promising to call him again at a later time. From
that day until his death his words were Listened to as those of our
inspired. He had been somewhat addicted to liquor, but now. on the
recommendation of Thomas, not only quit drinking himself. hut organ
ized his tribe into a temperance society. To accomplish this he called
his people together in council, and. after clearly pointing out to them
the serious effect of intemperance, in an eloquent speech that moved
some of his audience to tears, he declared that God had permitted him
to return to earth especially that he might thus warn his people and
banish whisky from among them. He then had Thomas write out a
pledge, which was signed first by the chief and then by each one of the
council, and from that timeuntil after his death whisky was unknown
among the East Cherokee.
Although frequent pressure was brought to bear to induce him and
bis people to remove to the West, he firmly resisted every persuasion,
declaring that the Indians were safer from aggression among their
locks and mountains than they could ever be in a land which the while
man could find profitable, and that the Cherokee could he happy only
in the country w here nature had planted him. While counseling peace
and friendship with the white man, he held always to his Indian faith
and was extremely suspicious of missionaries. On one occasion, after
the first Bible translation into the Cherokee language and alphabet,
some one brought a copy of Matthew from New Echota, hut Yona-
guska would not allow it to he read to his people until it