Original - North Central Michigan College Library

a second time his apprehensions from thenumerous Indians who were round the fort,and earnestly pressed me to consent to an immediatedeparture for the Sault. As a reasonfor this particular request he assured me thatall the Indians proposed to come in a bodythat day to the fort to demand liquor of thecommandant, and that he wished me to begone before they should grow intoxicated.I had made, at the period to which I am nowreferring, so much progress in the language inwhich Wawatam addressed me as to be ableto hold an ordinary conversation in it; but theIndian manner of speech is so extravagantlyfigurative that it is only for a very perfectmaster to follow and comprehend it entirely.Had I been further advanced in this respectI think that I should have gathered so muchinformation from this my friendly monitor aswould have put me into possession of the designof the enemy, and enabled me to save aswell others as myself; as it was, it unfortunatelyhappened that I turned a deaf ear to everything,leaving Wawatam and his wife, afterlong and patient, but ineffectual efforts, todepart alone with dejected countenances, andnot before they had each let fall some tears.In the course of the same day I observedthat the Indians came in great numbers intothe fort, purchasing tomahawks (small axes ofone pound weight) and frequently desiring tosee silver arm bands and other valuable orna-76