ere's
three colors on 'arth: white, black, and red. White is the highest
color, and therefore the best man; black comes next, and is put to live
in the neighborhood of the white man, as tolerable, and fit to be made
use of; and red comes last, which shows that those that made 'em never
expected an Indian to be accounted as more than half human."

"God made all three alike, Hurry."

"Alike! Do you call a nigger like a white man, or me like an Indian?"

"You go off at half-cock, and don't hear me out. God made us all, white,
black, and red; and, no doubt, had his own wise intentions in coloring
us differently. Still, he made us, in the main, much the same in
feelin's; though I'll not deny that he gave each race its gifts. A
white man's gifts are Christianized, while a red-skin's are more for the
wilderness. Thus, it would be a great offence for a white man to scalp
the dead; whereas it's a signal vartue in an Indian. Then ag'in, a white
man cannot amboosh women and children in war, while a red-skin may. 'Tis
cruel work, I'll allow; but for them it's lawful work; while for us, it
would be grievous work."

"That depends on your inimy. As for scalping, or even skinning a savage,
I look upon them pretty much the same as cutting off the ears of wolves
for the bounty, or stripping a bear of its hide. And then you're out
significantly, as to taking the poll of a red-skin in hand, seeing that
the very colony has offered a bounty for the job; all the same as it
pays for wolves' ears and crows' heads."

"Ay, and a bad business it is, Hurry. Even the Indians themselves cry
shame on it, seeing it's ag'in a white man's gifts. I do not pretend
that all that white men do, is properly Christianized, and according
to the lights given them, for then they would be what they ought to be;
which we know they are not; but I will maintain that tradition, and use,
and color, and laws, make such a difference in races as to amount to
gifts. I do not deny that there are tribes among the Indians that are
nat'rally pervarse and wicked, as there are nations among the whites.
Now, I account the Mingos as belonging to the first, and the Frenchers,
in the Canadas, to the last. In a state of lawful warfare, such as
we have lately got into, it is a duty to keep down all compassionate
feelin's, so far as life goes, ag'in either; but when it comes to
scalps, it's a very different matter."

"Just hearken to reason, if you please, Deerslayer, and tell me