Edwin L. Sabin

“ Washington chopped, Gist hacked and laid and bound, the Hunter hauled and dragged; and while they toiled and sweated the sun rose higher until it marked noon.
The raft was not half completed. The driftwood was frozen and heavy, the saplings rang under the hatchet strokes. Gist had much difficulty in driving the pins that held the binders. They all needs must cast many an anxious glance upon the back trail, and upon the country up stream and down [151] stream and across. Ever the floes whirled past, with no sign of lessening, nor of jamming. ”

“ You cannot bring France to terms of yourselves. You will need help from the King, and helped by the King you will learn to use your strength. France certainly will lose. She cannot hold this remote Ohio country, and she will lose her Canada. You colonists will then be free to expand, without a rival shutting you in. An empire lies west of you. You will grow out of your English clothes, and when England tries to remind you that you owe her your humble duty and must pay for her expenses, you will fight.”
“Would you think us so ungrateful, sir?” said Washington. ”

“ Yes, the French Indians had heard of Scarouady.
“It is well,” said Langlade. “We do not wish to war with Tanacharison and Scarouady. The French father has sent for them, and we wait for them to come. If they have listened to lies and have thought of taking up the hatchet for the English, that shall be forgotten. Onontio is generous, and loves the Mingo like he loves the Delaware, the Shawnee, the Ottawa and the Huron. All are his children. Now you shall stay and see what manner of men the men of Onontio are. Then when you go back safe, the Seneca and the Oneida will know.” ”

“ Captain Joncaire translated. The French captain, standing up in his best uniform, said:
“Onontio your father speaks to you with these words: Through the love I bear you, my children, I send to you Captain de Céleron to open your eyes to the schemes of the English against your lands. What they mean to do will ruin you. They work in secret, but they plan to build houses upon your lands and settle here and drive you away, if I let them. As a good father who loves his children and far away keeps them always in his heart I warn you of the danger that threatens you. ”

“ His brother that you see is young, but he is wise.”
“Well,” said Scarouady, “if that is the house of the Washington company and this Washington is here for his brother who is the chief, why does he not sleep in the warm house instead of out here in the cold and dark like a squirrel?”
“Because he does not fear the cold and dark,” said Christopher Gist. “His heart is strong. In marking out lands he lives besides the trail and the forest is his house.”
Scarouady nodded.
“Wah! That is good. He is a warrior. Do you come, Gist, and open the road to the English and close the road to the French.” ”

“ When the Half-King was in his senses he said he would not leave Washington; but when he was foolish he thought that he would stay and get more presents.
“I am going back,” said Washington, angrily. “If your heart is good and you are a man you will deliver the belt at once. You are acting like a child and not like a chief, for these French plan to hold you.”
“Wah!” uttered Tanacharison. “I am a chief. [130] You are my brother. I will deliver the belt this very night.”
That he did, in company with White Thunder and Juskakaka. ”

“ The Mingos had been directed to talk with the Delawares and the Shawnees, and ask them to take up the hatchet against the French, and against the Ottawas and the Potawatomis of the north, who were allies of the French. But the Delawares and Shawnees of the Ohio were undecided.
King Shingis of the Delawares spoke fiercely. He was a small man, but strong and quick, and his eyes glowed hotly. He hated the English, and wished no white men at all.
“No,” he said. “This is our country. The Delaware are men. They stand on their own ground. ”

“ A swarthy, wrinkled man, was Captain Joncaire; small, lean, quick, dark but gray-haired, constantly smiling and merry, but exceedingly sharp. It was only by his smiles and his white teeth that he showed his French blood. His father was a French officer of Canada, but his mother was a Seneca and he spoke the Seneca tongue.
Now wearing a blue French soldier coat with captain’s epaulets, and gaily beaded leggins and moccasins, and a woodsman’s cap on his long gray hair, [46] and a sword at his belt and a rifle on his back he sprang ashore at Logstown. ”

“ George Croghan, who was a great trader from Pennsylvania and had a store-house in Logstown, came to Tanacharison and said:
“Listen, brother. This is the country of your father Onas.” Onas was the name for the governor of Pennsylvania. “Pay no attention to the twitters of the French, for we pay no attention to them. The French are far, but Onas is near. He it is who sends us over the mountains to trade with you, and our goods are cheap. But these Virginia men plan to settle upon your country and you should watch them, or they will try to buy you with their goods.” ”

