NORTH AMERICA. 
4S7 
Upon this, the head men, or chiefs of the 
whole nation, were convened, and after folemn 
and mature deliberation, they returned the tra- 
ders their final anfwer and determination, which 
was as follows : 
* c Brothers and friends. We have been con- 
fidering upon this bufmefs concerning the cap- 
tives— and that, under the eye and fear of the 
Great Spirit. You know that thefe people are 
our cruel enemies ; they fave no lives of us red 
men, who fall in their power. You fay that the 
youth is the fon of the Spanifh governor ; we be- • 
lieve it ; we are forry he has fallen into our hands, 
but he is our enemy : the two young men (his 
friends) are equally our enemies ; we are forry to 
fee them here ; but we know no difference in 
their fiefh and blood ; they are equally our ene- 
mies ; if we fave one we muff fave all three : but 
we cannot do it ; the red men require their blood 
to appeafe the fpirits of their flain relatives ; 
they have entrusted us with the guardianship of 
our laws and rights, we cannot betray them. 
* e However we have a facred prefcription rela- 
tive to this affair, which allows us to extend 
mercy to a certain degree : a third is faved by 
lot ; the Great Spirit allows us to put it to that 
decilion ; he is no refpecVer of perfons.” The 
lots were caff. The governor's ion was taken and 
burnt. 
If we confider them with refped to their pri- 
vate character or in a moral view, they muff, I 
think, claim our approbation, if we diveff our- 
felves of prejudice and think freely. As moral 
men they certainly Hand in no need of European 
civilization, 
I i 4 
They 
