Chapter XII.

by James Fenimore Cooper

　　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 soonhad occasion to see that both the missionary and the corporalsubmitted to his wishes, and that there was no use in gainsayinganything he proposed. In all matters he did as he pleased; his twocompanions submitting to his will as completely as if one of themhad seen in this supposed child of Israel, Joshua, the son of Nun,and the other even Aaron, 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 theIndian himself. As soon as ready, the latter quietly and fearlesslypaddled away, his canoe going easily and swiftly down before thewind. He had no sooner got clear of the rice, than the bee-hunterand Margery ran away to the eminence, to watch his movements, and tonote his reception among the Pottawattamies. Leaving them there, weshall accompany the canoe, in its progress toward the northernshore.

　　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, whichwere carefully put away in the knapsack of a soldier. From thisrepository of his effects, the chief carefully drew forth a smallbundle, on opening which, no less than seven fresh human scalpsappeared. These he arranged in order on a wand-like pole, when,satisfied with the arrangement, he resumed the paddle. It wasapparent, from the first, that the Pottawattamies on the north shorehad seen the strange canoe when it entered the river, and they nowcollected in a group, at the ordinary landing beneath the chiente,to await its approach. Peter ceased his own exertion, as soon as hehad got within a hundred yards of the beach, took the scalp-pole inhis hand, arose, and permitted the canoe to drift down before thewind, certain it would take the desired direction, from thecircumstance of his having placed it precisely to windward of thelanding. Once or twice he slowly waved the pole in a way to drawattention to the scalps, which were suspended from its end, eachobvious and distinct from its companions.

　　Napoleon, when he returned from the campaign of Austerlitz; orWellington, when he entered the House of Commons to receive thethanks of its speaker, on his return from Spain; or the chief of allthe battles of the Rio Bravo del Norte; or him of the valley ofMexico, whose exploits fairly rival those of Cortes himself, couldscarcely be a subject of greater interest to a body of spectators,assembled to do him honor, than was this well-known Indian, as hedrew near to the Pottawattamies, waving his scalps, in significanttriumph! Glory, as the homage paid by man to military renown istermed, was the common impulse with them all. It is true, that,measured by the standards of reason and right, the wise and justmight find motives for appreciating the victories of those nameddifferently from the manner in which they are usually regardedthrough the atmosphere of success; but in the common mind it was allglory, alike. The name of "Onoah" passed in murmurs of admiration,from mouth to mouth; for, as it appeared, the person of thisrenowned Indian was recognized by many on the shore, some time erehe reached it himself.

　　Crowsfeather, and the other chiefs, advanced to meet the visitor;the young men standing in the background, in respectful admiration.Peter now stepped from the canoe, and greeted each of the principalmen with the courteous gravity of a savage. He shook hands witheach, calling one or two by name, a proof of the parties having metbefore; then the following dialogue occurred. All spoke in thetongue of the Pottawattamies, but, as we have had occasion to remarkon previous occasions, it is to be presumed that the reader wouldscarcely be able to understand what was said, were we to record it,word for word, in the language in which it was uttered. Inconsequence of this difficulty, and for other reasons to which itmay not be necessary to allude, we shall endeavor to translate thatwhich passed, as closely as the English idioms will permit us so todo.

　　"My father is very welcome!" exclaimed Crowsfeather, who, by manydegrees, exceeded all his companions in consideration and rank. "Isee he has taken many scalps as is his practice, and that the pale-faces are daily getting to be fewer. Will the sun ever rise on thatday when their wigwams will look like the branches of the oak inwinter? Can my father give 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 sunsleeps each night beneath water, but it is so hot that it is soondried when it comes out of its bed in the morning. This is the GreatSpirit's doings, and not ours. The sun is his sun; the Indians canwarm themselves by it, but they cannot shorten its journey a singletomahawk handle's length. The same is true of time; it belongs tothe Manitou, who will lengthen or shorten it, as he may see fit. Weare his children, and it is our duty to submit. He has not forgottenus. He made us with his own hand, and will no more turn us out ofthe land than a father will turn his child from the wigwam."

