98 LA BARRE AND THE IROQUOIS. [1084. 



The Onondagas, moved by the influence of the 

 Jesuit and the gifts of La Barre, did in fact wish 

 to act as mediators between their Seneca confeder- 

 ates and the French ; and to this end they invited 

 the Seneca elders to a council. The meeting took 

 place before the arrival of Viele, and lasted two 

 days. The Senecas were at first refractory, and 

 hot for war, but at length consented that the 

 Onondagas might make peace for them, if they 

 could ; a conclusion which was largely due to the 

 eloquence of Big Mouth. 



The first act of Viele was a blunder. He told 

 the Onondagas that the English governor was 

 master of their country ; and that, as they were 

 subjects of the king of England, they must hold 

 no council with the French without permission. 

 The pride of Big Mouth was touched. " You 

 say," he exclaimed to the envoy, " that we are 

 subjects of the king of England and the Duke of 

 York ; but we say that we are brothers. We must 

 take care of ourselves. The coat of arms which 

 you have fastened to that post cannot defend us 

 against Onontio. We tell you that we shall bind a 

 covenant chain to our arm and to his. We shall 

 take the Senecas by one hand and Onontio by the 

 other, and their hatchet and his sword shall be 

 thrown into deep water." 1 



Thus well and manfully did Big Mouth assert 

 the independence of his tribe, and proclaim it 

 the arbiter of peace. He told the warriors, more- 

 over, to close their ears to the words of the Dutch- 



1 Colden, Five Nations, 80 (1727). 



