Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/165

 T/jeir law of retaliation 153

dian is certainly lefs faulty than the apoftate Chriftian who inftigated him: when an Indian fheds human blood, it does not proceed from wantonnefs, or the view of doing evil, but folely to put the law of retaliation in force, to return one injury for another ; but, if he has received no ill, and has no fufpicion of the kind, he ufually offers no damage to thole who fall in his power, but is moved with companion, in proportion to what they feem to have undergone. Such as they devote to the fire, they flatter with the hope of being redeemed, as long as they can, to prevent the giving them any previous anxiety or grief, which their law of blood does not require.

The French Canadians are highly cenfurable, and their bloody popifli clergy, for debauching our peaceable northern Indians, with their infernal catechifm, the firft introduction into their religious myfteries. Formerly, when they initiated the Indian fuckiings into their mixt idolatrous worfhip, they faftened round their necks, a bunch of their favourite red and black beads, with a filver crofs hanging down on their breads, thus engaging them, as they taught, to fight the battles of God. Then they infected the credulous Indians with a firm belief, that God once fent his own be loved fon to fix the red people in high places of power, over the reft of mankind; that he paiTed through various countries, to the univerfal joy of the inhabitants, in order to come to the beloved red people, and place them in a fuperior ftation of life to the reft of the American world ; but when he was on the point of failing to America, to execute his divine embafiy, he was murdered by the bloody monopolizing Englifh, at the city of London, only to make the red people weigh light. Having thus inftrufted, and given them the catechifm by way of queftion and anfwer, and furnifhed them with 2000 grofs of fcalping knives and other murdering articles, the catechumens foon fallied forth, and painted them- felves all over v/ith the innocent blood of our fellow-fubjects, of different ftations, and ages, and without any diftinction of fex, contrary to the (landing Indian laws of blood.

The Britifh lion at laft however triumphed, and forced the French them- felves to fue for that friendly intercourfe and protection, which their for mer catechifm taught the Indians to hate, and fly from, as dangerous to their univerfal happinefs.

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