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 THE BELT OF 
 SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 ASfORT OFMASS4SOI? 
 
 BY KIRK MUNioE 
 
 E 
 
 
THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 EDUC.- 
 PSYCH. 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Estate of 
 Howard A. Judy 
 
-2,00 
 
 fa 
 
THE BELT OF SE7EN TOTEMS 
 
BOOKS FOR BOYS 
 
 Uniform with this Volume 
 THE BRAHMINS TREASURE 
 
 BY GEORGE A. HENTY 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE PRETTY 
 POLLY 
 
 BY W. CLARK RUSSELL 
 
 THE YOUNG MASTER OF 
 HYSON HALL 
 
 BY FRANK R. STOCKTON 
 
 Illustrated. Large ismo. Cloth, $1.50 
 per volume 
 
HE WAS SEIZED BY TWO PAIR OF BRAWNY HANDS AND DRAGGED 
 INBOARD 
 
 Page 193 
 
HE BELT of 
 SE^EN TOTEMS 
 
 A STORT OF MASSASOIT 
 
 By 
 KIRK MUNROE 
 
 Author of" Under the Great Bear," "Brethren of the 
 
 Coast" " Rick Dale," " Forward March ," 
 
 " The Mates Series " etc. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY 
 
 EMLEN McCONNEEE 
 
 Philadelphia 
 
 . B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 
 1902 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1901 
 
 BY 
 
 KIRK MUNROE 
 
 5TROTYPED AND PRINTED BY J. B. L.PPINCOTT COMPANY , PH.LADELPH.A, U.t.A 
 
 EDUC.- 
 
 PSYCH. 
 LIBRARY 
 
 GIFT 
 

 
 TO MY READERS 
 
 THE following story is not intended as a his 
 tory ; it is merely an effort to reconcile certain 
 apparently conflicting facts and to explain an 
 otherwise inexplicable situation. At the time 
 of the Pilgrim Fathers all American Indians not 
 excepting those of New England had suffered 
 repeated outrage at the hands of white men, and 
 in no case had they been given cause to love 
 the invaders of their country or to welcome 
 their presence. Why, then, did the powerful 
 Massasoit permit a white invasion of his territory 
 that he could so easily have crushed ? A friend 
 ship existed from the very first between him and 
 Edward Winslow, and the latter seems to have 
 exercised a great influence over the New England 
 sachem. What was the origin of this friendship ? 
 The Narragansetts, while submitting to Massa 
 soit s authority, were always in sullen opposition 
 to it. Why ? It is to answer these questions to 
 
 5 
 
 069 
 
6 TO MY READERS 
 
 my own satisfaction that I have constructed the 
 theory herewith advanced. 
 
 Many New England natives were kidnapped 
 and taken to various parts of Europe. Why 
 might not Massasoit have been among them ? 
 The wampum belt, on which was pictured the 
 distinguishing totems of seven leading New Eng 
 land clans, was worn by both Massasoit and Meta- 
 comet (King Philip), his son, and is still in exist 
 ence. Tasquanto (Squanto) was kidnapped from 
 Cape Cod and taken to England, where he re 
 mained for several years. Captain Dermer car 
 ried a number of native Americans to London, 
 where he sold them to be exhibited as curiosities. 
 He finally died of wounds received at the hands 
 of New England Indians. Champlain did aid a 
 war-party of Hurons to defeat the Iroquois in 
 one instance, and in another was defeated by the 
 same foe. Thus, while my story is admittedly 
 fictional, it has a substantial historical basis. 
 
 KIRK MUNROE. 
 
 BISCAYNE BAY. FLORIDA, 1901. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTKR PAGE 
 
 I. THE VILLAGE OF PEACE 9 
 
 II. CANONICUS MAKES TROUBLE ........... 18 
 
 III. AT THE CROSSING OF THE SHATEMUC ...... 28 
 
 IV. THE BELT CHANGES HANDS 38 
 
 V. WHAT THE DAUGHTERS OF KAWERAS FOUND . . 50 
 
 VI. IN THE LODGE OF THE ARROW-MAKER 60 
 
 VII. NAHMA JOINS A WAR-PARTY 70 
 
 VIII. Two YOUNG SCOUTS Si 
 
 IX. ON THE LAKE 91 
 
 X. AN OKI OF THE WATERS 101 
 
 XI. THE COMING OF SACANDAGA in 
 
 XII. A MEETING OF DEADLY FOES 121 
 
 XIII. To THE LODGES OF THE WHITE MAN 131 
 
 XIV. Two INMATES OF A GUARD-HOUSE 141 
 
 XV. THE BITTER WINTER OF CANADA 151 
 
 XVI. A DASH FOR LIBERTY 162 
 
 XVII. A DEATH-DEALING THUNDER-STICK 172 
 
 XVIII. KIDNAPPED 183 
 
 XIX. SOLD AS A SLAVE 194 
 
 XX. ONE FRIENDLY FACE 206 
 
 XXI. A CHANGE OF MASTERS 217 
 
 XXII. NAHMA AND THE BEAR RUN AWAY 228 
 
 XXIII. AN HONORED GUEST 238 
 
 XXIV. NAHMA REMEMBERS 248 
 
 XXV. BACK TO AMERICA 259 
 
 XXVI. SASSACUS THE PEQUOT 270 
 
 XXVII. A ROYAL HOME-COMING 281 
 
 XXVIII. IN THE COUNCIL-LODGE 292 
 
 XXIX. WINNING A BATTLE, A WIFE, AND A FRIEND . . 303 
 
 XXX. THE PILGRIMS OF PLYMOUTH 314 
 
 7 
 
PAGE 
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 
 
 HE WAS SEIZED BY TWO PAIR OF BRAWNY HANDS AND DRAGGED 
 
 Frontispiece. 
 INBOARD 
 
 AS SHE CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF THE WOUNDED YOUTH THE PRO 
 GRESS OF THE CANOE WAS INSTANTLY ARRESTED 5^ 
 
 NAHMA SPRANG UPON THE WHITE MAN WITH UPLIFTED KNIFE . 129 
 
 -LOOK, THEN, AND TREMBLE, THOU DOG OF A MURDERER" . 2 9 O 
 
THE 
 
 BELT OF SEFEN TOTEMS 
 * 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE VILLAGE OF PEACE 
 
 IN the olden days when the whole land belonged 
 to the red man the village of Longfeather the 
 Peacemaker was located on the river of Sweet 
 Waters, nearly one hundred miles, as the crow 
 flies, from the place where it flows into the sea. 
 Its ruler was Longfeather, the only son of Nas- 
 satip, sachem of the Wampanoags, and a man 
 wise enough to realize that peace was better for 
 his people than war. So he had sent his only 
 son, when still a mere youth, to one after another 
 of the surrounding tribes that he might learn 
 their language and establish friendships among 
 them. Thus Longfeather had lived for months 
 at a time among all the tribes dwelling east of 
 
 9 
 
io THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 the Shatemuc and the country of the terrible 
 Iroquois. He had travelled as far north as the 
 land of the Abenakis, from whom he learned to 
 make snow-shoes and to construct canoes of 
 birchen bark. He had visited the Nipmucks and 
 Nausets of the eastern coast, who taught him 
 many secrets of the salt waters from which they 
 gained their living. He had journeyed to the 
 southward, spending a year with the Narragan- 
 setts and another with the Pequots, the wampum- 
 making tribes. Then for a long time he had 
 remained with the warlike Mohicans, whose great 
 chieftain Tamenand loved him as a son, and 
 taught him from his own wisdom until Long- 
 feather became wisest of all Indians dwelling in 
 the region afterwards known as New England. 
 
 So many seasons of corn-planting and harvest 
 did the youth spend in travel and study among 
 the tribes, that when he finally turned his face 
 towards his own people he was become a man in 
 years as well as in stature and strength. So it 
 happened that he tarried again among the Pe 
 quots until he had won for a bride Miantomet, 
 a daughter of their sachem. The principal in- 
 
THE VILLAGE OF PEACE n 
 
 dustry of this tribe being the production of wam 
 pum, which was made in the form of cylindrical 
 beads, white, black, purple, and sometimes red, 
 cut from sea-shells, Longfeather s bride was 
 presented with a vast store of this precious 
 material in the form of strings and belts, so that 
 in winning her the young man also acquired 
 much wealth. 
 
 To fittingly celebrate the home-coming of his 
 son, Nassaup commanded a great feast that 
 should last for seven days, and to it were invited 
 the headmen of all the tribes in which Long- 
 feather had made friends. The place chosen 
 for this notable gathering was the mouth of a 
 beautiful valley, centrally located for the con 
 venience of the several tribes, and gently sloping 
 to the river of Sweet Waters. Here, then, in 
 early autumn, at the full of the harvest rnoon, 
 were gathered hundreds of the leading sannups 
 of the wide- spread territory bounded by the 
 great white river (St. Lawrence) on the north, 
 the salt waters that bathe the rising sun on the 
 east and south, and the Shatemuc (Hudson) on 
 the west. These, together with their families, 
 
12 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 formed an assemblage larger and more important 
 than any that could be recalled even by tradition, 
 and while much of their time was devoted to 
 feasting and dancing, they also discussed ques 
 tions of great significance. 
 
 One of these was the meaning of a vast 
 ball of fire, that, brighter than the sun and glow 
 ing with many colors, had shot athwart an evening 
 sky on the night of Longfeather s marriage to 
 Miantomet. To some this phenomenon por 
 tended evil, while to others it was an omen of 
 good promise ; but all were convinced that it 
 was connected in some way with the fortunes of 
 Longfeather. 
 
 Another matter discussed early and late with 
 unflagging interest was the rumored appearance 
 in remote regions of a race of beings having 
 human form, but unlike any heretofore known. 
 They were said to have white skins and hairy 
 faces, and were believed to control thunder and 
 lightning, which they used for the destruction of 
 all who came in their way. Some of them were 
 also described as bestriding fire-breathing mon 
 sters of such ferocity that they carried death and 
 
THE VILLAGE OF PEACE 13 
 
 destruction wherever they went. Most of these 
 rumors came from the south and from lands so 
 remote that they had been many months travel 
 ling from tribe to tribe and from mouth to mouth. 
 Whether the beings thus imperfectly described 
 were gods or devils none could tell. At the 
 same time those who heard of them agreed that 
 in spite of their form they could not be human, 
 for were not all men made in one likeness, with 
 red skins, black hair, and smooth faces ? 
 
 It was disquieting that, while most of these 
 rumors came from the far-distant south, some of 
 them also came from the north, and located the 
 white-skinned strangers not more than a month s 
 journey away. At the same time it was comfort 
 ing to have all stories agree that, while they 
 appeared from the ocean borne on the backs of 
 vast winged monsters of the deep, they always, 
 after a while, disappeared again as they had come. 
 
 Longfeather further reassured those who dis 
 cussed these matters by relating a tradition that 
 he had received from Tamenand. It concerned 
 other supernatural visitants who had once come 
 even to the land of the Wampanoags ; but so long 
 
i 4 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 ago that not even the great-grandfather of the old 
 est man living had seen them. They also were 
 described as of white skin and having hair on 
 their faces. It was not told that they rode fire- 
 breathing dragons, or that they were armed with 
 thunderbolts, but they had come from the sea 
 and returned into it again when they were ready 
 for departure. To be sure, they had slain many 
 of the native dwellers and caused great fear 
 throughout the land, but after going away they 
 had never again been seen. To this day, how 
 ever, traces of their visitation remained in the 
 form of certain pictured rocks that they had 
 inscribed, and which no man might remove or 
 even touch, under penalty of death. 
 
 The simple-minded forest-dwellers listened to 
 these tales with the same dread that would inspire 
 us of to-day upon hearing that inhabitants of some 
 distant planet, bringing death-dealing weapons 
 that were unknown to us, had invaded the world. 
 They shuddered, gazing furtively about them as 
 they listened, and drew closer together as though 
 for mutual protection. Although the fears thus 
 aroused sobered the red-skinned assemblage 
 
THE VILLAGE OF PEACE 15 
 
 and left it in small humor for further festivities, 
 this was not regretted by Nassaup, since it ren 
 dered them the more willing to listen to a plan 
 that he wished to propose. It was one so long 
 considered that it had become the chief desire of 
 his life, and was nothing more nor less than a 
 federation of all the tribes there represented, 
 in the interests of peace, mutual aid, and protec 
 tion. For two days was this proposition dis 
 cussed, and then it was accepted. A belt of 
 wampum, on which was worked his own totem, 
 was given to each of the seven head chiefs 
 present, and a great belt of the same material, in 
 which the seven totems were combined, was pre 
 sented to Longfeather. On account of his wis 
 dom he had been unanimously chosen to rule the 
 allied tribes, and this Belt of Seven Totems was 
 the badge of his authority. So Longfeather be 
 came Peacemaker and Lawgiver to all that re 
 gion, and on account of its central location he es 
 tablished his official head-quarters upon the very 
 spot where the great assemblage had been held. 
 Thus was founded the village of Peace, in which 
 all questions affecting relations between the tribes 
 
1 6 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 were discussed and treaties were made. It was 
 a place of refuge to which all persons accused of 
 wrong-doing and in danger of their lives might 
 flee, with a certainty of protection until their 
 cases could be considered by the Peacemaker. 
 It also became a trading-point to which were 
 attracted the skilled makers of such articles as 
 were most in demand among the tribes. 
 
 Large areas of nearby lands were brought 
 under cultivation, and these, fertilized with fish 
 taken in quantities from the teeming river, pro 
 duced wonderful crops of beans, maize, and 
 pumpkins. No war-parties ever visited the vil 
 lage of Peace, but there was a constant coming 
 and going of strangers. To it travelled the 
 Abenakis, bringing furs, maple-sugar, and highly 
 prized ornaments of copper that had come to 
 them from the far west. Here they exchanged 
 these things for bales of dried fish from the 
 eastern coast, seal-skins, or belts of wampum. 
 Here, also, they found expert makers of flint 
 arrow-heads, knives, and hatchets, weavers of 
 mats, and workers in clay, from whom they might 
 procure rude vessels of earthen-ware. 
 
THE VILLAGE OF PEACE 17 
 
 Above all, here dwelt Longfeather, to whom 
 could be submitted all disputed questions, with a 
 certainty that he would settle them wisely and 
 justly. Thus it happened that the village of 
 Peace became the political capital and chief trad 
 ing-point of all New England long before ever a 
 white man had set foot in that region. Here, too, 
 some twenty years after its founding, was born 
 Nahma, the son of Longfeather, a lad whose 
 strange adventures in after-life are now for the 
 first time about to be related. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 CANONICUS MAKES TROUBLE 
 
 THE boy thus introduced was carefully trained 
 for the high position that he must some time fill. 
 Although from his father he never heard an im 
 patient or an unkind word, he was taught to 
 respect his elders and to yield the most implicit 
 obedience to those in authority over him. As 
 soon as he was old enough to comprehend what 
 he heard and saw he was permitted to sit beside 
 the Peacemaker and listen to the discussion of 
 matters affecting the well-being of the tribes. 
 From Longfeather himself, from the old men of 
 the village, and from the visitors who journeyed 
 to it Nahma learned the traditions of his people. 
 His father also taught him to distinguish the 
 totems of tribes or clans, together with their 
 significance, and illustrated his lessons by means 
 of the pictured belts that hung in the council- 
 house. From these same teachers Nahma also 
 learned to believe in witchcraft and magic, by 
 
 18 
 
CANONICUS MAKES TROUBLE 19 
 
 which alone were they able to account for 
 many natural phenomena. Thus even in the 
 years of his youth there came to Nahma a wis 
 dom beyond that of all other lads, and his name 
 became known from one end of the land to the 
 other. 
 
 Nor during this time of mental training was 
 that of his body neglected. Every day, even in 
 the depth of winter, when ice must be broken 
 before water could be reached, he was made to 
 plunge into the river or the sea to toughen him 
 and harden his flesh. He was taught to swim and 
 to paddle a canoe before he could walk ; and often 
 in later years when trained runners were sent by 
 Longfeather with messages to distant tribes, the 
 lad was allowed to accompany them, that he 
 might learn the trails, familiarize himself with 
 remote localities and people, and acquire the art 
 of traversing great spaces in the shortest possible 
 time. So fleet of foot and so strong of wind 
 did he thus become that he at one time covered 
 the distance between the village of Peace and 
 the sand-dunes of the Nausets on the edge of 
 the great salt water between two suns, a feat 
 
20 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 never before accomplished, and at which all men 
 marvelled. 
 
 After this Nahma was frequently chosen to be 
 his father s messenger on occasions of importance, 
 and very proud was the young warrior of the 
 trust thus reposed in him. Thus it happened 
 that one day in the lad s eighteenth year, when 
 a matter of grave import demanded prompt 
 communication with a distant point in a region 
 of danger, Longfeather naturally turned to 
 Nahma, his son. 
 
 Troublous times had come, and the safety of 
 the region so long ruled by the Peacemaker was 
 seriously threatened. To consider the situation 
 Longfeather had assembled a council of the tribes 
 at Montaup, on the edge of the salt water. This 
 was the great gathering-place of the Wampa- 
 noags, and to it their chieftain with his family was 
 accustomed to resort during" the heated months 
 
 o 
 
 of each summer. So here the council was met, 
 and after the calumet had passed entirely around 
 its seated circle Longfeather addressed the chiefs 
 as follows : 
 
 " It is well that we are come together, for the 
 
CANONICUS MAKES TROUBLE 21 
 
 shadow of trouble is upon us like that of a black 
 cloud hiding the sun. While we be of many 
 tribes we have until now been of one heart, and 
 even from the days of Nassaup, my father, have 
 we dwelt at peace one with another. Now, 
 however, is that peace threatened, and I have 
 summoned you to see what may be done." 
 
 Here the speaker took one from a bundle of 
 small sticks and handed it to the oldest chief, 
 saying, Take this peace-stick, my brother, and 
 remember its meaning-. " Then to the others he 
 
 o 
 
 continued, 
 
 " For a long time, from our fathers, and from 
 their fathers before them, have we heard tales 
 of strange, white-skinned beings armed with 
 thunderbolts, who have come from the sea. We 
 have listened with trembling, but have comforted 
 ourselves that these strangers, whom we took 
 to be gods, appeared not on our shores, but 
 at places far removed. Also we heard that 
 they tarried not ; but always, after a short stay, 
 departed as they had come. Take this stick, 
 my brother, and regard it with respect, for it 
 indicates the belief of our fathers." 
 
22 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 Thus saying, Longfeather handed a second stick 
 from his bundle to the aged chief. Then resum 
 ing his address, he said, 
 
 " But all our comfort has vanished with the 
 gaining of wisdom. Nearer and more frequent 
 have come tales of the whiteskins, until now 
 we know them to be men like unto ourselves, 
 only of a different color and having hairy faces. 
 They are armed with thunder- sticks that can kill 
 at three times the flight of our strongest arrows. 
 Also have we learned that these men are borne 
 to our coast in mighty canoes built by themselves 
 and driven by the wind. We know that many 
 of these canoes come for fish to the salt waters 
 of the Tarratines. Not only do they thus come 
 and go in ever-increasing numbers, but they even 
 visit the land to care for the fish they have taken. 
 Accept this stick, my brother, to remind thee of 
 the white-skinned men who fish." With this 
 Longfeather handed a third stick to the old man. 
 
 "Still," he continued, "the white fish-catchers 
 do not attempt to remain with us, nor have they 
 thus far given us cause to fear them. Some of 
 their lesser canoes, small when compared with 
 
CANONICUS MAKES TROUBLE 23 
 
 those in which they come and go, but large by 
 the side of ours, even as the eagle is larger than 
 the hawk, have drifted empty to our shores, and 
 our young men have made use of them. Also 
 at times the great winged canoes of the white 
 men have been seen to pass our coast, but never 
 until the season of last corn-planting have they 
 tarried. Then came one to the country of the 
 Narragansetts, where it remained for the space 
 of three moons. This stick, my brother, will 
 refresh thy memory concerning the coming and 
 tarrying of the great white canoe." With this 
 the speaker passed a fourth stick to the old chief. 
 Then deliberately and with emphasis he resumed 
 his speech, saying, 
 
 " On an island that they occupied the strangers 
 who came in this canoe erected a lodge. Many 
 of you have seen it and them. They roamed 
 through the forest making thunder and killing 
 beasts with their fire-sticks. Above all, they 
 traded with the Narragansetts, giving them 
 knives and hatchets made of an unknown metal, 
 strong and sharp, kettles that fire may not harm, 
 and many other things in exchange for skins of 
 
24 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 the beaver. Only with their thunder-sticks they 
 would not part. By many it was feared that 
 they would remain and attempt to possess the 
 land that is our land. But after a time they de 
 parted, and the heart of Longfeather was glad 
 when he knew they were gone. At the same 
 moment his heart was again made heavy, for they 
 gave out that they would come again, bringing 
 great wealth to exchange for beaver. Take this 
 stick, my brother, to remind thee that the white 
 men will come again. 
 
 " Now, my friends, what has happened? It is 
 this. The Narragansetts are puffed up with pride 
 because they are possessed of knives and hatchets 
 better and more deadly than any ever before seen 
 in all the world. Also, they desire to obtain more 
 of such things and to learn the secret of the 
 thunder-sticks that kill as far as one may see. 
 Therefore did Canonicus, head sachem of the 
 Narragansetts, propose secretly to me that when 
 the great canoe came again I should order the 
 white men to be killed, that he and I might 
 possess ourselves of their wealth, and so be 
 come as gods, all-powerful in the land. This 
 
CANONICUS MAKES TROUBLE 25 
 
 stick, my brother, marks the proposition of 
 Canonicus. 
 
 "To the evil words of the Narragansett I 
 refused to listen, saying to him that to do what 
 he had in his mind would surely bring upon our 
 heads the wrath of the Great Spirit. Further 
 more, I bade Canonicus put such evil thoughts 
 far behind him and consider them no more. 
 This stick, my brother, is Longfeather s answer 
 to Canonicus. 
 
 " Again, my friends, what has happened ? The 
 Narragansett promised to open wide his ears that 
 the words of Longfeather might sink into his heart. 
 Did he do this ? No. He closed tight his ears 
 that they might not hear, and began to look for 
 others who would aid him in his wickedness. So 
 far did his eyes travel that they came even to the 
 land of the Maquas [Mohawks], who from the 
 days of the first men have been our enemies. 
 To them is he preparing to send messengers with 
 presents and a promise of great wealth, together 
 with power over all the tribes, if they will join 
 him in destroying the next white men who may 
 come. Canonicus was bidden to this council, but 
 
26 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 I cannot see him. This stick, my brother, will 
 tell thee of his black heart. I have finished." 
 
 So long did the council discuss this situation 
 and so many were the speeches to be delivered 
 on the subject, that a decision was not reached 
 until late on the second day of meeting. Then 
 it was ordered that Canonicus should be sum 
 moned to report in person to the assembled 
 chiefs, who for two days longer would await his 
 coming. If at the end of that time he had not 
 appeared, a war-party of the allied tribes should 
 be sent to fetch him. In the mean time Long- 
 feather would send a delegation to the Maquas 
 bearing presents, and offering, on behalf of the 
 combined New England tribes, a treaty that 
 should secure to all equal benefits from whatever 
 trade might be had with the white-skinned 
 strangers. It was furthermore agreed that so 
 long as the white men proved themselves friendly 
 they should be treated as friends. " For," said the 
 Peacemaker, " they are few and we are many, they 
 are weak while we are strong, therefore let us live 
 at peace with them, if indeed they come to us 
 again, a thing that I trust may not happen. So 
 
CANONICUS MAKES TROUBLE 27 
 
 shall we please the Great Spirit who made them, 
 doubtless for some good reason, even as he made 
 the red man and gave him control over the earth." 
 So it was done even as the council had ordered, 
 and a runner was despatched to Canonicus with a 
 summons for him to appear at Montaup, and for 
 bidding him to treat with the Maquas. Also 
 active preparations were made for sending an 
 embassy to that powerful people on behalf of 
 the allied New England tribes, and to his joy 
 Nahma was chosen to accompany it as his 
 father s representative. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 AT THE CROSSING OF THE SHATEMUC 
 
 THE whole land to the very edge of the great 
 salt water, and including the islands of the sea, 
 was covered with a forest that sheltered it alike 
 from summer heats and the deadly cold of win 
 ter. Stately pines growing on hill-sides lifted 
 their evergreen heads far above all other trees, 
 and stood as ever-watchful sentinels. Mighty 
 oaks shaded wide-spread areas, while graceful 
 elms were mirrored in lake and river. Every 
 where the painted maples flaunted their brilliant 
 colors, while chestnut, beech, hickory, and walnut 
 showered down bountiful stores of food to those 
 trusting in them for a winter s supply. Man, 
 beast, and bird, all children of the forest, dwelt 
 within its safe protection and were fed from its 
 exhaustless abundance. Its rivers and smaller 
 streams, filled from brimming reservoirs and 
 unobstructed by dams, afforded highways of 
 
 travel ever ready for use and always in the best 
 
 28 
 
AT THE CROSSING OF THE SHATEMUC 29 
 
 of repair. Besides these, the forest was threaded 
 with trails worn by countless generations of 
 Indian runners, traders, hunters, and fighters, 
 and these were as familiar to the dwellers in the 
 shade as are the streets of a city to one born 
 within its walls. 
 
 Along one of these devious trails, narrow and 
 so dim that an unpractised eye would quickly have 
 lost it, sped a solitary runner. He was young 
 and goodly to look upon, while his movements 
 were as graceful as those of the deer, whose 
 soft-tanned skins constituted his attire. He 
 was bareheaded, and in his hair was fastened 
 a single feather from the wing of an osprey 
 or fishing eagle. 
 
 A noticeable feature of his costume was a 
 broad belt of wampum, worn diagonally across 
 his breast so that it might readily be seen and 
 recognized. On it at short intervals were worked 
 seven figures representing birds, beasts, and fishes, 
 for it was the Belt of Seven Totems, indicating 
 the authority of Longfeather the Peacemaker, and 
 the young runner now wearing it so conspicuously 
 was none other than Nahma, his only son. 
 
30 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 While Longfeather awaited the return of his 
 messenger to Canonicus and made ready the 
 presents intended for Sacandaga, chief sachem 
 of the Maquas, news came that the Narragansett 
 embassy to that same powerful chieftain had al 
 ready set forth on its mission. Thus there was 
 no time to be lost if his own message was to 
 reach Sacandaga first, an event that he deemed 
 to be of the utmost importance. The chiefs 
 whom he desired to send as ambassadors could 
 not travel at greater speed than could the Narra- 
 gansetts, who had a two days start, but it was 
 possible that a fleet-footed runner might even yet 
 overtake and pass them. As this thought flashed 
 through Longfeather s mind he knew that if the 
 thing might be done it could only be accom 
 plished by the swiftest of all his runners, and he 
 promptly caused Nahma to be summoned. 
 
 At that moment the young warrior was listen 
 ing with eager interest to the stories of white men 
 and their great winged canoes, told by Samoset, 
 an Abenaki youth of his own age, who had 
 accompanied his chieftain to the council at 
 Montaup. 
 
AT THE CROSSING OF THE SHATEMUC 31 
 
 "What do they call their tribe?" inquired 
 Nahma, "and of what nature is their speech? 
 Doth it resemble ours so that one may compre 
 hend their words ?" 
 
 "They appear to be of many tribes," replied 
 Samoset, " though we call them all Yengeese. 
 Also they speak with many tongues, strange and 
 unpleasant to the ear." 
 
 "What are they like, these tongues? Hast 
 thou not caught some word that we may hear?" 
 
 "Often they say Hillo and Sacre, " replied 
 Samoset, "but what these mean I know not. 
 Also, once, where from hiding I watched them 
 cooking fish on a beach, a pebble rolled from me 
 to them. As they sprang up in alarm I slipped 
 away, fearing lest they might take offence. As 
 I did so one of them cried out very loud, * Mass 
 i-sawit ! (By the mass I saw it.) 
 
 "Massasoit," repeated Nahma, thoughtfully. 
 " It hath a familiar sound, and might be a word 
 of the Wampanoags, except that it is without 
 meaning. I long greatly to see these white- 
 skinned fish-catchers and their big canoes that 
 resemble floating hill-tops with trees growing in 
 
32 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 them. So if it may be arranged I will return 
 with thee, Samoset, to look upon these wonders. 
 But you have said naught of the thunder-sticks 
 about which we hear so much. What of them ? 
 Are they indeed as terrible as represented?" 
 
 Ere Samoset could answer, Nahma received 
 word that Longfeather desired his presence, and, 
 promising shortly to rejoin his companions, he 
 left them. Ten minutes later, without their 
 knowledge or that of any person in all Montaup, 
 save only his parents, the young runner had left 
 his father s lodge bound on a solitary mission, 
 longer, more important, and more dangerous 
 than any he had heretofore undertaken. He 
 was to make his way with all speed and in 
 utmost secrecy to Sacandaga, head sachem of 
 the Maquas, and urge him, in the name of Long- 
 feather, not to treat with the Narragansetts or 
 any other single tribe before the arrival of the 
 Peacemaker s own embassy. 
 
 Longfeather had given his instructions hastily 
 and in a few words. He had invested the lad 
 with his own superb belt as a badge of authority, 
 and had dismissed him with the peremptory orders 
 
AT THE CROSSING OF THE SHATEMUC 33 
 
 of a sachem, delivered in the loving tone of a 
 father who sends his only son into danger. 
 
 Besides the Belt of Seven Totems, Nahma 
 carried only a bow and arrows slung to his back, 
 a wallet of parched corn bruised in a mortar 
 until it formed a coarse meal, a small fire-bag of 
 flints and tinder, and a copper knife, the precious 
 gift of his father. Having taken but five minutes 
 for preparation, he tenderly embraced his mother 
 and bade her farewell. Filled with a presenti 
 ment of coming evil, Miantomet clung to him as 
 though she could not let him go ; but, comforting 
 her with loving words, the lad gently disengaged 
 her arms from about his neck and sprang away. 
 In another minute he had plunged into the forest 
 and was lost to sight amid its blackness. 
 
 For some hours the way was partially revealed 
 by the light of a young moon, and by the time 
 of its setting Nahma had placed a score of miles 
 between him and Montaup. Then, as he could 
 no longer make speed through the darkness, he 
 flung himself down at the foot of a great oak and 
 was almost instantly fast asleep. 
 
 By earliest dawn he was again on the trail, and 
 
 3 
 
34 
 
 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 all that day he sped forward with hardly a pause. 
 Occasionally he passed a group of bark huts 
 nestled beside some smooth-flowing stream and 
 surrounded by rudely tilled fields ; but at none 
 of these did he halt, save only now and then for 
 a few mouthfuls of food. The belt that he wore 
 insured him everywhere a glad welcome and 
 instant service. He forded or swam the smaller 
 streams ; while at points where his trail crossed 
 rivers he always found canoes that he did not 
 hesitate to appropriate to his own use if their 
 owners were not at hand. He was on the king s 
 business and nothing might delay it. 
 
 Thus Nahma sped so swiftly on his errand 
 that an hour before sunset of the second day 
 found him, very weary but exultant, on the east 
 ern bank of the Shatemuc and at the border of 
 the country claimed by the Iroquois, of whom 
 the Maquas were the easternmost tribe. He was 
 farther from home than he had ever been before 
 and in a region of which he had no knowledge. 
 At the same time he knew that the Maquas, being 
 now at peace with the New England tribes, were 
 accustomed to send hunting-parties east of their 
 
AT THE CROSSING OF THE SHATEMUC 35 
 
 great river, and so he had hoped to find one or 
 more canoes at the crossing. In this, however, 
 he was disappointed, for, search as he might, he 
 could discover none of the desired craft, though 
 he found a place where several had but recently 
 been concealed. 
 
 As there were no other traces of human 
 presence in that vicinity, Nahma concluded that 
 the canoes had been taken by persons coming 
 from across the river. He did not suspect that 
 it might have been done by the Narragansetts 
 whom he was striving to outstrip ; for thus far 
 he had discovered, no sign of them, and had 
 reached a conclusion that they must have taken 
 some other trail. At any rate, there was no 
 canoe to be had, and, as he was determined to 
 cross the river before dark, he must swim it. 
 This he did, keeping dry his scanty clothing and 
 few belongings by floating them on a small raft 
 of bark that he pushed before him. Arrived on 
 the farther side our young runner made a startling 
 discovery. Not only were a number of canoes 
 drawn out on the bank and concealed beneath 
 overhanging bushes, but on the soft ground 
 
36 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 beside them he found the unmistakable imprint 
 of Narragansett moccasins. Also, a short dis 
 tance back from the river, he came upon the still 
 smouldering remains of a small fire. At length, 
 then, he was close upon the heels of his rivals, 
 and he must at all hazards pass them that night 
 in order to gain a first hearing from Sacandaga. 
 At the same time he was in immediate need of 
 food and rest, for he was faint with hunger and 
 exhausted by his recent exertions. There was 
 no sign of danger, his rivals had gone on, and 
 the fire they had so kindly provided invited him 
 to cook food that was to be had for the taking. 
 
 So abounding with fish were all the streams of 
 that land that no one possessed of even ordinary 
 skill at catching them need go hungry. Nahma 
 was well aware of this, and, taking a pinch of 
 his parched corn, he stepped back to the river s 
 bank and cast it upon the water. In another 
 moment he had transfixed with an unerring arrow 
 one of the half-dozen large fish that rushed 
 greedily to the surface, and his supper was 
 provided. Having cooked it and satisfied his 
 ravenous hunger, the lad withdrew to a thicket 
 
AT THE CROSSING OF THE SHATEMUC 37 
 
 well beyond the circle of firelight and flung him 
 self down for an hour of sleep before continuing 
 his journey. 
 
 The young runner was lost to consciousness 
 within a minute after closing his eyes ; but not 
 until his heavy breathing gave notice of the fact 
 did a painted savage, who for more than an hour 
 had watched his every movement, drop to the 
 ground from among the branches of a thick- 
 leaved oak. There he had crouched as motion 
 less as a panther awaiting its prey ; and now, 
 after stretching his cramped limbs, he stole with 
 catlike tread towards the sleeping youth. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE BELT CHANGES HANDS 
 
 IN all the history of the world it has happened 
 that dwellers by the sea have been more ad 
 vanced and prosperous than their inland neigh 
 bors. Thus, in the present instance, the Wam- 
 panoags and the Narragansetts were the most 
 numerous and powerful of the New England 
 tribes. There had always been jealousies and 
 often open warfare between them, nor had these 
 wholly ceased to exist upon the election of 
 Longfeather to the high office of Peacemaker. 
 Canonicus, head sachem of the Narragansetts, 
 felt that he was equally entitled to be thus 
 honored, and consequently was bitterly jealous 
 of his successful rival. This feeling was shared 
 by his nephew and adopted son, Miantinomo, 
 only that the envy and hatred of the latter were 
 directed against Nahma, whose place as future 
 ruler of the allied tribes he was determined to 
 38 
 
THE BELT CHANGES HANDS 39 
 
 occupy, if by any means such a thing might be 
 accomplished. 
 
 Thus, when Canonicus planned to secure a 
 power greater than that of Longfeather by 
 forming an alliance with the eastern Iroquois, he 
 found in Miantinomo an eager assistant. So, even 
 as the Peacemaker had chosen his own son to 
 represent him in the mission to Sacandaga, Canoni 
 cus selected Miantinomo for a similar position 
 in the Narragansett embassy. In this way, with 
 out either being aware of the fact, the two young 
 rivals became actively pitted against each other 
 in the most important undertaking of their lives. 
 
 While urged to make all possible haste, the 
 Narragansett party was obliged to adapt its 
 pace to that of the oldest chief among them ; 
 and while they expected that Longfeather would 
 also send messengers to the Maquas, they fancied 
 these would be equally restricted as to speed. 
 They knew that they had a start of at least two 
 days, and believed they could reach Sacandaga s 
 village, transact their business, and depart for 
 home before the coming of their rivals. At the 
 same time they neglected no precaution to insure 
 
40 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 the success of their undertaking. They struck 
 the Shatemuc at a point much lower than that 
 reached by Nahma, and from it ascended the 
 river in canoes. As they advanced they kept 
 sharp watch of the eastern shore, and removed 
 all craft found on it to the opposite side of the 
 river. Their last exploit of this kind was at a 
 place where they must again take to the land and 
 follow a trail to the Maqua villages. 
 
 Having thus provided for a further delay of 
 the other party, they felt no apprehension of being 
 overtaken, and proceeded leisurely on their jour 
 ney. They did, however, take the added pre 
 caution of leaving a scout behind them to watch 
 the crossing until sunset. For this purpose they 
 selected Miantinomo, as being the keenest-eyed 
 and swiftest- footed of their party. So Nahma s 
 most active rival and secret enemy was left to 
 cover the rear, while his elders disappeared in 
 single file up the narrow trail. 
 
 According to Indian custom Miantinomo had 
 brought pigments with him, and now he relieved 
 the tedium of his watch, which he did not believe 
 would amount to anything, by painting his body 
 
THE BELT CHANGES HANDS 41 
 
 in anticipation of a speedy arrival at the Maqua 
 villages. So interested was he in this occupation 
 that for a time he forgot everything else ; then, 
 startled by a splash in the river, he glanced up. 
 A swimmer, just emerged from deep water, was 
 wading ashore pushing before him a small raft, 
 and Miantinomo instantly recognized him. Be 
 ing hidden behind a screen of bushes, and satis 
 fied that Nahma was still ignorant of his presence, 
 the young Narragansett, crouching low, made his 
 way to a thick-leaved oak that overhung the trail 
 a short distance back from the river, and was 
 snugly hidden among its branches by the time 
 Nahma gained the land. 
 
 Miantinomo was not wholly surprised to dis 
 cover the son of Longfeather at this place ; but 
 he could not understand why he should be alone. 
 It must be that he had come to obtain canoes in 
 which to bring over the others of his party. 
 Thus thinking, he expected to see Nahma at once 
 recross the river. In that case he would hasten 
 after his own companions and urge them to travel 
 all night, that they might still reach the Maqua 
 villages in advance of their rivals. 
 
42 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 But the new-comer failed to do as expected, 
 and Miantinomo was more puzzled than ever at 
 witnessing his preparations to secure a meal and 
 spend some time where he was. He evidently 
 was alone, and after the spy became convinced 
 of this, he wondered if by some means he might 
 not prevent Longfeather s messenger from con 
 tinuing his journey. He was also filled with a 
 great longing to possess himself of the Belt of 
 Seven Totems, which he recognized as Nahma 
 again assumed it. Well did the young Narra- 
 gansett realize the power conferred upon the 
 wearer of that belt. If it should be opposed to 
 him in the presence of Sacandaga, then would 
 his mission prove a failure and his uncle s 
 cherished plan would come to naught. On the 
 other hand, if the all-powerful belt could be made 
 to appear in his behalf, if he only might possess 
 it even for a short time, how easy would become 
 his task ! 
 
 From the moment these thoughts entered his 
 mind Miantinomo was determined to acquire the 
 coveted object by any means that should offer. 
 He knew that Nahma would never relinquish the 
 
THE BELT CHANGES HANDS 43 
 
 belt of his own free will, and that it must be 
 taken from him by either stealth or force. He 
 knew also that should he succeed in his wicked 
 design he would incur the vengeance of Long- 
 feather, and doubtless bring on a war in which 
 all the New England tribes would be involved. 
 But what of that ? Would not the powerful 
 Iroquois fight on the side of the Narragansetts ; 
 and, armed with the white man s weapons, might 
 they not successfully defy the world ? 
 
 Filled with these ambitious thoughts, Mian- 
 tinomo flattened himself closer against the great 
 oak limb and, regardless of the discomfort of his 
 position, watched with glittering eyes every move 
 ment of his rival. More than anything else 
 he resembled a venomous serpent awaiting an 
 opportunity to spring upon an unsuspecting 
 victim. At his back was a bow and a quiver 
 of flint-headed arrows, with one of which he might 
 easily have stricken Nahma to the earth at any 
 moment, but he was not yet prepared to shed 
 innocent blood for the accomplishment of his 
 purpose. Besides, he dared not make a move 
 ment that might attract the other s attention. 
 
