“_He once told a lie_”—was the emphatical expression of an Indian to
me, in 1794, when I was attending to the surveying of a large body of
lands in, what was then called, ‘The French-Creek Country,’ and West
of the Alleghany River: and, as some of my people were killed by the
Western Indians, I found it necessary, while the surveying was going
on, to visit the Indian Towns on the Alleghany River frequently:—they
were inhabited by the Senecas. General Wayne was then on his way, with
his army, to the Indian settlements on the Miami River.
One day, when I was at the Cornplanter’s town, the ‘_News-Spout_,’ as
it is called, was heard. All the Indians in the village immediately
retired to their houses (and even their dogs went with them;) when
an old man went out to meet the person who brought the news, and to
take him to the Long, or Council-House, where a fire was made and
refreshments were carried to him, and time given for him to dress and
paint himself, so as to appear decent.
When sufficient time had elapsed for the preparatives to be performed,
the chiefs went first to the house; and, as the young men were
following, I asked an Indian—who spoke English, and to whom (as he
professed to be a priest, physician, and conjurer) I gave the name of
Doctor—whether there was any impropriety in my going to hear the news.
He said, “No”—and that, as I was received as a friend and visiter, all
their houses were open to me: and if I did not go without any ceremony,
it would appear as if _I doubted their words and hospitality_; which
was considered as the greatest affront that could be put on an Indian.
For that, if there was any secret business going on, they would inform
me of it, in a friendly way; and then I might retire.
I accordingly went into the house with him; when the Chiefs immediately
rose, and gave me a seat among them.
All the Indians in the house were smoking their pipes when I came in;
and the stranger was sitting opposite the Chiefs, in a seat, or rather
a platform, by himself. The time appeared to me very long, as I was
anxious to hear the news; being much interested in the event, as the
Indians had been deliberating, whether or not they would permit me to
continue surveying, or send me out of the country: and, what surprised
me, was, that no one—contrary to their usual custom—asked him for the
news; and I was at a loss to account for their conduct. Eventually, the
Indian himself—after prefacing the business, with telling them, he had
no doubt,—as they knew he had been to the West—they would be gratified
in hearing his news. But no one appeared to signify his assent or
negative. The Indian then gave an account of an affair between a convoy
of Americans—who were carrying reinforcements and provisions to one of
our frontier posts—and the Indians; and they had killed the commanding
officer and a number of our men: and, after he had related all he had
to say, no one asked for any particulars of the action, or for any
corroborating circumstance; as I had formerly observed, they were
particularly polite to strangers and visiters, and were very cautious
to say or do any thing to hurt their feelings, and, soon after, the
chiefs and other Indians began to leave the house.
I left the house with the Doctor; and, as soon as we had passed the
door, I expressed my surprise to him, at the manner they treated the
man who brought the news, as it was so different from any treatment
I had before seen, when visited by strangers; and that I would thank
him to inform me of the cause of it:—when he, without any hesitation,
and with considerable emphasis, answered, “HE ONCE TOLD A LIE”—and
continued: “What that man said, may be so true; may be so not. We
always listen to what a newsman has to say,—even when we know him to be
a liar. But, whether we believe him or not, it is not our custom to let
him know; or to say any thing on the subject: for, if we had asked him
any questions about the fight, it would have been a great gratification
to him; as he would have concluded some of the company did believe him:
which is a thing we do not indulge any person in, who has been guilty
of telling a lie.” He concluded, by saying, “_He all one as dead_.”