mediately demanded redress, consequently a number of
the young man’s friends waited on the offended person,
and one of them made the following speech: it loses
much of its native beauty in the translation, owing to the wide
difference between the idioms of the two languages.
Brothers of the Oneida
Nation here convened; open
your ears and
listen—you likewise, our brother the white
man, attend.
Brothers, the preservation of our lives, to the bright
shining of
the sun this morning, must be ascribed to God
our Maker, who
resides in the Heavens, but extends the
Arm of His Power to all
his creatures.
Brothers, let us all be thankful and duly acknowledge
the Mercy
of God our Creator.
Brothers, the occasion of the present meeting reminds
us of the
uncertainty of human life, and the instability of
man’s
resolutions. Our brother, the white man, thinks he
narrowly
escaped being killed by one of our men, so lately
as yesterday
morning, this young Indian man but a
little while ago, made a
solemn promise to refrain for
ever from the intoxicating
draught, which disarms the man
of his right mind. Alas! how
uncertain our enjoyments,
both as to life and its peace and
quiet! had blood been
spilled, this day would have been darkness
to us! and we
all buried in a flood of tears and grief! Let us
all again
thank God, that no vein has been opened to
endanger
human life; the wound of friendship can easily be hear
led.
It is truly a grief to us, that the abuse was given to a
man
who has always been friendly to us Indians, and
never
did them an injury since the time he first came by
their
fire-side. But other white-skins have whipped and
beaten
some of us poor Indians, because of our frailties and
fol-
lies; and chased them from their houses, with such
whips
as they use upon refractory horses. Alas! how are
the
times changed; in the days of the glory of our
forefathers
it was not so, the language then was Brother
walk in,
sit down, rest yourself, here is a dish, refresh
yourself,