Part 8 (1/2)

”And why,” he asked, in a severe, harsh voice, ”do our brothers meet us to-day with guns in their hands?”

”You come among us when we are taking our regular military exercise,”

answered the commander calmly.

With fears somewhat soothed, Pontiac began to speak: ”For many moons the love of our brothers, the English, has seemed to sleep. It is now spring; the sun s.h.i.+nes bright and hot; the bears, the oaks, the rivers awake from their sleep. Brothers, it is time for the friends.h.i.+p between us to awake. Our chiefs have come to do their part, to renew their pledges of peace and friends.h.i.+p.”

Here he made a movement with the belt he held in his hand, as if about to turn it over. Every Indian was ready to spring. Gladwin gave a signal. A clash of arms sounded through the open door. A drum began beating a charge. Within the council room there was a startled, breathless silence. Pontiac's hand was stayed. The belt fell back to its first position. The din of arms ceased. Pontiac repeated his promises of friends.h.i.+p and loyalty, and then sat down.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PONTIAC'S SPEECH]

Major Gladwin answered briefly: ”Brothers, the English are not fickle.

They do not withdraw their friends.h.i.+p without cause. As long as the red men are faithful to their promises they will find the English their steadfast friends. But if the Indians are false or do any injury to the English, the English will punish them without mercy.”

The one object of the Indians was now to turn aside the suspicion of the English. After Gladwin's speech presents were exchanged, and the meeting broke up with a general hand-shaking. Before leaving, Pontiac promised that he would return in a few days with his squaws and children that they might shake hands with their English brothers.

”Scoundrels!” laughed one officer, when the last Indian had left. ”They were afraid to sit down. They thought they had been caught in their own trap. It's a pity to let them off so easily.”

”No,” replied another, more seriously. ”The Major is right. If there is an outbreak, the Indians must take the first step. They depend more on treachery than force for success; now that their plan is foiled, the whole trouble will probably blow over.”

The next day this opinion seemed verified by the appearance, of Pontiac with three of his chiefs. He brought a peace-pipe and approached the commander with smooth speeches: ”Evil birds have whistled in your ears, but do not listen to them. We are your friends. We have come to prove it. We will smoke the calumet with you.”

Pontiac then offered his great peace-pipe. After it had been smoked in all solemnity, he presented it to Captain Campbell as a high mark of friends.h.i.+p.

VII. HOSTILITIES BEGUN

Bright and early the next morning hordes of naked savages gathered on the pasture land near the fort. A long quadrangle was marked out on the gra.s.s with lines across it. At each end of this ”gridiron” two tall posts were erected five or six feet apart. This, as you may have guessed, was to prepare for an Indian game of ball.

When all was ready the young men of the Ottawa tribes took their places on one side of the field. Opposite to them were the Pottawottomies. Each Indian had a long racket or bat with which he tried to drive the ball to the goal against the opposition of the players of the other nation. Such a yelling as they kept up, running and pus.h.i.+ng and plunging and prancing the while! Small wonder that squaws, warriors, and chiefs should have come to watch so exciting a game!

[Ill.u.s.tration: INDIANS PLAYING BALL]

Still the men in the fort kept the gates closed and stayed behind their walls, as if they took no interest in the game. They were really watching with some uneasiness the vast crowd of Indians so close at hand.

When the game was finished Pontiac went to the gate of the fort. His chiefs attended him and a motley crowd of warriors, squaws, and children came trooping after. The great chief shouted in a loud voice, demanding admission. He received answer that he might come in if he wished, but the rest would have to keep out. With injured dignity he asked if his followers were not to be allowed to enjoy the smoke of the calumet.

The English commander, tired of false speech, gave a short answer, refusing flatly to let the Indians in. Thereupon Pontiac's brow darkened and he strode off to the river in high dudgeon.

The others withdrew a little and stood in groups, muttering and gesticulating. Then with wild whoops they bounded off to join their comrades who lay stretched on the earth around the ball grounds. After a brief parley, some started with blood-curdling yells toward a house across the fields where an English woman lived with her children; others leaped into their canoes and paddled off to an island where an English farmer lived alone.

Before sunset the men at the fort heard the exultant scalp yell of the Indians, and knew that the first blood of the war had been shed.

In the meantime Pontiac hastened with gloomy rage to his own village across the river. It was deserted by all but a few squaws and old men.

These Pontiac ordered to pack the camp luggage and make all ready for removal, as soon as the men came with their canoes to carry the camp equipment to the Detroit side of the river.

All labored to do their chief's will, while he went apart and blackened his face.