"This is a Borzoi Book published by Alfred A. Knopf." Includes bibliographical references (pages 303-306) and index.

The story of a dramatic confrontation between Native Americans and white settlers in the newly created Washington Territory from 1853 to 1857. Washington's first governor, Isaac Ingalls Stevens, had one goal: to persuade (peacefully if possible) the Indians of the Puget Sound region to turn over their ancestral lands to the federal government. In return, they were to be consigned to reservations unsuitable for hunting, fishing, or grazing--their traditional means of sustaining life. The result was an outbreak of violence and rebellion. Social historian Richard Kluger recounts the impact of Stevens's program on the Nisqually tribe. His hasty treaty negotiations with the Indians, marked by deceit, threat, and misrepresentation, inflamed his opponents. Chief Leschi, resolved to save more than a few patches of his people's lush homelands, unwittingly turned his tribe--and himself most of all--into victims of the governor's relentless wrath. The conflict would have echoes far into the future.--From publisher description. Preface : A fresh reckoning -- pt. I. The governor and the chief -- "I know what I am about" -- Paradise for free -- The Northwest Express -- A credit to his race -- Christmas at Medicine Creek -- Blood in the Autumn air -- The territory in dread -- An impressive performance -- The wages of zealotry -- pt. II. The trials of Leschi -- Judgment day -- and night -- With malice aforethought -- All the favors of the law -- Epilogue : After Leschi -- I. Salmon and survival -- II. For whom the eagle cries -- III. Red wind rising.