44 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 So he waited with all the patience of his race 
 and an ever-strengthening resolve to obtain pos 
 session of the Peacemaker s belt. 
 
 In the mean time Nahma, utterly unconscious 
 of the dangerous presence so close at hand, 
 procured, cooked, and ate his supper, selected 
 what he believed to be a safe resting-place, and 
 laid himself down for a nap. The moment for 
 which Miantinomo had waited was at hand, and 
 with noiseless movement he slipped to the ground. 
 For a few seconds he stood motionless behind 
 the tree, to assure himself that his rival had not 
 been aroused ; then with catlike tread he stole 
 towards the unsuspecting sleeper. 
 
 At length he stood beside Nahma and bent 
 over him with the coveted belt easily within 
 his reach. Bits of moonlight sifting through 
 leafy branches fell upon it and upon the upturned 
 face of the sleeper. So profound was his 
 slumber that Miantinomo believed he might re 
 move the belt without disturbing him, and laying 
 his stone-headed war-club within easy reach, he 
 began with the utmost caution to make the. at 
 tempt. It had very nearly succeeded, and the 
 
THE BELT CHANGES HANDS 45 
 
 belt, partially loosened, was within his grasp, 
 when, without warning, Nahma opened his eyes. 
 Miantinomo leaped back at the first sign of 
 waking, and as his victim attempted to gain his 
 feet a crushing blow stretched him again on the 
 ground motionless and to all appearance dead. 
 
 For a moment the young Narragansett stood 
 ready to repeat his cowardly assault ; but, seeing 
 that a second blow was unnecessary, he again 
 bent over the body of his rival and snatched from 
 it the belt for which he had been willing to risk 
 so much. With his prize thus secured, he was 
 about to hasten from the spot when another 
 thought caused him to pause. It would never do 
 to leave the evidence of his crime where it was 
 so certain to be discovered. He had not meant 
 to kill Nahma, and now that the awful deed was 
 committed, he trembled at thought of its possible 
 consequences. Even his own people would re 
 gard him with abhorrence if they knew of it, 
 while the vengeance of Longfeather would be 
 swift and terrible. Therefore what he had done 
 must never be known even by his nearest friends, 
 and before leaving that spot he must remove all 
 
46 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 traces of his murderous deed. Stripping off his 
 scanty raiment that it might not become blood 
 stained, he lifted the limp form of the stricken 
 youth, and carrying it some distance down the 
 stream, flung it into the river. He heard the 
 heavy splash of the body as it struck the water, 
 but was too nervous to make further inquiry as to 
 its condition. Thus whether it sank or floated he 
 did not know, nor did he seek to discover, but 
 fled from the spot as though pursued. 
 
 Reaching the place where he had left his gar 
 ments and the belt, he hastily resumed the former, 
 and concealed the latter beneath them. Then he 
 set forth at top speed to rejoin his companions 
 and report that he had seen nothing alarming 
 during his watch by the river-side. 
 
 On the following day the Narragansett em 
 bassy reached the Maqua villages, where, in spite 
 of their alluring proposition and valuable presents, 
 they were at first received with coldness and sus 
 picion. At the council assembled to hear their 
 talk Sacandaga flatly refused to make an alliance 
 with any one of the New England tribes, and the 
 Narragansetts retired from it believing that the 
 
THE BELT CHANGES HANDS 47 
 
 cherished plan of Canonicus must come to 
 naught. 
 
 That night, however, Miantinomo sought a 
 private interview with the Maqua sachem, and 
 displayed to him the Belt of Seven Totems, 
 which Sacandaga at once recognized, since its 
 fame had spread far and wide. "It is the belt 
 of Longfeather," he said, after a close inspection. 
 
 "Yes," replied Miantinomo, "it is the belt of 
 the great Peacemaker, who is also my father." 
 
 "How can that be?" asked the other. "May 
 a man have two fathers ?" 
 
 " By adoption, yes," answered the young Narra- 
 gansett. " Having no son of his own, Longfeather 
 has adopted the nephew of his friend Canonicus, 
 that in time their tribes may be united under one 
 chief. To the Narragansetts I am known as 
 Miantinomo, but by all others am I called Nahma, 
 son of Longfeather." 
 
 " I have heard the name and it is described as 
 being that of a most promising warrior," said 
 Sacandaga, regarding the young man with re 
 newed interest. 
 
 "One blessed with two such fathers should 
 
48 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 indeed prove himself worthy," was the modest 
 reply. "In proof that I am regarded as a son 
 by Longfeather," he continued, "the Peacemaker 
 has intrusted me with this token of authority. 
 Never before has he parted with it, and to none, 
 save only the mighty chief of the Maquas, whose 
 friendship he greatly desires, would he send it. 
 Also he has done this thing in secret, so that 
 even those who come with me know not that I 
 am intrusted with so great authority." 
 
 So impressed was Sacandaga by this flattering 
 statement and by sight of the belt offered 
 in evidence of its sincerity, that he not only 
 listened attentively to the young man s proposals, 
 but finally agreed to accept them. 
 
 "With Canonicus alone I could not have 
 treated," he said, "for he is but one of many; 
 but with Longfeather, who represents the many, I 
 may enter into a compact." 
 
 "The words of Sacandaga are good," replied 
 Miantinomo, gravely, "and will be as the singing 
 of birds in the ears of Longfeather. At the same 
 time I trust it will not be forgotten that they may 
 not be sent directly to him. For the present 
 
THE BELT CHANGES HANDS 49 
 
 he would not have it known that he desires the 
 wealth of the white-skinned strangers. If they 
 think him a friend they will the more readily 
 fall into the snare he will set for them. There 
 fore, my father, let the public treaty be made 
 only between Sacandaga and Canonicus, for 
 Longfeather will be well pleased to have it so 
 proclaimed." 
 
 "I understand and will not forget," replied the 
 Maqua chief. 
 
 Thus through treachery and deceit did the 
 wily young Narragansett gain his point and 
 accomplish the mission with which he had been 
 intrusted by Canonicus. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 WHAT THE DAUGHTERS OF KAWERAS FOUND 
 
 SACANDAGA secretly gave to Miantinomo a belt 
 of wampum bearing the emblem of a tortoise, 
 his own totem, to be transmitted to Longfeather, 
 while publicly he gave another to the Narragan- 
 sett chiefs for Canonicus. After the formalities 
 of the treaty as well as the private negotiations 
 were concluded, Miantinomo urged the imme 
 diate departure of his companions lest they 
 might discover his evil doings. Then, having 
 got them well started on their homeward journey, 
 he hastened on in advance. For this he gave an 
 excuse that the whites who were to be plundered 
 might appear at any time, and that every hour 
 was now of importance. His real reason was 
 the belief that Lonrfeather must also have sent a 
 
 o 
 
 delegation of chiefs to confer with the Maquas, 
 and a determination to meet them and, if possi 
 ble, turn them back. So, while his companions 
 took a trail different from the one by which they 
 50 
 
WHAT KAWERAS DAUGHTERS FOUND 51 
 
 had come, Miantinomo hastened back to the place 
 where he had encountered Nahma, and found 
 those who had followed the son of Longfeather 
 camped on the opposite bank of the river await 
 ing the coming of canoes in which to cross over. 
 
 For some time after his appearance among them 
 they asked no questions, but waited in dignified 
 silence to learn of his errand to them. Finally, 
 the young man said, 
 
 " My fathers, you are following Nahma, the son 
 of Longfeather, on a mission to Sacandaga, the 
 Iroquois. Is it not so ?" 
 
 "It is as my young brother has said," replied 
 one of the chiefs. 
 
 "Then you may be spared a farther journey," 
 continued Miantinomo, " for Nahma, by virtue of 
 the belt he wore, the great Belt of Seven Totems, 
 readily gained the ear of Sacandaga, even while I 
 and those with me were vainly striving to do so. 
 Thus did he make a treaty with the Iroquois on 
 behalf of Longfeather, his father, and for fear 
 that you might claim a share in the honor he has 
 returned to Montaup by another trail. Even now 
 he travels with those of my people who kept me 
 
52 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 company. I have come by this trail that I may 
 visit the village of Peace before returning to my 
 father. For this I was heavy-hearted ; but now 
 am I glad, because I have met with you, and may 
 so save you a useless journey." 
 
 For some time the chiefs discussed this report 
 of Miantinomo ; and then, because they did not 
 wholly trust him, they decided to retain him 
 as a hostage while one of their number visited 
 the Maqua villages for confirmation of his 
 words. 
 
 During the absence of this messenger Mianti 
 nomo was filled with apprehension, though he 
 carefully hid his feelings and affected the utmost 
 unconcern. He even went so far as to advise 
 Longfeather s commissioners to appropriate to 
 their own use the presents they were bearing to 
 Sacandaga, and seek their respective homes with 
 out reporting to the Peacemaker. 
 
 "The treaty has been made," he said. "The 
 sachem of the Maquas is satisfied and expects 
 nothing further. You have been put to much 
 trouble and will have no share in the honor. 
 Longfeather has no thought that the presents will 
 
WHAT KAWERAS DAUGHTERS FOUND 53 
 
 be returned to him. Therefore is it best that 
 you who have earned them should keep them." 
 
 To such arguments the chiefs listened not un 
 willingly ; and when their messenger returned 
 with a report that Miantinomo had spoken truly 
 concerning what had taken place in the Maqua 
 village, they decided to accept his advice. 
 
 " Why should Longfeather have intrusted the 
 Belt of Seven Totems to one so young and 
 inexperienced as Nahma instead of to us?" they 
 asked. " Also why did he not tell us that he had 
 done so ? Truly he has shamed us, and if we 
 take his presents to wipe out our shame, then 
 shall we do that which is right and good." 
 
 Having reached this conclusion, each took a 
 share and went his way ; while Miantinomo, re 
 joicing at the complete success of his evil designs 
 and still wearing next his skin the Belt of Seven 
 Totems that was the badge of highest authority 
 in all that land, returned to his own people. There 
 he busied himself with the secret spreading of 
 various reports concerning the young rival with 
 whom he had dealt so foully. One was that 
 Nahma had taken a Maqua girl to wife and 
 
54 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 would thereafter dwell among the Iroquois. 
 Another was to the effect that he had been 
 murdered by his companions of Longfeather s 
 embassy for the sake of the belt that he wore, 
 as well as for the presents intrusted to them, 
 which they had taken for their own benefit. 
 
 From Sacandaga himself Longfeather learned 
 that a young man named Nahma and wearing 
 the Belt of Seven Totems had indeed visited the 
 Maqua villages, from which he had departed again 
 in company with the Narragansett chiefs. Al 
 though the latter denied this and declared that 
 they had not seen Nahma, Miantinomo main 
 tained that he had met him in Sacandaga s vil 
 lage and spoken with him. 
 
 By these and other conflicting stones was the 
 fate of Nahma so shrouded in mystery that it 
 became impossible to discover what had really 
 befallen him, and finally his friends mourned for 
 him as for one who is dead. Even while they 
 thus mourned it became rumored that either 
 Canonicus or Miantinomo, his adopted son, would 
 succeed Longfeather in the high office of Peace 
 maker and ruler of the allied New England tribes. 
 
WHAT KAWERAS DAUGHTERS FOUND 55 
 
 In the mean time, while all these events were 
 happening, Nahma knew nothing of them nor 
 indeed of anything else, for he lay tossing with 
 fever in the lodge of Kaweras, principal arrow- 
 maker of the Maquas. When, apparently dead, 
 he had been flung into the river to disappear for 
 ever from human eyes, he had fallen among a 
 bed of reeds in a place where the water was too 
 shallow to drown him. There he lay motionless 
 through the long night hours, half in the water 
 and half out of it, while the tall reeds whispered 
 and rustled above his head. Soft-flitting night- 
 birds gazed at him with wondering eyes, while 
 timid animals coming to the river to drink 
 sniffed the air tainted by his presence and fled 
 in terror. 
 
 Towards morning a glimmer of returning life 
 entered the numbed brain, and in striving to 
 obey its commands the poor bruised body began 
 to make feeble movements. By sunrise Nahma 
 was sitting up and gazing stupidly at the green 
 wall by which he was surrounded. Also he 
 muttered over and over, with tedious repetition, 
 three meaningless words: " Hillo, Sacre," and 
 
56 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 "Massasoit." Other than this he gave no sign 
 of restored consciousness. He did not take 
 heed even when a sound of merry voices came 
 to the place where he sat, nor was his attention 
 attracted by a loud swish and rustle of the reeds 
 that came ever nearer until it was close at hand. 
 Then there was a momentary silence, broken 
 only by the monotonous repetition of " Hillo, 
 Sacre, Massasoit." 
 
 A stifled exclamation and excited whispers 
 announced that these words had at length reached 
 human ears, but there was an evident hesitation 
 while fear struggled with curiosity. After a 
 minute the reeds in front of Nahma were noise 
 lessly parted, and the bow of a canoe stole into 
 sight inch by inch with almost imperceptible 
 motion. From it peered the face of a young 
 girl, bright and fascinating, but big-eyed with 
 apprehension as that of a startled fawn. As 
 she caught a glimpse of the wounded youth the 
 progress of the canoe was instantly arrested, 
 while the girl became rigidly motionless. Her 
 eyes, however, took in every detail of his ap 
 pearance and of his melancholy situation. He 
 
AS SHE CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF THE WOUNDED YOUTH THE PROGRESS 
 OF THE CANOE WAS INSTANTLY ARRESTED 
 
WHAT KAWERAS DAUGHTERS FOUND 57 
 
 still appeared to see nothing and still repeated 
 the words that had attracted attention, " Hillo, 
 Sacre, Massasoit." 
 
 4 What is it, sister? What do you see?" 
 came in a frightened whisper from an unseen 
 speaker who occupied the farther end of the 
 canoe; but the other, still gazing motionless, 
 made no reply. "Aeana," insisted the invisible 
 one in a louder tone, "tell me quickly what you 
 see. I am frightened." 
 
 "I see nothing to be afraid of, Otshata," re 
 plied the girl in the bow of the canoe. " It is a 
 young man, but he is evidently sorely wounded 
 and regards not our presence. There, you may 
 see for yourself." With this the girl called 
 Aeana pulled the canoe into such a position that 
 the other could catch a glimpse of Nahma. 
 
 "It is certain that he is handsome," whispered 
 Otshata ; " but is not his condition dreadful ? Let 
 us hasten and report it to our father." 
 
 " No," answered Aeana, decisively. " That is," 
 she added, "we will return to our father, and 
 that quickly, but we must either take this young 
 man with us or leave him to perish. See you 
 
58 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 not that the river is flowing backward and that 
 its waters are rising ? If we leave him he must 
 
 o 
 
 die, since he is in no condition to care for him 
 self. How we may get him into the canoe I 
 know not, but if that can be done we will carry 
 him to Kaweras, our father." 
 
 The elder though more timid sister attempted 
 a further expostulation, but without heeding her 
 Aeana brought the canoe close to where the 
 wounded youth still sat, indifferent alike to his 
 fate and his surroundings, idly repeating the 
 strange words that had fixed themselves in his 
 bewildered brain. Aeana spoke to him, but he 
 failed to comprehend what she said. She laid 
 a gentle hand on his arm and endeavored to 
 persuade him into the canoe, but he sat passively 
 motionless. 
 
 Finally in despair the girl uttered one of the 
 strange words that he so constantly repeated. 
 " Massasoit," she said, and the youth looked 
 at her, seeming for the first time to recognize 
 her presence. A faint smile flickered across 
 his blood-smeared features, and he made a move 
 ment towards her. In another moment, aided 
 
WHAT KAWERAS DAUGHTERS FOUND 59 
 
 by her supple strength, he had gained the interior 
 of the canoe, and lay weakly with closed eyes 
 while the two girls pulled it out from among 
 the reeds. Then seizing their paddles, they urged 
 the light craft swiftly down the river towards 
 their father s lodge. 
 
 Thus did the daughters of Kaweras, who had 
 been sent to fetch a bundle of stout reeds that 
 might serve as shafts for bird arrows, return 
 without them, but bringing a wounded and un 
 conscious youth in their place. 
 
 Although the old arrow-maker saw at a glance 
 that the young warrior was not of the Maqua, 
 nor even of the Iroquois people, his ideas of 
 hospitality did not permit him to ask questions 
 nor hesitate a moment before attending to the 
 stranger s needs. It required the united strength 
 of father and daughters to transfer Nahma from 
 canoe to lodge, and when he was finally laid in 
 the latter on a hastily improvised couch of boughs 
 and skins, he was once more to all appearance 
 dead. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 IN THE LODGE OF THE ARROW-MAKER 
 
 THE lodge of Kaweras, occupied only by him 
 and his two daughters, stood by itself in a grassy 
 glade shaded by elms on the western bank of 
 the lordly Shatemuc. Close at hand flowed a 
 spring of crystal water, while at no great dis 
 tances were abundant materials for the prosecu 
 tion of the old arrow-maker s trade. Nearby 
 hills furnished him with flints and slate, agate 
 and milk-white quartz ; stout reeds and tough, 
 straight-grained woods were to be had for the 
 taking. Deer of the forest yielded him their 
 strong back-sinews for binding arrow-head to 
 shaft, and myriads of sea-fowl flying up or down 
 the broad river gave him of their feathers. In 
 his younger days Kaweras had been a noted 
 warrior. Now he was the most expert arrow- 
 maker of the region in which he dwelt. He was 
 also a mystic, a prophet, and one well versed in 
 60 
 
IN THE LODGE OF THE ARROW-MAKER 61 
 
 the science of healing by means of herbs, roots, 
 bark, and leaves. 
 
 In his double capacity of arrow-maker and 
 medicine-man Kaweras was much sought after, 
 and though his lodge stood remote from any 
 village of his people, it was rarely without visitors. 
 Young warriors came for arrows and to catch 
 glimpses of his pretty daughters ; their elders 
 came to consult with him concerning grave affairs ; 
 while many of all ages and both sexes came for 
 healing or to profit by his advice. As all 
 brought gifts, Kaweras was well-to-do, and his 
 larder was always stocked with choicest products 
 of forest and field without effort on his own part 
 or that of his daughters. 
 
 These last kept tidy the spacious lodge with 
 its three divisions, of which only the outer one 
 was for the general public, prepared the family 
 meals, and did much sewing with needles of fish 
 bone threaded with fibre or sinew. At the same 
 time they found abundant leisure for paddling 
 on the river in their canoe of white birch brought 
 from the far north and for attending to the 
 needs of their pets, two tame fawns and a large 
 
62 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 flock of wild ducks bred in captivity. Also they 
 helped their father in the making of arrows, and 
 especially in the .gathering of material. 
 
 With this busy but uneventful life the elder 
 sister was quite content, but Aeana always longed 
 for excitement and adventure. Now she had 
 found both in the coming to their quiet lodge of 
 a stranger, young, mysterious, wounded to the 
 point of death, and speaking a language to 
 which even the wisdom of her father could find 
 no clue. Furthermore, she regarded him with 
 a proprietary interest, for had she not discovered 
 him and rescued him from almost certain de 
 struction ? 
 
 During the long illness that followed his com 
 ing, and while he lay oblivious to his surroundings, 
 she often gazed curiously upon his face, listened 
 to the three strange words that he repeated to 
 the exclusion of all others, and speculated con 
 cerning him. She became impatient for him to 
 get well that he might tell her who he was, 
 where he came from, and how he happened to be 
 in the sad plight that had so nearly proved fatal. 
 She would have talked of him to their many 
 
IN THE LODGE OF THE ARROW-MAKER 63 
 
 visitors but for her father s expressed wish that 
 Nahma s presence in their lodge should be kept 
 a secret from all men. Kaweras hoped thus to 
 learn something concerning him from unguarded 
 conversations, but in this he was disappointed. 
 It is true that he heard of the mysterious dis 
 appearance of Nahma, the son of Longfeather, 
 but whenever that youth was mentioned Mian- 
 tinomo was described, and as this description 
 did not coincide in any particular with the appear 
 ance of his patient, he had no reason to connect 
 the two. 
 
 Otshata was quite as much interested in the 
 young stranger as was her sister, but in another 
 way. She thought him very handsome, which 
 Aeana would not admit, and secretly rejoiced 
 in the helplessness that depended so largely 
 upon her gentle ministrations. She had the 
 motherly instinct that found pleasure in self- 
 sacrifice, and from the first constituted herself 
 chief nurse of the stricken youth. 
 
 For a long- time it was doubtful if Nahma 
 
 o 
 
 would ever recover from the illness by which he 
 was prostrated ; but after it finally took a turn 
 
64 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 for the better he began rapidly to mend. On 
 the day that he first ventured outside the lodge 
 into the freedom of open air there was much 
 rejoicing in the little family, but it was tinged 
 with sadness. Although weak and emaciated 
 from his long sickness, he was still a goodly 
 youth to look upon, and gave promise of 
 speedily regaining his physical powers ; but his 
 mind was that of a child. He could neither 
 tell nor remember anything of his former life, 
 even its language was lost to him, and he could 
 converse only in such words of the Iroquois 
 tongue as he had acquired from his present 
 associates. As he could not tell them his name, 
 they called him " Massasoit," from the word he 
 had most frequently uttered during his delirium, 
 and this he accepted as readily as he did all else 
 that they offered him. 
 
 While thus compelled to relearn everything 
 that required mental effort, it was soon dis 
 covered that he had lost none of his cunning 
 in matters calling for physical strength or skill. 
 He could still shoot an arrow or hurl a spear 
 with unerring aim, was rarely at fault on the 
 
IN THE LODGE OF THE ARROW-MAKER 65 
 
 dimmest trail, and proved himself an adept in 
 such branches of Indian handiwork as usually fell 
 to the share of warriors, such as the fashioning 
 of weapons or the building of canoes. He soon 
 regained a muscular strength even greater than 
 that with which he had been endowed before his 
 illness, while his fleetness of foot excited the 
 wonder of his friends. 
 
 With all this Nahma was gentle and submis 
 sive to authority, a trait that aroused the utmost 
 scorn in the mind of Aeana. From the time his 
 mental weakness was discovered this high-spirited 
 girl treated him as she would a child, bidding him 
 come or go, fetch or carry, according as she felt 
 inclined, and apparently she despised him for his 
 ready obedience to her orders. He, on the other 
 hand, regarded her with an intense admiration 
 and sought in every way to win her favor. All 
 his trophies of the chase were laid at her feet 
 only to be contemptuously rejected or flung to 
 Otshata. In the latter, however, the young man 
 found a friend to whom his misfortune appealed 
 so keenly that she treated him with unwearied 
 kindness and tenderest consideration. He called 
 
 5 
 
66 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 her " sister," a term that he dared not apply to 
 Aeana, and poured all his troubles into her sym 
 pathetic ear. 
 
 One day Nahma returned hot and weary from 
 a chase that had lasted many hours and pre 
 sented a noble stag to Aeana. Without taking 
 notice of the gift, and careless of his evident 
 weariness, she bade him fetch her water from the 
 spring. As he willingly departed on this mission 
 she regarded him with curling lip, and when he 
 returned bearing a large earthen jar of water 
 that he set before her, she promptly overturned 
 it so that its contents were spilled. At the same 
 time she uttered the single word "squaw" with 
 an accent of utter contempt and entered the 
 lodge, leaving him bewildered and mortified. 
 
 Walking slowly towards the river, he discovered 
 Otshata seated in a shaded nook on its bank em 
 broidering a moccasin with painted quills. 
 
 "My sister, why does Aeana hate me?" he 
 asked, as he flung himself despondently on the 
 turf beside her. 
 
 4 She hates thee not, my brother," replied the 
 other, interrupting her work to look at him. 
 
IN THE LODGE OF THE ARROW-MAKER 67 
 
 " Truly she does. In every word and by every 
 act she shows her dislike," declared Nahma, bit 
 terly. " She would be glad never to see me 
 more, and I will go away rather than remain 
 longer to displease her by my presence." 
 
 " Speak not of such a thing!" exclaimed 
 Otshata. " Whither would you go, and what 
 should we do without our hunter? If Aeana 
 seems to treat thee unkindly, it is only to inspire 
 thee with a braver spirit. She likes it not that 
 one come to the estate of a warrior should tamely 
 serve her. She would have thee do brave deeds, 
 and also she would have thee remember thy past. 
 Canst thou not do this, and by hard thinking re 
 call some one thing ? Who was thy father ? Who 
 struck the cruel blow that so nearly ended thy life ? 
 Who are thy people ? Are they the Saganaga of 
 the south, the Oneidas of the west, or wast thou 
 born among the fish-eaters who dwell in the coun 
 try of sunrising ? I will not ask if thou hast Huron 
 blood in thy veins ; for in spite of thy moccasins 
 I feel assured that thou art not of that wicked 
 people." 
 
 By this reference Otshata recalled the fact that, 
 
68 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 when found wounded in the river sedge, Nahma 
 had on his feet a pair of Huron-made moccasins 
 procured in the village of Peace to replace others 
 worn out by his journey ; but of these he could 
 give no account. 
 
 " I strive to remember," declared the youth, 
 vehemently. " Night and day, sleeping and wak 
 ing, I think till my head seems like to burst, but 
 tis of no use. The only life that I know is here, 
 and if I have had another, it is gone from me like 
 a dream of the black hours. So it is well that I 
 should go away, and if these Hurons be thy 
 enemies and the enemies of Aeana, then will I 
 go and fight against them that she may no longer 
 despise and hate me." 
 
 "No, no !" cried Otshata. "Think not of the 
 war-path, my brother. The Hurons are very fierce 
 and terrible and cruel. Also they are so filled with 
 evil designs that only the wisest and most experi 
 enced warriors may hope for success against 
 them. Thee they would easily kill ; or, what is 
 worse, they would take advantage of thy sim 
 plicity to adopt thee and make thee sharer of 
 their wickedness." 
 
IN THE LODGE OF THE ARROW-MAKER 69 
 
 At this point the conversation was interrupted 
 by a summons from Kaweras bidding 1 Massasoit 
 come to him quickly. 
 
 While it had been comparatively easy to keep 
 secret the presence of a stranger in the lodge of 
 Kaweras during his illness, it became impossible 
 to do so after he was out and about. So a 
 knowledge of the mysterious youth who could 
 remember nothing of his past speedily became 
 noised abroad, and many persons, attracted by 
 curiosity, came to see him. The victim of these 
 interviews dreaded them so intensely that he 
 spent much time in remote forest depths to avoid 
 them. Now, however, he was fairly caught, and 
 going reluctantly to the lodge, followed at a dis 
 tance by Otshata, he found himself in the pres 
 ence of a distinguished-looking chieftain who was 
 seated on a robe beside Kaweras. Behind them 
 stood a group of warriors. As Nahma drew 
 near the eyes of all these were fixed intently 
 upon him, though no word was spoken until he 
 paused within a few paces of his host. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 NAHMA JOINS A WAR-PARTY 
 
 " MASSASOIT," said Kaweras, as the young man 
 regarded him inquiringly, " I would have plumes 
 from Ke-neu, the great eagle, to make a war- 
 bonnet. He waits yonder for an invitation to 
 come to us. Can you persuade him ?" 
 
 With this the speaker pointed upward to where 
 a golden eagle, attracted by a bait of raw flesh 
 placed temptingly at some distance from the 
 lodge, circled on motionless pinions. 
 
 Glancing in the direction indicated, Nahma 
 stepped within the lodge, from which he quickly 
 reappeared bearing a bow and three arrows. 
 Again taking his station in front of Kaweras, he 
 stood for a moment motionless, watching intently 
 the movements of the eagle, that still circled slowly 
 downward. One arrow was fitted to the bow 
 string, while the other two were stuck in the 
 ground before him. Suddenly the youth lifted 
 
 his weapon and let fly its feathered dart. Then 
 70 
 
NAHMA JOINS A WAR-PARTY 71 
 
 he shot twice more with such marvellous rapidity 
 of motion that the third arrow was leaving the 
 bow ere the first had reached its mark. As the 
 spectators uttered an involuntary exclamation of 
 amazement, the great bird, evidently stricken to 
 its death, plunged dizzily downward with feebly 
 beating wings. 
 
 "Bring it," said the sachem, addressing those 
 who stood behind him, and each taking the com 
 mand to himself, all sprang away in a breathless 
 race for the trophy. 
 
 " Do thou bring it," said Kaweras to Nahma. 
 
 Instantly the young bowman darted forward 
 with such amazing swiftness that, despite the 
 distance already gained by the others, he over 
 took and passed them ere they could reach the 
 coveted goal. As he picked up the dead bird 
 and bore it back the others made way for him, 
 nor did one offer to take from him the prize that 
 he had thus twice won. As he laid it at the feet 
 of Kaweras the bird was seen to be transfixed 
 by three arrows. 
 
 "The young man should be named Sharp-eye, 
 Quick-hand, and Swift-foot," exclaimed the visit- 
 
72 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 ing sachem, who was none other than Sacandaga, 
 " for he has proved himself to excel the best of 
 my warriors in all these things. Not until this 
 day have I believed the tales told me touching 
 his skill ; but now I know them to have been less 
 than the truth. If he be as fearless as he is quick 
 he should take high rank as a warrior. How say 
 you, Massasoit ? Will you go with me and my 
 young men to do battle with the Hurons, who are 
 reported to have taken the war-path against us ?" 
 
 For a moment the youth hesitated. He glanced 
 at the old arrow-maker, whose features were un 
 moved and who made no sign. Then he looked 
 towards Otshata, whose face showed her distress 
 and who made an imploring gesture for him to 
 decline the offer. Finally he turned to Aeana, 
 who stood motionless and with averted gaze, but 
 her attitude and expression were unmistakable. 
 They said as plainly as words, " He is a squaw 
 and dares not face the war-path." 
 
 In an instant Nahma s resolution was taken, 
 and he answered Sacandaga, saying, 
 
 "I am without experience of the war-path, nor 
 have I knowledge of any people save only of 
 
NAHMA JOINS A WAR-PARTY 73 
 
 these, my father and my sisters. If, however, 
 these Hurons be the enemies of Kaweras and 
 of his daughters, then will I gladly go with thee 
 to fight against them." 
 
 "It is well," replied Sacandaga, greatly pleased 
 to have gained so promising a recruit. " Spend 
 thou the night with my young men, who will in 
 struct thee concerning many things, and in the 
 morning will we set forth." 
 
 Some hours later, when the camp-fires had 
 burned low and the recumbent forms gathered 
 about them were buried in slumber, two men 
 issued silently from the lodge of Kaweras and 
 made their way to a secluded spot on the 
 river-bank, where they believed they might discuss 
 weighty matters without danger of being over 
 heard. They were Sacandaga and the old arrow- 
 maker, and when they had gained the place they 
 sought the latter broke the silence by saying, 
 
 "It is now many days since I became aware 
 that Sacandaga proposed to honor my poor lodge 
 by a visit. Also am I informed of his object in 
 coming, though he has told it to no man." 
 
 " How may such a thing be ?" asked the other. 
 
74 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 "To all men come dreams, but to a few only 
 is given the power of understanding them," re 
 plied Kaweras. " The many dream dreams and 
 forget them on waking. Some indeed recall 
 them and make vain efforts to comprehend their 
 meaning ; but to Kaweras a dream speaks a 
 language as easy of understanding as the signs 
 of the forest or the voices of birds that dwell 
 among its branches." 
 
 11 So I have heard, and for that reason 
 have I come to thee," said Sacandaga. "Tell 
 me, then, what is my desire and if it may be 
 accomplished." 
 
 " The Hurons are reported to be gathering on 
 the war-path leading to the country of the Iro- 
 quois, and thy desire is to proceed with such 
 promptness against them that they may be sur 
 prised and destroyed while still in their own terri 
 tory. Then would you descend on their villages 
 and wipe them out, that the power of our enemies 
 may be broken forever." 
 
 "That is indeed a hope that I have cherished, 
 but always in secret, and for my brother to know 
 of it is proof that I have not done wrong in com- 
 
NAHMA JOINS A WAR-PARTY 75 
 
 ing to him for advice," said Sacandaga. "How, 
 then, Kaweras, will this plan of mine succeed, 
 and shall we thus rid ourselves of the wolves 
 whose howling has so long troubled our ears?" 
 
 The prophet hesitated before making reply. 
 Then he said slowly, " Sometimes the dream- 
 pictures are so plenty and come so quickly that 
 it is hard to make out one from another, as it is 
 hard to understand the words of one man when 
 many are talking. I see a fight. In it are 
 Maquas and Hurons. The Maquas chase their 
 enemies and kill them. It is morning and the sun 
 is shining. Also with this picture I see another 
 battle in which the Hurons are overcoming 
 the Maquas and taking many prisoners. In this 
 one is thunder and lightning, by which many are 
 killed. Which is the true picture I know not, 
 nor how to advise my brother concerning them." 
 
 4 Then will I interpret and tell thee their mean 
 ing," exclaimed Sacandaga. " Both are true, 
 and their meaning is this. I and my young men 
 are to go on the war-path against the Huron dogs 
 and will surely encounter them. If we do so on 
 a fair morning when there is no sign of storm in 
 
76 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 the air, then shall we overcome them and wipe 
 them from the face of the earth. If we should 
 meet them in the morning and delay an attack 
 until later in the day, then would the Great Spirit 
 grow angry and send his lightnings to destroy us. 
 It is well, my brother. I will remember to seek 
 the enemy on a fair morning and avoid him on a 
 day of storm. Now I would ask thee one more 
 question. What do thy dreams tell of the young 
 man who is called Massasoit?" 
 
 "This only," answered Kaweras, "that he is 
 the son of a chieftain, and will himself become a 
 leader of men, wiser even and more powerful 
 than his father." 
 
 " But who is his father?" 
 
 "I know not, though of late I have come to a 
 suspicion that this young man may be Nahma, 
 the missing son of Longfeather." 
 
 "That cannot be, for I have had dealings with 
 the son of Longfeather and know that he and 
 this youth are not one person." 
 
 " Did not that one also claim to be a son of 
 Canonicus ?" 
 
 " He did so claim." 
 
NAHMA JOINS A WAR-PARTY 77 
 
 " Then he may have spoken falsely ; for Uncas, 
 the Mohican, hath lately sent me word that Nahma 
 and Miantinomo are two separate persons, holding 
 no love for each other and having nothing in com 
 mon." 
 
 " If the words of Uncas should prove true and 
 it shall appear that I have been led falsely into a 
 treaty with Canonicus, then shall the wrath of 
 Sacandaga fall upon the Narragansetts even as 
 one destroys a serpent that has stung him. I 
 will look closely into the matter when I have 
 returned from dealing with the Hurons. Until 
 then it is well that I keep this young man where 
 I may watch over him." 
 
 In the mean time the youth under discussion 
 had just passed the pleasantest evening his short 
 memory could recall. He was like a boy brought 
 up in a nursery with only girls for companions, 
 at length set free and for the first time admitted 
 to the company of men. He had no recollection 
 of companions of his own age and sex, so that 
 the young warriors who now welcomed him to 
 their ranks were revelations as surprising as they 
 were interesting. 
 
78 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 How much they knew, and what wonderful 
 things they told him ! At the same time how 
 delightful was it to listen to their praise of his 
 own accomplishments ! Until now he had not 
 known that he possessed accomplishments, but 
 supposed that every one could shoot and run 
 equally well with himself. He could not re 
 member having learned to do these things, nor 
 had he found occasion since entering the lodge 
 of Kaweras to test his skill in them against that 
 of others. Now, therefore, he was surprised as 
 well as pleased to find himself in the position of 
 a hero on account of abilities that he had hereto 
 fore regarded as commonplace. 
 
 So pleasant was the evening thus spent with 
 his new companions that when Sacandaga gave 
 the signal for conversation to cease that his 
 young men might sleep and so prepare for an 
 early start on the morrow, Nahma was filled with 
 eager anticipations of the new life opening before 
 him, and already wondered how he could have 
 been content with that passed in the lodge of 
 Kaweras. 
 
 With the earliest promise of dawn he was 
 
NAHMA JOINS A WAR-PARTY 79 
 
 first of all the sleeping warriors to spring to his 
 feet and begin preparations for departure. Such 
 as he had to make were few and simple, but 
 to him they were of vast importance. New 
 moccasins and leggings of buckskin, a light robe 
 of soft furs in which to wrap himself at night, 
 and a wing feather from the great eagle for 
 his head completed his list of personal belong 
 ings. Besides these he would take a bow and 
 the quiver of fine flint-headed arrows that Ka- 
 weras presented to him that morning, his stone 
 hatchet or tomahawk, and the copper scalping- 
 knife that was his sole relic of a former but 
 unremembered life. Also he must furnish to the 
 general stock of provisions a large, close-woven 
 basket of parched corn. 
 
 By sunrise a meal had been hastily eaten and 
 everything was in readiness for the setting forth 
 of the war-party. Kaweras embraced Nahma 
 and bade him make for himself a name. Tears 
 streamed down the cheeks of Otshata as she 
 bade him farewell and pressed into his hands a 
 pair of daintily embroidered moccasins as a token 
 of remembrance. The youth looked on all sides 
 
8o THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 for Aeana, but she was nowhere to be seen. 
 Only after his canoe was well out on the river 
 and he glanced back for a farewell view of the 
 place that had been to him a home did he see, 
 standing on a slight elevation and gazing in his 
 direction, a solitary figure that he knew to be 
 that of the girl who scorned him. 
 
 Some days later he found tucked down in the 
 toe of one of Otshata s moccasins an exquisite 
 little tinder-bag of softest fawn-skin that he had 
 last seen hanging from the shapely neck of 
 Aeana. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 TWO YOUNG SCOUTS 
 
 FOR two days did Sacandaga s little expedition 
 proceed up the Shatemuc, now making" tedious 
 carries around roaring waterfalls, and again la 
 boriously hauling their laden canoes up some 
 stretch of tumultuous rapids. At one of these 
 places Sacandaga, bidding Nahma accompany 
 him, left the river and made his way swiftly along 
 a broad trail that led to the westward. After 
 following it for a while they came to a place of 
 many springs delightfully shaded by giant trees. 
 Although no human being was to be seen, there 
 were on all sides remnants of former encamp 
 ments. Also the ground about certain of the 
 springs was worn bare by innumerable hoof- 
 prints, showing that deer and other animals were 
 accustomed to gather here in great numbers. 
 Deeply marked trails leading from every direc 
 tion centred here, as though the springs formed 
 a meeting-place for all people. 
 
 6 81 
 
82 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 As Nahma noted these things Sacandaga 
 smiled at his expression of astonishment. "It 
 is Sara Tioga, the place of healing," he said. 
 " To it come all who are sick or suffer pain that 
 they may drink of the medicine waters and be 
 cured. Many would be here now but for the 
 report that an enemy is coming this way. When 
 we have wiped him out then will we return hither, 
 that we may rejoice with feasting and dancing. 
 At that time will be seen a great gathering of 
 the Iroquois, for this is the place of all their 
 places that they most love. Now, however, we 
 may tarry only long enough to drink of the life- 
 giving waters and then must we hasten forward. 
 In drinking take careful note of the spring most 
 offensive to thy taste, for thus may be discovered 
 which one is most needful to thy well-being." 
 
 So Nahma drank of all the springs, finding 
 some of them salt, some sparkling with effer 
 vescence, and others so nauseous that he turned 
 from them in disgust. 
 
 " I like none of them and will drink no more," 
 he finally declared. 
 
 "Then must all of them be for thy good and 
 
TWO YOUNG SCOUTS 83 
 
 thou must stand in need of all the elements they 
 contain," answered his companion, who cared to 
 hear naught but praise of his beloved springs. 
 " But let us go, for we have no time to lose." 
 
 As they turned to depart from the beautiful 
 place, Nahma suddenly sprang upon his com 
 panion with such violence that Sacandaga was 
 hurled to the ground and the young man fell 
 with him. At the same moment an arrow was 
 buried to its shaft in the trunk of a beech a few 
 paces in front of them, where it stood quivering 
 with the force that had sped it. Even as he fell 
 Nahma bounded up, and an instant later, when 
 the startled sachem also gained his feet, he saw 
 the young warrior darting back in the direction 
 from which they had just come. 
 
