Sir
On the 15th Instant there was a great concorse of Indians of all the Towns at Chota Town houfe to hear the Talk that the two warriours Mefsengers from Old Hop, had brought from the Creeks, but it was nothing Like a Talk, it was only a friendly advise from the Creeks, to the Cherokees and Compliments from one to the other; when it was excepected other ways, the man killer of Tellico was present, if he has Said one word tending to the French I had peole enough there Ready to take his up & Shut his mouth, but he Said nothing, all our beft friends where prefent, the Little Carpenter in particular went on purpose to oppose and Reject anything that he Sould not like, and to Talk, if there had been Occasion the two Creeks that came with them brought no Talk our Mefsengers Said, that they had been at the french fort, and that the french had Sent two pricks of Tobacco by the to Chota, for the warriours to Smoke as they were in freindship with the creeks, and that they did approve very well of their coming backwards & forwards in a friendly manner, when the french gave them that Tobacco they Said they had no talk to give them this Same Mefsenger Reports that the Cowetas had gave them Some Tobacco, which they Said came from the Spaniards and had informed them, that by a Letter which came from Carolina, that the Carolina people had not Such a Regard as they pretended to have for the Cheroees. All the head warriours our friends came away from the Town houfe and Left Old Hop murmuring about the Traders that had been So Long promised from Carolina, & Saw none Come, the Little Carpenter told him that there would be Traders Soon Sent into the Nation, that the Governour was now about Settling that affair The Same day in the Evening the Chilhowey and Talafsey people that went out to war Last winter, came here & brought two Sculps and a Chicksaw Slave fellow, gives an Account that they went from their Nation unto the back Settlements of Virginia, and from there unto major Andrew Lewif’s house and was kindly Received by all the Virginia People, that they were Joynd by a gang of Thewonee & Estetoe people & a Company of white men, they Travelled througt the back Settlements of Connestoge, and was very well used and made much on by the Inhabitants who complained of the Injuries they had meet with from the french Indians on their out Settlements, and was glad to See the Cherokees come to their Afsistance, our Indians Says, they did not delay much time there but they where eager to go on in Pursuit of they Enemy which accordingly they did, that the next day after they left Connestoge they meet with a gang of Savannahs and Wawpunnockeys about twenty men and one women, our Indians & white men killed Seven of them & took one Indian Prisoner, the Reft of the gang made their Escape, our Indians came back throughthe Settlements as before, and wsa kindly Received with great Joy on their Return with Sccefs and was Desired to stay until the goods would be brought for them, which was coming in a waggon, but they Said they was in hast to go hoome that they had been from Home very Long, and that their people at home would be uneasy about them, they Say they Left the Kewohee and Estetoy people in Virginia and intended to Stay untill the Waggons would come, our Indians brought in a Short Belt of white wampun intermixt with a Little black, from the Virginia people, as a token of their thanks for their Afsistance, which was Deliver’d unto Old Hop and the Little Carptenter in Chota Town houfe, in the Prefence of the head men & Warriours, of Several Towns belonging to this Nation with an Account that the Virginia warriour, was to bring in a Talk to them the Prifoner thay took proves to be a Chickesaw, formerly taken from his Nation by the french indians, he gives and Account that the french Indians begins to be afraid on account of fighting against the Englifh, and that the french Supply’s them but very poorly, that a party of the french Indians told the french, that they had perswaded them to war against the Englifh, and did not Supply them Accordingly, whereupoon they Said they Loft their peole, and that the french was of no help or afsistance to them, bt the Said party of Indians told them as thus, we are men not afraid of war, you french men are afraid for you do not help us as you promised, & you have told us a great many Lies, now we See you are Liers and we wil kill you, for you have Deceived us, wereupon the Said Indians killed Some of the french men but does not know how many, the Chickesaw fellow Likewise Say’s, that the Savannah’s have broke up their Town, and moved farther off upon the Lakes of Canady, for fear of the English cutting them off, that Some of them are Settled amongst the Tawwas, and does not know what to do, he Lifwife gives and account, that ta party of the Wawpunnockey Indians, that is in freindship with us, went with a party of the Englifh against a french fort, and Destroyed it, and killed a great many french me, the Chickesaw fellow Says that heir is Seventeen of the Chickesaw Living on the Ohio River that was formerly takeing by the french Indians, and have Attempted ot come off Several Times to gett home to their own Nation but has been Disappointed that they are Living now in a place that is more Convenient for their coming, and they have with them four Long Broud belts of Wampum, that the Connalttoy People Sends in with them to the Cherokee, Creek’s Chickesaw’s and Cuttawbers to come and Joine them against the french and their Indians, he expects them in ere this fall, as Soon as they can gett horfes to come off, for they are tired of Living as they do and wants to be at their own Nation.
