I 
216 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA ! 
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“ tear up the trees of the forest by the roots, 
f<r pr to remove mountains, under which to 
bury the hatchet; but I propose that the 
tf<r hatchet may be thrown into the deep lake, 
where no mortal can ever find it, and where 
■ c it will remain buried for ever.*' This pro¬ 
posal was joyfully accepted by the assembly, 
and the hatchet was in consequence cast with 
great solemnity into the water. The Indians 
now tell you, in their figurative language, that 
there must be peace for ever. In former 
times/' say they, f<r when the hatchet was 
■ c buried, it was only slightly covered w ith a 
little earth and a few leaves, and being al- 
- <ff ways a very troublesome restless creature, it 
soon contrived to find its way above ground, 
“ where it never failed to occasion great con- 
fusion between us and our white brethren, 
. . i 
fsr and to knock a great many good people on 
the head ; but now that it has been thrown 
fX into the deep lake, it can never do any one 
'"mischief amongst us; for it cannot rise of 
rc itself* to the surface of the lake, and no one 
can go to the bottom to look for it." And 
that there would be a permanent peace be¬ 
tween them I have no doubt, provided that 
the people of the States w ould observe the ar¬ 
ticles of the treaty as punctually as the Indians ,* 
but it requires little sagacity to predict, that 
this will not be the case, and that ere long the 
