CHAPTER XII.
There is no other land like thee, No dearer shore; Thou art the shelter of the free; The home, the port of liberty Thou hast been, and shall ever be Till time is o'er. Ere I forget to think upon My land, shall mother curse the son She bore. --Percival.
The independent, not to say controlling, manner of Peter, would seemto put all remonstrances and arguments at defiance, Le Bourdon soon hadoccasion to see that both the missionary and the corporal submittedto his wishes, and that there was no use in gainsaying anything heproposed. In all matters he did as he pleased; his two companionssubmitting to his will as completely as if one of them had seen in thissupposed child of Israel, Joshua, the son of Nun, and the other evenAaron, the high-priest, himself.
Peter's preparations were soon made. Everything belonging to themissionary and the corporal was removed from the canoe, which thencontained only the extra clothing and the special property of the Indianhimself. As soon as ready, the latter quietly and fearlessly paddledaway, his canoe going easily and swiftly down before the wind. He had nosooner got clear of the rice, than the bee-hunter and Margery ran awayto the eminence, to watch his movements, and to note his reception amongthe Pottawattamies. Leaving them there, we shall accompany the canoe, inits progress toward the northern shore.
At first, Peter paddled quietly on, as if he had no other objectbefore him than the passage of the river. When quite clear of therice, however, he ceased, and undid his bundle of clothes, which werecarefully put away in the knapsack of a soldier. From this repository ofhis effects, the chief carefully drew forth a small bundle, on openingwhich, no less than seven fresh human scalps appeared. These he arrangedin order on a wand-like pole, when, satisfied with the arrangement,he resumed the paddle. It was apparent, from the first, that thePottawattamies on the north shore had seen the strange canoe when itentered the river, and they now collected in a group, at the ordinarylanding beneath the chiente, to await its approach. Peter ceased hisown exertion, as soon as he had got within a hundred yards of the beach,took the scalp-pole in his hand, arose, and permitted the canoe to driftdown before the wind, certain it would take the desired direction, fromthe circumstance of his having placed it precisely to windward ofthe landing. Once or twice he slowly waved the pole in a way to drawattention to the scalps, which were suspended from its end, each obviousand distinct from its companions.
Napoleon, when he returned from the campaign of Austerlitz; orWellington, when he entered the House of Commons to receive the thanksof its speaker, on his return from Spain; or the chief of all thebattles of the Rio Bravo del Norte; or him of the valley of Mexico,whose exploits fairly rival those of Cortes himself, could scarcely be asubject of greater interest to a body of spectators, assembled to dohim honor, than was this well-known Indian, as he drew near to thePottawattamies, waving his scalps, in significant triumph! Glory, as thehomage paid by man to military renown is termed, was the common impulsewith them all. It is true, that, measured by the standards of reasonand right, the wise and just might find motives for appreciating thevictories of those named differently from the manner in which they areusually regarded through the atmosphere of success; but in the commonmind it was all glory, alike. The name of "Onoah" passed in murmurs ofadmiration, from mouth to mouth; for, as it appeared, the person of thisrenowned Indian was recognized by many on the shore, some time ere hereached it himself.
Crowsfeather, and the other chiefs, advanced to meet the visitor; theyoung men standing in the background, in respectful admiration. Peternow stepped from the canoe, and greeted each of the principal men withthe courteous gravity of a savage. He shook hands with each, callingone or two by name, a proof of the parties having met before; thenthe following dialogue occurred. All spoke in the tongue of thePottawattamies, but, as we have had occasion to remark on previousoccasions, it is to be presumed that the reader would scarcely be ableto understand what was said, were we to record it, word for word, in thelanguage in which it was uttered. In consequence of this difficulty, andfor other reasons to which it may not be necessary to allude, we shallendeavor to translate that which passed, as closely as the Englishidioms will permit us so to do.
"My father is very welcome!" exclaimed Crowsfeather, who, by manydegrees, exceeded all his companions in consideration and rank. "I seehe has taken many scalps as is his practice, and that the pale-faces aredaily getting to be fewer. Will the sun ever rise on that day when theirwigwams will look like the branches of the oak in winter? Can my fathergive us any hope of seeing that hour?"