 At the same time a third figure hideously 
 daubed with war-paint appeared in plain view. 
 He stood directly in front of the rash youth with 
 bended bow and a second arrow drawn to its 
 head. Quick as thought Nahma dropped, and 
 the feathered missile flew harmlessly above him. 
 As he again leaped to his feet his assailant turned 
 to fly, but ere he had taken half a dozen steps he 
 
84 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 sprang convulsively into the air and plunged head 
 long with outstretched arms. An arrow sped from 
 Sacandaga s bow had passed through his body. 
 
 "Why did you kill him?" asked Nahma, re 
 gretfully, as the two stood together looking 
 down on the still twitching body of their late foe. 
 
 "Is it not what my young brother would have 
 done?" inquired Sacandaga, in surprise. 
 
 " No ; I would have caught him and made him 
 tell me things." 
 
 "What things?" 
 
 "Why he hid from us and tried to kill us, who 
 he was, and what he was doing here. I do not 
 remember seeing him among thy young men." 
 
 Sacandaga smiled grimly. " He seems to have 
 escaped being seen until he came within range of 
 Quick-eye s vision ; but all thy questions may be 
 answered in a word. He is a Huron." 
 
 "A Huron!" cried Nahma. "How may that 
 be, when he looks like other men ? I thought a 
 Huron was a wolf. Surely my father has said 
 
 so." 
 
 A Huron is a wolf in spirit," replied Sacan 
 daga, as he stooped and deftly removed the dead 
 
TWO YOUNG SCOUTS 85 
 
 man s scalp, "but the wolfish spirit is concealed 
 beneath the semblance of a man." 
 
 "Then how may one know a Huron?" asked 
 the puzzled youth. 
 
 " By his paint, his moccasins, the cut of his 
 scalp-lock, the fashion of his weapons, his cast of 
 feature, and by a thousand other signs as plain as 
 the difference between light and darkness." 
 
 All these things had once been well known to 
 Nahma ; but now they were as though he had 
 never before heard of them, and he listened 
 eagerly to the words of Sacandaga s lesson. 
 
 " This time," concluded the sachem, " my young 
 brother has done well, and to his quickness of 
 sight combined with promptness of action do I 
 owe my life. But never again, my son, run openly 
 upon an enemy without first knowing his strength. 
 It is seldom that a Huron spy comes alone into 
 the Iroquois country, and had there been others, 
 or even one other, with this one, thy death had 
 been certain. Always when surprised seek first 
 a place of hiding from which to discover the 
 strength of thy enemy and plan for meeting 
 him." 
 
86 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 The Huron scout who had just paid the pen 
 alty of his daring was one of two sent to dis 
 cover if the Iroquois had knowledge concerning 
 the projected invasion of their country. His 
 companion had remained with their canoe at the 
 upper end of Andia-ta-roc-te (Lake George) 
 while he had penetrated the country as far as 
 the springs of healing, where, if the Iroquois felt 
 themselves secure from invasion, he was certain 
 to discover a number of their lodges. He was 
 greatly disappointed at finding the place unoccu 
 pied, and was about to retrace his steps with the 
 information that an alarm had been given, when 
 Sacandaga and his young companion appeared 
 on the scene. Hiding like a snake in the grass, 
 the Huron watched these two with longing eyes 
 while waiting to see if they would be followed 
 by others. He recognized Sacandaga, and was 
 determined if possible to carry back with him 
 the scalp of that redoubtable chieftain. 
 
 An opportunity came as his enemies turned to 
 depart, and he cautiously brought his bow into 
 position. At that instant Nahma, glancing back, 
 caught sight of a tip of the weapon projecting 
 
TWO YOUNG SCOUTS 87 
 
 above the tall grasses and did the only thing 
 possible to save his companion s life. 
 
 As the fortunate survivors of this episode left 
 the scene of its occurrence they took a path lead 
 ing northward, and after a time came again to the 
 Shatemuc, having cut off a great bend of the 
 river that the canoes must necessarily follow. 
 As they went they discovered the slight trail 
 left by the Huron scout, but at the river it was 
 lost. Wading to the opposite bank, Nahma soon 
 recovered it, and asked permission to follow it 
 farther ; but Sacandaga would not grant this 
 until the arrival of the canoes. Then, after 
 briefly relating what had happened, he selected 
 a young warrior already famous as a trailer and 
 ordered him to accompany Nahma over the path 
 the Huron had come. This warrior was named 
 Ah-mik-pan-pin, or the Grinning Beaver, on ac 
 count of two prominent front teeth over which 
 his lips were never wholly closed. 
 
 " Have a care," said Sacandaga on parting 
 with the young men, "and run no risks for the 
 sake of scalps. What I desire is a knowledge 
 of the party to which that Huron belonged. I 
 
88 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 would know how large it is, where it is camped, 
 and whether it is coming or going. Find out 
 these things as quickly as may be and come 
 again with thy news. The Maquas will sleep 
 to-night at the foot of the great rock by the 
 shore of the wide waters. They will have no 
 fire and will make no sound, but he who utters 
 the cry of wah-o-nai-sa (the whippoorwill) twice 
 and then once will be answered by the same cry 
 once and then twice. Go thou and come again 
 quickly." 
 
 With this Nahma and Grinning Beaver set 
 forth, and were instantly lost to view in the thick 
 ness of the forest. For two hours they sped for 
 ward without a pause, then they began to see 
 spaces of light through the trees, and the Beaver 
 intimated that they must now exercise the great 
 est caution. 
 
 "This trail will not lead us to them," he whis 
 pered, " for they will have moved to one side or 
 the other after their runner left. Let us, then, 
 go separately to the water s edge, thou on the 
 one side and I on the other. Whoever reaches 
 the beach first shall utter the cry of wah-o-nai-sa, 
 
TWO YOUNG SCOUTS 89 
 
 and if it be not quickly answered he shall return 
 to see what is wrong. Is it well ?" 
 
 "It is well," replied Nahma, and the two went 
 their respective ways as agreed. 
 
 With the utmost caution and without a sound 
 louder than his own breathing did Nahma circle 
 towards the lighted space marking the limit of 
 the forest. All at once he stopped and listened. 
 From behind him, faint and distant, he had heard 
 an unmistakable exclamation of surprise. 
 
 It was not repeated nor did he hear further 
 sounds, but it was enough, and after a moment 
 of listening he started back over the way he had 
 come. He found the place where he had parted 
 from his companion, and then followed the slight 
 trail made by the latter. Suddenly and without 
 warning he came upon a sight so startling that 
 he stood in his tracks like one petrified, gazing 
 at it with dilated eyes. 
 
 Two warriors locked in a deadly embrace lay 
 motionless on the ground. Their surroundings 
 were drenched with blood, and to all appearance 
 both were dead. Nahma stooped over them, and 
 saw to his horror that one of the faces, so swollen 
 
90 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 and distorted that he had not sooner recognized 
 it, was that of his recent comrade. The other 
 was a Huron, and a knife still clutched by the 
 Beaver s hand was buried to the hilt in his heart. 
 At the same time his own fingers held the throat 
 of the young Iroquois with a grip like that of a 
 vise. 
 
 It required all of Nahma s strength to unlock 
 that death-clutch, but at length he succeeded, and 
 the two mortal foes so recently thrilled with vig 
 orous life lay side by side stark and rigid. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 ON THE LAKE 
 
 NAHMA gazed about him in dismay. Night 
 was coming on, he was alone in a place of which 
 he had no knowledge, and he believed himself 
 surrounded by enemies. He even fancied he 
 could see dark faces peering at him from behind 
 the shadowy tree-trunks. Above all, the com 
 panion upon whom he had relied for guidance 
 and counsel lay dead at his feet. Although a 
 savage himself, accustomed only to savage sights 
 and ways, our lad had seen so little of death that 
 this last fact seemed incredible. He kneeled be 
 side the Beaver and gazed into his face, calling 
 him by name in a low voice and bidding him 
 open his eyes. 
 
 As he did this the dreadful aspect of the face 
 on which he was looking suggested another that 
 he had seen but a week earlier. It had been that 
 of a man drowned in the Shatemuc and brought 
 
 91 
 
92 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 to the lodge of Kaweras. To all appearance he 
 was dead, and yet the old arrow-maker had re 
 stored him to life. Nahma remembered perfectly 
 what was done at that time, for he had closely 
 watched every operation, and had even assisted 
 Kaweras in his efforts. Now, in his despair over 
 the present situation, but feeling that he could 
 not yield to it without making some attempt at 
 its betterment, he set to work upon the Beaver 
 exactly as Kaweras had done with the drowned 
 man. He turned the body on its face, drew for 
 ward the tongue, and cleared the mouth of froth. 
 Then by rolling the body on its side and back 
 again, at the same time applying a gentle press 
 ure to back and breast, he forced air into and 
 expelled it again from the lungs, thus producing 
 an artificial breathing. After that he sought to 
 restore circulation by rubbing upward along the 
 legs. In all his efforts he was without hope of 
 success and only worked for the sake of doing 
 something. He was therefore utterly amazed as 
 well as overjoyed to detect in his patient a slight 
 gasping for breath. He could scarcely believe 
 he had heard aright until it was repeated, and 
 
ON THE LAKE 93 
 
 then he knew that the Beaver was still to be 
 counted among those who lived. 
 
 Without thought of the danger from probable 
 enemies, Nahma sprang to his feet, started towards 
 the lake for water, and had gone half-way before he 
 recalled that he had nothing in which to fetch it. 
 Upon this he ran back, and picking up the still 
 unconscious form of his companion, staggered to 
 the beach with it in his arms. On his way he ran 
 across a canoe concealed in a clump of bushes, 
 but paid no attention to it for the moment. 
 
 As he laid his burden on the sand and glanced 
 up to see if they were still safe from the presence 
 of enemies, he detected a vague form some dis 
 tance up the beach that disappeared within the 
 forest even as he looked. It must of course be 
 a Huron warrior, and doubtless others were with 
 him. In that case to remain where they were 
 meant certain destruction, and there was but 
 one way to save his helpless companion as well 
 as himself. The canoe that he had just discov 
 ered would at least bear them away from the 
 treacherous forest and give them a fighting 
 chance for their lives in the open. 
 
94 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 In another minute Nahma had launched the 
 light craft, placed his comrade inside, and was 
 paddling furiously out over the lake. He had 
 not gone more than one hundred yards when 
 a series of yells from behind, and a flight of 
 arrows sent with deadly intent, showed that his 
 escape was discovered. Most of the arrows fell 
 short, and none of them inflicted any damage. 
 At the same time Nahma, glancing back, thought 
 he saw other canoes coming down the coast. 
 
 It was now so nearly dark that all objects were 
 indistinct, and if he could only maintain his lead 
 for a short time longer he might still evade his 
 pursuers. So the tired youth infused new energy 
 into his paddling and urged his craft forward with 
 redoubled speed. As he knew nothing of the 
 lake, he had no idea where to look for the great 
 rock beside which Sacandaga was to spend the 
 night, nor was the Beaver in any condition to 
 afford him information. So he held a course as 
 far as possible from both shores and continued 
 his paddling until nearly midnight, when he was 
 forced by sheer exhaustion to give it over. 
 
 Dark as was the night, our lad could still dis- 
 
ON THE LAKE 95 
 
 tinguish the darker forms of occasional islands as 
 he passed them, and at length drawing cautiously 
 in towards one of these, he made a landing. In 
 all this time the Beaver had been slowly strug 
 gling back to life, but he was still devoid of 
 strength or a knowledge of his surroundings. 
 So Nahma prepared as well as he could a bed 
 of branches and grass, to which he bore his com 
 rade. He also dragged up the canoe and turned 
 it on its side to provide shelter from a drizzle of 
 chill rain that was beginning to fall. Having 
 completed these simple preparations, the youth 
 ate a handful of parched corn drawn from his 
 wallet, and lying down beside the Beaver was 
 almost instantly fast asleep. 
 
 In regard to the necessaries of life the Ameri 
 can of that day was in no degree removed from 
 the beasts of the field. Like them he could 
 thrive upon the natural products of the forest, 
 and he also found its shelters sufficient for his 
 needs even in the most inclement weather. With 
 materials for a feast at hand he feasted ; but when 
 they were lacking he went without food uncom 
 plainingly and for incredible lengths of time. If 
 
96 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 in the present instance our lad had dared allow 
 himself the luxury of a fire he would quickly 
 have acquired all the comforts of a home, includ 
 ing an abundance of cooked food, a good bed, 
 warmth, and light. As it was he accepted cold, 
 wet, hunger, and a most uncomfortable resting- 
 place as things liable to be encountered at any 
 time in the ordinary course of events. 
 
 The remainder of the night passed without 
 incident, and by dawn Nahma was once more 
 alert. His first move was to climb a tall tree 
 that stood close at hand and take a comprehen 
 sive survey of the lake. Seeing it thus for the 
 first time by daylight, he was impressed by its 
 marvellous beauty. Its blue waters were dotted 
 with islands all wooded and blending every shade 
 of green. On both sides forest-covered hills rose 
 abruptly from the shore, and back of them tow 
 ered mountains higher than any he had ever 
 seen. The lake was nowhere more than a mile 
 or two in width, and to the northward it narrowed 
 rapidly. 
 
 Having gazed as long as he dared on the out 
 spread beauties of the scene, and satisfied him- 
 
ON THE LAKE 97 
 
 self that nothing was in motion on the face of the 
 waters, the youth descended from his observatory 
 and proceeded to make ready a breakfast. He 
 was tired of parched corn, and his ravenous 
 appetite demanded something more substantial. 
 He even decided to run the risk of a fire. So 
 he gathered a small quantity of dry, hard wood 
 that would burn with the least amount of smoke, 
 and, after an exasperating struggle with flints and 
 tinder, caught a spark that was finally fanned into 
 a brisk blaze. With the making of a fire the 
 hardest part of his breakfast-getting was ended, 
 although he had as yet nothing to cook. Five 
 minutes later, however, he was in possession of a 
 large pickerel and two good-sized bass, all of 
 which had been enticed within striking distance 
 of his arrows by a bait of worms. These fish 
 wrapped in green leaves were buried under a 
 bed of coals, and while they were cooking Nahma 
 gathered berries. 
 
 When all was in readiness, he was vastly dis 
 appointed to find that his companion was unable 
 to share in the meal. The Beaver had so far 
 recovered that he was able to sit up and take an 
 
98 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 intelligent interest in what was going on. The 
 expression of longing with which he regarded 
 those baked fish left no doubt that he, too, was 
 hungry ; but, alas ! he could not swallow food. 
 His throat was so swollen that he could not even 
 speak, and he still breathed with difficulty. He 
 was so parched with thirst that he managed after 
 a painful struggle to swallow a few drops of water, 
 but that was all. 
 
 So Nahma was reluctantly obliged to eat alone 
 while his companion watched him enviously. As 
 he ate, the former told what he knew concerning 
 the events of the preceding evening, and the 
 Beaver learned for the first time that they were 
 on an island far down the lake in hiding from a 
 war-party of Hurons. He had wondered at find 
 ing himself alone with Nahma instead of in Sa- 
 candaga s company, but had supposed that they 
 were within a short distance of the great rock, as 
 he knew had been the case when they first gained 
 the lake-shore. His distress at being unable to 
 ask questions and express his views on the situa 
 tion was so evident as to suggest a possible 
 remedy, upon which Nahma immediately set to 
 
ON THE LAKE 99 
 
 work. First he stripped some sheets of bark 
 from a white birch, and with them fashioned a 
 rude but water-tight bowl that would hold about 
 a gallon. This he partially filled with water. In 
 the mean time he had thrown into the fire some 
 large beach pebbles, and these were now thor 
 oughly heated. Lifting them with forked sticks 
 and dropping them into the bowl, he almost in 
 stantly had hot water, with which he bade the 
 Beaver bathe his throat. 
 
 While the latter was doing this Nahma be 
 thought himself to climb once more into his ob 
 servatory for another look at the lake. As he 
 gained the highest available branch and glanced 
 back over the way they had come he uttered an 
 exclamation of dismay. Not more than two miles 
 distant was a fleet of canoes advancing directly 
 towards him. He could plainly see the flash of 
 their paddles and note their movements as they 
 separated or closed together. There was no 
 doubt but that the enemy from whom he had fled 
 was again close upon him, and to remain on that 
 island meant certain discovery, since no Indian 
 would pass a fire without finding out by whom 
 
ioo THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 it had been kindled. To leave the island and 
 make for the mainland on either side was out of 
 the question, for their moving canoe would surely 
 be discovered. Thus the only thing remaining to 
 be done was to proceed straight down the lake, 
 with the hope of gaining another place of con 
 cealment while still hidden by the island from 
 those who came behind. 
 
 With this plan formed our young warrior hastily 
 descended the tree, told his companion that the 
 Hurons were again in hot pursuit, and bundled 
 him into the canoe ere he had time to gain further 
 information. Then Nahma gave him a paddle 
 and told him that if he valued his life he must 
 put forth whatever of strength he had remaining. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 AN OKI OF THE WATERS 
 
 As Nahma had intended remaining on the 
 island until his companion fully recovered from 
 his injuries, he had not hurried with any 
 thing that he had done that morning. Conse 
 quently it was mid-day when the flight was 
 resumed and the fugitives again headed their 
 canoe down the lake, keeping the island directly 
 behind them as a screen from their pursuers. 
 Although working furiously at his paddle, Nahma 
 glanced behind him every few moments, and as 
 time passed was amazed that the enemy did not 
 come into sight. 
 
 At length, after a couple of hours of incessant 
 labor, the canoe rounded a bold headland that 
 nearly cut the lake in twain, and was hidden 
 behind it from any who might be following. 
 Here the lake was very narrow, and Nahma 
 proposed that they should run the canoe ashore, 
 hide it, and seek to rejoin their friends by land. 
 
 101 
 
102 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 "No," said the Beaver, who had recovered his 
 power of speech. "If the Hurons are following 
 us, they will surely have scouts in the forest on 
 both sides. We should be certain to fall in with 
 these, and I am not yet ready for fighting. Now 
 that we have come thus far by water, let us keep 
 on. At a short distance from here this lake ends, 
 but it is joined to another much larger. On that 
 other a canoe may go north even to the country 
 of the Hurons. It may also go south to the land 
 of the Iroquois. Let us, then, find the big water 
 and turn to the south, for if those following us be 
 Hurons they will certainly hold a course to the 
 northward." 
 
 "We will do as my brother says," replied 
 Nahma, delighted to have again the counsel of 
 his more experienced companion. So the course 
 of the canoe was continued, but only Nahma 
 now wielded a paddle. The Beaver had been 
 so much benefited by hot-water applications and 
 by the subsequent exercise of paddling that his 
 throat was again serviceable. Not only could he 
 talk but he believed he could eat, and as Nahma 
 had brought along one of the three fish caught 
 
AN OKI OF THE WATERS 103 
 
 for breakfast, he made the attempt with such 
 gratifying success that it quickly disappeared. 
 Being thus refreshed and strengthened, he began 
 to question his companion concerning the events 
 of the preceding night. 
 
 When Nahma related the finding of the two 
 mortal enemies clutched in a death-grapple the 
 Beaver said, 
 
 "It is so. As I saw the Huron he saw me, 
 and we sprang at each other with our knives, for 
 we were too close to use bows or even the 
 tomahawk. His knife broke, and as I drove 
 mine into his body his fingers closed about my 
 throat. Ugh ! It was the grip of a bear, and I 
 could not loose it. Again and again did I bury 
 my knife in his heart, but he would not let go. 
 Then all became black and I died. How my 
 brother brought me back from the place of Okis 
 [departed spirits] I know not, but when next I 
 awoke he lay beside me under a canoe and a 
 band as of fire was about my head. Now, there 
 fore, the life of Grinning Beaver belongs to his 
 brother. But tell me quickly how knew you we 
 were pursued by Hurons ? There were traces of 
 
io 4 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 but two of them, while many of our own people 
 were to meet Sacandaga at the great rock." 
 
 " I know that our pursuers are Hurons, or at 
 least enemies, because they crept on us by stealth. 
 Also when they saw we had escaped they yelled 
 with rage and shot arrows to kill us. Besides 
 that, they followed after us in canoes, and but 
 for the coming of darkness would surely have 
 overtaken us." 
 
 "Is it certain that they shot after us with 
 arrows ?" 
 
 " It is certain, for one of them struck the canoe 
 and lies even yet where it fell. So my brother 
 may see for himself and know that I have 
 spoken truly." 
 
 The Beaver plucked the arrow thus indicated 
 from the sheathing of the canoe in which its point 
 was embedded and examined it closely. As he 
 did so a puzzled expression came over his face, 
 and he exclaimed, 
 
 " But this is not a Huron arrow ! It is of the 
 Iroquois, and might have been made by Kaweras 
 himself. Look. As a bowman thou shouldst 
 know this fashion of feathering." 
 
AN OKI OF THE WATERS 105 
 
 I do know it," replied Nahma, taking the 
 proffered arrow as he spoke and studying its 
 make. " Also I should have recognized it sooner 
 had I looked, but it fell in darkness, and since 
 then I have been too busy to recall it until now." 
 
 "If this was the only style of arrow aimed at 
 us," continued the Beaver, " those who pursue 
 us must be friends, who have in turn mistaken us 
 for enemies." 
 
 "It would seem so," agreed Nahma, in a 
 mortified tone, " and it is to my shame that I 
 should have shown so great stupidity." 
 
 " Take it not to heart, my brother. No warrior 
 may learn his trade save by experience. What 
 you have done has been well done, and no harm 
 has come of it. Only now that we know those 
 behind us to be friends, we must look sharply 
 for enemies in front and see that our friends come 
 not upon them unaware." 
 
 "Shall we not turn back at once," asked 
 Nahma, "and give to Sacandaga a warning of 
 the true state of affairs ?" 
 
 " Not at once, but presently," replied the 
 Beaver, "for we are even now close to the 
 
io6 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 great waters of which I spoke. It will be well, 
 therefore, if we take a look at them before turn 
 ing back. We may thus have news to report 
 that will cause him to rejoice at sight of us." 
 
 During this conversation Nahma had continued 
 to paddle easily, and the canoe had glided gently 
 forward with the current of a forest-shaded stream 
 forming an outlet to the lake they had just trav 
 ersed. As the Beaver concluded his remarks 
 the roar of falling waters ahead of them gave 
 warning that their farther progress in this direc 
 tion was barred. So the canoe was left cunningly 
 as though it had drifted to that place, and the two 
 young scouts made their way through a mile-wide 
 strip of forest to the shore of a second lake that lay 
 behind. Here they gazed eagerly out over the 
 wide water-way, but for a moment saw nothing 
 unusual. As they were about to venture into 
 the open, Nahma checked the movement with a 
 guarded exclamation of amazement. A human 
 figure had suddenly appeared on the crest of a 
 headland that jutted into the lake a short distance 
 from them, and for several seconds it stood mo 
 tionless in the full light of the westering sun, as 
 
AN OKI OF THE WATERS 107 
 
 though spell-bound by the beauty of the out 
 spread landscape. 
 
 Although it presented the form of man, it was 
 unlike anything either of the astonished observers 
 had ever seen. It appeared twice the size of an 
 ordinary man, and at certain points it glinted in 
 the sunlight with a sheen like that of rippling 
 waters. Its head, upon which the sunlight also 
 flashed, was of huge proportions and apparently 
 devoid of hair. 
 
 " It is an Oki," whispered the Beaver, appre 
 hensively. " A god of the waters. See you not 
 how he shines with wetness ?" 
 
 Even as the Beaver spoke, a second figure 
 appeared for an instant beside the one at which 
 the awe-stricken youths were gazing. It was that 
 of a man like themselves, half-naked, painted, and 
 bedecked with feathers. This last apparition 
 plucked the other by the arm and they disap 
 peared together. 
 
 Our young scouts looked at each other in 
 wonderment. "We must know more of this 
 affair," said the Beaver. " Let us move in that 
 direction and see what may be found." 
 
io8 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 A few minutes later, moving with the utmost 
 caution, they had reached a point from which they 
 could look beyond the headland. There they be 
 held a scene that held their gaze with breathless 
 interest, and, crouching beneath the overhang 
 ing branches of a thick-growing spruce, they 
 watched it in silence. 
 
 The sun was setting and its light was growing 
 dim, but they could see a fleet of canoes drawn 
 up on the lake-shore, and beyond them many 
 men moving busily about a large cleared space. 
 They could not discover among these the strange 
 figure that had first attracted their attention, nor 
 was there any glow of fire-light. 
 
 The Beaver drew in his breath as though about 
 to speak, but Nahma checked him with warning 
 hand, and at the same instant a twig snapped 
 directly behind them. The young scouts dared 
 not so much as move their heads, but from the 
 corners of their eyes they caught glimpses of 
 four shadowy forms that flitted noiselessly by 
 and vanished in the direction from which 
 they themselves had come. They were Hurons 
 seeking to make certain before the complete 
 
AN OKI OF THE WATERS 109 
 
 shutting in of night that no enemy lurked in 
 the vicinity of their camp. 
 
 For several minutes after these had passed 
 our lads remained motionless and silent. Then 
 the Beaver rose and moved without a sound in 
 the direction taken by the Huron scouts, while 
 Nahma, his nerves tense with excitement, fol 
 lowed the lead thus given. Neither spoke until 
 finally they came again to the place where they 
 had left their canoe. To their dismay, it was 
 gone, but the Beaver said in a whisper, 
 
 "It is well for us that it is of Huron make, 
 so that they may think it was left by those of 
 their own people who were sent ahead. Now 
 let us find Sacandaga, for we have much to tell 
 him." 
 
 The task of making their unlit way back along 
 the shore of the stream they had so recently 
 descended without effort was beset with many 
 difficulties. They must keep close to the river, 
 for not only was it their guide but by it sooner 
 or later their friends were almost certain to pass. 
 They must thread the forest mazes in silence, and 
 they must pause with every minute to listen for 
 
no THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 the dip of paddles. Even then Sacandaga s 
 canoes might drift by them unseen and unheard. 
 But a warning must be given, if such a thing 
 were possible, and in spite of all obstacles they 
 pushed steadily forward. 
 
 At length they came to a place where the 
 stream began to broaden. They had gained the 
 lower end of Andia-ta-roc-te and dared go no 
 farther. So they waited while Nahma uttered 
 full and clear the plaintive call of the whippoor- 
 will. Twice did he repeat it, and then once more 
 after a brief interval. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE COMING OF SACANDAGA 
 
 As the concluding notes of Nahma s cry 
 echoed over the still waters and were lost 
 among the distant hills, the two youths listened 
 anxiously for an answer. Nor had they long to 
 wait, for within a minute the call of a whippoor- 
 will came back to them almost exactly as the 
 young warrior had uttered it ; but it came from 
 the wrong direction. 
 
 "Sacandaga has passed us after all," muttered 
 Nahma in a tone of vexation. 
 
 "Not so," replied the Beaver, "for that was 
 not the answer agreed upon. Do you not re 
 member? The call was to be two and then 
 one, while the answer was to be one and then 
 two. This answer came back even as the call 
 was given, and so could not have been made by 
 Sacandaga or any of his warriors." 
 
 "Who, then ?" began Nahma, but he was 
 
 interrupted by a quavering note of ko-ko-anse 
 
ii2 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 (the little screech-owl) that came from no great 
 distance. 
 
 "It is a Huron call," whispered the Beaver; 
 "answer it quickly." This Nahma did, and the 
 Beaver continued, "They are on the water and 
 will come to this point for further information. 
 Do you remain here and take care that they dis 
 cover not thy presence. I will retire a little and 
 entice them or some of them to me, for I can 
 speak the Huron tongue. After that we must 
 be guided by what will follow. Is it well ?" 
 
 "It is well," whispered Nahma, as he crouched 
 low beside a log, one end of which extended 
 into the water. He did not hear the Beaver 
 take his departure, but knew that he was gone. 
 Then from off the river, but close at hand, came 
 again the tremulous cry of ko-ko-anse. It was 
 answered by the Beaver from a short distance 
 inland, who in a voice disguised as though by 
 weakness cried, 
 
 " Help me, brothers. Help me before I die." 
 
 "Who calls?" inquired a voice from the water. 
 
 " A Huron scout sorely wounded and help 
 less," answered the Beaver. 
 
THE COMING OF SACANDAGA 113 
 
 "Is he alone?" 
 
 "He is alone. There was another with him, 
 but he was killed two days since. Help or I 
 perish." 
 
 "Art thou Chebacno or Wabensickewa ?" 
 
 "I am Wabensickewa. Chebacno was slain 
 by the Iroquois, who are even now making ready 
 a war-party. I hastened back to bring news of 
 it, and landed here to rest until darkness. While 
 I slept a panther leaped on my back. Before I 
 could kill him he had so injured me that I cannot 
 walk. Also are my eyes blinded so that I cannot 
 see. I have a canoe that you will find at the 
 water s edge, if indeed the wind has not drifted 
 it away. I have called many times, and was about 
 to give over calling when your answer came to 
 lend me new strength. Now, then, my brothers, 
 come quickly, for I have much to tell before I 
 die." 
 
 A moment later Nahma felt a slight jar pass 
 through the log against which he lay and heard 
 a few whispered words of consultation. Then 
 two figures stepped ashore and, passing so close 
 to him that he could have touched them, noise- 
 
 8 
 
ii 4 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 lessly entered the forest. He waited for a mo 
 ment and then cautiously lifted his head. Against 
 the faint gleam of water he could distinguish the 
 black bulk of a canoe and see that it still held 
 two other figures who sat motionless. Slowly 
 he raised his bow with a stone-headed arrow 
 fitted to its string until one of the sitting figures 
 was fairly covered. Then he waited with tense 
 muscles and a heart that seemed like to burst 
 with its furious beating. From behind him came 
 a low moaning that he knew was made by the 
 Beaver to deceive his enemies. 
 
 Suddenly the oppressive silence was broken 
 by the twang of a bowstring that was instantly 
 followed by fierce yells. High above these rose 
 the defiant war-cry of the Iroquois, but its last 
 note was cut short and ended in a choking 
 
 gurgle. 
 
 Somehow Nahma managed to hear these things, 
 though he was at the same time intensely busy 
 with affairs of his own. At the first intimation 
 of a struggle behind him he had let fly his ready 
 arrow, and one of the two figures in the canoe 
 dropped heavily forward. The other, seeing what 
 
THE COMING OF SACANDAGA 115 
 
 he had supposed was a log suddenly endowed 
 with life and leaping towards him, uttered a cry 
 of terror, sprang overboard, and disappeared be 
 neath the black waters. While Nahma tossed 
 the limp form of the other Huron from the 
 canoe preparatory to going in pursuit of this 
 swimmer, a rustling among the bushes warned 
 him to make good his own escape while yet he 
 might, and giving the canoe a great shove, he 
 leaped aboard. 
 
 As the craft shot out into the open a voice 
 hailed it from the shore ; but as the words were 
 spoken in the Huron tongue, Nahma made no 
 answer. He hesitated for a moment, wondering 
 whether it might not be the Beaver who called ; 
 but with a repetition of the demand he knew that 
 that was not the case. He was confirmed in this 
 belief by hearing a slight splash from close at 
 hand, a stifled exclamation, and a few whispered 
 words. Evidently the swimmer who had made 
 so hasty an exit from the canoe had been encour 
 aged by the voice of a friend to gain the land, 
 and now the two were once more in communi 
 cation. 
 
n6 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 What had become of the Beaver? Recalling 
 the Iroquois war-cry and its sadly suggestive 
 ending, Nahma had little doubt that he had 
 been overcome and killed. He hated to think 
 of deserting his comrade without knowing for a 
 certainty whether he were alive or dead, and yet 
 to attempt a landing in face of two enemies, and 
 perhaps three, would be an act of folly. His 
 canoe had drifted out so far that they could 
 not see him in his present position, but it 
 would be almost impossible to gain the shore 
 anywhere in that vicinity without detection. 
 
 While in this state of indecision, which in reality 
 lasted but a few seconds, he heard faint and far 
 away the cry of a whippoorwill. Twice was it 
 uttered, and then again after a short interval. 
 It must be the signal of Sacandaga, since it came 
 from up the lake. Doubtless it had been made 
 in answer to the Beaver s far-reaching war-cry. 
 In another moment Nahma s canoe, impelled by a 
 noiseless paddle, was speeding in that direction. 
 He dared not at once reply to the signal for 
 fear of drawing a flight of Huron arrows ; but 
 as soon as he believed himself beyond range of 
 
THE COMING OF SACANDAGA 117 
 
 these he rested on his paddle and sent far across 
 the lake the vibrant cry of wah-o-nai-sa once and 
 then twice. 
 
 A full minute elapsed before the answer came, 
 and then he was startled by its nearness. Had 
 he not known better, he would have sworn that it 
 was uttered by a bird in flight while passing 
 directly above him. Allowing his craft to drift, 
 he listened and heard the quick dip of many 
 paddles. A fleet of canoes was rushing towards 
 him, and, as he began to distinguish their vague 
 outlines, he uttered a low call to attract atten 
 tion. 
 
 "Who is it?" demanded the voice of Sacan- 
 daga, sharply, as the speed of the oncoming 
 canoes was checked. 
 
 "It is Massasoit," answered the lad. 
 
 "Where is Grinning Beaver, thy companion? 
 Did he utter the war-cry of the Iroquois that 
 came to us as we were entering our canoes for 
 a night of travel ?" 
 
 "I fear the Beaver is dead," replied Nahma. 
 "And if so, he was killed even with the sounding 
 of his war-cry." 
 
n8 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 "Who killed him?" demanded Sacandaga, 
 fiercely. 
 
 "The Hurons." 
 
 " How many are there ?" 
 
 " Only four did we encounter. Of these I saw 
 one fall, and believe that the Beaver, who was 
 separated from me, killed another. One leaped 
 into the water and one I know escaped from the 
 Beaver." 
 
 "Were you on land or on the water?" 
 
 "We were on land, and this is the canoe in 
 which the Hurons came." 
 
 " Where did it happen ?" 
 
 "At the beginning of a river that leads to the 
 wide waters lying towards the rising sun." 
 
 "What know you of these wide waters? 
 Have you been to them ?" 
 
 " Shortly before the coming of darkness were 
 we there, and we turned back to bring news of 
 the war-party that we saw." 
 
 "Hurons?" 
 
 " Hurons, my father, and like the leaves of a 
 tree for numbers. Also they have with them 
 an Oki to make timid the hearts of their enemies." 
 
THE COMING OF SACANDAGA 119 
 
 "What mean you by an Oki ?" 
 
 With this Nahma described as well as he could 
 the strange being seen by himself and the Beaver, 
 and all who could get within hearing listened to 
 his words with breathless attention. When 
 Nahma declared that the apparition, though 
 seen on a headland, still gleamed with wet 
 ness as though just emerged from the lake, 
 his auditors were deeply impressed. Only Sa- 
 candaga was incredulous, and appeared to treat 
 the incident as of small account. 
 
 "It is but a Huron trick!" he exclaimed, that 
 all might hear. "They are too cowardly to fight 
 like men, but have prepared an image with 
 the hope that sight of it will turn our blood to 
 water. It is well, though, that we have learned 
 of this thing and know what to expect. Now let 
 us find whether the Beaver is alive or dead, and 
 if the Huron dogs have indeed slain him, bitterly 
 shall he be avenged before we are done with 
 them." 
 
 So Nahma guided the Iroquois canoes to the 
 place where he had uttered that first fateful call 
 of the whippoorwill, and Sacandaga, with half a 
 
120 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 dozen warriors, made a landing on the very log 
 beside which he had lain. 
 
 It took them but a few minutes to discover the 
 body of their late comrade cold in death and 
 scalped ; but there was no trace of those who 
 had perpetrated the deed. If he had indeed 
 killed one of them, the others had either hidden 
 the body or taken it away. 
 
 Having learned these things and thirsting for 
 vengeance, the Iroquois re-entered their canoes 
 and glided silently down-stream towards the 
 place where their enemies were encamped. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 A MEETING OF DEADLY FOES 
 
 AFTER carrying their canoes around the two 
 waterfalls that obstruct the outlet of Lake 
 George, the Iroquois finally glided like so many 
 night-shadows out onto the surface of Lake 
 Champlain. Then, guided by the son of Long- 
 feather, they approached the place where he had 
 seen the Hurons. Sacandaga had entered the 
 canoe of the young scout that he might learn 
 more fully what had happened during the past 
 two days ; also his place was in the leading 
 canoe, that from it he might direct the move 
 ments of his followers, who were now nearly 
 two hundred in number. 
 
 He had thought of attempting a night surprise 
 of the northern invaders by attacking their camp 
 under cover of darkness ; but this plan was dis 
 missed almost as soon as formed, for he remem 
 bered the prophecy of Kaweras. The fight in 
 which the Iroquois were to be successful must 
 
122 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 take place in broad daylight and on a fair morn 
 ing. The battle might not, therefore, be waged 
 at night, nor even on the morrow, unless it were a 
 day of cloudless sunshine. At the same time 
 the Hurons must be given no chance for escape, 
 and to compel them to remain where they were 
 he stationed his force at the mouth of the cove 
 in which lay their fleet. This position was taken 
 in silence and, it was thought, without attracting 
 attention. 
 
 That the men from the north had, however, 
 received notice of their enemies coming and 
 were keenly on the alert to meet them was 
 soon proved by a jeering hail from the land. 
 
 " Are the bark-eaters fish that they remain in 
 the water ? If they call themselves men, why do 
 they not come on shore and accept the welcome 
 awaiting them ?" 
 
 To this taunt the Iroquois replied with a chorus 
 of fierce yells and savage intimations of what 
 would happen when they got ready to enter the 
 camp of the Huron dogs. 
 
 So the night was spent in a brisk exchange 
 of taunts, jeers, threats, and insulting remarks 
 
A MEETING OF DEADLY FOES 123 
 
 well calculated to increase the bitterness of the 
 hate already existing between the two tribes. 
 The Iroquois even betrayed their knowledge of 
 the mysterious being whom the Hurons had 
 called to their aid, and expressed the utmost 
 contempt for him. To this those on shore made 
 no reply except to advise the Iroquois to call 
 upon their own gods for the aid they would 
 surely need on the morrow. 
 
 Something has given them courage," re 
 marked Sacandaga, " for never have I known 
 Hurons to talk so bravely in the presence of 
 Iroquois. But we will see whether their boldness 
 can stand the test of daylight." 
 
 At length the wished-for dawn arrived, and by 
 its earliest gleams Sacandaga landed his force at 
 a point beyond arrow-shot of the Huron camp 
 and bade them light fires for the preparation of 
 breakfast. He was well aware of the fighting 
 value of a full stomach, and was too wise a 
 leader not to seek every possible advantage 
 even against a foe whom he despised. 
 
 Nor were the Hurons less ready to make the 
 most of this opportunity for preparing cooked 
 
i2 4 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 food, the first time they had dared do so in sev 
 eral days. Thus both parties remained hidden 
 from each other, except through the eyes of their 
 watchful scouts, until the sun was an hour high. 
 Not only did Sacandaga wish to refresh his men 
 by this rest, but he was determined not to begin 
 fighting until assured of conditions propitious to 
 his undertaking. With the weather, however, he 
 had every reason to be pleased, for never was a 
 fairer morn. The sky was cloudless, the air 
 clear and crisp, the lake of a heavenly blue, and 
 all nature was at its best. As he looked about 
 him he became elated over the certainty of his 
 forthcoming victory. 
 
 "The Hurons have never yet been able to 
 stand before an equal number of Iroquois," he 
 said, "and to-day with all things in our favor it 
 will be strange indeed if we do not wipe them 
 out. But we may not delay, lest the spirits be 
 come angry and send their lightnings to punish 
 our indifference to the favors they have shown. 
 Let us, then, get to work and finish this business 
 quickly, that we may the more speedily return to 
 our own people." 
 
