INDIAN PREPARATION.
I interrupt the progress of the narrative1 to glance for a moment at the Indians in their military capacity, and observe how far they were qualified2 to prosecute3 the formidable war into which they were about to plunge4.
A people living chiefly by the chase, and therefore, of necessity, thinly and widely scattered5; divided into numerous tribes, held together by no strong principle of cohesion6, and with no central government to combine their strength, could act with little efficiency against such an enemy as was now opposed to them. Loose and disjointed as a whole, the government even of individual tribes, and of their smallest separate communities, was too feeble to deserve the name. There were, it is true, chiefs whose office was in a manner hereditary7; but their authority was wholly of a moral nature, and enforced by no compulsory8 law. Their province was to advise, and not to command. Their influence, such as it was, is chiefly to be ascribed to the principle of hero-worship, natural to the Indian character, and to the reverence9 for age, which belongs to a state of society where a patriarchal element largely prevails. It was their office to declare war and make peace; but when war was declared, they had no power to carry the declaration into effect. The warriors11 fought if they chose to do so; but if, on the contrary, they preferred to remain quiet, no man could force them to raise the hatchet12. The war-chief, whose part it was to lead them to battle, was a mere13 partisan14, whom his bravery and exploits had led to distinction. If he thought proper, he sang his war-song and danced his war-dance; and as many of the young men as were disposed to follow him, gathered around and enlisted15 themselves under him. Over these volunteers he had no legal authority, and they could desert him at any moment, with no other penalty than disgrace. When several war parties, of different bands or tribes, were united in a common enterprise, their chiefs elected a leader, who was nominally16 to command the whole;146 but unless this leader was a man of uncommon17 reputation and ability, his commands were disregarded, and his authority was a cipher18. Among his followers19, every latent element of discord20, pride, jealousy21, and ancient half-smothered feuds22, were ready at any moment to break out, and tear the whole asunder23. His warriors would often desert in bodies; and many an Indian army, before reaching the enemy’s country, has been known to dwindle24 away until it was reduced to a mere scalping party.
To twist a rope of sand would be as easy a task as to form a permanent and effective army of such materials. The wild love of freedom, and impatience25 of all control, which mark the Indian race, render them utterly26 intolerant of military discipline. Partly from their individual character, and partly from this absence of subordination, spring results highly unfavorable to continued and extended military operations. Indian warriors, when acting27 in large masses, are to the last degree wayward, capricious, and unstable28; infirm of purpose as a mob of children, and devoid29 of providence30 and foresight31. To provide supplies for a campaign forms no part of their system. Hence the blow must be struck at once, or not struck at all; and to postpone32 victory is to insure defeat. It is when acting in small, detached parties, that the Indian warrior10 puts forth33 his energies, and displays his admirable address, endurance, and intrepidity34. It is then that he becomes a truly formidable enemy. Fired with the hope of winning scalps, he is stanch35 as a bloodhound. No hardship can divert him from his purpose, and no danger subdue36 his patient and cautious courage.
From their inveterate37 passion for war, the Indians are always prompt enough to engage in it; and on the present occasion, the prevailing38 irritation39 gave ample assurance that they would not remain idle. While there was little risk that they would capture any strong and well-defended fort, or carry any important position, there was, on the other hand, every reason to apprehend40 wide-spread havoc41, and a destructive war of detail. That the war might be carried on with effect, it was the part of the Indian leaders to work upon the passions of their people, and keep alive their irritation; to whet42 their native appetite for blood and glory, and cheer them on to the attack; to guard against all that might quench43 their ardor44, or cool147 their fierceness; to avoid pitched battles; never to fight except under advantage; and to avail themselves of all the aid which craft and treachery could afford. The very circumstances which unfitted the Indians for continued and concentrated attack were, in another view, highly advantageous45, by preventing the enemy from assailing46 them with vital effect. It was no easy task to penetrate47 tangled48 woods in search of a foe49, alert and active as a lynx, who would seldom stand and fight, whose deadly shot and triumphant50 whoop51 were the first and often the last tokens of his presence, and who, at the approach of a hostile force, would vanish into the black recesses52 of forests and pine-swamps, only to renew his attacks with unabated ardor. There were no forts to capture, no magazines to destroy, and little property to seize upon. No warfare53 could be more perilous54 and harassing55 in its prosecution56, or less satisfactory in its results.
