of the devil, and slew these men, who were not fighting, nor had either
they or the Indians declared war or anger at all. They slew these men
while the bread of charity was still in their mouths. This is treachery
and murder. All people hate murder, all people seek to have revenge for
murder. This is the law among Indians also. If a white man kill an
Indian, the Indians desire that white man to be put to death. Now my
people come to me and ask for satisfaction. The law among the whites is
that they cannot have revenge unless I permit it. Now my people come
and ask me for revenge. But many snows have fallen upon this blood, and
they hide it from my sight. Many snows have fallen also on my head; my
head is very white, and I have seen many things. When the head is
white, the heart ought to be prudent and moderate. I will not therefore
take the lives of these Indians now before me, though they are all in
my hand, and if I close it, it will strangle them all. My head is
white, but my hand is strong, and my heart is not weak. If I punish
them less than by killing them, it is not because I am weak, nor
because I am afraid. But I want to do good to these Indians. What good
would their lives do me! Their lives are of no use to me to take at
present. But I wish to preserve their lives, and to change their lives.
I wish to change their hearts, and to let them see that our laws are
good and our hearts are good, and that we do not kill, even when we
have a right to kill, and when we have the power to kill. There is a
rock at Metlakatlah, and a rock at Victoria, upon which their old canoe
has split. Now I offer them a new canoe. When men are sailing in an old
broken canoe, and have with difficulty got to shore, and made a small
camp, if anybody offer them a fine new canoe with which to continue the
voyage of life, they should accept the offer gladly. Now there is a
much better canoe, as they may see, at Metlakatlah. I wish them to sail
in such a canoe for the future, and to adopt a better rule of life, and
a better law of religion. They must at present go back to prison until