to return to civilized life. The boys had been permitted to grow wild with the

Indian lads; to fish and shoot and swim with them; to play the Indian
games--to live idle, joyous lives. He said these white boys had been ransomed

and taken from captivity and returned to their homes and, although a close
watch has kept on them, they contrived to escape and return to the Indians,

and that while they were back among civilized people it was difficult to keep
the boys dressed. In summer time it was useless to attempt it. The strongest

hemp-linen shirts, made with the strongest collar and wrist-band, would
directly be torn off and the little rascals would swimming in the river or

rolling on the sand.
If we may believe what these men have said--and there seems no good reason why

we may not--the Indian was very different from the impression given of him.
There can be little doubt that the redman once lived a noble and blameless

life; that he was simple, honest and brave, that he had a regard for honor and
a respect for a promise far exceeding that of most white men. Think of the

beautiful poetry and legends left by these silent men: men who were a part of
the woods; men whose music was the sighing of the wind, the rustling of the

leaf, the murmur of the brook; men whose simple joys were the chase of the
stag, and the light in the dark eye of a maiden.

If we wish to find the highest type of the American Indian we must look for
him before he was driven west by the land-seeking pioneer and before he was

degraded by the rum-selling French trader.
The French claimed all the land watered by the Mississippi River and its

tributaries. The French Canadian was a restless, roaming adventurer and he
found his vocation in the fur-trade. This fur-trade engendered a strange class

of men--bush-rangers they were called--whose work was to paddle the canoe
along the lakes and streams and exchange their cheap rum for the valuable furs

of the Indians. To these men the Indians of the west owe their degradation.
These bush-rangers or coureurs-des-bois, perverted the Indians and sank into

barbarism with them.
The few travellers there in those days were often surprised to find in the

wigwams of the Indians men who acknowledged the blood of France, yet who had
lost all semblance to the white man. They lived in their tepee with their

Indian squaws and lolled on their blankets while the squaws cooked their
venison and did all the work. They let their hair grow long and wore feathers

in it; they painted their faces hideously with ochre and vermilion.
These were the worthlesstraders and adventurers who, from the year 1748 to

1783, encroached on the hunting grounds of the Indians and explored the
wilderness, seeking out the remote tribes and trading the villainous rum for

the rare pelts. In 1784 the French authorities, realizing that these vagrants
were demoralizing the Indians, warned them to get off the soil. Finding this

course ineffectual they arrested those that could be apprehended and sent them
to Canada. But it was too late: the harm had been done: the poor, ignorant

savage had tasted of the terrible "fire-water," as he called the rum and his
ruin was inevitable.

It was a singular fact that almost every Indian who had once tasted strong
drink, was unable to resist the desire for more. When a trader came to one of

the Indian hamlets the braves purchased a keg of rum and then they held a
council to see who was to get drunk and who was to keep sober. It was

necessary to have some sober Indians in camp, otherwise the drunken braves
would kill one another. The weapons would have to be concealed. When the

Indians had finished one keg of rum they would buy another, and so on until
not a beaver-skin was left. Then the trader would move or when the Indians

sobered up they would be much dejected, for invariably they would find that
some had been wounded, others crippled, and often several had been killed.

Logan, using all his eloquence, travelled from village to village visiting the
different tribes and making speeches. He urged the Indians to shun the dreaded

"fire-water." He exclaimed against the whites for introducing liquor to the
Indians and thus debasing them. At the same time Logan admitted his own

fondness for rum. This intelligent and noble Indian was murdered in a drunken
fight shortly after sending his address to Lord Dunmore.

Thus it was that the poor Indians had no chance to avert their downfall; the
steadily increasing tide of land-stealing settlers rolling westward, and the

insiduous, debasing, soul-destroying liquor were the noble redman's doom.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Isaac Zane dropped back not altogether unhappily into his old place in the
wigwam, in the hunting parties, and in the Indian games.

