118 LEGENDS AND TRADITIONS 



was in danger of forfeiting his life on the spot for his rashness, and had 

 much to do to elude his pursuers, if he was fortunate enough to escape 

 their deadly weapons in the first hostile encounter. Things went on 

 in this manner until the several states were obliged to declare open 

 hostilities against each other in order to protect their rights the 

 better. From this time they were engaged in constant warfare, more 

 particularly against their immediate neighbours. The Indians say, 

 this warlike attitude among the various tribes in the old times was 

 occasioned rather by the force of circumstances than by the mere love 

 of slaughter or warlike enterprise ; that it was not altogether a war of 

 extermination or conquest, and it would appear from their statements 

 that the practice of carrying on cruel exterminating wars was adopted 

 after the discovery of America by the Europeans. In fact, it was in- 

 troduced by them, and great care was taken in their treaties with the 

 Indians to induce them to adopt this sanguinary policy as a punishment 

 to be inflicted upon any offending tribe. The Omahmee Indians in 

 the vicinity of Omahmee River, on the coast of Lake Erie, were sub- 

 jected to this severity, because they had ill-treated some traders, and 

 at the instigation of the French they were attacked by several tribes. 

 Although single handed the poor brave fellows held out for three 

 months ; yet, being then reduced to great straits by famine and by 

 overwhelming numbers, the few sur^dvors of that once powerful tribe 

 came out and begged the besiegers not to devour the whole of the 

 Omahmee nation. It is said, that out of the whole tribe only five 

 families escaped this indiscriminate slaughter. The warfare then in 

 which the Indian tribes were constantly engaged previous to the dis- 

 covery of America in the fifteenth century, was begun and carried on 

 for the sake of self-preservation. For such a state of things was con- 

 sidered necessary, inasmuch as a universal peace would have given too 

 much liberty to the hunters, who would have overrun the country and 

 in a short time killed off the animals, upon which the whole popula- 

 tion depended for their chief subsistence and clothing. But the keep- 

 ing up of hostilities by the various tribes against one another had the 

 desired effect of preventing trespass upon their rights respectively, and 

 causing their respective members to avoid as much as possible the 

 frontiers for fear of meeting an enemy. The borders being thus left 

 unmolested by the restless huuter, they were looked upon as neutral 

 grounds, where the animals might resort and breed freely, whence the 

 neighbouring districts might be supplied with game in abundance for 

 the use of the inhabitants. 



These are the reasons assigned by tradition for the continual wars 



