in the event of our not agreeing
to sell our lands, we woidd part friends. Mere,
then, is my hand. I now cover up the council-
fire."

Applauding yells arose from the Indians. It
was a most i)opular act on the part of Red Jacket,
and just what the connnissioners had least of all
wished. After a great deal of trouble and the in-
tervention of the Indian women, wdio were aj)-
pealed to and appeased with [)resents, the council
was reopened. Red Jacket, however, did not
again attend it. He was drunk during the rest of
the proceedings, for the orator was entirely too
fond of liquor. He left the responsibility of the
inevitable course of the council upon Cornplanter.
When Red Jacket talked with the other chiefs, he
still kept up his opposition to any sale. He visit-

ill

330

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

ed Mr. Morris's lodge, however, secretly at night,
and told him that in truth he had no objections to
the sales, but that he would lose his popularity if
he did not oppose them.

The council was finally successful. The sale
was made of a great part of the Seneca lands ; a
treaty was drawn up and ready to be signed by
the chiefs. Now it was Red Jacket's especial pride
to have his name stand upon every treaty with his
nation, whether he was in favor of it or not. In
council he grandly refused to put his name on the
document in order to appear consistent, but he
privately arranged with Mr. Morris to insert his
signature afterwards. He wanted a blank left for
him, and was especially anxious that it should be
near the top, in order that President Washington
might see that he was a man of importance among
the Indians.

In spite of his political intrigues. Red Jacket
made an ostentation of being the most truthful of
men. During one council the commissioner was
occupied in taking notes while the chief spoke.
He paused in the middle of a sentence.

"Look up from the table, brother," said the
orator, " and fix your eyes upon my eyes, that you
may see that what Sagoyewatha says is the truth
and no lie."

RED JACKET, THE ORATOR.

331

During one Indian council Mr. Morris was
adopted by the Indians, and Red Jacket gave him
his old name, Otetiani. The ceremony was per-
formed one beautiful night when the moon was at
her full. It was also the occasion of the Iroquois
festival to the moon. The immense concourse of
Indians, among whom was the newly -adopted
white man, seated themselves upon the ground in
a circle. Fish Carrier, a very old Cayuga chief,
who was greatly venerj^ed for his bravery and
wisdom, made a long address to the moon, throw-
ing tobacco into the fire from time to time as in-
cense. At the close of the speech they all threw
themselves upon the earth and made a grunting
sound. A war-dance was then begun around a
post, which represented the torture -stake. The
young warriors who performed the dance were
naked except for their breech-cloth, and their backs
were chalked white and ornamented with streaks
of red. Every once in a while one of them would
snatch a blazing brand from the fire and thrust it
at the post as though torturing a prisonor. Mean-
while they drank freely of raw rum. They soon
began singing their war -songs and boasting of
their deeds of prowess and the scalps they had
taken. Among the dancers was an Oneida. He
struck the post and boasted of the scalps his na-

:;|!

332

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

tion hud taken during the Revolutionary war.
Instantly the Senecas began boasting of the scalps
they had taken from the Oncidas during the
same war, and taunting them as cowards. The
old bitter feelings were awakened. Knives and
tomahawks were drawn forth, and the quarrel
seemed likely to have a serious ending, when
Fish Carrier ran forward. He struck the post
violently, and said :

"You are all of you at parcel of boys. When
you have attained my age, and performed the
warlike deeds that I have performed, you may
boast what you have done : not till then." Ho
then threw down the post and broke up the dance.

CHAPTER XLI.

liKD JACKET TRIED FOR WITCIICRAF'l".

Red Jacket visited Philadelphia in 1792.
While there, President Washing-ton presented him
with a large silver medal, on whieh Washington,
in military clothes, was represented as handing*
a peace-pipe about four feet long to a conven-
tional Indian with a tuft of plumes, growing out
of the top of his head, while a white man was
ploughing with a yoke of oxen in the background.
Indians prefer ornaments of silver to gold, for
they are more becoming to their red skin. Red
Jacket prized this medal very highly. He wore
it on all state occasions. Nevertheless, sad to re-
late, the beloved medal was more than once in
pawn for whiskey.

While in Philadelphia, each member of the depu-
tation of chiefs, of which Red Jacket was one, was
presented with a military suit and cocked hat by
General Knox on the part of the government.
When Red Jacket's suit was offered him he sent
back word to General Knox that he could not

til!

iii:;'

334

imANT AND RET) JACKET.

wear sucli a suit, for he was not a warrior but a
peace-chief. He requested that a citizen's suit
mi^^ht be j^ivcn him ; meantime lie would keep the
military suit until he received the other. When a
suit of plain clothes was broujj^ht him, Red Jacket
accepted it, but refused to give up the military
suit, saying that though he could not now wear
the military suit, when war came he would join
the warriors and then he could wear it with pro
l)riety.

When Red Jacket returned from his visits to
the capital he was accustomed to exaggerate the
honors with which he had been received by Wash-
ington, in order to impress the Indians with his
importance. He would gather his admirers
around him, and would play over the whole scene
of his reception like a child. At one time he ar-
ranged the Indians in a semicircle, and, taking thj
cocked hat which had been given to him, went
around the company bowing to the Indians and
representing President Washington. He then re-
peated various compliments which he pretended
the President had made to him.

