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Show 190 LIFE OF GEN. JACKSON. CHAP. what zeal he had exerted himself to preserve peace, VI. and keep in friendship with them ; when his effortS ~ had failed, he bad taken up arms against his own coun. 1814. try, and fought against his own people ; that he was not opposed to yielding the lands lying on the Alaba· rna, which would answer the purpose of cutting off any intercourse with the Spaniards ; but the country west of the Coosa, he wished to be preserved to the nation. To effect this, he appealed to the feelings of Jackson ; told him of the dangers they had passed to· gether ; and of his faithfulness to him, in the trying scenes through which they had gone. There were, indeed, none whose voice ought sooner to have been heard than Shelocta's. None had ren· dered greater services, and none had been more faith· ful. He had claims, growing out of his fidelity, that few others had: but his· wishes were so much at vari· ance with what Jackson considered the interest of his country required, that he was answered without hesi· tation. "You know," said he, "that the part you desire to retain is that tlu·ough which tl1e intruders and mischief-makers from the lakes reached you, and urg· ed your nation to those acts of violence, that have in· volved your people in wretchedness, and your country in ruin. Tlu·ough it leads the' path Tecumseh trod, when he came to visit you : tl1at path must be stop· ped. Until this be done, your nation cannot expect happiness, nor mine security. I have already told you the reasons for demanding it : they are such as ought not -cannot be departed from. This evening must det~rmine whether or not you are disposed to become friendly. your rejecting the treaty will show you to LIFE OF GEN. JACKSON. 191 be t11e enemies of the United States,-enemies even CHAP. to yourselves." He adm1. tte d 1. t to be true, th at t h eV~I. war was not ended, but that this was an additional 1814• reason why the cession should be made ; that then a line would be clrawn, by which his soldiers would be able to distinguish and know their friends. " When our armies," continued he, " came here, the hostile party had even stripped you of your country : we re-took it, and now offer it to you ;-tl1eirs we propose to retain. Those who are disposed to give effect to the treaty, will sign it. They will be within our ter-ritory; will be protected and fed; and no enemy of tl1eirs or ours shall molest them. Those who are op-posed to it shall have leave to retire to Pensacola. Here is the paper : take it, and show the president who are his fri~nds. Consult, and this evening let me know who will sign it, and who will not. I do not wish, nor will I attempt, to force any of you ;-act as you think proper." They proceeded to deliberate and re-examine the '[:~::;,d~· course they should pursue, which terminated in their cd with assent to the treaty, and the extension of those advan- ~i:n~~- tages tl1at had been insisted on.* Aug. ro. • It was agreed that the line should be~in where the Che''? kee southern boundary crossed the Coo~1., to run down that rtver to Woe-tmn-ka, or the llig Falls, and thence eastwardly to Georgia. East and north of this line, containing upwards ~l~eone h~mlred and fifty thousand SCJUrli'C milcs, .. remained to lmhans. West and south was secured to the United ~tates. There arc not many nations in the world that would ave acted with such justice and lenity towards a'vanquished people. The country had been conquered and won, at con- |
