78 The Winning of the West 



Some volunteers Americans, French, and friend- 

 ly Indians were sent to the aid of the American 

 captain at Vincennes, and the latter, by threats and 

 promises, and a mixture of diplomatic speech-mak- 

 ing with a show of force, contrived, for the time be- 

 ing, to pacify the immediately neighboring tribes. 



Clark took upon himself the greater task of deal- 

 ing with a huge horde of savages, representing every 

 tribe between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi, 

 who had come to Illinois, some from a distance of 

 five hundred miles, to learn accurately all that had 

 happened, and to hear for themselves what the Long 

 Knives had to say. They gathered to meet him at 

 Cahokia, chiefs and warriors of every grade ; among 

 them were Ottawas and Chippewas, Pottawatomies, 

 Sacs, and Foxes, and others belonging to tribes 

 whose very names have perished. The straggling 

 streets of the dismayed little town were thronged 

 with many hundreds of dark-browed, sullen-looking 

 savages, grotesque in look and terrible in possibility. 

 They strutted to and fro in their dirty finery, or 

 lounged round the houses, inquisitive, importunate, 

 and insolent, hardly concealing a lust for bloodshed 

 and plunder that the slightest mishap was certain 

 to render ungovernable. 



Fortunately Cl'ark knew exactly how to treat 

 them. He thoroughly understood their natures, and 

 was always on his guard, while seemingly perfectly 

 confident; and he combined conciliation with firm- 

 ness and decision, and above all with prompt rapid- 

 ity of action. 



