The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

444 WASHINGTON'S WRITINGS. [APPENDIX.
went to the Half-King and pressed him in the strongest terms to go;
he told me that the commandant'would not discharge him until the
morning. I then went to the commandant, and desired him to do
their business, and complained of ill treatment; for keeping them,
as they were part of my company, was detaining me. This he promised not to do, but to forward my journey as much as he could. He
protested he did not keep them, but was ignorant of the cause of
their stay; though I soon found it out. He had promised them a
present of guns, if they would wait until the morning. As I was
very much pressed by the Indians to wait this day for them, I
consented, on a promise that nothing should hinder them in the
morning.
"16th. - The French were not slack in their inventions to keep
the Indians this day also. But as they were obliged, according to
promise, to give the present, they then endeavoured to try the power
of liquor, which I doubt not would have prevailed at any other time
than this; but I urged and insisted with the King so closely upon his
word, that he refrained, and set off with us as he had engaged.
"We had a tedious and very fatiguing passage down the creek.
Several times we had like to have been staved against rocks; and
many times were obliged all hands to get out and remain in the
water half an hour or more, getting over the shoals. At one place,
the ice had lodged, and made it impassable by water; we were,
therefore, obliged to carry our canoe across the neck of land, a quarter of a mile over. We did not reach Venango until the 22d, where
we met with our horses.
"This creek is extremely crooked. I dare say the distance between the fort and Venango cannot be less than one hundred and
thirty miles, to follow the meanders.
" 23d. -When I got things ready to set off, I sent for the HalfKing, to know whether he intended to go with us or by water. He
told me that White Thunder had hurt himself much, and was sick,
and unable to walk; therefore he was obliged to carry him down in
a canoe. As I found he intended to stay here a day or two, and
knew that Monsieur Joncaire would employ every scheme to set him
against the English, as he had before done, I told him, I hoped he
would guard against his flattery, and let no fine speeches influence
him in their favor. He desired I might not be concerned, for he
knew the French too well, for any thing to engage him in their favor;
and that though he could not go down with us, he yet would endeavour to meet at the Fork with Joseph Campbell, to deliver a speech
for me to carry to his Honor the Governor. He told me he would