“ Pat-pat, scuff-scuff, sounded the moccasins. The attack from ambush along the trail of the English and Long Knives had started into motion. Robert the Hunter, in Mohawk paint, wondered how he was to get out of the scrape in time to find the red-coat column—but it would be better first to find Scarouady, or Gist, or the Virginians, and send word to Washington.
By the talk, now and then, the English were to be attacked at the second ford of the Monongahela. That was ten miles by rough trail. Wah! He did not know whether he could keep up this pace, for his strained ankle was hurting cruelly. ”

“ He and Robert ran.
They ran a long distance, dodging the shooting, for it was a question of saving their scalps. The woods were like a hornets’ nest. After about two miles they discovered more men.
“Long Knives!” Scarouady cried; and with Robert shouting “Friend!” they ran in to these.
These were Captain Bullitt’s company, guarding the baggage on the trail. They were anxious and peering, for they had heard the battle sounds; but Robert had had scarcely time to gasp the news when the woods echoed more loudly, and the Highland soldiers began to race in. ”

“ With his sharp knife Guyasuta slashed off Robert’s brown hair close to the head and left only a Mohawk scalp-lock. He rubbed reddish grease into the fuzzy crown and daubed the scalp-lock black and red so that it lay stiffly; and he rapidly painted Robert’s face with red and black; and when Robert had slipped off his buckskin shirt he painted his brown chest and arms.
“Here are hatchet and knife, and powder flask and bullet pouch,” said Guyasuta. “You will find plenty gun outside. Go quickly. I do this because my heart is good toward Washington and Scarouady, and you and I are brothers too.” ”

“ Scarouady and Aroas and Fairfax, the son of Queen Allaquippa, were here sitting beside Half-King who was lying down wrapped in a blanket.
“You have been listening to the talk between Washington and the French captain,” said Tanacharison. “What is going on down there? Do the English surrender?”
“Washington says the French will have to let him march away or he will fight,” the Hunter answered.
“Wah!” grumbled Tanacharison. “That is right. The French have had enough. They are cowards and hide in the woods, but the English are fools and do nothing at all. ”

“ He showed good sense, though, for he held council with Tanacharison and Scarouady and White Thunder, who were older than he. The Hunter and John Davidson translated such words as might not be understood.
“I wish to know what you would do if you were in my place,” he said, to Tanacharison. “I am alone here, with only forty men, of whom but thirty-three are armed. I have no cannon, and but little provisions for a long fight.”
“The French number a thousand, with great guns,” Half-King answered. “Where is your captain, with guns and men, that he does not come to help you?” ”

“ Thereupon the Ottawas and Hurons stood aside, while the captain smilingly questioned by the mouth of a darker, wiry man who spoke in the Iroquois and wore gay buckskin beaded with the Ottawa chief-sign.
“My young brothers are from our friends the Mingo?”
“I am Oneida; he Seneca,” replied the Buck. “Mingo.”
“The children of Onontio welcome the Mingo. My young brothers have come on a visit?”
“We wish to see the French and rest at their fire,” said the Buck.
“That is good. My young brothers are alone?”
“Yes. We are hunting, and are tired and hungry,” said the Buck. ”

“ We wait for White Thunder. We shall not leave him among the French and he cannot ride upon a horse with you. Now I know the French. My eyes are open. They bewitched us with liquor which they pretended would be good for us, and they bewitched us with fine words. The liquor is out of our stomachs and the words are out of our ears. We are Washington men, and shall have nothing more to do with the French who work us only mischief. I put my hands between your hands, Washington, and when I meet you at the Forks of the Ohio I will give you a speech for our father the Governor of Virginia. ”

“ Guyasuta remained to guide the Long Knives by the right; the Mingos filed off by the left; and Robert the Hunter went with the Washington Americans.
The French were astir; for within a short time the heavy air smelled of smoke. The Americans spread out and advanced more cautiously, with guns held so as to shield the locks from the wet. Guyasuta signed that the ledge of rocks was close before. Nothing could be heard from the French camp—the French had thought themselves so well hidden that they needed nobody on watch. ”

“ He had sent Robert for Tanacharison.
“Now are you going with us by land, or do you wish to go by water?” he asked.
“White Thunder was thrown into the water and hurt,” said Tanacharison. “He cannot walk, and he is sick besides. We think to stay here until he is better. Then we will take him down in a canoe.”
“You are listening to Captain Joncaire,” scolded Washington. “He would set you against the English. If you stay here you will get more drink and fine words, and when you have no mind the French will laugh over how they have fooled you.” ”