Cornplanter, about this time, began to find that
he was losing all his influence among the Indians.
Using a favorite trick of the savages, he tried to
retrieve his loss and at the same time overthrow

RKD JACKET TUIKD TOK WTTCIICKAKT. 335

but a

suit
p the
hen a
ackct
litary
wear
d join
h pro-
sits to
Ltc the
Wash-
lith his
mirers
scene
he ar-
pg th J
, went
s and
en re-
ended

d that

Idians.

ied to

throw

his clanjj;"er()us rival, lie persuaded his Ijrotlicr t(j
become a pr()[)het. The piophet be^an 1)\ preach-
in<^ morality. He was so successful as to induce
the Onondau^as, who had been great drinkers, to
give up drinkini;- almost entirely. He fuially be
gan to work upon the superstitions of tlie Indians.
lie pointed out several witches among them.
Such was their superstition that these would have
been summarily executed had not white people
interfered in their behalf. Last of all the impostor
pounced upon Red Jacket as a witch. The excite-
ment ran so high that the chief's life was in great
danger. lie was tried in solemn council. Very
likely he was accused of spitting lii-e at night or
some other wizard's performance. At any rate,
Red Jacket arose and made his own defence.
For three hours he spoke with the most wonderful
eloquence, moving the Indians in spite of them-
selves. They were divided. A bare majority
was in favor of Red Jacket, and his life was saved.
J^ Jacket was not above the same super-
♦^' ', however. Though he did not believe
^i«i olf to be a witch, he caused the execution
t)f at least one Indian for witchcraft. Later
in his hfe ^ ^ had occasion to defend the In-
dians for tl r belief in withcraft. A Seneca
Indian hac med and died, apparently without

INK*

.!!r

336

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

cause. Indian medicine -men with their pow-
wows could do him no good. The woman who
had nursed him was decided to be a witch. She
fled into Canada. She was followed by the In-
dians ; a trial was held among them, and she was
pronounced guilty and brought back into the
Seneca country. The heart of the Indian who
was appointed to execute her failed him. A chief,
known as Tommy Jemmy, took the duty upon
himself and killed the woman. The white settlers
were shocked at the murder, and Tommy Jemmy
was arrested and thrown into prison at Buffalo.
His trial produced a great deal of excitement.
The defence held that the woman had been exe-
cuted according to the laws of the Indians, with
which the whites had no right to interfere. Red
Jacket, who was naturally an advocate, and more
than once pleaded the cause of an Indian in a
court of law, was called as a witness and exam-
ined with regard to Indian laws and customs.
The counsel tor the prosecution, wishing to ex-
clude his testimony, asked *Red Jacket if he be-
lieved in a God.

" More truly than one can who could ask me
such a question," indignantly answered the chief.

He was also asked what wank he held among
the Indians.

RED JACKET TRIED FOR WITCHCRAFT. 337

pow-
i who
She
:ie In-
le was
:o the
Li who
k chief,
J upon
settlers
Jemmy
Butfalo. .
itement.
en exc-
els, with
Red
,d more
n in a
exam-
istoms.
to ex-
he be-

tisk me

chief.

(among

" Look at the papers which the white men keep
the most carefully ; they will tell you what I am,"
Red Jacket sarcastically answered, referrinj^ to
the treaties by which the whites had acquired
their lands. During his examination the chief
saw that the lawyers and bystanders were ridi-
culing the Indian superstition.

"What! " burst out Red Jacket, who knew more
than they thought he did. " Do you Jenounce us
as bigots and fools because we still believe that
which you yourselves believed two centuries ago ?
Your black -coats thundered this doctrine from
the pulpits, your judges pronounced it from the
bench and sanctioned it with the formalities of
law ; and would you now punish our unfortunate
brother for adhering to the faith of his fathers
and of yours ? Go to Salem ! Look at the rec-
ords of your own government, and you will find
that hundreds have been executed for the very
crime which has called forth the sentence of con-
demnation against this woman and drawn down
upon her the arm of vengeance. What have our
brothers done more than the rulers of your people
have done? What crime has this man committed
by executing in a oummary way the laws of his
country and the command of the Great Spirit ?"
The prisoner was in the end liberated.

\'-'i

338

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

1,1

Meantime Cornplanter's influence waned more
and more after Red Jacket's victory over him in
the matter of witchcraft. He lived to a very old
age, but he finally resigned his chieftainship in a
very odd way. It was one of the strange customs
among the Iroquois to guess dreams. An Indian
with a melancholy face would go from cabin to
cabin and ask the inmates to guers a dream which
he had had. If they gave him an interpretation
which suited him, he would accept it and act
accordingly. Cornplanter had a dream which
puzzled him. Almost naked in midwinter, he
went from house to house to have his dream
guessed. On the third day he found an Indian
who said : ^

" You shall henceforth be called Onono, or cold.
You have been a chief long enough for the good
of your nation. You have grown too old to be of
much further use as counsellor or warrior, and
you must appoint a successor. If you wish to
please the Great Spirit, you must remove from
your house and sight every article made by the
white man."

Cornplanter listened earnestly and accepted this
as the interpretation of his dream. The presents
which he had received from the various Presi-
dents of the United States he Collected together,

aned more
,ver bim in
) a very old
ainship m a
ige customs
An Indian
om cabin to
:^ream which
iiterpretation

t it and act
iream which
lidwinter, he
^e his dream
ind an Indian

[nono, or cold,
for the good

)0 old to be of
warrior, and
you wish to
remove from
made by the

accepted this

The presents

rarious Presi-

Icted together,

RED JACKET TRIED FOR WITCHCRAFT. 339

among which were a military suit, a sword, and a
medal. He solemnly burned them all. His toma^
hawk only he reserved, and sent it to the Indian
whom he had chosen as his successor.

S-r

;:. ;

CHAPER XLII.

AN INDIAN GAME OF BALL.

