“The French,” he said, “treat the Indian like a man who is weak; the English treat him like a dog they despise. Both cheat him, but the Englishman kicks him after he has robbed him, or kills him and takes his scalp.” He declared that the traders robbed the children of the forest, and that every frontiersman wanted the Indians killed so as to get the land. He had known of Indians being shot in time of peace by trappers, who murdered them for their furs and took their scalps and kept them so as to get bounty on them whenever there should be war with the red men.
“But you would kill an innocent white woman and torture her children, in revenge for the wickedness of the traders.”
“Palefaces do not punish palefaces, but honour them for the bad deeds done to the Indian, and must we suffer alone?”
“It’s impossible for us to punish these traders for deeds we white people know nothing about.”
“Ugh!” and there was bitter scorn in the old savage’s exclamation, “you do not open your ears. The trader boasts and white men laugh.”
Rodney felt there was much of truth in what the old savage said, moreover he feared to excite him by 82 further controversy, so to turn the conversation he remarked, “You must have been with the French in the great war?”
“Ahneota brought many scalps to the French,” he replied, proudly. “Frenchmen give us many presents for our furs. They do not steal our land and drive away our game.”
Reminded of those fearful scenes during the war, he stood erect and, pointing his long arm toward the southeast, said, “Ahneota fought Braddock. At Bushy Run his bullets made white men sleep, but Colonel Bouquet was wise and fooled Indians. Ahneota go with Pontiac, and cut off his gun so to hide it under his blanket and go inside Fort Detroit. He was a chief at Bloody Run. The French promise much. They make fool of Indian and tell him Great Father across big water had slept, but was awake and would come and help his friends, the red men, and bring beads and brandy and shining cloth.”
“Do you think the Indians did right in pretending to be friends of the English in order to kill them?”
“You think trader right when steal Indian’s furs? Soldiers killed our women and children. They scared away the game and we must starve. They say they brothers of Indian; they lie. They make us old women so to steal our land. They fool the Delawares. What does ‘Little Knife’ say when they kill good Indians at Conestoga and make dogs of Moravians? Ahneota declares paleface and Indian can never live together.”