CHAPTER XXVII.
"There is a light, sir, at the Castle," said one of the servants ofSir William Johnson, entering the room where he was seated with Mr.Prevost; "it comes from the great court."
"Then they have arrived," said the officer, turning to his guest; "letus set out at once. Are the horses saddled?"
"They have been kept ready, sir, ever since the morning," replied theservant, to whom the last words were addressed.
"It is strange," said Mr. Prevost, as he followed his host towards thedoor of the room, "that the negro I sent to tell Edith the cause ofmy delay has not returned, as I told him. He might have been here fourhours ago. I am growing somewhat anxious."
"Be not so, be not so!" replied Sir William. "Two or three years offorest life, my good friend, are not enough to inure a man to all thelittle accidents and discomforts he must meet with; and the firstserious danger so shakes his nerves that they vibrate at a trifle. Theman's horse may have fallen, or he may have purloined a bottle ofbrandy, and got drunk, or he may have missed his way, or set out late.Between this house and yours there is room for chances enough to makea moderate volume. Let us not look out for uncertain evils, when thereare real ones enough around us."
"Real ones enough, indeed!" ejaculated Mr. Prevost, with a deep sigh.
A moment after, they reached the front of the stables, from whichtheir horses were immediately brought forth; and, mounting, they setout, followed by a small party both on horseback and on foot; for SirWilliam, though he affected the simplicity of the Indian, was not atall averse to a little appearance of state and dignity in his dealingswith his red allies. There is a certain sort of pride which clothesitself in humility; and without at all meaning to assert that the veryremarkable man in question desired to make the Indian chiefs feel thathis adoption of their manners was a condescension, yet it is certainthat from time to time he judged it expedient--perhaps from goodmotives of policy--to make a somewhat ostentatious display of powerand authority.
The night was exceedingly dark. The moon now rose at a very late hour;and dim clouds hid the stars from the dwellers upon earth. In such anight, and in such circumstances, the fancy even of the moststout-hearted is apt to indulge in deceits; and as the eye of Mr.Prevost wandered round, dim forms like spectres seemed to be glidingabout the field of maize, cut in many places, but not yet garnered.
Not feeling certain whether imagination cheated him or not, he made noobservation, and for some time Sir William Johnson was silent also;but, at length, the latter said, in a commonplace tone--
"Our good friends seem to have come in great force, probably, inconsequence of the urgency of my summons. Now, be patient, Prevost,and bear with their cool, phlegmatic ways; for these people often feelthe strongest sympathies and serve their friends the best when theyseem the most cold and indifferent."
Mr. Prevost felt already how difficult it was to maintain thatequanimity which in theory he estimated as highly as an Indian, and inpractice strove for always, but not unfrequently lost. He promised,however, to leave entirely to Sir William Johnson the management of aconference with the chiefs of the Mohawk and Onondaga Nations, whichhad been proposed by that officer himself, for the purpose of inducingthe two most powerful tribes of the Iroquois to interfere in behalf ofWalter, and save him from the fate that menaced him.
Through the gate of the castle (the door of which stood open as usual,for, although it was filled with large quantities of those storeswhich the Indians most coveted, its safety was left entirely to theguardianship of their good faith) the two gentlemen entered the largecourtyard, which, on this occasion, was quite deserted, the weatherbeing cold enough now to render some shelter agreeable even to anIndian. From the open door of the great hall, which stretched alongthe larger part of the whole building, came forth a blaze of light;and, on entering, Sir William Johnson and his companion found a numberof Mohawk and Onondaga chiefs assembled, sitting gravely ranged in asemi-circle round the fire. Each was fully clothed in his garb ofceremony, and bright and brilliant were the colours displayed in thedresses and ornaments of the red men; but, as this was a peacefuloccasion, their faces were destitute of paint, and the scalp-lock wasconcealed under the brilliant and graceful Gostoweh, or cap, in manyof which was seen the plume of the white egret, used to distinguishthe great chiefs of the different tribes, ever since the feathers ofthe famous white bird of heaven had been exhausted.
All rose with quiet, native dignity when the Indian agent and hiscompanion entered, and a murmur of gratulation ran round while SirWilliam and Mr. Prevost seated themselves in two large chairs.
"This is our brother," said Sir William Johnson, pointing to Mr.Prevost.
"Hai, hai!" exclaimed the Indian chiefs. "Peace, peace! he is _our_brother."