"It is a long path from the salt-lake out of which the sun rises, tothat other salt-lake in which it hides itself at night. The sun sleepseach night beneath water, but it is so hot that it is soon dried when itcomes out of its bed in the morning. This is the Great Spirit's doings,and not ours. The sun is his sun; the Indians can warm themselves by it,but they cannot shorten its journey a single tomahawk handle's length.The same is true of time; it belongs to the Manitou, who will lengthenor shorten it, as he may see fit. We are his children, and it is ourduty to submit. He has not forgotten us. He made us with his own hand,and will no more turn us out of the land than a father will turn hischild from the wigwam."
"We hope this is so; but it does not seem thus to out poor weak eyes,Onoah. We count the pale-faces, and every summer they grow fast as thegrass on the prairies. We can see more when the leaf falls than whenthe tree is in bud; and, then, more when the leaf is in bud than whenit falls. A few moons will put a town where the pine stood, and wigwamsdrive the wolves from their homes. In a few years we shall have nothingbut dogs to eat, if the pale-face dogs do not eat us."
"Squaws are impatient, but men know how to wait. This land was given tothe red man by the Great Spirit, as I have often told you, my children;if he has let in the pale-faces for a few winters, it is to punish usfor having done wrong. Now that we are sorry for what we have done, hewill help us to drive away the strangers, and give us the woods againto hunt in by ourselves. Have not messengers from our Great Father inMontreal been among the Pottawattamies to strengthen their hearts?"
"They are always whispering in the ears of our tribes. I cannot rememberthe time when whispers from Montreal have not been among us. Theirblankets are warm, their fire-water is strong, their powder is good,and their rifles shoot well; but all this does not stop the children ofUncle Sam from being more at night than they were in the morning. Thered men get tired of counting them. They have become plentier than thepigeons in the spring. My father has taken many of their scalps, but thehair must grow after his knife, their scalps are so many."
"See!" rejoined Peter, lowering his pole so that all might examine hisrevolting trophies, "these come from the soldiers at the head of thelake. Blackbird was there with his young men; no one of them all got asmany scalps! This is the way to stop the white pigeon from flying overus in such flocks as to hide and darken the sun."
Another murmur of admiration passed through the crowd, as each youngwarrior bent forward to count the number of the scalps, and to note,by signs familiar to themselves, the ages, sex, and condition of thedifferent victims. Here was another instance among a hundred others ofwhich they had heard, of the prowess of the mysterious Onoah, as wellas of his inextinguishable hatred of the race, that was slowly, butunerringly, supplanting the ancient stock, causing the places that onceknew the people of their tribes "to know them no more." As soon as thislittle burst of feeling had subsided, the conversation went on.
"We have had a pale-face medicine-man among us, Onoah," continuedCrowsfeather, "and he has so far blinded us that we know not what tothink."
The chief then recounted the leading events of the visit of thebee-hunter to the place, stating each occurrence fairly, as heunderstood it, and as fairly confessing that even the chiefs were at aloss to know what to make of the affair. In addition to this account,he gave the mysterious Onoah the history of the prisoner they had taken,the death of Elks-foot, their intention to torture th
at very morning theChippewa they had captured, and his flight, together with the loss oftheir young man, and the subsequent escape of their unknown enemies,who had taken away all of their own canoes. How far the medicine-man hadanything to do with the other events of his narrative, Crowsfeather verycandidly admitted he could not even conjecture. He was still at a losswhether to set down the conjurer for a pretender, or as a real oracle.Peter, however, was less credulous even than the chiefs. He had hissuperstitious notions, like all uneducated men, but a clear head andquick intellect placed him far above the weaknesses of the red manin general. On receiving a description of the person of the unknown"medicine-man," he at once recognized the bee-hunter. With an Indian todescribe, and an Indian to interpret or apply, escape from discovery wasnext to impossible.
Although Onoah, or the "Tribeless," as he was also frequently calledby the red men, from the circumstance of no one's knowing to whatparticular section of the great Indian family he belonged, perfectlyunderstood that the bee-hunter he had seen on the other shore was theindividual who had been playing the part of a conjurer among thesePottawattamies, he was very careful not to reveal the fact toCrowsfeather. He had his own policy, and was fully aware of all thevirtue there is in mystery and reserve. With an Indian, these qualitiesgo farther even than with a white man; and we of the Caucasian race arenot entirely exempt from the folly of being deceived by appearances. Onthe present occasion Peter kept his knowledge to himself, still leavinghis red brethren in doubt and uncertainty; but he took care to be rightin his own opinions by putting as many questions as were necessary forthat purpose. Once assured of this fact, he turned to other subjects ofeven greater interest to himself and his companions.
