Ms head to the grave yaid, and that it devoured
all the bodies buried. This gave a mpst. offensive
breath, which, was thércause of the sickness.
He also dreamt that there was a great giant
under the cornfield, who ate up the Corn.
When he revealed these dreams to .the chiefs, '
they determined to abandon the town, and immediately
romóvbd to Buffalo creek.r The gCtr
pent soon followed them, and entered the mouth
of the creek, but the Great Spirit, whose especial
favorites they ever were,' sent lightning to destroy
it. The monster, howqVer, proceeded up
the stream, until the arrows from above- fell so,
thick, that he was obliged to turn. Hjs'great
size made him press against the shores, and
break off thé ground, and This -is the cause of
the expanse of the rifer thffee’miles above its
mouth. Before he reached the mouth of the
stream, however* the arrows had Cut him apart,
and thus they escaped' this scourge. -i
I When they Wént back to. visit their bld toWn
on the Ohippewa river, theyfoundthegiaiitwho
had eaten up the corn, hanging by óne'deg'from
tire crotch of a high dodge pole, with his body
on the ground, lie was very meagre,:and had
very long and thin legs, with scarcely any flesh
on'them (W. I. C. Homer): -
If the above'is to be regarded as an allegory
of sickness and famine, it would have put Greek
fancy to the task, to have concentrated the master
in a smaller compass, or to have éx-hibitëd it
in a moré striking light.
SIEGE OF JORT STANWTX AND BATTLE OF
ORISKANY.
b SenecR- tradition is rife on this subject. Te-
toyoah says that tkey lost thirty-three chiefs in
the hattje of Oriskany. .
Jacob Blacksnake adds, that he has seen a
book in which it was. stated that the Senecas
had burned, eight officers taken at this battle, in
revenge for their losses... This he contradicts, on
the authority of his father, Governor Blacksnake,
Who was there'. The., officers had been asked
for after the battle, by the British, for the purpose
of being; rescued;- but they Were refused by the
Indians, on account of their great losses. They
•were not, however* burned at the stake. It was
deputed that they should run the gauntlet, and
they were killed by clubs, &c., in this ordeal,
\ De fea t of the kah-kwahs on buffalo
CREEK. .
Some of the Sepecas affirm,, that it is ninety
•years since-the battle with the Kah-kwahs, on
the site of the grave yard, on,the Buffalo creek
reservation, was fought. This would place the
event jn. 1755, a date so modern, and so well
known, in our colonial history, as to prove what
a poor figure they make in attempts to adjust
chronology.. If 190 years (and* perhaps, such
should he the tradition,) he taken, the event (allowing
two years /or their defence) would assume
the precise time (1655) indicated for it, by