King Hendrick then approached Mr. Prevost, dressed in his sky-bluecoat of European manufacture, presented to him by the reigning monarchof England, and took his hand, saying, in a tone of friendly sympathy,and in the English tongue, "Our brother is sad. Be comforted."
He then seated himself, and the Attotarho, or grand chief of the wholeconfederacy, an office held by descent by the chief of the OnondagaTotem of the Bear, advanced to Walter's father, and spoke the samewords in Iroquois, showing clearly that the object of the meeting wasunderstood by the Indian leaders.
When all had arranged themselves around again, a silence of someminutes succeeded. It was painful to Mr. Prevost; for no one who hasnot associated with the Indians can fully comprehend the impressive--Imight almost call it oppressive--effect of their exceeding stillnessupon grave occasions.
At length the Attotarho said, rising to his full height, which mightbe almost termed gigantic, "Our father has sent for us; and we areobedient children. We are here to listen to his sweet words, andunderstand his mind."
Sir William Johnson then, in a speech of very great power and beauty,full of the figurative language of the Indians, related the eventswhich had occurred in the family of Mr. Prevost, and made an appeal tohis hearers for council and assistance. He represented his friend asan old tree from which a branch had been torn by the lightning; hestrove to depict his desolate state; and he told a story of a panther,one of whose young ones had been carried off by a wolf, but who, onapplying for assistance to a bear and a stag, recovered her young bytheir means. "The panther was strong enough," he said, "with the aidof the lion, to take back her young one from the wolf and to tear thewolf to pieces; but the wolf was of kin to the bear and the stag, andtherefore the panther forbore."
"But the bear is slow, and the stag is not strong, when he goesagainst his kindred," said the Attotarho, significantly; "and the lionwill never take the war-path against his allies."
"Heaven forbid that there should be need!" exclaimed Sir William; "butthe lion must consider his children, and the panther is his son."
Poor Mr. Prevost remained in a state of painful anxiety while thediscussion proceeded in this course, wandering, as it seemed to him,round the subject, and affording no indication of any intention, onthe part of the chiefs, to give him assistance; for figures, thoughthey be very useful things to express the meaning of a speaker, aresometimes equally useful to conceal it.
At length he could bear it no longer, and, forgetting his promise toSir William Johnson, he started up with all the feelings of a fatherstrong in his heart, and appealed directly to the Indians in their owntongue, which he had completely mastered, but in a style of eloquencevery different from their own, and, perhaps, the more striking to themon that account.
"My child!" he exclaimed, earnestly, "give me back my child! Who isthe man amongst the Five Nations whom he has wronged? Where is the manto whom he has refused kindness or assistance? When has his door beenshut against the wandering red man? When has he denied to him a shareof his food or of his fire? Is he not your brother and the son of yourbrother? Have we not smoked the pipe of peace together? and has thatpeace ever been violated by us? I came within the walls of your LongHouse trusting to the truth and the hospitality of
the Five Nations. Ibuilt my lodge amongst you in full confidence of your faith and ofyour friendship. Is my hearth to be left desolate, is my heart to betorn out, because I trusted to the truth and honour of the Mohawks, tothe protection and promises of the Onondaga, because I would notbelieve the songs of the singing-bird, that said, 'They will slay thychildren before thy face?' If there be fault or failing in me or minetowards the red man in any of the tribes--if we have taken aught fromhim--if we have spoken false words in his ear--if we have refusedhim aught that he had a right to ask--if we have shed any man'sblood,--then slay _me_; cut down the old tree at the root, but leavethe sapling. If we have been just and righteous towards you--if we havebeen friendly and hospitable--if we have been true and faithful--if wehave shed no man's blood, and taken no man's goods,--then giveme back my child. To you, chiefs of the Five Nations, I raise myvoice; from you I demand my son, for a crime committed by one of theleague is a crime committed by all. Could ye find none but the son ofyour brother to slay? Must ye make the trust he placed in you themeans of his destruction? Had he doubted your hospitality--had he notconfided in your faith--had he said, 'the lightning of the guns ofAlbany and the thunder of her cannon are better protection than thefaith and truth of the red man,'--ye know he would have been safe. Buthe said: 'I will put my trust in the hospitality of the Five Nations;I will become their brother. If there be bad men amongst them, theirchiefs will protect me, their Attotarho will do me justice. They aregreat warriors, but they are good men. They smite their enemies, butthey love their friends.' If, then, ye are good men--if ye are greatwarriors--if ye are brothers to your brother--if ye are true to yourfriends--if ye are fathers yourselves,--give me back my son."