A MEETING OF DEADLY FOES 125 
 
 Although Sacandaga was one of the most skil 
 ful warriors of his time, and well versed in all 
 the tricks of his trade as practised by forest 
 fighters, he saw fit in the present instance to 
 lead his painted savages to the attack in a 
 compact body. As the Hurons occupied the 
 centre of a large cleared space so wide as to 
 place them beyond the reach of arrows from 
 forest covers, this plan was in a measure forced 
 upon him. At the same time he hoped to over 
 awe the enemy and terrify him by the number 
 and ferocious appearance of his followers. So 
 the Iroquois, half naked, painted, befeathered, 
 decked with bears claws and wolf-tails, dashed 
 from the forest yelling and brandishing their 
 weapons, and advanced with a rush to where 
 the Hurons awaited them. 
 
 The latter appeared terrified, and seemed to 
 shrink from the impending onslaught. Then 
 their solid formation broke, leaving a wide gap, 
 from which stepped a single figure. The Iro 
 quois were not more than fifty paces distant ; 
 but at sight of this apparition they came to a 
 sudden halt and stood as though petrified with 
 
J26 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 amazement. The figure confronting them was 
 indeed that described by Massasoit, only it 
 loomed up larger than they had expected, and 
 gleamed with a dazzling lustre in the bright 
 sunlight. It had the form of a man, but its 
 face was covered with a growth of hair that 
 hung down on its breast. 
 
 The person who appeared so remarkable to 
 the denizens of the forest that they deemed him 
 a god was none other than the intrepid French 
 explorer Samuel de Champlain, founder of the 
 city of Quebec. With but two followers he had 
 been induced to accompany a war-party of Cana 
 dian Indians on their foray into Iroquois territory, 
 and was thus the first of his race to look upon 
 the waters of the noble lake that has ever since 
 borne his name. 
 
 For a few moments the Iroquois gazed awe- 
 stricken upon this first white man they had ever 
 seen. Then, relying upon the prophecy of Ka- 
 weras, that only thunder and lightning could pre 
 vent them from winning a victory, they bent their 
 bows and let fly a cloud of arrows. Many of 
 these were aimed at the white man standing so 
 
A MEETING OF DEADLY FOES 127 
 
 boldly before them, but, to their dismay, he re 
 mained unharmed. Nahma in particular, who 
 had shot at the very centre of the shining breast 
 plate, was amazed and terrified to see his arrow, 
 after striking, bound back as though it had en 
 countered a wall of rock. 
 
 But scant time was given for the consideration 
 of this marvel ; for, even as they shot at him, the 
 mysterious being brought into position a strange- 
 looking stick that he carried until it was pointed 
 directly at them. Then came a flash of lightning, 
 a roar of thunder, a cloud of smoke, and a dozen 
 of the Iroquois fell to the ground as though smit 
 ten by the wrath of God. As was afterwards 
 proved, but two of them were killed and one 
 Sacandaga was grievously wounded, while the 
 others had fallen from sheer fright. At the same 
 time the Hurons rushed forward with triumphant 
 yells and a flight of arrows. 
 
 For a moment the Iroquois wavered and 
 seemed about to fly. Then Nahma, son of 
 Longfeather, sprang to the front with a loud 
 cry, and, swinging a stone war-club above his 
 head, made straight for the thunder-god who had 
 
128 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 wrought such havoc. Champlain was in the act 
 of drawing his sword when he was staggered by 
 a terrific blow that would surely have killed him 
 but for the steel cap that he wore. Before he 
 could recover, and ere a second blow could be 
 delivered, there came another flash of lightning 
 accompanied by its thunderous roar from a clump 
 of bushes at one side, and two more Iroquois 
 were stricken with sudden death. 
 
 At this fresh proof that the all-powerful spirits 
 were indeed fighting against them the hearts of 
 the Iroquois melted, and they fled from the 
 field a panic-stricken mob. Even Nahma joined 
 in the mad flight ; but he paused long enough 
 to pick up his wounded chieftain, whom he hoped 
 to be able to carry as far as the canoes. 
 
 At their heels streamed the exultant Hurons, 
 striking down the fugitives by the score. One 
 of these drove a spear through the body of 
 Sacandaga ; and Nahma, staggering under his 
 burden, was knocked down by the force of the 
 blow. As he disengaged himself from the dead 
 sachem and regained his feet he found himself 
 once more face to face with the awful being who 
 

 NAHMA SPRANG UPON THE WHITE MAN WITH UPLIFTED KNIFE 
 
A MEETING OF DEADLY FOES 129 
 
 held in his hands the thunders and lightning of 
 a Manitou. 
 
 At this moment Champlain, who had found 
 time to reload his musket, fired a second shot 
 into the ranks of the flying Iroquois. Ere its 
 smoke could lift, Nahma, frenzied with rage and 
 reckless of consequences, sprang upon the white 
 man with uplifted knife. The blow was urged 
 with all the splendid strength of the young 
 warrior s arm, but it only bent the copper blade 
 in his grasp and left him defenceless. Ere he 
 could renew his flight he was flung to the earth 
 and bound immovably with thongs of tough bark. 
 
 Nahma s first battle was ended in utter defeat, 
 but he did not feel humiliated, for he believed 
 that he had fought against immortal spirits who 
 could come to no harm from the hands of man. 
 He only wondered vaguely, as he lay awaiting the 
 pleasure of his captors, why the Okis should have 
 ranged themselves on the side of the perfidious 
 Hurons instead of aiding the Iroquois, whom he 
 then believed to be the most nearly perfect of 
 human beings. 
 
 About one-half the force that Sacandaga had 
 
1 3 o THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 led so confidently to battle that morning reached 
 the canoes and continued their flight up the lake. 
 The Hurons did not pursue them, for they were 
 too busy killing or taking captive those who were 
 left behind. 
 
 By noon the whole affair was ended, and the 
 triumphant Hurons, taking with them twoscore 
 of dejected prisoners, as many bloody Iroquois 
 .scalps, and a number of canoes laden with spoils, 
 set forth on their return to the St. Lawrence. 
 
 With them went Champlain, still thrilled with 
 the excitement of fighting and killing, but already 
 disgusted with the barbarities of his savage allies. 
 Could he have foreseen that his act of that day 
 had created a powerful enemy who for two hun 
 dred years to come would let pass no opportunity 
 for the killing of a Frenchman, his thoughts would 
 have been still more sombre. 
 
 In camp that night, while still occupied with his 
 melancholy reflections, he was accosted by one of 
 his white companions, who said, 
 
 " Look yonder, monsieur. They are about to 
 punish in pretty fashion the young devil who 
 twice this day attempted to take thy life." 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 TO THE LODGES OF THE WHITE MAN 
 
 REALIZING that for some reason the all-power 
 ful white man who had that day given them a 
 victory over their enemies was displeased, the 
 Hurons agreed after a long consultation that it 
 must be because the only one among the Iroquois 
 who had dared attack him was still allowed to live. 
 So, although such pleasures were generally re 
 served for their home-returning, they determined 
 to sacrifice the audacious young warrior on the 
 spot with the hope of thus regaining the favor of 
 their allies. In order that he might thoroughly 
 comprehend what was in store for him, they de 
 cided that he should first witness the torture of 
 one of his companions. For this purpose a victim 
 was selected at random from among the captives, 
 and the two young men, facing each other, were 
 securely bound to saplings standing but a few 
 yards apart. 
 
132 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 About the feet of each was piled a quantity 
 of dry wood, and they were ordered to chant 
 their death-songs if they dared. The Maqua 
 immediately began in defiant tones to recount 
 his own deeds of prowess on the war-path, and 
 tell how many Hurons he had slain. He hurled 
 defiance at his enemies, taunted them with their 
 cowardice, and sought to so enrage them that 
 they would kill him at once ; but Nahma re 
 mained dumb. He had no deeds to tell of, nor 
 was he in a humor to invent any. 
 
 Suddenly the Hurons made a rush at the one 
 who thus defied them, and for a few minutes a 
 fierce struggle raged about the helpless form. 
 When next it appeared in view its scalp had 
 been torn off, while the still living body was 
 gashed and mutilated almost beyond recognition ; 
 but defiant words still issued chokingly from its 
 trembling lips. The poor mortal frame was 
 nearly spent, but its brave spirit was undaunted. 
 The next act of torture was by fire. Blazing 
 splinters of fat pine were thrust into the mangled 
 body and hot ashes were poured on its bleeding 
 head. Then a light was applied to the dry wood, 
 
TO THE LODGES OF THE WHITE MAN 133 
 
 and in another minute the eager flames were 
 leaping high about their victim. 
 
 The awful tragedy was accompanied by shrieks 
 of laughter, mocking yells, and a frantic dancing 
 about the two young warriors, one of whom was 
 thus made to serve as a hideous object lesson to 
 the other. When the first was so nearly dead that 
 his defiant utterances were reduced to mere gasp- 
 ings for breath, the dancing demons turned their 
 attention to the second victim, and prepared to 
 inflict upon him a series of still more devilish 
 torments. 
 
 Nahma had witnessed everything with fasci 
 nated gaze ; but though sickened to the point 
 of fainting, had made no movement nor uttered 
 a sound to betray the agony of his thoughts. 
 He now knew what to expect, and was nerving 
 himself to endure to the end, as became a war 
 rior. Aeana would never know, of course ; but 
 if by any chance the story of his last hour should 
 reach her ear, she must have no excuse to call 
 him " squaw." 
 
 One of his tormentors approached with a bar 
 of iron heated until it glowed ; for, through 
 
i 3 4 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 trading with the French, this metal was now 
 known to the Indians of the St. Lawrence valley. 
 
 " Put out his eyes," shouted a spectator. " He 
 has seen enough." 
 
 As the glowing iron approached his face Nahma 
 instinctively closed his eyes ; but a yell of derision 
 from those near enough to note the movement 
 caused him to open them again quickly. But 
 even in that brief space something had hap 
 pened, for the first thing on which they rested 
 was a gigantic figure bounding towards him. It 
 uttered inarticulate cries of rage and brandished a 
 weapon. With a single blow from this it dashed 
 to earth the man bearing the red-hot iron. Falling 
 on his own instrument of torture, the wretch 
 uttered a yell of pain as it seared his flesh. 
 At the same moment the terrible new-comer 
 levelled his weapon at the mutilated form bound 
 to the opposite stake, and with a flash of light 
 ning accompanied by a stunning burst of thunder, 
 instantly freed the tortured spirit from its misery. 
 
 Before the smoke of the discharge cleared 
 away the new-comer was beside Nahma, cutting 
 savagely at his bonds. As the last one dropped 
 
TO THE LODGES OF THE WHITE MAN 135 
 
 he grasped the young warrior by an arm and led 
 him a few paces from the cruel stake. Then 
 turning to the sullen Hurons, who shrank from 
 the indignant blaze of his eyes, he denounced 
 them in bitter terms. 
 
 " You are worse than wolves," he cried. " You 
 are scum and canaille. You are devils, and should 
 be made to dwell forever in a pit of fire. Because 
 you go forth to fight against a man and he meets 
 you bravely, is that a reason for torturing him 
 when the fortune of war has placed him helpless 
 in your hands ? This youth was the only one of 
 all his people who dared attack me face to face 
 and hand to hand. Better still, he was the only 
 Iroquois brave enough to attempt the succor of 
 their wounded chieftain. He is fleet of foot and 
 might easily have escaped, but he would not go 
 alone. So he fell into your inhuman hands, and 
 as a reward for his bravery you propose to torture 
 him to death. Bah ! You make me so sick that 
 I have a mind to sever all connection with you 
 from this hour, and order my men to beat you 
 from my sight with sticks. Now remember that 
 this youth is my captive, and whoever touches so 
 
 
136 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 much as a hair of his head shall die, for I will not 
 have him harmed. 
 
 "Come, lad, with me," added Champlain, turn 
 ing to Nahma ; "you shall eat and rest, and after 
 that if you desire to return to your own people 
 you shall be free to do so. Only it would please 
 me to have you remain a little for instruction in 
 the ways of white men and the making of a 
 better acquaintance between us, for I have taken 
 a fancy to you beyond any that I have yet enter 
 tained for a native of this wilderness." 
 
 Although Nahma understood no word of what 
 the marvellous stranger said, he recognized the 
 friendly tone and gesture, and was quite willing to 
 follow wherever the other might lead. As they 
 were about to move away a chief of the Hurons 
 stood in the path and begged for a hearing. 
 
 "It is true," he said, "that we would have 
 killed this young man ; but it is because we 
 thought our white father angry that he still lived. 
 Also is it true that in any case we should have 
 put him to death on reaching the place of our 
 own people. We must have done this, for if we 
 should let him live he would sooner or later make 
 
TO THE LODGES OF THE WHITE MAN 37 
 
 an escape, and in escaping would surely kill some 
 of our people. It is because he is a brave warrior 
 that we could not let him live to do us mischief. 
 If he were a coward, then could we make of him 
 a slave to hoe corn with the squaws ; but with a 
 brave man this might not be done. Also because 
 of his bravery would we have tested him by fire, 
 that he might give proof of his courage to the 
 very end of his life. Any brave man, Huron or 
 Iroquois, would rather perish at the stake than 
 live the life of a slave. It is our way, and if it 
 be not also the way of our white father, let him 
 not cover us with shame on account of it, for we 
 have not yet learned one that is better." 
 
 " You have spoken well," answered Champlain, 
 " and already am I penitent for my hasty words, 
 since, as you say, you were only acting according 
 to your conception of what is right. Therefore I 
 forgive you and will continue to extend the hand 
 of friendship. At the same time, see you to it that 
 no more atrocities are enacted in my presence. 
 Also see to it that this youth is accorded the 
 respect due him over whom my protection is 
 extended." 
 
138 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 So it came to pass that Nahma, son of Long- 
 feather, now known as Massasoit the Iroquois, 
 was saved from a dreadful death to become the 
 companion of the first white man he had ever 
 met, who was also one of the foremost adven 
 turers of his age. 
 
 Although Champlain had laid aside his steel 
 armor, he was still so utterly different in appear 
 ance from any person Nahma had ever seen that 
 the latter continued to regard him as a supernat 
 ural being, and accompanied him with much trep 
 idation. Also the youth was dazed by the peril 
 he had just escaped and the strangeness of his 
 deliverance. 
 
 As they went towards Champlain s own camp- 
 fire, Nahma noticed for the first time that two 
 more of the strange beings walked close beside 
 them ; and, listening to their conversation, though 
 of course without understanding it, he all at once 
 became convinced that they were indeed human 
 like himself. Moreover, it flashed into his mind 
 that they must be of that white race concerning 
 which he had heard much talk in the lodge of 
 Kaweras. By that shrewd Indian the apparently 
 
TO THE LODGES OF THE WHITE MAN 139 
 
 meaningless words repeated by Nahma during 
 his illness had been conjectured to belong to the 
 vocabulary of white men, and he had said as 
 much to his young guest. Thinking of these 
 things and acting upon a sudden impulse, just 
 as they reached Champlain s separate camp 
 Nahma exclaimed, 
 
 " Hillo !" 
 
 The three white men stared at him in amaze 
 ment. 
 
 " Sacre !" added the young warrior. 
 
 "What have we here?" cried Champlain. " A 
 savage from the interior wilderness speaking both 
 English and French. It is incredible. My young 
 friend, who taught you the tongues of the Old 
 World ? Where have you met white men ?" 
 
 "Mass, I saw it," remarked Nahma. He was 
 well pleased at the effect of the words already 
 used, but looked for a still greater exhibition of 
 
 o 
 
 amazement on the part of his hearers at this 
 final utterance. To his disappointment, they only 
 gazed blankly and evidently without understand 
 ing. 
 
 " That is evidently a native word, and must be 
 
140 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 his own name," said Champlain. " Massasoit. 
 It hath a pleasing sound and fits well his aspect. 
 Not only has he proved himself to be braver 
 than any of his fellows, but he hath a look of 
 superior intelligence. For these things I had 
 thought to afford him opportunity of escaping 
 during the night, and so of making his way back 
 to his own people. Now, however, he has so 
 aroused my interest and curiosity with his fluency 
 in foreign tongues that I cannot afford to loose 
 him until we are better acquainted. See to it, 
 therefore, that he does not escape." 
 
 Thus Nahma, who if he had held his tongue 
 would have been set free, was still retained as a 
 captive and borne northward by the victorious 
 Hurons. The journey down the lake, through 
 the rapid Richelieu, and over the broad flood 
 of the mighty St. Lawrence was full of interest 
 and novel sensations to our lad. None of them 
 was, however, to be compared with the wonder 
 and amazement that filled his soul on the evening 
 of the tenth day of travel, when they came to 
 Quebec, and he gazed for the first time on the 
 lodges of white men. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 TWO INMATES OF A GUARD-HOUSE 
 
 SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN was one of the most 
 daring and persistent of explorers in the New 
 World. Before coming of age he visited the 
 West Indies and Mexico, going down the 
 Pacific coast of the latter country as far as 
 Panama. Then as he crossed the isthmus he 
 conceived the idea, which he afterwards made 
 public, of a ship canal that should connect the 
 two oceans. His next voyage, inspired by the 
 published narrative of Jacques Cartier, carried 
 him into the St. Lawrence and up that mighty 
 river as far as Hochelaga (Montreal), which point 
 Cartier had also reached nearly seventy years 
 
 earlier. 
 
 Champlain subsequently explored the coasts of 
 Canada and New England, helped to found the 
 unfortunate settlements of St. Croix and Port 
 Royal, and sailed to the southward as far as Cape 
 Cod. On his way he stopped in Boston harbor, 
 
M2 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 which he describes as being filled with heavily 
 wooded islands. He also discovered the Charles 
 River, and named it Riviere du Guast. On the 
 following day he took refuge from a gale in 
 Plymouth harbor, which he named Port St. Louis, 
 and which he thus visited long before the Pilgrims 
 landed on its shores. 
 
 After spending some years on the coast and 
 crossing the Atlantic several times, the energetic 
 Frenchman again entered the St. Lawrence and 
 sailed as far as Stadaconie, where Cartier first and 
 after him Roberval had planted ill-starred and 
 short-lived settlements. At this point Champlain 
 determined to establish a base from which to ex 
 plore the vast regions that, hidden in savage mys 
 tery, stretched away indefinitely on all sides. It 
 should also be head-quarters for the greatest fur 
 trade the world had ever known, and for the re 
 ligious institutions from which he hoped to spread 
 Christianity among the heathen. 
 
 Here, then, on a narrow strand at the foot of 
 towering cliffs, he set his men to work, and before 
 the summer was ended they had erected three 
 spacious buildings, enclosed them within a stout 
 
TWO INMATES OF A GUARD-HOUSE 143 
 
 palisade, planted defensive batteries, dug a moat 
 around the whole, cleared land for a garden, and 
 opened up a trade with the neighboring In 
 dians. Thus was begun a city destined to be 
 come one of the most important of the New 
 World, and to it Champlain gave the name of 
 Quebec, which was his pronunciation of a native 
 word signifying a narrowing of the river. 
 
 In Quebec, twenty-seven years later, the great 
 Frenchman died, leaving behind him a record 
 of adventure and achievement such as but few 
 others could show. He had succeeded where 
 many had failed, and had established an empire 
 in the New World. He had crossed the ocean 
 more than a score of times to make himself 
 equally welcome in the court circles of France 
 and beside the council-fires of Huron war 
 riors. He had explored the Ottawa to its 
 head-waters, crossed the divide to Lake Nipis- 
 sing, descended to Georgian Bay, and was the 
 first white man to gaze upon the inland sea that 
 he named Lake Huron. He next discovered 
 Lake Ontario, crossed it in a bark canoe, and 
 penetrated the Iroquois country as far as the site 
 
144 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 of Syracuse. In the beautiful lake that bears 
 his name he has an enduring monument. He 
 started on the journey that ended on Lake 
 Champlain with the hope, then common to all 
 explorers, of discovering a western passage to 
 China, and only failed because he could not find 
 what did not exist. Instead of it, he discovered, 
 saved from an awful death, and carried to Quebec 
 the youth who was to become known to the world 
 as Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags. 
 
 Champlain had long been looking for some 
 young Indian of intelligence and proved courage 
 whom he might teach to speak his own language, 
 attach to his person, and employ to advantage in 
 his proposed explorations. In Nahma he believed 
 he had found all the desired qualities, and, what 
 was still better, the youth, being an Iroquois, 
 would never join any Huron conspiracy against 
 the French. The shrewd adventurer was there 
 fore greatly pleased with his prize and impatient 
 to begin his training. At the same time he found 
 his Huron allies so jealous of his liking for an 
 Iroquois, that while he remained in their company 
 he dared not treat his captive with any marked 
 
TWO INMATES OF A GUARD-HOUSE 145 
 
 attention. He saw that Nahma was provided 
 with food, and would not permit him to be 
 beaten or abused, as were some of the pris 
 oners, but that was all. He dared not even 
 have the youth in his own canoe, much as he 
 wished to gain his confidence. Thus, Nahma 
 saw but little of his white companions on the 
 weary journey that finally ended at Quebec. 
 
 At the mouth of the Richelieu the victorious 
 war-party disbanded, the larger number, together 
 with most of the prisoners, going up the St. Law 
 rence towards their homes on the Ottawa, and 
 only half a dozen canoes of Montagnais, who 
 dwelt on the Saguenay, followed Champlain down 
 the great river. As these came within sight of 
 Quebec they raised a triumphant war-song and 
 plied their paddles with redoubled energy, while 
 Champlain and the other white men discharged 
 their muskets in token of victory. This was the 
 first news of their absent leader received by the 
 anxious garrison since his departure, and in their 
 joy over his safe return they gave him a thun 
 derous welcome from their cannon. 
 
 Not only did this dreadful sound nearly para- 
 
 10 
 
146 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 lyze poor Nahma, but it so terrified a small party 
 of Indians who were trading within the fort that 
 they rushed from it in dismay, took to their 
 canoes, and paddled off with all speed. So 
 precipitate was their flight that they left behind 
 one of their number, who in his terror had 
 leaped from a second-story window of the trad 
 ing house and broken a leg. 
 
 Champlain had left his infant colony in charge 
 of Pierre Chauvin, a smart young officer, who 
 now met him outside the palisades with tidings 
 that caused an instant change of plan. The only 
 ship that would return to France that year had 
 dropped down to Tadousac for a lading of furs 
 but two days earlier. For a moment Champlain 
 hesitated, and then his mind was made up. He 
 must board that ship before she sailed, for he had 
 despatches of the utmost importance to send home 
 by her. Thus he must immediately hasten to 
 Tadousac. This decision he imparted to Chauvin, 
 adding, 
 
 " I will shortly return, and until then take thou 
 good care of this youth." Here the speaker in 
 dicated Nahma. " See that he escape not, for his 
 
TWO INMATES OF A GUARD-HOUSE 147 
 
 security is of importance to our cause. Keep 
 him, then, safely until I come again, when I will 
 inform thee further concerning him. Au revoir, 
 mon ami. May the saints protect thee." 
 
 Thus saying, Champlain rejoined his Indian 
 allies, who were impatient to be off, and in 
 another minute was again sweeping down the 
 great river. By his order Nahma had been 
 hastily bundled ashore, and now stood gazing 
 first at the wonderful structures rising close at 
 hand and then at the disappearing canoes. 
 Chauvin stood near by, biting his moustache 
 and growling at his chiefs sudden departure. 
 
 "I wish I were in his place," he muttered; 
 " and if once I could set foot on shipboard I would 
 sail away never again to revisit this detestable 
 country. How now, you spawn ! What are you 
 staring at?" he cried, suddenly turning upon 
 Nahma, who was looking curiously at him. 
 
 Chauvin hated Indians as he did everything else 
 in the country that had so bitterly disappointed 
 his dreams of easily acquired wealth, and he was 
 disgusted that one of them should now be left in 
 his care. 
 
148 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 "Away with him to the guard-house!" he 
 shouted to a couple of soldiers in attendance, 
 "and keep him in close confinement until the 
 governor s return, since that is his Excellency s 
 order." 
 
 So Nahma was roughly hustled away, led inside 
 the palisade, across the enclosed court, and thrust 
 into the guard-house. It was a small structure 
 solidly built of logs, having a rude stone chimney 
 and a single unglazed window some eighteen 
 inches square that was fitted with iron bars and 
 could be closed from the outside by a heavy 
 shutter. There were also bars across the throat 
 of the chimney. The floor was of earth and the 
 room was unfurnished. As the massive door of 
 this dungeon swung to with a crash behind him 
 the young Indian stood for a moment motionless. 
 Then, in a frenzy of rage, he dashed himself 
 against the immovable barrier clutched at the 
 window-bars in a vain effort to wrench them 
 from their fastenings, and rushed about the 
 narrow space, seeking some outlet, like a wild 
 animal when first caged. 
 
 While our lad was thus engaged the door of 
 
TWO INMATES OF A GUARD-HOUSE 149 
 
 his prison was again flung open and two soldiers 
 entered. Still possessed by his frenzy, Nahma 
 sprang forward, determined to kill them and 
 make good his escape or die in the attempt ; 
 but the sight of a burden that they bore caused 
 him to pause. It was the form of another Indian 
 youth apparently helpless. Behind them came 
 others bringing straw, two blankets, food, and a 
 jug of water. With the straw and blankets they 
 made a bed in one corner, on which they laid the 
 wounded youth. Then without a word to the 
 prisoner they departed, barring the door behind 
 them. 
 
 Now our lad had at least something to occupy 
 his mind and divert his thoughts from his own 
 unhappiness. He saw that the new-comer was 
 neither a Huron nor an Iroquois ; but as he bent 
 over him and began to ask questions he dis 
 covered that they had many words of the wide 
 spread Algonquin tongue in common. Thus he 
 quickly learned that the other was named Tas- 
 quanto, that he was of a band of the Abenakis 
 who had come to Quebec to trade, and that, terri 
 fied by the awful noise of cannon, he had leaped 
 
150 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 from a window and broken a leg. His comrades 
 having deserted him, he had been brought to the 
 guard-house that the only other Indian remaining 
 in the fort might wait upon him. 
 
 So Nahma was provided with an occupation 
 that probably prevented him from either killing 
 himself in his despair or losing his mind. Thanks 
 to the teaching of Kaweras, he was able to set 
 and properly bandage Tasquanto s broken limb, 
 and for weeks thereafter he was his fellow-pris 
 oner s devoted attendant. 
 
 In the mean time the green of summer was suc 
 ceeded by the gorgeous tints of autumn, and its 
 short-lived glory gave way to the white desolation 
 of a northern winter ; but Champlain did not re 
 turn to Quebec, nor did any word come from him. 
 At the end of two months Chauvin sent mes 
 sengers to Tadousac ; but they returned without 
 having seen a living soul, white or red ; and not 
 until the weary winter was half spent did the 
 garrison of that lonely fort learn what had 
 become of the leader whom they were mourning 
 as dead. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 THE BITTER WINTER OF CANADA 
 
 THE Canadian winter, that is now a time of so 
 much animation and gayety in the city of Quebec, 
 proved a season of terror, starvation, sickness, 
 and death to the handful of Frenchmen left by 
 Champlain to guard his infant settlement. At 
 its beginning they recklessly squandered their 
 stores, eating and drinking with no thought of 
 the morrow. If Champlain had been with them 
 he would have taught them differently, for he had 
 already passed several winters in the country 
 and knew their bitter meaning. But, lacking his 
 wise guidance, they indulged in riotous living 
 until suddenly they came face to face with famine. 
 The winter was not more than half spent when 
 this happened, and they began to suffer from 
 hunger. 
 
 Now that it was too late for any real good, 
 Chauvin seized every particle of food that re 
 mained, locked it up, and doled it out to his men 
 
152 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 in such meagre allowance as barely served to 
 keep life in their shivering bodies. He also sent 
 them into the woods to hunt, or to dig roots and 
 groundnuts, with which to help out their scanty 
 fare. He had expected to be able to purchase 
 all the provisions he needed from Indians, who, 
 during the summer, had brought game to the fort 
 in abundance, but now not a native was to be 
 seen except a few poor wretches who came 
 empty-handed and as beggars. 
 
 Unlike their brethren of the south, who culti 
 vated fields and stored harvests for the winter, 
 the improvident dwellers of that region lived 
 wholly by hunting, feasting while game was 
 plentiful and starving when it was gone. 
 
 In all this time no one within the limits of that 
 wretched fort suffered as did the son of Long- 
 feather. From the day that he was thrust into 
 his prison he was not allowed to leave it for a 
 breath of outside air, or a glimpse of the free 
 dom for which his soul longed, until it seemed as 
 though he would rather die than remain within 
 those hated walls another minute. 
 
 And with it all he had no idea why he was 
 
THE BITTER WINTER OF CANADA 153 
 
 thus confined or what fate was in store for him. 
 Only, as days, weeks, and months passed, he 
 became more and more certain that he was to 
 have no release save only by death itself. But 
 one thing kept him from seeking this instead of 
 waiting for it, and that was the friendship of the 
 young Indian who, wounded and helpless, had 
 been brought to him during the first hour of his 
 imprisonment. Tasquanto s recovery was slow, 
 and for many weeks he depended upon Nahma 
 for everything. It did not take long for these 
 two, drawn to each other by the bonds of race 
 and a common misfortune, to cement a friendship, 
 and swear that they would either gain freedom or 
 perish together. 
 
 Although they could not plan an escape from 
 their closely guarded prison and must wait for 
 chance to aid them, they spent hours in discussing 
 the course to be pursued if ever they got beyond 
 those hated walls. 
 
 " We must make all haste to cross the river," 
 said Tasquanto, " for the Hurons would quickly 
 kill us if we remained on this side. If it is frozen 
 that will be easy. If not, we must steal one of 
 
i 5 4 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 the clumsy boats of these awkward white men, 
 who make everything bigger and heavier than is 
 needful. On the other side we will conceal our 
 selves until we can build a canoe, and then we 
 will go southward. Beyond that I cannot see, for 
 if we go to the country of thy people, they will 
 kill me ; while it would be dangerous for thee, an 
 Iroquois, to be found in my country." 
 
 "But I am not of the Iroquois," protested 
 Nahma. 
 
 " Not of the Iroquois ! Who, then, are thy 
 people?" 
 
 " That I know not. I was found among the 
 Maquas, who are a tribe of the Iroquois, sorely 
 wounded and without memory of aught that had 
 ever happened before that time. Since then I 
 have been an Iroquois by adoption, but it is 
 certain that I am not one by birth." 
 
 This statement so changed the aspect of affairs 
 that it was agreed they should travel towards the 
 country of the Abenakis in case an escape could 
 be effected. It also afforded a fruitful topic . of 
 speculation, and thus helped pass the weary hours. 
 
 Finally, the time came when Tasquanto was 
 
THE BITTER WINTER OF CANADA 155 
 
 so fully recovered that he was sent out to hunt 
 food for the hungry garrison, and during the 
 day Nahma was left alone, since only at night 
 was his companion allowed to rejoin him. Chau- 
 vin realized that if both were sent into the woods 
 they would at once make good their escape ; 
 while, from the friendship he had noted between 
 them, he felt assured that Tasquanto would 
 return to his comrade so long as the latter was 
 held. Nor did he dare allow Nahma to escape 
 while there was a chance of Champlain s return. 
 
 So our poor lad shivered and starved in his 
 hated prison-house, finding his only occupation in 
 making snow-shoes from materials furnished by 
 Tasquanto. He designed them for his own use, 
 but they were taken from him by his guards as 
 fast as completed, so that in the end he had 
 nothing to show for his labors. One night a great 
 grief befell him ; Tasquanto failed to appear at the 
 usual hour, nor did he come during the night, 
 though Nahma watched and waited for him until 
 morning. He asked eager questions of the 
 guard who brought his miserable breakfast, but 
 the man refused to answer, and all that day our 
 
156 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 lad sat in a lethargy of despair, careless whether 
 he lived or died. 
 
 The following night was one of furious storm 
 and bitter cold. The north wind roaring through 
 the bending forest shrieked and howled in savage 
 glee as it struck the forlorn little outpost of white 
 men. It leaped down the wide-throated chimneys 
 and scattered their fires. It slammed shutters 
 and doors, while if any ventured abroad, it blinded 
 and choked them with stinging volleys of snow 
 drift. So fierce and deadly was it that even 
 military discipline came to an end, and all sen 
 tries were permitted to abandon their posts. 
 
 Nahma sat alone in the dark, numbed and 
 nearly perished with the cold, for he had burned 
 up the last bit of fuel brought him two days 
 earlier by Tasquanto, and none had been supplied 
 since. In the many voices of the storm, now 
 shrill and clamorous, then deep and menacing, 
 and again filled with weird moanings that died 
 in long-drawn sighs, he heard the spirits of the 
 dead, the Okis of another world, calling to him, 
 and bidding him share their wild freedom. He 
 knew that he had but to yield to the drowsiness 
 
THE BITTER WINTER OF CANADA 157 
 
 already overpowering him, and the deadly cold 
 would speedily release him from all earthly 
 prisons. Perhaps Tasquanto s spirit was among 
 those now calling ; yes, he was sure of it, for he 
 recognized his friend s voice. " Massasoit," it 
 called, " Massasoit, wake up ! It is I, Tasquanto, 
 thy brother. Wake up and come to me." 
 
 The cry was agonized in its intensity, and after 
 a little even Nahma s dulling senses recognized 
 that it was uttered by human lips. At the same 
 time he felt that the storm was beating on his 
 face, and struggling weakly to his feet, he gained 
 the window through which it came. Its shutter 
 was wide open, and beyond its bars stood Tas 
 quanto speaking to him. 
 
 " I thought thee dead, my brother, for I have 
 called many times without answer," said Tas 
 quanto, as he became aware that his friend was 
 at hand. 
 
 "And I believed thy voice to be that of thy 
 spirit, for I also thought thee gone to the place 
 of the dead," replied Nahma. " Why have you 
 remained away from me these many hours?" 
 
 " It is because they drove me from the gate, 
 
158 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 saying that my hunting was of no avail, and that 
 I should not longer eat of their stores. But I 
 
 o 
 
 could not go, my brother, without word with thee, 
 and now has the storm-god given me a chance 
 for speaking. If it were not for these bars we 
 could do more than speak, for those who kept 
 guard have been driven to shelter, and there is 
 none to hinder us from going away together. 
 But they may not be broken, and so we must wait 
 until other means are found for thy release. But 
 fear not that I will desert thee. I have found a 
 way for passing the wall, and will come to this 
 place whenever it may be done without notice. 
 In the mean time I will prepare for our flight. 
 Already have I built a lodge in a safe place 
 beyond the river, and " 
 
 Here Tasquanto s words were suddenly inter 
 rupted, and the heavy shutter was slammed to 
 as though by a fierce gust of wind. Then the 
 door was flung open and the faint gleam of a 
 horn lantern illumined the interior. 
 
 A little earlier on that same evening Chauvin, 
 while talking with one of his officers concerning 
 Champlain and his unexplained absence, had been 
 
THE BITTER WINTER OF CANADA 159 
 
 reminded of the young Indian whom the gov 
 ernor had consigned to his care, but to whom he 
 had not given a thought in many days. Now 
 he inquired carelessly whether he were alive 
 or dead. 
 
 " I know not," replied the officer, who, follow 
 ing his chiefs example, had not concerned him 
 self about the fate of so insignificant a being as 
 a captive Indian. 
 
 "And why do you not know ?" cried Chauvin, 
 with a sudden burst of petulant rage. "It is 
 your duty to know, and to be ready with instant 
 report concerning everything taking place within 
 the walls of Quebec. Do you think because the 
 governor chooses to absent himself for a while 
 that no one is left here to maintain his authority ? 
 By the saints, monsieur, I will give you cause to 
 remember that Pierre Chauvin is not to be trifled 
 with, and that when he asks a question he expects 
 it to be promptly answered. Go, then, at once, 
 sir, and inform yourself by personal observation 
 of the condition of this prisoner, or haply you may 
 find yourself in his place." 
 
 Without daring to reply, the bewildered officer 
 
160 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 bowed and left the room. Thus it happened that, 
 accompanied by a soldier whom he had sum 
 moned to attend him, he came to Nahma s prison- 
 house in time to interrupt the conversation be 
 tween him and Tasquanto and frighten the latter 
 into a precipitate retreat. 
 
 Finding, to his satisfaction, that the prisoner 
 was still alive, the officer demanded of the sol 
 dier why, in such weather, he was kept without 
 fire. 
 
 The soldier replied that it had been left to the 
 other Indian to provide the guard-house with fuel ; 
 whereupon his superior passed out to him the 
 rating he himself had received from Chauvin. 
 
 " And so, canaille, you leave your duties to be 
 performed by a miserable skulking savage. A 
 pretty state of affairs in a king s fortress. Bring 
 wood at once, sir, and fire, also fetch something 
 in the way of food, for this wretch looks like to 
 die of starvation, a thing that may not be allowed 
 of the governor s own prisoner, even though he 
 be a heathen." 
 
 So on that night of bitter tempest not only 
 were Nahma s spirits raised by a new hope, but 
 
THE BITTER WINTER OF CANADA 161 
 
 the horrors of freezing and starvation that had 
 threatened his life were sensibly mitigated. Two 
 days later came the first word received from 
 Champlain since his hurried departure for 
 Tadousac four months earlier. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 A DASH FOR LIBERTY 
 
 THE mystery of Champlain s disappearance 
 weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little 
 garrison left to hold Quebec. He had been the 
 life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock 
 upon which it was founded. Without him there 
 seemed no hope of its continuance or of relief 
 from their distress. They were convinced that 
 he was dead, for they knew he would never have 
 left them without at least sending a message to 
 tell where he had gone. So they mourned him 
 sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon 
 his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed 
 any should offer. 
 
 The great storm cast an added gloom over the 
 garrison, and they were so unhappy that every 
 man was ready to fly at his neighbor s throat 
 upon the slightest provocation, when a small band 
 of Indians was reported to be making a camp 
 near at hand. Instantly every face brightened, 
 162 
 
A DASH FOR LIBERTY 163 
 
 for it was thought that they must have brought 
 provisions to trade for goods. Thus, when, a little 
 later, one of them approached the fort, he was 
 given prompt admittance. Being conducted to 
 the presence of the commandant, he announced 
 that his people were so very hungry that they 
 had come to the white men to beg a little food 
 from their abundant stores. At the same time 
 he had brought a message from the great white 
 chief, for which he was entitled to a reward. 
 
 With this the Indian produced a folded paper, 
 greasy and grimed with dirt, which he handed to 
 Chauvin. 
 
 As the latter unfolded it he uttered an ex 
 clamation, for it contained a note written in French 
 and signed " Champlain." Its condition rendered 
 it difficult to decipher, but as the reader gradu 
 ally mastered its contents his face darkened, 
 until suddenly he sprang up, seized a stick, and 
 began furiously to belabor the astonished savage, 
 who had been waiting in smiling expectancy for 
 his reward. With a howl of pained surprise, he 
 leaped back and rushed from the building with 
 the enraged commandant in hot pursuit. 
 
1 64 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 Not until the terrified native had escaped from 
 the fort and disappeared in the forest did Chauvin 
 give over his chase. Then, to the amazement of 
 his men, he ordered a cannon to be loaded and 
 fired in the direction taken by the object of his 
 wrath. Although the crashing ball did no dam 
 age, it, and the roar of the gun bursting upon 
 the winter stillness, so frightened the recently 
 arrived Indians that they instantly abandoned 
 their partially constructed camp and fled in hot 
 haste from that hostile neighborhood. 
 
 Refusing to answer questions, and so leaving 
 the curiosity of his men unsatisfied, Chauvin re 
 turned to his quarters, and lifting Champlain s 
 note from the floor where he had flung it, read it 
 for the second time with gritting teeth and bitter 
 maledictions. It was dated four months earlier, 
 and read as follows : 
 
 " MY GOOD FRIEND PIERRE : 
 
 "I am just arrived at Tadousac and find the 
 ship about to sail. I also find it to be of the last 
 importance that one of us should return in her 
 to France. Had I known this two days earlier, 
 
A DASH FOR LIBERTY 165 
 
 or could I get word to you in season, the mission 
 would devolve upon you, since I am loath to leave 
 at this time. As it happens, I myself must go ; 
 but will return in earliest spring. So, my friend, 
 until then everything is left to you. Husband 
 carefully your provisions, keep up the spirits of 
 your men, and maintain friendly relations with 
 the natives. I forward this by a messenger, 
 whom you will suitably reward for its prompt 
 delivery. Regretting that we may not exchange 
 duties, for I would gladly remain, I sign myself, 
 
 as ever, 
 
 "Thy friend, 
 
 " CHAMPLAIN." 
 
