eir power to make an
Honorable and Advantageous Peace." [Footnote: _Do_., Brant to Chew, Jan.
19, 1796.]

Wrath of the British Indian Agents.

McKee, the British Indian agent, was nearly as frank as Brant in
expressing his views of the conduct of the British towards their allies;
he doubtless felt peculiar bitterness as he had been made the active
instrument in carrying out the policy of his chiefs, and had then seen
that policy abandoned and even disavowed. In fact he suffered the usual
fate of those who are chosen to do some piece of work which unscrupulous
men in power wish to have done, but wish also to avoid the
responsibility of doing. He foretold evil results from the policy
adopted, a policy under which, as he put it, "the distressed situation
of the poor Indians who have long fought for us and bled farely for us
[is] no bar to a Peaceable accommodation with America and ... they [are]
left to shift for themselves." [Footnote: Canadian Archives, McKee to
Chew, March 27, 1795.] That a sentence of this kind could be truthfully
written by one British official to another was a sufficiently biting
comment on the conduct of the British Government.

The Indians Resolve to Treat.

The battle of the Fallen Timbers opened the eyes of the Indians to more
facts than one. They saw that they could not stand against the Americans
unassisted. Furthermore, they saw that though the British would urge
them to fight, and would secretly aid them, yet that in the last resort
the King's troops would not come to their help by proceeding to actual
war. All their leaders recognized that it was time to make peace. The
Americans found an active ally in the French Canadian, Antoine Lasselle,
whom they had captured in the battle. He worked hard to bring about a
peace, inducing the Canadian traders to come over to the American side,
and making every effort to get the Indians to agree to terms. Being a
thrifty soul, he drove a good trade with the savages at the councils,
selling them quantities of liquor.

They Send Ambassadors to Wayne.

In November the Wyandots from Sandusky sent ambassadors to Wayne at
Greeneville. Wayne spoke to them with his usual force and frankness. He
told them he pitied them for their folly in listening to the British,
who were very glad to urge them to fight and to give them ammunition,
but who had neither the power nor the inclination to help them when the
time of trial came; that hitherto the Indi