Iroquois Indians frequently occupied their
long, idle days with games, on which they were
accustomed to bet. One of their favorite pastimes
was a game of ball, and great ball matches were
sometimes played between different tribes. The
Mohawks once challenged the Senecas to a na-
tional game of ball. A great concourse of Indians
had gathered to witness the game. The Senecas
stood in groups upon one side of the play-ground,
the Mohawks upon the other. First the betting
began. The Indians betted ornaments, hatchets,
swords, rifles, belts, knives, and furs, upon the re-
sults of the contest. A bet upon one side of a
valuable article was matched with an article of
like value upon the other. The stakes were placed
under the care of a company of :<ged Indians.
The game then began.

The ball was of deer-skin ; the bats were woven
with deer-skin thongs. A certain number of play-
ers were chosen upon each side. They were en-

AN INDIAN GAME OF 1?ALL.

341

tircly naked except for the breech-clt)th. Each
party had a gate, or two poles planted in the
ground about three rods apart. The aim of the
players on each side was to drive the ball throui^h
their own gate a specified number of times. It
took several contests to decide the match. The
players provided with bats were ranged in oppo-
site lines, and between them stood two men chosen
from each side. The ball was then placed among
them. Sometimes a pretty Indian girl, very gayly
dressed and decked with silver ornaments, ran into
the midst of the players and dropped the ball on
the ground. It was one of the rules of the game
that the ball must not be touched by foot or hand.
Instantly the ball was placed on the play-groimd
each of the two Indians who stood in the centre
made a struggle to give it the start toward his
own gate. The ball once flying through the air
was followed by the players from both sides. It
would be caught among them, and there would
be an exciting struggle to extricate it. Such a
struggle was always going on at some point upon
the ground. Perhaps some fleet-footed player
would succeed in getting the ball upon his bat.
Me would run with all his might towards his gate
bearing the ball upon his bat ; for if he could run
through the gate with it his side would make one

\l !,

! tl

; :j

•b\

342

DRANT AND RED JACKET.

point. But the opposite side would have stationed
runners to j>-uard against any such easy success.
They would bend every nerve to interrupt the
runner. If he did not succeed in dodging them
just as they were upon him, he would perhaps i
throw the ball over his head toward the gate or
toward some player on his side. Sometimes one
party would rescue the ball at the very gate of
the opposing party and carry it back in triumph ,
through its own. When the match was finally
decided, the victorious tribe would throw caps,
tomahawks, and blankets into the air in an ecstasy
of exultation.

Players were frequently severely hurt in the
fierce struggles over the ball. It was usually taken
in good part, but at this particular game a Mo-
hawk player struck a Seneca a hard blow with his
bat. Instantly the Senecas dropped their bats,
took up the stakes that they had laid down in bet-
ting, and returned to their own country. Three
weeks after. Red Jacket and some other chiefs
sent a belligerent message to the Mohawks de-
manding satisfaction for the insult. Brant imme-
di^itely called a council of his people, and it was
decided to recommend a friendly council of both
nations to settle the difference. The Senecas con-
sented to this, and the council met. Red Jacket

m»m

AN INDIAN GAME OF BALL.

343

was opposed to a reconciliation. He made a stir-
ring speech in which he pictured the offence in its
blackest light, and was in favor of nothing less
than war. But the older Senecas, and among
them Cornplanter, who had not yet lost all his
influence, were opposed to a break between the
two nations, and proposed that presents should be
made in atonement to the young man who had
been injured. The Mohawks consented to this,
and the pipe of peace was finally smoked in friend-
ship. ^ "^

CHAPTER XLIII.

RED JACKETS PLOT AGAINST I5KANT — BRANTS

^ DEATH.

Brant had often met Red Jacket, as we have
seen, in the councils of the Six Nations, and he de-
spised him thoroughly, and took no pains to con-
ceal it. But spite and jealousy moved Red Jacket
to plot against the power of this most proud and
powerful Iroquois chief. For several years he
had sought to undermine Brant's popularity.
* Meantime Brant's mind was filled with plans for
his Mohawks, in the matter of selling their hinds;
for sell them they must, now that the inevitable
demand for them had come. He proposed to sell
much of the Grand River territory off in farms to
the settlers, thus enhancing the value of what
remained, and realizing a great deal of money for
the benefit of the Indians. But the colonial ai-
thorities did not choose to give up their pre-emp-
ti(>n rights to so valuable a tract of land, and Brant
became involved in endless controversies, the
parent government favoring Brant's construction

RKI) JACKF/r'S rLOT—r.RANT's DKATII. 345

of tlic Mohawk claim to the lands, and the pro-
vincial ^ovcrntncnt niakinu;' dillicultics which
were never entirely overcome.

There were interested white men who wished
to defeat Brant's schemes by curtailin_L( his power.
These men, tog^ether with Red Jacket, vSome dis-
satisfied youn<^ Mohawks who did not C()mi)re-
hend Brant's exertions for their benefit, and vari-
ous envious chiefs, laid a plot to depose him.
A secret council of the plotters was held at Buffalo
Creek in 1805, in which Brant was char<^ed with
dishonesty in the management of the Mohawk
funds, and deposed as were also most of the Mo-
hawk chiefs who were Brant's friends. But this
was not all. The Mohawk chief Norton, who was
a confidential friend of Brant, was then in England
endeavoring to settle the land controversy. The
white men who were interested in preventing this
drew up a paper disavow^ing Norton's mission.
This paper was signed by the plotters, and among
them the dissatisfied Mohawks put down their
names as chiefs, to give the paper more weight.
This measure was at least very annoying to Brant,
as it interfered with his business in England.