 " Death and furies !" cried Chauvin, again fling 
 ing the note to the floor and grinding it beneath 
 his heel. " To think that while we have mourned 
 him as dead he has been all the time comfortably 
 in France. Also that I might have gone in his 
 stead if only he could have got word to me in 
 time. Ten thousand thunders ! It would en 
 rage a saint ! Maintain friendly relations with 
 the natives, forsooth ! I would I could blow them 
 all to eternity. Suitably reward that rascal mes- 
 
1 66 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 senger ! Burning at the stake would be too 
 good for him. And, heavens ! all this time we 
 have been keeping one of the scoundrels in lux 
 urious idleness, gorging him with food robbed 
 from our own bellies, providing him with fire and 
 lodging to gratify a whim of the governor s, 
 doubtless long since forgotten. But not another 
 minute shall he thus impose upon us. He shall 
 go, and that with such speed as will amaze him." 
 
 With this the angry commandant again de 
 scended to the court, summoned all the able- 
 bodied men of the garrison, and bade them form 
 a double line outside the guard-house door, after 
 first providing themselves with cudgels. "The 
 red whelp inside," he said, "has without recom 
 pense devoured our substance long enough. 
 Now, therefore, I propose to send him forth bear 
 ing tokens of our regard that may not be for 
 gotten in haste. Watch sharply, then, and re 
 member that any man failing to deal him at least 
 one blow shall go without his supper this night. 
 Are you ready ? It is well !" 
 
 Thus saying, Chauvin unlocked the guard-house 
 door and flung it open preparatory to stepping 
 
A DASH FOR LIBERTY 167 
 
 inside and driving" out with blows its solitary oc 
 cupant. The next moment he was hurled 
 sprawling to the ground, and a slight, half-naked 
 figure, animated by desperation, was darting with 
 such speed between the lines of unprepared 
 soldiers that some failed even to go through 
 the motions of striking at him, while others 
 wasted their blows on the empty air. Uttering 
 yells of delight at the novel nature of this enter 
 tainment, they ran after him ; but they might as 
 well have pursued a fleeting shadow. Before 
 they could head him off he had sped through 
 the open gate and was gone. 
 
 After Tasquanto s visit Nahma s shutter had 
 been nailed up, so that he no longer had even 
 the poor consolation of gazing out on the blank 
 wall of palisades. Nor could he employ his 
 hands, for he was now in darkness, save for such 
 faint gleams as filtered down his chimney. Under 
 these conditions he believed that he might speedily 
 die, and planned for one last effort at escape be 
 fore his waning strength should turn to utter 
 weakness. On that very day he had determined 
 that when next his prison door was opened it 
 
1 68 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 should never again close on his living body. So 
 he sat watching it with feverish impatience. 
 
 The roar of Chauvin s vengeful cannon startled 
 
 o 
 
 him and at the same time gave him a vague hope 
 of some unusual happening that might result in 
 his favor. So he became keenly alert, and was 
 not taken by surprise when, without previous 
 warning, the door of the guard-house was flung 
 open. Dropping from his shoulders the blanket 
 which alone had saved him from freezing, the 
 youth sprang forward, reckless of consequences, 
 and a minute later, without an idea of how the 
 miracle had been accomplished, found himself 
 outside the fort and speeding towards the ice 
 bound river. So blinded were his eyes by the 
 unaccustomed light and glare of snow that until 
 now he had seen nothing save the figure that had 
 opened his door, and his movements had been 
 guided by instinct rather than knowledge. The 
 single fact indelibly impressed upon his brain was 
 that Tasquanto waited somewhere beyond the 
 river. Consequently that was the one direction 
 for him to take, and he would doubtless have 
 plunged into its waters, had they been free, as 
 
A DASH FOR LIBERTY 169 
 
 readily as he now leaped upon its snow-covered 
 surface. 
 
 So long as he was within sight of the fort and 
 within range of its guns his strength lasted, and he 
 sped forward with the same fleetness that had for 
 merly aroused the wonder of his Iroquois friends. 
 Thus he gained the middle of the river, and climbed 
 a rugged ridge of hummocks and huge ice-blocks 
 upheaved during the final struggle of rebellious 
 waters against the mighty forces of the frost-king. 
 
 On the farther side of this our poor lad faltered, 
 staggered, and then sank with a groan. The 
 nervous strength that had borne him thus far was 
 exhausted, and in this place of temporary safety 
 it yielded to the weakness of his long imprison 
 ment. He had made a splendid dash for liberty, 
 but now he had reached the limit of his powers, 
 and must either be recaptured within a short 
 space or die of the bitter cold. Even as he lay 
 with closed eyes gasping for breath he felt its 
 numbing clutch, and knew that very shortly he 
 would be powerless against it. But it did not 
 matter. He would at least die in possession of 
 the freedom for which he had longed, and, after 
 
170 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 all, what had he to live for ? He was friendless, 
 homeless, and without even a people whom he 
 might call his own. No tribe claimed him, there 
 was no lodge within which he had the right of 
 shelter. It would be much better in the land of 
 spirits, for there his own would know him as he 
 would know them. The trail to it was easy and 
 short, also it was a very pleasant path, bright 
 with sunshine and gay with flowers. There was 
 music of singing birds, and already were the 
 voices of his own people calling to him. " Mas- 
 sasoit !" they cried, " Massasoit !" Then they 
 named him brother and bade him open his eyes 
 that he might see them. So he opened his eyes 
 and gazed into the anxious face of Tasquanto, 
 who knelt beside him rubbing vigorously at his 
 limbs and slapping him smartly to restore circu 
 lation in the numbing body. 
 
 He smiled happily at sight of Nahma s unclosed 
 eyes, but did not for an instant desist from his 
 rubbings and slappings until the other at length 
 sat up, and then unsteadily regained his feet. 
 
 " Now, my brother," said Tasquanto, taking a 
 robe of skins from his own shoulders as he spoke 
 
A DASH FOR LIBERTY 171 
 
 and throwing it about Nahma, " together must 
 we reach the lodge I have prepared, for I will never 
 return to it alone. The trail is long and hard, but 
 it must be overcome or we shall perish together." 
 So the journey was begun, Nahma at first 
 leaning heavily on his comrade s supporting arm, 
 but gaining new strength with each step. As he 
 had taken neither nourishment nor stimulant, this 
 was wholly owing to the effect upon his spirits 
 of renewed hope and a cheery companionship. 
 As they walked Tasquanto told him how, ever 
 since the storm, his attempts at communication 
 had been frustrated, how in the mean time he had 
 increased the comforts of his hidden lodge, how at 
 sound of Chauvin s cannon he had hastened tow 
 ards the fort to learn the cause of the firing, and 
 of the overwhelming joy with which he had dis 
 covered Nahma as the latter topped the ice-ridge 
 in the middle of the river. Then Nahma related 
 as well as he could the details of his wonderful 
 escape from the fort, and by the time his narrative 
 was ended they were come to the rude lodge 
 that Tasquanto had built in anticipation of just 
 such a need as had now arisen. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 A DEATH-DEALING THUNDER-STICK 
 
 TASQUANTO S lodge was snugly hidden in a 
 dense growth of heavy timber near the place 
 where the Chaudiere flows into the St. Lawrence. 
 It was merely a frame of poles covered so thickly 
 with branches of fragrant spruce and balsam that 
 it presented the appearance of a green mound 
 rising above the surrounding snow. Its walls 
 were so thick as to be almost wind-proof, and in 
 the middle of its earthen floor was a small circle 
 of stones that formed a rude fireplace. In this 
 only the dryest of wood was burned, and the little 
 smoke that resulted escaped through an aperture 
 left in the roof. On two sides were elastic beds 
 of spruce boughs covered deep with flat hemlock 
 branches and balsam tips. The very air of the 
 place was a tonic, and the escaped captive, fresh 
 from the foulness of his prison, drew in eager 
 breaths of its life-giving sweetness as he sank 
 172 
 
A- DEATH-DEALING THUNDER-STICK 173 
 
 wearily, but happily, down on the nearest pile 
 of boughs. 
 
 As he lay there gazing about the rude shelter 
 with an air of perfect content he uttered frequent 
 exclamations of amazement, for Tasquanto was 
 drawing from various hiding-places an array of 
 treasures such as no Indian of Nahma s acquaint 
 ance had ever before possessed : a copper kettle, 
 a steel hatchet, two knives, a blanket, several 
 glass bottles, and a fragment of mirror. Then, 
 with conscious pride, but also with evident trepi 
 dation, he produced the most wonderful trophy 
 of all, a rusty musket, one of the awful thunder- 
 sticks that rendered the white man all-powerful. 
 
 During the night of the great storm the entire 
 garrison of Quebec had gathered for warmth in 
 the hall of the commandant s house, and Tas 
 quanto had taken advantage of this to make a 
 foray into the deserted barracks with the above 
 result. He had brought away the musket with 
 fear and trembling, dreading lest it might ex 
 plode and kill him at any moment. Even now 
 he handled it cautiously, while Nahma could not 
 for some time be persuaded to touch it. So it 
 
174 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 was laid carefully down, and he was permitted to 
 feast his eyes on the marvel while Tasquanto 
 busied himself in preparing a feast of more 
 substantial character. 
 
 He had been so fortunate as to discover the 
 winter den of a bear, which he had also suc 
 ceeded in killing, so that now he could offer 
 his guest not only the warmth of a shaggy 
 robe but an abundance of meat. Instead of 
 half-burning and half-cooking a chunk of this 
 on the coals, as was the custom of his people, 
 he displayed a rudiment of civilization by cut 
 ting it up into small bits and stewing them in 
 his copper kettle. 
 
 After the youths had eaten heartily of this 
 meal, which, simple as it was, proved more 
 satisfactory to Nahma than the very best of 
 those given him in Quebec, they spent several 
 hours in discussing their plans for the future 
 and in examining Tasquanto s treasures. Hav 
 ing overcome his awe of the thunder-stick suffi 
 ciently to take it in his hands, Nahma became 
 anxious to test its powers. He had seen Cham- 
 plain discharge his musket, and knew that it was 
 
A DEATH-DEALING THUNDER-STICK 175 
 
 done through the agency of a lighted slow-match 
 applied to the priming-pan. His knowledge of 
 the firing of a gun was thus far in advance of 
 Tasquanto s, who, having never witnessed the 
 operation at close range, had no idea of how it 
 was accomplished. But he was quite willing to 
 learn, and so it was agreed that on the following 
 morning Nahma should give the owner of the 
 musket his first lesson in its use. 
 
 Both of them were so excited over the pros 
 pect of experimenting for their own benefit with 
 the deadly thunder of the white man that they 
 lay awake most of the night discussing their pro 
 posed adventure ; and, as a consequence, slept 
 much later than they had intended on the follow 
 ing morning. The day was well advanced, there 
 fore, when the two lads, after preparing and 
 eating another hearty meal, stepped outside to 
 test their newly acquired weapon. It was carried 
 by Nahma, who, nervous with excitement, still 
 presented a bold front, while, under his direction, 
 Tasquanto fetched a blazing brand from the fire. 
 
 Resting the barrel of his piece across the 
 trunk of a prostrate tree and holding its stock 
 
1 76 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 at arm s length, Nahma bade his companion ap 
 ply fire to the pan. With much trepidation and 
 a strong" desire to clap both hands to his ears, 
 Tasquanto valiantly did as he was bidden, but 
 without result. Again and again did he apply 
 the glowing coal, but still the gun refused to 
 obey the wishes of its inexperienced owners. 
 
 "It will only speak and deal out its death- 
 medicine at the command of white men," said 
 Tasquanto, disconsolately. 
 
 " Not so," replied Nahma, "for once I saw it 
 obey the will of a Huron warrior. But I think I 
 know what is needed. It must be turned over so 
 that the flame may rise to it. Also in this weather 
 the thunder-stick is so cold that it will take much 
 fire to warm it into action. Make, therefore, a 
 hot blaze, and I am assured that something will 
 happen." 
 
 So Nahma turned the gun, and, forgetting to 
 remain at arm s length, bent anxiously over the 
 refractory piece, while Tasquanto built a regular 
 fire beneath it. Of a sudden the musket went 
 off with a tremendous report that roused the 
 woodland echoes for miles. Also it sprang 
 
A DEATH-DEALING THUNDER-STICK 177 
 
 savagely backward, bowling 1 over both Nahma 
 and Tasquanto as though they had been nine 
 pins. But the most astounding result of the 
 discharge was a series of shrieks and yells that 
 resounded through the forest as though it were 
 peopled by a pack of demons. At the same 
 time a number of leaping figures dashed from 
 an extensive thicket at which the gun had been 
 inadvertently pointed and fled as though for their 
 lives. Something had assuredly happened. 
 
 As our bewildered lads cautiously lifted their 
 heads to learn the extent of the damage done by 
 the fearful force they had so recklessly let loose, 
 each was thankful to see that the other was still 
 alive. Next they glanced at the musket. It lay 
 half buried in the snow, looking as innocent and 
 harmless as a stick of wood ; but they knew of 
 what terrible things it was capable, and would 
 hereafter be very careful how they allowed it to 
 come into contact with fire. They were con 
 vinced that in some unexplained manner it 
 could absorb flame until it had accumulated 
 a certain quantity and could then eject this 
 with deadly effect. 
 
 12 
 
1 78 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 Being reassured concerning their own condi 
 tion and the present harmlessness of the musket, 
 they next bethought themselves of the dreadful 
 cries that had seemed to mingle with the report, 
 and they agreed that these must have been uttered 
 by the Okis, or spirits of the forest, in protest 
 against such a rude disturbance of its winter 
 quiet. As they stiffly picked themselves up, 
 Nahma declared his intention of visiting the 
 thicket towards which the thunder-stick had been 
 pointed, to see whether he could discover where 
 its lightnings had struck. Tasquanto tried to 
 dissuade him, declaring that the place must be 
 the abode of Okis ; but to this Nahma an 
 swered that if so they were certainly frightened 
 away for the present, which would therefore be 
 the best time to visit their haunts. 
 
 So the two cautiously made their way in that 
 direction, and had not gone more than fifty paces 
 when they came upon a sight almost as startling 
 as had been the discharge of the musket. It was 
 the dead body of a Huron warrior not yet cold. 
 His life s blood still trickled from a jagged wound 
 in the breast and crimsoned the snow on which he 
 
A DEATH-DEALING THUNDER-STICK 179 
 
 had fallen. On all sides of him were other signs 
 that told as plainly as spoken words how narrowly 
 our lads had escaped falling into the hands of a 
 merciless foe. There were marks of a cautious 
 approach along the trail they themselves had 
 made the day before, of the halt for observation 
 when the intended victims were discovered, and 
 of the panic-stricken flight that followed the unex 
 pected musket-fire by which one of their number 
 had been so suddenly killed. 
 
 "The thunder-stick is indeed a god," remarked 
 Nahma. "It can discover and kill the enemies of 
 those to whom it is friendly even before they have 
 knowledge of approaching danger." 
 
 "Yes," replied Tasquanto, as he coolly scalped 
 the dead Huron ; "with it to fight on our side we 
 are become as sagamores, terrible and all-power 
 ful. I will take it to my own people, and when it 
 shall lead them in battle who will be able to stand 
 before them ? Even the white men, whom many 
 still think to be gods, are now no stronger than 
 we. Oh, my friend ! let us shout for joy, since 
 in all the world there is no man more powerful 
 than are Massasoit and Tasquanto, his brother." 
 
i8o THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 When the exultant young warriors returned to 
 camp, bearing with them the trophies of their 
 exploit, they also carried, very reverently, the 
 weapon which they termed a thunder-god," and 
 which had rendered them such notable service. 
 Then, while Nahma set to work on a pair of snow- 
 shoes, Tasquanto, who had seen the French sol 
 diers oil and burnish their guns, coated his with 
 bear s grease, removed its smoke-stains, and 
 rubbed its barrel until -it shone. When he had 
 done for it everything that his limited knowledge 
 prescribed, he placed it in a corner where they 
 could constantly admire it, and began the con 
 struction of a rude toboggan of bark. 
 
 By the time this was completed Nahma s snow- 
 shoes were also ready for service, and the fugitives 
 were prepared to start on their long southward 
 journey. For a beginning of this they made 
 their way slowly up to the head-waters of the 
 Chaudiere, crossed a rugged divide to those of 
 the Penobscot, and there established a permanent 
 camp. From this they set lines of traps that 
 yielded a rich reward in the way of pelts, and 
 before spring opened they got out the frame of a 
 
A DEATH-DEALING THUNDER-STICK 181 
 
 canoe. As soon as sap began to run in the birch- 
 trees they secured enough bark to cover it, and 
 by the time the river opened they were prepared 
 to float with its current to the country of Tas- 
 quanto s people. 
 
 Their voyage down the swift-rushing river was 
 filled with adventures and with hair-breadth es 
 capes. Not only were they in almost constant 
 danger from foaming rapids and roaring water 
 falls, but only unceasing vigilance and an occa 
 sional display of their musket saved them from 
 death or capture by the hostile tribes through 
 whose territory they passed. 
 
 At length they carried around the last cataract 
 and entered upon the long, broad reaches by 
 which the river flowed in dignified majesty to the 
 sea. This was Tasquanto s country, and now 
 they might watch for the villages in which he 
 would be assured a friendly welcome. 
 
 Finally one was sighted, and Nahma proposed 
 that, after the custom of white men on returning 
 from victorious expeditions, they should discharge 
 their thunder-stick. Nothing loath to add to his 
 own importance by such an announcement of 
 
i8 2 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 their coming, Tasquanto promptly assented to 
 this proposition. So they landed a few hundred 
 yards above the village and made preparations 
 for the second discharge of their formidable 
 weapon. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 KIDNAPPED 
 
 BEING by this time, as they fondly imagined, 
 thoroughly acquainted with the white man s 
 thunder-stick and with all details of the process 
 necessary to render it effective, our young Indians 
 were determined to leave undone nothing that 
 might contribute to the complete success of their 
 proposed salute. To begin with, the musket 
 must be pointed away from the village, and they 
 themselves must keep at a respectful distance 
 while it was accumulating its fiery energy. Also, 
 to produce an extraordinary volume of sound, 
 the flame by which the thunder-stick was fed 
 must be big and hot. They knew this, because 
 on the occasion of their previous experiment they 
 had, with the aid of a flame, produced a much 
 louder noise than that made by the white man s 
 slow-matches. Consequently they argued that 
 the greater the flame the louder the report. 
 
 At the same time they were willing to acknowl- 
 
 183 
 
1 84 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 edge that slow-matches were excellent things to 
 have under certain conditions, when, for instance, 
 one was so closely beset that he wished to fire 
 with great rapidity, even as many as two or three 
 shots in the course of an hour. So they were 
 determined to obtain one at the very first oppor 
 tunity, and imagined that thus provided their 
 shooting equipment would be complete. 
 
 But a blaze would be much better for their 
 present purpose, and they would take care that 
 it was big enough to produce an astonishing 
 result. So carefully did they make their prepara 
 tions that while Tasquanto collected dry wood 
 for the fire, Nahma cut a couple of forked sticks 
 on which to rest the musket and drove them 
 solidly into the ground. To these he lashed the 
 gun until it resembled a victim about to be burned 
 at the stake. He did not, of course, forget to 
 place it upside down, so that its firing-pan might 
 receive full benefit of the upleaping flames. 
 Then wood was piled beneath it until it really 
 looked as though they were intent upon burning 
 the gun instead of being merely desirous of dis 
 charging it. 
 
KIDNAPPED 185 
 
 While they were making these preparations 
 several of the villagers, noticing the presence of 
 strangers, came out to discover their business. 
 To these Tasquanto made the peace sign, and at 
 the same time warned them not to come too 
 close. So they halted and watched with curiosity 
 the mysterious proceedings of the strangers. 
 
 At length all was in readiness, and Tasquanto, 
 as principal owner of the thunder-stick, claimed 
 the privilege of setting fire to the inflammable 
 structure he had reared beneath it. As the brisk 
 blaze shot upward he ran back and joined Nahma 
 at a safe distance. On the opposite side were the 
 village Indians, filled with uneasy expectancy 
 mingled with awe ; for they imagined they were 
 witnessing some impressive religious ceremony. 
 
 The flames mounted higher and higher until 
 they completely enveloped the devoted musket, 
 and Tasquanto, so excited as to be unconscious 
 of the act, clapped his hands to his ears to deaden 
 the sound of the thunderous report that he mo 
 mentarily expected. But it did not come. The 
 wooden stock of the gun began to smoke, and 
 then burst into a blaze. Being very dry and also 
 
1 86 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 saturated with oil, it was speedily consumed. At 
 the same time the lashings burned through, and 
 the red-hot barrel, already bent out of shape, fell 
 into the glowing coals. 
 
 As though drawn by an irresistible fascination, 
 Tasquanto, with hands still held to his ears, had 
 moved nearer step by step, gazing with incredu 
 lous eyes at this destruction of the thing he had 
 regarded as a god, loud-voiced and invincible. 
 The puzzled spectators on the other side also 
 cautiously approached closer. 
 
 Suddenly Tasquanto, seeming to awake as 
 from a dream, started down the hill-side towards 
 the canoe, and Nahma followed him. Both knew 
 why they fled. For some unexplained reason 
 their expected triumph had resulted in a dismal 
 failure. This had laid them open to the ridicule 
 that an Indian finds especially hard to bear, and 
 they had no wish to be questioned concerning 
 what had just taken place. 
 
 The spectators of their recent remarkable per 
 formance, curious to see what they would do next, 
 followed them so closely that, in order to escape, 
 our lads were forced to run. Gaining their 
 
KIDNAPPED 187 
 
 canoe, they shoved it off and leaped in as the fore 
 most of their pursuers reached the water s edge. 
 Without heeding the many invitations to return 
 that quickly became threatening commands, 
 Nahma and Tasquanto plied their paddles with 
 such diligence that they were quickly beyond 
 arrow range ; and, speeding past the village 
 without a pause, they were soon lost to sight 
 of its puzzled inhabitants. Not until they were 
 some miles farther down the river was a word 
 exchanged between the young men. Then, as 
 Nahma drew in his paddle and paused for breath, 
 he remarked, 
 
 "The thunder-stick of the white man is bad 
 medicine for bow-and-arrow people." 
 
 "Yes," replied Tasquanto, mournfully, "it 
 seems that we have much to learn." 
 
 While in camp that night discussing the humil 
 iating events of the day they were joined by a 
 solitary hunter who was on his way up the river. 
 After a guarded interchange of questions and 
 answers, during which neither party learned any 
 thing definite concerning the other, the stranger 
 told them of certain white men who were trading 
 
1 88 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 at the mouth of the Penobscot, and advised them 
 to carry their furs to that market. 
 
 " Are they Frangaise ?" asked Nahma, who was 
 determined never again to fall within the power 
 of those who had so cruelly imprisoned him. 
 
 "No," was the reply, "they are of a people 
 who call themselves Yengeese and who make 
 war on the white-coats: 4 " 
 
 " Have they thunder-sticks ?" asked Tasquanto. 
 
 "In plenty." 
 
 "Then let us go to them. If we accomplish 
 nothing else we may learn the white man s secret, 
 and so shall our shame be wiped out." 
 
 On the following day, therefore, a few hours 
 carried our lads to where the river broadened 
 into a bay dotted with islands. As their little 
 craft was lifted on the first great swells that 
 came rolling in from the open sea, Nahma uttered 
 an exclamation and pointed eagerly. 
 
 "Look!" he cried. "What is it? Was ever 
 such a thing seen in the world before?" 
 
 Tasquanto glanced in the direction indicated 
 and laughed. Truly, the sight was remarkable, 
 and one still rare to those waters ; but he had 
 
KIDNAPPED 189 
 
 already seen one so similar in the St. Lawrence 
 that he could now speak with the authority of 
 superior knowledge. 
 
 "It is the winged canoe of the white man," he 
 said. "In it he comes up out of the great salt 
 waters and after a little flies back again to his 
 own place. Knew you not that his whiteness is 
 caused by the washing of the waters in which he 
 lives ?" 
 
 " No," replied Nahma, doubtfully. " Nor did 
 I know that any canoe could be so vast. It even 
 has trees growing from it." 
 
 "Yes," admitted the other, to whom this phe 
 nomenon was also a puzzle. " But they be not 
 trees that bear fruit, nor even leaves, though they 
 have branches and vines. On them the canoe 
 spreads its wings, which are white like the pinions 
 of wembezee " (the swan). 
 
 "Let us go closer that we may see these 
 things," said Nahma, to whom the appearance of 
 that little English trading-ship was as wonderful 
 as had been his first view of Quebec. 
 
 So they approached slowly and cautiously, 
 feasting their eyes on the marvel as they went, 
 
1 9 o THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 and directing each other s attention to a myriad 
 of details. Finally they were within hailing dis 
 tance, and a man standing on the ship s towering 
 poop-deck beckoned for them to come on board. 
 
 Tasquanto, who knew the etiquette of such 
 occasions, held up a beaver-skin, as much as to 
 say " Will you trade ?" 
 
 For reply the white man displayed some trinkets 
 that glittered in the sunlight, thereby intimating 
 his willingness to transact business. At the same 
 time he turned to one who stood close at hand 
 and said, 
 
 " They be two young bucks, without old men, 
 women, or children. Nor is there another native 
 in sight. It is therefore the best chance by far 
 that has offered for filling Sir Ferdinando s order. 
 Twenty pounds will I give thee, Dermer, for a 
 native youth of intelligence delivered here at 
 Plymouth in good condition. Those were his 
 very words, and it will be well to have two ; for 
 if one dies on the passage, as the cattle are so 
 apt to do, then will the other make good the loss. 
 If both survive, so much the better, since we can 
 readily dispose of the extra one. We must en- 
 
KIDNAPPED 191 
 
 tice them on board, therefore, and the instant they 
 set foot on deck do thou see tc it that they are 
 secured. Be careful, however, that they suffer no 
 injury, for I would get them across in good con 
 dition if possible." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir," answered the other, who was 
 mate of the ship. " If you can toll em on board 
 I ll handle them as they were unweaned lambs. 
 I ll warrant you they won t escape if once I get a 
 grip on them, slippery devils though they be." 
 
 When the canoe ran alongside the ship a few 
 trinkets were tossed into it as presents and in 
 token of good-will. Then a ladder of rope was 
 lowered, and by signs our lads were invited to 
 come on board. 
 
 They looked at each other doubtfully. " Is it 
 safe to trust these white men ?" asked Nahma. 
 
 "To discover the secret of the thunder-sticks, 
 and perhaps to obtain one in exchange for our 
 furs, is worth a risk," replied Tasquanto. As he 
 spoke he glanced longingly up to where the ship s 
 captain, with a leer on his face that passed for a 
 reassuring smile, tempted them by a lavish dis 
 play of trade goods. 
 
192 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 " Truly, it would be worth much," hesitated 
 Nahma. "At the same time, having once es 
 caped from a prison, I have no desire to see the 
 inside of another." 
 
 "Then stay thou here while I go," said Tas- 
 quanto, whose desire to wipe out his recent 
 humiliation was so great as to overcome his 
 prudence. " The secret of the thunder-stick I 
 must have even though it cost me my life." 
 
 " Does my brother think so meanly of me as 
 to believe that I would let him face a danger alone 
 while I remained in safety?" inquired Nahma, 
 reproachfully. " Let him go and I will follow 
 close at his heels ; for whatever happens to one 
 of us must happen to both." 
 
 So the canoe was made fast, the bundle of 
 furs was attached to a line let down for it, and 
 Tasquanto began to climb the swaying ladder 
 while Nahma steadied it from below. As the 
 former disappeared over the ship s side the son 
 of Longfeather followed swiftly after him. Top 
 ping the high bulwarks, he glanced anxiously 
 down in search of his comrade, but Tasquanto 
 was not to be seen. A suspicion of foul play 
 
KIDNAPPED 193 
 
 darted into his mind, but too late for him to act 
 upon it, for at the same instant he was seized by 
 two pair of brawny hands and dragged inboard. 
 
 Half an hour later the ship under full canvas 
 was speeding merrily down the bay with her 
 jubilant crew bawling out the chorus of a home 
 ward-bound chantey. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 SOLD AS A SLAVE 
 
 THE distress and terror of our poor lads when 
 they found themselves flung into the horrible 
 darkness of the ship s hold with its hatch closed 
 above them would have been pitiful had there 
 been any witnesses. But there was none, and 
 for many weary hours they seemed to have been 
 imprisoned in mere wantonness only to be for 
 gotten as soon as the treacherous act had been 
 accomplished. Their sole comfort was that they 
 were together ; for, on being dropped into the 
 hold, Nahma found Tasquanto, stunned by the 
 magnitude of his misfortune, awaiting him. 
 
 For a time the two remained speechless, only 
 holding to each other, listening, and fearfully 
 awaiting what next might happen. Although 
 they could see nothing there was much to hear, 
 for the anchor was being hove up, sails loosed 
 and sheeted home, canvas was slatting, yards 
 194 
 
SOLD AS A SLAVE 195 
 
 were creaking, and all to the accompaniment of 
 much hoarse shouting and a continual tramping 
 of heavy feet. But none of these sounds con 
 veyed to our captives the slightest idea of what 
 was taking place. After a while the ship began 
 to heel until they believed her to be capsizing, 
 and that their last hour had come. Also they 
 heard a sound of rushing waters. A little later 
 both were so utterly prostrated by sea-sickness 
 that whatever might happen no longer concerned 
 them. 
 
 In this wretched plight they lay for what seemed 
 like many days, but in reality only until the mid 
 dle of the next forenoon, when, of a sudden, the 
 hatch above them was removed and they were 
 blinded by the flood of light that followed. Then 
 men came to them and they were driven on deck, 
 where, dazed and weak with illness, they stag 
 gered from side to side with the motion of the 
 ship. Their pitiable appearance was greeted by 
 shouts of coarse mirth from the crew, who found 
 in it a vastly entertaining spectacle. 
 
 The captives were offered food, but refused it 
 with loathing, though they drank eagerly from a 
 
196 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 bucket of water placed beside them as they sat 
 on deck at the foremast s foot. After a while 
 Nahma became sufficiently revived by the fresh 
 air to gaze about him with somewhat of interest 
 in his strange surroundings. Everything was 
 marvellous and incomprehensible. Even the 
 bearded sailors in petticoats and pigtails, which 
 latter he took to be scalp-locks, were entirely 
 different from the French, who, until now, were 
 the only white men he had known. Nor 
 could he comprehend a word of the barbarous 
 language in which they conversed. When he 
 was tired of looking at them he began to won 
 der in which direction lay the land, and to turn 
 over in his mind a plan for making a quick rush 
 to the ship s side, leaping overboard, and swim 
 ming to shore. 
 
 Before broaching this scheme to his comrade 
 Nahma decided to get his bearings. So he 
 gained his feet and mounted a scuttle-butt, by 
 which his eyes were lifted above the level of the 
 high bulwarks. To his consternation there was 
 no land in sight. Not so much as a tree nor 
 a blue hill-top could he discover in any direction. 
 
SOLD AS A SLAVE 197 
 
 His unaccustomed eyes could not even distin 
 guish the line of the horizon dividing a gray 
 sky from the immensity of gray waters that 
 stretched away on all sides. The bewildering 
 sight filled him with a dread greater than any 
 he had ever known, and he slipped back to his 
 place beside Tasquanto, utterly hopeless. 
 
 " Whether we be going up or down I know 
 not," he said to the latter; "but certain it is 
 that we now float among the clouds, with no 
 prospect of ever again returning to the earth on 
 which dwell people after our own kind. Already 
 are we become Okis." 
 
 "Then is it a most unhappy condition," an 
 swered Tasquanto, "and the medicine-men are 
 liars." 
 
 After a few hours on deck our lads were again 
 driven into the darkness and foulness of the hold ; 
 but on every pleasant day thereafter for weeks 
 was the process of bringing them on deck for an 
 airing repeated. In times of storm they were 
 kept below, with their sufferings immeasurably 
 increased by sickness, by the violent pitching 
 of the ship, by lack of food and water, and by 
 
198 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 terrors of the creakings and groanings that filled 
 the surrounding blackness. 
 
 For more than a month did they thus suffer, 
 hopeless of ever again sighting land or of any 
 relief from their unhappy situation. Then, to 
 Nahma at least, came the worst of all. One 
 day, while they were on deck, he suddenly lifted 
 his head and sniffed the air. 
 
 "It is a breath of earth," he whispered, as 
 though fearful of uttering the glad news aloud. 
 " I can smell it. Oh, my brother ! to once 
 more gain the freedom of a forest would be 
 a happiness exceeding any other. Let us be 
 ready on the morrow when we are again brought 
 into the light. It may be that we shall be near 
 enough to swim to the land. Once within cover 
 of the forest we would never again look upon the 
 face of a white man." 
 
 About this time they were sent below, but that 
 faint scent of land not yet distinguished by any 
 other on the ship had infused them with a new 
 hope, and for hours they talked of what might 
 be done on the morrow. 
 
 In the mean time their ship was so near the 
 
SOLD AS A SLAVE 199 
 
 English coast that twenty-four hours later she 
 lay at anchor in the harbor of Plymouth and her 
 small boat was ready to go ashore. 
 
 "Fetch me the heathen desired by Sir Ferdi- 
 nando," ordered Captain Dermer. 
 
 "Which one, sir?" 
 
 " Either will do. Call them up and take the 
 first that shows a head. Drive the other back, 
 and keep him below until my return." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir." 
 
 So the hatch was partially removed, and the 
 signal for which our lads had waited so impatiently 
 was given. Tasquanto was first to answer it and 
 gain the deck. Nahma followed closely, but was 
 met by a blow that tumbled him back into the 
 hold. Then the hatch was replaced, and he was 
 once more confronted by the horrors of solitary 
 confinement. 
 
 For a time he continued to hope that he would 
 be allowed on deck, or that his comrade would be 
 restored to him ; but, as the weary hours dragged 
 slowly by without either of these things happen 
 ing, these hopes grew fainter and fainter until 
 finally they vanished. 
 
200 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 When food and water were brought to him, he 
 drank of the latter but refused to eat, although 
 the food was fresh meat, the first he had seen 
 since the dreadful day when he had been enticed 
 aboard the ship. It was another proof that they 
 were once more near land. Perhaps even now 
 the forest for which he longed was close at 
 hand, and perhaps people of his own race were 
 come off to trade. Perhaps Tasquanto, who had 
 picked up a number of English words, was acting 
 as interpreter for them. In that case he would 
 doubtless find a chance for escape, though even 
 if he should, Nahma was certain that he would 
 not make use of it. Were they not brothers, 
 sworn to share each other s fortunes, good or ill, 
 to the end ? No ! Tasquanto would never de 
 sert him ; but sooner or later, if he were still alive, 
 would come again to him. Of this our lad was 
 certain. 
 
 After a while the lonely prisoner fell asleep, 
 and when he next awoke the ship was again in 
 motion. He felt about for his companion, but 
 could not find him ; he called aloud, but got no 
 answer. Then he knew that he was indeed alone 
 
SOLD AS A SLAVE 201 
 
 in the world and that something terrible must 
 have happened to Tasquanto. When next he 
 was allowed on deck he looked eagerly for his 
 friend, and, seeing nothing of him, relapsed into 
 a condition of apathy. He no longer cared what 
 happened, and refused to eat the food offered 
 him. 
 
 "Won t eat, eh?" growled Captain Dermer, 
 on learning of this state of affairs. "We ll see 
 about that." 
 
 The grizzled old mariner s method of seeing 
 about things was so effective that the refractory 
 young Indian shortly found himself pinned to the 
 deck by two sailors. A third pinched his nose, 
 and when he opened his mouth for breath poured 
 in hot soup that the victim was obliged to swallow 
 to keep from choking. So he was fed by force, 
 and his strength was sustained until the ship once 
 more came to anchor. 
 
 As usual, Nahma was confined below when this 
 happened, and when he was next brought on deck 
 he was given no time to look about him before 
 being seized, stripped of the foul garments that 
 he had worn during the voyage, and scrubbed 
 
202 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 from head to foot, roughly but thoroughly. 
 Then he was provided with a new suit of buck 
 skin that had been acquired by trade from the 
 Abenakis. He was also given colors and a 
 mirror and ordered to paint his face. Showing 
 symptoms of disobedience, he was made to 
 understand that one of the crew would do it 
 for him ; and, rather than be thus disfigured, he 
 reluctantly complied. After he had satisfactorily 
 decorated himself, greatly to the amusement of 
 the crew, he was left to his own devices and 
 allowed to wander about the deck as he pleased. 
 
 Gaining a position where he could see beyond 
 the ship s side, he was as amazed and bewildered 
 as though he had been transported to another 
 planet, for the vessel had ascended the Thames, 
 and his outlook was upon London. 
 
 Not a tree was to be seen, not a green thing, 
 only houses, until it seemed as though the whole 
 world must be covered with them. Even the river 
 disappeared beneath houses built in a double row 
 on a bridge that spanned it a short distance away. 
 The ship was moored beside a great dingy build 
 ing, from and into which men came and went as 
 
SOLD AS A SLAVE 203 
 
 thickly as bees swarming about a hollow tree in 
 his native woods. 
 
 Although no such clouds of smoke hung above 
 London then as infold it to-day, there was enough 
 to impress our young savage with the belief that 
 a forest fire must be raging just beyond the build 
 ings that obstructed his view. This belief was 
 strengthened by the ceaseless roar of the city, 
 that, to him, held the same elements of terror as 
 the awful voice of a wide-spread conflagration. 
 
 If Tasquanto were only with him that they 
 might discuss these things. But, alas ! he was 
 alone, as unfitted for a life-struggle amid those 
 heretofore undreamed-of surroundings as a new 
 born babe, and, like it, unprovided with a lan 
 guage understandable by those about him. Set 
 down in the heart of a primeval forest he would 
 have been perfectly at home ; but face to face with 
 this hideous wilderness of human construction 
 he was appalled at his own insignificance and 
 utter helplessness. 
 
 As he turned away terror-stricken he noticed 
 that several persons gathered about Captain 
 Dermer were regarding him curiously. One 
 
204 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 of them, a young man of about Nahma s own 
 age, apparently touched by the hopeless expres 
 sion on our lad s painted face, stepped towards 
 him with outstretched hand. 
 
 "Winslow," he said, pointing to himself. 
 
 " Massasoit," answered the other, promptly, 
 and indicating his own person. 
 
 Although he could not understand the new 
 comer s words he appreciated the hearty grip of 
 his hand, and, gazing into his honest eyes, felt 
 that here was one who might become a friend. 
 
 "What are you going to do with him?" in 
 quired Winslow, stepping back beside Captain 
 Dermer. 
 
 " Let him go when he can pay his passage- 
 money, or turn him over to the first person who 
 will pay it for him," was the reply. 
 
 " What is the sum ?" 
 
 " Twenty pounds, no more nor less." 
 
 "I have not that amount with me, but if you 
 will give me a day or two I think I can get it. 
 Will you keep him until I come again ?" 
 
 "Unless some other turns up in the mean time 
 equally desirous of accommodating him." 
 
SOLD AS A SLAVE 205 
 
 " Captain, I vill pay the money on the spot," 
 exclaimed a voice, and wheeling about, Winslow 
 saw a man of sporty aspect arrayed in tawdry 
 imitation of a gentleman, and of a decidedly 
 Hebraic cast of countenance. He was extending 
 a handful of gold pieces, which Captain Dermer 
 took and counted. 
 
 "It is a trade," he said. "Take him and may 
 luck go with you." 
 
