X. "I must tell you again, that he betrays you, and CHA P. "all your Councils; and that you may fee I defire "not to diminish your Number, I am willing to "give you a pretty Indian Boy, in Lieu of the "old Prieft; and accordingly the Boy was brought < and delivered to them. In answer to this the Oneydo Sachem faid, " As "foon as the Indian Meffenger returns all his Papers "fhall be taken from him, and be forthwith "brought to our Brother Cayenguirago, before the "Prieft fhall fee any of them: we are willing to "take the Boy in Exchange for the Prieft, but it is "not fafe to do it, while our Meffenger is in the "Power of the Enemy; let the Boy ftay here till "we bring the Prieft, which fhall be as foon as the 66 Meffenger shall return ". But he gave no Belt, or other Prefent, to confirm this Promife. He added, Brother Cayenguirago, we now acquaint you "that it is propofed by all the Five Nations, to "make Peace with the Dionondadies, a Nation of "Indians near in Alliance with the French of Cana"da. This will both ftrengthen us and weaken the "Enemy. The Senekas, who live neareft them, "have undertaken this Treaty, and take Belts of "Wampum from the other Nations, to confirm "the Peace. We defire your Approbation, that would fend your Belt in Concurrence, as our "eldeft Brother in our Chain. " you The Governor approved of this, and gave them a Belt to carry in his Name. Notwithstanding what the Speaker of the Five Nations had promised to the Governor, to bring all the Papers the Oneydo Meffenger should bring from Canada, before the Jefuit Milet fhould have Liberty to fee them, it could not be difficult for the Jefuit, to perfuade them to keep the Power of making Peace in their own Hands, and for that Purpose, to call a Meeting of the Sachems of Onon dago, X. CHAP. dago, where all fuch Matters had been formerly tranfacted among themselves, and there to determine independently, rather than to fubmit themfelves to another Nation at Albany. They only invited the English to affift at the general Council. The English ufed what Arguments they could to diffuade this Meeting, but rather to obferve the Promise made to the Governor; and it feems used some Threatning. The Mohawks had fo much Regard to the English, that they refused to affift at the Council. The other four, notwithstanding this, met, and refolved on an Answer to be fent to the Governor of Canada; but at the fame Time, to shew their Regard to the Mohawks and English, thefe Refolutions were not to be final, till they fhould first be communicated to the English and Mohawks, and their Advice received thereon; for which Purpose feveral Sachems were fent to Albany, of whom Decanefora was the Principal and the Speaker. Decanefora had for many Years the greatest Reputation among the Five Nations for fpeaking, and was generally employed as their Speaker, in their Negotiations with both French and English: He was grown old when I faw him, and heard him speak; he had a great Fluency in fpeaking, and a graceful Elocution, that would have pleafed in any Part of the World. His Perfon was tall and well made, and his Features, to my thinking, refembled much the Buftos of Cicero. I fhall give an Account of these Negotiations from Decanefora's Mouth, because his Narration agrees in the main with the Account the French give of them, and carries along with it as ftrong Evidences of Truth, as that of the French do : but the chief Reafon is, that I intend to give the Reader as perfect a Notion as I can of the Indian Genius; and here it will appear, what Art Decanefora had, to make an Account of an Affair lefs difagreeable to English Ears, which had been under taken taken against their Advice, and contrary to their In-CHA P. tereft. Decanefora fpoke to Major Schuyler (Quider) and the Magiftrates of Albany, the fecond of February 1693-4 as follows. . Brother Cayenguirago, we are come to acquaint you, that our Children the Oneydoes having of "themselves fent a Meffenger to Canada, he has "brought back with him a Belt of Peace from the "Governor of Canada. "As foon as Tariha (the Meffenger) arrived at "Canada, he was afked, where the fix hundred Men were that were to attack Canada, as they "had been informed by Cariokefe a Mohawk De"ferter? He affured them there was no fuch Defign. "He was carried to Quebeck, where he delivered "his Belt, with the following Propofitions. Onondio, " if you would have Peace go to Albany, and