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 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
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' 
 
 :> 
 
 ^ 
 
4^ 
 
 Copyrif kt, 1879, by Dodd^ Mead & Comtamv. • 
 
 9 CO/ 
 
 88 4 o 
 
j 
 
 h 
 
 4- 
 
 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 
 
 i 
 
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 
 
■ 
 
 I 
 
 ': 
 
 + 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 
 
 i 
 
M 
 
 i 
 
 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 
 
 7 
 
 i! 
 
 1 
 
 9 
 
 I 
 
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 
 
 
 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- 
 
12 
 
 BRANT AND RED JACKET. 
 
 I 
 
 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 
 
 I 
 
I 
 
 THE PEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE. 
 
 13 
 
 V 
 
 
 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- 
 
 ^ 
 
H 
 
 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- 
 
 I 
 
THE rEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE. 
 
 15 
 
 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 
 
i6 
 
 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. 
 
 17 
 
 .0 
 
 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, 
 
i8 
 
 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. 
 
 19 
 
 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 
 
20 
 
 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 
 
 '» 
 
 
 »*"■ 
 
m 
 
 THE PEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE. 
 
 21 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 '9 
 
 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. 
 
t 
 
 ii 
 
 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 
 
 f. 
 
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- 
 
24 
 
 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- 
 
 i\ 
 
26 
 
 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 
 
 i 
 
CIIAMPLAIN AND TIIK IIVH NATIONS. 
 
 27 
 
 I 
 
 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 
 
iJ 
 
 d8 
 
 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) 
 
 IS 
 
 
 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' 
 
 30 
 
 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. 
 
 31 
 
 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. 
 
 Ji 
 
\ 
 
 A ISA I I l,l': IN I III'- WOODS, 
 
 ii 
 
 "('oiiic (|iii( klv !" tlirv ^li'iiitrd ; "llicrr is ;i 
 j'i(;il liiilllr. V\'c ,iic limif tliilli III' 1 1 ' »' | ii< )!',, (miI 
 ll)(\ ;iic hrliiiid ;i l»i cisl \v< »i k (»l l<»|'/., iiii'l W' ( ;iii- 
 IK il < ( lilt |l|('l I Imiii." 
 
 '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 
 
 34 
 
 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 
 
 35 
 
 ^M 
 
 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 
 
 li 
 
 • 1. 
 
 '1 
 
 36 
 
 CI 
 
 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 
 
 I 
 
 liii. 
 
ho 
 ed 
 
 1- 
 
 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 
 
 38 
 
 BRANT AND RED JACKET. 
 
 i 
 
 ! ! 
 
 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 
 
 C, 
 
 i 
 
 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 
 
l\ 
 
 40 
 
 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 
 
i 
 
 42 
 
 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 
 
44 
 
 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 
 
 46 
 
 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. 
 
 47 
 
 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: 
 
 PI 
 
 i! 
 
 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. 
 
 M 
 
 V 
 
AN INDIAN S REVENGE 
 
 49 
 
 V 
 
 " 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- 
 
50 
 
 TKANT ANT) Kl O JACK FT. 
 
 *U 
 
 ii 
 
 Ii 
 
 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-:. 
 
 51 
 
 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 
 
54 
 
 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 
 
I 
 
 "i 
 
 H 
 
 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 
 
I 
 
 f 
 
 5^> 
 
 IJKAN'I* AM) ki:i) lACKKI'. 
 
 I 
 
 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 
 
 m 
 
 li 
 
1 
 
 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 
 
t 
 
 if !! 
 
 m 
 
 \]\ 
 
 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 
 
 4 
 
 \* 
 
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 
 
 t 
 
 \\\\\ 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 
 
 1 
 
 
 62 
 
 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 
 
 I 
 
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- 
 
64 
 
 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 
 
in 
 
 ' 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. 
 
 67 
 
 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 
 
 68 
 
 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. 
 
 69 
 
 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 
 
 m 
 
70 
 
 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. 
 
 71 
 
 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 
 
!'■'! 
 
 !J 
 
 1^ 
 
 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. 
 
 n 
 
 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. 
 
i 
 
 1^ I 
 
 1 il 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 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 
 
I 
 
 THE KUiN OF A NA HON. 
 
