"I would rather have you refuse.
I desire nothing so much as an excuse to wreak full and bloody
vengeance on every man in that fort who has engaged in the
business of employing savages to scalp brave, patriotic men and
defenseless women and children. The cries of the widows and the
fatherless on our frontiers require the blood of the Indian
partisans at my hands. If you choose to risk the massacre of your
garrison to save those despicable red-handed partisans, have your
pleasure. What you have done you know better than I do. I have a
duty to perform. You may be able to soften its nature. I may take
it into my head to send for some of our bereaved women to witness
my terrible work and see that it is well done, if you insist upon
the worst."
Major Hay, who was Hamilton's Indian agent, now, with some
difficulty clearing his throat, spoke up.
"Pray, sir," said he, "who is it that you call Indian partisans?"
"Sir," replied Clark, seeing that his words had gone solidly home,
"I take Major Hay to be one of the principals."
This seemed to strike Hay with deadly force, dark's report says
that he was "pale and trembling, scarcely able to stand," and that
"Hamilton blushed, and, I observed, was much affected at his
behavior. "Doubtless, if the doughty American commander had known
more about the Governor's feelings just then, he would have added
that an awful fear, even greater than the Indian agent's, did more
than anything else to congest the veins in his face.
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