Adventure Magazine Cover — page 104: what you’re looking at

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

98 you have been honored, for Corlaer walks with you. I can see that you have been fortunate, for a strange white man walks beside you who has friendship in his face. “Enter, O my nephew, with your white friends. ‘The Council-House is made ready for them, and you will dwell with them a while until their feet have become accus- tomed to the new paths and their eyes see straight the unfamiliar things about them. Weare eager to hear of your experiences and the deeds you have done. Enter!” . He turned on his heel and walked before us, and those who had accompanied him fell into single file behind us. So we pa- raded through the village—or rather I should say town, for it contained many thousand people—until we reached a house in the center where burned the tribal Coun- cil-Fire and where ambassadors and dis- tinguished guests were lodged. This house was oblong, almost square. The roy-an-ehs, chiefs and elders filed into it at our heels and arranged themselves around the fire in the center. Then squaws fetched in clay dishes of meats and vegetables of several kinds, as well as fruit, which they set down at intervals around the circle, and ata signal from Do-ne-ho-ga-weh everybody be- gan to eat, each one dipping his fingers into whichever dish was nearest or most to his liking, but all governed by the utmost defer- ence toward the wishes of their neighbors. At the conclusion of the meal Do-ne-ho- ga-weh lighted a ceremonial pipe, carved of soapstone, with a long wooden mouthpiece decorated with beads and small, bright- colored feathers. He blew one puff toward the ground, one puff toward the sky and one toward each of the four quarters.. Then he passed it to Ta-wan-ne-ars on his right hand, and Ta-wan-ne-ars gravely puffed it for a moment, and handed it to me. I did likewise, and gave it to Corlaer, who handed it on to the next man, and so it went the rounds of the fire. There was a moment’s silence, and then Ta-wan-ne-ars began the account of his travels, speaking slowly and without ora- torical effect.. Afterward he told me what he and the others had said. He made no references to our mission, but he described his journey to New York, his interview with Ga-en-gwa-ra-go—this impressed his audi- ence mightily, and they applauded by a succession of guttural grunts—his meeting with me; the arrival of Murray and de Adventure Veulle and its meaning; our journey home- ward and the fight with the Cahnuagas. ‘““No-ho!’’ he concluded. Again there was a pasue. ho-ga-weh rose. “We thank you, O my nephew,” he sard. “You have indeed honored us and yourself, and your white friends have shown them- selves to be brave men. Now we will retire so that you may rest.” He walked out, and the others followed. “What next?” I asked as Ta-wan-ne-ars filled his pipe. The Seneca smiled. ‘Soon we shall have a real talk,”’ he said, and reached for a live coal. ‘A real talk?” I repeated. ‘““Do-ne-ho-ga-weh knows that we could not tell him all of our tale when so many ears were listening. He knows, too, that we are pressed for time.”’ “Ja,” squeaked Corlaer, ‘der roy-an- -eh will come back.” eZ, doubt my friends’ wisdom. I was oo sleepy and tired. I had had over- much of the coarse native-grown tobacco. But in the event I was rewarded, for a shadow darkened the entrance and the Guardian of the Western Door stood;before us. He sat between Ta-wan-ne-ars and me, and crammed tobacco into his pipe-bowl. “You are not sleeping, O my nephew,” he commented. “We have that upon our minds which will not let us sleep,’ answered Ta- wan-ne-ars. (@) “Would it ease the weight on your minds to confide your troubles in me?” “That is my thought, O my uncle.” Do-ne-ho-ga-weh bowed gravely to all of us. “My ears are open,” he said. Then Do-ne- AN HOUR passed, and I began to There was a pause, and Ta-wan-ne-ars put down his pipe upon the floor. ‘““As you know, O my uncle,” he began, “T went with Corlaer to Ga-en-gwa-ra-go to tell him of Joncaire’s plans to build a stone fort at Jagara. On the same day came this white warrior, Ormerod, whom I call my brother, with word that Murray had de- feated Ga-en-gwa-ra-go before Go-weh- go-wa. On thesame day came the Frenchman (a) This conversation; was translated for me later by Ta- wan-ne-ars—H. O. COPMICLOOkKS ; (C@