But Brant did not stay deposcfl. The council
had indeed been contrary to custom— the law of
the Indians — for it was held in secret and attended

; :

111

346

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

only by his enemies. The chief immediately
called a full council of the Six Nations, and made
a very clear defence of his character.

" My only crime is," said Brant, " that I want to
make you a happy people, and for you to be
enabled to call your land your own forever, and
not leaving it doubtful whether it is yours or not.

" What I did tended to raise your name as well
as my own, and, in other instances where I might
have been enriched, I have refused receiving, for
fear of your name being tarnished. Still you
would almost brand me with the name of a thief,
although not one of you has ever subscribed a ^
l)eniiy to pay my expenses when I travelled on
your 1)11 blic busin,css. '

The Moliawk chiefs were incensed at the
charges against Brant. They rose in his defence.

" We find divisions among us," said they. " The
young men think to take the lead who know noth-
ing of our aflau\s, nor what we have suffered in
the war. According to the first formation of our
confederacy, the Mohawk was the leading nation.
So it has been since our establishment at Grand
River. Therefore, our leading chief, Captain
Brant, has stood foircinost in our affairs, with
which he is thoroughly ac:]uaiiitc(l. There have
been many rumors concerning our money, and the

RED JACKET S PLOT— RRANT'S DEATH. 347

application made of it. Wc, that have been
cnjj^ai^ed in the public affairs, know where it is
gone. He has not been always travelliiii; and
emi)loyed on his own concerns; it has been on
those of the public. He has been on the other
side ot the water, and several times at Ouebec;
and always in these journeys ex{)ended his own
property, we never making; any collection for him."

Publicly cleared of all suspicion in this council
of the Six Nations, Brant was declared still a
chief, and Red Jacket and the other plotters were
discomfited.

Brant's last years were shadowed with a .greater
sorrow than the plots of his enemies. Ills oldest
son, Isaac, was educated in the Mohawk Valley,
and at Niai^ara during the war. But he was from
the beginnmg wild and unruly. At Niagara his
assQciations were bad, and he became dissipated.
When drunk he was very quarrelsome, and made
himself especially disagreeable toward his stei>-
mother and the family of younger children which
was growing up. Brant married him to a very
attractive Indian girl, hoping, like many another
parent, thus to reclaim the young man. Me also
made Isaac his private secretary. ' But the young
Indian still continued his drunken carousals,
abused his stepmother, though she never answered

I-

34«

imANT AND RF,D JACKKT.

him, wlicn he was in one of his quarrelsome
moods, and often threatened the life of his father.
He was of a murderous disposition. He assaulted
a young man once in the road, killed his horse,
and injured him severely. His father had to
pay heavy damages in consequence of this csca-
I)ade. Isaac at another time killed a man in cold
blood.

Brant was attending: an Indian council at Dur-
lington Heights, on Lake Cliamplain. .Vftcr
taking tea one evening with a lady and gentleman
he had walked over to the tavern. Soon after
this his son entered an adjoining room, and began
loudly abusing his father. Brant could [)lainly
hear what was said through tlic board partition.
He rose and entered t!ie other room. The instant
his son saw him he sprang at him. Somy of the
bystanders, however, caught young Brant around
the waist, and the knife with which he had rushed
at his father fell only u[>()n Brant's hand. Almost
instantly Brant had returned the blow, striking
his son on the head with a dirk. Tiie young man's
'vound was not considered (lanfi"er()us. But he
was enraged by drink, and woidd not allow it to
be dressed, tearini^f oif tlie bandaires as soon as
they were put on, and causing it to bleed ])ro-
fuseK' b\ Ills \ loleut excitement. He svas at last

RKD JACKETS PLOT — HRANT'S DKAlIf. 349

tied down until he became sober, when his wound
was properly dressed. He immediately l)eL^an
drinking', and a<i^ain tore the dressin<j^ from his
wonnd. A brain-lever set in and the 3'()unij In-
dian soon died.

Brant immediately p;avc himself over to the
authorities, and resigned his commission in the
British service upon which he drew half pay.
Lord Dorchester, however, would not accept the
resignation, and when Brant called an Indian
council and laid the case before the Indians, they
decided with their accustomed dclibcratcncss to
acquit Brant of all blame. Nevertheless the old
chief, as he lay in his room and looked at the dirk
which hung upon the wall, and with which he
had killed his son, would often weep at the
memory of the catastrophe.

Brant's second wife had been childless, but by
his third wife the chief had seven children. In
planning to educate his younger sons, Brant
looked back with pleasant remembrances to the
school of his boyhood. His old teacher. President
Wheelock, was dead, but his son had succeeded
him at Dartmouth College. In spite of English
jealousy, the chief sent two of his sons to Dart-
mouth. In one of his letters to Mr. Wheelock he
said :

350

15KANT AND i;i:i) (Aci::' •.

v:l:tf'rm

J' Ml

IH ,.

'• I rt'ccivc an iiicxpi'cssihic satlsfadion i:i luiar-
in_L^ from y(«u that, ^•()u liavc ia-kcn my sons nndcr
your protection, and also io fnid that, yon yet. re-
tain a St roni^ rememl)rance of our ancient fricnd-
sliip. For my ])ait, nothinii;" can efface from my
memory the perseverin;^ attention \()ur revered
father paid to my echuatlon when I was in the
piacc my sons now arc. Though f was an un-
profitable pupil in vSome respects, yet, \\\v worldly
affairs have been much benefited I)}- (he instruc-
tion I there received."

Brant died in 1807, at sixty-four )-eais of a^j^e,
leavinp^ imfuiishcd his work for the security of the
Mohawks in the full possession of their lands.
Amouij^ liis last words he said to the chief Xorton :

"Have pity on the pooi- Indians. If \(»u can
get any influence with the great, endeavor to do
them all the good you can."

