The Companions, Too, Of
Mr. Clarke, Considered The Sentence Too Severe, And Advised Him
To Mitigate It; But He Was Inexorable.
He was not naturally a
stern or cruel man; but from his boyhood he had lived in the
Indian country among Indian traders, and held the life of a
savage extremely cheap.
He was, moreover, a firm believer in the
doctrine of intimidation.
Farnham, a clerk, a tall "Green Mountain boy" from Vermont, who
had been robbed of a pistol, acted as executioner. The signal was
given, and the poor Pierced-nose resisting, struggling, and
screaming, in the most frightful manner, was launched into
eternity. The Indians stood round gazing in silence and mute awe,
but made no attempt to oppose the execution, nor testified any
emotion when it was over. They locked up their feelings within
their bosoms until an opportunity should arrive to gratify them
with a bloody act of vengeance.
To say nothing of the needless severity of this act, its impolicy
was glaringly obvious. Mr. M'Lennan and three men were to return
to the post with the horses, their loads having been transferred
to the canoes. They would have to pass through a tract of country
infested by this tribe, who were all horsemen and hard riders,
and might pursue them to take vengeance for the death of their
comrade. M'Lennan, however, was a resolute fellow, and made light
of all dangers. He and his three men were present at the
execution, and set off as soon as life was extinct in the victim;
but, to use the words of one of their comrades, "they did not let
the grass grow under the heels of their horses, as they clattered
out of the Pierced-nose country," and were glad to find
themselves in safety at the post.
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