330 APPENDIX C. 



tlieir head, and the bad band of the Hurons, Takee at their head, met at 

 the Pottawattamie village, where the premeditated council was to be held. 

 Care was taken to send all the women out of the village, that they might 

 not discover what was decided upon. Pondiac then ordered sentinels to 

 be placed around the village, to prevent any interruption to their council. 

 These precautions taken, each seated himself in the circle, according to 

 liis rank, and Pondiac, as great chief of the league, thus addressed them : — 



" It is important, my brothers, that we should exterminate from our 

 land this nation, whose only object is our death. You must be all sensi- 

 ble, as well as myself, that we can no longer supply our wants in the way 

 we were accustomed to do with our Fathers the French. They sell us 

 their goods at double the price that the French made us pay, and yet 

 their merchandise is good for nothing ; for no sooner have we bought a 

 blanket or other thing to cover us than it is necessary to procure others 

 against the time of departing for our wintering ground. Neither will 

 they let us have them on credit, as our brothers the French used to do. 

 When I visit the English chief, and inform him of the death of any of 

 our comrades, instead of lamenting, as our brothers the French used to 

 do, they make game of us. If I ask him for any thing for our sick, he 

 refuses, and tells us he does not want us, from which it is apparent he 

 seeks our death. We must therefore, in return, destroy them without 

 delay ; there is nothing to prevent us : there are but few of them, and 

 we shall easily overcome them, — why should we not attack them ? Are 

 we not men ? Have I not shown you the belts I received from our 

 Great Father the King of France 1 He tells us to strike, — why should 

 we not listen to his words ? What do you fear ? The time has arrived. 

 Do you fear that our brothers the French, who are now among us, will 

 hinder us '? They are not acquainted with our designs, and if they did 

 know them, could they prevent them ? You know, as well as myself, 

 that when the English came upon our lands, to drive from them our 

 father Bellestre, they took from the French all the guns that they have, 

 so that they have now no guns to defend themselves with. Therefore 

 now is the time : let us strike. Should there be any French to take their 

 part, let us strike them as we do the English. Remember what the Giver 

 of Life desired our brother the Delaware to do : this regards us as much 

 as it does them. I have sent belts and speeches to our friends the Chip- 

 peways of Saginaw, and our brothers the Ottawas of Michillimacinac, 

 and to those of the Riviere ti la Tranche, (Thames River,) inviting them 

 to join us, and they will not delay. In the mean time, let us strike. 

 There is no longer any time to lose, and when the English shall be 

 defeated, we will stop the way, so that no more shall return upon our 

 lands. 



" This discourse, which Pondiac delivered in a tone of much energy, 

 had upon the whole council all the effect which he could have expected, 

 and they all, with common accord, swore the entire destruction of the 

 English nation. 



" At the breaking up of the council, it was decided that Pondiac, with 