The conference which now took place between the "Tribeless" andCrowsfeather was held apart, both being chiefs of too much importanceto be intruded on at a moment like that. The two chiefs exhibited a verycharacteristic picture while engaged in this conference. They seatedthemselves on a bank, and drawing their legs partially under them, satface to face, with their heads less than two feet asunder, occasionallygesticulating with dignity, but each speaking in his turn with studieddecorum. Crowsfeather was highly painted, and looked fierce and warlike,but Onoah had nothing extraordinary about him, with the exception ofthe decorations and dress already described, unless it might be hisremarkable countenance. The face of this Indian ordinarily wore athoughtful cast, an expression which it is not unusual to meet with ina savage; though at times it lighted up, as it might be with the heat ofinward fires, like the crater giving out its occasional flames beneaththe hues of a saddened atmosphere. One accustomed to study the humanface, and to analyze its expressions, would possibly have discovered inthat countenance lines of deep artifice, together with the traces ofa profound and constitutional enthusiasm. He was bent, at thatvery moment, on a scheme worthy of the loftiest spirit living; theregeneration and union of the people of his race, with a view to recoverthe possessions they had yielded to the pale-faces; but it was a projectblended with the ferocity and revenge of a savage-noble while ferocious.
Not idly had the whites, scattered along that frontier, given thesobriquet of "Scalping" to Peter, As his pole now showed, it had beenearned in a hundred scenes of bloody vengeance; and so great had beenhis success, that the warrior, prophet, and councillor, for allthese characters were united in his single person, began to think theattainment of his wishes possible. As a matter of course, much ignoranceof the power of the Anglo-Saxon race on this continent was blended withthese opinions and hopes; but it was scarcely an ignorance exceedingthat of certain persons of far higher pretensions in knowledge, who livein another hemisphere, and who often set themselves up as infalliblejudges of all things connected with man and his attributes. Peter, the"Tribeless," was not more in fault than those who fancied they saw thepower of this great republic in the gallant little band collected atCorpus Christi, under its indomitable chief, and who, march by march,nay, foot by foot, as it might be, have perseveringly predicted thehalt, the defeat, the disasters, and final discomfiture, which it hasnot yet pleased Divine Providence to inflict on this slight effort ofthe young Hercules, as he merely moves in his cradle. Alas, the enemythat most menaces the overthrow of this new and otherwise invincibleexhibition of human force, is within; seated in the citadel itself;and must be narrowly watched, or he will act his malignant purpose, anddestroy the fairest hopes that ever yet dawned on the fortunes of thehuman race!
The conference between the chiefs lasted fully an hour. Crowsfeatherpossessed much of the confidence of Peter, and, as for Onoah, neitherTecumseh, nor his brother the Prophet, commanded as much of therespect of Crowsfeather as he did himself. Some even whispered that the"Tribeless" was the individual who lay behind all, and that the othersnamed merely acted as he suggested, or advised. The reader will obtainall the insight into the future that it is necessary now to give him,by getting a few of the remarks made by the two colloquists, just beforethey joined the rest of the party.
"My father, then, intends to lead his pale-faces on a crooked path, andtake their scalps when he has done with them," said Crowsfeather, whohad been gravely listening to Peter's plans of future proceeding; "butwho is to get the scalp of the Chippewa?"
"One of my Pottawattamie young men; but not until I have made use ofhim. I have a medicine-priest of the pale-faces and a warrior with me,but shall not put their scalps on my pole until they have paddledme further. The council is to be first held in the Oak Openings"--wetranslate this term freely, that used by Peter meaning rather "the openwoods of the prairies"--"and I wish to show my prisoners to the chiefs,that they may see how easy it is to cut off all the Yankees. I have nowfour men of that people, and two squaws, in my power; let every red mandestroy as many, and the land will soon be clear of them all!"
This was uttered with gleamings of ferocity in the speaker's face, thatrendered his countenance terrible. Even Crowsfeather quailed a littlebefore that fierce aspect; but the whole passed away almost as soon asbetrayed, and was succeeded by a friendly and deceptive smile, thatwas characteristic of the wily Asiatic rather than of the aboriginalAmerican.
"They cannot be counted," returned the Pottawattamie chief, as soon ashis restraint was a little removed by this less terrific aspect of hiscompanion, "if all I hear is true. Blackbird says that even the squawsof the pale-faces are numerous enough to overcome all the red men thatremain."
