any Anfwer, and one may be furprized at the Exactness of these Repetitions. They take the following Method to affift their Memories: The Sachem, who prefides at thefe Conferences, has a Bundle of fmall Sticks in his Hand; as foon as the Speaker has finifhed any one Article of his Speech, this Sachem gives a Stick to another Sachem, who is particularly to remember that Article; and fo when another Article is finished, he gives a Stick to another to take Care of that other, and fo on.. In like Manner when the Speaker answers, each of thefe has the particular Care of the Anfwer refolved: on to each Article, and prompts the Orator, when his Memory fails him, in the Article committed to his Charge. Tabajadoris addreffing himself to the Agents, faid:

« Brethren,

"You are welcome to this Houfe, which is ap"pointed for our Treaties and publick Bufinefs "with the Chriftians; we thank you for renewing "the Covenant-chain. It is now no longer of Iron "and fubject to Ruft, as formerly, but of pure "Silver, and includes in it all the King's Subjects, "from the Senekas Country eastward, as far as any "of the great King's Subjects live, and fouthward, " from New-England to Virginia. Here he gave 66 a Bever.

200

"We are glad to hear of the good Succefs our "great King has had over the French by Sea, in "taking and finking so many of their Men of War. "You tell us in your Propofals that we are one

People, let us then go Hand in Hand together, "to ruin and deftroy the French our common Enemy. Gives a Bever.

"The Covenant-chain between us is ancient (as you tell us) and of long standing, and it has been F6 "kept

"kept inviolably by us. When you had Wars "fome time ago with the Indians, you defired us "to help you; we did it readily, and to the Pur"pose; for we pursued them closely, by which we "prevented the Effufion of much of your Blood. "This was a certain Sign that we loved truly and "fincerely, and from our Hearts. Gives a Belt.

"You advise us to pursue our Enemies, the "French, vigorously; this we affure you we are "refolved to do to the utmost of our Power: But

fince the French are your Enemies likewife, we "defire our Brethren of the three Colonies to fend "us an hundred Men for the Security of this Place, "which is ill provided, in Cafe of an Attack from "the French; the Chriftians have Victuals enough "for their Entertainment. Gives one Belt.

"We patiently bore many Injuries from the "French, from one Year to another, before we "took up the Axe against them. Our Patience "made the Governor of Canada think, that we

were afraid of him, and durft not resent the Injuries we had fo long fuffered; but now he is "undeceived. We affure you, that we are refolved ર never to drop the Axe, the French never fhall "fee our Faces in Peace, we fhall never be recon"ciled as long as one Frenchman is alive. We shall

never make Peace, though our Nation should be ❝ ruined by it, and every one of us cut in Pieces. "Our Brethren of the three Colonies may depend " on this. Gives a Bever.

"As to what you told us of the Owenagungas "and Uragees, we anfwer: That we were never fo "proud and haughty, as to begin a War without "juft Provocation. You tell us that they are "treacherous Rogues, we believe it, and that they "will undoubtedly affift the French. If they fhall "do this, or shall join with any of our Enemies,

"either

"either French or Indians, then we will kill and "destroy them. Gives a Bever."

Then the Mohawks offered five of their Men, to guard the Agents Home against any of their Indian Enemies, who they were afraid might be laying in wait for the Agents, and gave a Belt.

Afterwards the Speaker continued his Speech, and faid: "We have spoke what we had to fay of "the War, we now come to the Affairs of Peace: "We promise to preferve the Chain inviolably, "and wish that the Sun may always fhine in Peace "over all our Heads that are comprehended in this "Chain. We give two Belts, one for the Sun, "the other for its Beams.

We make fast the Roots of the Tree of Peace "and Tranquillity, which is planted in this Place. "Its Roots extend as far as the utmost of your "Colonies; if the French fhould come to fhake "this Tree, we would feel it by the Motion of its "Roots, which extend into our Country: But we "truft it will not be in the Governor of Canada's "Power to fhake this Tree, which has been fo firmly and fo long planted with us. Gives two

"Bevers."

Laftly, He defired the Magiftrates of Albany to remember what he had faid, and gave them a Bever.

1

But the Agents perceiving, that they had not anfwered any Thing about the Owenagunga Mefsengers, and had answered indiftinctly about the War with the Eastern Indians, defired them to explain themselves fully on these two Points, about which the Agents were chiefly concerned.

The Five Nations anfwered:

"We cannot declare War against the Eaftern "Indians, for they have done us no Harm: Never"theless our Brethren of New-England may be af"sured, that we will live and die in Friendship with

"them.

"them. When we took up the Axe against the "French and their Confederates, we did it to re"venge the Injuries they had done us; we did not "make War with them at the Perfuafions of our "Brethren here; for we did not fo much as ac"quaint them with our Intention, till fourteen Days "after our Army had begun their March."

After the Company had feparated, the Sachems fent to the New-England Agents, defiring to speak with them in private; which being granted, the Speaker faid, we have fomething to tell you, which was not proper to be fpoken openly, for fome of our People have an Affection to the Owenagungas ; and we were afraid, that they would discover or hinder our Defigns.

Now we affure our Brethren, that we are refolved to look on your Enemies as ours, and that we will firft fall on the Owaragees; and then on the Owenagungas, and laftly on the French; and that you may be convinced of our Intention, we design to fend five of our young Men along with our Brethren to New-England, to guard them, who have Orders to view the Country of the Owaragees, to discover in what Manner it can be attacked with the most Advantage. This we always do before we make an Attempt on our Enemies. In a Word, Brethren, your War is our War, for we will live and die with you.

But it is to be obferved, that they confirmed nothing relating to these Indians, by giving Belts.

It is probable, that the Sachems acted with fome Art on this Occafion, for they really had favourable Inclinations towards the Owenagungas; and they had Reason not to increase the Number of their Enemies, by making War on the Eaftern Indians, who avoided

Called by the People of New England Panocok Indians,

doing

doing them any Injury. The People of Albany likewife have always been averfe to engage our Indians in a War with the Eaftern Indians, left it fhould change the Seat of the War, and bring it to their own Doors.

On the 25th the Magiftrates of Albany had a private Conference with the Sachems of the Five Nations, and defired to know their Refolutions as to the War with Canada, and the Measures they refolved to follow. In this Conference the Indians faw that the People of Albany were fo much afraid of the French, that their Spirits were funk under the Apprehenfions of the approaching War; and for this Reason made the following Anfwer.

"We have a hundred and forty Men out-skulking ❝about Canada; it is impoffible for the French to "attempt any Thing, without being discovered and "haraffed by these Parties: If the French fhall at"tempt any Thing this Way, all the Five Nations "fhall come to your Affistance, for our Brethren " and we are but one, and we will live and die "together. We have defired a hundred Men of "our Brethren of Bofton to affift us here, because "this Place is most exposed; but if the Governor. "of Canada is fo ftrong, as to overcome us all "united together, then he must be our Mafter, and is not to be refifted; but we have Confidence in

a good and juft Caufe; for the great God of "Heaven knows how deceitfully the French have "dealt with us, their Arms can have no Success. "The Great God hath fent us Signs in the Sky to ❝ confirm this. We have heard uncommon Noise "in the Heavens, and have feen Heads fall down Earth, which we look upon as a certain "Prefage of the Deftruction of the French: Take "Courage! On this they all immediately joined ❝ in finging and crying out, Courage ! Courage!

upon

CHAP