“My children, come to me, and hear what I have to say. The _English_ are coming with an army to destroy both you and me. I therefore desire you immediately, my children, to hasten with all the young men; we will drive the _English_ and destroy them. I, as a father, will tell you always what is best.” He laid the string before one of the captains. After a little conversation, the captain stood up and said; “I have just heard something of our brethren the _English_, which pleaseth me much better. I will not go. Give it to the others, may be they will go.” The messenger took up again the string and said, “He won’t go, he has heard of the _English_.”[98] Then all cried out, “yes, yes, we have heard from the _English_.” He then threw the string to the other fire place, where the other captains were; but they kicked it from one to another, as if it was a snake. Captain _Peter_ took a stick, and with it flung the string from one end of the room to the other,[99] and said, “Give it to the _French_ captain, and let him go with his young men; he boasted much of his fighting; now let us see his fighting. We have often ventured our lives for him; and had hardly a loaf of bread, when we came to him; and now he thinks we should jump to serve him.” Then we saw the _French_ captain mortified to the uttermost; he looked as pale as death. The Indians discoursed and joked till midnight; and the _French_ captain sent messengers at midnight to _fort Duquesne_. 21st.—We were informed that the general was within twenty miles of _fort Duquesne_. As the _Indians_ were afraid the _English_ would come over the river _Ohio_, I spoke with some of the captains, and told them that, “I supposed the general intended to surround the _French_, and therefore must come to this side the river; but we assure you that he will not come to your towns to hurt you.” I begged them to let the _Shawanese_ at _Logstown_, know it, and gave them four strings of 300 wampum, with this message; “Brethren, we are arrived with good news, waiting for you; we desire you to be strong, and remember the ancient friendship your grandfathers had with the _English_. We wish you would remember it, and pity your young men, women and children, and keep away from the _French_; and if the _English_ should come to surround the _French_, be not afraid. We assure you they won’t hurt you.” 22d.—_Kittiuskund_ came home, and sent for us, being very glad to see us. He informed us, the general was within fifteen miles of the _French fort_; that the _French_ had uncovered their houses, and laid the roofs round the fort to set it on fire, and made ready to go off, and would demolish the fort, and let the _English_ have the bare ground; saying; “they are not able to build a strong fort this winter; and we will be early enough in the spring to destroy them. We will come with seventeen nations of _Indians_, and a great many _French_, and build a stone fort.”