"There will be two less, when I fasten to my pole the scalps of thoseon the other side of the river," answered Peter, with another of histransient, but startling gleams of intense revenge. "But no matter, now:my brother knows all I wish him to do. Not a hair of the head of anyof these pale-faces must be touched by any hand but mine. When the timecomes, the knife of Onoah is sure. The Pottawattamies shall have theircanoes, and can follow us up the river. They will find us in theOpenings, and near the Prairie Round. They know the spot; for the redmen love to hunt the deer in that region. Now, go and tell this to youryoung men; and tell them that corn will not grow, nor the deer wait tobe killed by any of your people, if they forget to do as I have said.Vengeance shall come, when it is time."
Crowsfeather communicated all this to his warriors, who received it asthe ancients received the words of their oracles. Each member of theparty endeavored to get an accurate notion of his duty, in order thathe might comply to the very letter with the injunctions received. Soprofound was the impression made among all the red men of the north-westby the previous labors of the "Tribeless" to awaken a national spirit,and so great was their dread of the consequences of disobedience, thatevery warrior present felt as if his life were the threatened penalty ofneglect or disinclination to obey.
No sooner, however, had Crowsfeather got through with his communication,than a general request was made that the problem of the whiskey-springmight be referred to Onoah for solution. The young men had strong hopes,not-withstanding all that had passed, that this spring might yet turnout to be a reality. The scent was still there, strong and fragrant,and they could no
t get rid of the notion that "fire-water" grew on thatspot. It is true, their faith had been somewhat disturbed by the mannerin which the medicine-man had left them, and by his failure to drawforth the gushing stream which he had impliedly promised, and in a smalldegree performed; nevertheless little pools of whiskey had been found onthe rock, and several had tasted and satisfied themselves of the qualityof the liquor. As is usual, that taste had created a desire for more, adesire that seldom slumbered on an Indian palate when strong drinks wereconnected with its gratification.
Peter heard the request with gravity, and consented to look into thematter with a due regard to his popularity and influence. He had his ownsuperstitious views, but among them there did not happen to be onewhich admitted the possibility of whiskey's running in a stream from theliving rock. Still he was willing to examine the charmed spot, scent thefragrant odor, and make up his own estimate of the artifices by whichthe bee-hunter had been practising on the untutored beings into whosehand chance had thrown him.
While the young men eagerly pointed out the precise spots where thescent was the strongest, Peter maintained the most unmoved gravity. Hedid not kneel to smell the rocks, like the other chiefs, for this aninnate sense of propriety told him would be undignified; but he madehis observations closely, and with a keen Indian-like attention to everylittle circumstance that might aid him in arriving at the truth. Allthis time, great was the awe and deep the admiration of the lookers-on.Onoah had succeeded in creating a moral power for himself among theIndians of the northwest which much exceeded that of any other red manof that region. The whites scarcely heard of him, knew but little ofhis career, and less of his true character, for both were shrouded inmystery. There is nothing remarkable in this ignorance of the pale-facesof the time. They did not understand their own leaders; much less theleaders of the children of the openings, the prairies, and the forest.At this hour, what is really known by the mass of the American people ofthe true characters of their public men? No nation that has any claimto civilization and publicity knows less, and for several very obviousreasons. The want of a capital in which the intelligence of the nationperiodically assembles and whence a corrected public opinion on all suchmatters ought constantly to flow, as truth emanates from the collisionsof minds, is one of these reasons. The extent of the country, whichseparates men by distances that no fact can travel over withoutincurring the dangers of being perverted on the road, is another. Butthe most fatal of al he influences that tend to mislead the judgment ofthe American citizen, is to be found in the abuse of a machinery thatwas intended to produce an exactly contrary effect. If the tongue wasgiven to man to communicate ideas to his fellows, so has philosophydescribed it as "a gift to conceal his thoughts." If the press wasdevised to circulate truth, so has it been changed into a means ofcirculating lies. One is easily, nay, more easily, sent abroad onthe four winds of the heavens than the other. Truth requires candor,impartiality, honesty, research, and industry; but a falsehood, whetherdesigned or not, stands in need of neither. Of that which is the mosteasily produced, the country gets the most; and it were idle to imaginethat a people who blindly and unresistingly submit to be put, as itmight be, under the feet of falsehood, as respects all their own publicmen, can ever get very accurate notions of those of other nations.
