The Lake Gun

"The Lake Gun" is a satirical short story by James Fenimore Cooper first published in 1850.

[1] The short story was commissioned by George E. Wood for $100, and published in a miscellany titled The Parthenon.

The short story satirizes political demagoguery, focused on William Henry Seward.

[4] The story takes place on Seneca Lake in Central New York in the early nineteenth century.

There was once a demagogue, a chief, See-wise, who did not follow the traditions of the Seneca as established by the Great Spirit, Manitou.

When Peter sails close to the trunk, he points out its appearance, a shape that resembles a human face.

The story concludes with a warning against demagoguery: "The man or the people that trust in God will find a lake for every See-wise" The story was republished in 1932 as a limited edition stand-alone book by publisher William Farquhar Payson with an introduction by Robert E.