Was It a Forgery? [pp. 1-10]

Was it a Forgery?
own number, and then go aboard their vessel,
where they number sometimes thirty, never
more."
The story of these Indians was that the
mysterious bearded men came from the west
each year, in the spring time, in search of a
certain wood valuable as dyewood, which
they described as being yellow and as having
a disagreeable smell. In order to relieve
themselves from the fear of losing some of
their young people by capture on the occasion of these annual visits, this tribe followed
the advice of one of their old men, and
killed off all the specimens of this tree near
the river, leaving for their own use only scattered trees in the interior. This had the
desired effect, so far as visits to the lands of
this particular tribe was concerned; but
some of their neighbors could not imitate
their action, because the yellow wood was
the only wood that they had, and the bearded
men transferred their visits to that part of the
coast. These others had apparently, in turn,
endured this periodical fear for the safety of
their young people until the burden was too
great for their patience, and the arrival of
Moncacht-Ap6 at the time when the annual
visit of the bearded men was impending,
found the several tribes of this part of the
coast prepared for a formidable rendezvous
at the customary landing-place of the vessel.
They hoped through their great superiority
of numbers to destroy the expedition, so
that others would be frightened and prevented from coming. The presence among
them at such a time of a man who had seen
fire-arms and who had met white men was
especially gratifying to them, and they urged
him to accompany them, adding that their
expedition lay in the same direction that he
must go. Even while thus joining his friends
on the war-path, this remarkable savage
frankly admits that he was influenced by his
thirst for knowledge.
"I replied that my heart found that it was
good that I should go with them. In that
I had a desire that I wished to satisfy. I
was anxious to see these bearded men who
could not resemble the French, the English,
nor the Spaniards that I had seen, all of
whom trim their beards and wear different
clothes. My cheerful assent created much
pleasure among these people, who thought
with reason that a man who had seen whites
and many nations ought to have more in telligence than those who had never left their
homes and had only seen red men."
The place of rendezvous was to the north ward five days' journey, and here the Indians
assembled at the appointed time. They
waited seventeen days for the bearded men
before there were signs of their arrival, when
two vessels were seen to approach. A skillful ambuscade had been arranged under the
advice of Moncacht-Apg, which in the event
of their landing and dispersing as usual to
cut wood, promised the annihilation of those
who landed. But the white men, instead of
landing at once, busied themselves for three
days "in filling with fresh water vessels of
wood similar to those in which the French
place fire-water." It was not until the fourth
day that they went ashore to cut wood.
"Then," says Moncacht-Ap6, "the Indians
carried out the attack which I had advised.
Nevertheless they killed only eleven; I
do not know why it is that red men, who are
so sure in shooting at game, aim so badly at
their enemies. The rest gained their vessels
and fled upon the Great-Water, where we followed them with our eyes and finally lost
them. They were as much intimidated by
our numbers as we were afraid of their firearms.
"We then went to examine the dead
which remained with us. They were much
smaller in stature than we were, and were
very white. Their heads were large, and
their bodies large enough for their height.
Their hair was long only in the middle of
the head. They did not wear hats, like you,
but their heads were twisted around with
cloth. Their clothes were neither woolen
nor made of bark, but something similar to
your old shirts, very soft and of different colors. That which covered their legs and their
feet was of a single piece. I wished to try
on one of their coverings, but my feet would
not enter it.
"All the natives assembled in this place
6
[July,