Thus was it with Onoah. His name was unknown to the whites, except asa terrible and much-dreaded avenger of the wrongs of his race. Withthe red men it was very different. They had no "forked tongues" to makefalsehood take the place of truth; or if such existed they were notbelieved. The Pottawattamies now present knew all about Tecumseh,[Footnote: A "tiger stooping for his prey."] of whom the whites had alsovarious and ample accounts. This Shawanee chief had long been activeamong them, and his influence was extended far and near. He was a bold,restless, and ingenious warrior; one, perhaps, who better understoodthe art of war, as it was practised among red men, than any Indian thenliving. They knew the name and person, also, of his brother Elkswatawa,[Footnote: "A door opened."] or the Prophet, whose name has also becomeincorporated with the histories of the times. These two chiefs werevery powerful, though scarce dwelling regularly in any tribe; but theirorigin, their careers, and their characters were known to all, as werethose of their common father, Pukeesheno, [Footnote: "I light fromfly--"] and their mother, Meethetaske.[Footnote: "A turtle laying hereggs in the sand."] But with Onoah it was very different. With him thepast was as much of a mystery as the future. No Indian could say even ofwhat tribe he was born. The totem that he bore on his person belongedto no people then existing on the continent, and all connected with him,his history, nation, and family, was conjecture and fancy.
It is said that the Indians have traditions which are communicatedonly to a favored few, and which by them have been transmitted fromgeneration to generation. An enlightened and educated red man has quiterecently told us in person, that he had been made the repository of someof these traditions, and that he had thus obtained enough of the historyof his race to be satisfied that they were not derived from the losttribes of Israel, though he declined communicating any more. It is sonatural to resort to secrecy in order to extend influence, that we canhave no difficulty In believing the existence of the practice; thereprobably being no other reason why Free Masonry or Odd Fellowship shouldhave recourse to such an expedient, but to rule through the imaginationin preference to the judgment. Now Peter enjoyed all the advantages ofmystery. It was said that even his real name was unknown, that of Onoahhaving been given in token of the many scalps he took, and that ofWa-wa-nosh, which he also sometimes bore, having been bestowed on himby adoption in consequence of an act of favor extended to him from anOjebway of some note, while that of Peter was clearly derived from thewhites. Some of his greatest admirers whispered that when the true nameof the "Tribeless" should get to be known, his origin, early career, andall relating to him would at once become familiar to every red man.At present, the Indians must rest content with what they saw andunderstood. The wisdom of Wa-wa-nosh made itself felt in the councils;his eloquence no speaker has equalled for ages; as for his vengeance onthe enemies of his race, that was to be estimated by the scalps he hadtaken. More than this no Indian was to be permitted to know, until themission of this oracle and chief was completed.
Had one enlightened by the education of a civilized man been there, towatch the movements and countenance of Peter as he scented the whiskey,and looked in vain for the cause of the odor, and for a clew to themystery which so much perplexed the Pottawattamies, he would probablyhave discovered some reason to distrust the sincerity of this remarkablesavage's doubts. If ever Peter was an actor, it was on that occasion.He did not, in the least, fall into any of the errors of his companions;but the scent a good deal confounded him at first. At length he came tothe natural conclusion, that this unusual odor was in some way connectedwith the family he had left on the other shore; and from that moment hismind was at ease.
It did not suit the views of Peter, however, to explain to thePottawattamies that which was now getting to be so obvious to himself.On the contrary, he rather threw dust into the eyes of the chiefs, witha view to bring them also under the influence of superstition. Aftermaking his observations with unmoved gravity, he promised a solutionof the whole affair when they should again meet in the Openings, andproposed to recross the river. Before quitting the shore Peterand Crowsfeather had a clear understanding on the subject of theirrespective movements; and, as soon as the former began to paddle upagainst the wind, the latter called his young men together, made a shortaddress, and led them into the woods, as if about to proceed on a marchof length. The party, notwithstanding, did not proceed more than a mileand a half, when it came to a halt, and lighted a fire in order to cooksome venison taken on the way.
When Peter reached the south shore, he found the whole group assembledto receive him. His tale was soon told. He had talked with thePottawattamies, and they were gone. The canoes, however, must be carriedto the other shore and left there, in order that their owners mightrecov
er their property when they returned. This much had Peter promised,and his pale-face friends must help him to keep his word. Then hepointed to the Openings as to their place of present safety. There theywould be removed from all immediate danger, and he would accompany themand give them the countenance and protection of his name and presence.As for going south on the lake, that was impossible, so long as the windlasted, and it was useless even could it be done. The troops had allleft Chicago, and the fort was destroyed.
