He was an uncommon Indian, and he
had had uncommon advantages. He had not believed that the
colonists could make head against so great a kingdom as England,
aided by the allied tribes, the Canadians, and the large body of
Tories among their own people. But he saw with his own eyes the
famous Oghwaga of the Iroquois going down under their torch.
"Tell me, Colonel John Butler," he said bitterly, where is your
great king now? Is his arm long enough to reach from London to
save our town of Oghwaga, which is perhaps as much to us as his
great city of London is to him?"
The thickset figure of "Indian" Butler moved, and his swart face
flushed as much as it could.
"You know as much about the king as I do, Joe Brant," he replied.
"We are fighting here for your country as well as his, and you
cannot say that Johnson's Greens and Butler's Rangers and the
British and Canadians have not done their part."
"It is true," said Thayendanegea, "but it is true, also, that one
must fight with wisdom. Perhaps there was too much burning of
living men at Wyoming. The pain of the wounded bear makes him
fight the harder, and it, is because of Wyoming that Oghwaga
yonder burns.
Pages:
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345