On the peopling of America, 215 



The Indians make war by stratagem, but they are not therefore 

 to be deemerl cowards. They are not very numerous, tor which 

 reason they are not prodigal of life. The point of honour with 

 an Indian chief, does not consist in facing his enemy in the field, 

 but in saving his own nierr. Such is the dictate of prudence. 

 Tire Spartan youth were trained to all kinds of stealth and stra- 

 tagem, that they might the better be enabled to surprise an 

 enemy; but the Spartans were aniong the bravest of men. When 

 it became proper or necessary to face an enemv, they never 

 turned their backs. It is admitted that Indians have shown the 

 most astonishing degree of fortitude in bearing torture. This 

 has been called passive courage ; but the same men are supposed 

 to be deficient in active courage ; and this strange conjecture u 

 founded on their art of war, which diflers from tliat of Euro- 

 peans. The Indian secures himself in battle by a tree or some 

 other cover. If a cover be a mark of cowardice, our ancestors^ 

 who fought in armour, were deficient in active courage, and so 

 are the moderns, v.ho avail themselves of trenches or any other 

 species of fortification. The object of an Indian chief is to de- 

 stroy his enemv, with as littie loss to himself as possible. Having 

 this object in view, he avails himself of the best means in his 

 power ; nor is he afraid of reproach, while he adheres to his 

 purpose. We have seen instances, too many, of brainless white 

 commanders, who have sacrificed half of their men in fruitless 

 and hopeless actions, only because they feared lest they should 

 be suspected of the want of courage. The virtues of Fabius were 

 not less admired, when he patiently endured the insults of an 

 enemy, than when he met that enemy in the field. Men are less 

 afraid of reproach, when tliey are conscious of not deserving it. 

 In whatever manner the Indians may think fit to meet an enemv, 

 they give unquestionable proofs that they are not afraid of death. 

 Surrounded in a block-house, without ammunition, we have 

 known them perish in the flames, because they would not sur- 

 render and become prisoners. When I say that the Indian mode 

 of fighting, under cover, is the dictate of policy, not of fear, I 

 am prepared to give instances, not a few, in which they have 

 shown proofs of undaunted courage in the open field, when the 

 other mode of fighting could not be adopted. It is found that 

 our woodsmen arc rather an overmatch for the Indians, in cor- 

 rect shooting with a rifle ; but our chief advantage, in di'<putes 

 with the native savage, must ever consist in sujicrior nundjers, 

 or the use of cavalrv. When America was first discovered, the 

 natives appeared contemptilde and dastardly, from their want of 

 arms. A white man to an Indian was then a giant to a pygmy ; 

 but an Indian, well provided with arms, is now become a danger- 

 ous enemy. 



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