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CHAP. "We are of the Race of the Bear, and a Bear you "know never yields, while one Drop of Blood is left. "We must all be Bears; giving a fixth Belt.

IV.

"Brethren be patient, this Difafter is an Affliction "which has fallen from Heaven upon us. The Sun, "which hath been cloudy, and fent this Difafter, will "fhine again with its pleafant Beams. Take Courage, "faid he, Courage, repeating the Word feveral Times "as they gave a seventh Belt.

(To the English.)

Brethren, three Years ago we were engaged in a bloody War with the French, and you encouraged us to proceed in it. Our Success answered our Expectation; but we were not well begun, when Corlear ftopt us from going on. Had you permitted us to go on, the French would not now have been able to do the Mischief, they have done, we would have prevented their sowing, planting or reaping.

We would have humbled them effectually, but now we dye. The Obftructions you then made now ruin us. Let us after this be fteady, and take no such falfe Measures for the future, but profecute the War vigorously. Giving a Bever Skin.

The Brethren must keep good Watch, and if the Enemy come again, fend more speedily to us. Don't defert Schenectady. The Enemy will glory in feeing it defolate. It will give them Courage that had none before, fortify the Place, it is not well fortified now: The Stockadoes are too fhort, the Indians can jump over them. Gave a Bever Skin.

Brethren, The Mischief done at Schenectady cannot be helped now; but for the future, when the Enemy appears any where, let nothing hinder your fending to us by Expreffes, and fire great Guns, that all may be alarmed. We advise you to bring all the River Indians under your Subjection to live near Albany, to be ready on all Occafions.

Send

Send to New-England, tell them what has hap-CH A P. pened to you. They will undoubtedly awake and IV. lend us their helping Hand. It is their Intereft, as much as ours, to push the War to a fpeedy Conclufion. Be not difcouraged, the French are not fo numerous as fome People talk. If we but heartily unite to push on the War, and mind our Business, the French will foon be fubdued.

The Magiftrates having returned an Answer on the twenty feventh, to the Satisfaction of the Indians, they repeated it all over, Word by Word, to let the Magiftrates fee how carefully they minded it, and then added,

Brethren, we are glad to find you are not discouraged. The beft and wifeft Men fometimes make Mistakes. Let us now purfue the War vigorously. We have a hundred Men out, they are good Scouts. We expect to meet all the Sachems of the other Nations, as they come to condole with you. You need not fear our being ready, at the firft Notice. Our Ax is always in our Hands, but take Care that you be timely ready. Your Ships, that must do the principal Work, are long a fitting out. We do not defign to go out with a fmall Company, or in fculking Parties; but as foon as the Nations can meet, we fhall be ready with our whole Force. If you would bring this War to a happy Iffue, you must begin foon, before the French can recover the Loffes they have received from us, and get new Vigour and Life, therefore fend in all Hafte to NewEngland. Neither you nor we can continue long in the Condition we are now in, we muft order Matters fo, that the French be kept in continual Fear and Alarm at home; for this is the only Way to be fecure, and in Peace here.

The Scabkok Indians, in our Opinion, are well placed where they are (to the Northward of Albany); they are a good Out-guard; they are our Children, and we fhall take Care that they do ther

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Duty:

IV.

CHA P. Duty: But you must take Care of the Indians below the Town, place them nearer the Town, fo as they may be of moft Service to you.

Here we fee the Mohawks acting like hearty Friends, and if the Value of the Belts given at that Time be confidered, together with what they faid on that Occafion, they gave the ftrongest Proofs of their Sincerity. Each of thefe Belts amount to a large Sum in the Indian Account.