 •5 
 
 ^i 
 
 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 
 
76 
 
 ]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. 
 
 77 
 
 
 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^^ 
 
 II 
 
 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. 
 
 79 
 
 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 
 
 if 
 
 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. 
 
 8[ 
 
 
 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;. 
 
 m 
 
 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. 
 
 83 
 
 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. 
 
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 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". 
 
 H 
 
 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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 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- 
 
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 I i 
 
 t 
 
 IM 
 
 I 
 
 11 
 
 IhW 
 
 h I 
 
 88 
 
 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. 
 
 89 
 
 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- 
 

 ii 
 
 i t 
 
 90 
 
 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. 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
CANADA TN DANGER. 
 
 91 
 
 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! ! 
 
 
 92 
 
 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. 
 
 il 
 
 lii 
 
 hi 
 
 fe 
 
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 
 
94 
 
 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. 
 
 
 Y 
 
IN TIIF I-TON*S JAWS. 
 
 95 
 
 
 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, 
 
96 
 
 
 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. 
 
 97 
 
 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 
 
98 
 
 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. 
 
 99 
 
 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- 
 
i 
 
 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 
 
 ff 
 
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 
 
 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 
 
 if 
 
 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*. 
 
 k 
 
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. 
 
 M' 
 
 !■ 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 
 
 ? ''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." 
 
!i 
 
 n 
 
 
 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: ' 
 
 
 1 
 
 ] 
 
 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 
 
 • 
 
 .t 
 
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 
 
m 
 
 ■:i 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 
 
 I: 
 
 i 
 
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 
 
>' 
 
 i 
 
 ,.l 
 
 II 
 
 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. 
 
 »♦ 
 
 \ 
 
 P 
 
 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 
 
 !i 
 
 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 
 
 i! 
 
 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 
 
 i^ 
 
 ■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 
 
 i 
 
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 
 
 t 
 
 
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. 
 
 it 
 
 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. 
 
 A 
 
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 
 
 1, 
 
 *'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 
 
 h 
 
AN INDIAN WAR (« )II N( I [,. 
 
 KVJ 
 
 be 
 
 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 
 
 t 
 
 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 
 
 II 
 
 
 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. 
 
 H3 
 
 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 
 
 X 
 
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 
 
 l 
 
 '■^ I 
 
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 
 
 !i 
 
 til: 
 
152 
 
 IlKANT AND Kill) lACKKT. 
 
 i 
 
 
 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 
 
 of 
 
 )W 
 
 er 
 
 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 
 
 I 
 
 ,! 
 
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 
 
 f 
 
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* 
 
 m 
 
 if 
 
 1^1 
 
 'II 
 
 
 li 
 t 
 
 M 
 
 I 
 
 
 i 1I 
 
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^^ 
 
 if 
 
 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. 
 
 i 
 

 i 
 
 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 
 
 
 t i1 
 
 ( i 
 
i6o 
 
 15RANT AND RED JACKET. 
 
 X 
 
 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 
 
 I 
 
 / 
 
 
 5- 
 
 ha. 
 
 I 
 
 1.1 
 
 m 
 
 I 
 
 li 
 
II'' 
 
 
 f' 'f 
 
 
 .; r, 
 
 ^ < 
 
 ^ ■ 
 
i V 
 
f 
 
 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 
 
 0! 
 
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. 
 
 I 
 
 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 
 
 P 
 
 ; I 
 
 I > 
 
.,j_i ;rr 
 
 I ■ 
 
 > »^ 
 
 
 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' 
 
 I 
 
 
 Ml 
 
 ' 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- 
 
Y, 
 
 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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 I ! 
 
172 
 
 15RANT AND RED fACKKT. 
 
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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 
 
 I 
 
c 
 
 TIIK PONTIAC WAR. 
 
 173 
 
 I, 
 
 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 
 
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i74 
 
 r.RANT AND RKT) TACKET. 
 
 II 
 
 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 
 
 # 
 
 ^M 
 
( 
 
 ■ M 
 
 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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 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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 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 
 
 1 
 
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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 WSSS^ 
 
 1 1{ I . 
 
 i 111 fi 
 
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 i8o 
 
 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. 
 
