would
immediately send such a force to Long Island, as would enable them to
overcome and take possession of all the other villages.

It will be remembered that the Esopus Indians had been completely
humbled, and almost annihilated. The tribe living in the immediate
vicinity of the village of Esopus, had been slaughtered or driven from
their lands. The survivors had taken refuge with other neighboring
tribes, who were more or less in sympathy with them. Thus while there
was a cessation of actual war, hostility continued. No terms of peace
had been agreed to, and there could be no friendly intercourse.

News reached Governor Stuyvesant that the Connecticut people, in their
intrigues to get possession of New Netherland, were tampering with
these river Indians, endeavoring to enter into a treaty of alliance,
offensive and defensive with them. It was consequently deemed
desirable immediately to secure a general peace with these Indians.

The sachems of several tribes were invited to assemble in the Council
Chamber at fort Amsterdam. The governor with nine of his council, met
them. It is worthy of special notice that, the preliminaries being
settled, one of the Indian chiefs offered an earnest prayer. First he
called several times, with a loud voice, upon the Great Spirit to hear
him In his language Bachtamo was the name for God.

"Oh Bachtamo," he said,

"help us to make a good treaty with the Dutch. And may the
treaty we are about to negotiate be like the stick I hold in
my hand. Like this stick may it be firmly united, the one
end to the other."

Then turning to the governor, he said, "We all desire peace. I have
come with my brother sachems, in behalf of the Esopus Indians, to
conclude a peace as firm and compact as my arms, which I now fold
together."

Then presenting his hand to Governor Stuyvesant he added, "What I now
say is from the fullness of my heart. Such is my desire, and that of
all my people."

A solemn treaty was soon negotiated. It was signed the next day, and
the event was celebrated by salvos of artillery. On the whole, the
terms were fair, but rather hard for the Indians. The treaty is
concisely given by O'Callaghan in the following words:

"By its terms all that had passed was to be forever
forgotten and forgiven. The land, already given to the Dutch
as an indemnity, and now again conquered by the sword, the
two forts belonging to the Indians included,