Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/281

 An Account of the Muikohge Nation.. 269?

on that might happen. If they had been pofleft of more, they would have given with a liberal hand, to enable them to carry on a war againlt us, and they almoft effected their earneft wifhes, when the Englifh little expected it ; for as foon as the watchful officer of the garrifon, was in formed by his irufty and well inftructed red difciple, the Great Mor tar, that the Cheerake were on the point of declaring againft the En glifh, he few the confequence, and fent a pacquet by a Mufkohge runner,. to Tumbikbe-fort in the Choktah country, which was forwarded by another, and foon delivered to the governor of New-Orleans : the con tents informed him of the favourable opportunity that offered for the French to fettle themfelves in the Cheerake country, where the late Fort-Loudon flood, near the conflux of Great Telliko and Tennafe-rivers, and fo diftrefs our fouthern colonies, as the body of the Cheerake, Mufkohge, Choktah, Aquahpa, and the upper Miffifippi-Indians headed by the French, would be able to maintain a certain fuccefsful war againft us, if well fupplied with ammunition. Their deliberations were fhort they foon fent off a large pettiaugre, fufficiently laden with warlike flores,. and decoying prefents ; and in obedience to the orders the crew had re ceived of making all the difpatch they poffibly could, in the third moon of their departure from New Orleans, they arrived within a hundred and twenty computed miles of thofe towns that are a little above the unhappy Fort- Loudon : there they were luckily flopped in their mifchievous career,, by a deep and dangerous cataract j the waters of which rolled down with a pro digious rapidity, dafhed againft the oppofite rocks, and from, thence rumed off with impetuous violence, on a quarter-angled courfe. It appeared fo mocking and unfurmountable to the monfieurs, that after flaying there a confiderable time,, in the vain expectation of feeing fome of their friends, necefiity forced them to return back to New Orleans, about a6oo com puted miles,, to their inconfolable difappointment.

Thefe circumftances are now well known to our colonies : and,, if our flate policy had not fufficiently difcovered itlelf of late, it would appear not a little furprifing that the Great Mortar, mould have fuch influence on the great beloved man, (fo the Indians term the fuperintendant) as to move him, at a congrefs in Augufta, to write by that bitter enemy of the Englifh name, a conciliating letter to the almoft-vanquimed and de- fponding Choktah for where the conquerors have not an oblique point in

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