 I 
 
 u 
 
•^ 
 
 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. 
 
 u 
 
I ; '. 
 
 1 
 
 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 
 
:ii^ 
 
 I J! 
 
 I! 
 
 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- 
 
 :'i . 
 
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 
 
 1 
 li 
 
 I 
 
 J 
 
 i'4 
 

 1, 
 
 i I 
 
 II 
 
 I ; 
 
 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- 
 
 If 
 I] 
 
 i : 
 ■f 1 
 
 1 
 
!■! I 
 
 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. 
 
 i 
 
 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- 
 
 ■ J ' 
 
 
 
 
 I' 
 
 I 
 
 * J 
 
 11 
 
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, 
 
 i 
 
-SB- 
 
 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. 
 
 I 
 
 'i 
 
 I 
 
 
 
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 
 
 
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 41 
 
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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. 
 
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 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 ATTEMPT TO KILT, BRANT. 
 
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 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 
 
 a 
 
ATTKMI'T TO KILL I'.KANT. 
 
 207 
 
 I! 
 
 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. 
 
 I. I 
 
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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." 
 
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 BRANT AND RED JACKKT. 
 
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 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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 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.. 
 
 
 I 
 
 f 
 
i ( 
 
 '• i 
 
 ft 1' 
 
 i .! 
 
 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. 
 
 1 
 
 ! 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. 
 
 ! 
 
 :'■■ 
 
 i 
 
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 
 
! i 
 
 I 
 
 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- 
 
 *■' 
 
 i 1 
 
 \\ 
 
 In 
 
 w 
 
 ■i 
 
 :::h 
 
224 
 
 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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 s;i 
 
 < \ 
 
 1 
 
 •1 
 
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 li 
 
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t26 
 
 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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 ,' I 
 
 
 II 
 
 n 
 
 V 
 . I' 
 
 IL. 
 
 - ' I 
 
 ;i' 
 
 ii 
 
 I; 
 
 if 
 
238 
 
 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 
 
 W 
 
' I 
 
 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." 
 
 i 
 
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 •■ ii 
 
 il 
 ■■I 
 
 m 
 
 ■■ 4; 
 
 
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 t 
 
 <, 
 
 HI 
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230 
 
 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. 
 
 li! 1' 
 
 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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232 
 
 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, 
 
 -'<aifci 
 
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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 ii 
 
 mw 
 
 I ill 
 
 ! |{ 
 
 m\ 
 
 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. 
 
 r5' 
 
 i i! ; 
 
 I'^i . 
 
236 
 
 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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 23« 
 
 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 
 
 
 iilll 
 
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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11. ' 
 
 240 
 
 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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■ 
 
 ii 
 
 ii !' 
 
 242 
 
 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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 '111 
 
 
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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 
 be 
 
 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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246 
 
 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. 
 
 ')' ■ I 
 
• ■ 't-1 
 
 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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 250 
 
 BRANT AND RED JACKET. 
 
 ' li n I 
 
 mmV 
 
 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 
 
 ■ 
 
\,.\:i ON TlIK IJORDKR. 
 
 251 
 
 ' fii (! ' P 
 
 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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HI! I 
 
 ■ 
 
 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 
 
 % 
 
I - 
 
 // 
 
 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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254 
 
 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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256 
 
 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." 
 
M 
 
 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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 21,8 
 
 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( 
 
 59 
 
 (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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 260 
 
 TiRANT AND RED JACKKT 
 
 II ' 
 
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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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 *Sec " Life of Tecumseh" in this series. 
 
Jli 
 
 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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m 
 
 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. 
 
 t 
 
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 
 
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#- 
 
 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 
 
r I 
 
 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 
 
m 
 
 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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272 
 
 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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274 
 
 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 
 
1 
 
 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 
 
 ^ 
 
l1 
 
 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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 3 
 
 ■,f 
 
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-' 
 
 '1 
 
 '«! ;; 
 
 
 IS 
 
 ;!; 
 
 ^fi 
 
28o 
 
 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. 
 
 t 
 
l! 
 