The above Indians being to the Number of twenty brought the tow Sculps a man & a women’s, which they refented me with, they Stayed with us till the next morning, when I paied them for their Sculps. John Elliott Arrived from Virginia on the ___th Inftant he Reports that my Lord Loudoun Designs are tkept very Close and Secret, he Says that about two hundred Savannahs and other french Indians went ot Virginia, & Demanded a peace and Received prefents, at their Return home they killed thirty of our people there upon Major Lewis and all the Cherokees Indians that where in that province went in pursuit of them with Some of the Virginia Regiment, and found them in their Camp and killed in the Engagement which is a great Lofs to us all in General, he Says that the Cherokees in Virginia may ask for what they will tis Granted to them, One Hundred men is to b e Sent in the Spring of the year, to Garrifon Chota fort, A Trade is allready granted from that province for the Cherokee Nation, Governour Dinwiddie had wrote me a Letter and another to Old Hop, which M. Elliot has been So good to Loofe in to Loofe in the way, which Chagrines me much, when your Excellency writes to M. Dinwiddie pleafe to let hi know how it is, As no goods are come up for Elliot he makes a great deal of noise, and wants to know the Reafon of it, for which he will Soon Sett out for Charles Town, and Carries Some Indians with him the great warriour will go with him as he Says, I should advise him not to Carry Indians with him on that account, perhps he might Repente for So Doing, he does not Spare the Little Carpenter with his Tongue & wants to do this and that to him & to take all his horfes, he being the Occasion of all this, as he Says, he Says that Some Officers has made themselves very Busey, more then they can Answer for, that is meaning my Self, and Says that he will buy & sell as he pleafes at his own houfe and no body Shall interfer in it, the Indians brought me his Stillards as ti havementiond before to your Excellency, and finding Such a fraud that what weigh’t ten pounds in his did weigh twelve I other Stillards, and Indians Desired me to throw them into the River, but after a Second thought they agreed to have them Sent to your Excellency, the great Warriour being one of them, the Town of Chota are very much Disatifyed that a Trader Should be Removed without another being Sent in his Room, particularly at this prefent time when they have no ammunition, they will not believe that there is new Traders a coming up, Elliot’s horfes coming back emptyis enough to over Sett everything that has been done, for they might have been managed juft as one would, they Blame much the Little Carpenter for all this, Elliot makes prefents to the great warriour for which Reafon he takes his part, On the 18th there was a great Caball and Consultation at Elliot’s house concerning this affair ammunition & goods by Old Hop the great warriour, the Slave Oatcher and others their Result was that they beging to think very bad of us and an afraid that matters will turn worse then they have been if there is no Speedy Remedy Applied to it, I been inquiring as much as I could about the creek warriour called the mortar that Capt. Daniel pepper talks So much off, he is not known by that name here, these two that are here, now are two young fellows, but let him be as Large a mortar as he pleafes, he can do us o harm, if his Nation is provided with goods, for their freindship is fixed in our favour. There is now Roguery but what the man killer of Tellicoe is capable of when he went ot war he took a Chickesaw felow with him, and before he Sett out the por fellow was Loited upon to be Sacrifyed by them for when he came to a certain Distance, he Sent two of hismen out from his Camp with that Chickesaw fellow under pretence to Reconnioter, they then killed him & brought his Sculp to the man killer, which the Villain told me was the Sulp of a Tawwaw Indian, by that I project that he was afraid to Disoblige the french, his brother entta was complice to it, the whole Nation is Sorry for it, here being Some Chickesaw Indians the Cherokees have presented them with a Chickesaw fellow that has been a Slave in this Nation for Some years Paft & with that other fellow that the people of Chilhowe & Tallafsey had now brought into which they Seem’d pleased with it. As here is a Sicknefs amongst the Indians in thes near Towns the Little Carpenter Sent me a Mefsenger to Lett him have Some white men to help to hoe his peole’s corn, otherways they must loose their Corp, I ordered Six of the Dutch men belong to the Provincials for a week. On the 19th Inftant I Dispatched thirty One young brave fellows which went out from this fort to warr towards that very Same place, from whence the Little Carpenter came left, they Say they will not come without booty, and Such is my Opinion of them, these Young fellow belongs to these four next Nabouring Towns, the Indians hereabout are very eager for going to war, in Particular the great Warriour, he Says he never went out before without having killed or brought in prisoners, he pruposes to go again after the green Corn dance thefe Young fellows were provided with ammunition & other Necefsarys & two war hatchetts. Dennis hogain was Dispatched On the ____ins. I hope he got Safe home he has had good weather. I am with respect
Sir
Your Excellency most himble
And obedien Servant
Ray Demere