In
counsel he is a squirrel, hopping from place to place; he is an owl,
that goes on the prairies at night; in battle he is an elk, whose legs
are long. A Pawnee is a woman." Another pause succeeded, during which
a yell of delight broke from several mouths, and a demand was made,
that the taunting words should be translated to the unconscious
subject of their biting contempt. The old man took his cue from the
eyes of Mahtoree, and complied. Hard-Heart listened gravely, and then,
as if apprized that his time to speak had not arrived, he once more
bent his look on the vacant air. The orator watched his countenance,
with an expression that manifested how inextinguishable was the hatred
he felt for the only chief, far and near, whose fame might
advantageously be compared with his own. Though disappointed in not
having touched the pride of one whom he regarded as a boy, he
proceeded, what he considered as far more important, to quicken the
tempers of the men of his own tribe, in order that they might be
prepared to work his savage purposes.
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