On the banks of @Tioto, or Cross Lake, resided a man who bore the name of @Hiawatha, or the Wise Man.
This name was given him, as its meaning indicates, on account of his great wisdom in council and power in war. Hiawatha was of high and mysterious origin. He had a canoe which would move without paddles, obedient to his will, and which he kept with great care and never used except when he attended the general council of the tribes. It was from Hiawatha the people learned to raise corn and beans. It was through his instructions they were able to remove obstructions from the water courses and clear their fishing grounds. And it was from him they received the help they needed to gain mastery over the great monsters which overran the country. The people listened to him with ever increasing delight, and he gave them wise laws from the Great Spirit; he had been second to him alone before taking up his dwelling with mankind.
Having selected the @Onondagas for his tribe, years passed away in prosperity. The Onondagas assumed an elevated rank for their wisdom and learning among the other tribes, and there was not one of these which did not grant them the superior privilege of lighting the council fire.
But in the midst of the high tide of their prosperity, suddenly there arose a great alarm at the invasion of a ferocious band of warriors from the North of the Great Lakes. As these bands advanced, they made an indiscriminate slaughter of men, women, and children. Destruction fell upon all alike.
The public alarm was great, but Hiawatha advised them not to waste their efforts in a hasty manner. Instead, he told them to call a council of all the tribes that could be gathered together, from the East to the West; and, at the same time, he appointed a meeting to take place on an eminence on the banks of the @Onondaga Lake. There, accordingly, the chief men assembled, while the occasion brought together a vast multitude of men, women, and children. All hoped for some marvelous deliverance.
Three days elapsed, though, and Hiawatha did not appear. The people began to fear that he was not coming, and messengers were dispatched for him to Tioto. They found him depressed, believing that evil would follow his attendance. These fears were overruled by the eager persuasions of the messengers, and Hiawatha, taking his daughter with him, put his wonderful canoe into the water and set out for the council. The grand assemblage that was to avert the threatened danger appeared quickly in sight as he moved rapidly along in his magic canoe. And when the people saw him, they sent up loud shouts of welcome until the revered man landed. A steep ascent led up the banks of the lake to the place occupied by the council. But as he walked up, a loud whirring sound was heard above, as if caused by some rushing current of air.