The English colonies at this time were but ill fitted to bear the brunt of the impending57 war. The army which had conquered Canada was broken up and dissolved; the provincials58 were disbanded, and most of the regulars sent home. A few fragments of regiments59, miserably60 wasted by war and sickness, had just arrived from the West Indies; and of these, several were already ordered to England, to be disbanded. There remained barely troops enough to furnish feeble garrisons62 for the various forts on the frontier and in the Indian country.[168] At the head of this dilapidated army was Sir Jeffrey Amherst, who had achieved the reduction of Canada, and clinched63 the nail which Wolfe had driven. In some respects he was well fitted for the emergency; but, on the other hand, he held the Indians in supreme64 contempt, and his arbitrary treatment of them and total want of every quality of conciliation65 where they were concerned, had had no little share in exciting them to war.
While the war was on the eve of breaking out, an event occurred which had afterwards an important effect upon its progress,—the signing of the treaty of peace at Paris, on the tenth of February, 1763. By this treaty France resigned her claims to the territories east of the Mississippi, and that great148 river now became the western boundary of the British colonial possessions. In portioning out her new acquisitions into separate governments, England left the valley of the Ohio and the adjacent regions as an Indian domain66, and by the proclamation of the seventh of October following, the intrusion of settlers upon these lands was strictly67 prohibited. Could these just and necessary measures have been sooner adopted, it is probable that the Indian war might have been prevented, or, at all events, rendered less general and violent, for the treaty would have made it apparent that the French could never repossess themselves of Canada, and would have proved the futility68 of every hope which the Indians entertained of assistance from that quarter, while, at the same time, the royal proclamation would have tended to tranquillize their minds, by removing the chief cause of irritation. But the remedy came too late, and served only to inflame69 the evil. While the sovereigns of France, England, and Spain, were signing the treaty at Paris, countless70 Indian warriors in the American forests were singing the war-song, and whetting71 their scalping-knives.
Throughout the western wilderness72, in a hundred camps and villages, were celebrated73 the savage74 rites75 of war. Warriors, women, and children were alike eager and excited; magicians consulted their oracles76, and prepared charms to insure success; while the war-chief, his body painted black from head to foot, concealed77 himself in the solitude78 of rocks and caverns79, or the dark recesses of the forest. Here, fasting and praying, he calls day and night upon the Great Spirit, consulting his dreams, to draw from them auguries80 of good or evil; and if, perchance, a vision of the great war-eagle seems to hover81 over him with expanded wings, he exults82 in the full conviction of triumph. When a few days have elapsed, he emerges from his retreat, and the people discover him descending83 from the woods, and approaching their camp, black as a demon84 of war, and shrunken with fasting and vigil. They flock around and listen to his wild harangue85. He calls on them to avenge86 the blood of their slaughtered87 relatives; he assures them that the Great Spirit is on their side, and that victory is certain. With exulting88 cries they disperse89 to their wigwams, to array themselves in the savage decorations of the war-dress. An old man now passes through the camp, and invites the warriors to a149 feast in the name of the chief. They gather from all quarters to his wigwam, where they find him seated, no longer covered with black, but adorned90 with the startling and fantastic blazonry of the war-paint. Those who join in the feast pledge themselves, by so doing, to follow him against the enemy. The guests seat themselves on the ground, in a circle around the wigwam, and the flesh of dogs is placed in wooden dishes before them, while the chief, though goaded91 by the pangs92 of his long, unbroken fast, sits smoking his pipe with unmoved countenance93, and takes no part in the feast.
Night has now closed in; and the rough clearing is illumined by the blaze of fires and burning pine-knots, casting their deep red glare upon the dusky boughs94 of the surrounding forest, and upon the wild multitude who, fluttering with feathers and bedaubed with paint, have gathered for the celebration of the war-dance. A painted post is driven into the ground, and the crowd form a wide circle around it. The chief leaps into the vacant space, brandishing95 his hatchet as if rushing upon an enemy, and, in a loud, vehement96 tone, chants his own exploits and those of his ancestors, enacting97 the deeds which he describes, yelling the war-whoop, throwing himself into all the postures98 of actual fight, striking the post as if it were an enemy, and tearing the scalp from the head of the imaginary victim. Warrior after warrior follows his example, until the whole assembly, as if fired with sudden frenzy99, rush together into the ring, leaping, stamping, and whooping100, brandishing knives and hatchets101 in the fire-light, hacking102 and stabbing the air, and breaking at intervals103 into a burst of ferocious104 yells, which sounds for miles away over the lonely, midnight forest.
In the morning, the warriors prepare to depart. They leave the camp in single file, still decorated with all their finery of paint, feathers, and scalp-locks; and, as they enter the woods, the chief fires his gun, the warrior behind follows his example, and the discharges pass in slow succession from front to rear, the salute105 concluding with a general whoop. They encamp at no great distance from the village, and divest106 themselves of their much-prized ornaments107, which are carried back by the women, who have followed them for this purpose. The warriors pursue their journey, clad in the rough attire108 of hard150 service, and move silently and stealthily through the forest towards the hapless garrison61, or defenceless settlement, which they have marked as their prey109.
