is great King George against the French--yes,
and to make strong the arm of our warriors should the French come here
with the great guns like these, that make naught of the small gun,"--he
looked scornfully at the firelock and shook it in his left hand--"and
the bow and arrows--"he spat upon the ground. "And what does the great
Earl of Loudon? He builds this fort for which we have paid with our
blood! blood! blood!--these guns bought with long marches and burnt
towns and the despiteful usage of the Virginians"--once more he spat
upon the ground. "And then he sends his redcoat soldiers to hold our
fort from us and man our great guns and be a threat and a danger forever
to our peace and make us slaves to the fear of the great cannon!
_Yo-he-wah! Yo-he-wah!_[G] And when we send a talk to tell him this, he
sends more soldiers! And the white men gather together for grief to the
red man, and take the Indians' fort paid for with the Indians' blood and
turn the great cannon against him who bought them with a dear price, and
bar out his entrance from his own"--the foam flew from his lips. "You
call on your friend--where?"

He turned a scornful fiery face to look at the scornful fiery faces
about him. "Where?"

"Here!" Captain Stuart's calm, full voice struck the vibrating air at
least an octave lower than the keen, high vociferation of the Cherokee.
"Here is my friend! That is the moon, Atta-Kulla-Kulla, _neus-se
a-nan-to-ge_"[H]--he lifted his arm and with his debonair, free gesture
pointed at it. "Another sun has not risen. And yet this day, and before
the sun was high, you told me that naught should come between you and
me. You told me that even a cloud coming between you and me could not
separate us because you knew my heart--and my heart swelled with pride
at your words."

He hesitated for a moment; he detected a sudden change in the Indian's
face. "My heart swelled with pride," he went on, firmly, "for I believed
you! And I believe you still, for"--he laid his hand on the Cherokee's
breast in imitation of the gesture of Atta-Kulla-Kulla as he repeated
Atta-Kulla-Kulla's words--"for I know _your heart_."

There was a moment of tense silence. Then not waiting for the dramatic
effect to be lost, he continued: "And now, if you say it is not well to
shut the gates on this array of braves, I open them! I come here because
I am sent--a _unaka_ soldier has no will of his own. He is held to a
strict law, and has no liberty such