 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, 
 
Di the 
 idians 
 lin the 
 lis In- 
 T and 
 
 d shall 
 driven 
 it new 
 ,s their 
 of our 
 us to 
 hough 
 s spot, 
 d of a 
 
 "Beard 
 >neida 
 other 
 
 your 
 
 Boyd 
 
 leard's 
 
 )rmed 
 
 in the 
 
 ilped, 
 
 
 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?" 
 
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 ,4 
 
 V. -, 
 
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 288 
 
 BRANT AND RED JACKET. 
 
 li p> 
 
 I 
 
 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 
 
 He 
 
 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 
 
 
 
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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' 
 
 ,11 ■ 
 
 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, 
 
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 II 
 
m 
 
 d 
 
 I 
 
 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 ■. 
 
 i! . I 
 
 m 
 
li 
 
 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 
 
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 i '■; 
 
 
 \0 
 
 h 
 
296 
 
 I5RANT AND RED JACKET. 
 
 i 
 
 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 
 
 r 
 
 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 
 
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 298 
 
 LRANT AND RED JACKET. 
 
 IM 
 
 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 
 
 4 
 
 
 ■'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 
 
 1^ 
 
 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 
 
 
 
 11! i 
 
mae% 
 
 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. 
 
 
 I 
 
 ■fh 
 
 }!■■* 
 
 m 
 
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 i 
 
.'«■ 
 
 l' 
 
 i;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 ' 
 
 
"m 
 
 310 
 
 IIRANT AND KKI) JACKFT. 
 
 Vr 
 
 I. 
 
 4-tei 'f 
 
 i: 
 iff 
 
 
 1^ 
 
 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. 
 
 3n 
 
 ■s 
 
 <( 
 
 t 
 
 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 
 
 J 
 
 rmcc ol 
 
 \V 
 
 ifl. 
 
 ;ucs, aiicrwai 
 
 •d C 
 
 »eoi"^e 
 
 IV 
 
 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 
 
 Hi 
 
>.» 
 
 312 
 
 BRANT AND REP JACKET. 
 
 P 
 
 "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 
 
i 
 
 m 
 
 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 
 
 I 
 
 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 
 
 H 
 
 3M 
 
 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. 
 
 m 
 
 
 
 ' 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. 
 
 17 
 
 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 
 
 I 
 
 
fry. 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 
 ( 
 
 m. 
 
 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. 
 
n 
 
 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. 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 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 
 
 If 
 
 ■■■•li 
 
 I 
 
^ii 
 
 UKANl ANh Ulh I A( Kl I 
 
 li 
 
 
 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. 
 
 11 
 
 le eoininis- 
 
 
rm 
 
 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 
 
 I 
 
 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 
 
 II 
 
 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 
 
 I 
 
 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 
 
 o 
 
 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. 
 
 I 
 
 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 
 
 m 
 
 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- 
 
 wi 
 
 :;|! 
 
 Hi 
 
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. 
 
I' 
 
 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! 
 
 H 
 
 
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* 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 .!!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. 
 
 W^ 
 
 \ 
 
 \i 
 
 \ 
 
 \'-'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. 
 
 V. 
 
 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\ 
 
 V 
 
342 
 
 DRANT AND RED JACKET. 
 
 p 
 
 S. 
 
 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. 
 
 k. 
 
 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 
 
 K 
 
 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- 
 
 jf 
 
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 : 
 
 il 
 
/ 
 
 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. 
 
 ai 
 
 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 
 
 U 
 
 <r 
 
 PI 
 
 )er 
 
 an 
 
 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 
 
 i" 
 
 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 ]■' 
 
 w 
 
 II 
 
 f't- 
 
 '.'■ ': 
 
 ' ■■ ? 
 
 h 
 
 ^- -. ' 
 
 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. 
 
 ^h 
 
 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 
 
tl 
 
 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. 
 
 11 
 
 n^ 
 
 f> 
 
I 
 
 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>* 
 
t 
 
 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 '» 
 
^J 
 
 <\y.. 
 
 
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 V] 
 
 ^^ 
 
 // 
 
 'c^l 
 
 c*. 
 
 c?-! 
 
 
 c^ 
 
 #J 
 
 C? 
 
 / 
 
 M 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 
 I.I 
 
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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 
 
 to 
 
 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. 
 
I