"Koue, koue!" cried the Indians, in a sad tone, more profoundlyaffected by the vehement expression of a father's feelings than SirWilliam Johnson had expected; but the moment that the word was utteredwhich, according to the tone and rapidity with which it is pronounced,signifies either approbation and joy, or sympathy and grief, theyrelapsed into deep silence.
Sir William Johnson, though he had been a good deal amazed and alarmedat Mr. Prevost taking upon himself to speak, and fearful lest heshould injure his own cause, now fully appreciated the effectproduced; and would not add a word to impair it.
At length, King Hendrick arose, and said, in a grave and melancholytone--
"We are brothers; but what can we do? The Oneidas are our brethrenalso. The Mohawks, the Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and theSenecas are separate nations, though they are brethren and allies. Weare leagued together for common defence, but not that we should ruleover each other. The Oneidas have their laws, and they execute them;but this law is common to all the nations, that if a man's blood beshed, except in battle, the man who shed it must die. If he cannot befound, one of his nearest kin must be taken. If he have none, one ofhis tribe or race. The same is it with the Mohawk as with the Oneida.But in this thing the Oneidas have done as the Mohawks would not havedone. They have not sought diligently for the slayer, neither havethey waited patiently to see whether they could find any of hiskindred. The Oneidas have been hasty. They have taken the first manthey could find. They have been fearful like the squirrel; and theykeep their prisoner lest, in the time of need, they should not findanother. This is unjust. They should have first waited, and searcheddiligently, and should not have taken the son of their brother tillthey were sure no other man could be found. But, koue, koue! what isto be done? Shall the Mohawk unbury the hatchet against the Oneida?That cannot be. Shall the Mohawk say to the Oneida: 'Thou art unjust?'The Oneida will answer,--'We have our laws and you have yours: theMohawk is not the ruler of the Oneida: repose under your own tree; wesit upon a stone.' One thing perchance may be done," and a very slightlook of cunning intelligence came into his face; "subtlety willsometimes do what force cannot. The snake is as powerful as thepanther. I speak my thought; and I know not if it be good. Were mybrother, the Attotarho, to choose ten of the subtlest serpents of hisnation, and I to choose ten of the subtlest of mine, they might gounpainted and unarmed, and, creeping through the woods without rattleor hiss, reach the place where the young man lies. If there be thongsupon his hands, the breath of a snake can melt them. If there be adoor upon his prison, the eyes of a snake can pierce it. If there be aguard, the coil of the snake can twine around him; and many of theOneida chiefs and warriors will rejoice that they are thus friendlyforced to do right, and seek another. I speak my thought; I know notwhether it is good. Let those speak who know; for no nation of theFive can do aught against another nation alone, otherwise we break topieces like a faggot when the thong bursts."
Thus saying, he ended, sat down, and resumed his stillness; and, aftera pause, as if for thought, the Attotarho rose, addressing himselfdirectly to Mr. Prevost, and speaking with a great deal of gravedignity.
"We grieve for you, my brother," he said, "and we grieve forourselves. We know that our great English father, who sits under themighty pine-tree, will be wrath with his red children; but let himremember, and speak it in his ears, that the Mohawk and the Onondaga,the Seneca and the Cayuga, are not to blame for this act. They say theOneidas have done hastily, and they will consult together, around thecouncil-fire, how thou mayest best be comforted. Haste is only fit forchildren. Grown men are slow and deliberate. Why should we go quicklynow? Thy son is safe; for the Oneidas cannot, according to their law,take any sacrifice, except the life of the slayer, till they be wellassured that he, the slayer, cannot be found."
Mr. Prevost's lip quivered with emotion as if about to speak; but SirWilliam Johnson laid his hand upon him, saying, in a quick whisper,"Leave him to me." And the Onondaga proceeded.
"We will do the best that we can for our brother; but the meadow-larkhas not the strength of the Eagle, nor the fox of the panther; and ifwe should fail, it would not be the fault of the Mohawks or theOnondagas.--I have said."
Sir William Johnson then rose to reply, seeing that the Attotarhosought to escape any distinct promise, and judging that, with thesupport of King Hendrick, a little firmness might wring something morefrom him.
