i8o The Winning of the West 



Having called the Indians together they laid a 

 War Belt colored red, & a belt colored green before 

 them, telling them that if they delighted in mischief 

 and had no compassion on their wives & children 

 they might take up the red one, if on the contrary 

 they were wise & preferred peace, the green one 



The old Tobacco a chief of the [Piankeshaws] 

 spoke as follows My brothers you speak in a 

 manner not to be understood, I never yet saw, nor 

 have I heard from my ancestors that it was cus- 

 tomary to place good & bad things in the same dish 

 You talk to us as if you meant us well, yet you 

 speak of War & peace in the same minute, thus 

 I treat the speeches of such men on which with 

 a violent kick he spurned their belts from him. 



The son of Lagesse, a young Chief of the Pont- 

 conattamis of St. Joseph spoke next to them. 



My Brothers 'Tis because I have listened to the 

 voice of our old men, & because I have regard to 

 our women & children that I have not before now 

 struck my tomahawk into some of your heads at- 

 tend to what I say, I will only go to see in what 

 condition our wives & children are (meaning I will 

 first place them in security) and then you may de- 

 pend on seeing me again 



The Rebel speaker then said 



You are young men & your youth excuses your 

 ignorances, you would not else talk as you do 

 Our design is to march thro' your country, & if 

 we find any fires in our way, we shall just tread 

 them out as we walk along and if we meet with any 



