rs and
settlers, who assured him that King Louis would come to his assistance
in due time, with men and ammunition. Strong in this belief, as well as
in his innate sense of right and justice, he planned to unite the
scattered tribes against the invader and overthrow all the border forts
in a day. His boldness and aggressiveness were unique in the history of
Indian warfare.

At this juncture a remarkable man was chosen to guide the Indian policy
in America. Sir William Johnson had long been engaged in trade among the
Six Nations, and more especially the Mohawks. His influence among them
was very great; and it was partly through his conciliatory methods, and
partly by reason of the betrayal of his plans and the failure of the
French to keep their promises of assistance, that Pontiac, perhaps our
greatest military genius, was forced to surrender.

A sad feature of the early wars was the sufferings of those Indians who
had listened to the preaching of Jesus Christ. In Massachusetts, during
King Philip's war, the Christian Indians were treated no better than the
"heathen savages." Some were hanged, some imprisoned, and some sold as
slaves to the West Indies. At best, they lost their homes and
improvements, and nearly perished of cold and hunger. In Pennsylvania,
at Conestoga and Wyoming Valley, they were horribly murdered, and the
peaceful Moravian Indians were butchered at prayer in their church,
while no one dared say a word of protest except the Quakers.

To return to the wars in the South, many of these were mere feuds
between one or two families. The Cherokees secured concessions and
promises of better treatment from the white men, after which they
continued friendly, and helped in overcoming the Creeks and Seminoles.

Practically all Indian wars have been caused by a few self-seeking men.
For instance, a man may secure through political influence a license to
trade among the Indians. By his unprincipled practices, often in
defiance of treaty agreements, such as gross overcharging and the use of
liquor to debauch the natives, he accumulates much tainted wealth. This
he invests in lands on the border or even within the Indian territory if
ill-defined. Having established himself, he buys much stock, or perhaps
sets up a mill on Indian water-power. He gathers his family and
hirelings about him, and presently becomes a man of influence in his
home state. From the vantage point of a rough border town, peopled
largely wit