seldom looked at it; but this gave great offense, and he told me I might
go by myself. In short, he was grown captious beyond measure. In order
to please him, we had put his pack on one of our horses; but we were
forced to take it off again, as a loaded horse could not force its way
through the thick wood we were in. I found such a difficulty in leading
my horse (for it was impossible to ride) through this part of the forest,
that I called out to the party for God’s sake to stop till I could see
them, or I should never see them more: at that time I could not be more
than fifteen yards behind them. They had hurried on in pursuit of a
rattle-snake. The chief now told me again, that I must let my horses go;
but Godefroi convinced me, that I could not reach Detroit without them.
I therefore resolved, if he persisted, to quit him, to take Godefroi
with me, and to kill one of my horses for a supply of food, for we had
very little ammunition left, and no provisions. However the chief grew
good-humoured by Godefroi’s management; and as he now thought himself out
of danger, changed his course, going East North East. We soon got into
a fine open wood, where there was room to drive a coach and six. Here
we halted to refresh ourselves by smoaking our pipes, having nothing to
eat, the old Indian, who always ranged as we travelled on, having found
no game that morning. As I had not been used to smoaking, I desired to
have sumach leaves only, without tobacco; but, after a few whiffs, I was
so giddy, that I was forced to desist: probably an empty stomach was the
chief cause of this unpleasant effect of smoaking. Soon after we came
into extensive meadows; and I was assured that those meadows continue
for a hundred and fifty miles, being in the winter drowned lands and
marshes. By the dryness of the season they were now beautiful pastures:
and here presented itself one of the most delightful prospects I ever
beheld; all the low grounds being meadow, and without wood, and all the
high grounds being covered with trees, and appearing like islands; the
whole scene seemed an elysium. Here we found good water, and sat down by
it, and made a comfortable meal of what the old Indian had killed, after
we left our halting-place. We afterwards continued our route, and at
five o’clock discovering a small rivulet, which gave us all, and me in
particular, inexpressible pleasure, we made a fire by the side of it, and
lay there all night. The day following, we crossed the tracks of a party
of men running from the Uttawaw villages directly up into the woods,
which we imagined to be those of the Huron’s party who might have lost
their way; as it proved. I laughed and joked a good deal with Godefroi
on this occasion; for when the Huron left us, I asked in a sneering
manner, “if he had any commands, in case I should get before him to
Detroit;” and he answered me in the same tone, “if when you arrive, you
don’t find me there, you may safely say that I am gone to the devil.”
Soon after, to our great joy, we fell into the path leading from the
Uttawaw villages to Detroit, and struck into a by-path to avoid meeting
Indians; but unluckily stumbled on that which led from the great path to
Attawang’s village. We met three Hurons on horseback, who told us, that
peace was concluded, that the Uttawaws had returned the day before to
their villages, and that General Bradstreet was to be at Cedar-Point that
night on his way to Sandusky. One of these Indians had been present when
I was prisoner at Attawang’s village; and though I was dressed like a
Canadian, and spoke French to Godefroi to prevent discovery, recollected
me to be the Englishman he had seen there. I gave him a letter from St.
Vincent to Pondiac which I had promised to deliver. They then took their
leave of us; and as soon as they were out of sight, we turned into the
great path, and putting our Indians on our horses, Godefroi and I walked
at a very great rate. We arrived at the Pootiwatamy village[21] at a
quarter past three, where I had the pleasure of seeing English colours
flying. I wanted to avoid the village; but the chief, being very hungry
(for we had eat nothing that day) fell into a passion, and asked what we
were afraid of. He knew he ran no risk here. I was a little vexed, and
mounting my horse bid him follow. I went to the village, where I bought
a little Indian corn and a piece of venison; and then Godefroi and I
rode on till it was dark, in hopes of reaching Detroit the next day; and
finding water, made a fire near it, and passed the night there, having
left our fellow-travellers to sleep with the Pootiwatamies; who, as none
of them knew me, were told by Godefroi that I was gone to the country
of the Ilinois, and that he growing tired of the journey, and wanting
to see his children, was on his return home. The next morning we set
out at the dawn of day; and, to save ourselves the trouble of making a
raft, took the upper road, though the journey was much longer that way,
hoping to find the river fordable, in which we were not disappointed. We
travelled this day a great way, and our horses were so much fatigued,
that they were hardly able to carry us towards the close of the day.