A few \ears before the chief's death he harl
built a large house on a cract of land at the luad
of Lake Ontario, a gift from the king. Tyrant had
a number of negro slaves whom he had captured
during the war, and who lived with him in con-
tentment, it is said, satisfied with the Indian cus-
toms. Ills youngest son, John, became a chief
after his father's death. lie was a gentlemanly
young fellow, and distinguished himself in the war

tt^^^M

RED JACKETS rr,OT — BRANT'S OEATir, 33 I

had
lu'ad

had
lircd
l"(m-

; iis-
ll.icf

inly

Ivar

of 1812. Tic and his jounf^cst sister, Elizabeth,
lived in their father's house iti eivihzed style, but
their mother [)referred to live ainon^^ the Indians
j.i the Mohawk Village, at Grand River. A jj^in-
llenian and his dauiLCl'ters who visited them in
1 8 19 found the i)arl(,)r earpeted, and lurnisiied
Vv'itli pier and chimney glasses, mahoi^any tables,
the fashionable chairs of the dav, a j^uitar, and a
number of books. Miss iJrant ]>i"ove(l to be "a
noble-lookini^ Indian g"irl." The upper part ol her
hair was done up in a silk net, while the Ion;;'
'ower tresses humr down her back. She woie a
-short black silk j)etticoat, with a tunic of the same;
[iterial, black silk stockiairs, and black kid shoes.

f)"'

She was lemarkably self-possessed and lad \ -like.
She afterwards married William Jolmson Kerr, a
g'randson of Sir William Johnson, and they lived
toilet her in the Brant house.

Hrant was buried beside the church which he
had built at Grand l<.iver, the first church in

)er

Lidc

The

re IS a monument over his

rave with the following inscription:
"This tomb is erected to the memory of Tliav-
cndane<^ea, or Capt. Joseph Brant, j)rincii)al chief
and warrior of the Six Nations Indians, b\' his
fellow-subjects, admiiers of his fidelity and attach-
ment to the British ciowii."

f'M n

f 1;,;:,

^4 ^'^'

CHAPTER XLIV.

THE BATTLE OF CIIirPEWA.

Indians are as merciless in ridicule as in war.
They were fond of Red Jacket, but they could
not resist the temptation to laugh at his lack of
physical courage. They would jokingly remind
him in company that they had (jncc taken pity on
" him and given him a scalp to take home, but tliey
would declare that he was afraid to carry it.
Stung by the sneers of his enemies and the jeers
of his friends, Red Jacket was eager for war that
he might redeem his character from the stain of
c(nvardice. A chance presented itself in the war
of 1812. The Mohawks under young Brant had
stood firm in their alliance with England. The
other Iroquois nations had at first promised the
Americans to remain neutral, but Red Jacket
spoke eloquently for war on the American side.
In company with other Iroquois chiefs he led his
people into several battles, the most important of
which was the battle of Chi[)})ew;i.

General Brown, with an army of regulars, vol-

TIIK r.ATTLE OF CIIirrEWA.

353

jccrs
that

tin of

war

had

rhe

the

icket

I side,
his

ht of

vol-

iintccrs, and Indians, boidly resolved to invade
Canada in 1814. The Indian force of the Six
Na '')ns had dwindled down from thousand? to
hundreds. Some five or six himdrcd Indians in-
cluded nearly all their w^arriors, except the
Mohawks, who w^cre on the other side. Early
one July morning* the English garrison at Fort
Erie, looking through their glasses, found them-
selves surrounded by American and Indian forces.
Soon after noon the garrison capitulated. The
English army under General Real, which was
about equal to the American in strength, lay some
Cigiit' en miles below, at Chippewa. On the same
evening General Brown began his march toward
Chippewa. On nearing the enemy, the British
India!is i^accd in the woods succeeded in cramp-
ing and annoving the American army. General
Brown's pickets were constantly assailed, and he
took the extreme measure of cashicrinir one of his
officers for allowing his guard to be driven in.
It was not believed that there was a single liritish
soldier ui)()n this side of the Chippewa Rix'cr, and
General Porter, in command of the American In-
dians and volunteers, was ordered to dislodge the
British Indians.

The soldiers and Indians were delighted with
theif task. When the Injqucns had divested them-

h'l /(f V'H

i ]■'

f't-

'.'■ ':

' ■■ ?

^- -. '

i r f -

354

15RANT AND RED JACKET.

selves of every unnecessary article of clothing-,
painted themselves sufficiently and all was ready,
the detachment was formed in Indian file and
marched for tlie woods. When the Indians were
in the woods and the white men still in the open
field, every man faced around, and immediately a
line of battle was formed one man deep and three
quarters of a mile long. Red Jacket occupied the
end of the Indian line, while General Porter was
between his white and red forces. The Indian
war-chiefs marched, according to their custom,
about twenty 3'ards in advance of their men. The
farther advance was now carried on silently and
cautiouslv. Scouts were ahead, and Porter's
movements were directed by signals. The Indian
chiefs themselves, when an)^thing happened which
demanded extra precaution or time to consult,
had a mode of telegraphing it through their line,
and instantly every man would drop vo the ground
in a crouching position. The Indians lay thus
concealed in a thicket very near the enem}^ when
a final consultation was held. It was decided to
quicken the march almost to a run, to receive the
first fire of the enemy but not to return it, except
singly and where it was sure to bring down a
man, then to raise the w^ar-whoop and fall upon
the enemy. The first fire was accordingly re-

