The French was searching American ships on
pretence they was helping England, but really for to steal the
goods. The English was doing the same, only t'other way round,
and besides searching, they was pressing American citizens into
their Navy to help them fight France, on pretence that those
Americans was lawful British subjects. His gentlemen put this
very clear to Big Hand. It didn't look to them, they said, as though
the United States trying to keep out of the fight was any advantage
to her, because she only catched it from both French and
English. They said that nine out of ten good Americans was crazy
to fight the English then and there. They wouldn't say whether
that was right or wrong; they only wanted Big Hand to turn it
over in his mind. He did - for a while. I saw Red Jacket and
Cornplanter watching him from the far side of the clearing, and
how they had slipped round there was another mystery. Then Big
Hand drew himself up, and he let his gentlemen have it.'
'Hit 'em?' Dan asked.
'No, nor yet was it what you might call swearing. He - he
blasted 'em with his natural speech. He asked them half-a-dozen
times over whether the United States had enough armed ships for
any shape or sort of war with any one.
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