Lawrence continued. “I know that many times the whites have promised much and delivered little. The Great King knows this and he is deeply sorry. When that treaty was signed between the English and the Americans, the Great King made his mark in good faith, believing the Americans would honour their mark. It was the Americans who broke the treaty. My friend Matthew has spoken of how the Americans will take all Mohawk land for themselves. The Great King has agreed, by signed treaty, that all land he grants to the Mohawk nation will remain Mohawk, for all time. This I promise.”

Hawkwood looked around the faces of the men present. “My friend, Roren, does not lie. I say this not as a soldier of the Great King but as Kahrhakon:ha, adopted son of Tewanias, war captain of the Kanien’kehá:ka. I swear on this, the totem of my father.”

Hawkwood pulled aside his collar, his fingers brushing the ring of bruising round his neck.

The amulet had yellowed with age and had been worn even smoother by years of constant handling. Hawkwood saw the expression on Tewanias’s face as he held it in front of his throat. It was a look that he would never forget.

Concealed beneath his shirt, the bone carving had rarely seen the light of day. When it had, those that commented upon it or queried its provenance had soon learned to curb their curiosity. Soldiers of all ranks carried a talisman; a medallion or a coin, even a musket ball that had been dug out of a wound and placed in a pocket. The turtle amulet had become as much a part of him as the scars on his body and the stiletto concealed in his boot. Whether, like the knife, it had protected him over the years, he did not know and would never know, but many a time on the eve of battle he had found himself manipulating it between his fingers in the same way a God-fearing private might touch a crucifix or a priest his rosary.

He tucked the amulet away.

Emboldened by the reaction to Hawkwood’s intervention, Lawrence said, “And if other tribes see that the Mohawk have joined with the English, they too will fight against the Americans, which will also assist the Mohawk. When the English win, all, including the Mohawk, will celebrate a great victory.”

“Never forget,” Cageaga said, “it was the Yan-kees who took our land. It was the Yan-kees who were responsible for the breaking of the Rotinonshón:ni. For those reasons and because the English gave sanctuary to our brothers, we must answer the call of the Great King. There are some here who would want us to lie still and hold down our heads, but I am Cageaga of the Kanien’kehá:ka. I will paint my face and be a man and fight the Yan-kees as long as I live!”