“ He treats us like children, and so do his red-coat soldiers. I will not march around by his orders. But I do not fight Washington and Scarouady. They are my brothers. You can tell them so.”
“That is good, but how can I tell them?” answered Robert—with excellent reason.
“Yes,” said Guyasuta; “you ran off from here once and the Ottawa are mad. Now Shingis would make you his son. You are Delaware. You will have hard work to run off again. Wait and we will see.”
“I will wait till the English and the Long Knives come to take the fort; and that won’t be long,” replied Robert. ”

“ Beaujeu and Langlade pleaded, but the Ottawas, the Hurons, the Delawares, the Iroquois, even the Shawnees, held back.
Anastase finally stood, and dropped his blanket again.
“No,” he cried to Beaujeu. “We have told you that Onontio ought not to ask his children to die for him. Does my young father wish to die? It is not the part of wise men to fight four thousand with a few hundred. We know that the Mingos do not want this fort here, so why should we uselessly try to hold it for the French? We shall not march to certain death. The French should have brought more men.” ”

“ The French may not wish to fight. If they fire and kill men, that means war with the King across the water. This is not Onontio’s land; it is land given to the English for a fort, and the English are here first. To drive them off is war, but to talk is not war. Now I think that Ward should say to the French: ‘I am only a small chief, put here to build a trading house upon land given by the Iroquois, and I know nothing of any wrong in the matter. So I cannot make answer without orders from my captain chief. ”

“ It took Croghan and Gist to explain, later, that Washington was an aide, or assistant, to the great Chief Braddock, and marched by his side: a high honor.
“His Excellency the General bids me to say to Scarouady that the Mingos are welcome,” continued Washington, to Robert. “He has heard that they are great warriors. They shall be well rewarded.”
“I am American. I stay with Washington,” Robert pleaded hopefully.
“No,” replied Washington. “I stay with the General, for he has asked me to. You shall be American, if you like, and help show the way with Gist and Scarouady and the Virginians. ”

“ They have yet to cross the mountains, and we have only to go down the rivers.”
“Yes, yes; but by what right do you enter the country of the Ohio, gentlemen?” stammered Jacob Vanbraam.
“By the discovery by our great La Salle sixty years ago,” they babbled. “The Mississippi is ours and all the land watered by the rivers flowing into it. Huzzah! And what have the English? Nothing but their little colonies along the sea, bounded by the mountains. ”

“ Less than a moon ago, at Logstown which was the principal village of the Mingos, upon the Ohio River, Half-King had said to Robert the Hunter:
“Listen: Tomorrow White Thunder bears a speech belt to our brothers the Delawares near the Susquehanna and I wish you to go with him. You will learn much; and if you are to be a warrior it is well that you should know your way through the woods and across the mountains.” ”

“ Tanacharison turned his back and leaving the liquor he strode down to the canoes. Washington spoke to the Hunter.
“We waited for guns for Tanacharison, Juskakaka, White Thunder and Guyasuta, who have acted [132] like children instead of like men. I heard nothing about a gun for you, who have acted like a man instead of a boy. So I have a gun for you, and here it is. You well deserve it.”
Robert the Hunter took the gun from the hand of Major George Washington. He was prouder of that than of the panther claws. It was a splendid little gun; with it were powder-flask and bullet-pouch. ”

“ It was true that many of the Indians who came with word of the French were probably spies, with forked tongues. The French were strong and clever, and gave more presents than the English. But Bright Lightning was smart, too; and women and girls could go in and out of places and not be noticed.
Maybe he should tell Washington first. No! This was Indian work, again. He might not be missed at all; Indians came and went and Washington was busy with the Long Knives, making the road. ”

“ So the Captain Mackaye King’s soldiers sat idly, which displeased Tanacharison.
[191]
“Washington is too good-natured,” he complained. “These men of Mackaye should be made to work or else sent to fight. We stay here from one full moon to another and nothing is done except to start this little thing called a fort, in the open meadow, as if the French would march out of the woods against it and be killed. Meanwhile the French are growing and care nothing about the fort. Why do not the English march on and shut the French up? Where are the other soldiers whom Assaragoa is sending?” ”