krU

THE IJATTLE OF CIIirrEWA,

355

c the
:ccpt
\vn a
upon
re-

ceived, savage yells arose from white man and
Indian, and a rush was made. The enemy fletl,
and Porter's forces })ursued with deadly havoc.
The Mohawks believed that they would receive no
quarter ; few of them surrendered, many of them
allowed themselves to be cut down in their tracks,
often turning upon their pursuers and fighting to
the last. The pursuit lasted for a mile to the
edge of the open field opposite Chippewa. Here
the pursuers were met by a discharge of musketry.
Those in front were thrown back in confusion
upon those behind them. General Porter en-
deavored to rally his men, having no suspicion
of the presence of any force other than that
of the Indians. The American forces advanced
again to the edge of the woods, to find them-
selves confronted with the whole British army.
The American detachment received and '-eUirned
two or three fires. The English charged them,
and then General Porter gave the order to .re-
treat. Every man made the best use of his
legs. Some of the Indians had brought into
battle with them their boys, to train theai in war.
As they neared General Scott's detachment,
sent out to Telic\e them, one immense fellow
who had taken his hoy of fourteen across his
shoulder was seen running along with him witii

P"P

356

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

i«;

5*11

i'it',

fill his might. Suddenly a shell exploded over
his head.

*' Ugh !" ex'claimed the Indian, bounding up
into the air. As he came down the boy dropped
sprawling upon the ground. Without turning to
look behind him the Indian ran on, while the toy
hastily gathered himself up and maae all speed
after his father. In spite of the seriousness of the
occasion, the young officers indulged in a hearty
laugh at this ridiculous by-play. General Scott
rebuked them for their levity.

Scott's brigade opened and admitted the fugi-
tiv^cs. The general immediately marched his men
over the bridge across a creek, under a galling fire
of artillery, and met the British, who were charging
at a headlong pace, with a discharge of musketrv,
which forced them to fall back. They instantly
rallied and made another advance, and were met
with another tremendous discharge of musketry.
They now left the battle-ground as swiftly as they
had come upon it. They did not stop until they had
crossed the Chippewa and destroyed the bridge
behind him. General Scott could not advance,
because he would have to face their batteries,
which were on the opposite side of the river and
could not be reached. He moved to the held
opposite Chippewa, and ordered his men to he

III

THE BATTLE OF CIIirPEWA.

357

down with their heads toward the batteries to
escape the enemy's fire. The whole army was
at this time engaged in the action, which ch)sed
at sundown without any further results. Mean-
time the British Indians had fled, never to
return. Many of the American Indians had
departed also, and they returned home, from
time to time, according to their independent
habits.

Two days later the Americans forced the pas-
sage of the Chippewa. The enemy retreated, after
a short but brave resistance. The Indians could
not be restrained from committing depredati(^ns
upon the farmers on the line of the army's ad-
vance. They also captured from fifty to a hun-
dred barrels of liquor and stores which the British
had concealed in the woods. Greatly to their
discontent, this booty was turned over to the
American quarter-master. Red Jacket now sug-
gested the sending a deputation to the British
camp proposing the withdrawal of Indian forces
upcMi both sides during the remainder of the
war. General Brown acquiescing, two young
chiefs were sent to the British army and returned
with a somewhat favorable answer. Red Jacket
made the most of it, and the American Indians
went home promising to return in case the British

H '

: 1 .rs

358

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

Indians again took part. They were not again
called upon, and Red Jacket ended his career as a
warrior, which, if not brilliant, was certainly not
disgraceful during^ the war of 1812.

CHAPTER XLV.

ANECDOTES OF RED JACKET.

After the close of the war, Red Jacket's one
purpose was to prevent the encroachment of white
nien.and their customs and rehgion upon his peo-
ple. But let him speak never so eloquently against
the sale of lands, the Indians. would nevertheless sell
them and he himself would always sign the treaty.
Above all things, Red Jacket hated to see the
church and the school-house rise among the In-
dians. He thought these but the fcjrerunners of
tliC settler with his axe.

Black-coats, as he called the preachers, were his
especial detestation. Nevertheless, missionaries
gained a very considerable influence among the
Senecas. There came t>^ be two distinct parties
ot Indians, a pagan and a Christian party. The
latter was headed by the old chief, Captain Pol-
lard, or Little Billy as he was sometimes called,
while Red Jacket, the confirmed old fogy, led the
opposition. In this field he was a dauntless war-
rior. Taking advantage of a law to prevent en-

, 11 :

's6o

BRANT AND UKI) JA("KF:T.

■'h

j.-'

cioaclimcnts iij)()n the Iiulian reservation, he suc-
ceeded once in breaking up the Seneca mission for
the time. Red Jacket was asked wliy he had such
a hatred for the missionaries.

'* Because," answered the chief, " they do us no
good. If they art useful to the white people, why
do they send them among the Indians? The
white ])eople arc surely bad enough to need the
labor of every one who can make them better.
These men know we do not understand their lan-
guage. We cannot read their book ; they tell us
different stones about what it contains, and we
believe that they make the book talk to suit them-
selves."

Red Jacket lost ten or eleven children by con-
sumption. A lady once asked him whether he
had any children living.

"Red Jacket was once a great man, and in
favor with the Great Spirit," sorrowfully an-
swered the chief. " He was a lofty pine among
the smaller trees of the forest. But, after years
of glory, he degraded himself by drinking the fire-
water of the white man. The Great Spirit has
looked upon him in anger, and his lightning has
stripped the pine of its branches."

Red Jacket married a second wife. She was
\he widow )f a chief named Two Guns, and a wo-

i>*

ANECDOTES ()!• RED JACKET.

