Page:History of the Ojibway Nation.djvu/208

198 our father. You are his enemy; and how then could you have the boldness to venture among us, his children? You know that his enemies are ours.

"Englishman! We are informed that our father, the king of France, is old and infirm; and that being fatigued with making war upon your nation, he is fallen asleep.

"During his sleep, you have taken advantage of him and possessed yourselves of Canada. But his nap is almost at an end. I think I hear him already stirring and inquiring for his children, the Indians:—and when he does awake, what must become of you? He will destroy you utterly.

"Englishman! Although you have conquered the French you have not yet conquered us! We are not your slaves. These lakes and these woods and mountains were left to us by our ancestors. They are our inheritance, and we will part with them to none. Your nation supposes that we, like the white people, cannot live without bread and pork and beef. But you ought to know that he—the Great Spirit and master of life—has provided food for us in these broad lakes and upon these mountains.

"Englishman! Our father, the king of France, employed our young men to make war on your nation.

"In this warfare, many of them have been killed, and it is our custom to retaliate, until such time as the spirits of the slain are satisfied. Now the spirits of the slain are to be satisfied in either of two ways. The first is by spilling the blood of the nation by whom they fell; the other, by covering the bodies of the dead, and thus allaying the resentment of their relatives. This is done by making presents.

"Englishman! Your king has never sent us any presents, nor entered into any treaty with us, wherefore he and we are still at war; and until he does these things, we must consider that we have no other father or friend among the white men than the king of France. But for you, we have taken into consideration that you have ventured your life