by Hervey Keyes
CHAPTER V.
The place of rest where the red man unstrung his bow and slept twohundred years ago, beneath the shades of an overgrown forest, where thegrandsires of that much-abused race planted their orchard, which borethe gems of bright abundance in autumn's golden days to regale theirtaste and satisfy their appetites, whilst they rested from the chase,this Garden of Eden so much famed in Indian story, the red man'sresting-place, where he gathered in his stock of furs for his winterclothing and dried his venison to sustain his own life and the life ofhis family during the cold stormy winters of this latitude, around whosefertile plain the towering hills stand as sentinels to guard the plainbelow from furious winds and drifting storms, was highly esteemed by theIndian tribes for the abundance of fish that inhabited the waters of theSusquehanna and its tributaries.
There has long been a story of revolutionary days connected with thisrenowned place. Sir William Johnson, a Major-General in the Britisharmy, came to Johnstown and took up his residence in that place. Whilstthere he had some business to transact with the Indians, who frequentlycame to that place to trade. He there became acquainted with a youngsquaw, Holly Brant, the daughter of the famous war-chief of the MohawkIndians, and was so much enamored with her virtue, wit and beauty, thathe asked the chief's consent to give him the hand of his daughter inmarriage. After some hesitation the chief consented, and his daughter,the Forest Queen, was sent for. She came dressed in simple Indiancostume, ornamented with wampum, wearing fawn-skin moccasins embroideredwith the quills of the porcupine; her long flowing dress was decked withroses. Sir William had been a guest at the Royal Court of England, wherefair women flashed with diamonds and brave men whirled in the giddydance, but none seemed to him to possess that beauty and grace whichappeared in this young Forest Queen. In short, he admired her more thanhe did all the fair daughters of Eastern climes.
Sir William was so much enamored with her artless grace that they weresoon united in marriage, and he took her to his mansion to grace itsstately halls as she had the cabin of the Indian chief, her father, whowas considered by the Indians equal in rank to Sir William Johnson.
Beauty's spell flowed from her eyes, A radiant splendor wreathed her hair, And fondly sweet perfection lingered there, From which all human virtues gently flow.
In due time the chief came to visit Sir William and his daughter, andwas invited by them to tarry with them for a time. The invitation wasaccepted by the chief. After viewing the stately halls hung with maps,pictures and mirrors, he retired to rest. Not being accustomed to sleepon beds of down, fenced in with lofty ceiling, his sleep was disturbedwith dreams. He dreamed of palaces beyond the sea, with high toweringdomes and gilded halls, and warriors with golden epaulettes and flashingsabres, and plumes that nodded as they marched to battle. All thesegrand views formed within his breast a desire for military glory.
Finally he awoke with the first rays of the morning, with a pleasingdream impressed upon his memory, and when he arose he related the dreamto Sir William and his wife. He said he had dreamed that Sir Williamgave him his uniform, covered with gold lace of costly texture, with hissword, epaulettes, pistols, and hat covered with plumes. Sir William,not being unacquainted with the Indian custom, seemed at a loss whatanswer to give the chief. His wife, seeing his embarrassment, took himby the hand and led him to the hall and informed him that he had betterfulfill the dream of her father by giving him his war equipage, whichwould give him an opportunity to dream in return.
"What can I dream," said the Major-General, "to compensate me for thatsplendid war equipage?"
His wife, with a sly look, replied, "Leave that to me;[1] but give himthe uniform and other equipage."
[Footnote 1: The author of the History of Schoharie County and BorderWars of New York, states that the lands dreamed for by Sir WilliamJohnson, with the famous Indian chief Hendrix, of the Mohawk tribe, weresituated in the Valley of the Mohawk, which statement is denied by thefirst settlers of the Indian's place of rest in the Valley of theSusquehanna, which lands were purchased of the heirs of Sir WilliamJohnson, who used to relate the story of the dream as they learned it oftheir mother, whose maiden name was Molly Brant, and had been at theIndian place of rest with the Indians in their fall hunt when an Indianmaiden.]
The Major-General then brought forward his beautiful uniform andequipments, that had been manufactured with care in England to adorn menof rank and high renown in the British service, and worn with honors.The Indian chief looked with pride upon the dazzling prize, so easilywon from a British officer. He then took off his Indian dress and put onthe General's uniform, which he said was a very good fit for a chief towear in time of peace, but not well calculated for the battle fray. Hewore his uniform through the day while a guest at the house of SirWilliam Johnson. When night came he took off his uniform and folded itcarefully and packed it in a suitable form to transport it to his ownvillage, situated many miles away in the forest. After the chief hadretired to rest for the night Mrs. Johnson informed the General he mustdream that the chief, her father, gave him one thousand acres of landsituated on each side of the Susquehanna, at their place of rest, wherethey could remove after the war had ended and live in tranquilloveliness upon the banks of the gently flowing Susquehanna.
There on the runway long and low, Coursed the buck, the fawn and doe; The finny tribes in lengthened shoals Swarm through all the crystal stream; There in the summer sunshine blaze Will rise green rows of twinkling maze, Where the sweet waters of the mountain rill Will ever turn your grinding mill.
The glowing account of so lovely a valley, given by Sir William's wife,caused him to dream that the Indian chief gave him one thousand acres ofland at the Indian's place of rest. The next morning when the Indianchief and Sir William met, he related his dream. The Indian chief sat insilent meditation for a few moments, and then replied that if he hadactually dreamed the dream that he had related he must have the onethousand acres of land, but one thing was certain, he would never dreamwith him again whilst he had that young fox at his elbow.
The one thousand acres of land were deeded to Sir William, according tothe tenor of his dream, and the land was sold to actual settlers by theheirs and descendants of Sir William Johnson, years after the storm ofthe Revolution had passed away, and the grant was confirmed in thesettlement of peace with the government of Great Britain.
