Chapter Seven
The Pennsylvania wilderness unfolded mile after mile, the steep, repetitive ridges finally yielding to the broad Susquehanna, the vast river that had served as the region’s north-south thoroughfare for centuries. They paddled relentlessly now through the shallow waters, past the river’s hundreds of tiny wooded islands, their canoes aimed like arrows at the heart of the Iroquois nation.
In his infrequent rests from the paddle Duncan found himself gazing at the silent, determined men in breechcloths who accompanied them. When the others had met Duncan at the boundary tree above the waterfall, where he studied its freshly cut symbols, Van Grut had explained that Conawago had adamantly refused Brindle’s offer of Pennsylvania militia as an escort. The old Iroquois chiefs had a s
