be your friend. You are acquainted with my removal above Prairie des Chiens. I went, and formed a settlement, and called my warriors around me. We took counsel, and from that counsel we never have departed. We smoked, and resolved to make common cause with the U. States. I sent you the pipe-it resembled this--and I sent it by the Missouri, that the Indians of the Mississippi might not know what we were doing. You received it. I then told you that your friends should be my friends-that your enemies should be my enemies--and that I only awaited your signal to make war. If this be the conduct of an enemy, I shall never be your friend.-Why do I tell you this? Because it is a truth, and a melancholy truth, that the good things which men do are often buried in the ground, while their evil deeds are stripped naked, and exposed to the world.tWhen I came here, I came to you in friendship. I little thought I should have had to defend myself. I have no defence to make. If I were guilty, I should have come prepared; but I have ever held you by the hand, and I am come without excuses. If I had fought against you, I would have told you so: but I have nothing now to say here in your councils, except to repeat what I said before to my great father, the president of your nation. You heard it, and no doubt remember it. It was simply this. My lands can never be surrendered; I was cheated, and basely cheated, in the contract; I will not surrender my country but with my life. Again I call heaven and earth to witness, and I smoke this pipe in evidence of my sincerity. If you are sincere, you will receive it from me. My only desire is, that we should smoke it together-that I should grasp your sacred hand, and I claim for myself and my tribe the protection of your country. When this pipe touches your lip, may it operate as a blessing upon all my tribe.-May the smoke rise like a cloud, and carry away with it all the animosities which have arisen between us."‡

The issue of this council was amicable, and on the 14 Sept. following, Black-thunder met commissioners at St. Louis, and executed a treaty of peace.

Ongpatonga, or, as he was usually called, Big-elk, was chief of the Mahas or Omawhaws, whose residence, in 1811, was upon the Missouri. Mr. Brackenridge visited his town on the 19 May of that year, in his voyage up that river. His "village is situated about three miles from the river, and contains about 3000 souls, and is 836 miles from its mouth." We shall give here, as an introduction to him, the oration he made over the grave of Black-buffalo, a Sioux chief of the Teton tribe, who died on the night of the 14 July, 1811, at "Portage des Sioux," and of whom Mr. Brackenridge remarks:** "The Black-buffalo was the Sioux chief with whom we had the conference at the great bend; and, from his appearance and mild deportment, I was induced to form a high opinion of him." After being interred with honors of war, Ongpatonga spoke to those assembled as follows:-"Do not grieve. Misfortunes will happen to the wisest and best men. Death will come, and always comes out of season. It is the command of the Great Spirit, and all nations and peopic, must obey. What is passed and cannot be prevented should not be grieved

*The upper military post upon the Mississippi, in 1818.
"This passage forcibly reminds us of that in Shakspeare:”
'The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is often interred with their bones.'

Philadelphia Lit. Gazette.

Ongue-pon-we, in Iroquois, was :: men surpassing all others."

Hist. Five Nations.

"The O'Mahas, in number 2250, not long ago, abandoned their old village on the south side of the Missouri, and now dwell on the Elk-horn River, due west from their eld village, 80 miles west-north-west from Council Bluffs." Morse's Ind. Rept. 251. ¶ Brackenridge, ut sup. 91. ** Jour. up the Missouri, 240.

for. Be not discouraged or displeased then, that in visiting your father* here, [the American commissioner,] you have lost your chief. A mis

fortune of this kind may never again befall you, but this would have attended you perhaps at your own village. Five times have I visited this land, and never returned with sorrow or pain. Misfortunes do not flourish particularly in our path. They grow every where. What a misfortune for me, that I could not have died this day, instead of the chief that lies before us. The trifling less my nation would have sustained in my death, would have been doubly paid for by the honors of my burial. They would have wiped off every thing like regret. Instead of being covered with a cloud of sorrow, my warriors would have felt the sunshine of joy in their hearts. To me it would have been a most glorious occurrence. Hereafter, when I die at home, instead of a noble grave and a grand procession, the rolling music and the thundering cannon, with a flag waving at my head, I shall be wrapped in a robe, (an old robe perhaps,) and hoisted on a slender scaffold to the whistling winds, soon to be blown down to the earth. My flesh to be devoured by the wolves, and my bones rattled on the plain by the wild beasts. Chief of the soldiers, [addressing Col. Miller,] your labors have not been in vain. Your attention shall not be forgotten. My nation shall know the respect that is paid over the dead. When I return I will echo the sound of your guns." Dr. Morse saw Ongpatonga at Washington in the winter of 1821, and

* Gov. Edwards or Col. Miller.

It is a custom to expose the dead upon a scaffold among some of the tribes of the west. See Brackenridge, Jour., 186.; Pike's Expedition; Long's do.

The engraving at the commencement of Book II. illustrates this passage.

discoursed with him and Ishkatappa, chief of the republican Paunees, on the subject of their civilization, and sending instructers among them for that purpose." The doctor has printed the conversation, and we are sorry to acknowledge that, on reading it, Big-elk suffers in our estimation; but his age must be his excuse. When he was asked who made the red and white people, he answered, "The same Being who made the white people, made the red people; but the white are better than the red people." This acknowledgment is too degrading, and does not comport with the general character cf the American Indians. It is not, however, very surprising that such an expression should escape an individual surrounded, as was Ongpatonga, by magnificence, luxury, and attention from the great.

