Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1869-09-01

OF moses again, that she might near 1t all.
While l read her face and figure remained
without motion, in that state of fixed at
~tention peculiar to the red race yet when
| had finished, it was evident she under
stood the tale better than she could ex.
press in English, for her words were few
and broken. But we gathered from then
that she knew it was the white mans
great book we were reading hat she had
heard of it from the elders of her tribe
who had once met with a missionary il
their wanderings !; from the fur traders
who often visited her people and in the
frontier towns and villages of the United
States, to which her father had taken hel
with him when he went to buy %gun-powdel
and knives, and where she learned so much
of the white mans tongue. We alsC
gathered that her father was the chief OF
his tribe, and she was his only daughter
that she had six elder brothers, but hel
mother was dead and her own name wa.
Lanoma, which, as we afterwards learned
signifed in the language of her people
" the lonely dove"
While we were yet talking with the In.
dian girl. our father and mother camt
home. They were greatly astonished tC
see her with us, and came at once to in,
quire how and whence she came but the
only answer they could get was a motion
of her hand in the direction of the river,
and the words, d" from far side" Ny
good mother invited her into the house tC
take supper with us but she shook her
head, with " Indian daughter 20 home, fol
night come"
4 will 90 with the child" said=y
father, and see her safe to her people. Ii
is getting dark in the forest already"
Let us 20 with you" said we FIVE il
a breath. The woods were no terror tc
us, especially with our father, and we were
curious to see the Indian girls home.
Come along" he said and along We
went in a body, Lanoma walking on BE-
fore so rapidly, that my father himself
could scarcely keep up with her, and We
were all left behind. She took a track
which seemed to lead into the thickest OF
the forest, and my father stopped her to
inquire how she could reach the river that
way, when out of the dense underwood
stepped six tall Red Indians, with robes Of
buffalo skin, hair stiffened with gum, and
and stuck full of eagles feathers, and
every one armed with a rife, a hatchet,
and a long sharp knife. My father, brave
though he was as any man Of highland
blood, stepped back at the sight, while We
covered behind him but Lanoma ran TO
the Indians, as if glad to see them and
when she had spoken with them for a few
minutes, they all made US a sort of bow,
and went away through the forest, while
we went back to our house, knowing that
the girl would now get safe home, but
somewhat troubled in our minds at seeing
armed Indians within the bounds of the
settlement.
Next morning when we were sitting al
breakfast, with doors and windows open u
let in the breath of the sweet spring day,
an old Indian stepped in before we were
aware Of his coming, and laid down al
most at my fathers feet a basket woven OF
porcupines' quilts and fine Osiers dyed OF
different c%olors, lined with bark, and filled
with valuable furs. Then he stood up and
made a speech in very good English.
though it was broken in the Indian man.
ner. | do not remember his words. but
their purport was that the basket of furs
was a present, in token of peace, from the
chief of the Huron tribe, whose name sig
niied the Great Bear among the red men.
on account of the camps he had surprised
and the villages he had laid waste ~L~-
out on the war-path for George Washing
ton that having grown old aud wishing
to see the hunting-ground OF his father,
once more, the chief had returned with all
his Hurons from the lands of the setting
sun. and was now encamped some miles
up the river on the American side but
that he intended to keep peace and friend
ship with the St. Glars settlement, provid-
ed ITS people kept the same with him and
his and he had sent the present to ny
father particularly, because he and his
children had behaved kindly to the chiefs
only daughter, who was, as the Indian ex-
pressed it, her fathers heart. Next he
took occasion to warn the whole settlement,
through his hearers, what 4 terrible enemy
the chief would be to all who offended him
or showed despite to his child how he
had six sons, all renowned in his wars with
the western tribes for taking scalps and
the like, and known by such Indian titles
of honor as the Ravening Wolf and the
Rending Nulture that the number of his
warriors was like that of the forest trees.
and he had made such sacrifices to the
spirit OF evil, that no misfortune could
happen to him.
My father replied by thanking the
chief for his presents, assuring the messen.
ger that he neither expected OF deserved
anything of the kind that the chiefs
daughter or any of the Hurons were free
to come and 20 by his house and lands
and that being himself a servant of the
Christians God, and a teacher Of peace,
he would do all in his power to preserve
friendship and good will between the
settlers and the tribe. After that the In
dian pulled out and lighted his pipe of
peace, which my father smoked, by way of
ratitying the treaty. custom indispen-
sable in all Indian alliances, and one by
which the use of tobacco was first made
known to the men of the old world. Ny
mother made him accept Of a good break
fast, and both she and my father would
have sent a return of presents to the
Jaron chief; but he solemnly assured
them that the Great Bear was far above
-~~~i~i"g anything from people who-~
the ground and after condescending -
tanner to take a bright red handkerchief
and a good hunting-knife for himself, he
said, Let no enemy come near this
house." and set off over the fields and
through the forest with the speed of a roe.
As soon as the Indian was gone, nv
father set out ON a circuit of the settle
ment. From clearing to clearing, from
house to house he went, apprising the in
habItants of what new and not very desir-
able neighbors they had got, and counsel.
ing them, for the sake of their safety. and
still more for the sake of the gospel of
peace which they professed, to give no
cause of otfense to the Gerco -