He was bent,
at that very moment, on a scheme worthy of the loftiest spirit
living; the regeneration and union of the people of his race, with a
view to recover the possessions they had yielded to the pale-faces;
but it was a project blended with the ferocity and revenge of a
savage-noble while ferocious.
Not idly had the whites, scattered along that frontier, given the
sobriquet of "Scalping" to Peter, As his pole now showed, it had
been earned in a hundred scenes of bloody vengeance; and so great
had been his success, that the warrior, prophet, and councillor, for
all these characters were united in his single person, began to
think the attainment of his wishes possible. As a matter of course,
much ignorance of the power of the Anglo-Saxon race on this
continent. was blended with these opinions and hopes; but it was
scarcely an ignorance exceeding that of certain persons of far
higher pretensions in knowledge, who live in another hemisphere, and
who often set themselves up as infallible judges of all things
connected with man and his attributes. Peter, the "Tribeless," was
not more in fault than those who fancied they saw the power of this
great republic in the gallant little band collected at Corpus
Christi, under its indomitable chief, and who, march by march, nay,
foot by foot, as it might be, have perseveringly predicted the halt,
the defeat, the disasters, and final discomfiture, which it has not
yet pleased Divine Providence to inflict on this slight effort of
the young Hercules, as he merely moves in his cradle.
Pages:
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309