advantage of the wind and arrived safe at the fort; and
thus was the garrison relieved and those in the fort saved from
destruction by the courage of this one man."

"You say that Pontiac is now dead, at least Martin Super told us so. How
did he die, Captain Sinclair?" inquired Mrs. Campbell.

"He was killed by an Indian, but it is difficult to say why. For many
years he had made friends with us and he had received a liberal pension
from the Government; but it appears that his hatred against the English
had again broken out, and in a council held by the Indians, he proposed
assailing us anew. After he had spoken, an Indian buried his knife in
his heart, but whether to gratify a private animosity or to avoid a
further warfare with those who had always thinned their tribes, it is
difficult to ascertain. One thing is certain, that most of the Indian
animosity against the English is buried with him."

"Thank you, Captain Sinclair," said Mary Percival, "for taking so much
trouble. I think Pontiac's history is a very interesting one."

"There was much to admire and much to deplore in his character, and we
must not judge the Indian too harshly. He was formed for command, and
possessed great courage and skill in all his arrangements, independent
of his having the tact to keep all the Lake tribes of Indians
combined,--no very easy task. That he should have endeavored to drive us
away from those lands of which he considered himself (and very correctly
too) as the sovereign, is not to be wondered at, especially as our
encroachments daily increased. The great fault of his character, in our
eyes, was his treachery; but we must remember that the whole art of
Indian warfare is based upon stratagem."

"But his attacking the fort after he had been so generously dismissed
when his intentions were known, was surely very base," remarked Mrs.
Campbell.

"What we consider a generous dismissal, he probably mistook for folly
and weakness. The Indians have no idea of generosity in warfare. Had
Pontiac been shot, he would have died bravely, and he had no idea that,
because Major Gladwin did not think proper to take his life, he was
therefore bound to let us remain in possession of his lands. But
whatever treachery the Indians consider allowable and proper in warfare,
it is not a portion of the Indian character; for at any other time his
hospitality and good faith are not to be doubted, if he pledges himself
for your safety. It is a pity t