X.

"BIG TALK" WITH "WHITE THUNDER."

But we are a little fast. In order to bring ourselves square again

with our story, we must take one step backward, and begin afresh.

When tidings of these trespasses of the French reached the ears of

Robert Dinwiddie, then Governor of Virginia, all his Scotch blood

boiled within him, and he began forthwith casting in his mind what

might be done to check or chastise such audacious proceedings.

Cooling down a little, however, he thought it would be better, before

throwing his stones, to try what virtue might be found in grass. By

which you are to understand, that he determined to write a letter to

the French general, then stationed in a little fort near Lake Erie,

inquiring by what authority these encroachments were made on the

dominions of his royal master, the King of England; and demanding that

they, the French, should abandon their forts, and withdraw their

troops from the disputed territory, without delay, or else abide the

consequences. He was well aware, that, to insure any thing like

success in a mission so difficult and perilous, the person intrusted

with it must needs be robust of body, stout of heart, clear of head;

one inured to the hardships of a backwoods life, well acquainted with

the habits and customs of the Indians, and withal a man of

intelligence, polite address, and the strictest integrity of

character. But one such man was to be found among ten thousand; and

this was George Washington, who answered to the description in every

particular, and was therefore chosen to perform this perilous

undertaking, although he had not yet completed his twenty-second year.

Accordingly, having received from Governor Dinwiddie written

instructions how to act when come into the enemy's country, Major

Washington set out the next morning from Williamsburg, then the

capital of Virginia, and made his way at once to Winchester, at that

time a frontier settlement of the province, lying on the very edge of

the wilderness. Here he spent several days in procuring supplies for

the expedition, and raising a small party of hunters and pioneers to

guard and bear him company. After some delay, he succeeded in

procuring the services of seven men. Four of these were hardy

backwoodsmen of experience, whose business it was to take care of the

baggage and keep the party supplied with game. Mr. Davidson was to go

along as Indian interpreter, and Mr. Gist as guide. A bolder and more

enterprising pioneer than this Gist, by the by, was not to be found

in all the Western wilds; and he is supposed by some historians to

have been the first white man that ever brought down an elk or a

buffalo in that paradise of hunters, green Kentucky. In addition to

these, Washington took with him as French interpreter his old Dutch

fencing-master, Capt. Van Braam. The worthy captain, however, seems to

have been a far more expert master of sword-play than of the

languages; for the jargon he was pleased to call an interpretation was

often such a medley of half-learned English, half-remembered French,

and half-forgotten Dutch, that they who listened would be nearly as

much perplexed to see what he would be driving at, as if he were

sputtering Cherokee into their ears.

All things being at last in readiness, the gallant little party,

headed by our young Virginian, turned their faces towards the great

North-west; and, plunging into the wilderness, were soon beyond all

traces of civilized man. The autumn was far advanced. The travelling

was rendered toilsome, and even dangerous, by the heavy rains of this

season, and early snows that had already fallen on the mountains,

which had changed the little rills into rushing torrents, and the low

bottom-lands into deep and miry swamps. Much delayed by these and the

like hinderances, Washington, upon reaching the banks of the

Monongahela, deemed it best to send two of the backwoodsmen with the

baggage in canoes down this river to its mouth, where, uniting its

waters with those of the Allegheny, it helped to form the great Ohio.

Promising to meet them at this point, he and the rest of the party

pushed thitherward by land on horseback. Reaching the Forks of the

Ohio two days before the canoe-men, he spent the time in exploring the

woods and hills and streams around, and was much struck with the

advantages the place held out as a site for a military post. This,

together with other items meriting attention that happened to him or

occurred to his mind during the expedition, he carefully noted down in

a journal which he kept, to be laid, in the form of a report, before

Gov. Dinwiddie, upon his return. The following year, as a convincing

proof to his countrymen how entirely they might rely on his foresight

and judgment in such matters, French officers of skill and experience

chose this very spot to be the site of Fort Duquesne, afterwards so

famous in the border history of our country. Near the close of the

war, this post fell into the hands of the English, who changed its

name to that of Fort Pitt; which in time gave rise to the busy,

thriving, noisy, dingy, fine young town of Pittsburg, a smoky-looking

picture of which you may see any time you choose to consult your

geography.

Instead of pushing on directly to the Lakes, Major Washington turned a

little aside from his course, and went down the Ohio about twenty

miles, to an Indian village called Logstown. Here, as had been

previously arranged, he met a few sachems or chiefs of some of the

Western tribes, to kindle a council-fire and have a Big Talk. He was

received with much hospitality and courtesy by a stately old chief,

whose Indian name you would not care to hear, as it would give Master

Charlie's nut-crackers the jaw-ache to pronounce it. Among the

English, however, as he was the head of a league or union of several

tribes, he usually went by the name of the Half King. After the pipe

had passed with all due gravity from mouth to mouth, and every

warrior, chief, and white man present had taken a whiff or two, in

sign that all was good-will and peace between them, Washington arose,

and addressed the Half King in a short speech, somewhat after the

following manner:--

"Your brother, the Governor of Virginia, has sent me with a letter to

the big French captain, near Lake Erie. What is written therein deeply

concerns you and your people as well as us. It was his desire,

therefore, that you share with us the toils and dangers of this

expedition, by sending some of your young men along with us, to guide

us through the wilderness where there is no path, and be our safeguard

against the wiles of cunning and evil-minded men we may chance to meet

by the way. This he will look upon as a still further proof of the

love and friendship you bear your brothers, the English. As a pledge

of his faith in all this, and as a token of his love for his red

brother, he sends this belt of wampum."

