conscious that Tayoga was
speaking. He had not heard Bigot call upon him, but that he had called
was evident.

Tayoga stood up, tall, calm and dignified. He too had the oratorical
power which was afterward displayed so signally by the Seneca who was
first called by his own people Otetiani and was later known as
Sagoyewatha, but who was known to the white men as Red Jacket.

"I speak to you not as a Frenchman nor as an Englishman," said Tayoga,
"but as a warrior of the clan of the Bear of the nation Onondaga, of the
great League of the Hodenosaunee. Most of this land belonged to our
fathers before ever Englishmen or Frenchmen crossed the great water and
put foot upon these shores. Where you sit now was Stadacona, the village
of our brother race, the Mohawks. Frenchmen or Englishmen may make war
upon one another, or they may make peace with one another, but the
Hodenosaunee cannot be forgotten. There are many beautiful rivers and
lakes and forests to the south and west, but they do not belong to
either Onontio or Corlear. The laws of the fifty sachems who sit in
council in the vale of Onondaga run there, and those who leave them out,
be they French or English, reckon ill. There was a time when Frontenac
came raiding their villages, burning and slaying, but we did not know
the use of firearms then. Now we do know their use and have them, and in
battle we can meet the white man on equal terms, be he English or
French. I have been to the white man's school and I have learned that
there are other great continents beyond the sea. I do not know what may
happen in them, nor does it matter, but in this vast continent which you
call America the wars and treaties of the English and the French are
alike unavailing, unless they consider the wishes of the Hodenosaunee."

He spoke in a manner inexpressibly haughty, and when he had finished he
swept the table from end to end with his challenging glance, then he sat
down amid a deep silence. But they were French. They understood that he
had tossed a glove among them, their quick minds saw that the challenge
was intended not alone for them, but for the English as well, unless the
rights of the Hodenosaunee were respected, and such a speech at such a
time appealed to their gallant instincts. After a moment or two of
silence the applause burst forth in a storm.

"'Twas a fair warning," said de Courcelles in Robert's ear, "and 'twas
meant for us both."

It was on Robert's tongue to rep