He said as much, and the retort came succinctly,
"You live here!"
Otasite's English speech was as simple as a child's, but he thought as
diplomatically as Colannah himself, whom he esteemed the greatest man in
all the world, and he could argue in the strategic Cherokee method.
Nevertheless, to give him full sway, that everything possible might be
said in contravention of the proposition, the old trader lapsed into the
Indian speech, that was indeed from long usage like a mother tongue to
them both. He stayed here, he said, from choice, it was true, but for
the sake of the trade that gave him wealth, and with wealth he could
return to the colonies at any time, and go whither he would in all the
world. But Otasite was restricted; he had no goods for trade, no
adequate capital to invest; he could only return to the colonies while
young, to work, to make a way, to secure betimes a place appropriate to
his riper years. Even this could not be done without great
difficulty,--witness how many settlers came empty-handed to barely exist
on the frontier and wrest a reluctant living from the wilderness,--and
it could not be done at all without friends.
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