men--and after consulting for a long while an old man approached
me and laid his hand upon my heart to feel it beat; and then he
shouted we really were not afraid at all. After that six more members
of the council came, and after that they presented me a coat made of
beaver skin, and told me they gave it to me because I came here and
ought to be very tired, and he pointed to his and my legs; and besides,
it is because you have been marching through the snow. And when I
took the coat they shouted three times: "Netho, netho, netho!" which
means, "This is very well." And directly after that they laid five pieces
of beaver skins on my feet, at the same time requesting me that in the
future they should receive four hands of seawan and four handbreadths
of cloth for every big beaver skin, because we have to go so far with
our skins; and very often when we come to your places we do not find
any cloth or seawan or axes or kettles, or not enough for all of us,
and then we have had much trouble for nothing, and have to go back
over a great distance, carrying out goods back again. After we sat for
a considerable time, an old man came to us, and translated it to us in
the other language, and told us that we did not answer yet whether
they were to have four hands of seawan or not for their skins. I told
him that we had not the power to promise that, but that we should
report about it to the chief at the Manhatans, who was our commander,
and that I would give him a definite answer in the spring, and come
myself to their land. Then they said to me "Welsmachkoo," you must
not lie, and surely come to us in the spring, and report to us about all.
And if you will give us four hands of seawan we will not sell our
skins to anyone but you; and after that they gave me the five beaver
skins, and shouted as hard as they could: "Netho, netho, netho!"
And then, that everything should be firmly binding, they called or
sang: "Ha assironi atsimach koo kent oya kayuig wee Onneyatte
Onaondaga Koyocke hoo hanoto wany agweganne hoo schene ha