In the evening they danced at my fire, first the men, and then the women, till after midnight.
On the 16th, the king and captains called on me privately. They wanted to hear what Teedyuscung had said of them, and begged me to take out the writings. I read to them what Teedyuscung had said, and told them, as Teedyuscung had said he would speak so loud, that all at Allegheny, and beyond should hear it, I would conceal nothing from them. They said, they never sent any such advice (as above mentioned), to Teedyuscung, nor ever sent a message at all to the government,[32] and now the French were here, their captain would come to hear, and this would make disturbance. I then told them I would read the rest, and leave out that part, and they might tell the kings and captains of it, when they came together.
17th.—Early, this morning they called all the people together to clean the place, where they intended to hold the council, it being in the middle of the town. Kushkushkee is divided into four towns, each at a distance from the others; and the whole consists of about ninety houses, and two hundred able warriors.
About noon two public messengers arrived from the Indians at fort Duquesne and the other towns. They brought three large belts and two bundles of strings;[33] there came with them a French captain, and fifteen men. The two messengers insisted that I should go with them to fort Duquesne; that there were Indians of eight nations, who wanted to hear me; that if I brought good news, they inclined to leave off war, and live in friendship with the English. The above messengers being Indian captains, were very surly. When I went to shake hands with one of them, he gave me his little finger; the other withdrew his hand entirely; upon which I appeared as stout as either, and withdrew my hand as quick as I could. Their rudeness to me was taken very ill by the other captains, who treated them in the same manner in their turn.
I told them my order was to go to the Indian towns, kings and captains, and not to the French; that the English were at war with the French, but not with those Indians, who withdrew from the French, and would be at peace with the English.
King Beaver invited me to his house to dinner, and afterwards he invited the French captain, and said before the Frenchman, that the Indians were very proud to see one of their brothers, the English, among them; at which the French captain appeared low spirited, and seemed to eat his dinner with very little appetite.
In the afternoon the Indian kings and captains called me aside, and desired me to read them the writings that I had. First I read part of the Easton treaty to them; but they presently stopped me, and would not hear it; I then began with the articles of peace made with the Indians there. They stopped me again, and said, they had nothing to say to any treaty, or league, of peace, made at Easton, nor had any thing to do with Teedyuscung; that, if I had nothing to say to them from the government, or Governor, they would have nothing to say to me; and farther said, they had hitherto been at war with the English, and had never expected to be at peace with them again; and that there were six of their men now gone to war against them with other Indians; that had there been peace between us, those men should not have gone to war. I then shewed them the belts and strings from the Governor; and they again told me to lay aside Teedyuscung, and the peace made by him; for that they had nothing to do with it.[34] I desired them to suffer me to produce my papers, and I would read what I had to say to them.
18th.—Delaware George is very active in endeavouring to establish a peace. I believe he is in earnest. Hitherto they have all treated me kindly.
In the afternoon, all the kings and captains were called together, and sent for me to their council. King Beaver first addressed himself to the captains; and afterwards spoke to me, as follows:
“Brother, you have been here now five days by our fire.[35] We have sent to all the kings and captains, desiring them to come to our fire and hear the good news you brought. Yesterday they sent two captains to acquaint us, they were glad to hear our English brother was come among us, and were desirous to hear the good news he brought; and since there are a great many nations that went [want] to see our brother, they have invited us to their fire, that they may hear us all. Now, brother, we have but one great fire; so, brother, by this string we will take you in our arms, and deliver you into the arms of the other kings, and when we have called all the nations there, we will hear the good news, you have brought.” Delivers four strings.