But if I had no written orders, those given to Shorey will prove my
verbal ones. The original, among my other papers, is in Mr. Walthoe’s
hands; but the substance, as near as I can recollect, was as follows:
“William Shorey, you are to wait at Fort Lewis for the coming of Mr.
Timberlake, and accompany Judd’s Friend in quality of interpreter to
Williamsburg. I can rely more upon you than on M‘Cormack. Pray put the
country to as little expence as possible.”
Through these continual series of ill fortunes, I got so much in debt,
that I was obliged to sell my paternal estate and negroes. My friends
advised me to return to London, promising to send me their tobacco, and
I to make returns in such goods as would best suit the country, of which
I was a tolerable judge. I communicated this project to many of my
acquaintances, who gave me great encouragement, and promises of
assistance. Mr. Trueheart, a gentleman of Hanover county, so much
approved it, that he proposed himself a partner in the undertaking, as a
voyage to England might be the means of recovering his health, then much
on the decline. I did not hesitate to accept the proposals of a person
of fortune, who could advance money to carry it into execution. We
accordingly begun our preparations for the voyage, which were already in
some degree of readiness, when walking one day in Mr. Trueheart’s
fields, I perceived five Indians coming towards the house, in company
with one of Mr. Trueheart’s sons, whom, upon a nearer view, I
recollected to be some of my Cherokee acquaintance. I enquired of Mr.
Trueheart where he found them? He told me at Warwick, enquiring for me,
and overjoyed when he offered to conduct them to his father’s house,
where I was, since they had feared being obliged to go a great way to
seek me.
After eating and smoaking, according to custom, the headman told me he
had orders to find me out, even should I be as far off as New-York, to
accompany them to Williamsburg, being sent with a talk to the Governor,
about business of the greatest consequence, and the headman hoped I was
too much their friend to refuse them that favour. I replied, that the
behaviour of the Cherokees to me, while in their country, obliged me to
return what lay in my power while they were in mine; that I would never
refuse anything that could be of any advantage to them, but do every
thing to serve them. After resting a couple of days, we set out, and in
two more arrived at Williamsburg. They waited next morning on the
Governor to disclose their business, which the headman afterwards told
me, was to demand a passage to England, as encroachments were daily made
upon them, notwithstanding the proclamation issued by the King to the
contrary; that their hunting grounds, their only support, would be soon
entirely ruined by the English; that frequent complaints had been made
to the Governors to no purpose, they therefore resolved to seek redress
in England. Next day a council met on the occasion, and an answer
promised the day following. As I had some particular business with the
Governor, I waited on him the morning the Indians were to have their
answer. The chief of what the Governor said concerning them was, that
they should have applied to Capt. Stuart, at Charles Town, he being
superintendant for Indian affairs; that if the white people encroached,
he saw no way to prevent it, but by repelling them by force. I no sooner
left the Governor than the Indians came to wait on him. I am
unacquainted with what passed during this interval; but the interpreter
came just after to my lodgings, and told me their demand was refused;
that the headman, who was then down at the Capitol, intended to go to
New-York for a passage; on which I rode down there, to take my leave of
them. The interpreter then told me, that the headman intreated me to
take them to England, as he understood by Mr. Trueheart’s people that I
was going over. I replied, that however willing to do the Cherokees any
favour, it was utterly out of my power to do that, as their passage
would be a great expence, and my finances ran so low, I could scarce
defray my own. I should then have objected the Governor’s orders to the
contrary, if any such had ever been given; but I am apt to think they
came in a private letter to England many months afterwards. I strove to
shuffle the refusal on Mr. Trueheart, hinting that he was a person of
fortune, and had it in his power; on which they returned back with me,
and applied to him.
On my return, I acquainted Mr. Trueheart with the whole affair, who,
moved by their intreaties, and a sense of the injustice done to these
unfortunate people, who daily see their possessions taken away, yet dare
not oppose it, for fear of engaging in a war with so puissant an enemy,
contrary to my expectation, agreed to bring them over. One of them died
before we set out, but we proceeded with the other four to York Town. We
were already embarked, and weighing anchor, when Mr. Trueheart finding
the cabin much lumbered, resolved to take his passage in another vessel.
We were scarce out of York River, when the wind shifted directly
contrary, and in a little time blew so hard, that we were obliged to let
go another anchor, the vessel having dragged the first a considerable
way. We got to sea in a day or two after, and proceeded on our voyage to
Bristol. The day we made land, one of the Indians, brother to Chucatah
the headman, died suddenly. We saw a ship lying off Lundy, which we
found, on speaking with, to be the same Mr. Trueheart was on board, and
that his son had died on the passage. In a day or two after our arrival,
we set out for London, where the day after we arrived I went, as Mr.