We found fresh horse-dung on the road, which Godefroi having curiously
examined, knew that some Indians had just passed that way; and by their
tracks he was sure they were before us. He therefore made an excuse to
halt for about an hour, endeavouring to conceal the truth from me; but
I was no stranger to his real motive. However, about seven o’clock we
arrived at Detroit; whence I was fifty leagues distant when I left the
Miamis river and struck into the woods: and by the circuit I was obliged
to make to avoid pursuit, I made it at least fourscore leagues, or two
hundred and forty miles. The Huron and his people did not arrive till
many days after, and in three different parties. They had lost their way;
were obliged to divide themselves into small bodies in order to seek
for game; had suffered extremely by fatigue and hunger; one having died
by the way, and all the rest being very ill when they reached Detroit.
The Huron I imagined would have died. I gave him, as well as all the
others, all the assistance in my power; but could not help reproaching
him with his barbarity to me, and reminding him, “that the Great Spirit
had protected one whom he had abandoned, and punished him who had basely
deserted his fellow-warrior.” Immediately after my arrival at Detroit, I
sent an express to General Bradstreet, with an account of my proceedings,
and to warn him of the dangerous situation he was in, being advanced some
miles up the Sandusky river, and surrounded with treacherous Indians.
The moment he received my letter, he removed, falling down the river,
till he reached Lake Erie: by this means he disappointed their hopes of
surprising his army. This army however suffered extremely afterwards, and
great numbers were lost in traversing the desert, many of their boats
having in the night been dashed to pieces against the shore, while the
soldiers were in their tents. The boats were unfortunately too large to
be drawn out of the water. The centinels gave the alarm on finding the
sudden swell of the lake, but after infinite labour, from the loss of
boats, a large body of men were obliged to attempt to reach Fort Niagara
by land, many of whom perished. It is worthy of remark, that, during this
violent swell of the waters, soldiers stood on the shore with lighted
candles, not a breath of wind being perceived. This phænomenon often
happens. Another curious fact respecting the waters of these lakes is,
that they rise for seven years and fall for seven years; or in other
words, there is a seven years tide. I have read somewhere, that the
Caspian sea overflows its banks once in fifteen years. This, however,
is denied elsewhere. But, if the former opinion be really the case, as
the American lakes and the Caspian sea are in parts of the earth almost
opposite to each other, it might be worth while to enquire, whether, when
they are at the lowest in one place, they are at the highest in that
which is opposite, or both rise and fall at the same time?
The Natchez nation, mentioned in the letter to Pondiac, which he shewed
me, and who were blamed by the rest of the Indian army for having fired
too soon on the English who were sent to take possession of Fort Chartres
by way of the Mississippi river, no doubt did it by design, that the
troops might have an opportunity of retreating; for the French had
formerly endeavoured to extirpate that nation, and had nearly succeeded
in the undertaking, a small number only having escaped the massacre.[22]
It is not probable such an action could ever be forgiven; especially by
savages. This nation have a perpetual fire; and two men are appointed to
watch it. It has been conjectured that their ancestors were deserters
from the Mexicans who worship the sun.
The Miamis nation, of whom I have spoken so much, and into whose hands I
fell after leaving Pondiac’s army at the Uttawaw villages, are the very
people who have lately defeated the Americans in three different battles;
and when the last accounts from that country reached us, they were
encamped on the banks of the Ohio, near the falls or cataracts of that
river.[23]
It may not be improper to mention, that if I could have completed the
tour intended, viz. from Detroit to New Orleans, thence to New York, and
thence to Detroit again, whence I set out, it would have been a circuit
little short of five thousand miles.
DETROIT, September 25, 1764.
FOOTNOTES
[1] Simms, _Frontiersmen of New York_ (Albany, 1882), i, pp. 438, 439.
[2] Parkman, _Conspiracy of Pontiac_, ii, p. 195.
[3] _Monthly Review_, March, 1797, p. 381.
[4] Jacques Godefroy was a prominent habitant of Detroit, who had been
employed by Major Gladwin to seek an interview with Pontiac on behalf
of the English cause. From this mission he had returned unsuccessful.
