War on the Cannitticutt

(Source)

Little Wolf had convinced the brothers to spend a few days at the village of his father's brother, Blue Otter. The brothers had agreed, they were tired and both felt that a few days of staying in one place would be pleasant.

"Good, I think my arms are ready to fall off from paddling." Jacques groaned.

Little Wolf thought that amusing, he had seen no sign of either of les frères becoming tired, sleepy yes, but the two men were strong and had obviously traveled many days in the wilderness before he had met them.

When they reached the village, Alain noticed that it was on the western bank of the river, which he had assumed was Mohican territory. Which he then mentioned to Little Wolf, whose French was getting very good.

"Alain, the Mohican covet these lands, but we Abenaki have been here since Tabaldak created all that existed upon our Grandmother, the Earth. The Mohican are pushing hard to the south, but here, this is still the land of our ancestors." As he finished speaking a group of people had emerged from the village, his uncle among them and, to the surprise of Alain and Jacques, there was a Catholic priest.

(Source)

Blue Otter wrapped his arms around Little Wolf and in a voice a bear would be proud of, announced, "Son of my brother, son of my blood, welcome. Tell me who are your friends?"

The priest had thought the brothers to be Wyandot, for Little Wolf had convinced them to do their hair in the Wyandot style. The sun had also darkened their skin to the point where only their fine features and blue eyes gave them away.

"Welcome my children, perhaps I could hear your confessions later?" The priest was filthy from living in the village and never washing as the Abenaki did. In private the people called him Smelly Father. Though some in the village were interested in the religion of les français, all things spiritual interested them, they had no desire to offend their hero Gluscabi and Tabaldak. Their shaman had told them that to follow the Christian God would offend their Grandmother, the Earth. Respect Him, he said, but follow Him not.

To the priest Alain said, respectfully, "Perhaps Father, perhaps..." Alain muttered, in Abenaki, to Little Wolf, "I don't care for him, he smells."

Little Wolf laughed and then whispered to Alain, "Be careful, he speaks our language, not well, but he understands much."

(Source)

That night, after an excellent meal of venison, beans, corn, and squash (the latter were called the "Three Sisters" by the Abenaki according to Little Wolf), the brothers joined the men of the tribe around the main campfire. Blue Otter was watching them intently, he seemed to be having an internal debate with himself, finally he spoke.

"So, how did you français come to be so far south by yourselves? You are a long way from the Canadas."

Alain explained that they had traveled with a large party of Wyandot. Men of one clan had been sent by their sachem to determine the depth of English penetration up the Great River. What they had seen alarmed them. The brothers wanted to linger when the majority of the men wished to return to the north and report what they had seen.

The leader of the party, Little Beaver, had told them, "This is dangerous my friends, if something happens to you, your father would be most unhappy with me. But you are men now, not boys, what you will do, you will do." They had been given a small canoe and certain supplies for their trip up the river. The rest they would have to provide for themselves. Having grown up with their father in the wilderness, that wasn't a problem.

"Be careful, dress like the Wyandot, act like the Wyandot, and you might survive. Speak little, listen much. I will tell your father of your decision to have this adventure. I only wish I was young enough and foolish enough to join you." Little Beaver had sent them on their way with those parting words.

There were times when Alain wished they had stayed with the Wyandot, but, he had to admit, he was starting to enjoy himself.

Molly Henderson was upset, her father was insistent on her marrying William Tolbert, a fat merchant who plied his trade here in the wilderness. She thought that she would rather die than marry the much older man and move back to the town of Portsmouth, though it was the capitol of New Hampshire, it was not nearly as exciting as being on the frontier.

"Molly, you must be more ladylike, you will drive your father into an early grave!" Molly's mother Anne often chided her for her behavior. She had nearly fainted when Molly had announced her intention to go deer hunting with young Henry Abercrombie.

"You shall do no such thing young lady!"

Molly had dashed off in a huff, furious with her parents for expecting her to lead the boring life of a wife and mother. In a settled town of all places!

Short Bear was watching the small settlement from a stand of trees a bowshot from the nearest building. He saw a young woman run into view, she was nothing like any woman he had ever seen before. Her hair was the color of the leaves of the striped maple in the fall, rich and yellow. He hoped the signal to attack would be made soon. He was determined to make the woman his captive.

Spotted Wolf gave the signal shortly afterwards. Short Bear rushed forward with the others, he seized the yellow-haired woman and subdued her. While the others butchered the men of the settlement and took their own captives, Short Bear was content. He had what he desired.

Molly's hands were bound in front of her and she was pulled roughly along by her captor. She had turned once to look back and had seen the smoke and the flames rising from what had been her home. She supposed that now she at least wouldn't have to marry the fat merchant, but that did not ease her terror. Perhaps Portsmouth would not have been so bad after all.

Of the thirty-five people who had lived in the settlement, she saw only seven other survivors, three young boys of perhaps eight to ten years of age, and four girls, only one of which was near her in age. They had cried out and screamed until one of the Indians, a very tall man with a badly scarred face, had lifted his hand as if to strike them. They immediately grew quiet.

Molly wondered if they had seen the fresh blood on the tall man's body and arms. She knew then that her parents and all of the people she knew, save those with the war party, were now dead. She realized, with certain horror, that if she did not do as the Indians wished, they would kill her too.

In the afternoon of the second day of their stay at Blue Otter's village, a messenger came. After speaking with Blue Otter, the man continued on to the next village. Little Wolf came to see the brothers shortly afterwards.

"A war party of Abenaki, from a distant village, have attacked an English settlement further up the river. There is a soldier fort not far away, between us and the settlement that was attacked. The soldiers know of our village. Blue Otter fears that the soldiers will blame us for this attack and come here to make war."

Alain looked briefly at Jacques then asked, "Can we help you fight the English?"

Little Wolf looked surprised, then he said, "We are not going to fight them, Blue Otter will talk with them. As for you, brothers, Blue Otter says you must leave, if the English find any français in the village, it will look bad."

"What about Smelly Father?" Jacques asked his friend.

"He is to leave with us."

"You are coming with us? All four of us won't fit in our canoe..." Alain protested.

"Blue Otter has given us a larger canoe, but I know the Smelly Father, he will not paddle, he will sleep or pray all day. I would leave him but the Canadian Fathers would not like that, so we shall take him to the royal mountain."

As the canoe moved away from the shore, Alain noted with disgust that the priest was already asleep. The man didn't even awaken when the three friends heard the sounds of flintlocks firing and the screams of people dying.

It seemed that the English had no desire to talk with the Abenaki.

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