upon a wintry storm and a summer
tempest, and seen the bright stars succeeding one, and the warm and
cheering sun the other, we can listen with calmness--even with
pleasure--to the tempest of a woman's anger, and survey, without
trembling, or hiding, or running away, the lightnings of her wrath,
because we know that after a storm comes a calm. We know that the sun
shines most gloriously when his beams are first unveiled by the
passing away of the clouds which have obscured him; we know that a
woman's face is most beautiful, when she has wiped the tears of anger
from her cheek, and dressed it in smiles to win back the love which
her folly has endangered. We will take you, beautiful creatures,
subject to the becoming passions of which you speak, filled with all
the beautiful frenzies of woman's temper. We know that all women,
whether they dwell among the Creeks, or in the island Ouaquaphenogan,
in the lake of the same name, are alike in their dispositions. It hath
long been taught, beautiful creatures, in our nation, and among all
nations of which we have heard our fathers speak, that men should take
them wives, but it is only now that we have recalled the maxim to our
minds, it is only now that we acknowledge the wisdom of our teachers.
Now, if men chose those only whose tempers never varied, one, two, may
be three, among all the sons of men would take wives; if one sought
for a maiden with a never clouded brow and soul, it might become the
labour of a whole nation to furnish mocassins for the feet of one
travelling in quest of the bride. Therefore we take you with all your
faults, believing that you have them but in common with all your sex,
and with no greater portion than belongs to others. And we bind on
your fair brows the flowers which betoken affection and constancy, and
we place in your soft and beautiful hands the emblems of the charge we
confide to them when we make you the wives of our bosoms."

So these four beautiful daughters of the sun became the affianced
brides of the four bewildered Creek hunters.

"But," said the beautiful maidens to their lovers, "we have told you
of the ferocity of our fathers and brothers, and of the hatred of our
nation towards the descendants of the men who overthrew and massacred
our ancestors. We cannot expose you to the danger of their wrath; you
must fly, but whithersoever that be, we will fly with you." So the
four beautiful daughters of the sun left for ever the island
Ou