THE CAPTIVE OF THE SAGINAW.

The two renegades who were caught after their abduction of Ou-wan-a-ma-che, sister of Chessaning, chief of the Shiawassee, and punished by expulsion from the country after running the gauntlet. retired to a remote and little visited region. They had suffered through the orders of Mo-Kish-e-no-qua, queen of the Wakisos, who afterward became the life of Chessaning. They left with unuttered vows of vengeance, fleeing down stream to the mouth of the Tittabawassee, and up that stream to its remote headwaters, where they found the unvisited region referred to. Here they lived in seclusion and so escaped the fate of the other renegades of the battle of Long Lake. Learning of this, the two proposed the day of revenge because of the turn in that battle. But they never gave over the plan.

Their region was swampy and the favorite haunt of many fur-bearing animals. They trapped diligently, finding a market for their furs at Otassebewing, midway between the rivers, and gaining from time to time news of Chessaning and Mo-Kish-e-no-qua, who were now the happy parents of two children, a boy and a girl.

Facts from the outside world came into the two renegades from the visits to the trading post and from their intercourse with a band living not far from their trading place. Their swampy region was full of animal life. The muskrat, mink, otter, beaver and, in the higher regions, the lynx, bear, coon and marten, all of which furnished a tempting prize for the trappers. Six years of this life brought them to the year 1810, and then the time seemed propitious for carrying into effect their plan.

At this time there were other Indians of Huron origin inhabiting the region of the territory of Chessaning, whose allegiance was given to another chief, then of middle age and of great energy, by the name of "Gray Eagle"; these Indians, more numerous than the Shiawassee, were called the Wassenings. The border line separating the regions of these two independent peoples was rather indefinitely drawn along the watershed between the Shiawassee and the Tittabawassee, and along this watershed frequent quarrels took place between the hunters of the two bands, growing out of uncertainty about the boundary line. Generally the good sense of the two chiefs brought about an amicable adjustment of the differences and averted open hostilities, but friction continued and anything that could be construed into acts of aggression was magnified into undue importance.

In the spring of 1810 our two outlaws following a band of the Wassenings into this border region with a hope of embroiling the two chiefs in war, found an opportunity to precipitate hostilities. Meeting a band of the Shiawassos on the disputed border, a wordy dispute ensued, which would probably have ended in words, had not one of the renegades who had furtively crept up to a point where he was unseen, shot an arrow that struck and killed a Shiawasso brave. This precipitated a fight that resulted in several deaths, but finally the Wassenings were forced to retreat. Both bands disclaimed the initiative in the fight, and the usual diplomacy of the two chiefs gave way to violent and challenging notes; preparations were made for war.

Chessaning had offered to arbitrate, by leaving it Ne-o-me, of the Pewonigos; but the Gray Eagle, whose military power was supposed to be superior, refused anything but war.

The old alliance between Chessaning, Okemos and Ne-o-me was again appealed to, and Okemos, promised aid, as did Ne-o-me. Ne-o-me at once repaired to Om-a-gan-see, Chessaning's capitol, and proposed a plan to confine the war area to the territory of the enemy--the Tittabawassee region--by a blockade fleet of canoes, which was to close the mouth of the river.

Okemos was to march from Ak-mon-shee (Lansing) overland and strike the enemy on the head waters of the river, driving them down toward Gray Eagle's village, Wassebewing, where Midland now stands, and by a quick campaign from the east, south and west to roll up the enemy to his destruction or retreat northward. The two renegades who had fraternized with the Wassenings, were summoned by Gray Eagle, who had detected their part in the first fight. who, knowing their familiarity with both Chessaning's and ne-o-me's country, placed upon them the alternative of getting information as to the intended movements of the three chiefs, or death, telling them of his knowledge of their part in bringing on the war. The two renegades accordingly set out to the village of Chessaning, where they not only succeeded in getting the outline of the three chief's plans, but also succeeded in abducting Red cloud and Dew Drop, the children of Chessaning and Men-a-cum-sequa, together with the young woman who had them in charge.

On their disappearance it was thought they were dead, but the woodcraft of the mute discovered the true fact, and, with the half-breed lover of the young woman, they started in pursuit.

The outlaws returned to Gray Eagle with the news, but he gave them strict injunction to keep the captives safely, and subject to his further orders. The outlaws retreated to their hiding places up the river, but as the Ottawas closed in from the west, the forces of Chessaning and Ne-o-me from the east and south soon forced Gray Eagle to sue for peace. Se-go-guen and the half-breed pursued the outlaws, and, after shooting both, rescued the captives, who returned to their home. This was the last foray of the men of Mus-cat-a-wing, and only a few years passed when the village of Pewonigos ceased to be exclusively the home of the Indian; for Jacob Smith, a trader, built a home there, and he and Ne-o-me established a friendship which lasted until Smith's death in 1825.