moned Gladwyn to surrender, declaring that eight hundred Ojibwa warriors were now approaching to assist him, and representing that, should the garrison hold out till their arrival, no resistance which they could offer would prevent these braves from taking the scalp of every Englishman within the fort. Gladwyn replied in a decisive manner, assuring him that he cared nothing for his threats.

Being thus thwarted, Pontiac summoned all the principal French settlers to meet him in council. "In the Ottawa camp," says Francis Parkman, "there was a vacant spot, quite level, and encircled by the huts of the Indians. Here mats were spread for the reception of the deputies, who soon convened, and took their seats in a wide ring. One part was occupied by the Canadians, among whom were several, whose withered, leathery features proclaimed them the patriarchs of the secluded little settlement. Opposite these sat the sternvisaged Pontiac, with his chiefs on either hand, while the intervening portions of the circle were filled by Canadians and Indians promiscuously mingled. Standing on the outside, and looking over the heads of this more dignified assemblage, was a motley throng of Indians and Canadians, half-breeds, trappers and voyageurs, in wild and picturesque, though very dirty, attire. Conspicuous among them were the numerous Indian dandies, a large class in every aboriginal community, where they hold about the same relative positions as in civilized society. They were wrapped in the gayest blankets, their necks adorned with beads, their cheeks daubed with vermilion and their ears hung with pendants. They stood sedately looking on, with evident self-complaisancy, yet ashamed and afraid to take their places among the aged chiefs and warriors of repute." Several pipes were passed round from hand to hand, but, beyond this, all remained silent, until Pontiac rose and threw down a war belt at the feet of the Canadians and delivered the following speech:

"My brothers, how long will you suffer this bad flesh to remain upon your lands? I have told you before, and I now tell you again, that when I took up the hatchet it was for your good. This year the English must all perish throughout Can

ada. The Master of Life commands it, and you who know Him better than we, 'wish to oppose His will. Until now I have said nothing on this matter. I have not urged you to take part with us in the war. It would have been enough had you been content to sit quiet on your mats looking on, while we were fighting for you, but you have not done so. You call yourselves our friends, and yet you assist the English with provisions, and go about as spies among our villages. This must not continue. You must be either wholly French or wholly English. If you are French, take up that war belt and lift the hatchet with us; but if you are English, then we declare war upon you. My brothers, I know this is a hard thing. We are all alike children of our great father, the King of France, and it is hard to fight among brethren for the sake of dogs, but there is no choice. Look upon the belt, and let us hear your answer."

One of the Canadians, who had brought with him a copy of the capitulation of Montreal, and who had determined not to confess that they were no longer children of the French King, but that he was then approaching with a vast army to win back Canada, rose and replied to the Ottawa chief, confessing great love for the Indians, and manifesting a desire to aid them in the war. He concluded with these words: "But, my brothers, you must first untie the knot with which our great father, the king, has bound us. In this paper--the capitulation-he tells all his Canadian children to set quiet and obey the English until he comes, because he wishes to punish his enemies himself. We dare not disobey him, for he would then be angry with us, and you, my brothers, who speak of making war upon us, if we do not do as you wish, do you think you could escape his wrath? If you should raise the hatchet against his French children, he would treat you as enemies and not as friends, and you would have to fight both English and French at once. Tell us, by brothers, what can you reply to this?"

The Frenchman then took his seat, and, for a time, Pontiac sat like one confounded, but he was not wholly disappointed. From among the number of half-breeds and trappers present, one stepped forth and snatched up the war belt, and declared

that he and his companions were ready to raise the hatchet against the English. Pontiac was much pleased with these volunteers, and on the following day he made a great feast to welcome them to the ranks of his army. For this entertainment a large number of dogs were killed and served up to the guests, "none of whom, according to the Indian custom on such occasions, were permitted to take their leave until they had eaten the whole of the enormous portion placed before them." It is hardly necessary to say that Pontiac derived but little benefit from these auxiliaries. On the night succeeding the feast, a party of these renegades, together with about an equal number of Indians, approached the fort and entrenched themselves, for the purpose of firing upon the garrison. At daybreak they were observed by the garrison. The gates of the fort were therefore thrown open and a small detachment of men under the command of Lieut. Hay, marched out and routed them. The Canadians ran off with such rapidity that they escaped injury, while among the Indians who made an attempt to oppose the enemy, two were shot.

No sooner had Lieut. Hay and his party returned to the fort, when a white man was seen running towards it closely pursued by the Indians. When he had come within gunshot of the fort, the Indians gave way, and he reached it in safety. This man proved to be the commandant of Sandusky, who-as I have already mentioned-having been married to an old squaw, had now made good his escape. He brought sad news to the fort the intelligence that Capt. Campbell had been killed. It appears that one of the Indians killed by Lieut. Hay's detachment, was a nephew to Wasson, chief of the Ojibwas. As soon as he became aware of what had happened, Wasson blackened his face in token of revenge, and, gathering around him a band of his followers, repaired to the house of Meloche, where Campbell was kept a prisoner, and murdered him in the most cruel manner. The other captive, McDongal, had escaped some time before.

It was now about three months since the siege began. From. the beginning, the Wyandots and Pottawatomies were less zealous in prosecuting the war than their brethren, the Otta

was and Ojibwas, "and now, like children, they began to tire of the task they had undertaken." The Wyandots asked for peace which the commandant granted them, but when the Pottawatomies came on the same errand, Gladwyn demanded that the English prisoners in their village should first be given up. After considerable delay these savages yielded to his request, and a peace was concluded.

CHAPTER XII.

APPROACH OF DALZELL'S DETACHMENT-THE BATTLE OF BLOODY RUN – SLAUGHTER OF THE ENGLISH-THE FATAL RETREAT-ADVENTURES OF THE SCHOONER GLADWYN BRAVERY OF HER CREW - THE INDIANS SUE FOR PEACE.

1

WHILE events were thus passing in Detroit a strong reinforcement was advancing to their assistance. Capt. Dalzell had left Niagara with twenty barges, bearing two hundred and eighty men, with several small cannon and a large supply of ammunition and provisions. This convoy was observed advancing up the Detroit river on the twenty-ninth of July; but it no sooner reached a point midway between the villages of the Wyandots and Pottawatomies than these Indians, although bound by a treaty made less than two weeks previous to abstain from the war, opened a hot fire upon the boats from either bank. It was answered by a swivel from the barges, but in the contest the English lost about twenty men, killed and wounded. When the villages were passed the convoy landed safely at the little dock near the fort. The detachment consisted of soldiers from the fifty-fifth and eightieth regiments, with twenty independent rangers under Major Rogers.

Captain Dalzell had rendered gallant service by the side of Israel Putnam, but had more recently acted as aid-de-camp to Sir Jeffery Amherst. On the day of his arrival he held a conference with Major Gladwyn, urging the policy of going out with a strong detachment and attacking the camp of Pontiac. Gladwyn objected, but the officer pressed his plan so urgently that the commandant at length gave a reluctant consent.

Pontiac's camp at this time was located several miles above Parent's Creek, it having been removed to escape the fire from the vessels in the river. On the evening of the thirtieth of