The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-11-19

hundred winters has he been obliged to
keep in the chilled waters Of the lake
in five hundred more, the Mani,ou will
let him rest on its bottom"
"What was the offence that has
drawn down upon this chief SO severe a
punishment 7"
Listen TO our traditions, and you
shall know. When the Great Spirit
created man, He gave him laws to obey,
and duties to perform"
Excuse me, Seneca, but your lan>
cuoge is so good that hardly know
what TO make Of YOU"
An almost percepiiblc smile played
about the compressed lip of the young
Indian, who at first, seemed disposed to
eyade an explanation but on reflection,
he changed lis purpose, aud communi-
Gated to Fuller the outlines of a very |
simple, and, by no means, unusual his |
tory. lie was chief Of the highes,
race in his tribe, and had been selected |
to receive The education Of a pale-face |
at one Of the colleges of that people -.
He had received a degree, and, yielded
to the irrepressibIc longings Of what
might almost be termed his nature, he
no sooner left the college in which he
had been educated, than he resumed
the blanket and leggins, under the nllu-
ence of early recollections, aud a mis-
taken appreciation Of the comparative
advantages between the civilized cond>
ton, aud those of a life passed in the
forest and on the praries. In this re-
spect, our young Seneca resembles the
white American, who, after a run of
six months in Europe, returns home
with the patriotic declaration in his
mouth, that his native land is preferable
to all other lands Fuller soon under>
stood the case; when both reverted 10
their common object in coming thiiher.
The young Seneca thereupon resumed
his explanation.
"The laws ofihe Great Spirit" con-
tinued the Seneca, were not difficult,
to obey, so long as the warrior was of a
humble mind, and believed himself in
ferinr TO the Manitou, who had fashioned
him with his hands, and placed him be-
tween the Seneca and the Cayuga. 10
hunt the deer, and trap the beaver.
But See>wisc was one of those who
> ptactiscd arts that you pale-isces con-
demn, while you submit to them. lie
was a demagogue among the red men,
! and set up the tribe in opposition to the
v Manitou."
How" exclaimed Fuller, "d did the
dwellers in the country suffer by such
y practices 2"
Men are everywhere the same, let
the color, or the tribe, or the country
" be what il may. 1t was a law Of our
> people, one which tradition tells Il:
c came direct from the Great Spirit, that
: the fish should be taken only in certain
u seasons, and for so many moons. Som,
: thought this law was for the health o
the people others, that it was 10 enable
y the fish to multiply for The future. AL
h believe it is wise, because it came from
the Manitou, and has decended to I'll,
tribe through SO many generations al
but See-wise. He said the Indial
! ought to fish when and where he pleased
that warrior was not a woman tha
a. the spear and the hook had been givel
him TO be used, like the bow and arrow
and that none but cowardly Indian
&c would scruple TO take the fish when the
= wished. Such opinions pleased tn
~ common Indians, who love 10 believe
T" themselves greater than they are. See
81 wise grew bolder by success, until h
o' dared to say in council, that the re-
u men made the world themselves, and fo
III themselves, and that they could do wit
en i, what they pleased lie saw no us
w in any night, it was incoavenient a
- Indian could sleep in the light as we
'' as he darkness there was to be eter
nal day; then the hunt could go on III
n
y I'll the deer was killed or The bear treet
The young indians liked such talb
C They liked TO be told they were th
le equals of the Grta, Spirit They de
nc cIared that See.wise should be ihei
t. principal chief See, e,wise opened hi
d, ears wide to this talk, and the youn
eS men listened TO his words, as they lis
tened to the song of the mocking- bird
- They liked each other. because the
OF praised each other, 1t is sweet to b
,n told that We are better aud wiser that
all around us. 1t is sweet to the re,
nd man the pale>iaoes may have more SC
to Der minds"
lis The Seneca paused an instant, an
d. Fuller fancied that smile of iron
again struggled about his compresse
e. lip. AS the traveller made no remark
IN however. the youthful warrior resume
tn his tale.