The woods were now filled with war-parties such as this, and soon the first tokens of the approaching tempest began to alarm the unhappy settlers of the frontier. At first, some trader or hunter, weak and emaciated110, would come in from the forest, and relate that his companions had been butchered in the Indian villages, and that he alone had escaped. Next succeeded vague and uncertain rumors111 of forts attacked and garrisons slaughtered; and soon after, a report gained ground that every post throughout the Indian country had been taken, and every soldier killed. Close upon these tidings came the enemy himself. The Indian war-parties broke out of the woods like gangs of wolves, murdering, burning, and laying waste; while hundreds of terror-stricken families, abandoning their homes, fled for refuge towards the older settlements, and all was misery112 and ruin.
Passing over, for the present, this portion of the war, we will penetrate at once into the heart of the Indian country, and observe those passages of the conflict which took place under the auspices113 of Pontiac himself,—the siege of Detroit, and the capture of the interior posts and garrisons.
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1
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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prosecute
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| vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官 | |
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plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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cohesion
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| n.团结，凝结力 | |
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hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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compulsory
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| n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的 | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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hatchet
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| n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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partisan
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| adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒 | |
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enlisted
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| adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持） | |
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nominally
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| 在名义上，表面地； 应名儿 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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cipher
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| n.零；无影响力的人；密码 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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discord
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| n.不和，意见不合，争论，（音乐）不和谐 | |
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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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feuds
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| n.长期不和，世仇( feud的名词复数 ) | |
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asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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dwindle
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| v.逐渐变小（或减少） | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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unstable
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| adj.不稳定的，易变的 | |
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devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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foresight
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| n.先见之明，深谋远虑 | |
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postpone
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| v.延期，推迟 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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intrepidity
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| n.大胆，刚勇；大胆的行为 | |
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stanch
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| v.止住（血等）；adj.坚固的；坚定的 | |
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subdue
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| vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制 | |
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inveterate
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| adj.积习已深的，根深蒂固的 | |
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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apprehend
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| vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑 | |
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havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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whet
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| v.磨快，刺激 | |
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quench
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| vt.熄灭，扑灭；压制 | |
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ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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advantageous
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| adj.有利的；有帮助的 | |
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assailing
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| v.攻击( assail的现在分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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whoop
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| n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息 | |
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recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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harassing
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| v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人） | |
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prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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provincials
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| n.首都以外的人，地区居民( provincial的名词复数 ) | |
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regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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garrisons
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| 守备部队，卫戍部队( garrison的名词复数 ) | |
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clinched
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| v.（尤指两人）互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的过去式和过去分词 )；解决（争端、交易），达成（协议） | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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conciliation
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| n.调解，调停 | |
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domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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futility
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| n.无用 | |
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inflame
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| v.使燃烧；使极度激动；使发炎 | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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whetting
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| v.（在石头上）磨（刀、斧等）( whet的现在分词 )；引起，刺激（食欲、欲望、兴趣等） | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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oracles
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| 神示所( oracle的名词复数 )； 神谕； 圣贤； 哲人 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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caverns
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| 大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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auguries
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| n.（古罗马）占卜术，占卜仪式( augury的名词复数 )；预兆 | |
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hover
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| vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫 | |
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exults
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| 狂喜，欢跃( exult的第三人称单数 ) | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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84
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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85
harangue
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| n.慷慨冗长的训话，言辞激烈的讲话 | |
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86
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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87
slaughtered
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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88
exulting
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| vi. 欢欣鼓舞，狂喜 | |
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89
disperse
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| vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散 | |
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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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goaded
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| v.刺激( goad的过去式和过去分词 )；激励；（用尖棒）驱赶；驱使（或怂恿、刺激）某人 | |
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pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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94
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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95
brandishing
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| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
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96
vehement
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| adj.感情强烈的；热烈的；(人)有强烈感情的 | |
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enacting
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的现在分词 ) | |
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98
postures
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| 姿势( posture的名词复数 )； 看法； 态度； 立场 | |
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99
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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100
whooping
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| 发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的 | |
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101
hatchets
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| n.短柄小斧( hatchet的名词复数 )；恶毒攻击；诽谤；休战 | |
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102
hacking
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| n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动 | |
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103
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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104
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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105
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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106
divest
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| v.脱去，剥除 | |
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107
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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108
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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109
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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110
emaciated
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| adj.衰弱的，消瘦的 | |
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111
rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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112
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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113
auspices
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| n.资助，赞助 | |
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