　　"We hope this is so; but it does not seem thus to out poor weakeyes, Onoah. We count the pale-faces, and every summer they growfast as the grass on the prairies. We can see more when the leaffalls than when the tree is in bud; and, then, more when the leaf isin bud than when it falls. A few moons will put a town where thepine stood, and wigwams drive the wolves from their homes. In a fewyears we shall have nothing but dogs to eat, if the pale-face dogsdo not eat us."

　　"Squaws are impatient, but men know how to wait. This land was givento the red man by the Great Spirit, as I have often told you, mychildren; if he has let in the pale-faces for a few winters, it isto punish us for having done wrong. Now that we are sorry for whatwe have done, he will help us to drive away the strangers, and giveus the woods again to hunt in by ourselves. Have not messengers fromour Great Father in Montreal been among the Pottawattamies tostrengthen their hearts?"

　　"They are always whispering in the ears of our tribes. I cannotremember the time when whispers from Montreal have not been amongus. Their blankets are warm, their fire-water is strong, theirpowder is good, and their rifles shoot well; but all this does notstop the children of Uncle Sam from being more at night than theywere in the morning. The red men get tired of counting them. Theyhave become plentier than the pigeons in the spring. My father hastaken many of their scalps, but the hair must grow after his knife,their scalps are so many."

　　"See!" rejoined Peter, lowering his pole so that all might examinehis revolting trophies, "these come from the soldiers at the head ofthe lake. Blackbird was there with his young men; no one of them allgot as many scalps! This is the way to stop the white pigeon fromflying over us 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 othersof which they had heard, of the prowess of the mysterious Onoah, aswell as of his inextinguishable hatred of the race, that was slowly,but unerringly, supplanting the ancient stock, causing the placesthat once knew the people of their tribes "to know them no more." Assoon as this little burst of feeling had subsided, the conversationwent 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 the bee-hunter to the place, stating each occurrence fairly, as heunderstood it, and as fairly confessing that even the chiefs were ata loss to know what to make of the affair. In addition to thisaccount, he gave the mysterious Onoah the history of the prisonerthey had taken, the death of Elks-foot, their intention to torturethat very morning the Chippewa they had captured, and his flight,together with the loss of their young man, and the subsequent escapeof their unknown enemies, who had taken away all of their owncanoes. How far the medicine-man had anything to do with the otherevents of his narrative, Crowsfeather very candidly admitted hecould not even conjecture. He was still at a loss whether to setdown 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 Indianto describe, and an Indian to interpret or apply, escape fromdiscovery was next 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 wasthe individual who had been playing the part of a conjurer amongthese Pottawattamies, 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, thesequalities go farther even than with a white man; and we of theCaucasian race are not entirely exempt from the folly of beingdeceived by appearances. On the present occasion Peter kept hisknowledge to himself, still leaving his red brethren in doubt anduncertainty; but he took care to be right in his own opinions byputting as many questions as were necessary for that purpose. Onceassured of this fact, he turned to other subjects of even greaterinterest to himself and his companions.

　　The conference which now took place between the "Tribeless" andCrowsfeather was held apart, both being chiefs of too muchimportance to be intruded on at a moment like that. The two chiefsexhibited a very characteristic picture while engaged in thisconference. They seated themselves on a bank, and drawing their legspartially under them, sat face to face, with their heads less thantwo feet asunder, occasionally gesticulating with dignity, but eachspeaking in his turn with studied decorum. Crowsfeather was highlypainted, and looked fierce and warlike, but Onoah had nothingextraordinary about him, with the exception of the decorations anddress already described, unless it might be his remarkablecountenance. The face of this Indian ordinarily wore a thoughtfulcast, an expression which it is not unusual to meet with in asavage; though at times it lighted up, as it might be with the heatof inward fires, like the crater giving out its occasional flamesbeneath the hues of a saddened atmosphere. One accustomed to studythe human face, and to analyze its expressions, would possibly havediscovered in that countenance lines of deep artifice, together withthe traces of a profound and constitutional enthusiasm. He was bent,at that very moment, on a scheme worthy of the loftiest spiritliving; the regeneration and union of the people of his race, with aview to recover the possessions they had yielded to the pale-faces;but it was a project blended with the ferocity and revenge of asavage-noble while ferocious.