Mr. Davidson having interpreted this speech, the Half King for some

moments after sat smoking in profound silence, as if turning over in

his mind what he had just heard, or as if waiting, according to Indian

notions of etiquette on such occasions, to assure himself that the

speaker had made an end of his say. He then arose, and spoke to the

following effect:--

"I have heard the words of my young white brother, and they are true.

I have heard the request of my brother the Governor of Virginia, and

it is reasonable. At present, however, my young men are abroad in the

forest, hunting game to provide against the wants of the coming

winter, that our wives and children starve not when we are out upon

the war-path. At the third setting of the sun from this time, they

will be coming in; when I will not only send some of them with my

young white brother, but will myself bear him company. For he must

know that we have ceased to look upon the French as our friends. They

have trespassed upon our soil; they have spoken words of insult and

mockery to our oldest sachems. For this cause have my people resolved

to return them the speech-belt they gave us at the Big Talk we had

last winter at Montreal. It is that I may defy the big French captain

to his teeth, and fling his speech-belt in his face, that I now go

with my young brother, the Long Knife."

On the third day, as had been promised, the young men came in from

hunting; from among whom the Half King chose eight or ten to serve as

an additional escort to Major Washington during the expedition. Among

these was a warrior of great distinction, who went by the tremendous

name of White Thunder, and was keeper of the speech-belt. Now, you

must know, that in Indian politics, when two tribes exchange

speech-belts, it is understood to be an expression of peace and

good-will between them; while to return or throw them away is the same

as a declaration of war, or at least to be taken as a hint that all

friendly intercourse between them is at an end. The "keeper of the

speech-belt" was, therefore, a kind of "secretary of state" among

these simple people.

Thus re-enforced by his red allies, Washington, who had grown somewhat

impatient under this delay, gladly turned his face once more towards

the Great Lakes. All this time, the rain had continued to fall with

scarcely an hour's intermission. The streams and low meadow-lands were

so flooded in consequence, that they were often obliged to wander many

a weary mile over rugged highlands and through tangled forests,

without finding themselves any nearer their journey's end. Now and

then, coming to some muddy, swollen stream, in order to gain the

opposite side without getting their baggage wet, they must needs cross

over on rafts rudely constructed of logs and grape-vines, and make

their horses swim along behind them. It was near the middle of

December, before the little party, jaded and travel-stained, reached

their destination.

Major Washington was received with true soldierly courtesy by the

French general, to whom he at once delivered Gov. Dinwiddie's letter.

A few days being requested for a due consideration of its contents, as

well as the answer to be returned, he spent the time, as he had been

instructed, in gaining all the information he could, without exciting

suspicion, touching the designs of the French in the North-west,--to

what extent they had won over the several Indian tribes to their

interest; the number of troops they had brought into the territory;

and the number, strength, and situation of the forts they had built.

The fort where the French general then had his headquarters stood on

the banks of a little river called French Creek, in which Washington

observed lying, and bade his men count, a large number of canoes, to

be used early in the following spring for transporting men and

military stores down the Ohio. All the hints and items thus gathered

he carefully noted down in his journal, to be laid, as I have told you

already, in the form of a report, before Gov. Dinwiddie, upon his

return.

Being wary and watchful, he was not long in discovering that the

French were tampering with his Indian allies; tempting them, by the

gayest of presents, the fairest of promises, and the hottest of

firewater, to break faith with the English, and join their cause.

These underhand dealings gave Washington much uneasiness of mind; and

he complained to the French general, yet in a firm and dignified

manner, of the unfair advantage thus taken of the besetting weakness

of these poor people.

Of course, the wily old Frenchman denied all knowledge of the matter;

although we are bound to believe, that, as these tricks and intrigues

were going on under his very nose, he must certainly have winked at,

if he did not openly encourage them.

It is true that the Indians were by no means too nice to enrich

themselves with French presents, and get drunk on French whiskey; yet,

for all that, they turned a deaf ear to French promises, and, keeping

their faith unbroken, remained as true as hickory to their friends the

English. Even the Half King, stately and commanding as he was in

council, yielded to the pleasing temptation along with the rest; and,

for the greater part of the time, lay beastly drunk about the fort.

When at last he came to his sober senses, he was not a little

chopfallen upon being somewhat sternly reminded by Major Washington of

the business that had brought him thither, the recollection of which

he had seemingly drowned in his enemy's whiskey. Whereupon, as if to

show that all his threats and promises had been made in good faith, he

went forthwith to the French general, and delivered the grave oration

he had composed for the occasion; at the same time returning the

speech-belt White Thunder had brought, as a sign that all friendly

relations between the French and his people were at an end.

At last, having received the answer to Gov. Dinwiddie's letter, and

looked into matters and things about him as far as he could with

prudence, Major Washington was now anxious to be away from the place

where he had already been detained too long. During his stay, however,

he had been treated with the greatest respect and courtesy by the

accomplished Frenchman, who presented him, upon his departure, with a

large canoe laden with a liberal supply of liquors and provisions,

that lasted him and his men until they reached the Ohio.

To spare the horses as much as possible, Washington had sent them,

with two or three of the men, by land to Venango, a fort about fifteen

miles below; whither he now set out to follow them by water. The

navigation of this little river, owing to its shallows and the masses

of floating ice that here and there blocked up its channel, was

difficult and toilsome in the extreme. Oftentimes, to prevent their

frail canoes from being dashed to pieces against the rocks, would they

be compelled to get out into the cold water for half an hour at a

time, and guide them with their hands down the whirling and rapid

current, and now and then even to carry them and their loads by land

around some foaming cataract to the smoother water below. After an

irksome little voyage, they reached Venango, fully satisfied that to

go further by water was quite out of the question.