“And you too, Mr. Willet?”

“I’ve nothing against you, Chevalier de St. Luc, although I shall fight the cause of the king whom you represent here.  On the other hand I may say that I like you and I wish nothing better than to be friends with you here.”

“Then it is settled,” said St. Luc in a tone of relief.  “It is a good way, I think.  Why be enemies before we must?  I shall see, too, that my good Dubois becomes one of us, and together we will witness the Maple Dance.”

St. Luc’s manner continued frank, and Robert could not question his sincerity.  He was glad that the chevalier had proposed the temporary friendship and he was glad, too, that Willet approved of it, since he had such a great respect for the opinion of the hunter.  St. Luc, now that the treaty was made, bore himself as one of their party, and the dark Canadian, Dubois, who was not far away, also accepted the situation in its entirety.  Tayoga, too, confirmed it thoroughly and now that St. Luc was with him on a footing of friendship Robert felt more deeply than ever the charm of his manner and talk.  It seemed to him that the chevalier had the sincerity and honesty of de Galisonniere, with more experience and worldly wisdom, his experience and worldly wisdom matching those of de Courcelles with a great superiority in sincerity and honesty.

The three quickly became the five.  St Luc and Dubois being accepted were accepted without reserve, although Dubois seldom spoke, seeming to consider himself the shadow of his chief.  The next day the five stood together and witnessed the confessions of sins in the council grove, the religious ceremony that always preceded the Maple Dance.

Tododaho spoke to the sachems, the chiefs and the multitude upon their crimes and faults, the necessity for repentance and of resolution to do better in the future.  Robert saw but little difference between his sermon and that of a minister in the Protestant faith in which he had been reared.  Manitou was God and God was Manitou.  The Iroquois and the white men had traveled by different roads, but they had arrived at practically the same creed and faith.  The feeling that for the time being he was an Iroquois in a white man’s skin was yet strong upon him.

Many of the Indian sachems and chiefs were men of great eloquence, and the speech of Tododaho amid such surroundings, with the breathless multitude listening, was impressive to the last degree.  Its solemnity was increased, when he held aloft a belt of white wampum, and, enumerating his own sins, asked Manitou to forgive him.  When he had finished he exclaimed, “Naho,” which meant, “I have done.”  Then he passed the wampum to Tonessaah, who also made his confession, and all the other sachems and chiefs did the same, the people, too, joining with intense fervor in the manifestation.

A huge banquet of all that forest, river and field afforded was spread the next morning, and at noon athletic games, particularly those with the ball, in which the red man excelled long before the white man came, began and were played with great energy and amid intense excitement.  At the same time the great Feather Dance, religious in its nature, was given by twelve young warriors and twelve young girls, dressed in their most splendid costumes.