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we
Englishman as his, son, brot
_ again to my house, in a temper of mind v
“and thoughtful. He told me-that he
his wintering-ground, an
WAWATAM’S WARNING. > 71
at Mackinaw, in the preceding year, a Chippewa, named
- Wawatam, began to come frequently to my house, ‘betraying
in his demeanor strong. personal regard. After this had
continued. some time, he came, on a certain, day, bringing
with him his whole family, and, .at the same time,.a large
_ present, consisting of skins, sugar, and dried meat. Tlaving
laid these in a heap, he commenced a speech, in which he
informed me that, some years before, lic had observed a fast,
‘devoting himself, according to the ‘custom of his nation, to
solitude, and to the mortification of his body, in the hope to
obtain, from the Great Spirit, protection through all his
days; that on this occasion he had dreamed of adopting an
her, and friend; that, from the
moment. in ‘which he first beheld me, he had recognized me
“as the person whom the Great Spirit had been pleased to
point out to him for a brother; that he |
ioped that T would
not refuse his present ; and that he should forever regard me
as one of his family.
“T could not do otherwise than accept the present, and
declare my willingness to ‘have so good a man as this
appeared to be for my friend and brother. T offered a present
in return for that which I had received, which Wawatam
accepted ; and then, thanking me for, th
“that I had rendered him, he left me, an
on his winter’s hunt. .
d soon after set out
“Twelve months had now elapsed since the occurrence of
this incident, and T had almost’ forgot the person of my
brother, when, on the second day of June, Wawatam, came
iptbly melancholy
had just returned from
d T asked after his health; but witbout
n, he went on to say that he was scrry
that he- intended ta
tely after his arrival
answering my questio
to find me returned from the Sault;
proceed to that place himself, immedia
at Mackinaw; and that he wished me to go there along with
him and his family the next morning. To all this he joined
an inquiry, whether cr not the commandant had heard bad
news, adding that during the winter he had himself been
frequently disturbed with the noise of evil birds ; ‘and further
guggesting tlat there were numerous Indians, near the fort,
&
e favor which he said °