“Brother, it is good that you have stayed so long with us; we love to see you, and wish to see you here longer; but since you are so desirous to go, you may set off to morrow: Pisquetumen has brought you here, and he may carry you home again: you have seen us, and we have talked a great deal together, which we have not done for a long time before. Now, Brother, we love you, but cannot help wondering why the English and French do not make up with one another, and tell one another not to fight on our land.”
I told them, “Brother, if the English told the French so a thousand times, they never would go away. Brother, you know so long as the world has stood there has not been such a war. You know when the French lived on the other side, the war was there, and here we lived in peace. Consider how many thousand men are killed, and how many houses are burned since the French lived here; if they had not been here it would not have been so; you know we do not blame you; we blame the French; they are the cause of this war; therefore, we do not come to hurt you, but to chastise the French.”
They told me, that at the great council, held at Onondago, among the Five Nations, before the war began (Conrad Weiser was there, and wrote every thing down) it was said to the Indians at the Ohio, that they should let the French alone there, and leave it entirely to the Five Nations; the Five Nations would know what to do with them. Yet soon after two hundred French and Indians came and built Fort Duquesne.
King Beaver and Shingas spoke to Pisquetumen.
“Brother, you told us that the Governor of Philadelphia and Teedyuscung took this man out of their bosoms, and put him into your bosom, that you should bring him here; and you have brought him here to us; and we have seen and heard him; and now we give him into your bosom, to bring him to the same place again, before the Governor; but do not let him quite loose; we shall rejoice when we shall see him here again.” They desired me to speak to the Governor, in their behalf, as follows:
“Brother, we beg you to remember our oldest brother, Pisquetumen, and furnish him with good cloathes, and reward him well for his trouble; for we shall look upon him when he comes back.”
7th.—When we were ready to go, they began to council which course we should go, to be safest; and then they hunted for the horses, but could not find them; and so we lost that day’s journey.
It is a troublesome cross and heavy yoke to draw this people: They can punish and squeeze a body’s heart to the utmost. I suspect the reason they kept me here so long was by instigation of the French. I remember somebody told me, the French told them to keep me twelve days longer, for that they were afraid I should get back too soon, and give information to the general. My heart has been very heavy here, because they kept me for no purpose. The Lord knows how they have been counselling about my life; but they did not know who was my protector and deliverer: I believe my Lord has been too strong against them; my enemies have done what lies in their power.
8th.—We prepared for our journey on the morning, and made ourselves ready. There came some together and examined me what I had wrote yesterday. I told them, I wondered what need they had to concern themselves about my writing. They said, if they knew I had wrote about the prisoners, they would not let me go out of the town. I told them what I writ was my duty to do. “Brothers, I tell you, I am not afraid of you, if there were a thousand more. I have a good conscience before God and man. I tell you I have wrote nothing about the prisoners. I tell you, Brothers, this is not good; there’s a bad spirit in your heart, which breeds that jealousy; and it will keep you ever in fear, that you will never get rest. I beg you would pray to God, for grace to resist that wicked spirit, that breeds such wicked jealousies in you; which is the reason you have kept me here so long. How often have I begged of you to dispatch me? I am ashamed to see you so jealous; I am not, in the least, afraid of you. Have I not brought writings to you? and what, do you think I must not carry some home, to the Governor? or, shall I shut my mouth, and say nothing? Look into your hearts, and see if it would be right or wrong, if any body gives a salutation to their friends, and it is not returned in the same way. You told me many times how kind you were to the prisoners, and now you are afraid that any of them should speak to me.”[60]
They told me, they had cause to be afraid; and then made a draught, and shewed me how they were surrounded with war. Then I told them, if they would be quiet, and keep at a distance, they need not fear. Then they went away, very much ashamed, one after another. I told my men, that we must make haste and go; accordingly we set off, in the afternoon, from Kushkushkee, and came ten miles.