ield the bow or the tomahawk. A white man in the
Indian country, according to a story that is told, met a Shawnese
riding a horse, which he recognised as his own, and claimed it as his
property. The Indian calmly answered: "Friend, after a little while I
will call on you at your house, when we will talk this matter over." A
few days afterwards, the Indian came to the white man's house, who
insisted on having his horse restored to him. The other then told him:
"Friend, the horse which you claim belonged to my uncle, who lately
died; according to the Indian custom, I have become heir to all his
property." The white man not being satisfied, and renewing his demand,
the Indian immediately took a coal from the fire-place, and made two
striking figures on the door of the house; the one representing the
white man taking the horse, and the other himself in the act of
scalping him: then he coolly asked the trembling claimant whether he
could read this Indian writing. The matter was thus settled at once,
and the Indian rode off.

_Austin._ Ay; the white man knew that he had better give up the horse
than be scalped.

After the hunter had told Austin and his brothers that he should be
sure to have something new to tell them on their next visit, they took
their departure, having quite enough to occupy their minds till they
reached home.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER V.

"Black Hawk! Black Hawk!" cried out Austin Edwards, as he came in
sight of the hunter, who was just returning to his cottage as Austin
and his brothers reached it. "You promised to tell us all about Black
Hawk, and we are come to hear it now."

The hunter told the boys that it had been his intention to talk with
them about the prairies and bluffs, and to have described the wondrous
works of God in the wilderness. It appeared, however, that Austin's
heart was too much set on hearing the history of Black Hawk, to
listen patiently to any thing else; and the hunter, perceiving this,
willingly agreed to gratify him. He told them, that, in reading or
hearing the history of Indian chiefs, they must not be carried away by
false notions of their valour, for that it was always mingled with
much cruelty. The word of God said truly, that "the dark places of the
earth are full of the habitations of cruelty."[2] "With untaught
Indians," continued he, "revenge is virtue; and to tomahawk an enemy,
and tear away his