“Nevertheless, I am going,” said Washington. “Those are my orders from the Governor.”
“Me the French insulted. You they will laugh at, and think to fool, because you have no beard,” objected Tanacharison.
“If they think I am not worthy of notice,” Washington said quietly, “then they will not watch me and I can look about and see what they have.”
“Wah!” Half-King uttered. “The other man was a coward. You are no coward. I see you will go to the French chief.”
“If my brother will tell me what he said to the French chief and what the French chief answered, I will listen,” Washington prompted.
“The French chief treated me like a dog,” declared Tanacharison, growing angry. “He has since died; now there is another, and what his mind is I do not know. I went alone to see the first, who commanded last summer. I took the speech belt of friendship left us by Captain Joncaire. Instead of being polite and receiving me like a chief, the Frenchman sat down while I stood and he asked me who I was and what was my business there. I said to him:
“‘Father, a long time ago you set before the Six Nations a basin with the leg of a beaver, and bade us eat in peace and plenty; and if any person disturbed us, we should drive him out.’
“‘Now, father it is you who are disturbing us, by coming and building on our lands, and taking it away.’
“‘Father,’ I said, ‘a long time ago we kindled a fire for you at a place called Montreal, where you were to stay. I now ask you to go to that place, for this is our land and not yours.’
“‘Father,’ I said, ‘if you had come peaceably, like our brothers the English, you could have traded with us like they do. But to come and build houses without our permission and take our land by force we cannot allow.’