Go back to your people as their chiefs, and
tell them that through you the Big Knives have granted peace to your
nation."
Stepping forward, he grasped them each by the hand, and, despite
training, joy shone in their faces, while a long-drawn murmur arose from
the assemblage. But Clark did not stop there. He presented them to
Captain Bowman and to the French and Spanish gentlemen present, and they
were hailed by their own kind as chiefs of their nation. To cap it all
our troops, backwoodsmen and Creole militia, paraded in line on the
common, and fired a salute in their honor.
Thus did Clark gain the friendship of the forty tribes in the Northwest
country.
CHAPTER XVIII
"AN' YE HAD BEEN WHERE I HAD BEEN"
We went back to Kaskaskia, Colonel Clark, Tom, and myself, and a great
weight was lifted from our hearts.
A peaceful autumn passed, and we were happy save when we thought of those
we had left at home. There is no space here to tell of many incidents.
Great chiefs who had not been to the council came hundreds of leagues
across wide rivers that they might see with their own eyes this man who
had made peace without gold, and these had to be amused and entertained.
The apples ripened, and were shaken to the ground by the winds. The good
Father Gibault, true to his promise, strove to teach me French.
Pages:
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295