as not as straight or as honest
as _Davy Crockett_. We find him, for example, entrusted with the post
of Governor of Mackinac, and conducting affairs so illy that he was
tried for treason. He may have advanced as a soldier through the
successive ranks to Major, but it would seem that the higher up he
advanced in position the more unscrupulous he became.

After serving his term in the Debtors' Prison, which began on June 14,
1773, he returned to America, at the beginning of the Revolution.
Among his Colonial friends, he not only counted John Stark, the
ranger, but Israel Putnam as well, both of them ardent patriots and
upholders of the American cause. It would seem, in 1775, that Rogers,
to all outward appearance, was himself in sympathy with America. He
professed being the staunch lover of those principles which America
was upholding. But General Washington soon had cause to doubt his
loyalty, and he was watched. With the result that his arrest was
ordered, and thereupon he confessed his adherence to the Crown. Rogers
then joined the forces of General Howe, bringing with him an
invaluable knowledge of the land in New York and New Jersey, and
adjacent territory. He was put in command of a company, known as the
"Queen's Rangers," and throughout the Revolution fought bravely on the
opposing side. After returning to England, he battled for further
recognition, but never received the full honours he courted. He died
on May 18, 1795, in South London.

"Ponteach" was probably never given in Rogers's time. There is no
record of its even having been considered by any of the theatrical
companies. It was published in 1766, with a London imprint on the
title-page.[3] There is some slight probability that it was given an
amateur production at Lake George by the summer residents
there--certainly an appropriate spot to present a play by Rogers,
inasmuch as the Ranger was known in that neighbourhood, and there is
now familiar to all visitors a place called "Rogers's Slide," marking
one of his escapades with the Indians.

In the present collection, the editor has followed the text of the
1766 edition, fully realizing the consistent changes made by Mr. Allan
Nevins in his edition of the play which, with an Introduction,
Biography, and invaluable historical notes, was published in 1914 by
the Caxton Club of Chicago.[4]

This piece is one which is not only interesting as representative of
the early type of Indian drama in America, but