270
TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1825-1843
attend the council-I have been told by some that you would not like to go to a council on the Trinity river, fearing some harm would be done you by our people-Do not believe this-I call upon the Great Spirit to witness the truth of my words- No treachery will be done you-You can come and go in safety and none shall molest you-If you desire it when you go to the council I will remain a hostage in your camps, and 'if my words to you this day prove false, let my life be a forfeit for the wrong that is done you.-There must at some time be peace between the red and white man of Texas-We cannot always continue as we have been for years past, warring with each other and bringing sorrow among our women and children-The present is the most favorable time that can occur to make this peace and settle all our difficulties-The chief of Texas desires only the good of the red man-He desires to see them living happily among themselves unmolested and not fearing the white man- My Chief did not send you the white men you wished for hostages or the uniform you desired-He sent me and the others with me, that you might see us and hear the words of peace from our own mouths-When you make peace with me and go to see him he will give you your uniform and such other presents as one brother would give another who had come a long distance to see him-as this is a council to make peace and the place appointed so far from our homes it will be impossible to get such supplies of provisions there for you as we could wish-after we have made a final treaty and our red brothers meet us in council it will be near our people and we will have plenty to give them to eat-My words to you are spoken-" I then produced the letter of your Excellency to Pah-hah-yuco and after showing and ex- piaining the nature of the signature and the great seal, read and presented it to him, that it might remind him of what you yourself had said and that your words were the words of peace -with this he seemed pleased and the document was apparently well rece'ived-The presents were then distributed to those present by the Chief-after this he notified me that another council would be held by his warriors in the evening and that he would be ready to "talk" on the morrow-The council then acijourned-From appearances at the close I judged that all looked more bright and favorable for us, but there was no doubt considerable divis'ion existed among them-I felt however that our situation was extremely critical, placed as we were among many who had lost relatives in their wars with Texas, and were
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