Enterprise and Adventure/Lord Edward Fitzgerald and the Indians
LORD EDWARD FITZGERALD AND THE INDIANS.
The unfortunate Lord Edward Fitzgerald, whose end constitutes one of the most tragic episodes of the Irish rebellion of 1798, conceived, when a young man, a romantic passion for the wild and rough life of the far settlements of America; and having started for Canada, spent a considerable time in these parts. Sometimes he extended his wanderings far beyond the limits of civilized life, and sojourned for a while with the wild tribes of Indians, who treated him with kindness. Pictures of these experiences are drawn by him in his letters, chiefly written to his mother, for whom he always cherished a remarkable affection. Much of his time was spent in rowing his canoe up the rivers into parts of the country which were then unexplored. Having induced several friends to join him, he started on a trial journey, in order to inure himself to the hardships of the Canadian winter, from New Brunswick to Quebec, a distance of one hundred and seventy-five miles. It was in the coldest season, with the snow lying deep upon the ground, and their way lay through the woods, and by a route altogether new, or which had never been traversed by any but the Indians. Perilous as such a journey might appear, Fitzgerald states that life in the Canadian woods in the rigorous winter of that climate was far from being without its charms. The party consisted of five persons, including Lord Edward himself, a friend and brother military officer, a servant named Tony, and two woodmen. Their baggage was trifling, and consisted chiefly of blankets and provisions, which they hung in canvas, slung on poles. The party kept a reckoning, steering by compass as at sea. At night they found themselves in some degree sheltered from the winds by the leafless woods; and by clearing away the snow, banking it up around, and making a fire in the middle of the space, they found themselves even warmer than in the Canadian houses in that rigorous season. "Three of the coldest nights yet," says the enthusiastic young nobleman, "I slept in the woods on a bed of spruce fir, with only one blanket, and was just as comfortable as in a room." All the rivers had long been completely frozen, and undistinguishable in the snow (which lay four feet deep upon the ground) from the land. The party were always on foot two hours before day, to load, and get ready to march. At three or four in the afternoon they halted; and were then occupied till night in shovelling out the snow, cutting wood, and getting ready for the bivouac. Immediately after supper they were generally asleep, and it was the rule that any one waking in the night should put wood on the fire, eat something—for much food was found essential to maintain warmth—and then sleep again. By day their journey was enlivened by hunting the moose, which they followed in their snow shoes, till the animal, impeded by the frozen snow, turned upon his pursuers, and was thus quickly despatched.
In this way they passed, in the worst season of the Canadian year, through a wide tract of country which the colonists had always considered impassable. In spite of their compass they diverged considerably from their direct path, and were thirty days on their journey, twenty-six of which were passed in the woods. During this time they saw no human beings but those of their own party; but after making the bank of the river, they fell in with some Indians, who travelled with them to Quebec. The Indians provided the travellers with food during the time they were with them, and otherwise treated them kindly, saying, "We are all one brother; all one Indian." Lord Edward gallantly burthened himself with the pack of one of the squaws, which was so heavy that he could hardly struggle onward with it in the deep snow. "When we arrived," says Fitzgerald in his letter to his mother, "you may guess what figures we were. We had not shaved or washed during the journey, and our blankets, coats, and trousers were all worn out and pieced. We went to two or three houses, but they would not let us in. There was one old lady exactly like the hostess in ’Gil Blas’ who told us there was one room—it was without stove or bed—which I might have if I pleased. I told her we were gentlemen. She very quietly said, ’I dare say you are,’ and left us." At last they obtained lodgings in an alehouse, and became objects of considerable curiosity among the settlers.
Inured by excursions of this kind, the adventurous Lord Edward subsequently set out on a much longer journey—his intention being to pass from Quebec, through the country of the Indians, to Detroit and Fort Pit, and thence to New Orleans, thus traversing the whole length of the North American continent, his intention being then to extend his journey through Mexico, to the silver mines of Spanish America. The celebrated Indian chief, who had visited England under the name of Joseph. Brant, but whose true name was Thayendanegea, accompanied him, and assisted him in all his canoe journeys up and down the rivers in their course. Between Thayendanegea and Lord Edward a strong friendship had sprung up, and the Indian proved a faithful friend. They crossed the great Lake Ontario together, and passed through a number of Indian villages. Everywhere the wild tribes treated them with kindness and respect. With the Bear Tribe at Detroit they stayed some time, and Fitzgerald gives a glowing account of their happy lives, and the simplicity of their manners. So strong, indeed, was the attachment that sprang up between them that the Indians determined to adopt the stranger into their tribe, and make him one of their chiefs. This ceremony was accomplished through the medium of the chief of the Six Nations, whom the Americans knew under the name of David Hill. The document by which this wild honour was conferred upon him was found, after Lord Edward's death, among his papers, written in the Indian language, of which the following is a translation:—
"I, David Hill, chief of the Six Nations, give the name of Eghindal to my friend, Lord Edward Fitzgerald, for which I hope he will remember me as long as he lives.
"The name belongs to the Bear Tribe."
After eight months' wanderings, Lord Edward arrived at New Orleans, by the way of the Mississippi. Here, having announced to the authorities his intention of proceeding to the silver mines of Spanish America, permission was refused him, and he was compelled to return to Europe.