and his officers; and urges you to come, assuring you that all past differences will be forgotten."

The Piankesha chief replied in the same figurative style. "It is true our father has sent for us several times, and has said the road was clear: but I understand it is not clear it is foul and bloody, and the French have made it

We have cleared a road for our brothers, the Bighish; the French have made it bad, and have taken some of our brothers prisoners. This we consider as done to ourselves." So saying, he turned his back upon the ambassadors, and stalked out of the council-house.

In the end the ambassadors were assured that the tribes of the Ohio and the Six Nations were hand in hand with their brothers, the English ; and should we ensure with the French, they were ready to meet it.

& the Peach colors were taken down; the gs of milk and roll of tobacco were rejected; the grand counel beke up with a war dance, www.es darted, weeping and howlpower to the Miamis.

Oued to the Shawnee town, of the Sion and reported to his where the alliance he had formed Man comer, there was great www.male and firing of guns. My wished the chief obmined but to de

That Falls This, how

A large party

Trench, were hunting in

GIST'S RETURN ACROSS KENTUCKY. 63

that neighborhood, who might kill or capture him. He crossed the river, attended only by a lad as a travelling companion and aid, and proceeded cautiously down the east side until within fifteen miles of the Falls. Here he came upon traps newly set, and Indian footprints not a day old, and heard the distant report of guns. The story of Indian hunters then was true. He was in a dangerous neighborhood. The savages might come upon the tracks of his horses, or hear the bells put about their necks, when turned loose in the wilderness to graze.

Abandoning all idea, therefore, of visiting the Falls, and contenting himself with the information concerning them which he had received from others, he shaped his course on the 18th of March for the Cuttawa, or Kentucky River. From the top of a mountain in the vicinity he had a view to the southwest as far as the eye could reach, over a vast woodland country in the fresh garniture of spring, and watered by abundant streams; but as yet only the hunting-ground of savage tribes, and the scene of their sanguinary combats. In a word, Kentucky lay spread out before him in all its wild magnificence, long before it was beheld by Daniel Boone.

For six weeks was this hardy pioneer making his toilful way up the valley of the Cuttawa, or Kentucky River, to the banks of the Blue Stone; often checked by precipices, and obliged to seek fords at the heads of tributary streams; and happy when he could find a buffalo path broken through the tangled forests, or worn into the everlasting rocks.

On the 1st of May he climbed a rock sixty feet high, crowning a lofty mountain, and had a distant view of the Great Kanawha, breaking its way through a vast sierra; crossing that river on a raft of his own construction, he had many more weary days before him, before he reached his frontier abode on the banks of the Yadkin. He arrived there in the latter part of May, but there was no one to welcome the wanderer home. There had been an Indian massacre in the neighborhood, and he found his house silent and deserted. His heart sank within him, until an old man whom

near the place assured him having fled for refuge to a miles off, on the banks of e he rejoined them on the

been making his painful way o Ottawa ambassadors had reSandusky, bringing word to the eir flag had been struck in the at Piqua, and their friendship retheir hostility defied by the Miamis. ned them also of the gathering of the ribes that was to take place at Logsconclude a treaty with the Virginians. a great object with the French to preTreaty, and to spirit up the Ohio Indians English. This they hoped to effect vency of one Captain Joncaire, a of the wilderness, whose charve a passing notice.

prisoner when quite young

· CAPTAIN JON CAIRE.

65

by the Iroquois, and adopted into one of their tribes. This was the making of his fortune. He had grown up among them, acquired their language, adapted himself to their habits, and was considered by them as one of themselves. On returning to civilized life he became a prime instrument in the hands of the Canadian government, for managing and cajoling the Indians Sometimes he was an ambassador to the Iroquois ; sometimes a mediator between the jarring tribes; sometimes a leader of their warriors when em

by the French. When in 1728 the Deland Shawnees migrated to the banks of io, Joncaire was the agent who followed nd prevailed on them to consider themselves French protection. When the French to get a commanding site for a post on the is lands, near Niagara, Joncaire was the o manage it. He craved a situation where ight put up a wigwam, and dwell among his uois brethren. It was granted, of course, was he not a son of the tribe was he not of themselves?" By degrees his wigwam w into an important trading post; ultimately became Fort Niagara. Years and years had lapsed; he had grown gray in Indian diplomacy, and was now sent once more to maintain French sovereignty over the valley of the Ohio.

He appeared at Logstown accompanied by another Frenchman, and forty Iroquois warriors. He found an assemblage of the western tribes, feasting and rejoicing, and firing of guns, for George Croghan and Montour the interpreter

were there and had been setsson
behalf of the Governor :

Joncaire was mutuar te

.

man and the eloquence of a frus
aced speech to the neser WEL
sogue. The gist of which was ta. her father
Catio thuc is to say, the
desired mildren of the Ins

Trades, and never to

of his discussie:

art Canada)

away the

ommon ize, by way

Pe his eloquence was no avail: a

endignant

us inger in his fact,

antong on the

Mass our land.”

-Whats

to ere? The

our briters.

live among

as one will trade

and D T VIL

& saving he

recently

the belt of usin

ratiewe: whence

ote to the Gour Zaman. The

quis de la Jonquer severnor or France,

having ordered me to watch that the Engish

make no treaty in the

nified to the trades of

country have sig

government to retire.

You are not ignarunt that ail these lands belong to the King of France, and that the English have no right to them" He concluded by reiterating the threat made two years previously by Celeron de Biensule against al ring jr