. The Iroquois : or, the bright side of Indian character. dead. Her lifeless form was embowered with roses andrunning vines, and garlands of flowers were wreathed ather feet. All that the Indian considered most valuable—golden ears of his beloved maize, and the most costly furs,were scattered in profusion around her. Every night fires were lighted and watchmen stationedto guard her body from danger, and every morning theyagain assembled to renew the utterance of their grief The mourning continued many days, and when it wasno longer possible to preserve her in their sight, she wasburied, while
. The Iroquois : or, the bright side of Indian character. dead. Her lifeless form was embowered with roses andrunning vines, and garlands of flowers were wreathed ather feet. All that the Indian considered most valuable—golden ears of his beloved maize, and the most costly furs,were scattered in profusion around her. Every night fires were lighted and watchmen stationedto guard her body from danger, and every morning theyagain assembled to renew the utterance of their grief The mourning continued many days, and when it wasno longer possible to preserve her in their sight, she wasburied, while at her grave was chanted a solemn dirge bythe mingled voices of a great multitude, whe filled the airwith such plaintive wailings as can come only from brokenhearts. 104 THE IROQUOIS. I cannot help pausing here to ask, if such a people de-serve no better doom than annihilation ? if those whocall themselves Christians ^ have done what they could,to tune these harps of the wilderness to accord with thoseof the cherubim and seraphim in the choirs above ?. CHAPTER VI. LEGENDARY LITEEATUEE. If, centuries ago, some amateur chronicler had wan-dered peacefully among the North American Indians,making himself familiar with their language and welcomeat their firesides, that he might listen to their legendsand record them as they were related in their familycircles, in the same way as bands of Eastern wandererswere accustomed to revel in Arabian tales, we might havehad some idea of the poetry and enthusiasm and glowingimages of a people whose thoughts and fancies soared sofreely and wildly, and gave to their compositions a rich-ness and beauty, only rivalled on Grecian plains and amongCeltic bards. Tradition tells us that Homer was a blind balladsinger, and that his immortal lines were gathered hereand there among the people long after he slept with hisfathers. The poems of Ossian were collected among the High-lands of Scotland, from those who sang them as theirfathers sang them, and wer
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