shed that I would make some proposition. I told him that I had
no other to make than what I had already made,--that of his surrendering
as prisoners at discretion. I said that his troops had behaved with
spirit; that they could not suppose that they would be worse treated in
consequence of it; that, if he chose to comply with the demand, though
hard, perhaps the sooner the better; that it was in vain to make any
proposition to me; that he, by this time, must be sensible that the
garrison would fall; that both of us must [view?] all blood spilt for
the future by the garrison as murder; that my troops were already
impatient, and called aloud for permission to tear down and storm the
fort. If such a step was taken, many, of course, would be cut down; and
the result of an enraged body of woodsmen breaking in must be obvious to
him. It would be out of the power of an American officer to save a
single man.

Various altercation took place for a considerable time. Captain Helm
attempted to moderate our fixed determination. I told him he was a
British prisoner; and it was doubtful whether or not he could, with
propriety, speak on the subject. Hamilton then said that Captain Helm
was from that moment liberated, and might use his pleasure. I informed
the Captain that I would not receive him on such terms; that he must
return to the garrison, and await his fate. I then told
Lieutenant-governor Hamilton that hostilities should not commence until
five minutes after the drums gave the alarm.

[Illustration: WE MET AT THE CHURCH]

We took our leave, and parted but a few steps, when Hamilton stopped,
and politely asked me if I would be so kind as to give him my reasons
for refusing the garrison any other terms than those I had offered. I
told him I had no objections in giving him my real reasons, which were
simply these: that I knew the greater part of the principal Indian
partisans of Detroit were with him; that I wanted an excuse to put them
to death or otherwise treat them as I thought proper; that the cries of
the widows and the fatherless on the frontiers, which they had
occasioned, now required their blood from my hand; and that I did not
choose to be so timorous as to disobey the absolute commands of their
authority, which I looked upon to be next to divine; that I would rather
lose fifty men than not to empower myself to execute this piece of
business with propriety; that, if he chose to risk the massacre of his
garrison for