Then he said, “As soon as I heard of your coming, I rose up directly to come to you.” Then there came another message, which called me to another place, where six kings of six nations were met together. I sent them word, they should sit together a while, and smoke their pipes, and I would come to them. King Beaver said further,
“Brother, it pleaseth me to hear that you brought such good news; and my heart rejoices already at what you said to me. It rejoices me that I have now heard of you.” I said, “Brother, you did well, that you first came here, before you went to the kings; as the good news we brought is to all nations, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same; that want to be in peace and friendship with the English. So it will give them satisfaction, when they hear it.” The French captain told us, that they would demolish the fort; and he thought the English would be to-day at the place.
25th.—Shingas came home, and saluted us in a friendly manner, and so did Beaver, in our house; and then they told us, they would hear our message; and we perceived that the French captain had an inclination to hear it. We called Beaver and Shingas, and informed them, that all the nations, at Easton, had agreed with the governor, that every thing should be kept secret from the ears and eyes of the French. He said, “it was no matter, they were beaten already. It is good news, and if he would say any thing, we would tell him what friendship we have together.” Accordingly they met together, and the French captain was present. The number consisted of about fifty.
King Beaver first spoke to his men, “Hearken, all you captains and warriors, here are our brethren, the English; I wish that you may give attention, and take notice of what they say. As it is for our good, that there may an everlasting peace be established, although there is a great deal of mischief done, if it pleaseth God to help us, we may live in peace again.”
Then I began to speak by four strings to them, and said,
“Brethren, being come here to see you, I perceive your bodies are all stained with blood, and observe tears and sorrows in your eyes: With this string I clean your body from blood, and wipe and anoint your eyes with the healing oil, so that you may see your brethren clearly. And as so many storms have blown since we last saw one another, and we are at such a distance from you, that you could not rightly hear us as yet, I, by this string, take a soft feather, and with that good oil, our grandfathers used, open and clear your ears, so that you may both hear and understand what your brethren have to say to you. And by these strings I clear your throat from the dust, and take all the bitterness out of your heart, and clear the passage from the heart to the throat, that you may speak freely with your brethren, the English, from the heart.”
Then Isaac Still gave the pipe, sent by the Friends,[100] filled with tobacco, and handed round, after their custom, and said:
“Brethren, here is the pipe, which your grandfathers used to smoke with, when they met together in councils of peace. And here is some of that good tobacco, prepared for our grandfathers from God:—When you shall taste of it, you shall feel it through all your body; and it will put you in remembrance of the good councils, your grandfathers used to hold with the English, your brethren, and that ancient friendship, they had together.”
King Beaver rose, and thanked us first, that we had cleared his body from the blood, and wiped the tears and sorrow from his eyes, and opened his ears, so that now he could well hear and understand. Likewise he returned thanks for the pipe and tobacco, that we brought, which our grandfathers used to smoke. He said,—“When I tasted that good tobacco, I felt it all through my body, and it made me all over well.”
Then we delivered the messages, as followeth: