Part 12 (1/2)

”See,” said Duke Holland to his astonished companions, ”there is the enemy; not people of my nation, but Mingoes, as I truly told you. They are in our power. In less than half an hour they will be all fast asleep. We need not fire a gun, but go up and tomahawk them. We are nearly two to one, and need apprehend no danger. Come on, and you will now have your full revenge.”

But the whites, overcome with fear, did not choose to follow the Indian's advice, but desired him to take them back by the nearest and best way. This he did; and when they arrived at home, they reported the enemy to have been so great that they durst not venture to attack them.

_Austin._ This instance is quite as wonderful as the other.

_Brian._ I would not have an Indian after me if I had done wrong; for he would be sure to find me out.

_Hunter._ Red men often act very conscientiously. One day, an Indian solicited a little tobacco of a white man, to fill his pipe. Having some loose in his pocket, the white man gave him a handful. The next day the Indian returned in search of the man who had given him the tobacco.

”I wish to see him,” said the Indian.

”Why so?” inquired some one.

”Why, I find money with the tobacco.”

”Well! what of that? Keep it; it was given to you.”

”Ah!” said the Indian, shaking his head, ”I got good man and bad man here,” pointing to his breast. ”Good man say, 'Money not yours; you must return it:' bad man say, '_'Tis_ yours; it was given to you.'

Good man say, 'That not right: _tobacco_ yours, _money_ not yours.'

Bad man say, 'Never mind, n.o.body know it; go buy rum.' Good man say, 'Oh no; no such thing.' So poor Indian know not what to do. Me lie down to sleep, but no sleep; good man and bad man talk all night, and trouble me. So now, me bring money back: now, me feel good.”

_Basil._ I like that Indian very much.

_Brian._ No one could have acted more honestly.

_Hunter._ Whatever the Indians may be, when oppressed, wronged and deceived by the whites; and however they may act towards their enemies; they are usually honest towards their own tribe. While I was residing on the Big Beaver, says one who lived much among them, I pa.s.sed by the door of an Indian who was a trader, and had, consequently, a quant.i.ty of goods in his house. He was going with his wife to Pittsburg, and they were shutting up the house; as no person remained in it during their absence. This shutting up was nothing else than putting a large block, with a few sticks of wood, outside against the door, so as to keep it closed. As I was looking at this man with attention, while he was so employed, he addressed me in these words:--

”See, my friend, this is an Indian lock that I am putting to my door.”

I answered, ”Well enough; but I see you leave much property in the house: are you not afraid that those articles will be stolen while you are gone?”

”Stolen! by whom?”

”Why, by Indians, to be sure.”

”No, no,” replied he, ”no Indian would do such a thing. Unless a white man, or white people, should happen to come this way, I shall find all safe on my return.”

_Basil._ If we were to leave our doors in that way, our houses would be sure to be robbed.

_Hunter._ No doubt they would; but Indians have good and bad qualities. The notion entertained by the Iroquois Indians, respecting the creation of mankind, will show how ignorant they are with respect to the Creator of all things; but, indeed, if the blessed book of truth were not in our hands, we should be equally ignorant ourselves.

Before man existed, say they, there were three great and good spirits; of whom one was superior to the other two, and is emphatically called the Great Spirit and the Good Spirit. At a certain time, this exalted being said to one of the others, ”Make a man.” He obeyed; and, taking chalk, formed a paste of it, and moulding it into the human form, infused into it the animating principle, and brought it to the Great Spirit. He, after surveying it, said, ”This is too white.”

He then directed the other to make a trial of his skill. Accordingly, taking charcoal, he pursued the same process, and brought the result to the Great Spirit; who, after surveying it, said, ”It is too black.”

Then said the Great Spirit, ”I will now try myself;” and taking red earth, he formed an Indian. On surveying it, he said, ”This is a proper or perfect man.”

After relating the strange opinion of the Iroquois Indians, the hunter advised the young people, on their return home, to look over the account of the creation of the world and mankind, in the first chapter of Genesis; telling them that they could not be too thankful for the opportunity of reading G.o.d's word, which was not only sufficient to keep them from error in such things, but was able also to make them ”wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” He told them, that though the Indians were ignorant of holy things, they did not want shrewdness and sagacity. ”When General Lincoln,” said he, ”went to make peace with the Creek Indians, one of the chiefs asked him to sit down on a log; he was then desired to move, and, in a few minutes, to move still farther. The request was repeated, until the general got to the end of the log. The Indian still said, 'Move farther;' to which the general replied, 'I can move no farther.'