When the braves were in camp, the greatest part of the day was spent in
shooting and running matches, in canoe races, in wrestling, and in the game of

ball. The chiefs and the older braves who had won their laurels and the
maidens of the tribe looked on and applauded.

Isaac entered into all these pastimes, partly because he had a natural love
for them, and partly because he wished to win the regard of the Indians. In

wrestling, and in those sports which required weight and endurance, he usually
suffered defeat. In a foot race there was not a brave in the entire tribe who

could keep even with him. But it was with the rifle that Isaac won his
greatest distinction. The Indians never learned the finer shooting with the

ride. Some few of them could shoot well, but for the most part they were poor
marksmen.

Accordingly, Isaac was always taken on the fall hunt. Every autumn there were
three parties sent out to bring in the supply of meat for the winter. Because

of Isaac's fine marksmanship he was always taken with the bear hunters. Bear
hunting was exciting and dangerous work. Before the weather got very cold and

winter actually set in the bears crawled into a hole in a tree or a cave in
the rocks, where they hibernated. A favorite place for them was in hollow

trees. When the Indians found a tree with the scratches of a bear on it and a
hole large enough to admit the body of a bear, an Indian climbed up the tree

and with a long pole tried to punch Bruin out of his den. Often this was a
hazardous undertaking, for the bear would get angry on being disturbed in his

winter sleep and would rush out before the Indian could reach a place of
safety. At times there were even two or three bears in one den. Sometimes the

bear would refuse to come out, and on these occasions, which were rare, the
hunters would resort to fire. A piece of dry, rotten wood was fastened to a

long pole and was set on fire. When this was pushed in on the bear he would
give a sniff and a growl and come out in a hurry.

The buffalo and elk were hunted with the bow and arrow. This effective weapon
did not make a noise and frighten the game. The wary Indian crawled through

the high grass until within easy range and sometimes killed several buffalo or
elk before the herd became alarmed. The meat was then jerked. This consisted

in cutting it into thin strips and drying it in the sun. Afterwards it was
hung up in the lodges. The skins were stretched on poles to dry, and when

cured they served as robes, clothing and wigwam-coverings.
The Indians were fond of honey and maple sugar. The finding of a hive of bees,

or a good run of maple syrup was an occasion for general rejoicing. They found
the honey in hollow trees, and they obtained the maple sugar in two ways. When

the sap came up in the maple trees a hole was bored in the trees about a foot
from the ground and a small tube, usually made from a piece of alder, was

inserted in the hole. Through this the sap was carried into a vessel which was
placed under the tree. This sap was boiled down in kettles. If the Indians had

no kettles they made the frost take the place of heat in preparing the sugar.
They used shallowvessels made of bark, and these were filled with water and

the maple sap. It was left to freeze over night and in the morning the ice was
broken and thrown away. The sugar did not freeze. When this process had been

repeated several times the residue was very good maple sugar.
Isaac did more than his share toward the work of provisioning the village for

the winter. But he enjoyed it. He was particularly fond of fishing by
moonlight. Early November was the best season for this sport, and the Indians

caught large numbers of fish. They placed a torch in the bow of a canoe and
paddled noiselessly over the stream. In the clear water a bright light would

so attract and fascinate the fish that they would lie motionless near the
bottom of the shallowstream.

One cold night Isaac was in the bow of the canoe. Seeing a large fish he
whispered to the Indians with him to exercise caution. His guides paddled

noiselessly through the water. Isaac stood up and raised the spear, ready to
strike. In another second Isaac had cast the iron, but in his eagerness he

overbalanced himself and plunged head first into the icy current, making a
great splash and spoiling any further fishing. Incidents like this were a

source of infiniteamusement to the Indians.
Before the autumn evenings grew too cold the Indian held their courting

dances. All unmarriedmaidens and braves in the village were expected to take
part in these dances. In the bright light of huge fires, and watched by the

chiefs, the old men, the squaws, and the children, the maidens and the braves,
arrayed in their gaudiest apparel, marched into the circle. They formed two