　　Not idly had the whites, scattered along that frontier, given thesobriquet of "Scalping" to Peter, As his pole now showed, it hadbeen earned in a hundred scenes of bloody vengeance; and so greathad been his success, that the warrior, prophet, and councillor, forall these characters were united in his single person, began tothink the attainment of his wishes possible. As a matter of course,much ignorance of the power of the Anglo-Saxon race on thiscontinent. was blended with these opinions and hopes; but it wasscarcely an ignorance exceeding that of certain persons of farhigher pretensions in knowledge, who live in another hemisphere, andwho often set themselves up as infallible judges of all thingsconnected with man and his attributes. Peter, the "Tribeless," wasnot more in fault than those who fancied they saw the power of thisgreat republic in the gallant little band collected at CorpusChristi, under its indomitable chief, and who, march by march, nay,foot by foot, as it might be, have perseveringly predicted the halt,the defeat, the disasters, and final discomfiture, which it has notyet pleased Divine Providence to inflict on this slight effort ofthe young Hercules, as he merely moves in his cradle. Alas, theenemy that most menaces the overthrow of this new and otherwiseinvincible exhibition of human force, is within; seated in thecitadel itself; and must be narrowly watched, or he will act hismalignant purpose, and destroy the fairest hopes that ever yetdawned on the fortunes of the human race!

　　The conference between the chiefs lasted fully an hour. Crowsfeatherpossessed much of the confidence of Peter, and, as for Onoah,neither Tecumseh, nor his brother the Prophet, commanded as much ofthe respect of Crowsfeather as he did himself. Some even whisperedthat the "Tribeless" was the individual who lay behind all, and thatthe others named merely acted as he suggested, or advised. Thereader will obtain all the insight into the future that it isnecessary now to give him, by getting a few of the remarks made bythe two colloquists, just before they joined the rest of the party.

　　"My father, then, intends to lead his pale-faces on a crooked path,and take their scalps when he has done with them," saidCrowsfeather, who had been gravely listening to Peter's plans offuture proceeding; "but who 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 withme, but shall not put their scalps on my pole until they havepaddled me further. The council is to be first held in the OakOpenings"--we translate this term freely, that used by Peter meaningrather "the open woods of the prairies"--"and I wish to show myprisoners to the chiefs, that they may see how easy it is to cut offall the Yankees. I have now four men of that people, and two squaws,in my power; let every red man destroy as many, and the land willsoon be clear of them all!"

　　This was uttered with gleamings of ferocity in the speaker's face,that rendered his countenance terrible. Even Crowsfeather quailed alittle before that fierce aspect; but the whole passed away almostas soon as betrayed, and was succeeded by a friendly and deceptivesmile, that was characteristic of the wily Asiatic rather than ofthe aboriginal American.

　　"They cannot be counted," returned the Pottawattamie chief, as soonas his restraint was a little removed by this less terrific aspectof his companion, "if all I hear is true. Blackbird says that eventhe squaws of the pale-faces are numerous enough to overcome all thered men that remain."

　　"There will be two less, when I fasten to my pole the scalps ofthose on the other side of the river," answered Peter, with anotherof his transient, but startling gleams of intense revenge. "But nomatter, now: my brother knows all I wish him to do. Not a hair ofthe head of any of these pale-faces must be touched by any hand butmine. When the time comes, the knife of Onoah is sure. ThePottawattamies shall have their canoes, arid can follow us up theriver. They will find us in the Openings, and near the PrairieRound. They know the spot; for the red men love to hunt the deer inthat region. Now, go and tell this to your young men; and tell themthat corn will not grow, nor the deer wait to be killed by any ofyour people, if they forget to do as I have said. Vengeance shallcome, when it is time."