 Thus was sold, in the city of London, a free- 
 born native American ; and he was but one of 
 many New World people who shared a similar 
 fate both before and afterwards. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 ONE FRIENDLY FACE 
 
 THE man who on pretence of paying Nahma s 
 passage-money had in reality bought him was a 
 well-known London fur-dealer, who had visited 
 the ship to appraise her cargo. The young 
 fellow who had extended to our forlorn lad the 
 hand of friendship, and who, but for lack of ready 
 means, would have redeemed him from a threat 
 ened slavery, was a Mr. Edward Winslow. He 
 was the youngest son of a well-to-do Devon 
 family, who had taken a degree at Oxford and 
 was now reading law in the Temple. He was 
 intensely interested in America and everything 
 pertaining to it. Thus, on hearing that a ship just 
 arrived from the New World was in the Thames, 
 he hastened to board her, that he might converse 
 with those who had so recently trod the shores he 
 longed to visit. Nahma was the first American 
 he had ever seen, and he regarded him with a 
 
 lively curiosity that was changed to pity at sight 
 206 
 
ONE FRIENDLY FACE 207 
 
 of his hopeless face. Now he turned fiercely on 
 the Jew who by payment of a paltry sum of money 
 had become master of the young stranger s fate. 
 
 "What do you intend to do with him?" he 
 asked. 
 
 "Vat vould you have done mit him yourself 
 had your purse been as full as your stomach?" 
 asked the other, impudently. 
 
 " I would have found for him a home in which 
 he might be taught Christianity and civilization, 
 and then I would have taken the first opportunity 
 for sending" him back to his own land." 
 
 o 
 
 " Mayhap those be the very things I also vould 
 do by the young heathen ; who knows ?" replied 
 the furrier, with a leer. "At any rate, I have 
 charge of him now, and vill take him at once to 
 my happy home. You may set him ashore for 
 me, captain." 
 
 " Not I," responded Captain Dermer. " I have 
 no longer aught to do with him. Take him 
 ashore yourself." 
 
 Thus confronted with his new responsibility, 
 the man approached Nahma and, seizing him 
 roughly by an arm, said, " Come mit me, heathen." 
 
208 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 With a quick motion the young Indian wrenched 
 himself free and faced his new master with so 
 fierce a look that the latter involuntarily quailed 
 beneath it and stepped back. 
 
 " Ah !" he snarled, that s your game, is it? 
 Ve ll see who comes out best." 
 
 With this he called to some men of his employ 
 who were hoisting out bales of furs and bade 
 them come to him, bringing a stout cord. 
 
 " Hold !" cried Winslow, stepping beside the 
 young Indian. " See you not that he is desperate, 
 and that if you try to bind him there will be 
 bloodshed? He will surely kill you, if he dies 
 for it the next moment. Leave him to me and 
 I will guarantee to take him where you may 
 desire, only I give you warning to treat him de 
 cently and without violence." 
 
 Thus saying the speaker held out his hand to 
 Nahma, and by signs intimated that he was to 
 accompany him. 
 
 By instinct the young American had recognized 
 this youth as a friend, and now he unhesitatingly 
 left the ship in his company. 
 
 As a mob would have been attracted by the 
 
ONE FRIENDLY FACE 209 
 
 appearance of an American Indian in the crowded 
 streets, a covered cart belonging to the furrier 
 was procured, and in it our lad was driven to a 
 rear entrance of his master s shop, which fronted 
 on a fashionable thoroughfare, while the others 
 reached the same place on foot. 
 
 During that bewildering ride Nahma sat with 
 stolid face but with keen eyes, taking in all the 
 marvellous details of his surroundings. Next 
 to the throngs of people hurrying to and fro 
 along the narrow, crooked, and ill-paved streets, 
 the appearance of horses most impressed him, 
 for never had he seen beasts at once so large 
 and so completely under the control of man. 
 
 No word passed between Winslow and the 
 furrier until their destination was reached. Then 
 the latter asked, sneeringly, 
 
 " Now, me lud, vat vill your ighness do next?" 
 
 " I will go inside and see him disposed," replied 
 the young man, calmly. 
 
 "Oh, veil, come in and view the royal apart 
 ments," said the other, willing to have Winslow 
 continue his responsibility until the new acquisi 
 tion was safely housed. 
 
 14 
 
210 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 So the young Indian was taken from the cart 
 and led into the shop, causing a buzz of excite 
 ment among the few who saw him climbing a 
 narrow back stairway. He was finally guided to 
 a small chamber directly beneath the roof and 
 lighted by a single window that could not be 
 opened. Had it not been for Winslow s reas 
 suring presence, Nahma would have refused to 
 ascend those stairs, which, being the first he 
 had ever encountered, filled him with dismay. 
 
 After Winslow had seen the stranger in whom 
 he took so great an interest thus safely placed 
 for the present and the furrier had locked the 
 door on his captive, the two descended again to 
 the shop. 
 
 "What will you now do with him ?" asked the 
 
 former. 
 
 "It may be I vill train him to my business and 
 send him out to America as a fur-buyer," an 
 swered the other. " Maybe I vill keep him as a 
 curiosity. I have not yet decided ; but vatever 
 I do is no concern of yours." 
 " Will you sell him to me ?" 
 " Maybe so ven I see your money." 
 
ONE FRIENDLY FACE 211 
 
 With this Winslow was forced to be content, 
 and he departed with the hope of redeeming 
 his newly made friend and of carrying out his 
 vaguely formed intentions concerning him. Al 
 though twenty pounds was not a large sum, it 
 would embarrass him to procure it, since his 
 family, though well-to-do, were not people of 
 wealth, and he was living on a monthly allowance 
 so small as barely to support him in gentility. 
 
 In the mean time Nahma, left to his own melan 
 choly company, gazed from his window over the 
 roofs and chimney-pots of London, feeling that 
 no greater evils could possibly befall him, and 
 yet wondering vaguely what would happen next. 
 Food was brought to him and water, but no 
 change in his situation took place until the follow 
 ing morning. 
 
 Then his master appeared accompanied by a 
 coarse-featured man of evident strength, whom 
 the furrier had engaged to be keeper of his new 
 treasure. By them the young Indian was taken 
 down to the shop, where a small platform had 
 been prepared for him. It was covered and 
 surrounded with costly furs, and here Nahma was 
 
212 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 seated with a fur robe draped across his shoulders. 
 Close at hand stood his keeper to see that he 
 neither escaped nor did injury to any about him. 
 With the tableau arranged, a stout prentice lad 
 took a stand just outside the street entrance and 
 cried in lusty tones the novel attraction to be 
 seen within. 
 
 " Step this way, lords and ladies. Come all ye 
 gentlefolk, attend the reception of his Highness, 
 a native American cannibal prince just arrived 
 from the New World. Look within ! Look with 
 in ! Under the sign of the Ermine Royal sits he. 
 Free of charge are all gentlefolk invited to meet 
 him. This w r ay, lords and ladies. Look within !" 
 
 To this novel reception none but the well- 
 dressed and evidently well-to-do were admitted, 
 since the poor could not be expected to purchase 
 furs then any more than now. And there would 
 have been no room for them in the limited space 
 of the dingy little shop even had they been ad 
 mitted, for ere long it was crowded with fashion 
 able folk eager to be entertained by a novelty, 
 while their retainers filled the street. The spec 
 tators stared at Nahma and listened with credu- 
 
ONE FRIENDLY FACE 213 
 
 lous ears to the marvellous tales told concerning- 
 
 o 
 
 him by the furrier, who, clad in gorgeous raiment, 
 acted the parts of host and showman. Also 
 many of them purchased furs, which was more to 
 the purpose. Never had the Ermine Royal done 
 such a business, and never had its proprietor 
 greater reason to be satisfied with a venture. 
 
 Amid all came Edward Winslow with his 
 twenty pounds, which he proffered to the Jew 
 in return for Nahma s release. But the latter 
 laughed him to scorn. 
 
 " For twenty pund did you think to get him, me 
 lud ? Nay, that was the price I paid, as you veil 
 know, and I must at least double my money. 
 Forty pund is my lowest offer, and fifty if he 
 continues to attract trade as at present. Speech 
 mit him ? I have no objection, only have a 
 care that you seek not to seduce him from my 
 service, or a thing might happen not to your 
 liking." 
 
 Keenly disappointed at this result of his under 
 taking, the young man pushed his way through 
 the crowd until he stood close to the platform, 
 when he called, softly, 
 
214 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 " Massasoit." 
 
 Instantly a glad light flashed into the eyes of 
 the dejected figure thus set up for a show, and, 
 turning eagerly in that direction, he exclaimed, 
 
 " Winslow." 
 
 Then the two friends clasped hands, and Wins- 
 low managed to convey the information that he 
 would come again on the morrow. 
 
 He kept his promise ; and, though he had not 
 succeeded in securing the money necessary to 
 redeem the young Indian, his visit brought much 
 comfort. For many days thereafter he came 
 regularly, often bringing some little thing that he 
 thought might give pleasure ; and these daily 
 glimpses of a friendly face were the only rays 
 of light penetrating the unhappy darkness of 
 Nahma s captivity. He was never allowed to 
 leave the building, and was only marched to and 
 fro up and down those weary stairs between the 
 den in which he lived and the hated platform on 
 which he was exhibited to gaping customers. 
 
 At the end of three weeks Winslow, having 
 received his month s allowance and so raised the 
 necessary forty pounds, tendered it to the fur- 
 
ONE FRIENDLY FACE 215 
 
 dealer for the release of his slave, only to be told 
 that the price had again been doubled. 
 
 Upon this the young man flew into a rage and 
 there was an exchange of bitter words, that ended 
 in Winslow being told to mind his own affairs 
 and not attempt an interference with those that 
 did not concern him. As several prentice lads 
 had gathered near during this quarrel and stood 
 eagerly awaiting their master s permission to 
 pounce upon the stranger, he realized the weak 
 ness of his position, and prudently ended the 
 affair by withdrawing from the scene. At the 
 same time he was as determined as ever to effect 
 Nahma s deliverance, and that speedily. 
 
 For this purpose he invited a number of the 
 more reckless of his Temple companions to a 
 dinner, at which he told the story of Massasoit 
 and enlisted their sympathies in his behalf. Then 
 he proposed a rescue, to which they enthusias 
 tically agreed. 
 
 According to this plan they were to meet near 
 the furrier s shop at the busiest hour of the 
 second day from then, each man wearing his 
 sword, and prepared to use it if necessary. There 
 
216 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 they were to mingle with the sight-seers and 
 resist any attempts at interference with the move 
 ments of Winslow. The latter undertook to 
 spirit the young Indian out of the same rear 
 entrance through which he had first been brought, 
 into an unfrequented alley, while one of his 
 friends should for a moment distract the attention 
 of the keeper. 
 
 To perfect the details of this scheme and provide 
 a safe retreat for him whom they proposed to res 
 cue occupied two days, and then all was in readi 
 ness. At this point the would-be rescuers were 
 confronted by an unforeseen and insurmountable 
 obstacle. The young Indian had disappeared. 
 He was no longer an inmate of the furrier s shop, 
 and no one could or would give the slightest infor 
 mation concerning him. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 A CHANGE OF MASTERS 
 
 FOR some days Nahma s master had been un 
 easy about him. Close confinement, lack of ex 
 ercise and fresh air, and a hopeless melancholy 
 were so telling" upon the captive that his health 
 was seriously affected. He was thin and miser 
 able, had no appetite, and suffered from a hacking 
 cough. These things troubled the fur-dealer, not 
 because of his humanity, for he had none, but 
 because of a prospect of losing the money he had 
 invested in this bit of perishable property. He 
 was also alarmed by Winslow s interest in the 
 young Indian, and feared the very thing that the 
 former had planned. 
 
 Then, too, one of his gentleman customers had 
 suggested that when the fact of an American 
 prince being in London came to the king s ears 
 he would probably order him to be brought to the 
 palace. In that case, as the furrier well knew, he 
 would never be recompensed for his outlay, since 
 
 217 
 
218 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 King James was not given to spending unneces 
 sary money, and he might even be called to 
 account for holding a royal personage in cap 
 tivity. He wished now that he had not de 
 scribed his Indian as a prince ; and, all things 
 considered, decided that the sooner he got rid 
 of him the better off he would be. 
 
 It happened that while he was in this frame of 
 mind he was visited by a travelling mountebank, 
 whose business was to exhibit freaks and curiosi 
 ties of whatsoever kind he could obtain, at coun 
 try fairs. Having heard of the fur-dealer s Indian, 
 he went to see him, and was so impressed with his 
 value as an attraction that he promptly offered 
 ten pounds for him. 
 
 "Already haf I refused forty," replied the 
 furrier. 
 
 "It was doubtless offered when he was in con 
 dition. Now, as any one may see, he is on the 
 verge of a quick decline and is like to die on 
 your hands. It would be a risk to take him at 
 any price, and it will cost a pretty penny to 
 restore him to health, without which he is of no 
 more value than a mangy dog." 
 
A CHANGE OF MASTERS 219 
 
 6 
 
 " But I haf advanced twenty pund for his 
 passage-money, and haf been at the expense of 
 his keep ever since." 
 
 "A cost that has been repaid a thousand-fold 
 by the advertisement he has given your wares. 
 But to insure you against loss, which I well 
 know a Jew hates worse than death itself, I will 
 give twenty pounds for the varlet, sick and 
 scrawny though he be. What say you ? Is 
 it a bargain ?" 
 
 " Hand over the price and he is yours." 
 
 Of course the subject of this barter was not 
 consulted concerning it. Nor did he know any 
 thing of the change about to come over his life 
 until darkness had fallen. Then, as he lay on his 
 bed of musty straw, dreaming of the free forest 
 life that was once his, he was startled by the en 
 trance into his room of two men, one of whom 
 bore a rush-light. In him Nahma recognized his 
 hated keeper, but the other was a stranger. 
 
 " Come," said the former, gruffly ; and, glad 
 of any break in the deadly monotony of his life, 
 Nahma obediently followed him, while the other 
 brought up the rear. 
 
220 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 Down-stairs they went and out into the dark 
 ness of the streets, where each of the men 
 grasped him by an arm as though fearful that he 
 might attempt an escape. The young Indian 
 smiled bitterly as he realized this, for nothing was 
 further from his thought. In all that wilderness 
 of houses he had but one friend, and he knew no 
 more where to look for Winslow than he would 
 if the latter were dead. To him all other white 
 men represented cruelty and injustice, therefore 
 nothing was to be gained by escaping from those 
 who held him. He would only fall into the 
 clutches of others against whom he would be 
 equally powerless. So he went along quietly 
 and with apparent willingness, somewhat to the 
 surprise of his new master. 
 
 " I fail to note but that he goes readily enough," 
 he remarked. " Methought you said he was 
 vicious and like to prove troublesome." 
 
 " Oh, he s quiet enough now," replied the 
 other, "but wait and see. They re as treacher 
 ous, these Hammerican savages, as cats. Purr 
 till they see a good chance and then scratch. If 
 they draw life s blood they re all the more pleased. 
 
A CHANGE OF MASTERS 221 
 
 I knows em, for I ve had experience, and my word ! 
 but you ve got to watch em every minute." 
 
 It was by such representations that the keeper 
 hoped to induce the showman to continue him in 
 his present easy position. Now he wished that 
 his charge would make some aggressive exhibition 
 merely to demonstrate the necessity for his own 
 presence. He slyly pinched the prisoner s arm 
 until it was ready to bleed, with the hope of at 
 least causing him to cry out ; but Nahma endured 
 the pain with all the stoicism of his race and gave 
 no sign. 
 
 Thus they proceeded through a weary labyrinth 
 of foul streets, only lighted at long intervals by 
 flaring torches borne by retainers of well-to-do 
 pedestrians, until finally they turned into the 
 yard of a rambling tavern that stood on the out 
 skirts of the town. It was a famous resort for 
 wagoners who transported goods to and from 
 all parts of the kingdom, and its court was now 
 crowded with ponderous vehicles and their lading. 
 
 Here Nahma was thrust for safe-keeping into 
 an outhouse, the air of which was close and foul, 
 and its door was barred behind him. To our un- 
 
222 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 happy lad it seemed as if the whole remainder of 
 his life was to be marked only by a succession of 
 imprisonments, each more dismal than its prede 
 cessor. In Quebec he had had Tasquanto s com 
 panionship and an open window. On shipboard 
 he had been given the same comrade and a daily 
 outing. In the furrier s establishment he had had 
 a window and an occasional hand-clasp from Wins- 
 low ; but here he was alone, in absolute darkness, 
 and gasping for a breath of fresh air. 
 
 The wretched night finally came to an end, and 
 with the first gray of morning his new master 
 appeared, bringing an armful of coarse clothing, 
 soiled and worn. Stripping Nahma of his buck 
 skin suit, he compelled him to don these ill-fitting 
 garments, and then left him a platter of bones for 
 his breakfast. 
 
 A little later they were on the road, and, to his 
 amazement, Nahma found himself leading a bear. 
 It was a big brown bear, and its whole head was 
 enclosed in a stout muzzle ; but, in spite of this, 
 our young Indian, who had never heard of a tame 
 bear, felt anything but comfortable at finding him 
 self in such company unarmed. Besides himself 
 
A CHANGE OF MASTERS 223 
 
 and the bear, the party was made up of the show 
 man, a cadaverous youth answering to the name 
 of Blink," who afterwards proved to be a con 
 tortionist, and a heavily laden pack-horse. To 
 Nahma s relief, the big man who had acted as his 
 keeper was no longer of the company. 
 
 For a time our lad was so taken up with his 
 bear and the discomforts of his unaccustomed 
 clothing that he paid but slight attention to his 
 surroundings. Then, all of a sudden, he uttered 
 a cry of amazed delight, for they were entering a 
 forest. No longer were houses to be seen, no 
 longer was the horrid din of the city to be heard. 
 Once more was he beneath green trees, with the 
 songs of birds ringing in his ears and the smell of 
 the woods in his nostrils. He drew in long breaths 
 of the scented air, and a new light came into his 
 eyes. Having found a forest, might he not 
 also hope to discover people of his own kind ? 
 If there were forests in this strange land and 
 bears, why should there not also be Indians ? 
 At any rate, he would keep a sharp watch, and 
 if he should see any, how quickly he would take 
 leave of his present companions and join them ! 
 
224 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 That night they lay at an inn, where an iron 
 shackle was locked about one of Nahma s ankles, 
 and, with the bear, he was chained up in a stable. 
 On the following day they reached a straggling 
 country town in which a fair was to be held and 
 where they were to give an exhibition. Here 
 they pitched a tent. Nahma s suit of buckskin 
 was restored to him, and he was again made to 
 paint his face. 
 
 In this first exhibition he had nothing to do but 
 stand and be stared at by curfous rustics, but 
 after this he was taught and encouraged to per 
 form a number of acts in company with the bear. 
 One of these was to shoot, with bow and arrow, 
 an apple, or some other small object, from the 
 animal s head. Then they would wrestle to 
 gether, and finally a sort of a dance was arranged 
 for them, in which Blink, made up as a clown for 
 the occasion, also took part. Thus the show be 
 came so unique and popular that its proprietor 
 coined more money than any other on the 
 road. 
 
 But with prosperity came an evil more terrible 
 even than adversity ; for, with money to spend, 
 
A CHANGE OF MASTERS 225 
 
 the showman began to squander it in gambling and 
 drinking until it was a rare thing for him to draw 
 a sober breath. He became quarrelsome with 
 his intimates and brutal to those in his power. 
 His poor bear was beaten and tortured to make 
 it learn new tricks until it became a snarling, 
 morose beast, influenced only by fear, and dan 
 gerous to all except the young Indian, who was 
 its fellow-sufferer. He, too, was abused, starved, 
 beaten, and in all ways maltreated for not learning 
 faster and pouring more money into his master s 
 bottomless pockets. 
 
 One day, while Nahma and the bear were 
 wearily performing their antics before a crowd 
 of gaping yokels in the market-place of a small 
 shire town in the west, the youth s attention was 
 drawn to a child who was uttering shrill cries of 
 pleasure. She was a dainty little thing with 
 flaxen hair and blue eyes, exquisitely dressed, 
 and was in charge of a maid. They had come 
 from a coach that was drawn up before a shop 
 near by, and the throng had opened to make 
 way for them until they stood in the very front 
 rank. 
 
 15 
 
226 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 Suddenly the child, in an ecstasy of delight, 
 pulled away from her nurse and ran forward with 
 the evident intention of caressing the bear as 
 though he had been a big dog. The brute was 
 so tired, hungry, and cross that Nahma had with 
 difficulty kept him to his work. Now, with a snarl 
 and a fierce gleam in his small bloodshot eyes, 
 he raised a threatening paw as though to sweep 
 away the little fluttering thing that came running 
 so confidently towards him. 
 
 A great cry rose from the crowd. The maid, 
 so terrified as to be incapable of motion, screamed 
 and covered her face with her hands ; but Nahma, 
 darting forward, snatched the child from under 
 the descending paw. So narrow was the escape 
 that his left arm was torn from shoulder to elbow 
 by the cruel claws, and he staggered beneath the 
 blow. 
 
 The showman, who had been passing his cap 
 among the spectators, ran to the bear and, beat 
 ing him over the head with a stout cudgel, drove 
 him to his quarters in a near-by stable. Part of 
 the populace cheered Nahma, while others de 
 manded the death of the bear, and amid all the 
 
A CHANGE OF MASTERS 227 
 
 confusion came the mother of the little girl, 
 frantic with terror. To her our lad delivered 
 the child, frightened but unharmed. Then, with 
 out waiting to be rewarded, or even thanked, he 
 ran to look after his friend the bear. 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 NAHMA AND THE BEAR RUN AWAY 
 
 NAHMA found the showman and Blink engaged 
 in a violent dispute over the bear. The former 
 was insisting that Blink should escape, with the 
 animal, from the rear of the stable and lead it 
 to a place of concealment on the outskirts of the 
 villacre, where he would join them later. In the 
 mean time he would divert the attention of the 
 mob until the escape could be made. Blink, who 
 was not on friendly terms with the bear, was re 
 fusing on the ground that, with the animal in its 
 present temper, his life would not be worth a 
 moment s purchase. 
 
 "Then let the heathen take him, and do you 
 go along to see that they do not give us the slip," 
 exclaimed the man, as Nahma appeared and a 
 howl from the mob announced their approach. 
 Their interest had been distracted for a minute 
 while they watched the lady with the frightened 
 228 
 
NAHMA AND THE BEAR RUN AWAY 229 
 
 child in her arms regain her coach, which was 
 immediately driven away. Now they were ready 
 to settle with the bear, and turned towards the 
 stable in which he had taken refuge. As they 
 drew near the showman, who, though a brute, 
 was no coward, appeared in its open doorway 
 and confronted them. 
 
 <( Good my masters," he cried, what seek 
 you ?" 
 
 " Thy bear!" roared a dozen voices. "Bring 
 forth thy bear that we may bait him. He is not 
 fit to live, and must be slain." 
 
 Again the showman attempted to speak, but 
 his voice was drowned in the bedlam of cries 
 raised by the mob ; and, losing control of his 
 temper, he shook his cudgel defiantly at them. 
 Upon this a shower of stones was hurled at him, 
 and one of them striking him on the head, he 
 staggered and fell. At this the mob halted, and 
 some even sneaked away, fearful of consequences. 
 The village barber, who was also its surgeon, 
 bustled forward to make an examination of the 
 wounded man. He was conscious, but in spite 
 of, or possibly on account of, copious bloodletting, 
 
2 3 o THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 which was the only remedy administered, he died 
 a few hours later. 
 
 So completely was public attention distracted 
 by this tragic event, that for a time no thought 
 was given to the original cause of the disturbance, 
 and, finally, when search was made for the bear, 
 he was nowhere to be seen. Not until the follow 
 ing day was any trace discovered of those who 
 had been in the showman s company. Then the 
 one known as " Blink" was found on the edge of 
 a wood, helplessly bound and half dead from a 
 night of cold and terror. He could only tell that, 
 having escaped with the bear and the heathen, 
 the latter had suddenly set upon him without 
 warning or provocation and reduced him to the 
 condition in which he was discovered. What had 
 become of them or whither they had gone he 
 knew not, nor did he care. He only hoped he 
 would never again set eyes on the savage mon 
 sters who were so unfit for Christian company. 
 
 In the mean time Nahma and Jiis companions 
 had found no difficulty in leaving the village un 
 noticed, since all public attention was for the 
 moment drawn in the opposite direction. Thus 
 
NAHMA AND THE BEAR RUN AWAY 231 
 
 they successfully gained the woodland that had 
 been appointed by the showman as a place of ren- 
 devzous. Here the young American suddenly real 
 ized that only Blink stood between him and the 
 freedom for which he longed. Up to this time 
 he had been shackled at night and so closely 
 watched by day that no chance of escape had 
 offered. Now one had come, and so quick was 
 our lad to take advantage of it that within a 
 minute the unsuspecting Blink was lying help 
 lessly bound hand and foot with his own ker 
 chief and a sash that formed part of his profes 
 sional costume. Thus was he left, while Nahma 
 and the bear, whom the former now regarded as 
 his sole friend in all the world, plunged into the 
 forest depths and disappeared. 
 
 The England of that long-ago date was a very 
 different country from the England of to-day, and 
 its entire population hardly exceeded two millions 
 of souls. Its few cities were small, and connected 
 by highways so abominable that travellers fre 
 quently lost their way while trying to follow them. 
 Not more than one-quarter of the arable lands 
 were under cultivation, while the remainder was 
 
232 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 covered with dark forests and great fens, marshes, 
 and desolate moors across which one might jour 
 ney for a day without sight of human habitation. 
 Game of all kinds abounded, and its hunting 
 formed the chief recreation of the gentry and of 
 those nobles who left London during a portion of 
 the year to dwell on their estates. 
 
 Thus our young Indian, upon gaining his free 
 dom, found himself amid surroundings at once 
 familiar and congenial. He had with him the 
 bow and arrows used in his recent exhibitions, a 
 fire-bag containing flint, steel, and tinder, and a 
 dirk that had been taken from Blink. Thus pro 
 vided he had no anxiety on the score of main 
 taining himself comfortably. He realized that 
 the bear was an encumbrance, but in his present 
 loneliness he was loath to part from it. And so 
 the two pushed on together until they had pene 
 trated several miles into the forest, when dark 
 ness overtook them. 
 
 Then Nahma made a fire beside a small stream 
 and cooked a rabbit he had shot an hour earlier, 
 while the bear nosed about for acorns, grubs, and 
 edible roots. 
 
NAHMA AND THE BEAR RUN AWAY 233 
 
 They continued to traverse the forest on the 
 following day, keeping to the same general di 
 rection until our lad was satisfied that he was 
 beyond danger from pursuit, when he began to 
 look about for a supper and a camping-place. 
 Both of these came at the same time, for on dis 
 covering, successfully stalking, and finally killing 
 a deer, he found that the animal had been drink 
 ing from a spring of clear water, beside which he 
 determined to establish his camp. Further than 
 this he had no plans. It was enough for the 
 present that he was free, in the forest that he 
 loved, and beyond all knowledge of the white man 
 whom he hated. Here, then, he would abide for 
 a time, or until he should discover people of his 
 own kind, for he was still impressed with the 
 belief that others like himself must inhabit those 
 game-filled forests. 
 
 That night both he and the bear, to whom he 
 talked as though it were a human being, ate to 
 their satisfaction of deer meat, and Nahma lay 
 down to sleep beside his shaggy friend, happier 
 than he had been at any time since leaving his 
 native land. 
 
234 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 The next morning" he was early astir and 
 ready to begin work on the lodge that he proposed 
 to construct. By mid-day he had the poles of 
 the frame cut, set in the ground, arched over 
 until they met, and fastened in position. Then 
 he went in quest of proper material for a thatch 
 or covering. The bear, having spent the morn 
 ing in feeding, was left behind, chained to a small 
 tree and fast asleep. 
 
 While searching for the material he wanted 
 Nahma struck the fresh trail of a deer, which after 
 a long chase he overtook and killed. As he was 
 returning- with the hide and haunches on his back 
 
 o 
 
 he was startled by a baying of hounds, which 
 changed as he listened to a snarling, growling, 
 and yelping that indicated a battle royal. From 
 the nature and direction of these sounds our lad 
 realized that trouble of some kind had come to 
 the bear, and, without a thought of danger to 
 himself, he ran to the assistance of his comrade. 
 Reaching the scene, he found the bear, though 
 sadly hampered by his chain, making a gallant 
 fight against a pack of boar-hounds that had come 
 across him while ranging the forest. They were 
 
NAHMA AND THE BEAR RUN AWAY 235 
 
 fierce, gaunt creatures, and although two of their 
 number, already knocked out, were lying to one 
 side feebly licking their wounds, it was evident 
 that the chained bear was overmatched and must 
 speedily be dragged down. Flinging away his 
 burden and drawing his dirk, Nahma rushed for 
 ward and sprang into the thick of the fray, utter 
 ing the fierce war-cry of the Iroquois as he did so. 
 
 For a few minutes there was a furious and 
 indiscriminate mingling of bear, dogs, and man, 
 then of a sudden the young Indian was seized 
 from behind, dragged backward, and flung to the 
 ground by one of two men clad in the green 
 dress of foresters, who had just arrived on the 
 scene. While Nahma s assailant hastily but 
 securely fastened the lad s arms so as to render 
 him harmless, the other ranger ended the battle, 
 still raging, by thrusting a keen-bladed boar-spear 
 through the bear s body. It pierced the animal s 
 heart, and he sank with a sobbing groan. 
 
 "A fair sorrowful bit o wark this, Jean," re 
 marked the man who had killed the bear, as he 
 examined the several dogs. " Fower dead ; two 
 killed by yon brute and two by the dirk of this 
 
236 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 wastrel. All the rest gouged, cut, and bit up. 
 But he ll answer for it smartly when once Sir 
 Amory claps eyes on him, the thievin , murthren 
 gypsy poacher." 
 
 "Yes, I reckon he ll sweat fine," replied the 
 other, with a grin; " but did iver thou see bear 
 chained afore ?" 
 
 " Noa, niver. Lucky thing twas, though. 
 But come on whoam. Bring Poacher with e, 
 and we ll send pack-horse for bear. No use 
 looking furder for pigs this day." 
 
 So poor Nahma, once more bereft of his free 
 dom and of the dumb brute whom he regarded 
 as his only friend, his garments rent and his body 
 bleeding from a dozen wounds, was marched 
 away between the two stout rangers, while after 
 them trooped the dogs. 
 
 Sir Amory Effingham, a knight in high favor 
 at court, was lord of that region, and being 
 devoted to the chase, he spent several months of 
 each year at Garnet Hall, the ivy-covered forest 
 castle in which his family had been cradled for 
 generations. It lay a league from the scene of 
 Nahma s capture, and by the time he was brought 
 
NAHMA AND THE BEAR RUN AWAY 237 
 
 within sight of its battlemented towers the short 
 day was closing and night was at hand. 
 
 While one of the rangers kennelled the dogs 
 and looked after their wounds, the other thrust 
 Nahma, with his hurts still unattended, into an 
 empty store-room, locked its door, and went to 
 make report of what had taken place. 
 
 " A gyP sv > e h ^ A poacher, caught red-handed, 
 and a dog-killer, is he ?" quoth Sir Amory, angrily. 
 " Hanging will be too good for him. He should 
 be drawn and quartered as an example to all of 
 his kidney, and I will deal with his case in the 
 morning. Look well to him, then, see that he 
 escapes not, and bring him to me in the great 
 hall after the breaking of fast." 
 
 " Yes, Sir Amory." 
 
 "And, Jean, send for that bear and have his 
 pelt taken before the body stiffens." 
 
 " Yes, Sir Amory." 
 
 "Also, Jean, give both the dogs and the 
 prisoner a good feed of bear s meat." 
 
 So all was done as directed; only Nahma, 
 realizing the nature of the food thrown to him 
 some hours later, refused to eat of it. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 AN HONORED GUEST 
 
 ON the following morning, after the lord of the 
 manor, his family, and all his retainers had par 
 taken of their rude but abundant breakfast, and 
 washed it down with copious draughts of ale, 
 which at that time took the place of coffee or 
 tea, Sir Amory ordered the prisoner of the pre 
 ceding evening to be brought before him. The 
 dining-tables, which were merely boards laid on 
 trestles, were cleared away, and the great hall was 
 made ready to serve as a court of justice. Wit 
 nesses were summoned, and spectators gathered, 
 until but few of the knight s following were absent. 
 Squires, pages, men-at-arms, grooms, foresters, 
 and under-servants, all filled with an eager curi 
 osity, flocked to the scene of trial ; for the case 
 in hand was of so serious a nature that its result 
 ing punishment would be certain to afford vast 
 entertainment. 
 
 In those days the killing of a deer by any per- 
 
AN HONORED GUEST 
 
 239 
 
 son beneath the rank of a gentleman was a capi 
 tal offence ; while the killing of a hunting dog by 
 one of the peasant class ranked as a crime so 
 abominable as to merit the severest penalty. For 
 either of these things the offender might be hanged, 
 whipped to death, or executed in any other fitting 
 manner, at the discretion of the judge. He might 
 not be beheaded, as that form of punishment was 
 reserved for offences against the state, committed 
 by persons of rank. Neither might he be burned, 
 since the stake was only for witches and victims 
 of religious persecution. If the lord of the 
 manor were inclined to be merciful, the deer- 
 stealer or dog-killer might be given his life, 
 and escape with some such slight punishment 
 as having his ears cropped or a hand chopped 
 off; but in the present case it was universally 
 agreed that the crime was of a nature to demand 
 the severest possible punishment. Thus, when 
 the prisoner appeared, he was regarded with 
 eager curiosity as one who promised to fur 
 nish a spectacle of uncommon interest. 
 
 Friendless, wounded, ragged, half starved, and 
 utterly ignorant of the situation confronting him, 
 
2 4 o THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 the son of Longfeather was led the whole length 
 of the great hall to the dais at its upper end, on 
 which sat the master of his fate. As he was 
 halted, Sir Amory exclaimed, 
 
 " On my soul, as scurvy a knave as ever I set 
 eyes upon. I knew not that even a gypsy could 
 present so foul an aspect. What is thy name and 
 condition, sirrah?" 
 
 Not understanding what was said, Nahma made 
 no answer. Only, recalling the teaching of his 
 own people, he stared his questioner full in the 
 face with a mien that, in spite of his sorry plight, 
 was quite as haughty as that of the knight him 
 self. 
 
 "A contumacious varlet and insolent," re 
 marked Sir Amory, " but it is possible that we 
 may find means to lower his pride. Let the 
 ranger named Jem stand forth and relate his tale 
 of the occurrence concerning which this investi 
 gation is made." 
 
 So Jem told his story, and it was corroborated 
 by the other forester. Also were the dead hounds 
 introduced as evidence, together with the dirk that 
 Nahma had used so effectively. 
 
AN HONORED GUEST 241 
 
 What hast thou to say in thy own behalf, 
 scoundrel?" asked the knight, turning again to 
 the prisoner after all this testimony against him 
 had been submitted. 
 
 Still there was no answer, but only an un 
 flinching gaze and a proudly uplifted head. 
 
 " Think you the creature is dumb?" inquired 
 the puzzled magistrate. 
 
 " No, Sir Amory," replied one of the foresters, 
 "of a surety he is not, for we heard him call 
 loudly to the bear, and at sound of his voice the 
 beast made violent effort to break his chain that 
 he might get to him." 
 
 " Chain ?" quoth the knight. " This is the first 
 mention I have heard of any chain. What mean 
 you ? Was the bear indeed chained?" 
 
 "Chained and muzzled was he," admitted the 
 ranger, "else it had gone more hardly with the 
 dogs than happened." 
 
 "Chained and muzzled," repeated the knight, 
 reflectively, and casting a searching gaze upon the 
 prisoner. "Still, it may be only a coincidence." 
 With this he gave an order in a low tone to a 
 page who stood at hand, and the boy darted away. 
 
 16 
 
242 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 "Saw you trace of other gypsies at or near 
 that place?" asked the knight, continuing his ex 
 amination of the forester. 
 
 " No, Sir Amory. That is, we saw no humans, 
 but there was a booth partly built close at hand." 
 
 " What is the material of the prisoner s dress ?" 
 
 " Deer-skin, Sir Amory, nothing less." 
 
 At this moment a tapestry was drawn aside,* 
 and a lady, appearing on the dais, stood beside 
 her husband with a look of inquiry. She was 
 followed by one bearing in her arms a child, at 
 sight of which the prisoner was surprised into a 
 momentary start as of recognition. 
 
 " My dear," said Sir Amory, "will you favor us 
 by glancing at yonder gypsy and telling if ever 
 you have set eyes on him before?" 
 
 The lady looked in the direction indicated, but 
 shook her head. Ere she could speak, however, 
 the maid, who had followed her gaze, uttered a 
 cry, and exclaimed, 
 
 "It is the very one, my lady. The youth, I 
 mean, who danced with that dreadful bear and 
 saved the life of my little mistress." 
 
 "Yes," said the lady, slowly. "I did not 
 
AN HONORED GUEST 243 
 
 recognize him on the moment ; but now me- 
 thinks he is the same from whose hands I 
 received my child, safe and unharmed, though 
 blood-bespattered. But, Amory, what is he 
 doing here ? A prisoner and under guard ! 
 Surely " 
 
 "It is all a mistake," cried the knight, rising to 
 his feet in great agitation. "He is not a prisoner, 
 but an honored guest. Nor is he under guard, 
 but under the protection of one who owes to him 
 a life dearer than his own. Gentlemen, the hear 
 ing is dismissed ; the prisoner is honorably ac 
 quitted, and will hereafter be known as my friend, 
 if indeed he can forgive the cruel wrong I medi 
 tated against him. Away, ye varlets. Bring food 
 and wine. Fetch warm water and clean napery, 
 salve and liniments. Body o me ! The youth is 
 wounded and hath had no attention. He looks 
 ready to drop with weakness. Draw a settle for 
 him beside the fire. Fetch " 
 
 But the servants were already flying in every 
 direction in their efforts to minister to the evident 
 needs of him whose position had undergone so 
 sudden a transformation. 
 
244 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 At the same time Nahma himself was even 
 more bewildered by the good fortune that was 
 overwhelming him than ever by the hard fate that 
 had for so long been his constant attendant. 
 
 Somewhat later the lady who, with her com 
 panions, had withdrawn, came again to the hall, 
 and stepping to where she could obtain a good 
 view of the youth, looked at him steadily for the 
 space of a minute. He, in the mean time, had 
 been bathed and fed, his wounds had been 
 dressed, and he wore a body-gown from the 
 knight s own wardrobe that gave him an air 
 of grace and dignity. 
 
 " He is no gypsy, Sir Amory," said the lady, 
 finally, withdrawing her gaze and turning to her 
 husband. 
 
 "I myself am beginning to doubt if he belongs 
 to those nomads," replied the knight. "But if 
 not a gypsy, to what race can he lay claim, with 
 that tinge of color and with hair of such raven 
 blackness?" 
 
 " Dost remember the tale told us in London by 
 my cousin Edward concerning an arrival from the 
 New World in whom he had taken an interest?" 
 
AN HONORED GUEST 245 
 
 " Ay, well do I, and it so aroused my curiosity 
 that I made an errand shortly after to the place 
 where he was said to be, but he had disappeared. 
 How was he called? Can you remember the 
 name ?" 
 
 " He was called Massasoit, " replied the lady, 
 uttering the word distinctly and observing the 
 youth as she spoke. 
 
 Turning quickly he looked at her with eager 
 questioning. 
 
 " Who are your friends ?" she asked, addressing 
 him directly and speaking the words slowly. 
 
 He understood and answered, " Bear frien . 
 Tasquanto frien . White man frien , Winslow." 
 
 "That proves it!" cried the lady, triumphantly. 
 " He must be the American Indian of whom 
 Cousin Edward told us, and who is said to be a 
 prince in his own country. At any rate, as he 
 certainly saved the life of our child, we have 
 ample reason to befriend him." 
 
 Indeed, yes," agreed Sir Amory. "And to 
 fail in a duty so plainly indicated would lay us 
 open to the charge of base ingratitude." 
 
