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one another: 'Ah! there is Thomas coming again! he is no longer a Moravian, for he is coming to us to be made drunk-to be cheated to be kicked out of the house, and be called a drunken dog!"-HECKEWELDER.

FRIENDSHIP.

In the year 1779, the noted Girty with his murdering party of Mingoes, nine in number, fell in with the Missionary Zeisberger, on the path leading from Goschacking to Gnadenhütten; their design was to take that worthy man prisoner, and if the could not seize him alive, to murder him and take his scalp to Detroit. They were on the point of laying hold of him, when two young spirited Delawares providentially entered the path at that critical moment, and in an instant presented themselves to defend the good Missionary at the risk of their lives. Their determined conduct had the desired success, and his life was saved. His deliverers afterwards declared that they had no other motive for thus exposing themselves for his sake, than that he was a friend to their nation and was considered by them as a good man.

In the year 1777, while the revolutionary war was raging, and several Indian tribes had enlisted on the British side, and were spreading murder and devastation along our unprotected frontier, I rather rashly determined to take a journey into the country on a visit to my friends. Captain White Eyes, an Indian chief, resided at that time at the distance of seventeen miles from the place where I lived. Hearing of my determination, he immediately hurried up to me, with his friend Captain Wingenund, (whom I shall presently have occasion farther to mention) and some of his young men, for the purpose of escorting me to Pittsburg, saying, " that he would not suffer me to go, while the Sandusky warriors were out on war excursions, without a proper escort and himself at my

side.” He insisted on accompanying me, and we set

" out together. One day, as we were proceeding along, our spies discovered a suspicious track. White Eyes, who was riding before me, inquired whether I felt afraid ? I answered that while he was with me, I entertained no fear. On this he immediately replied, “ You are right ; for until I am laid prostrate at your feet, no one shall hurt you.” 66 And even not then," added Wingenund, who was riding behind me; “before this happens, I must be also overcome, and lay by the side of our friend Koguethagechton."* I believed them, and I believe at this day that these great men were sincere, and that if they had been put to the test, they would have shown it, as did another Indian friend by whom my life was saved in the spring of the year 1781.

1781. From behind a log in the bushes where he was concealed, he espied a hostile Indian at the very moment he was levelling his piect at me. Quick as lightning he jumped between us, and exposed his person to the musket shot just about to be fired, when fortunately the aggressor desisted, from fear of hitting the Indian, whose body thus effectually protected me, at the imminent risk of his own life. Captain White Eyes, in the year 1774, saved in the same manner the life of David Duncan, the peacemessenger, whom he was escorting He rushed, regardless of his own life, up to an inimical Shavanese, who was aiming at our ambassador from behind a bush, and forced him to desist.

In the year 1782, a settlement of Christian Indians on the Sandusky river, were cruelly murdered by a gang of banditti, under the command of one Williamson. Not satisfied with this horrid outrage, the same bànd, not long afterwards, marched to Sandusky, where it seems they had been informed that the remainder of that unfortunate congregation bad fled, in order to perpetrate upon them the same indiscri

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* The Indian name of Capt. White Eyes.

minate murder. But Providence had so ordered it that they had before left that place, where they had found that they could not remain in safety, their ministers having been taken from them and carried to Detroit by order of the British government, so that they had been left entirely unprotected. The murderers, on their arrival, were much disappointed in finding nothing but empty huts. They then shaped their course towards the hostile Indian villages, where being, contrary to their expectations, furiously attacked, Willianison and his band took the advantage of a dark night and ran off, and the whole party escaped, except one Colonel Crawford and another, who being taken by the Indians, were carried in triumph to their village, where the former was condemned to death by torture, and the punishment was inflicted with all the cruelty that rage could invent. The latter was demanded by the Shawanese and sent to them for punishment.

While preparations were making for the execution of this dreadful sentence, the unfortunate Crawford recollected that the Delaware chief Wingenund,* of whom I have spoken in the beginning of this chapter, had been his friend in happier times; he had several times entertained him at his house, and showed him those marks of attention which are so grateful to the poor despised Indians. A ray of hope darted through his soul, and he requested that Wingenund, who lived at some distance from the village, might be sent for. His request was granted, and a messenger was despatched for the chief, who, reluctantly, indeed, but without hesitation, obeyed the summons, and immediately came to the fatal spot.

This great and good man was not only one of the bravest and most celebrated warriors, but one of the most amiable men of the Delaware nation. To a firm undaunted mind, he joined humanity, kindness and universal bevevolence; the excellent qualities of his heart had obtained for him the name of Wingenund which in the Lenape language signifies the well beloved. He had kept away from the tragical scene about to be acted, to mourn in silence and solitude over the fate of his guilty friend, which he well knew it was not in his power to prevent. He was now called upon to act a painful as well as difficult part : the eyes of his enraged countrymen were fixed upon him ; he was an Indian and a Delaware; he was a leader of that nation, whose defenceless members had been so cruelly murdered without distinction of age or sex, and whose innocent blood called aloud for the most signal revenge. Could he take the part of a chief of the base murderers ? Could he forget altogether the feelings of ancient fellowship and give way exclusively to those of the Indian and the patriot? Fully sensible that in the situation in which he was placed the latter must, in appearance, at least, predominate, he summoned to his aid the firmness and dignity of an indian warrior, approached Colonel Crawford and waited in silence for the coinmunications he had to make. The following dialogue now took place between them :

* This name, according to the English orthography, should be written Winganoond or Wingaynoond, the second syllable accent., ed and long, and the last syllable short.

Crawf-Do you recollect me, Wingenund?

Wingen.--I believe I do; are you not Colonel Crawford ?

Crawf.--I am. How do you do? I am glad to see you, Captain.

Wingen.-(embarrassed) So! yes, indeed.

Crawf.-Do you recollect the friendship that always existed between us, and that we were always glad to see each other? Wingen.- recollect all this. I remember that

[ we have drunk many a bowl of punch together. I remember also other acts of kindness that you have

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Crawf.-Then I hope the same friendship still subsists between us.

Wingen.- It would, of course, be the same, were you in your proper place and not here.

Crawf.-And why not here, Captain ? I hope you would not desert a friend in time of need. Now is the time for you to exert yourself in my behalf, as I should do for you were you

in

my place. Wingen.-Colonel Crawford ! you have placed yourself in a situation which puts it out of my power and that of others of your friends to do any thing for you.

Crawf.-How so, Captain Wingenund ?

Wingen.-By joining yourself to that execrable man, Williamson and his party; the man, who, but the other day murdered such a number of the Moravian Indians, knowing them to be friends; knowing that he ran no risk in murdering a people who would not fight, and whose only business was praying.

Crawf.–Wingenund, I assure you, that had I been with him at the time, this would not have happened ; not I alone, but all your friends and all good men, wherever they are, reprobate acts of this kind.

Wingen.—That may be; yet these friends, these good men did not prevent him from going out again, to kill the remainder of those inoffensive, yet foolish Moravian Indians! I say foolish, because they believed the whites in preference to us. We had often told them that they would be one day so treated by those people who called themselves their friends! We told them that there was no faith to be placed in what the white men said; that their fair promises were only intended to allure us, that they might the more easily kill us, as they have done many Indians before they killed these Moravians.

Crawf.- I am sorry to hear you speak thus; as to Williamson's going out again, when it was known that he was determined on it, I went out with him to prevent him from committing fresh murders.

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