The laws of the fifty sachems who sit in council in the vale of Onondaga run there, and those who leave them out, be they French or English, reckon ill.

There was a time when Frontenac came raiding their villages, burning and slaying, but we did not know the use of firearms then.

Now we do know their use and have them, and in battle we can meet the white man on equal terms, be he English or French.

I have been to the white man's school and I have learned that there are other great continents beyond the sea.

I do not know what may happen in them, nor does it matter, but in this vast continent which you call America the wars and treaties of the English and the French are alike unavailing, unless they consider the wishes of the Hodenosaunee." He spoke in a manner inexpressibly haughty, and when he had finished he swept the table from end to end with his challenging glance, then he sat down amid a deep silence.