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Title: The War Chief of the Six Nations
A Chronicle of Joseph Brant
Volume 16 (of 32) in the series Chronicles of Canada

Author: Louis Aubrey Wood

Editor: George M. Wrong and H. H. Langton

Release Date: November 5, 2005 [EBook #17014]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WAR CHIEF OF THE SIX NATIONS ***

This etext was produced by Gardner Buchanan.

CHRONICLES OF CANADA
Edited by George M. Wrong and H. H. Langton
In thirty-two volumes

Volume 16

THE WAR CHIEF OF THE SIX NATIONS
A Chronicle of Joseph Brant

By LOUIS AUBREY WOOD
TORONTO, 1915

CONTENTS

I. THE YOUNG MOHAWK
II. BATTLE OF LAKE GEORGE
III. SCHOOLDAYS AND AFTER
IV. THE WAYS DIVIDE
V. ACROSS THE SEA
VI. BRANT MEETS HERKIMER
VII. FORT STANWIX AND ORISKANY
VIII. FIGHTING ON THE FRONTIER
IX. CHERRY VALLEY
X. MINISINK AND THE CHEMUNG RIVER
XI. OVER THE BORDER
XII. ENGLAND ONCE MORE
XIII. STATESMAN OF THE TRIBES
XIV. THE CHURCH BELL RINGS
XV. THE PINE-TREE TOTTERS
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

CHAPTER I

THE YOUNG MOHAWK

A group of huntsmen were camping on the Ohio river. The
foliage swayed in the night wind, and the argent light
of the moon ran in fleeting bars through the dim recesses
of the forest. From the ground arose a ruddier glare.
High and dry, fires had been built and the flames were
darting and curvetting among the trees. In the weird
light the hunters were clustered about in squads, silently
stripping their prey or preparing their weapons for the
morrow's chase. In the background were the women, moving
here and there in the dancing shadows. One was bending
low over a newborn infant, and as she uttered his name
in the stillness of the evening it blended with the music
of the tree-tops.

'Thayendanegea!' [Footnote: Pronounced Tai-yen-da-nay-geh.]

The name was taken from the great book of nature. It was
a birth-name of the Mohawks meaning two sticks of wood
bound together, a sign of strength; and the woman hoped
that her tiny child might one day be a man of valour
among