　　Crowsfeather communicated all this to his warriors, who received itas the ancients received the words of their oracles. Each member ofthe party endeavored to get an accurate notion of his duty, in orderthat he might comply to the very letter with the injunctionsreceived. So profound was the impression made among all the red menof the north-west by the previous labors of the "Tribeless" toawaken a national spirit, and so great was their dread of theconsequences of disobedience, that every warrior present felt as ifhis life were the threatened penalty of neglect or disinclination toobey.

　　No sooner, however, had Crowsfeather got through with hiscommunication, than a general request was made that the problem ofthe whiskey-spring might be referred to Onoah for solution. Theyoung men had strong hopes, not-withstanding all that had passed,that this spring might yet turn out to be a reality. The scent wasstill there, strong and fragrant, and they could not get rid of thenotion that "fire-water" grew on that spot. It is true, their faithhad been somewhat disturbed by the manner in which the medicine-manhad left them, and by his failure to draw forth the gushing streamwhich he had impliedly promised, and in a small degree performed;nevertheless little pools of whiskey had been found on the rock, andseveral had tasted and satisfied themselves of the quality of theliquor. As is usual, that taste had created a desire for more, adesire that seldom slumbered on an Indian palate when strong drinkswere connected 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 hisown superstitious views, but among them there did not happen to beone which admitted the possibility of whiskey's running in a streamfrom the living rock. Still he was willing to examine the charmedspot, scent the fragrant odor, and make up his own estimate of theartifices by which the bee-hunter had been practising on theuntutored beings into whose hand 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.He did not kneel to smell the rocks, like the other chiefs, for thisan innate sense of propriety told him would be undignified; but hemade his observations closely, and with a keen Indian-like attentionto every little circumstance that might aid him in arriving at thetruth. All this time, great was the awe and deep the admiration ofthe lookers-on. Onoah had succeeded in creating a moral power forhimself among the Indians of the northwest which much exceeded thatof any other red man of that region. The whites scarcely heard ofhim, knew but little of his career, and less of his true character,for both were shrouded in mystery. There is nothing remarkable inthis ignorance of the pale-faces of the time. They did notunderstand their own leaders; much less the leaders of the childrenof the openings, the prairies, and the forest. At this hour, what isreally known by the mass of the American people of the truecharacters of their public men? No nation that has any claim tocivilization and publicity knows less, and for several very obviousreasons. The want of a capital in which the intelligence of thenation periodically assembles and whence a corrected public opinionon all such matters ought constantly to flow, as truth emanates fromthe collisions of minds, is one of these reasons. The extent of thecountry, which separates men by distances that no fact can travelover without incurring the dangers of being perverted on the road,is another. But the most fatal of al he influences that tend tomislead the judgment of the American citizen, is to be found in theabuse of a machinery that was intended to produce an exactlycontrary effect. If the tongue was given to man to communicate ideasto his fellows, so has philosophy described it as "a gift to concealhis thoughts." If the press was devised to circulate truth, so hasit been changed into a means of circulating lies. One is easily,nay, more easily, sent abroad on the four winds of the heavens thanthe other. Truth requires candor, impartiality, honesty, research,and industry; but a falsehood, whether designed or not, stands inneed of neither. Of that which is the most easily produced, thecountry gets the most; and it were idle to imagine that a people whoblindly and unresistingly submit to be put, as it might be, underthe feet of falsehood, as respects all their own public men, canever get very accurate notions of those of other nations.