Later, dispatched to the Illinois with four other Canadians, they had not
only pillaged an English trader, but aided the Indians to capture Fort
Miami. As Godefroy had taken the oath of allegiance to the British crown
in 1760, he was arrested and sentenced to be hanged on the charge of
treason. After this journey with Morris he continued to live at Detroit,
much respected and esteemed, and one of the richest of the French colony.
His son leaned toward the American side in the Revolution, and assisted
George Rogers Clark.—ED.
[5] This was Pontiac’s village on the Maumee. See Croghan’s Journal of
1765, _ante_.—ED.
[6] Cedar Point was near the entrance to the Maumee River.—ED.
[7] See note on Maumee Rapids, Croghan’s _Journals_, _ante_.—ED.
[8] On Indian slavery, see “The Panis; Canadian Indian Slavery,” in
Canadian Institute _Proceedings_, 1897.—ED.
[9] The reference here is to the defeat and retreat of Major Arthur
Loftus, who left Pensacola early in February, 1764, with a detachment of
the 22nd infantry to proceed to the Illinois, and take possession for the
English. On the nineteenth of March he was ambushed and fired upon near
Tunica Bend on the Mississippi, and obliged to retreat to New Orleans.—ED.
[10] The Miamis were of Algonquian stock; but the early French writers
noted their peculiarities and special customs. See _Wisconsin Historical
Collections_, xvi, p. 376; also index thereto.—ED.
[11] The Northern tribes, especially the Iroquois, termed the Cherokees,
Chickasaws, etc., “Têtes plattes” (Flat-heads). The enmity between the
Northern and the Southern Indians was traditional.—ED.
[12] A letter to Bradstreet from Morris, dated September 2, 1764, is
quoted by Wallace, _History of Illinois and Louisiana under French Rule_
(Cincinnati, 1893), p. 352, _note_.—ED.
[13] Reference to the date of starting (_ante_, p. 303) shows that this
should read September 1.—ED.
[14] On the influence of dreams over the actions of Indians, see Long’s
_Travels_, vol. ii of this series.—ED.
[15] The journey of Sir William Johnson to Detroit, here referred to,
took place July 4-October 30, 1761. For the diary of this voyage, see
Stone, _Life and Times of Sir William Johnson_, ii, pp. 429-477.—ED.
[16] Pichou is the Canadian name for the loup-cervier, or _lynx
canadensis_.—ED.
[17] Holmes had warned Gladwin of the conspiracy among the Indians;
nevertheless, he himself fell a victim thereto. See Parkman, _Conspiracy
of Pontiac_, i, pp. 189, 278.—ED.
[18] Sir Henry Moore was the only colonist appointed governor of New
York, having been born in Jamaica in 1713. After serving as governor
of that island, and by his bravery and wisdom averting serious peril
during a slave insurrection, he was rewarded with a baronetcy and
the governorship of New York (1764). He filled this position with
acceptability, dying at his post in 1769.—ED.
[19] For these forts, see Croghan’s _Journals_, _ante_.—ED.
[20] One of the earliest Jesuit missions in Canada was to the Hurons, for
whom (1673) a village was built at Loretto, ten miles from Quebec, on a
seigniory belonging to the Jesuit order. Remnants of the Loretto Hurons
are still to be found at the old village. The French had employed these
“praying Indians” in their wars; it will be seen that the English were
following the same policy.—ED.
[21] See Croghan’s _Journals_, _ante_, for note upon the location of this
Potawatomi village.—ED.
[22] The Natchez War, with its sequel in the Chickasaw campaigns, was the
most disastrous series of Indian troubles in the early history of French
Louisiana. The Natchez secretly rose, and treacherously massacred the
garrison of Fort Rosalie, November 29, 1729. During the two succeeding
years Governor Périer twice invaded their territory, and inflicted so
severe a chastisement that the nation as such ceased to exist, its
remnant taking refuge among the Chickasaws.—ED.
[23] This paragraph was obviously interpolated just before the
publication of the journal (1791), for the three different battles to
which Morris here refers were those of Harmar’s campaign in 1790, when
three several detachments of the latter’s army were at different times
overpowered in the Miami territory. The defeat of St. Clair (November 4,
1791), by the same tribesmen, doubtless was too recent an event for the
information to have reached England, and been embodied in a publication
of that year.—ED.
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