The English of New-York and the French of Canada were now entering into a War, in which the Part the Five Nations are to take is of the greatest Confequence to both; the very Being of the French Colony depended on it, as well as the Safety of the English. The Indians at this Time had the greatest Averfion to the French, and they defired nothing fo much, as that the English might join heartily in this War, We fhall fee by the Sequel how a publick Spirit, directed by wife Counfels, can overcome all Difficulties, while a felfifh Spirit lofes all, even natural Advantages. In the prefent Cafe, the Turn Things took feems to have been entirely owing to one Thing. The French in making the Count de Frontenac Governor of Canada, chofe the Man every Way the best qualified for this Service: The English feemed to have little Regard to the Qualification of the Perfon they fent, but to gratify a Relation or a Friend, by giving him an Opportunity to make a Fortune; and as he knew that he was recommended with this View, his Counfels were chiefly employed for this Purpose.

By this Means an English Governor generally wants the Efteem of the People; while they think that a Governor has not the Good of the People in View, but his own, they on all Occafions are jealous of him; fo that even a good Governor, with more Difficulty, purfues generous Purposes and publick Benefits, because the People fufpect them to be mere Pretences to cover a private Defign. It is for this Reafon, that any Man, oppofing a Governor, is

fure

fure to meet with the Favour of the People, almost in every Cafe. On the other Hand, the Opinion the French had of the Count de Frontenac's publick Spirit, and of his Wisdom and Diligence, made them enter into all his Measures without hefitating, and chearfully obey all his Commands.

CHAP. V.

The Five Nations continue the War with the French; the Mohawks incline to Peace; their Conferences with the Governor of New

York.

TH

V.

THE Governor of Canada received Hopes that CHAP. the Five Nations inclined to Peace, by their returning an Answer to Therawaet's Meffage, and thought he might now venture to fend fome French to them with further Propofals. The Chevalier D'O, with an Interpreter called Collin, and fome others, went; but they had a much warmer Reception than they expected, being forced to run the Gauntlet through a long Lane of Indians, as they entered their Caftle, and were afterwards delivered up Prisoners to the English.

The Five Nations kept out at this Time small Parties, that continually haraffed the French. The Count de Frontenac fent Captain Louvigni to Miffilimakinak, to relieve the Garison, and he had Orders, by all Means, to prevent the Peace which the Utawawas and Quatoghies were upon the Point of concluding with the Five Nations. He carried with him one hundred forty three French, and fix Indians, and was likewife accompanied with a Lieutenant and thirty Men, till he got one hundred twenty Miles from Montreal. They were met in Cadarackui River,

at

V.

CHA P. at a Place called the Cats, by a Party of the Five Nations, who fell vigorously on their Canoes, killed feveral of the French, and made them give Way; but Louvigni, by putting his Men afhore, at last got the better, after a fmart Engagement, in which the Indians had feveral Men killed, and two Men, and as many Women, taken Prisoners. I am obliged to rely on the French Account of thefe Skirmishes; they do not mention the Number of the Indians in this Rencounter, but I fufpect them to have been much fewer than the French; for when the Enemy are equal in Number, or greater, they feldom forget to tell it. One of the Indian Prifoners was carried by them to Miffilimackinak, to confirm this Victory, and was delivered to the Utawawas, who eat him. The Lieutenant carried the other back with him. He was given to Therawaet.

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To revenge this Lofs, the Five Nations fent a Party against the land of Montreal, who fell on that Part called the Trembling Point; and though they were discovered before they gave their Blow, they attacked a Party of regular Troops, and killed the commanding Officer, and twelve of his Men: Another Party carried off fifteen or fixteen Prisoners from Riviere Puante, over against Trois Rivieres. This Party was purfued, and finding that they were like to be overpowered, murdered their Prifoners and made their Efcape. Thefe Incurfions kept all the River, from Montreal to Quebeck, in continual Alarm, and obliged the Governor to fend all the Soldiers to guard the fouth Side of the River. Notwithstanding this, five Perfons were carried away in Sight of Sorel Fort, by a small skulking Party, but they were foon afterwards recovered by the Soldiers. About the fame Time another Party burnt the Plantations at St. Ours.

The Five Nations had conceived great Hopes from the Affiftance of the English, as the Magif

trates

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