Le Bourdon had now
little expectation that his assumed character could be maintained
among these savages any longer, did accident again throw him in
their way. The chiefs, he saw, had distrusted him all along, but had
given him an opportunity to prove what he could do, in order to
satisfy the more vulgar curiosity of their young men. He wisely
determined, therefore, to keep out of the hands of his enemies.
Although le Bourdon could hold a conversation in the tongue of the
Ojebways, he was not fond of so doing. He comprehended without
difficulty nearly all of what was said by them, and had observed the
previous night that the warriors made many allusions to a chief whom
they styled Onoah, but who he himself knew was usually called
Scalping Peter among the whites of that frontier. This savage had a
fearful reputation at all the garrisons, though he never showed
himself in them; and he was now spoken of by the Pottawattamies
present, as if they expected to meet him soon, and to be governed by
his commands or his advice. The bee-hunter had paid great attention
whenever this dreaded name was mentioned, for he was fully aware of
the importance of keeping clear of an enemy who bore so bad a
reputation that it was not considered prudent for a white man to
remain long in his company even in a time of peace.
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