Big-elk was a party to several treaties, made between his nation and the United States, previous to his visit to Washington in 1821.

Petalesharoo was not a chief, but a brave of the tribe of the Paunees. (A brave is a warrior who has distinguished himself in battle, and is next in importance to a chief.*) He was the son of Letelesha, a famous chief, commonly called the Knife-chief, or Old-knife. When Major Long and his company travelled across the continent, in 1819 and 20, they became acquainted with Petalesharoo. From several persons who were in Long's company, Dr. Morse collected the particular of him which he gives in his INDIAN REPORT as an anecdote.

In the winter of 1821, Petalesharoo visited Washington, being one of a deputation from his nation to the American government, on a business

maiter.

*

This brave was of elegant form and countenance, and was attired, in his visit to Washington, as represented in the above engraving. In 1821, he was about 25 years of age. At the age of 21, he was so distinguished by his abilities and prowess, that he was called the "bravest of the braves." But few years previous to 1821, it was a custom, not only with his nation, but those adjacent, to torture and burn captives as sacrifices to the great Star. In an expedition performed by some of his countrymen against the Iteans, a female was taken, who, on their return, was doomed to suffer according to their usages. She was fastened to the stake, and a vast crowd assembled upon the adjoining plain to witness the scene. This brave, unobserved, had stationed two fleet horses at a small distance, and was seated among the crowd, as a silent spectator. All were anxiously waiting to enjoy the spectacle of the first contact of the flames with their victim; when, to their astonishment, a brave was seen rending asunder the cords which bound her, and, with the swiftness of thought, bearing her in his arms beyond the amazed multitude; where placing her upon one horse, and mounting himself upon the other, he bore her off safe to her friends and country. This act would have endangered the life of an ordinary chief, but such was his sway in the tribe, that no one presumed to censure the daring act.

This transaction was the more extraordinary, as its performer was as much a son of nature, and had had no more of the advantages of education, than the multitude whom he astonished by the humane act just recorded.

This account being circulated at Washington, during the young chief's stay there, the young ladies of Miss White's seminary in that place, resolved to give him a demonstration of the high esteem in which they held him on account of his humane conduct; they therefore presented him an elegant silver medal, appropriately inscribed, accompanied by the following short but affectionate address: "Brother, accept this token of our esteem-always wear it for our sakes, and when again you have the power to save a poor woman from death and torture-think of this, and of us, and fly to her relief and her rescue." "The brave's reply:"This [taking hold of the medal which he had just suspended from his neck] will give me ease more than I ever had, and I will listen more than I ever did to white men, I am glad that my brothers and sisters have heard of the good act I have done. My brothers and sisters think that I did it in ignorance, but I now know what I have done. I did it in ignorance, and did not know that I did good; but by giving me this medal I know it,"

Some time after the attempt to sacrifice the Itean woman, one of the warriors of Letelesha brought to the nation a Spanish boy, whom he had taken. The warrior was resolved to sacrifice him to Venus, and the time was appointed. Letelesha had a long time endeavored to do away the custom, and now consulted Petalesharoo upon the course to be pursued. The young brave said, "I will rescue the boy, as a warrior should, by force." His father was unwilling that he should expose his life a second time, and used great exertions to raise a sufficient quantity of merchandize for the purchase of the captive. All that were able contributed, and a pile was made of it at the lodge of the Knife-chief, who then summoned the warrior before him. When he had arrived, the chief commanded him to take the merchandize, and deliver the boy to him. The warrior refused. Letelesha then waved his war-club in the air, bade the warrior obey or prepare for instant death. Strike," " said Petaleshcroo, "I will meet the vengeance of his friends." But the prudent and excellent Letelesha resolved to use one more endeavor before committing such an He therefore increased the amount of property, which had the desired effect. The boy was surrendered, and the valuable collection of

act.

goods sacrificed in his stead.* This, it is thought, will be the last time the inhuman custom will be attempted in the tribe. "The origin of this sanguinary sacrifice is unknown; probably it existed previously to their intercourse with the white traders." They believed that the success of their enterprises, and all undertakings, depended upon their faithfully adhering to the due performance of these rites.

In his way to Washington, he staid some days in Philadelphia, where Mr. Neagle had a fine opportunity of taking his portrait, which he performed with wonderful success. It was copied for Dr. Godman's Natural History, and adorns the second volume of that valuable work.

Metea, chief of the Pottowattomies, is brought to our notice on account of the opposition he made to the sale of a large tract of his country. In 1821, he resided upon the Wabash. To numerous treaties, from 1814 to 1821, we find his name, and generally at the head of those of his tribe. At the treaty of Chicago, in the year last mentioned, he delivered the following speech, after Gov. Cass had informed him of the objects of his mission.

66

My father,--We have listened to what you have said. We shall now retire to our camps and consult upon it. You will hear nothing more from us at present. [This is a uniform custom of all the Indians. When the council was again convened, Metea continued.] We meet you here to-day, because we had promised it, to tell you our minds, and what we have agreed upon among ourselves. You will listen to us with a good nind, and believe what we say. You know that we first came to this country, a long time ago, and when we sat ourselves down upon it, we met with a great many hardships and difficulties. Our country was then very large, but it has dwindled away to a small spot, and you wish to pur