　　Thus was it with Onoah. His name was unknown to the whites, exceptas a terrible and much-dreaded avenger of the wrongs of his race.With the red men it was very different. They had no "forked tongues"to make falsehood take the place of truth; or if such existed theywere not believed. The Pottawattamies now present knew all aboutTecumseh, [Footnote: A "tiger stooping for his prey."] of whom thewhites had also various and ample accounts. This Shawanee chief hadlong been active among them, and his influence was extended far andnear. He was a bold, restless, and ingenious warrior; one, perhaps,who better understood the art of war, as it was practised among redmen, than any Indian then living. They knew the name and person,also, of his brother Elkswatawa, [Footnote: "A door opened."] or theProphet, whose name has also become incorporated with the historiesof the times. These two chiefs were very powerful, though scarcedwelling regularly in any tribe; but their origin, their careers,and their characters were known to all, as were those of theircommon father, Pukeesheno, [Footnote: "I light from fly--"] and theirmother, Meethetaske.[Footnote: "A turtle laying her eggs in thesand."] But with Onoah it was very different. With him the past wasas much of a mystery as the future. No Indian could say even of whattribe he was born. The totem that he bore on his person belonged tono people then existing on the continent, and all connected withhim, 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 hasquite recently told us in person, that he had been made therepository of some of these traditions, and that he had thusobtained enough of the history of his race to be satisfied that theywere not derived from the lost tribes of Israel, though he declinedcommunicating any more. It is so natural to resort to secrecy inorder to extend influence, that we can have no difficulty Inbelieving the existence of the practice; there probably being noother reason why Free Masonry or Odd Fellowship should have recourseto such an expedient, but to rule through the imagination inpreference to the judgment. Now Peter enjoyed all the advantages ofmystery. It was said that even his real name was unknown, that ofOnoah having been given in token of the many scalps he took, andthat of Wa-wa-nosh, which he also sometimes bore, having beenbestowed on him by adoption in consequence of an act of favorextended to him from an Ojebway of some note, while that of Peterwas clearly derived from the whites. Some of his greatest admirerswhispered that when the true name of the "Tribeless" should get tobe known, his origin, early career, and all relating to him would atonce become familiar to every red man. At present, the Indians mustrest content with what they saw and understood. The wisdom of Wa-wa-nosh made itself felt in the councils; his eloquence no speaker hasequalled for ages; as for his vengeance on the enemies of his race,that was to be estimated by the scalps he had taken. More than thisno Indian was to be permitted to know, until the mission of thisoracle and chief was completed.

　　Had one enlightened by the education of a civilized man been there,to watch the movements and countenance of Peter as he scented thewhiskey, and looked in vain for the cause of the odor, and for aclew to the mystery which so much perplexed the Pottawattamies, hewould probably have discovered some reason to distrust the sincerityof this remarkable savage's doubts. If ever Peter was an actor, itwas on that occasion. He did not, in the least, fall into any of theerrors of his companions; but the scent a good deal confounded himat first. At length he came to the natural conclusion, that thisunusual odor was in some way connected with the family he had lefton the other shore; and from that moment his mind 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 tohimself. On the contrary, he rather threw dust into the eyes of thechiefs, with a view to bring them also under the influence ofsuperstition. After making his observations with unmoved gravity, hepromised a solution of the whole affair when they should again meetin the Openings, and proposed to recross the river. Before quittingthe shore Peter and Crowsfeather had a clear understanding on thesubject of their respective movements; and, as soon as the formerbegan to paddle up against the wind, the latter called his young mentogether, made a short address, and led them into the woods, as ifabout to proceed on a march of length. The party, notwithstanding,did not proceed more than a mile and a half, when it came to a halt,and lighted a fire in order to cook some venison taken on the way.

　　When Peter reached the south shore, he found the whole groupassembled to receive him. His tale was soon told. He had talked withthe Pottawattamies, and they were gone. The canoes, however, must becarried to the other shore and left there, in order that theirowners might recover their property when they returned. This muchhad Peter promised, and his pale-face friends must help him to keephis word. Then he pointed to the Openings as to their place ofpresent safety. There they would be removed from all immediatedanger, and he would accompany them and give them the countenanceand protection of his name and presence. As for going south on thelake, that was impossible, so long as the wind lasted, and it wasuseless even could it be done. The troops had all left Chicago, andthe fort was destroyed.