 Thus it happened that the young American 
 
246 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 who had been kidnapped from his own country, 
 sold as a slave in London, and finally arrested 
 on a charge that threatened to cost him his life, 
 became the honored guest of a stately English 
 home. His hosts sought in every way to pro 
 mote his comfort and happiness, and when they 
 discovered that he preferred living in the open to 
 dwelling under a roof, he was promptly given the 
 freedom of their domain. He was also accorded 
 full liberty to dwell on it where he pleased, and to 
 kill such of its abundant game as would supply 
 his needs. Armed with this permission, Nahma 
 immediately repaired to the place where he had 
 already begun the building of a lodge after the 
 fashion of his own people, and completed it to his 
 satisfaction as well as that of his hosts, who 
 took a lively interest in his work. He covered it 
 with bark and lined its interior with the skins of 
 fur-bearing animals. In the centre was his fire 
 place, and at one side his couch of dry sedge- 
 grass covered with the great shaggy hide of his 
 one-time friend, the bear. Here our Indian dwelt 
 almost as contentedly as though in his own land 
 and under the trees of his native forest. 
 
AN HONORED GUEST 247 
 
 Much of his time was devoted to accompanying 
 Sir Amory on his hunting expeditions, during 
 which the youth s marvellous skill in tracking 
 game and his fearlessness in moments of peril 
 won for him both admiration and respect. 
 
 On days when there was no hunting he busied 
 himself with making bows, arrows, or snow-shoes, 
 and in receiving visits from the green-coated for 
 esters, whose tastes and pursuits were so similar 
 to his own. He taught them some things, but 
 learned more than he taught ; and chiefest of all 
 the things that he learned was to load and fire 
 a musket. Thus was solved the mystery of the 
 white man s thunder-stick, and he could now smile 
 as he recalled the melancholy experience of Tas- 
 quanto and himself in attempting to fire a salute. 
 
 So some months were happily passed, and it 
 seemed as though our young American would 
 spend the remainder of his life as an English 
 forester. Then all of a sudden there occurred 
 an amazing thing, by which he was rendered so 
 unhappy that he no longer cared to live if the 
 balance of his days must be passed under exist 
 ing conditions. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 NAHMA REMEMBERS 
 
 MOST welcome of all the guests at Nahma s 
 lodge was the little lady Betty, who was some 
 times taken thither by her father mounted in 
 front of him on his great Flemish horse Baldric. 
 A strong friendship had sprung up between the 
 child and the young Indian, and she was never 
 happier than during the hour occasionally spent 
 with him. She always brought some little gift, 
 and he never failed to have ready a unique bit 
 of his own handiwork to offer in return. Once 
 it was a wee bow and a quiver of small stone- 
 headed arrows. Again he presented her with 
 the beautifully dressed skin of an otter. At 
 length he completed a pair of tiny snow-shoes 
 gayly fringed and ornamented. For some days 
 after they were finished he waited expectantly 
 the coming of his little friend, and as she failed 
 to appear, he finally decided to take his gift to 
 
 the castle. 
 
 248 
 
NAHMA REMEMBERS 249 
 
 Now, it happened that Sir Amory, being called 
 by some business to the near-by city of Bristol, 
 had taken his wife and little daughter with him 
 for a brief visit, from which they had just returned. 
 As was usual on such occasions, they had brought 
 back a number of trifling gifts for members of 
 the household, and also one for the young Indian 
 whom they held in such high esteem. 
 
 The city of Bristol, more than any other in 
 England, was building up a trade with the New 
 World. While this trade was more especially with 
 the Virginia plantations, it was gradually extending 
 northward along the American coast. Thus a 
 ship, recently returned, had voyaged as far north 
 as the French settlements, trading with natives 
 wherever found on her way. This ship had 
 brought back many curious things, among which 
 was an object of native make that Sir Amory, 
 having his Indian guest in his mind, purchased 
 on sight. 
 
 " It may interest him," he said to his wife, " and, 
 at any rate, it will be something for Betty to take 
 him when next she and I ride to his lodge." So 
 this present was fetched home with the others, 
 
250 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 and was to have been carried out to Nahma on 
 the very day of his appearance at the castle. 
 
 On learning that the Indian waited outside with 
 a gift for Betty, Sir Amory ordered him to be 
 brought in. The knight and his lady together 
 with several guests were grouped near the huge 
 fireplace in the great hall as Nahma entered and, 
 advancing gravely, extended a hand to his host. 
 Then, looking about inquiringly, he pronounced 
 the single word " Betty." 
 
 "I* faith!" laughed the knight, "the young 
 man hath quickly recognized the most important 
 personage of this establishment and will have 
 dealings with none other. Let Mistress Betty be 
 brought." 
 
 As soon as the little girl appeared, the young 
 Indian, kneeling gracefully, presented her with 
 his gift. After the tiny snow-shoes had been 
 passed from hand to hand for inspection and 
 their use had been explained, Lady Effingham 
 said, 
 
 " Now, Betty, give him the present fetched from 
 Bristol." 
 
 Thus saying she placed a small packet in the 
 
NAHMA REMEMBERS 251 
 
 child s hand, and the latter, advancing shyly, 
 handed it to Nahma. With a smiling face the 
 young warrior undid the wrappings of the 
 packet until its contents were exposed. Sud 
 denly his expression changed to one of conster 
 nation and bewilderment. For a moment he 
 held the object in his hands gazing at it wildly 
 and in evident perplexity. Then he uttered a 
 great cry and a gush of tears filled his eyes. 
 He gasped and seemed about to speak ; but, 
 words failing him, he turned and fled from the 
 hall, leaving its occupants amazed at his strange 
 actions. 
 
 " It is doubtless a native charm of some kind," 
 quoth the knight, breaking the silence, "and a 
 powerful one at that, for never did I see a man 
 so upset by a trifle. After a little, when he has 
 had time to quiet down, I will question him con 
 cerning his agitation, but until then we must 
 amuse ourselves with conjecture." 
 
 In the mean time Nahma had not paused in 
 his flight until reaching his own lodge. There he 
 sat down and examined his newly acquired prize 
 with minutest care, alternately laughing and cry- 
 
252 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 ing as he did so. At length, apparently satisfied 
 with his inspection, he said aloud in the long for 
 gotten tongue of the Wampanoags, 
 
 "Truly it is my father s wampum, and I am 
 Nahma, the son of Longfeather. " 
 
 It was indeed the Belt of Seven Totems, thus 
 marvellously restored to him from whose un 
 conscious form it had been taken nearly three 
 years earlier in the far away land of the Iroquois. 
 Not only had Nahma thus regained his father s 
 badge of authority, but at sight of it the 
 memory of his earlier years, lost to him ever 
 since he had been struck down by Miantinomo, 
 was abruptly and fully restored. He recalled 
 who he was and found himself once more in com 
 mand of his native tongue. He also remembered 
 every incident of his journey to the country of 
 the Maqua as though it had been undertaken but 
 the day before. He even remembered lying down 
 for a brief rest after eating his supper on the 
 western bank of the Shatemuc ; but beyond that 
 came a blank, and his next memory was of Aeana 
 in the lodge of Kaweras. 
 
 As these things passed through his mind in 
 
NAHMA REMEMBERS 253 
 
 rapid review, he was also whelmed by a great 
 wave of home-sickness. The voices of his own 
 people rang in his ears, and he heard the plash 
 of waves on the beach at Montaup. The scent 
 of burning cedar from the evening camp-fires was 
 in his nostrils, and he felt the spring of brown 
 pine needles beneath his feet as he threaded the 
 dim forest trails of his native land. In a bark 
 canoe he once more ran the foaming rapids of 
 great rivers, or, lying beside Tasquanto, he was 
 lulled to sleep by the roar of mighty cataracts. 
 So distinct were the pictures thus flashed before 
 him by the magic belt that he had no longer a 
 wish to live unless he could once more gaze upon 
 them in reality. Every other feeling was merged 
 in an intense desire to regain his own country 
 and rejoin his own people. 
 
 At length the longing for these things became 
 so great that the youth sprang to his feet, deter 
 mined to set forth at once in quest of them. His 
 reason told him that such an adventure was well- 
 nigh hopeless ; but the wampum belt urged him 
 forward and persuaded him that by some means 
 he would succeed. So Nahma departed forever 
 
254 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 from the lodge that, but an hour earlier, had 
 seemed his home for life, and set forth on the 
 tremendous journey. He took with him only his 
 weapons, a fur cloak, the fire-bag that had once 
 belonged to Aeana, and the Belt of Seven 
 Totems girded about his body next his skin. 
 
 As he emerged from the lodge he stood for a 
 moment irresolute. Whither should he turn ? 
 What path would lead him to Montaup ? Then 
 the last word uttered in his hearing by Betty s 
 mother rang again in his ears. It was " Bristol." 
 From there the belt had but recently come, and 
 there he would begin to retrace its mysterious 
 course to the place where he had lost it. He 
 had heard the foresters speak of Bristol, and he 
 knew that it lay in the direction of the setting 
 sun. What Bristol was, or how far away, he did 
 not know, any more than what he should do upon 
 getting there. It was enough that his first step 
 was decided upon, and without a single backward 
 glance he began his long homeward journey. 
 
 An hour later Sir Amory on his good horse 
 Baldric, and with mistress Betty in his arms, 
 rode up to the deserted lodge and uttered a 
 
NAHMA REMEMBERS 255 
 
 cheery call for its supposed occupant to come 
 forth. The knight was puzzled at finding the 
 place empty ; and for several days thereafter he 
 caused search to be made for its recent owner. 
 But nothing came of this, nor for many years did 
 he hear a word concerning the disappearance and 
 whereabouts of Massasoit. 
 
 That night Nahma slept in the wood, as lonely 
 and friendless a human being as could be found 
 in all the world, but so happy in his regained 
 memory and in the knowledge that he, like others, 
 could now lay claim to home and people, towards 
 whom he was journeying, that nothing else 
 mattered. On the morrow he struck the broad 
 trail of a highway that led to the westward, and 
 thereafter he followed it. Noting that his ap 
 pearance attracted attention from the few trav 
 ellers whom he met, he determined to procure a 
 suit of clothing that would render him less con 
 spicuous. 
 
 He dreaded to approach a house, and was at a 
 loss how to accomplish his purpose until at dusk 
 of the second day. Then he ran across a camp- 
 fire surrounded by a group of dark-skinned 
 
25 6 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 persons, who for a moment he believed to be 
 people of his own race. He did not discover 
 his mistake until he was within the circle of fire 
 light and it was too late to retreat. So he put 
 on a bold face, accepted an invitation to eat with 
 the gypsies, and strove hard, though without 
 success, to understand what they said. 
 
 They in turn were as much puzzled by him as 
 he was by them ; but this did not prevent them 
 from exchanging a well-worn suit of clothing for 
 Nahma s fur robe when he intimated by signs his 
 willingness to make such a trade. As soon as 
 he procured these things he put them on over 
 his buckskin garments ; and, as a dilapidated cap 
 had been thrown in to complete the bargain, he 
 was so thoroughly disguised that even Sir Amory 
 would have failed to recognize him. 
 
 The gypsies invited their guest to cast his for 
 tunes with them, and proposed among themselves 
 to compel him to do so in any event. He neither 
 declined nor accepted their offer, but after a while 
 lay down to sleep near their fire, as though willing, 
 at any rate, to remain with them for the present. 
 Thus they were much chagrined to find in the 
 
NAHMA REMEMBERS 257 
 
 morning that he had disappeared without leaving 
 a trace to show which way he had gone. 
 
 So it happened that our wanderer came at 
 length to the snug little seaport of Bristol, at that 
 time second in importance only to London. 
 And thus was taken the first step of his mo- 
 mentuous journey. Dusk was falling as he en 
 tered the place, and for some time he wandered 
 aimlessly through its narrow streets. 
 
 Then, unexpectedly, he came to the water front 
 and discovered ships, some under sail and others 
 anchored in the stream. His heart leaped at 
 sight of them, for he supposed that all ships 
 passed to and from his own country. Therefore 
 if he could only find one about to depart, and 
 contrive to get on board, the second and longest 
 step of his journey would be provided for. 
 
 He managed to exchange his bow and arrows 
 for a meal in a small public-house near the water, 
 and when he had eaten it he again strolled out 
 side looking for a place in which to pass the night. 
 It was now quite dark, and, without going far, he 
 lay down to sleep under the lee of a boat that 
 was drawn up on one of the wharves. 
 
 17 
 
258 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 Some hours later he was awakened by sounds 
 of shouting and scuffling close at hand, and 
 sprang to his feet in alarm. As he did so a rough 
 voice called out, 
 
 " Here s another stout fellow ! Seize him, lads, 
 and hustle him along." 
 
 Immediately Nahma was surrounded, and, de 
 spite his furious struggles, was quickly overthrown 
 and securely bound. 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 BACK TO AMERICA 
 
 FOR a short space our lad was heart-broken by 
 this rude awakening from his dreams of freedom 
 and of a return to his own country. Half dazed 
 as he was, he had fought desperately ; and now, 
 hustled along in company with a dozen other 
 unfortunates, all bound and suffering from rough 
 handling, his sole thought was of how he could 
 soonest put an end to the life that he was 
 resolved not to pass in slavery. He recalled 
 with satisfaction the dirk that, hidden in his 
 clothing, still remained to him, and was deter 
 mined to use it at the earliest opportunity, first 
 on such of his present enemies as he could reach 
 and then on himself. 
 
 Suddenly his sombre reflections were inter 
 rupted and given a decided change of direction 
 by finding himself crowded, together with his 
 wretched companions, into a boat. No sooner 
 had it received them than it was rowed out to the 
 
 259 
 
260 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 mouth of the harbor where stood a ship under 
 easy sail. 
 
 From the moment of realizing that he was in 
 a boat Nahma was filled with a wild hope, and 
 when he was transferred from it to the deck of a 
 waiting ship this hope was confirmed. For some 
 reason utterly beyond his comprehension he had 
 once more been kidnapped, but only to be placed 
 in the very position he had longed to attain. 
 
 The ways of the white man were past under 
 standing. Why had he been brought by force 
 from his own country ? and why should an equal 
 amount of anxiety now be shown, and even a 
 greater amount of force be used, to carry him back 
 to it? He could not imagine, nor did he care. 
 It was enough that the second step of his home 
 ward journey had been taken for him and that 
 the object he had so ardently desired was accom 
 plished. 
 
 Nahma would gladly have remained on deck 
 and attempted to make himself useful without a 
 thought of escaping or of doing harm to those 
 who had unwittingly so aided his plans. But this 
 was not permitted, and he was bundled below 
 
BACK TO AMERICA 261 
 
 with the poor wretches who had been ruthlessly 
 torn from their homes to be taken as bondsmen 
 to the Virginia plantations. 
 
 So great was the demand for labor in that 
 colony that criminals were sent there to work out 
 their sentences and debtors to labor until their 
 indebtedness was discharged. In fact, all of whom 
 society wished to rid itself were shipped across 
 the ocean. Men anxious to try their fortunes in 
 the New World but too poor to pay their pas 
 sage went out under contract, to serve any 
 master who would purchase their time until they 
 had made good the money thus advanced. But 
 even these sources of supply were not sufficient 
 to satisfy the demand for laborers, and unscrupu 
 lous shipmasters found great profit in gathering 
 up unsuspecting citizens by means of press-gangs 
 sent ashore on the eve of departure, getting them 
 on board, and sailing at once for the distant 
 scene of their enforced servitude. 
 
 Thus Nahma now found himself in a motley 
 company of mechanics, sailors, small tradesmen, 
 prentice lads, and others, all being carried away 
 against their will and without the knowledge of 
 
262 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 their friends. Some had left dependent families 
 unprovided for, while others were parted from 
 sweethearts or newly married wives. To us of 
 to-day all this sounds incredible ; but the age of 
 "good Queen Bess" was an age of cruelty, when 
 even the best thinking persons only shrugged their 
 shoulders on hearing of such things, and thanked 
 their stars that they were not in similar plight. 
 
 Some of the group now surrounding Nahma 
 in the small space alloted to them, which was 
 dimly lighted by a vilely smoking lamp, were 
 groaning, some weeping, others were bemoaning 
 their hard fate, and all were as wretchedly un 
 happy as it is possible for mortals to be. That 
 is, all except our young Indian, who was overjoyed 
 at finding himself on a ship that he believed would 
 carry him back to his own country and people. 
 
 The kidnapped men were kept below for 
 several days, or until land was out of sight and 
 the ship was ploughing her slow way across the 
 Bay of Biscay ; but after that they were allowed 
 on deck from sunrise until dark. As Nahma, 
 buoyed by hope and eager anticipation, was the 
 only one among them who was not seasick, he 
 
BACK TO AMERICA 263 
 
 was compelled to act as steward of their mess. 
 At first his duties in this capacity were light and 
 he performed them willingly, but later, when his 
 companions had gained their sea-legs, they forced 
 all sorts of disagreeable tasks upon him, and 
 treated him with such cruelty that his hatred of 
 white men was increased a hundred-fold. 
 
 They were much puzzled over his nationality, 
 which he never revealed, though often questioned 
 concerning it. Most of them declared that he 
 
 o 
 
 was a gypsy, while others insisted that he was 
 of negro blood and called him "Guinea." The 
 captain of the ship while strongly suspecting 
 him to be an American would not admit it, but 
 spoke cf him as a "Jack Spaniard." 
 
 So slow was the weary voyage that it was two 
 months to a day before the westerly winds against 
 which they were beating brought to Nahma s 
 sensitive nostrils the first scent of land. That 
 evening he hid himself on deck so that he might 
 sniff the air all night, and at daybreak he was 
 rewarded by the sight of land lying cloud-like on 
 the western horizon. 
 
 During that day he was so inattentive to his 
 
264 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 enforced duties as to win many a blow and kick 
 from his brutal masters. Although the young 
 Indian s blood boiled with rage, he did not 
 attempt to resent these things, but submitted to 
 them with an assumed meekness that ill-expressed 
 his feelings. He felt that he could afford to 
 abide his time, for was he not almost within reach 
 of his own people ? At the same time deep 
 down in his heart he vowed a bitter vengeance 
 against those who thus degraded him, if ever the 
 opportunity should come. And it came sooner 
 than he expected, though not through his own 
 people, as he had hoped. 
 
 Before the features of the landfall became 
 recognizable the wind hauled to the eastward and 
 the weather thickened, with every indication of a 
 storm. Thus the skipper was greatly relieved 
 shortly before night to find his ship running into 
 a broad bay between two distant headlands that 
 he believed to be the capes of Virginia, though 
 in reality they were those of Delaware. Without 
 attempting to discover the mouth of the James, 
 he sought only a lee under which the night might 
 be passed in safety. 
 
BACK TO AMERICA 265 
 
 When this was found and the ship was snugly 
 anchored for the first time since leaving Bristol, 
 not only the captain but his entire company began 
 a carouse to celebrate this successful termination of 
 their perilous voyage. Liquor flowed freely in the 
 cabin, and was served forward in such generous 
 measure that a liberal portion even found its way 
 to the wretched bondmen who expected shortly to 
 be sold into years of servitude. Thus by midnight 
 nearly every man on board was helplessly drunk, 
 and most of them were asleep. 
 
 Up to this hour the storm had steadily increased 
 in violence, and the ship, though still safe, was 
 surging heavily at her cables. At the same time 
 but a single figure was in motion on her decks, 
 and he was creeping forward as stealthily as 
 though fearful of being discovered. Gaining 
 the bow undetected, he bent for a minute over 
 one of the straining cables, and when he arose 
 two of its hempen strands had been severed. 
 Then he stepped quickly to the other, drew his 
 keen blade across it once, twice, three times, and 
 with the last stroke it parted. The one first cut 
 gave way almost at the same moment, and the 
 
266 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 freed ship started up the bay like a restive steed 
 just given a loose rein. 
 
 With his long-meditated design thus success 
 fully accomplished, Nahma darted back to his 
 place of hiding and awaited developments. He 
 had long since discovered that he was destined to 
 be sold into slavery among those white men who 
 had settled far to the southward of his own coun 
 try. Tales of their injustice and cruelty towards 
 the natives had reached Montaup even before he 
 left there, and had filled his boyish heart with a 
 fierce indignation. Now he was determined not 
 to fall alive into their hands, and believed that 
 on this night or never he must effect an escape. 
 He could not swim to shore because of the dis 
 tance and the heavy seas. All the ship s boats 
 were inboard and securely lashed, so that he could 
 not make off in one of them. Consequently his 
 only feasible plan seemed to be to let the ship her 
 self drift until she fetched up on some beach, from 
 which he might gain the safe cover of the woods. 
 He had never experienced a shipwreck and knew 
 nothing of its terrors. Even if he had he would 
 not have hesitated to carry out his desperate plan. 
 
BACK TO AMERICA 267 
 
 The captain of the drifting ship, too hard-headed 
 to be overcome by any amount of liquor, was the 
 first to become aware that her cables had parted. 
 He stumbled on deck, bawling out orders that 
 were mingled with strange oaths, and, gaining the 
 wheel, put his vessel s head" before the wind that 
 she might scud without danger of being thrown 
 on her beam ends. Then he bellowed for assist 
 ance, but it came tardily, and was of slight avail. 
 There was but one spare anchor, and when finally 
 it was broken out, bent on, and got overboard, 
 the ship was so far in the open that it could not 
 hold. 
 
 So the helpless vessel drifted for several hours, 
 and shortly before daybreak struck with such 
 force that all of her masts went by the board. 
 Then ensued a period of horrible crashing, grind 
 ing, and pounding, with which were mingled the 
 shrieks of drowning men. Some of the strongest 
 swimmers reached the shore, bruised and breath 
 less but still alive, and foremost among them 
 was the almost naked form of him who had 
 caused the disaster. 
 
 Battered and beaten by roaring breakers, weak 
 
268 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 and nearly perished with cold, Nahma was at the 
 same time upheld by such a spirit of exultation 
 as he had never before known. He was once 
 more free and once more lying on the beloved 
 soil of his native land. No sooner had he re 
 gained his breath after being flung on the beach 
 than he struggled to his feet and staggered to the 
 safe shelter of a forest that grew almost to the 
 water s edge. He did not look back nor give a 
 thought to what was taking place behind him. 
 The white men who would have sold him into 
 slavery might care for themselves, as might those 
 who had so recently degraded him by their blows 
 and curses. 
 
 An hour later our young Indian was seated by 
 a camp-fire of the Saganaga or Delawares, and 
 telling them in sign language, supplemented by 
 the few words they had in common, of the won 
 derful treasure that the sea had brought to their 
 very doors. 
 
 They, recognizing the splendid belt of wampum 
 that he wore, listened to him with closest attention ; 
 and when he had finished, all the able-bodied men 
 of the village hastened to the scene of the wreck, 
 
BACK TO AMERICA 269 
 
 leaving Nahma to the kindly hospitality of those 
 who remained behind. 
 
 That night there was no village in the Delaware 
 nation, nor probably on the entire Atlantic coast, 
 so rich in scalps and plunder as the one in which 
 the son of Longfeather was an honored guest. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 SASSACUS THE PEQUOT 
 
 THIS utter destruction of the ship and of her 
 entire company gave great satisfaction not only 
 to the young Indian who had suffered so much on 
 her but to the Saganaga, who were at that time 
 feeling very bitter against white men on account 
 of the recent stealing of a number of their tribe 
 to be sold into slavery. It had been the usual 
 case of a cordial welcome to the strangers from 
 beyond the sea, a brisk trade by which the confi 
 dence of the Indians was won, and then a sudden 
 sailing with some twenty of them on board. Now, 
 thanks to Nahma, the Lenni Lenape were re 
 venged and their hearts were lightened of a 
 burden. 
 
 Also they had acquired wealth beyond their 
 wildest dreams, and were very grateful to -him 
 who had thrown it in their way. He did not tell 
 them that he had been a slave in the white man s 
 country, for he was determined to keep that hu- 
 270 
 
SASSACUS THE PEQUOT 271 
 
 miliating knowledge to himself. So he only gave 
 them to understand that he too had been kid 
 napped, and let them imagine it to have been of 
 recent occurrence. 
 
 They had* at once recognized the Belt of Seven 
 Totems that Nahma wore diagonally across his 
 breast when first appearing among them, though 
 no member of their tribe had ever before seen it. 
 They, however, knew it from description ; for, 
 among American Indians, tribal totems and the 
 belts of principal chieftains were as well known 
 as are the banners cf European nations, and the 
 coats of arms of their rulers, among white men. 
 The Saganaga also knew that none but Long- 
 feather or his eldest son might wear the Belt of 
 Seven Totems, and so they treated Nahma with 
 every mark of consideration. 
 
 Finding that he was desirous of returning at 
 once to his own country, they furnished him with 
 clothing, weapons, and a belt of wampum bearing 
 the likeness of a serpent, which he was to deliver 
 to the Peacemaker as a badge of friendship. 
 They also provided an escort of young warriors, 
 who would guide him to the country of the Pa- 
 
2 72 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 vonias. These people, who were a branch of the 
 Saganaga, occupied the territory lying on the 
 south side of the Shatemuc at the point where 
 it flows into the sea, and they willingly furnished 
 Nahma with a canoe in which to continue his 
 journey. 
 
 Launching this craft on the waters of the nar 
 row, tide-swept channel afterwards known as the 
 Kill von Kull, and receiving from his friends a 
 goodly store of parched corn, our traveller set 
 forth alone on the last stage of his homeward 
 journey. 
 
 On leaving the Kill he crossed New York 
 Bay, undotted by a single sail, passed the densely 
 wooded island that was to be known as "Gov 
 ernor s," and entered the East River. Here he 
 came upon a scene of enchanting beauty. On 
 his right stretched the level salt marshes and 
 wooded plains of Long Island. On the other 
 hand lay rock-ribbed Manhattan, rugged with 
 hills and valleys, among which sparkled many 
 crystal springs and rippling brooks. It was cov 
 ered from end to end and from water s edge to 
 water s edge with groves of stately forest-trees 
 
SASSACUS THE PEQUOT 273 
 
 interspersed with grassy glades in which fed 
 herds of deer. Over all was flung the exquisite 
 veil of a May verdure, while the air was heavy 
 with the scent of blossoms and filled with the 
 song of mating birds. On the river s edge 
 brown rocks were fringed with fantastic sea- 
 growths that waved in the swift tide like banners 
 streaming in a breeze. 
 
 Brooding ducks and wading heron peopled 
 every placid cove, fish leaped from the clear 
 waters, and white-plumed gulls flecked the blue 
 sky. The beauty and peace of nature reigned 
 undisturbed over all ; for, as yet, no Old World 
 keel had cleaved those waters, and the site of 
 what was destined to become the greatest city 
 of the earth was still untainted by the blight of 
 civilization. Nor did Nahma see a human being 
 on his whole journey from bay to sound. In the 
 place destined to hold millions of his kind he was 
 alone. 
 
 Skirting the northern shore of Long Island 
 Sound, the solitary voyager, always taking pains 
 to avoid observation, passed the country of the 
 Mohicans and entered upon that of the Pequots. 
 
 18 
 
274 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 During the four days thus occupied he had 
 not held communication with any man, having 
 shunned alike the infrequent villages of bark huts 
 and the camp-fires of fishermen or shell gatherers, 
 as well as their canoes. He did not wish to be 
 delayed or recognized before reaching the coun 
 try of his own people. Consequently he hesi 
 tated for a moment when, on the fourth day of 
 his journey, he discovered two figures in a canoe 
 making signals of distress. 
 
 They were midway between an island lying 
 several miles off shore and the mainland, and 
 their canoe was so low in the water that it 
 seemed about to sink. One of the figures was 
 that of a man, who was paddling with desperate 
 energy, while the other, evidently a woman, was 
 furiously bailing water from the sinking craft. 
 Only for a moment did Nahma hesitate, and 
 then he headed with all speed in that direction. 
 
 The water-logged canoe sank before he reached 
 it ; but, within a few minutes, he had rescued the 
 survivors, and they were safely bestowed in his 
 own craft. With this accomplished, he started 
 towards the land that had been their objective- 
 
SASSACUS THE PEQUOT 275 
 
 point when, as he afterwards learned, their canoe 
 had been pierced and ripped open by a sword-fish. 
 Whether this had been done with malice, playfully, 
 or by accident they could not tell ; but it had so 
 endangered their lives that they would, almost of 
 a certainty, have drowned had not the stranger 
 come to their rescue. 
 
 Not a word was spoken by any one of the 
 three until the canoe had nearly gained the land. 
 Then the rescued man, who, though young, was 
 of commanding aspect, turned from his paddling 
 in the bow and said, 
 
 " Thou hast saved us from death and I will 
 not forget it. I am Sassacus, chief of the Pequots." 
 
 Nahma s heart leaped within him. The Pequots 
 formed one of the tribes acknowledging the 
 authority of his father, and this youth was his 
 own cousin. He was about to make reply, when 
 the other continued: "I perceive thou art a 
 stranger, and if thy business be not too pressing, 
 my lodge would be honored to shelter thee as a 
 guest." 
 
 " Gladly would I tarry," was the reply, "but I 
 may not, for I bear a belt from the Saganaga 
 
276 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 to Longfeather the Peacemaker, that must be 
 promptly delivered. The name by which I am 
 known is Massasoit." 
 
 The Pequot chieftain turned and gazed keenly 
 at the speaker. " Have not the Lenni Lenape 
 learned that Longfeather has gone the great 
 journey?" he asked. 
 
 " Dead ! Longfeather dead, and I not with him 
 at the end !" cried Nahma, shocked by the sud 
 denness of this news into an unpremeditated 
 betrayal of feeling. " When did he die, and how ? 
 Was he killed in battle?" 
 
 " He went to the place of Okis when the willow 
 leaves were the size of mouse-ears, and he was 
 killed by the pale-faces who come from the sea 
 with death and destruction in their hands," 
 answered the young chieftain, bitterly. 
 
 "Killed by the white man!" gasped Nahma, 
 his face growing black and the cords of his neck 
 swelling with rage. "Then by his blood I 
 swear " 
 
 " Wait," commanded Sassacus. " Not directly 
 did the men from the sea take his life, nor was 
 his blood shed. With the falling of leaves one 
 
SASSACUS THE PEQUOT 277 
 
 of their winged canoes came to land near Mon- 
 taup. From it were set on shore two men more 
 nearly dead than living. Then the great canoe 
 departed, leaving them to die. The dwellers of 
 that country took pity on them and cared for 
 them ; but they died, and in a short time all who 
 had gone near them were also dead. The plague 
 spread from the Pokanokets to the Nausets, the 
 Nipmucks, the Naticks, the Abenakis, and may 
 still be spreading in the land of cold, though on 
 this side it was stayed by the coming of warm 
 
 weather, and thy Longfeather was the last 
 
 to die of it." 
 
 For a few moments Nahma sat silent. Then, 
 lifting his face, on which were unconcealed traces 
 of a mighty grief, he said, "I will go with thee, 
 Sassacus." 
 
 "It is well," replied the other, and no further 
 word was spoken between them until after a 
 landing was made. Even then the subject that 
 had so greatly affected the new-comer was not 
 again mentioned until after he had been taken to 
 the lodge of the young chieftain and refreshed. 
 This having been done, the guest requested that 
 
278 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 his host would walk apart with him, and when 
 they were by themselves he said, 
 
 " Thy news of the Peacemaker hath so con 
 fused my plans that I am at a loss how to proceed 
 and would learn further from thee. First I would 
 know who exercises authority in place of the 
 great Wampanoag ? Left he a son to rule in his 
 stead?" 
 
 Sassacus looked curiously at his guest as he 
 answered, 
 
 " Longfeather had a son who should take his 
 place, but he disappeared many moons ago." 
 
 -How?" 
 
 "No man knows for a certainty. Some say 
 that he joined the Iroquois, and others that he 
 was taken prisoner by the Hurons of the cold 
 land. In that case there is small chance of his 
 being now alive." 
 
 " Who, then, wears the Belt of Seven Totems ?" 
 
 "No one wears it," replied the other, gravely, 
 " for it also disappeared at the same time. Mian- 
 tinomo the Narragansett claims the place and 
 authority of Longfeather in the name of Canon- 
 icus, his father, and is even now at Montaup." 
 
SASSACUS THE PEQUOT 279 
 
 " Miantinomo !" exclaimed Nahma, bitterly. 
 " By what right does he make such a claim ?" 
 
 " By the right of a strong arm," replied the 
 other. 
 
 "Is he loved and respected as was Long- 
 feather?" 
 
 " No ; he is hated by many and feared by all." 
 
 "Why, then, was he allowed to assume 
 authority?" 
 
 " Because there was none other to dispute 
 him." 
 
 "If one should come ?" began Nahma, 
 
 hesitatingly. 
 
 " If one should come wearing the Belt of Seven 
 Totems, or bearing other proof that he is the son 
 of Longfeather," said Sassacus quickly, and with 
 a meaning glance at his companion, "then would 
 he find many to support his claim." 
 
 For a full minute Nahma hesitated, and the 
 young men gazed steadfastly at each other. 
 Then Nahma slowly thrust a hand within his 
 buckskin shirt, and, drawing forth the Belt of 
 Seven Totems, displayed it. to his companion. 
 
 " Here is the Peacemaker s badge of authority," 
 
280 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 he said, "and here also is he who should succeed 
 him, for I am Nahma, son of Longfeather." 
 
 "I have known it, my brother," replied Sassa- 
 cus, " since the moment I saw thy face on hear 
 ing news of thy father s death, but I would not 
 speak till thou hadst spoken. Now, however, I 
 gladly acknowledge thee as my sachem, and will 
 at once make public announcement of thy 
 coming." 
 
 " Not so," objected Nahma. " For the present, 
 and until I can meet Miantinomo face to face, I 
 must be Massasoit of the Lenni Lenape. If, 
 however, my brother will go to Montaup with a 
 following of his young men, I will gladly travel 
 in his company." 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 A ROYAL HOME-COMING 
 
 BY murder, treachery, fraud, and force Mian- 
 tinomo the Narragansett had finally attained the 
 position upon which he had so long cast envious 
 eyes. At the death of Longfeather he had 
 caused himself to be proclaimed Peacemaker, or 
 ruler of the confederated New England tribes, in 
 the name of his adopted father, who was now 
 too old to take an active part in affairs of this 
 kind. The various stories concerning Nahma, 
 circulated from time to time, had not disturbed 
 him, for did he not know that his rival was dead ? 
 Nor had he any fear that the Belt of Seven 
 Totems would ever again be seen in those parts, 
 since he had given it to a white trader in ex 
 change for a hatchet, and it had been carried to 
 that mysterious place beyond the sea from which 
 nothing ever returned. 
 
 He had also learned with satisfaction of Sacan- 
 daga s death, for that chieftain was the only red 
 
 281 
 
282 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 man who had ever seen the belt in his possession. 
 With all traces of his own treacherous dealings 
 thus wiped out, the ambitious young man had no 
 hesitation in proclaiming Canonicus, his father, 
 to be Longfeather s successor by virtue of his 
 position as head of the strongest tribe in the 
 confederation. 
 
 Although Miantinomo was generally disliked, 
 no person felt strong enough to dispute this 
 claim, and so he was sullenly accepted as Law 
 giver of the tribes. In this capacity he hastened 
 to take possession of Montaup, which had 
 become the recognized seat of government. 
 
 There he at once proceeded to belie his as 
 sumed character of Peacemaker by making prep 
 arations on a large scale for invading the country 
 of the Iroquois. He had never forgiven them 
 for refusing to treat with him simply as a Narra- 
 gansett, and now that he was in a position to 
 command a war-party equal to any they could 
 put in the field, he believed the time for humili 
 ating them had come. He sent a runner to the 
 Hurons urging them to attack the Iroquois from 
 the north about the time that he proposed to 
 
A ROYAL HOME-COMING 283 
 
 cross the Shatemuc, and he imagined that the 
 combination thus formed would prove overpower 
 ing. He also hoped that all this warlike activity 
 would divert the thoughts of those who were 
 displeased with his usurpation of authority, and 
 he knew that a successful war would firmly 
 establish his position. 
 
 So Miantinomo had sent messengers to every 
 tribe and clan of the New England Confederacy 
 bidding their warriors assemble at Montaup, and 
 already were a great number thus gathered. 
 Among others Sassacus had received a summons 
 to this effect, but the fiery Pequot had determined 
 to disobey it and risk the consequences. Now, 
 however, the coming of Nahma had so changed 
 the aspect of affairs that he gladly accepted the 
 invitation to present himself at Montaup accom 
 panied by a strong body of picked warriors. 
 
 Miantinomo, who had feared that Sassacus 
 more than any other might rebel against his self- 
 assumed authority, received him with effusive 
 hospitality. 
 
 "Now do I know," he said, "that my under 
 taking against the arrogant Iroquois will succeed, 
 
284 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 since they have no warriors to equal the Pequots 
 in bravery." 
 
 "It is good that you esteem my young men 
 so highly," replied Sassacus, "and it is certain 
 that they will do what may be to establish firmly 
 the power of the Peacemaker. I am also accom 
 panied to Montaup by one who will doubtless 
 prove more welcome than all the others. He is 
 a medicine-man of the Saganaga, who brings to 
 the Peacemaker a belt of friendship from his 
 people." 
 
 " Say you so !" exclaimed Miantinomo, his 
 dark face lighting with pleasure, for an alliance 
 with the Lenni Lenape of the south as well as 
 one with the Hurons of the north would render 
 him invincible. " Where is he? Why has he 
 not already been brought to the lodge of 
 council?" 
 
 "He is an old man and weary, who secludes 
 himself from the common gaze in a lodge of 
 skins that was pitched for him as soon as the 
 canoes came to land," replied Sassacus. " He 
 desires not to make his message public, since it is 
 for your ears alone. For this reason he requests 
 
A ROYAL HOME-COMING 285 
 
 that a new medicine-lodge be erected in which he 
 may receive you in private and with ceremonies 
 befitting so important an occasion." 
 
 " An old man say you ?" inquired Miantinomo, 
 doubtfully. 
 
 " He has every appearance of extreme age 
 and decrepitude." 
 
 " Have you seen the belt that he bears?" 
 
 " I have seen it, and know it to be a serpent- 
 belt of the Saganaga. He hopes also to take 
 one from you, that his people may know his 
 mission to have been truly performed. If his 
 terms be not granted, then with his belt will he 
 depart to the land of the Iroquois." 
 
 " Without doubt I will grant all that he asks," 
 replied Miantinomo, hastily, "for a friendship with 
 the Saganaga may not be thrown away. At once 
 shall a medicine-lodge be built, and when next 
 the shadows are shortest then will I meet him." 
 
 " If it is your pleasure I will see to the building 
 of the lodge," said Sassacus. 
 
 It is my pleasure," answered the other, and 
 with this the interview ended. 
 
 By noon of the following day the medicine- 
 
286 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 lodge, a simple affair of poles and bark, stood 
 finished on the edge of a cleared space that 
 formed the public gathering-place of Montaup. 
 It was a mere shell bare of all furnishings, as was 
 noted by the many curious persons who peeped 
 in at its open doorway. The news that something 
 of absorbing interest was to take place within it 
 had attracted a large assemblage to its vicinity, 
 where they waited with eager curiosity. 
 
 At the same time there was but little mingling 
 of those belonging to the several tribes repre 
 sented. The Narragan setts, with Miantinomo 
 seated in front of them, were grouped by them 
 selves close to the lodge but a little to one side. 
 Although they outnumbered any of the visiting 
 delegations, they formed but a fraction of the 
 whole gathering. 
 
 Opposite to them and equally near the lodge 
 stood the Pequots with the plumed head of 
 Sassacus towering above them, and beside him 
 stood our old acquaintance, Samoset. 
 
 The Wampanoags were there in full force 
 supported by a large delegation of their near 
 relatives, the Pokanokets. Besides these were 
 
A ROYAL HOME-COMING 287 
 
 representatives of every New England tribe that 
 had acknowledged the authority of Longfeather. 
 All were warriors, armed as for battle, and headed 
 by their most experienced chiefs. 
 