"My brother, the Attotarho," he said, "has spoken well. The FiveNations are leagued together in peace and in war. They take the scalpsof their enemies as one man. They live in brotherhood. But my brothersays that if the Oneida commits a crime, the Mohawk and the Onondaga,the Seneca and the Cayuga, are not guilty of the act, and thereforedeserve no wrath. But he says at the same time, that if the man namedWoodchuck slays a red man, Walter Prevost, the brother of the red man,must die for it. How is this? Have the children of the Five Nationsforked tongues? Do they speak double words? If the Onondagas are notguilty of what the Oneidas do, neither is Walter Prevost guilty ofwhat the pale-face Woodchuck does. May the Great Spirit forbid thatyour great father, near the rising of the sun, should deal unjustlywith his red children, or be wrath with them for acts done by others;but he does expect that his children of the Five Nations will show thesame justice to his pale-face children; and, unless they are resolvedto take upon themselves the act of the Oneidas, and say their act isour act, that they will do something to prevent it. My brother saysthat haste is for children; and true are his words. Then why have theOneidas done this hasty thing? We cannot trust that they will not bechildren any more, or that, having done this thing hastily, they willnot hastily do worse. True, everything should be done deliberately; weshould show ourselves men, if we want children to follow our example.Let us take counsel then fully, while we are here together. Thecouncil-fire burns in the midst of us; and we have time enough to takethought calmly. Here I will sit till I know that my brothers will dojustice in this matter, and not suffer the son of my brother to remainin the hands of those who have wrongfully made him a prisoner. Yes,truly, here I will sit to take counsel with the chiefs, till the wordsof wisdom are spoken, even although the sun should go five times roundthe earth before our talk were ended. Have I spoken well?"
"Koue! Koue!" exclaimed a number of voices; and one of the old Sachemsrose, sa
ying, in slow and deliberate tones,--
"Our white brother has the word of truth and resolution. The Oneidahas shown the speed of the deer, but not the wisdom of the tortoise.The law of the Oneida is our law; and he should have waited at leastone moon, to see if the right man could be found. The Oneida must bein trouble at his own hastiness. Let us deliver him from the pit intowhich he has fallen; but let us do it with the silent wisdom of thesnake, which creeps through the grass where no one sees him. Therattlesnake is the most foolish of reptiles; for he talks of what heis going to do beforehand. We will be more wise than he is; and, asour thoughts are good, we will keep them for ourselves. Let us onlysay, the boy shall be delivered, if the Mohawks and the Onondagas cando it; but let us not say how, for a man who gives away a secretdeprives himself of what he can never recover, and benefits nothingbut the wind.--I have said."
All the assembled chiefs expressed their approbation of the old man'swords, and seemed to consider the discussion concluded. Mr. Prevost,indeed, was anxious to have something more definite; but Sir WilliamJohnson nodded his head significantly, saying, in a low tone, "We havedone as much,--nay, more, than we could expect. It will be necessaryto close our conference with some gifts, which will be, as it were, aseal upon our covenant."
"But have they entered into any covenant?" rejoined Mr. Prevost. "Ihave heard of none made yet on their part."
"As much as Indians ever do," answered Sir William Johnson; "and youcan extract nothing more from them with your utmost skill."
He then called some of his people from without into the hall, orderedthe stores to be opened, and brought forth some pieces of scarletcloth, one of the most honourable presents which could be offered toan Indian chief. A certain portion was cut off for each, and receivedwith grave satisfaction. Mats and skins were then spread upon thefloor in great abundance. Long pipes were brought in, and handedround; and, after having smoked together in profound silence fornearly half an hour, the chiefs stretched themselves upon the ground,and composed themselves to rest.
Sir William Johnson and his guest, as a mark of confidence andbrotherhood, remained with them throughout the night, but retired tothe further end of the hall. They did not sleep so soon as their duskycompanions. Their conversation, carried on in low tones, was,nevertheless, eager and anxious; for the father could not help stillfeeling great apprehension regarding the fate of his son; and SirWilliam Johnson was not altogether without alarm regarding theconsequences of the very determination to which he had brought thechiefs of the Mohawks and Onondagas. Symptoms of intestine discord hadof late been perceived in the great Indian confederacy. They had notacted on the behalf of England with the unanimity which they haddisplayed in former years; and it was the policy of the BritishGovernment by every means to heal all divisions and consolidate theirunion, as well as to attach them more and more firmly to the Englishcause. Although he doubted not that whatever was done by the chiefswith whom he had just been in conference, would be effected with theutmost subtlety and secrecy, yet there was still the danger ofproducing a conflict between them and the Oneidas in the attempt, orcausing angry feeling even if it were successful; and Sir William, whowas not at all insensible to the value of his government'sapprobation, felt some alarm at the prospect before him.
He and Mr. Prevost both slept at length; and the following morning sawthe chiefs dispersing in the gray dawn of a cold and threatening day.