The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1929-07-25
Little Journeys in
Americana
Keeping a Jump Ahead of the
Skillet
BY LESTER B. COLBY

Skillet
| X ALLY settlers in the Central West
knew that certain Indian tribe.
lFing In the general neighborhood OF
Lakes Huron and Superior and upper
Lake Michigan were cannibaIs. The,
ate the bodies of the men they killed
III battle as a sort of rite. They be-
iieyed that to do so gave them great
strength and courage.
Alexander Henry, an English trader
was captured in June, 1863, at NIichili.
maekinae and spent nearly year Just
a Jump ahead of the skillet. In his
later life he set his adventures down
on paper. ran across them the other
day. Ii he wrote the truth, he had a
time of it.
When the English fort in the straits
was captured by the Chippewas and
saes, by a ruse Henry took refuge in
French traders attic. The Indians
were friendly to the French. Through
q crack in the roof he saw the Indians
dressing OUT and quartering the
bodies of his friends. They carried
away the 'meat."
In checking over the Englishmen
they had killed and captured, the In
dians missed Henry. They started a
search. Finally, fearful of the safety
OF his own family, the Frenchman
gave Henry up. The Indians in glee
put MIN in a canoe with their other
prisoners and started up the lake.
While portaging across a point of
land at L'Arbre Crochet about 20
miles west of Mackinac island, the
Ghippewas were stopped by village
OF Otfawas. These took charge of the
prisoners, saying that they were
friends of the English. One of the OF
tawas told Henry:
"Ihese Chippewas were taking you
down to the Isles du Castor (Beaver
island), to cook and eat YOU"
All that night the Ottawas and Chip
pewas sat in council. The next morn
ing the Ottawas announced that they
would also go to war against the Eng
fish and gave Henry back to the Chip.
pewas. Once more they began to get
their pots and kettles ready.
But suddenly Wawatam, q Chippe-
wa chief who had been a friend of
Henry, appeared. He made speech
to the Indians telling them that the
year before he had adopted Henry into
his family ana that he was brother.
You would not eat my BROTHER" he
said.
Finally they agreed to that and went
ahead with their repast-other Eng
lishmen. Wawatam, his brother,
Henry records, little later came
home to his tent with wooden bowl
filled with soup. AS he stirred il with |
a wooden spoon a human hand aoated
around in it.
For the next several months, accord
ing TO Henry, he lived with Wawatam
n never-ending fear of being killed
and eaten. His security was at no
line sure. The Indians, always inim-
cal, discussed him regularly in terms
# broth.
Now and then they would get whisky
md when they did, Wawatam would
Tide him out. Once he took him to a
ave at night. When he awoke the
ext morning Henry found that he had
lept all night on "a pile of human
ones. He had wondered at the hard
ess of his bed.
Finally Wawatam said he could not
rotect him longer But he arranged
have Chippewa squaw, wife of
French trader named Cadotte, take
i'm to her husbands post at Sault Ste
larie. On the way fleet of twenty
ostile canoes surrounded them and
"the Englishman." Henry l
retended he could not understand the :
made in English, and the
luaw said he was not an Englishman.
hey got away with it-temporarily.
A few days later war party came
Cadotte's and was demanding his
lrrender when two canoes appeared
} the lake. They carried couriers.
hese bore word that the war was
'er. The English had arrived at
iagara with a mighty army. In this
my were soldiers as numerous "as
ayes on the trees" the couriers said.
So once more, in the nick of time,
anry's life was saved. The couriers
ought notice that the Indians must
nd party at once to Niagara to
Eat with Sir William Johnson, the
lglish commander, and make peace
they would all be destroyed.
Henry went with the party, now
pposed to be his friends. But on
: way sudden storm came up. The
yes ran high and threatened to
amp the canoes. Finally, to placate al
, god of the storm, chief threw 81
favorite dog into the lake and ii
S drowned. The storm continued CT
] another dog was sacrificed, but OF
-hout result. Then an Indian, look bt
at Henry, remarked: sy
Perhaps if we sacrificed the Eng V(
imam our god would be appeased pl
! the storm would subside" III
)thers agreed with him, but before oi
final decision was made the wind III
pped, the lake Gained, and he was