HISTORY OF THE NEW YORK IROQUOIS 28 1 



The Senecas still sent parties against the Catawbas or Flat- 

 heads. The Shawnees proposed moving to the prairie of the 

 Maskoutins, but this was the wish of the French, and the Iro- 

 quois must not be displeased. An exaggerated account of a 

 collision between the latter and the Virginians reached Beau- 

 harnois, and he tried to cause a rupture by means of this. The 

 Onondagas did not respond or accept his presents, and his 

 attempt failed. In this skirmish some were killed, and there 

 were long deliberations on it. 



There was a great council in Philadelphia that year; and, 

 while the Iroquois were hospitably received, the Delawares were 

 notified that they might attend, but at their own expense. The 

 Onondaga Canassatego was speaker and spoke thus of Weiser, or 

 Tarachawagon : 



When we adopted him we divided him into two equal Parts ; 

 one we kept for ourselves, and one we left for You. He has had 

 a great Deal of Trouble with Us, wore out his Shoes in our Mes- 

 sages, and dirty'd his Clothes by living amongst Us, so that he 

 is as nasty as an Indian. 



They gave him a present with which to buy new clothes and 

 asked the governor to be equally generous. The Senecas did not 

 come to this council because of the famine among them. One 

 man, it was said, had killed and eaten his own children. They 

 thought the goods received for the lands insufficient. Canas- 

 satego said : 



We therefore desire, if you have the Keys of the Proprietor's 

 Chest, you will open it, and take out a little more for us. We 

 know our Lands are now become more valuable ; the white 

 People think we don't know their Value, but we are sensible 

 that Land is Everlasting, and the few Goods we receive for it 

 are soon Worn out and Gone. 



The chief had examined the Delaware deeds, given 50 years 

 before, and said the Delawares ought to be taken by the head 

 and shaken severely. Onas was right, and he said to them : 

 "How came you to take upon you to sell land at all? We con- 

 quer'd You, we made Women of you, you know you are Women, 

 and can no more sell Land than Women." After other reproofs 