　　Parson Amen and Corporal Flint, both of whom were completely deludedby Peter, fancying him a secret friend of the whites, in consequenceof his own protestations to that effect and the service he hadalready rendered them, in appearance at least, instantly acquiescedin this wily savage's proposal. It was the best, the wisest, nay,the only thing that now could be done. Mackinaw was gone, as well asChicago, and Detroit must be reached by crossing the peninsula,instead of taking the easier but far more circuitous route of thelakes. Gershom was easily enough persuaded into the belief of thefeasibility, as well as of the necessity, of this deviation from hisoriginal road, and he soon agreed to accompany the party.

　　With le Bourdon the case was different. He understood himself andthe wilderness. For him the wind was fair, and there was nonecessity for his touching at Mackinaw at all. It is true, heusually passed several days on that pleasant and salubrious island,and frequently disposed of lots of honey there; but he coulddispense with the visit and the sales. There was certainly dangernow to be apprehended from the Ottawas, who would be very apt to beout on the lake after this maritime excursion against the fort; butit was possible even to elude their vigilance. In a word, the bee-hunter did not believe in the prudence of returning to the Openings,but thought it by far the wisest for the whole party to make thebest of its way by water to the settlements. All this he urgedwarmly on his white companions, taking them aside for that purpose,and leaving Peter and Pigeonswing together while he did so.

　　But Parson Amen would as soon have believed that his oldcongregation in Connecticut was composed of Philistines, as not tobelieve that the red men were the lost tribes, and that Peter, inparticular, was not especially and elaborately described in the OldTestament. He had become so thoroughly possessed by this crotchet asto pervert everything that he saw, read, or heard, into evidence, ofsome sort or other, of the truth of his notions. In this respectthere was nothing peculiar in the good missionary's weakness, itbeing a failing common to partisans of a theory, to discover proofsof its truths in a thousand things in which indifferent persons canfind even no connection with the subject at all. In this frame ofmind the missionary would as soon think of letting go his hold onthe Bible itself, as think of separating from an Indian who mightturn out any day to be a direct representative of Abraham, andIsaac, and Jacob. Not to speak irreverently, but to use languagethat must be familiar to all, the well-meaning missionary wished tobe in at the death.

　　Corporal Flint, too, had great faith in Peter. It was a part of thescheme 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 ofhim as a stool-pigeon. Here were four more pale-faces thrown in hispower, principally by means of the confidence he had awakened in theminds of the missionary and the soldier; and that same confidencemight be made instrumental in adding still more to the number. Peterwas a sagacious, even a far-seeing savage, but he labored under thecurse of ignorance. Had his information been of a more extendednature, he would have seen the utter fallacy of his project todestroy the pale-faces altogether, and most probably would haveabandoned it.

　　It is a singular fact that, while such men as Tecumseh, his brotherthe Prophet, and Peter, were looking forward to the downfall of therepublic on the side of the forest, so many, who ought to have beenbetter informed on such a subject, were anxiously expecting, nayconfidently predicting it, from beyond the Atlantic. Notwithstandingthese sinister soothsayers, the progress of the nation has, by abeneficent Providence, been onward and onward, until it is scarcelypresumptuous to suppose that even England has abandoned theexpectation of classing this country again among her dependencies.The fortunes of America, under God, depend only on herself. Americamay destroy America; of that there is danger; but it is prettycertain that Europe united could make no serious impression on her.Favored by position, and filled with a population that we have evermaintained was one of the most military in existence, a truth thatrecent events are hourly proving to be true, it much exceeds thepower of all the enemies of her institutions to make any seriousimpression on her. There is an enemy who may prove too much for her;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, andhad got his notions of the country from English or Frenchtravellers, who wished for what they predicted. He had heard of thetowns and population of the republic; but one gets a very imperfectnotion of any fact of this sort by report, unless previousexperience has prepared the mind to make the necessary comparisons,and fitted it to receive the images intended to be conveyed. Nowonder, then, that Peter fell into a mistake common to those who hadso many better opportunities of forming just opinions, and ofarriving at truths that were sufficiently obvious to all who did notwilfully shut their eyes to their existence.