Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/261

 An Account of the Cheerake Nation. 249

been fo wife as to have improved the favourable opportunity. There were feven northern towns, oppofite to the middle parts of the Cheerake coun try, who from the beginning of the unhappy grievances, firmly difiented from the hoftile intentions of their fuffering and enraged country-men, and for a confiderable time before, bore them little good-will, on account of fome family difputes, which occafioned each party to be more favourable to itfelf than to the other : Thefe, would readily have gratified their vin- dicVive difpofition, either by a neutrality, or an ofifenfive alliance with our colonifts againlt them. Our rivals the French, never neglected fo fa vourable an opportunity of fecuring, and promoting their interefts. We have known more than one inftance, wherein their wifdom has not only found out proper means to difconcert the moft dangerous plans of dif- affected favages, but likewife to foment, and artfully encourage great ani- mofities between the heads of ambitious rival families, till they fixed them in an implacable hatred againft each other, and all of their refpective tribes. Had the French been under fuch circumftances, as we then were, they would inftantly have fent them an embafly by a proper perfon, to enforce it by the perfuafive argument of intereft, well fupported with prefents to all the leading men, in order to make it weigh heavy in the Indian fcale ; and would have invited a number of thofe towns to pay them a brotherly vifit, whenever it fuited them, that they might make hands, fmokeout of the white, or beloved pipe, and drink phyfic together, as became old friends of honed hearts, &c.

Had we thus done, many valuable and innocent perfons' might have been faved from the torturing hands of the enraged Indians ! The favourite lead ing warrior of thofe friendly towns, was well known to South-Carolina and Georgia, by the trading name " Round 0." on account of a blue impreilion he bore in that form. The fame old, brave, and friendly war rior, depending firmly on our friendfhip and ufual good faith, came down within an hundred miles of Charles-town, along with the head-men, and many others of thofe towns, to declare to the government, an inviola ble attachment to all our Britifh colonies, under every various circumftance of life whatfoever, and at the fame time, earneftly to requeft them to fup- ply their prefent want of ammunition, and order the commanding officer of Fort-Prince-George to continue to do them the like fervice, when necefiity fliould force them to apply for it -, as they were fully determined to war

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