Adventure Magazine Cover — page 111: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

War Wampum “Brothers,” resumed Pontiac, well pleased with the effect of his fiery arraignment, ‘‘you are not here to listen to old words. You are here to learn how we can remove the sorrow from the heart of our brother, Tamaque, chief of the Unalachtigo band of the Leni- lenape, when he comes to us and finds four of his young men dead and scalped and their bones not yet covered. We must take the sorrow from Tamaque’s heart so he will go with us along the red path. With his warriors we can capture Fort Detroit. But evil birds may whisper to him and tell him to ask us how it was that only Unalachtigo men were killed near the Cuyahoga. That was very bad, the killing of Tamaque’s braves. When he comes we must have the truth waiting for his ears. There is a man who, we believe, knows who killed the four men. We want that man to talk so we can tell the truth to Tamaque.”’ AS PONTIAC ceased speaking he ond stared at Meekly. There arose a — mighty shout of approval. Blan- kets dropped from shoulders. Hands glided to girdles to fondle haft of knife or handle of ax. Pontiac shifted his gaze to Ballou’s strained face and said: “Brothers, the Trade Knife, the son of Tamaque is here. He has a prisoner— Saganash!”” And he fairly spat out the hate- ful word. ‘‘We will ask our brother, the Knife, to make his prisoner tell who killed the four warriors near the river. Let him tell us now when he will warm the white man’s feet and make him talk.” He seated himself. Ballou stared stonily at the back of Meekly’s head for a minute; then stood and said: | ‘Warriors of the Three Fires and the other tribes; Pontiac, greatest of war-chiefs and those brave men who help him. The son of Tamaque has a prisoner as the great war-chief has said. The prisoner is English. He may know who killed Tamaque’s men. When Tamaque comes we will see. But it is for the Trade Knife to make the prisoner talk. When the white man is warmed at a fire it will not be one lighted by the Three Fires. The son of Tamaque has spoken.” A roar of rage greeted this abrupt and insolent defiance. Ninivois leaned forward ‘and whispered to the imperturbable Pon- tiac. The war-chief waited for a few mo- ments, then raised his hand for silence. 105 After the clamor had ceased he stood and with great dignity said: “Brothers; our friend, the Trade Knife, did not understand the Voice. It is true that a warrior’s prisoner is his to roast, or take asason. Pontiac of the Ottawas wants no man’s prisoner to burn. We have not asked that the Saganash be put in a big fire. The Three Fires only ask that the Trade Knife make a little fire. Not a fire to send a man among the ghosts. A little fire to make his tongue move and tell us what we should know. The Trade Knife can build that fire and no one else shall touch the white man. “Brothers, this would be a little thing to talk about if it only meant the burning of a white man. But there is something else to it. And there is something more than to learn the truth to tell Tamaque. If that was all we could wait till Tamaque comes, when he could hear the prisoner talk. But this bad flesh, this white man with the cord around his neck, was one of many white men, we believe, who took the Leni-lenape warriors by surprize and killed them. While we wait for Tamaque to come this prisoner’s friends will have time to run back to the settlements. We want to know the truth before those men can run and hide. We want to catch them and use their scalps in covering the bones of the dead. Then when Tamaque comes the sorrow will be lifted from his heart. Then the prisoner can tell again about the fight near the river. Pon- tiac does not believe the Knife will keep his prisoner from a little fire and let more bad flesh run away.”’ Ballou waited a decent interval and then rose to reply. Every warrior listened eager- ly, expecting Pontiac’s request would be granted. “O great Pontiac, Voice of the Three Fires,’ began Ballou. “Let the Master of Life read your heart and see why you should think the Trade Knife is without a tongue, or, having a tongue, why he should be unable to tell the truth to Tamaque. If a man’s prisoner is not his prisoner, then why fight to drive out the English, or any other bad flesh? We fight the English so we may be free. But how are we free if we bring in a prisoner and a man says, “This is my prisoner for a while’? Or, ‘I will burn that man’s prisoner a little’? The Knife’s prisoner is his own. If Pontiac wishes to know about the men who killed Tamaque’s COMmMiCooOoks C (C©@