AN HISTORICAL, SKETCH BY
JAMES ROSS SNOWDEN.
GY-ANT-WA-CHIA, OR CORNPLANTER,
The last War Chief of the Senecas, and of the Iroquois, or Six Nations.
AN HISTORICAL SKETCH BY
JAMES ROSS SNOWDEN.
A solitary traveler, after the close of the Revolutionary war, in 1783, wandering near the shores of Chatanque lake,[A] found himself benighted; and ignorant of the path which should lead him to his place of destination, he feared he would be compelled to pass the night in the forest and without shelter. But when the darkness of the night gathered around him, he saw the light of a distant fire in the woods, to which he immediately bent his steps. There he found an Indian wigwam, the habitation of a Chief with his family. He was kindly received and hospitably entertained. After a supper of corn and venison, the traveler returned thanks to God, whose kind Providence had directed his way, and preserved him in the wilderness. He slept comfortably on the ample bear skins provided by his host.