Parson Amen and Corporal Flint, both of whom were completely deluded byPeter, fancying him a secret friend of the whites, in consequence of hisown protestations to that effect and the service he had already renderedthem, in appearance at least, instantly acquiesced in this wily savage'sproposal. It was the best, the wisest, nay, the only thing that nowcould be done. Mackinaw was gone, as well as Chicago, and Detroit mustbe reached by crossing the peninsula, instead of taking the easierbut far more circuitous route of the lakes. Gershom was easily enoughpersuaded into the belief of the feasibility, as well as of thenecessity, of this deviation from his original road, and he soon agreedto accompany the party.
With le Bourdon the case was different. He understood himself and thewilderness. For him the wind was fair, and there was no necessity forhis touching at Mackinaw at all. It is true, he usually passed severaldays on that pleasant and salubrious island, and frequently disposed oflots of honey there; but he could dispense with the visit and the sales.There was certainly danger now to be apprehended from the Ottawas, whowould be very apt to be out on the lake after this maritime excursionagainst the fort; but it was possible even to elude their vigilance. Ina word, the bee-hunter did not believe in the prudence of returning tothe Openings, but thought it by far the wisest for the whole party tomake the best of its way by water to the settlements. All this he urgedwarmly on his white companions, taking them aside for that purpose, andleaving Peter and Pigeonswing together while he did so.
But Parson Amen would as soon have believed that his old congregation inConnecticut was composed of Philistines, as not to believe that thered men were the lost tribes, and that Peter, in particular, was notespecially and elaborately described in the Old Testament. He had becomeso thoroughly possessed by this crotchet as to pervert everything thathe saw, read, or heard, into evidence, of some sort or other, of thetruth of his notions. In this respect there was nothing peculiar in thegood missionary's weakness, it being a failing common to partisans of atheory, to discover proofs of its truths in a thousand things in whichindifferent persons can find even no connection with the subject at all.In this frame of mind the missionary would as soon think of letting gohis hold on the Bible itself, as think of separating from an Indian whomight turn out any day to be a direct representative of Abraham, andIsaac, and Jacob. Not to speak irreverently, but to use language thatmust be familiar to all, the well-meaning missionary wished to be in atthe death.
Corporal Flint, too, had great faith in Peter. It was a part ofthe scheme of the savage to make this straight for-ward soldier aninstrument in placing many scalps in hit power; and though he haddesigned from the first to execute his bloody office on the corporalhimself, he did not intend to do so until he had made the most of himas a stool-pigeon. Here were four more pale-faces thrown in his power,principally by means of the confidence he had awakened in the minds ofthe missionary and the soldier; and that same confidence might be madeinstrumental in adding still more to the number. Peter was a sagacious,even a far-seeing savage, but he labored under the curse of ignorance.Had his information been of a more extended nature, he would have seenthe utter fallacy of his project to destroy the pale-faces altogether,and most probably would have abandoned it.
It is a singular fact that, while such men as Tecumseh, his brother theProphet, and Peter, were looking forward to the downfall of the republicon the side of the forest, so many, who ought to have been betterinformed on such a subject, were anxiously expecting, nay confidentlypredicting it, from beyond the Atlantic. Notwithstanding these sinistersoothsayers, the progress of the nation has, by a beneficent Providence,been onward and onward, until it is scarcely presumptuous to supposethat even England has abandoned the expectation of classing this countryagain among her dependencies. The fortunes of America, under God, dependonly on herself. America may destroy America; of that there is danger;but it is pretty certain that Europe united could make no seriousimpression on her. Favored by position, and filled with a populationthat we have ever maintained was one of the most military in existence,a truth that recent events are hourly proving to be true, it muchexceeds the power of all the enemies of her institutions to make anyserious impression on her. There is an enemy who may prove too much forher; it exists in her bosom; and God alone can keep him in subjection,and repress his desolation.
These were facts, however, of which Wa-wa-nosh, or Onoah, was asignorant as if he were an English or French minister of state, and hadgot his notions of the country from English or French travellers, whowished for what they predicted. He had heard of the towns and populationof the republic; but one gets a very imperfect notion of any fact ofthis sort by report, unless previous experience has prepared the mindto make the necessary comparisons, and fitted it to receive the imagesintended to be conveyed. No wonder, then, that Peter fell into a mistakecommon to those who had so many better opportunities of forming justopinions, and of arriving at truths that were sufficiently obvious toall who did not wilfully shut their eyes to their existence.