George Bancroft, History of the United States from the Discovery of the American Continent, Vol. 5, 13th edition.

‘ [337] held many councils on this subject, and no man has

chap. XVIII.} 1765

been of a mind to accept this peace.’ And turning to the English officer, he said, ‘Go hence as soon as you can, and tell your chief, that the Illinois and all our brethren will make war on you, if you come upon our lands. Away, away, and tell your chief that these lands are ours; no one can claim them, not even the other red men. Why will you come here? You do not know us; we never have seen you. Tell your chief to stay on his own lands, as we do on ours. Assure him that we will have no English here, and that this is the mind of all the red men. Adieu. Go, and never return, or our wild warriors will make you fall.’ ‘We,’ said the chiefs of the Osages and Missouris, ‘think like our brethren, the Illinois; we will aid them to keep their lands. Why, O Englishman, do you not remain on your lands as the red men do on theirs. These lands are ours; we hold them from our ancestors; they dwelt upon them, and now they are ours. No one can claim them of us. Therefore depart; begone, begone, begone; and tell your chief, the Red Men will have no Englishman here. Begone, never to return. We will have among us none other than the French.’ Ross was obliged to go down the river to New Orleans, indebted for his safety to the circumspection of St. Ange.

But Fraser, who arrived from Pittsburg, brought proofs that the Senecas, the Delawares, and the Shawnees, had made peace with the English. ‘It was not the Illinois who declared war against the English,’ tile chiefs of the Kaskaskias then said. ‘We took up the hatchet, solicited by our elder brothers, the Delawares, the Senecas, the Shawnees, and the Ottawas. Let them make peace: we ourselves have none ’