ask "it there, for the Five Nations will do nothing "without Cayenguirago. The Governor of Canada "was angry at this, and faid, he had nothing to do "with the Governor of New-York, he would treat only with the Five Nations; the Peace between "the Chriftians must be made on the other Side "the great Lake. He added, he was forry to fee "the Five Nations fo far degenerated, as to take a "fixth Nation into their Chain, to rule over them. "If you had defired me to come and treat in any "of your Caftles, I would have done it; but to tell "me I must go to Albany, is to defire of me what "I can by no Means do. You have done very ill, "to fuffer the People of New-York to govern you "fo far, that you dare do nothing without their "Confent. I advise you to fend two of each Na"tion to me, and let Decanefora be one of them. * When the Affair of which they fpeak concerns the Government of New-York, the Indians always address themselves to the Governor, whether he be prefent or not. ་ " I X. CHAP." I have Orders from the King my Mafter to grant you Peace, if you come in your proper Perfons to ask it. The Governor of Canada afterwards faid, X. 66 "Children of the Five Nations, I have Compas"fion for your little Children, therefore come "fpeedily, and fpeak of Peace to me, otherwise "I'll ftop my Ears for the future: By all Means let "Decanefora come; for if the Mohawks come alone, "I will not hear them, fome of all the Five Nations "must come. Now Tariba return home, and tell "the Five Nations, that I will wait for their coming till the Trees bud, and the Bark can be parted "from the Trees. I defign for France in the "Spring, and I leave a Gentleman to command here, "to whom I have given Orders to raise Soldiers, if "you do not come in that Time, and then what "will become of you? I am truly grieved to fee "the Five Nations fo debauched and deceived by Cayenguirago, who is lately come to New-York, "and by Quider. Formerly the chief Men of the "Five Nations ufed to converfe with me; but this "Governor of New-York has fo deluded you, that 66 you hearken to none but him; but take Care "of what will follow, if you hearken to none but " him. " Then Decanefora excufed the not fending the Letters to Albany, which came by Tariha, as they had promised, faying, the other Nations trufted this to the Oneydoes, because the Meffenger was to return to them, and the Oneydoes deceived the others. He likewife excused their not coming to Albany as foon as Tariha returned, which was in November. faid the chief Sachem of the Onondagas, who was entrusted (as their Speaker) by the Five Nations with their general Affairs, by the general Council of Onondaga, had a fore Leg, and could not travel *. He *This, in the Indian Idiom, fgnifies a trifling Excufe of an unwilling Perfon. That X. That in fuch Cafe he (Decanefora) did all that was CHA P. in his Power, that is, he called a Council at Onondaga, to give Directions in this Affair; and that he invited Quider to this Council. He continued, "The four Nations that met there refolved to <fend Deputies to Canada, and that I Decanefora was <to be one of them; but at the fame Time ordered "me, with fome others, to communicate the Re"folutions of the General Council to our Brethren "at Albany, and to the Mohawks, to be farther advised by them. "The Refolutions are, to fend three Belts to "the Governor of Canada, with the following Pro"pofitions. "I. Onondio, you have fent for me often, and "as often afked, why I am afraid to come? The "great Kettle of War that you have hung over the "Fire is the Reason of it. Then laying down the "firft Belt, I am to afk his Confent to the other "two Belts which I ftill keep in my Hand. "II. We now not only throw down the Kettle, " and thereby throw the boiling Water out of it, but "likewise break it to Pieces, that it may never be hanged up again by this fecond Belt. "III. Hearken, Onondio, you are sent from the "French King, your Mafter, as Cayenguirago is "from the great King and Queen of England. "What I am now about to speak to you, is by In fpiration from the great God of Heaven. You fay "that you will have nothing to do with our Bre"thren of Cayenguirago, but I must tell you, that "we are infeparable, we can have no Peace with 66 you fo long as you are at War with them; we "muft ftand and fall with them; which I am to "confirm, by laying down the third Belt. "When this was concluded the Jefuit Milet, "taken |