said the English were largely to blame for the Indian war because of
their injustice and their want of policy in dealing with the savages. He
advocated following the example of the French, and winning the good will
of the Indians by flattery and presents. He believed that under that
policy the Indians would become so dependent on the white man that they
could be easily subdued.

Early in the spring of 1764 he sent messages to the various tribes,
warning them that two great armies of English soldiers were ready to
start into the western forest to punish the enemies of the English, and
inviting all who wished to make peace to meet him at Niagara.

Accordingly, early in the spring, the fields around the fort at Niagara
were dotted with Indian encampments. Among the savages were friendly
Indians who had come to claim their reward; enemies who, through want or
fear, were ready to make a temporary peace, and spies, who wanted to see
what was going on.

For many a long day Sir William Johnson sat in the council room at the
fort making treaties with various tribes. All day the fumes of the
peace-pipe filled the hall, and threats and promises were made, and
sealed with long strings of wampum.

It would have taken much less time to make one treaty with all the
Indians, but Sir William Johnson sought to discourage the idea of a
common cause, which Pontiac had done so much to arouse among the
Indians. He treated each tribe as if its case were quite different from
that of every other tribe.

Some Indians were so bold that they would not even pretend to be
friendly. The Delawares and the Shawnees replied to the Indian agent's
message summoning them to Niagara, that they were not afraid of the
English, but looked upon them as old women.

The armies to which Sir William Johnson had referred were under the
command of Colonel Bouquet and Colonel Bradstreet. The latter went by
way of the Lakes to relieve Detroit, offer peace to the northern
Indians, and subdue those who refused to submit. Bouquet, with a
thousand men, penetrated the forests further south to compel the fierce
Delawares and Shawnees to submission. Both succeeded.

[Illustration: COUNCIL WITH COLONEL BOUQUET]

Bradstreet found the northern Indians ready to come to terms. He has
been criticised for requiring the Indians to sign papers they did not
understand and make promises that they did not fulfill. He did not see
Pontiac, but sent a deputation to find him and c