“Wait, it will all come back upon Captain Joncaire’s head,” said Washington, and so it proved. On the next morning the half-king of the Indians came to the commander and related how sorry he was over the way he had acted. “I will yet return their speech belts, and then they shall feed me no more fire-water,” he said. “It is not good for the Indian for it makes of him a fool.”
At last the party was off for the next fort, situated on French Creek, fifteen miles below Lake Erie. This fort was quite an elaborate affair, but to reach it they had to travel through mud and slush for four days, with snow coming down steadily. When they arrived at the fort they were glad enough to accept the shelter offered them.
At this place the greeting to Washington was quite different from that given by Joncaire. The young commissioner was received with much formality and this formality continued during the whole of his stop there. His letter from Governor Dinwiddie was translated by the French first and then corrected by Van Braam, and the French commander took a long while to consider it.
But Washington was not idle. On the second day at the place he called James Morris to his side.
“You have a keen eye and understand these people and also the Indians,” he said. “Take a walk down the river and see how many canoes they have for use in the spring. Blaydell will do the same errand up the river.”
The mission was a delicate one, for the French and Indians were watching the English as a cat watches a mouse. But James Morris was equal to the occasion and the next day appeared with his arm in a sling.
“I am going out to cut some herb roots for a sprain,” he told the French guard, and then told the Indians the same thing. After that he sauntered down the bank of the stream knife in hand and cut out first one root and then another. Yet his eyes were not on the roots, but on the canoes which he brought to light hidden in the bushes, and when he came back he had a tally which pleased Washington very much. Needless to say the herb roots were never used on the arm in the sling.
CHAPTER XXIII
AN INDIAN’S TREACHERY
“Mr. Morris, I have news for you which will not be pleasant for you to hear,” said Washington, on the day after the trader had counted up the canoes.
“What news is that, sir?” asked Mr. Morris.