 About half an hour before the sun attained his 
 meridian a distant chanting of voices, accompa 
 nied by the measured beating of medicine-drums, 
 announced the opening of the ceremonies, and a 
 buzz of expectation swept over the great assembly. 
 
 Then appeared a procession of medicine-men 
 clad in fantastic garb calculated to inspire those 
 who beheld it with awe. Most prominent among 
 them was an old man enveloped in a long robe 
 of costly furs. He was so feeble and bent with 
 age that he leaned heavily upon a stick and was 
 also supported by two attendants. Directly in 
 front of him walked a boy, very proud of his 
 honorable position, and bearing in outstretched 
 hands the wampum serpent-belt of the Saganaga 
 so displayed that all might see it. 
 
 The procession halted before the lodge, while 
 its members engaged in a medicine-dance, circling 
 with furious gestures and wild cries about the 
 central figure of the old man. Precisely at the 
 
288 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 hour of noon the dancing came to an abrupt end, 
 and the old medicine-man, taking from the boy 
 who had borne it the belt of the Saganaga, 
 entered the empty lodge alone. 
 
 For a few minutes his voice was heard in the 
 feeble chanting of an incantation, and then it in 
 vited the presence of the Peacemaker. Upon 
 this Miantinomo stepped forth without hesitation 
 and entered the lodge, vanishing from sight 
 beyond its heavy curtain of double deer-skins. 
 The light of the interior was so dim that for a 
 moment he could see nothing ; then he made out 
 the form of its solitary occupant standing before 
 him, and holding the belt that he believed was to 
 confirm him in his assumed position. The old 
 man, leaning on his stick, was still enveloped in 
 the long robe that covered him from head to foot. 
 
 Gazing steadfastly at Miantinomo, he said, 
 sternly, 
 
 " Why dost thou come here ? I summoned 
 Longfeather the Peacemaker." 
 
 " He is dead," replied the other, " and I " 
 
 " Then should his son Nahma have come in his 
 place," interrupted the old man. 
 
A ROYAL HOME-COMING 289 
 
 " He, too, is dead," said Miantinomo; " that is," 
 he added, hastily, "he is dead to this people, for 
 he is a traitor and dwells in the lodges of their 
 enemies." 
 
 "Thou, then, art authorized to fill his place?" 
 
 "I am so authorized by Canonicus, my father, 
 and will seek to wipe out the shame cast upon 
 the name of Longfeather by his unworthy son." 
 
 "Why, then, dost thou not wear the Peace 
 maker s badge of authority, the great Belt of 
 Seven Totems ?" 
 
 " Because it was stolen and carried away by 
 Nahma the renegade." 
 
 "Now do I know that thou liest !" exclaimed 
 the old man with an energy of voice as startling 
 as it was unexpected. " Thou knowest, better 
 than any other, that the son of Longfeather was 
 foully murdered while he slept on the farther bank 
 of the Shatemuc. Thou knowest that his body, 
 stripped of its badge of authority, was flung into 
 the river. Thou knowest that the Belt of Seven 
 Totems, first used to blind the eyes of Sacandaga, 
 was afterwards sold to a white-faced trader that it 
 might disappear forever beyond the salt waters. 
 
 19 
 
2 9 o THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 Thou knowest who first put in circulation the 
 false tale that the son of Longfeather was a traitor 
 and a renegade. Thou knowest, and I know, for 
 such things may not be hid from the Okis. Also 
 will I prove to thee that the dead may live, and 
 that evil designs may come to naught even when 
 they seem most likely to succeed. Look, then, 
 and tremble, thou dog of a murderer." 
 
 With these words the dimly outlined form of 
 the old man straightened into erectness, his stick 
 fell to the ground, he flung back his enveloping- 
 robe, and at the same moment a slab of bark 
 dropped from the roof of the lodge, allowing a 
 flood of noonday sunlight to stream on the place 
 where he stood. 
 
 For an instant Miantinomo stared dumbly at 
 the figure, young, tall, and handsome, richly clad 
 and wearing across its breast the Peacemaker s 
 Belt of Seven Totems, that gazed sternly at him 
 with accusing eyes. Then, with a great cry of 
 terror, he rushed from the lodge and fled like one 
 who is pursued by a deadly vengeance in the 
 direction of the nearest forest. 
 
 As the startled assemblage, gathered to wit- 
 
LOOK, THEN, AND TREMBLE, THOU DOG OF A MURDERER 
 
A ROYAL HOME-COMING 291 
 
 ness his crowning triumph, gazed after the flying 
 figure in bewilderment, their attention was further 
 attracted, and they were thrilled by a shout of 
 joyful amaze. Instantly all eyes were again 
 turned towards the lodge, where in place of an old 
 medicine-man stood a young chieftain, as noble a 
 specimen of his race as ever trod American soil. 
 Depending from one shoulder was the long-lost 
 Belt of Seven Totems and from the other a 
 serpent-belt of the Saganaga. At his feet knelt 
 Samoset, crying out that it was indeed his brother 
 and his master, Nahma, the son of Longfeather. 
 
 " I am the son of Longfeather, and I was 
 Nahma," said the young man, so distinctly that 
 all might hear. " But now and henceforth am I 
 Massasoit the Peacemaker." 
 
 Upon this the whole assemblage, led by Sassa- 
 cus and his loyal Pequots, broke into a joyous 
 tumult of welcome and crowded about the youth 
 who, so long lost to them, had been thus marvel 
 lously restored to his rightful position. Only the 
 Narragansetts took advantage of the glad con 
 fusion to steal away unnoticed and follow the 
 trail of their dishonored leader. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 IN THE COUNCIL-LODGE 
 
 MASSASOIT could not relate the whole story 
 of his adventurous wanderings, since no Indian 
 known to have been a slave might afterwards be 
 accepted as a leader among his people. Conse 
 quently he omitted all reference to his unhappy 
 experiences in England. Nor did he ever men 
 tion that he had crossed the great salt waters ; 
 but he told of his adventures among the Iroquois, 
 as a captive to the Hurons, while in Quebec, and 
 on a ship that was to have carried him into slavery 
 among the Yengeese of the south. He described 
 the destruction of that ill-fated craft, together with 
 the loss of her company, his own welcome at the 
 hands of the Saganaga, and his homeward jour 
 ney, to all of which the assemblage listened with 
 breathless attention. In conclusion, the young 
 chieftain said, 
 
 " I have told all there is to tell. When I left 
 you Longfeather ruled this land. He has gone 
 292 
 
IN THE COUNCIL-LODGE 293 
 
 from you never to return. I am his son, and it 
 was his wish that I should be Peacemaker in his 
 place. If that be also your desire, or if it be not, 
 now is the time to speak. Will you have Massa- 
 soit for your sagamore or another?" 
 
 Standing" very straight and gazing proudly 
 about him, the young man awaited an answer, 
 and it was promptly given. First came Sassacus, 
 saying, 
 
 "The Pequots accept Massasoit as their Peace 
 maker and will listen to his words." 
 
 After him in grave procession came the chiefs 
 to tender their allegiance ; and a few days later 
 the venerable Canonicus came also, for Massasoit 
 had not told that Miantinomo had attempted to 
 murder him, and so the Narragansetts were not 
 yet outcast from the federation. 
 
 Thus did Massasoit occupy his father s place in 
 the great lodge of council, while his authority was 
 acknowledged from the Shatemuc to the sea, and 
 from the country of the Mohicans to that of the 
 Hurons, who dwelt near the great river of the 
 north. 
 
 With his position thus established, the young 
 
294 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 sachem, leaving Sassacus to hold Montaup dur 
 ing his absence, set forth on an expedition of the 
 utmost importance both to himself and to his 
 people. It had three objects : first, to find his 
 mother, who had fled from Miantinomo ; second, 
 to restore the peaceful relations with the Iroquois 
 that had been threatened by the usurper ; and 
 last, but by no means least, to visit the lodge of 
 Kaweras. 
 
 As a following worthy of his rank he took 
 with him one hundred warriors, and with these 
 he pressed forward over the trail that he had 
 followed as a youth three years earlier. At the 
 village of Peace, on the river of sweet waters, he 
 found Miantomet, and raised her in a moment 
 from the dejection of a childless fugitive to a 
 proud motherhood, with the son, whom she had so 
 long mourned as dead, once more restored to her. 
 
 But only for a short time might these two enjoy 
 their reunion, for Massasoit found that whole sec 
 tion of country alarmed over an invasion of 
 Hurons, who were said to ,be coming down the 
 valley of the Shatemuc in formidable numbers. 
 So he pushed on, hoping to form a junction with 
 
IN THE COUNCIL-LODGE 295 
 
 the Iroquois before the common enemy should 
 arrive. 
 
 The eastern Iroquois or Maquas were hard be 
 set. Two powerful expeditions had descended 
 at once upon the country of the Five Nations. 
 One, under leadership of our old acquaintance 
 Champlain, had crossed Lake Ontario, penetrated 
 deep into the territory of the Oneidas, and was 
 supposed to be advancing upon the Maquas from 
 the west. Another expedition, accompanied by 
 three white men, was coming from the north by 
 way of the Shatemuc, and already were fugitives 
 flying before them to the palisaded villages, 
 bringing sad tales of rapine and destruction. 
 As though this state of affairs were not bad 
 enough, it was reported that the New England 
 tribes, led by Miantinomo, were advancing from 
 the east. Thus it seemed as though the Maquas 
 were doomed to destruction, and a feeling of 
 despair had seized upon the warriors gathered 
 for the defence of their three palisaded strong 
 holds. 
 
 One night, during this unhappy condition of 
 suspense, a group of chief men were seated 
 
296 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 about a small fire in the council-house of the 
 easternmost village, gloomily discussing the situ 
 ation. News had come that the enemy was close 
 at hand, and that the village would be assaulted 
 by overwhelming numbers on the morrow. So 
 oppressed were the councillors by the hopeless 
 ness of their situation that for some time they 
 sat in silence, and one among them appeared to 
 be dozing, as though exhausted. 
 
 Suddenly this one, who was our old friend 
 Kaweras, awoke, uttering an exclamation of 
 pleasure, and looked about him with smiling 
 cheerfulness. 
 
 "What pleases my brother?" asked he who 
 sat nearest. " Has he seen a vision of the spirit 
 land to which all of us will go before the setting 
 of another sun ?" 
 
 "No," replied Kaweras. "It is not yet time 
 for visions of the spirit land." 
 
 " How so, when even the youngest warrior 
 knows that we are in no condition to withstand 
 an attack of the Hurons and of those armed with 
 thunder-sticks who accompany them?" 
 
 "It is because he who is to deliver us even 
 
IN THE COUNCIL-LODGE 297 
 
 now approaches, and in a vision have I seen 
 him." 
 
 " Comes he from the west, and is he the Wild- 
 Cat of the Oneidas?" 
 
 " No. He is from the east, and more power 
 ful than the Wild-Cat or any other single chief 
 tain of the Iroquois. He is not of us, but he has 
 already fought with us. I have known him, but 
 until now I have not known him. Whence he 
 comes or how he has passed our young men I 
 know not, but even now he is at hand. Behold, 
 he is here !" 
 
 The old man had risen to his feet in his excite 
 ment, and now stood staring eagerly at the skin- 
 hung entrance. 
 
 As he finished speaking the curtain was drawn 
 aside and a young warrior stepped within the 
 lodge. He advanced to where the firelight fell 
 full upon his face, and then stood motionless as 
 though awaiting recognition. Nor was it long in 
 coming, for, after a moment of silence, Kaweras 
 stepped forward with extended hand, uttering the 
 single word, " Massasoit." 
 
 "Yes, my father, it is Massasoit," was the re- 
 
298 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 ply ; but the old man hardly noticed what was 
 said, for his eye had fallen on a belt worn by the 
 new-comer, and he was studying its devices with 
 an expression of amazement. Finally he said, in 
 a low tone, 
 
 " It is the Belt of Seven Totems, the great 
 colier of the Peacemaker." 
 
 "And I," responded Massasoit, "am the 
 Peacemaker, since I was Nahma, son of Long- 
 feather. For thy exceeding kindness to me in 
 other days am I now come with a war- party to 
 help the people of Sacandaga in their time of 
 trouble." 
 
 " How came he inside our walls ?" asked one 
 of the chiefs, suspiciously. 
 
 "That will I tell at another time," replied 
 Massasoit. " Now there are things of more 
 importance to be considered." 
 
 The young man did not care to acknowledge 
 that Aeana had given him admittance, but so it 
 was. He had left his warriors in concealment 
 at some distance from the village while he went 
 alone to discover the exact state of affairs. 
 
 That same afternoon, before warning of the 
 
IN THE COUNCIL-LODGE 299 
 
 near approach of the Hurons had been given, 
 he had seen several women go to a small stream 
 for water, and recognized Aeana among them. 
 After a while he managed to toss a small packet 
 so that it fell at her feet. Glancing about with a 
 startled air, the girl picked it up, and found in it 
 the embroidered tinder-bag that she had concealed 
 in her sister s gift to Massasoit so long ago that 
 she had almost forgotten the incident. As she 
 gazed at the token, hardly knowing whether to 
 be frightened or pleased, the low call of a wood- 
 dove attracted her attention to a nearby thicket. 
 Hesitatingly she moved close enough to hear the 
 whispered words, " Be not afraid. I am here 
 as a friend to help the Maquas against their ene 
 mies ; but first I would see Kaweras. At moon- 
 setting will I come alone to the gate, and I rely 
 upon thee to give me admittance." 
 
 Outwardly calm, but with a wildly fluttering 
 heart, Aeana rejoined her companions without 
 having been for an instant out of their sight, 
 and returned with them to the village. There 
 she debated long with herself as to whether 
 she should tell her father or Otshata of what 
 
300 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 had happened ; but, until the time of moon- 
 setting, she had not found courage to do so. 
 She had not meant to admit the young warrior 
 without their knowledge, especially as news had 
 come, within an hour, of the near approach of 
 the Hurons ; but a will stronger than her own 
 seemed to compel her, and finally she did as 
 Massasoit desired. Then, sadly frightened, she 
 whispered, "In the council-house is Kaweras," 
 and fled away into the darkness, leaving the 
 young man to discover his bearings as best he 
 might. 
 
 Having at length gained the council-lodge and 
 being received as already stated, Massasoit was 
 compelled to answer many questions before se 
 curing the confidence of all the chiefs. Little by 
 little, however, it was acquired. Kaweras told 
 what he knew of him. The belt that he wore 
 was a potent influence ; and finally one, who 
 had been with Sacandaga at the time of his 
 death, recognized the young man as he who 
 had risked his own life to save that of the 
 Iroquois chieftain. After that they listened with 
 closest attention to all he had to say. Thus, 
 
IN THE COUNCIL-LODGE 301 
 
 before he left them, he had outlined a plan 
 of operations for the morrow, or whenever 
 the Hurons should make an attack, that they 
 promised to follow. 
 
 Massasoit also instructed the Iroquois as to 
 the nature of fire-arms, which they had heretofore 
 regarded with all the terror of ignorance. He 
 described the manner in which the thunder- 
 sticks must be loaded before becoming effective 
 as weapons, and assured his hearers that, after 
 being discharged, they were for a long time no 
 more dangerous than so many wooden billets. 
 Having thus restored a cheerful confidence to 
 the council, the young chieftain departed and 
 made his way to where his own warriors anx 
 iously awaited him. 
 
 Immediately upon rejoining these, and without 
 pausing to rest, he led them on a long detour, so 
 that, before daylight, they had gained a position 
 in the rear of the Hurons, by whom the presence 
 of the young Peacemaker was as yet unsuspected. 
 
 With the rising of the sun hundreds of dark 
 forms might have been seen gliding stealthily 
 from tree to tree in the direction of the Maqua 
 
302 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 village. At a short interval behind the last of 
 these came another group moving in the same 
 direction, but with even greater caution. Fore 
 most among them was Massasoit, leading his 
 people in an enterprise that would make or 
 mar his own reputation for all future time. 
 
 Suddenly the morning stillness of the forest 
 was rudely broken by the roar of three muskets 
 fired in quick succession, and the battle was 
 begun. 
 
CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 WINNING A BATTLE, A WIFE, AND A FRIEND 
 
 UPON the advice of Massasoit, the Iroquois 
 had set up dummies to draw the musket-fire of 
 the enemy ; also most of their young men had 
 been placed in ambush outside the walls. 
 These, though few in number as compared with 
 the advancing host of Hurons, sprang to their 
 feet with frightful yells and rushed towards the 
 place marked by the smoke of the now empty 
 muskets. They seemed doomed to certain de 
 struction, and the Hurons calmly awaited their 
 coming. All at once, and without warning, a 
 flight of arrows from the rear brought a score 
 of the invaders to the ground, and at the same 
 moment the woods behind them seemed alive 
 with yelling foemen. 
 
 For a few minutes the bewildered Hurons, 
 thus entrapped, fought desperately. Then the 
 three white men, who were objects of Massa 
 soit s especial vengeance, were killed while hur- 
 
 303 
 
304 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 riedly endeavoring to reload their muskets. As 
 they fell their savage allies, who had until now 
 regarded them as invincible, broke into a panic- 
 stricken flight, each man endeavoring only to 
 save himself. After them raced Massasoit and 
 his warriors, together with the jubilant Iroquois, 
 and many and fierce were the hand-to-hand con 
 flicts that took place in the dim forest coverts that 
 day. At its close, when the wearied but exultant 
 victors gathered once more at the wildly rejoicing 
 village, their trophies of scalps and prisoners out 
 numbered their combined forces. 
 
 The following week was devoted to the wildest 
 forms of savage festivity, and the rejoicings were 
 redoubled near its close by the arrival of a runner 
 from the west, bringing the great news that the 
 other invading force under Champlain had been 
 defeated and driven back by the Onondagas and 
 Oneidas. 
 
 In all this time of feasting Massasoit was the 
 hero and central figure. Not only had he saved 
 the Maqua village and probably the whole tribe 
 from destruction, but, on that day of fighting, he. 
 had proved himself the foremost warrior of his 
 
WINNING A BATTLE, WIFE, AND FRIEND 305 
 
 people and had brought in more Huron scalps 
 than any other. 
 
 He found no difficulty in forming a compact 
 with the Iroquois on behalf of his own people, by 
 which both were bound not to cross the Shatemuc 
 except for friendly visits. Thus our young chief 
 tain would have been supremely happy but for 
 one thing, and that was his treatment at the hands 
 of Aeana. 
 
 This girl, who now seemed the most beautiful 
 and desirable of all earthly creatures, behaved to 
 him in a manner so strange that he could in no 
 wise account for it. Not only did she refuse to 
 grant him an interview, but she studiously avoided 
 meeting him, and went no longer with the other 
 women to the stream for water. Thus he had not 
 been able to exchange a single word with her, and 
 as the time for his departure drew near he was in 
 despair. In his distress he sought out Otshata, as 
 he had done once before, and, pouring out his 
 heart, asked her what he should do. 
 
 Otshata laughed in his face. " What fools men 
 be !" she said. " Dost thou not remember, Massa- 
 soit, the time when she bade thee fetch water?" 
 
 20 
 
3 o6 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 " Well do I remember." 
 
 " And thou performed the service?" 
 
 " Truly, I did, even as she bade me." 
 
 "And she scorned the offering when it was 
 brought to her?" 
 
 "Even so, and taunted me with the name of 
 squaw. 
 
 "Remembering that, art thou still at a loss to 
 know why she now refuses to meet thee ?" 
 
 "To my confusion, I am," replied the puzzled 
 youth. 
 
 At this Otshata laughed again long and 
 heartily ; but at length she asked, 
 
 " Didst thou ever know a woman to accept 
 friendship with a slave when a master might be 
 had?" 
 
 Then, still laughing, she ran away, leaving the 
 young man to ponder her words. 
 
 As a result of this conversation, Massasoit 
 announced that he and his warriors would de 
 part for their own country on the morrow, and 
 at daylight of the next morning they had dis 
 appeared. That day Aeana, heavy-hearted and 
 with lagging step, went with the other women 
 
WINNING A BATTLE, WIFE, AND FRIEND 307 
 
 for water. As she bent over the stream an 
 exclamation from one of her companions caused 
 her to look up and directly into the eyes of Mas- 
 sasoit, who stood on the opposite bank. 
 
 With a shrill cry of dismay, Aeana turned and 
 fled towards the village ; but, swiftly as she ran, 
 Massasoit overtook her ere she had covered half 
 the distance. Seizing her in his arms, he picked 
 her up and, despite her struggles, bore her swiftly 
 away. On the edge of the wood he paused to 
 utter a far-carrying yell of triumph, and then, 
 still bearing his precious burden, he disappeared 
 amid the leafy shadows. 
 
 But his defiant challenge was answered, and 
 half a dozen young Iroquois, all of whom were 
 aspirants for the hand of the arrow-maker s beau 
 tiful daughter, dashed forth in hot pursuit. This 
 race for a bride was over a forest course some 
 thing more than a mile in length. At its farther 
 end was the Shatemuc and a waiting canoe con 
 taining a single occupant. As Massasoit gained 
 this and it was shoved off, the foremost of his 
 pursuers was so close that he fell into the water 
 in a vain effort to grasp the elusive craft. 
 
308 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 Beyond the river the Iroquois might not pass 
 by the terms of their recent treaty, and thus on 
 its farther side, Massasoit felt his prize to be as 
 secure as though he already had her at Montaup. 
 
 As they stepped out on the land that acknowl 
 edged the son of Longfeather to be its ruler, 
 Aeana regarded the bold youth with eyes that 
 laughed even through their tears, and said, "I 
 hate you ; but if you had not done it, then 
 should I have despised you forever." 
 
 So Massasoit won his bride, and in far-away 
 Montaup, beside the great salt waters that bathe 
 the rising sun, no woman led a happier life than 
 did the daughter of Kaweras. 
 
 After this several years were passed in peace 
 ful content by those New England tribes owning 
 the rule of Massasoit. With his superior knowl 
 edge of the world he was able to teach them 
 many things that caused them to prosper as never 
 before. Only was he worried by the Narragan- 
 setts, who, while sullenly admitting his authority, 
 awaited eagerly an opportunity to renounce and 
 defy it. 
 
 In the mean time Aeana had presented the 
 
WINNING A BATTLE, WIFE; AND FRIEND 309 
 
 Peacemaker with two sons, the younger of whom, 
 named Metacomet, was to become famous in after- 
 years as King Philip. 
 
 With all his peace and apparent security Mas- 
 sasoit had one ever-present fear, and it was of 
 the white man. He had a knowledge greater 
 than any of his people concerning the number 
 and power of these dwellers beyond the sea, 
 and he dreaded lest they should seek to obtain 
 a foothold in his country, as they had already 
 done both on the St. Lawrence and the James. 
 As one measure of precaution against this he 
 issued orders to every New England tribe that 
 they should hold no intercourse with any whites 
 attempting to trade on the coast. So determined 
 was he to carry out this policy that when an un 
 fortunate French trading vessel was wrecked on 
 a shore of Massachusetts Bay, he caused her to 
 be burned, and commanded that all survivors of 
 her crew be put to death. 
 
 Holding these views, Massasoit became very 
 angry when it was reported to him that the 
 Narragansetts, in defiance of his authority, were 
 actively trading with an English ship that had ap- 
 
310 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 peared on their coast, and he at once determined 
 to make an example that should be remembered. 
 
 A runner was despatched to his trusted ally 
 Sassacus, whose country lay beyond that of the 
 Narragansetts, ordering the Pequots to advance 
 from the west until they should meet Massa- 
 soit coming from the opposite direction. Then, 
 gathering a strong force from the tribes near at 
 hand, the Peacemaker set forth for the scene of 
 unlawful trading. 
 
 So demoralized were the Narragansetts by the 
 simultaneous appearance of two powerful war- 
 parties within their borders that they offered 
 only a slight resistance before fleeing to their 
 palisaded stronghold, where they anxiously 
 awaited the expected attack. 
 
 In the mean time the captain of the English 
 vessel, which was snugly anchored in the mouth 
 of a small river, where he had been carrying on a 
 brisk and most profitable trade with the Indians, 
 was disgusted to have it suddenly cease. For 
 days a fleet of canoes had surrounded his ship. 
 Now not one was to be seen, nor could any of 
 the natives be discovered on shore. His recent 
 
WINNING A BATTLE, WIFE, AND FRIEND 311 
 
 great success had been largely due to the fact 
 that he had on board an English-speaking Indian, 
 through whom all negotiations had been con 
 ducted. When a whole day had passed without 
 change in the situation the captain consulted 
 with this Indian, and asked what he supposed 
 had become of the natives. 
 
 "They be fearful to come off since they have 
 learn that you steal red men for slaves," was the 
 answer. 
 
 " Ho, ho ! Is that all ? But think you, Squanto, 
 that they have any furs left?" 
 
 " Me think they keep back many of the best." 
 "By the Lord Harry! Then must we go to 
 them, since they are afraid to come to us. Boat 
 away, there ! And, Squanto, you may come too 
 if you will promise to make no attempt at es 
 cape." 
 
 "These be not my people," replied the Indian, 
 evasively. 
 
 That s so. I picked you up at a great dis 
 tance from here. But never mind. If you serve 
 me truly perhaps I will take you back there some 
 day. Attempt to play me false, though, and I will 
 
312 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 kill you as I would a rat. Tumble in, then, and 
 let us hie ashore." 
 
 It was a strong boat s crew and heavily armed 
 that thus made a landing in search of the trade 
 which no longer came to their ship, and they fol 
 lowed a plainly marked trail leading from the 
 beach to the place where had been an Indian 
 village. Now it was deserted and void of life, 
 though their guide announced that it had been 
 occupied as recently as a few hours before. 
 
 While the new-comers were prowling about 
 with hopes of discovering something in the way 
 of plunder, their attention was distracted by a 
 column of smoke rising in the direction of their 
 boat. They had left it hauled partially out of 
 the water and in charge of two well-armed men. 
 Now, hastening back, they were panic-stricken by 
 the discovery that the boat was in flames. It was 
 also badly crushed, as though it had been lifted 
 bodily and dropped on a ledge of sharp rocks. 
 Worst of all, it contained the dead bodies of those 
 who had been left on guard. The weapons of 
 both men were missing, and they had been 
 scalped but not otherwise mutilated. 
 
WINNING A BATTLE, WIFE, AND FRIEND 313 
 
 Taking advantage of the confusion following 
 this discovery, the Indian guide dove into a 
 nearby thicket and disappeared. A minute 
 later, while the whites were huddled about 
 their burning boat attempting to extinguish the 
 flames, a great flight of arrows, that seemed 
 to come from every direction at once, instantly 
 killed more than half their number. Then came 
 a rush of yelling savages, and in another minute 
 but one man was left alive. He was wounded, 
 but his life had been spared by the express 
 order of Massasoit. 
 
 The Indian guide had been made prisoner, 
 bound, and left to himself; but now that all 
 was over, the young leader, ordering his warriors 
 to remain behind, went to him. Stooping, he 
 severed the prisoner s bonds and assisted him 
 to his feet. Then gazing steadily at him, he 
 cried in a voice that trembled with emotion, 
 
 "Tasquanto, my brother, dost thou not re 
 member Massasoit?" 
 
CHAPTER XXX 
 
 THE PILGRIMS OF PLYMOUTH 
 
 SINCE being separated from Massasoit years 
 before in Plymouth harbor, Tasquanto, whose 
 name the English had shortened to "Squanto," 
 had known nothing of the fate of his fellow-cap 
 tive beyond that he had been sold as a slave in 
 London. In the mean time he had been received 
 into the household of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, 
 Governor of Plymouth, who had large interests 
 in the New World, and had been taught to speak 
 English. Then he was sent on trading-vessels 
 to act as interpreter between whites and Indians. 
 In this capacity he had made several voyages 
 to America, but always so closely guarded that 
 never until now had he been allowed to set foot 
 on his native shores. 
 
 Tasquanto was so overcome at finding in the 
 great sachem Massasoit, concerning whom he 
 had heard much, his own long-lost friend that 
 314 
 
THE PILGRIMS OF PLYMOUTH 315 
 
 for a few moments he was speechless with joyful 
 amazement. When he had succeeded in partially 
 expressing this, he related briefly how he hap 
 pened to be in his present situation, and added 
 that the cruel taskmaster from whom he had just 
 escaped was the same Captain Dermer who had 
 formerly betrayed them into slavery. 
 
 11 1 knew it when first I saw him this morning," 
 replied Massasoit, grimly, "for his evil face has 
 ever been pictured in my heart. For that reason 
 have I spared his worthless life until I could con 
 sult with thee, my brother, as to how we may 
 best deal with him." 
 
 "Did you, then, know me also?" asked Tas- 
 quanto. 
 
 "The moment I set eyes on thee. Those 
 white dogs had been slain an hour sooner but 
 for thy presence among them and a fear of doing 
 thee harm. Now, what say you ? Shall this man 
 be delivered to the tormentors, or shall he be 
 killed where he lies ? It is certain that his punish 
 ment must be great, for he has earned all that 
 may be given. Also I do not care that he should 
 recognize me and spread the report that I was 
 
316 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 once his slave, for that would shame me in the eyes 
 of my people. Thou, too, must ever keep secret 
 the matter of my having crossed the salt waters." 
 
 "I will remember/ replied Tasquanto. "As 
 for this white man, I would crop his ears with the 
 same brand of ownership that he has placed upon 
 many an Indian captured and sold into slavery. 
 Then would I let him sail away in his own ship 
 as a warning to all other white men. Death he 
 deserves, since he has treated many of our people 
 to death and worse, but to him the shame of 
 cropped ears will be even more bitter than death." 
 
 So favorably was Massasoit impressed with 
 this idea that he ordered it carried out at once. 
 Thus, half an hour later, the brutal Dermer, who 
 had done so much to cause the name of English 
 man to be hated in the New World, was set 
 adrift in a canoe, minus both his ears, and allowed 
 to depart to his own ship. It is recorded in his 
 tory that he reached Virginia, where he soon 
 afterwards died from wounds received at the 
 hands of New England savages. 
 
 Having thus satisfactorily concluded one part 
 of his undertaking, Massasoit next turned his 
 
THE PILGRIMS OF PLYMOUTH 317 
 
 attention to the rebel Narragansetts. Moving 
 his entire force against their stronghold, he de 
 manded that all goods received from the English 
 should be delivered up, and also that Miantinomo 
 should come to his camp, bringing a chief s belt 
 in token of submission. Massasoit swore that, 
 in case his demands were refused, he would not 
 depart from that place until every rebel in the 
 fort was destroyed. So mild were these terms in 
 comparison with what had been expected that 
 they were instantly accepted, and a cruel war 
 between neighbors was averted. 
 
 With peace thus restored, the authority of 
 Massasoit over the great territory, already 
 named New England by Captain John Smith, 
 was so firmly established that until the day of 
 his death it was never again questioned. 
 
 But if one of his two chief causes for anxiety 
 was thus removed, the other was looming omi 
 nously near. Some six months after Tasquanto s 
 escape from his long captivity a little English 
 ship, buffeted by winter gales of the North 
 Atlantic, was slowly approaching the American 
 coast. Although only of one hundred and fifty 
 
3i8 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 tons burden, or about the size of a small coasting 
 schooner of to-day, she carried one hundred 
 passengers besides her crew and an immense 
 quantity of freight. 
 
 For three months had her passengers men, 
 women, and children been on board the over 
 crowded little craft, and they were sick for a sight 
 of land. Their destination was the mouth of the 
 Shatemuc or Hudson River, but their first land 
 fall, made under a cold December sky, was the 
 bluff headland, stretching far out to sea like a 
 beckoning finger, that Gosnold, some twenty 
 years earlier, had named the Cape of Cods. 
 From here the ship was headed southward to 
 wards her destination, but soon became involved 
 in a labyrinth of shoals covered with roaring 
 breakers. Also she was beaten by adverse gales 
 until her weary company hailed with joy her cap 
 tain s decision to run back to the safe shelter of 
 Cape Cod. Here, in what is now the harbor 
 of Provincetown, the sea-worn strangers disem 
 barked, so profoundly happy at finding them 
 selves once more on land that the wooded wilder 
 ness seemed a paradise. 
 
THE PILGRIMS OF PLYMOUTH 319 
 
 They had come to establish homes in the New 
 World, and though disappointed at not gaining 
 the more southerly latitude for which they had 
 set out, they now determined to remain where 
 they were, since it was too late in the season for 
 further explorations. Still, they spent two weeks 
 in examination of the country close at hand, and 
 finally selected a site for settlement across the 
 bay enclosed by Cape Cod. Here was a good 
 harbor, plenty of fresh water, and much land 
 already cleared of forest growth by its former 
 Indian occupants. 
 
 They named this place " Plymouth" after the 
 last English port from which they had sailed, and 
 on Christmas day began the work of building 
 houses. 
 
 During that winter half of these stout-hearted 
 settlers died, so that in the early spring only 
 fifty persons, enfeebled by the sickness from 
 which but seven had wholly escaped, remained to 
 make good their claim to the land they had thus 
 seized. 
 
 During all this time the colonists had not 
 encountered any of the native owners of the 
 
320 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 soil, though they had caught occasional glimpses 
 of vanishing forms, and often saw signal-fires or 
 smokes that denoted the presence of watchful 
 observers. 
 
 In spite of these things they did not hesitate 
 to appropriate Indian property wherever they 
 found it. Thus, when they discovered hidden 
 stores of corn and parched acorns, laid by for 
 winter use, they promptly removed them to 
 Plymouth. Also whenever they ran across an 
 Indian lodge, they took from it everything that 
 seemed to them of value. They even robbed 
 Indian graves of their sacred relics, and these 
 things were reported to Massasoit by his scouts. 
 
 From the first appearance of the Mayflower 
 on the stormy horizon he had known of all its 
 movements. He had been relieved when it 
 started southward, and was greatly disturbed by 
 its return to Cape Cod. He was also much puz 
 zled to account for the doings of its company, 
 since evidently they were neither traders nor 
 fishermen. Why had they brought women and 
 children with them ? Also why had they in the 
 first place attempted to sail to the southward, if 
 
THE PILGRIMS OF PLYMOUTH 321 
 
 his country was the place they were seeking ? 
 He finally decided that they must be bound for 
 the Virginia settlement of white men, and were 
 only waiting until the winter storms were over 
 before resuming their voyage to the country of 
 Powhatan. 
 
 This decision eased Massasoit s mind, for, 
 while he was determined that no whites should 
 settle within his boundaries, he was also averse 
 to unnecessary bloodshed. So he awaited 
 patiently the departure that he believed the 
 strangers would make with the coming of warmer 
 weather. If they did not so depart, he knew 
 that he could wipe them out of existence as 
 easily as he could crush a worm that came in his 
 path. 
 
 Thus forbearing to disturb them, he waited 
 and watched, receiving almost daily reports from 
 his scouts, who at all times lurked in the vicinity 
 of the feeble settlement. He heard with grim 
 satisfaction of their rapid decrease in numbers, 
 and grew wroth at their violation of Indian graves 
 and their appropriation of unguarded Indian 
 property. Still he forbore to molest them, but 
 
 21 
 
322 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 as spring drew near he sent Samoset to learn 
 how soon they intended to depart. 
 
 To his dismay this messenger brought back 
 word that the English had no intention of ever 
 again leaving the place where they had estab 
 lished themselves. 
 
 41 Then must I remind them that I have no 
 desire for their presence," quoth Massasoit, and 
 at once he sent out runners to gather a large 
 force of warriors in the vicinity of Plymouth. 
 Accompanied by a body-guard of sixty men, the 
 sachem himself hastened to the place of rendez 
 vous and established a camp, from which he sent 
 Tasquanto among the whites to learn in detail 
 their strength and intentions. 
 
 With his ready command of English and his 
 knowledge of white men s customs, gained by 
 painful experience, Tasquanto or " Squanto," as 
 he now called himself, found no difficulty in 
 gaining all the information he desired from the 
 strangers. He even learned their names and 
 
 o 
 
 the relative rank held by their leading men. 
 
 When Tasquanto returned and reported these 
 things, he mentioned one name that caused Mas- 
 
THE PILGRIMS OF PLYMOUTH 323 
 
 sasoit to start and betray symptoms of great 
 agitation. 
 
 " Art thou certain that one among them is so 
 called?" he asked. 
 
 4< I am certain," replied Tasquanto. 
 
 "Then go quickly and ask that man, as he 
 values his own life and that of his people, to meet 
 me alone by the big pine that looks down upon 
 his lodges. I will be there unaccompanied. 
 Stay ! Take to him this belt that it may be to 
 him a token of safe-conduct and true speaking." 
 
 With this Massasoit removed from his own 
 person the great Belt of Seven Totems and 
 handed it to Tasquanto. He also instructed the 
 latter to withdraw beyond earshot when he had 
 conducted the white man to the place of meeting. 
 
 Half an hour later Massasoit, with unpainted 
 face and simply clad, stood alone at the foot of 
 the great pine, looking down on the group of 
 poor little huts that sheltered the feeble English 
 remnant. Within a mile of the place were 
 gathered five hundred warriors awaiting but a 
 signal from him to utterly destroy the helpless 
 settlement. 
 
3 2 4 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 Then to him came an Englishman, young, 
 sturdy, and heavily bearded. As he approached 
 within a few paces he halted and examined the 
 Indian curiously, for he had been told that he was 
 to meet a sachem who was ruler of many tribes. 
 
 On the other hand, Massasoit gazed into the 
 bearded face of the white man with an eagerness 
 that was almost disconcerting. Then, as though 
 satisfied with his scrutiny, he extended a hand, 
 exclaiming as he did so, 
 
 " Winslow ! My frien Winslow !" 
 
 For a moment the other hesitated, then his 
 face lighted joyously as he grasped the proffered 
 hand in both of his, crying, 
 
 "Massasoit? They told me the name of the 
 mighty chieftain was Massasoit, but never did I 
 suspect that he was the friend whom I had found 
 and lost in London." 
 
 For an hour the two, thus strangely brought 
 together after years of distant wanderings, held 
 converse with each other while the fate of the 
 New World hung upon their words. When their 
 conversation was finally ended, Winslow had 
 promised never to reveal the fact that the proud 
 
THE PILGRIMS OF PLYMOUTH 325 
 
 sachem had once been bought and sold as a 
 slave in England. He had also promised that 
 the colony to which he belonged should never 
 commit an act of aggression against the people 
 of Massasoit, but that his friends should be their 
 friends and his enemies their enemies. 
 
 On his part, and out of an abounding gratitude 
 for the only friendship shown him at a time when 
 he stood most in need of friends, Massasoit 
 agreed that the poor little English settlement 
 should be allowed to exist, and, moreover, prom 
 ised to protect it from its enemies to the full 
 extent of his power. 
 
 Then the two parted, the one to go back to his 
 wondering warriors and dismiss them to their 
 homes, the other to carry the glad news into 
 Plymouth that the great Massasoit was ready to 
 make a treaty of friendly alliance with his English 
 neighbors. 
 
 So on the morrow Governor Carver, accom 
 panied by Winslow, sturdy Myles Standish, and 
 others of his principal men, met Massasoit. 
 Then, after much feasting and an exchange of 
 courtesies, they mutually signed a treaty of friend- 
 
326 THE BELT OF SEVEN TOTEMS 
 
 ship that remained unbroken for upward of half 
 a century from that memorable date. 
 
 Thus was the crumb of bread once cast upon 
 troubled waters by Edward Winslow returned to 
 him again with a thousand- fold of increase after 
 many days. 
 
 Thus also did Nahma, son of Longfeather, now 
 become Massasoit, wearer of the Belt of Seven 
 Totems, make possible and establish forever the 
 white man s settlement of New England. 
 
 ****** 
 
 N. B. When the good ship Mayflower re 
 turned to England from that her most memorable 
 voyage to the New World she bore in her cargo 
 a packet of richest furs, together with many 
 specimens of dainty beadwork, consigned to 
 Lady Betty Effingham, who dwelt near to Bristol, 
 England, with goodly wishes from her friend and 
 humble servant, Massasoit. 
 
 THE END 
 
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