In the afternoon all the captains gathered together in the middle town; they sent for us, and desired we should give them information of our message. Accordingly we did. We read the message with great satisfaction to them. It was a great pleasure both to them and us. The number of captains and counsellors were sixteen. In the evening messengers arrived from fort Duquesne, with a string of wampum from the commander; upon which they all came together in the house where we lodged. The messengers delivered their string, with these words from their father, the French King:
“My children, come to me, and hear what I have to say. The English are coming with an army to destroy both you and me. I therefore desire you immediately, my children, to hasten with all the young men; we will drive the English and destroy them. I, as a father, will tell you always what is best.” He laid the string before one of the captains. After a little conversation, the captain stood up and said; “I have just heard something of our brethren the English, which pleaseth me much better. I will not go. Give it to the others, may be they will go.” The messenger took up again the string and said, “He won’t go, he has heard of the English.”[98] Then all cried out, “yes, yes, we have heard from the English.” He then threw the string to the other fire place, where the other captains were; but they kicked it from one to another, as if it was a snake. Captain Peter took a stick, and with it flung the string from one end of the room to the other,[99] and said, “Give it to the French captain, and let him go with his young men; he boasted much of his fighting; now let us see his fighting. We have often ventured our lives for him; and had hardly a loaf of bread, when we came to him; and now he thinks we should jump to serve him.” Then we saw the French captain mortified to the uttermost; he looked as pale as death. The Indians discoursed and joked till midnight; and the French captain sent messengers at midnight to fort Duquesne.
21st.—We were informed that the general was within twenty miles of fort Duquesne. As the Indians were afraid the English would come over the river Ohio, I spoke with some of the captains, and told them that, “I supposed the general intended to surround the French, and therefore must come to this side the river; but we assure you that he will not come to your towns to hurt you.” I begged them to let the Shawanese at Logstown, know it, and gave them four strings of 300 wampum, with this message; “Brethren, we are arrived with good news, waiting for you; we desire you to be strong, and remember the ancient friendship your grandfathers had with the English. We wish you would remember it, and pity your young men, women and children, and keep away from the French; and if the English should come to surround the French, be not afraid. We assure you they won’t hurt you.”
22d.—Kittiuskund came home, and sent for us, being very glad to see us. He informed us, the general was within fifteen miles of the French fort; that the French had uncovered their houses, and laid the roofs round the fort to set it on fire, and made ready to go off, and would demolish the fort, and let the English have the bare ground; saying; “they are not able to build a strong fort this winter; and we will be early enough in the spring to destroy them. We will come with seventeen nations of Indians, and a great many French, and build a stone fort.”
The Indians danced round the fire till midnight, for joy of their brethren, the English, coming. There went some scouting parties towards the army. Some of the captains told me, that Shamokin Daniel, who came with me in my former journey, had fairly sold me to the French; and the French had been very much displeased that the Indians had brought me away.
23d.—The liar raised a story, as if the English were divided into three bodies, to come on this side the river. They told us the Cayugas, that came with us, had said so. We told the Cayugas of it; on which they called the other Indians together; denied that they ever said so; and said, they were sent to this place from the Five Nations, to tell them to do their best endeavors to send the French off from this country; and when that was done they would go and tell the general to go back over the mountains.
I see the Indians concern themselves very much about the affair of land; and are continually jealous, and afraid the English will take their land. I told them to be still and content themselves, “for there are some chiefs of the Five Nations with the army; they will settle the affair, as they are the chief owners of the land; and it will be well for you to come and speak with the general yourselves.”
Isaac Still asked the French captain, whether it was true, that Daniel had sold me to the French? He owned it, and said, I was theirs, they had bought me fairly; and, if the Indians would give them leave, he would take me.
24th.—We hanged out the English flag, in spite of the French; on which our prisoners folded their hands, in hopes that their redemption was nigh, looking up to God, which melted my heart in tears, and prayers to God, to hear their prayers, and change the times, and the situation, which our prisoners are in, and under which they groan. “O Lord, said they, when will our redemption come, that we shall be delivered, and return home?”—And if any accident happeneth, which the Indians dislike, the prisoners all tremble with fear, saying, “Lord, what will become of us, and what will be the end of our lives?” So that they often wish themselves rather under the ground, than in this life. King Beaver came home, and called us to his house, and saluted us in a friendly manner; which we, in like manner, did to him. Afterwards I spoke by four strings of 350 wampum, and said, as followeth:
“I have a salutation to you, and all your people, from the general, the governor, and many other gentlemen. Brother, it pleases me that the day is come to see you and your people. We have warmed ourselves by your fire, and waited for you, and thank you, that you did come home. We have good news of great importance; which we hope will make you, and all your people’s hearts glad. By these strings I desire you would be pleased to call all your kings and captains, from all the towns and nations; so that they all may hear us, and have the benefit thereof, while they live, and their children after them.”