s down in the spring. This
they did, and told fifty of birch bark, and an hundred and seventy of
pine; besides many others which were blocked out, in readiness for
being made.

14th. As the snow increased very fast, and our horses daily became
weaker, I sent them off unloaded, under the care of Barnaby Currin and
two others, to make all convenient despatch to Venango, and there to
wait our arrival, if there was a prospect of the river's freezing: if
not, then to continue down to Shanapin's town, at the forks of Ohio,
and there to wait until we came to cross the Alleghany; intending
myself to go down by water, as I had the offer of a canoe or two.

As I found many plots concerted to retard the Indians' business, and
prevent their returning with me, I endeavoured all that lay in my
power to frustrate their schemes, and hurried them on to execute their
intended design. They accordingly pressed for admittance this evening,
which at length was granted them, privately, to the commander and one
or two other officers. The half king told me that he offered the
wampum to the commander, who evaded taking it, and made many fair
promises of love and friendship; said he wanted to live in peace and
trade amicably with them, as a proof of which, he would send some
goods immediately down to the Loggstown for them. But I rather think
the design of that is to bring away all our straggling traders they
meet with, as I privately understood they intended to carry an
officer, &c. with them. And what rather confirms this opinion, I was
inquiring of the commander by what authority he had made prisoners of
several of our English subjects. He told me that the country belonged
to them; that no Englishman had a right to trade upon those waters;
and that he had orders to make every person prisoner who attempted it
on the Ohio, or the waters of it.

I inquired of Captain Reparti about the boy that was carried by this
place, as it was done while the command devolved on him, between the
death of the late general, and the arrival of the present. He
acknowledged that a boy had been carried past: and that the Indians
had two or three white men's scalps, (I was told by some of the
Indians at Venango, eight) but pretended to have forgotten the name of
the place where the boy came from, and all the particular facts,
though he had questioned him for some hours, as they were carrying
past. I likewise inquired what they had done with John Trotter and
James