His people were the
inhabitants of a more northern and less hospitable region than their
enemies, and were far from being rich in that species of property,
horses and arms, which constitutes the most highly prized wealth of a
western Indian. The band in view was mounted to a man; and as it had
come so far to rescue, or to revenge, their greatest partisan, he had
no reason to doubt its being composed entirely of braves. On the other
hand, many of his followers were far better in a hunt than in a
combat; men who might serve to divert the attention of his foes, but
from whom he could expect little desperate service. Still, his
flashing eye glanced over a body of warriors on whom he had often
relied, and who had never deceived him; and though, in the precise
position in which he found himself, he felt no disposition to
precipitate the conflict, he certainly would have had no intention to
avoid it, had not the presence of his women and children placed the
option altogether in the power of his adversaries.
Pages:
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695