301

man of fine face and l)cnrini]f. She became inter-
ested in Christianity, and thought of joininj^ the
cnurch ; whereupon Red Jacket was enraged. He
said that they had hved ha[)[)ily together, but that
now, if she joined the party to which her husband
was opposed, he would leave her. I lis wife, how-
ever, joined the church, and Red Jacket immedi-
ately left her and went to the other reservation,
where he lived with another woman. He had a
little daughter of whom he was very fond. She
used to sit on his keees and amuse him with her
chatter. She missed her father a great deal, and
constantly teased her mother to take her to him.
Red Jacket's wife finally took the little girl to the
reservation where he lived, though she herself
refused to see the chief. The little girl ran to him
and threw her arms about his neck. He was
much touched, and told her that he was coming
home, that he was sorry he had left her mother,
and that he had bought her some broadcloth and
beads. When she was ready to go home he took
her to the door of the cabin where her mother
was, but did not enter. The little girl cried piti-
fully as she parted with her father. In a few
weeks Red Jacket returned to his home, promis-
ing never to interfere with his wife's religion, and
he kci)t his promise. Before he had left her, his

i '»

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'c^l

c*.

c?-!

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

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2.2

2.0

1.8

1.25

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Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

<^ M^..

^ *

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23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

$^ £.^\

362

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

4^':i

wife was obliged to leave her blanket outdoors
where she could slip out and get it without her
husband's knowledge when she wanted to go to
meeting. Now he would call his daughter early
Sunday morning, saying :

" Come, it is Sunday, you know. Get up and
get the work all done, so as to go to meeting with
your mother. Always go with your mother."

When Lafayette visited Buffalo in 1825, among
the crowds who thronged to see him was Red
Jacket. When the chief was introduced to Lafay-
ette, he said :

" Do you remember being at the treaty of peace
with the Six Nations at Fort Stanwix ?"

" Yes," answered the Frenchman, " I have not
forgotten that great council. By the way, what
became of that young man who opposed so elo-
quently the burying of the tomahawk ?"

" He is before you," said Red Jacket.

"Time has worked great changes upon us
both," said Lafayette.

** Ah," replied Red Jacket, " time has not been
so severe upon you as it has upon me. It has left
you a fresh countenance and hair to cover your
head ; while to me — behold !" The chief pulled a
handkerchief from his head and disclosed its bald-
ness. The attendants laughed at the simplicity of

ANECDOTFS OF RED JACKET.

3<">3

the Indian in supposing Lafayette's wi^ to be his
own hair. Some one explained to Red Jacket
how white men repaired the deficiency of hair.
Thereupon Red Jacket vSaid, laughingly, that he
should have to supply himself with a head-cover-
ing by taking some one's scalp.

He pretended to understand no language but
his own, and entertained a great dislike for Eng-
lish. He would not reply to any of Lafayette's
questions until his interpreter had translated them
i'lto Seneca.

When Red Jacket was a very old man, he was
invited to the launching of a schooner which was
named after him. He christened the vessel witli
a short speech. -

" You have a great name given to you," said he,
addressing the ship, " strive to deserve it. Be
brave and daring. Go boldly into the great lakes
and fear neither the swift wind nor the strong
waves. Be not frightened nor overcome by them,
for it is in resisting storms and tempest that 1,
whose name you bear, obtained my renown. Let
my great example inspire you to courage and lead
you to glory."

A young French count who was making a tour '
in America visited Buffalo, and, hearing that Red
Jacket was one of the wonders of the town, sent

3^4

KRANT AND RED JACKET.

the chief a request that he would visit him at
Buffalo.

" Tell the young man," said Red Jacket to the
messenger, " that if he wishes to see the old chief,
he may find him with his nation, where other
strangers pay their respects to him."

The young nobleman sent to say that he was
tired from his journey ; that he had come all the
way from France to see the Seneca orator, and
that after putting himself to so much trouble he
thought Red Jacket would not refuse to meet him
at Buffalo.

** Tell him," answered the chief, " that it is very
strange he should come so far to sec me and then
stop short within seven miles of my lodge."

The count yielded. He visited Red Jacket at
his cabin, where the chief accepted an invitation
to dinner with him at Buffalo. The young gen-
tleman was very much delighted with the proud
chief, and insisted that he was a greater wonder
than Niagara Falls.

A wealthy gentleman who was visiting Buffalo
once invited Red Jacket to come and see him.
This time the chief dressed himself with the ut-
most pains and went to see him. Now this gen-
tleman's ideas were scarce while his words were
many. I Ic had a habit of standing very close to

ANECDOTES OF RED JACKET.

"r".-
j^-*:)

a man and cliattcrinq^ with immense volubility.
Red Jacket felt j^rcatly disappointed. After a
short conversation, in which he ^ot no chance to
utter a word, but stood listeninj^ to the empty
gabble, he put his face up to the man's ear and
exclaimed, " Cha ! cha ! cha !" and walked away.
It is said that the astonished talker was silent for a
longer time than he had ever been known to be
before.

He could with diiTicully manage a knife and
fork at table. He made every effort at dinners of
ceremony, however, to act properly. He once
told a gentleman that when he dined witii Wash-
ington a man ran off with his knife and fork every
now and then and returned with others.

"Now," said Red Jacket, ''what was that for^"
The gentleman told him that there were a great
many kinds of dishes, each cooked in a different
manner, and that the plates, knifes, and forks were
changed every time a new dish was brought on,

"Ah," said Red Jacket thoughtfully', "is that
it? You must then sujipose that the plates and
knives and forks retain the taste of the cookery ?"

" \ es.

