Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/329

 An Account of the Choktah Nation* 377

though often attacked at a difadvantage which ought to afiure them, that whenever the Englifh (baked hands with people, their hearts were always honeft. We requeued them therefore to think, and act, as our brotherly Chikkafah, who by ftrongly holding the chain of friendfhip be tween them and the Englifh, were able in their open fields, to deftroy the French armies, and' in the woods bravely to fight, and baffle all the efforts of their defpicable mercenary enemies, though their numbers of fighting men confided of few more than one hundred to what the Choktah contained in old hundreds, or thoufands. The French, we added, were liberal indeed \ but to whom, or for what ? They gave prefents to the head-men-, and the moft eloquent fpeakers of their country, to inflave the reft, but would not fupply them with arms and ammunition, without the price of blood againft our traders and the friendly Chikkafah ; that they themfelves were witnefTes, a whole town of fprightly promifmg young men had not now more than five or fix guns ; but they would learn to kill as many deer as the diftinguimed Chikkafah hunters, if they firmly Ihook hands with the Englifh. We convinced them, that the true emblem of the Englifh was a dreft white deer-fkin, but that the French dealr with them only in long fcalping knives ; that we had a tender feeling, when we heard the mourning voice of the tender-hearted widow, and only fupplied our friends in their own defence, or in revenge of crying blood ; but that the French delighted in blood; and were always plotting how to deftroy them, and take away their lands, by fetting them at war againft thofe who loved them, and would fecure their liberties, without any other view than as became brothers, who fairly exchanged their goods. We- defired them to view the Chikkafah ftriplings, how readily their kindly hearts led them to liften to the friendly fpeech of their Englim trading fpeaker, becaufe they knew we loved them, and enabled them to appear in the genteel drefs of red people.

At the whoop, they foon appeared, and cheerfully complied with our various requefts, to the great fatisfaction of our new Choktah friends. The Chikkafah head-men told them with pleafure, that they were glad their own honeft eyes had feen the pure effects of love to their Englifh trader \ and that their old people, time out of mind, had taught them fo. Then they humouroufly enlarged on the unfriendly conduct of the French in a com- garative manner, and perfuaded them to keep their eyes open, and re member

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