1684.] SPEECH OE BIG MOUTH. 107 



Thirdly, " the warriors of the Five Nations have 

 made sundry barbarous inroads into the country of 

 the Illinois and Miamis, seizing, binding, and lead- 

 ing into captivity an infinite number of these sav- 

 ages in time of peace. They are the children of 

 my king, and are not to remain your slaves. They 

 must at once be set free and sent home. If you 

 refuse to do this, I am expressly ordered to declare 

 war against you." 



La Barre concluded by assuring Big Mouth, as 

 representing the Five Nations of the Iroquois, that 

 the French would leave them in peace if they made 

 atonement for the past, and promised good conduct 

 for the future ; but that, if they did not heed his 

 words, their villages should be burned, and they 

 themselves destroyed. He added, though he knew 

 the contrary, that the governor of New York would 

 join him in war against them. 



During the delivery of this martial harangue, 

 Big Mouth sat silent and attentive, his eyes fixed 

 on the bowl of his pipe. When the interpreter 

 had ceased, he rose, walked gravely two or three 

 times around the lines of the assembly, then 

 stopped before the governor, looked steadily at 

 him, stretched his tawny arm, opened his capacious 

 jaws, and uttered himself as follows : — 



% " Onontio, I honor you, and all the warriors who 

 are with me honor you. Your interpreter has 

 ended his speech, and now I begin mine. Listen 

 to my words. 



u Onontio, when you left Quebec, you must have 

 thought that the heat of the sun had burned the 