" Hnve you then," demanded the c!ii-f, "nxy
method by which you can change your j)a!a(es
cverv time V'>;i ehaii'v \'' Mir pliitc ? fn- I fliink the

366

BRANT AM) KKD JACKK'I'

taste would remain on the ])alate longer than it
would on the plate."

" Wc are in the habit of washing that away by
drinking wine," answered the gentleman.

** Ah," said Red Jacket, " now I understand it.
1 was persuaded that so general a custom among
you must be founded in reason, and I only regret
that when I was in Philadelphia I did not under-
stand it. The moment the man went olf with my
l)late, I would have drunk wine until lie brought
me another ; for although I am fond oi eating, I
am more so of drinking."

Red Jacket was extremely fond of sugar. lie
was once at the table of Captain Jones, the inter-
preter. Mrs. Jones prepared his coffee witliout
sugar, for a joke.

" JMy son," said the chief, looking at tlie cajttain
severely, "do you allow your scjuaw tlnis to trifle
with your father ?" The children giggled. " And
do you allow your children to make sjjort of tlieir
chief?" added Red Jacket. A})ol(jgies were made,
and the sugar-bowl was handed to the offended
chief. He filled his cup to the brim with sugar,
and ate it out by the sj)()()nful with the iitnio; t
gravity.

Red Jacket could see no just ice in the white
man's couil of law. An Indian \\lii> l:;i(l hioken

ANECDOTES OK RED JACKET.

3^V

into a house and stolen some small article was in-
dicted for burglary. Red Jacket made a long
speecii in court in his defence. But the man was
sentenced to imprisonment for life, much to the
orator's disgust. After the proceedings were
over, Red Jacket left the court-house in company
with the lawyers. Across the street was the sign
of a printing-office with the arms of the State,
representing Liberty and Justice. Red Jacket
stopped and pointed to the sign.

" What him call?" demanded the chief.

" Liberty," answered the bystanders.

'' Ugh !" said Red Jacket.

" What him call?" pointing to the other ligure
Mpon the sign.

"Justice," was the answer.

" Where him live now ?" inquired the chief.

Red Jacket was one day met going the opposite
direction from an execution to which everybody
was crowding. He was asked why he, too, did
not go.

" Fools enough there already. Battle is the
place to see men die," he answered.

He was once questioned as to his opinion of a
chief named Hot Bread, who was remarkable for
gluttony.

" WauLrh !" exclaimed the orator. 'He has a

368

I5RANT AND RED JACKET.

little place at Connawaugus — big enough for him.
J Jig man here," pointing to his stomach, *' but
very small here," touching his forehead.

As a young man Red Jacket had always refused
to sit for his picture, saying that when he died all
that belonged to him should die with him. His
vanity was at last appealed to, however, it being
represented that his portrait was wanted to be
l^laced alongside of those of the great men of
the United States. He consented to sit under
these circumstances, and a number of portraits
were afterwards made of him. While in New
York once he sat for Weir. The Indians who
accompanied him stretched themselves on the
floor of the studio and smoked while the painting
went forward. Red Jacket watched with the
greatest interest the growth of the picture. When
his medal became visible in the picture he was
pleased, but when he saw a faithful picture of his
tine high forehead, of which he was very proud,
he sprang up, giasped the artist's hand, and cried,
" Good ! good !"

Light and agile, Red Jacket loved the chase.
As a young man he had often hunted in the
(•cncsce Valley. As an old man he visited that
country, and entering the forest he resolved to
have one more hunt. He had not gone far, how-

ANECDOTES OF RED JACKET.

3^^

the

ntiiii^

the

Vhcn

was

his

oud,

ricd,

lase.

the

that

liow-

i«

ever, before he saw an openini^; a fence was in the
way, and white men could be seen in the distance
ploughing. The chief sadly turned in another
direction. He had buried himself deep in the
woods, as he supposed, when he again ran up
against a fence and another white man's field.
The old man sat down and wept.

Red Jacket's old age was broken by intemperance
and embittered by his struggles with the Christian
party. He was indeed once formally deposed by
his enemies. But the old Indian's spirit arose.
He called a council of his people. Once again he
spoke with his old eloquence, and he was rein-
stated. But his faculties fast failed after this out-
burst. As his health declined he knew that he
must die. He visited the cabins of his friends, and
talked with them of the affairs of his people.

" I am about to leave you," he said, " and when I
am gone and my longings shall no longer be heard
or regarded, the craft and avarice of the white
man will prevail. Many winters have I breasted
the storm, but I am an aged tree and can stand no
longer. My leaves arc fallen, my branches are
withered, and I am shaken by every breeze. Soon
my aged trunk will be prostrate, and the foot of
the exulting foe of the Indian may be [)laced upon
it in safety ; for I have none who will be able to

3;o

BRANT AND RED JACKET.

avenge such an indignity. Think not I mourn for'
myself. 1 go to join the spirits of my fathers,
where age cannot come ; but my heart fails me
when 1 think of my people, who are so soon to be
scattered and forgotten.

"Bury me by the side of my former wife, and
let my funeral be according to the customs of our
nation. Let me be dressed and equipped as my
fathers were, that their spirits may rejoice at my
coming. Be sure that my grave be not made by
a white man ; let them not pursue mc there."

Almost the last thing that the old chief did was
to call a council of both the parties among his
people and recommend that they should resolva
to quarrel no more, but each man believe accord-
ing to his own way. He was taken mortally sick
during this council. Holding a bottle in his hand
containing some mysterious liquid which he be-
lieved would secure him a ha})py [massage to the
other world, the old chief bravely met death at
seventy -eight years of age.

THE END.