The Pioneer Boys on the Great Lakes; or, On the Trail of the Iroquois

by St. George Rathborne

  NOTES

  NOTE 1 (PAGE 7)

  THE modern repeating rifle is a far different weapon from the clumsy,uncertain, inaccurate flint-lock musket, and yet our forefathersdeveloped rare skill in the use of these primitive guns, which werefired by a flint striking the hammer, causing a spark to ignite a pinchof powder in a receptacle called the "pan." This in turn ignited thecharge of powder that speeded the bullet on its way.

  The loading of such a gun was a slow and painstaking task. The chargeof powder must be measured out and poured down the barrel. The bullet,with its "patch," or bit of rag, must then be rammed down upon thepowder, and finally the priming of powder must be placed in the pan.The utmost care was used in loading, but, even then, the spark mightfail to ignite the priming, or the latter might be damp, or have beenshaken from the pan. Many a brave frontiersman lost his life because,in his time of need, his musket failed to "go off."

  NOTE 2 (PAGE 21)

  The Five Nations was the name given by Champlain to a league that hadbeen formed by five powerful tribes of the Iroquois race, the Mohawks,Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas, who inhabited the Lake Regionof what is now Central New York. The name of the league was changedto the Six Nations when, in 1722, the Tuskaroras, fleeing from NorthCarolina, found a refuge with the league and became a member of it.

  The union was for the purposes of offence and defence and originallyhad a permanent central government lodged in fifty chiefs, who heldoffice for life. In the colonial wars between the French and Englishand, later, in the Revolutionary War, the Six Nations were usuallyfound fighting on the side of the English.

  NOTE 3 (PAGE 85)

  Except for some tribes of the Pacific Coast, who held their captivesas slaves, a male prisoner was either adopted into the tribe, or elseput to death by torture, the decision usually resting with the women.If the prisoner's death was decided on, the most fiendish ingenuity wasshown. While burning at the stake was the most common mode of death, itwas usually preceded by a succession of tortures, carefully planned toprolong the victim's agony to the utmost.

  NOTE 4 (PAGE 107)

  The turkey, now domesticated in nearly every country of the world, is anative of North America, and was unknown before the coming of Columbus.While now the wild turkey is almost extinct, the early settlersfound these birds in the greatest abundance, and they formed a notunimportant portion of the frontiersman's fare.

  NOTE 5 (PAGE 192)

  The Indian method of disposing of the dead varied with the differenttribes and different localities. While burial in the ground was morecommon, many tribes, notably of the plains, placed the bodies in treesor upon platforms; others placed their dead in sitting positions incaves; still others practised cremation. It was the general custom toeither burn or bury the personal belongings of the deceased, in orderthat he might enjoy their use in the life to come.

  NOTE 6 (PAGE 226)

  Although smoking was a universal custom among the American Indians,tobacco was unknown to the rest of the world previous to the discoveryof America; but its use has since spread to the four quarters of theglobe. The Spaniards were the first European smokers, but their examplewas quickly followed by the other nations, although church and statedid what they could to prevent the spread of the habit, Pope Urban VIIhaving even gone so far as to issue an edict against it.

  The scientific name, Nicotiana, was given tobacco in honor of JeanNicot, French Ambassador to Portugal, who, on his return to France,presented a package of seed to Catherine de Medici.

  Among the Indians, ceremonial smoking was a universal rite, and had adeep religious significance, smoke being considered as an incense ofthe gods, while the act of smoking was the strongest form of oath.

  All discussions between individuals, all councils of a tribe, alltreaty-making was preceded by the smoking of "the pipe of peace" andall agreements were ratified by the passing of the sacred pipe fromhand to hand until all had joined in the solemn ceremony.

  NOTE 7 (PAGE 284)

  Among the eastern Indians the principal civil officers were theSachems. This office was elective, in theory; but, in practice, it wasusually hereditary. There was also a head war-chief, although at timesthe two offices were held by the same individual. Except for these twoofficers, there can hardly be said to have been any social distinctionsamong the various members of a tribe. At that, the authority of theSachem generally depended more on the ability and influence of theindividual than on the power conferred by his office, while, except inactual warfare, where his commands were fairly well obeyed, the headwar-chief seems to have had no authority whatever.

  NOTE 8 (PAGE 337)

  Wampum was used by the Indians both as an ornament and as money. It wasof two kinds, the white, made from the stem of the periwinkle shell,and the black, made from the dark spot in the quahog shell. Both werecarefully shaped and polished, then pierced and strung in the form ofbelts, necklaces or bracelets. The black wampum was considered morevaluable than the white.