Trueheart knew nothing of the town, to acquaint Lord H—— of the Indians
arrival; but his Lordship was not at home. I called again next day, but
received the same answer. I went some time after to the office, and
acquainted one of the Under-Secretaries with their business, who told
me, as well as I can remember, that his Lordship would have nothing to
do with them, as they did not come over by authority; at which Mr.
Trueheart and the Indians were greatly displeased: that gentleman, then,
to lessen the expences as much as possible, took a cheap lodging in
Long’s-Court, Leicester-Fields, for himself and the Indians, where,
after a short illness, he died on the 6th of November.
This was a great loss to me, and likely to be severely felt by the
Indians, who must have perished, had I not taken care of them, and
promised payment for their board, &c. I never indeed doubted but when
Lord H—— should be informed with the true situation of affairs, he would
readily reimburse me; I sent him a letter for that purpose, but received
no answer. The Indians began to be very uneasy at so long a confinement,
as my circumstances would not permit their going so often to public
diversions as they should have done. They, therefore, begged to come and
live with me.
I some time after, the better to accommodate them, took a house, and
gave my note for their board, which came to £. 29 : 13 : 6. I wrote
again to Lord H——, and received a verbal answer at the office, from Mr.
St—h—e, which was, that his Lordship took very ill my troubling him with
those letters: that since I had brought the Indians here, I should take
them back, or he would take such measures as I should not like. I
replied, something hastily, that I had not brought the Indians, neither
would I carry them back: that his Lordship might take what measures he
pleased; which I suppose offended a courtier accustomed to more
deceitful language. I am a soldier, and above cringing or bearing tamely
an injury.
But should these people commence a war, and scalp every encroacher, or
even others, to revenge the ill treatment they received while coming in
a peaceable manner to seek redress before they had recourse to arms, let
the public judge who must answer it; I must, however, lay great part of
the blame on Mr. Cacoanthropos, who, possessing the ear of Lord H——,
made such an unfavourable report of me, that either his Lordship
believed, or pretended to believe them impostors, or Indians brought
over for a shew. They were known by several gentlemen in London to be of
power in their own country; and had not the government been convinced of
that, I scarce think they would have sent them home at all. As to his
other suspicion, even when I had been so great a loser, without hopes of
redress, I might have justified making a shew of them; but they were
quite private; few knew there were such people in London. Nay, I did not
enough disabuse the public when that impostor, who had taken the name of
Chucatah, was detected; so the public, without further examination,
imagined Chucatah himself to be the impostor. What contributed greatly
to raise this report, was, that three Mohock Indians were, after making
the tour of England and Ireland, made a shew of in the Strand, and
immediately confounded by the public with the Cherokees, and I accused
of making a shew all over England of Indians who never stirred out of
London. Had I showed them, I should not have been under such anxiety to
have them sent away; I should have wished their stay, or been able to
have sent them back without any inconveniency in raising the necessary
money for that purpose: but as it was entirely out of my power, I was
advised to put in an advertisement for a public contribution; I first,
however, resolved to present a petition to the Board of Trade, in answer
to which Lord H——h told me, that it no way concerned them, but Lord H——,
to whom I must again apply. On a second application, Lord H——h agreed I
should be paid for the time they remained in London, and that he would
take care to have them sent home. I was allowed two guineas a week for
the month they stayed afterwards in town; but from Mr. Trueheart’s
death, what in cloaths, paint, trinkets, coach-hire, and other expences,
including the bill from their late lodgings (for which I was arrested,
and put to a considerable expence) and the time they had lived with me,
I had expended near seventy pounds, which I must enevitably lose, as
Lord H—— has absolutely refused to reimburse me.
About the beginning of March 1765, by the desire of Mr. Montague, I
accompanied the Indians on board the Madeira packet, in which they
returned to their own country, leaving me immersed in debts not my own,
and plunged into difficulties thro’ my zeal to serve both them and my
country, from which the selling of twenty pounds a year out of my
commission has rather allayed than extricated me. The Indians expressed
the highest gratitude and grief for my misfortunes; all the recompence
they could offer, was an asylum in their country, which I declined;
since their murmurs, and some unguarded expressions they dropt,
convinced me they would not fail at their return to spirit up their
countrymen, to vindicate their right by force of arms, which would
infallibly again have been laid to my charge, and I perhaps be reputed a
traitor to my country. My circumstances, however, are now so much on the
decline, that when I can satisfy my creditors, I must retire to the
Cherokee, or some other hospitable country, where unobserved I and my
wife may breathe upon the little that yet remains.