218 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
manner. Both whites and Indians, however, seemed greatly disquieted 
by alarming rumours. 
Proceeding to Lower Sandusky, he learned that the Ottawas and 
Miamis had gone off in the direction of Detroit, but held a council with 
the Wyandots and Munceys. The former replied in a satisfactory 
manner, but the latter said nothing and moved away the same night. 
At the Miami and River Raisin he found detachments of the Michigan 
militia under arms, in apprehension of an attack from the Indians, 
and a similar state of affairs existing at Detroit, several of the officers 
and principal residents having already removed or sent off their fam- 
ilies.! Mr. Atwater, the acting Governor, convened councils of the 
Indians, which were attended by representatives of all tribes except the 
Munceys, although the Ottawas seemed indifferent. On one of these 
occasions, Walk-in-the-Water, who spoke for the Wyandots of Browns- 
town, read a speech protesting against the interference of the American 
officials who had attempted to prevent their young men from crossing 
the river to Amherstburg, and asserting that the collision that occurred 
on the Wabash the year before had been entirely the fault of the white 
people, ending with a bold declaration that the Indians were their own 
masters and would go where they pleased. Atwater made a sharp 
retort, accusing him of having lately transmitted a message from Colonel 
Elliott to the Indians on the Wabash, adding that if he respected Elliott 
more than him, he ought te go to him, as he could not be friends with 
both. Walk-in-the-Water then announced that, having learned that 
some of the Shawnees living on the Miami and Scioto Rivers had been 
engaged as scouts for Hull’s army, he had despatched some of his young 
men to watch their movements, and left the council apparently in ill 
humour. .Lucas noted in his journal at this time that the Indians 
were in confusion and at a loss how to act, but that only fear would 
restrain them from joining the British. The inhabitants of Michigan 
were described by him as being chiefly “ignorant French Canadians, 
attached to no particular political principle, apparently more of the 
disposition of Indians than white people.” Two militia officers had 
recently been dismissed for advising their men to avoid the draft by 
removing to Canada, and there was so much disaffection among them 
that little assistance could be expected from the militia. On the 14th 
of June he witnessed the arrival of the Queen Charlotte at Amherstburg, 
and learned that General Brock was on board with a reinforcement of 
one hundred regulars for the garrison. While returning to rejoin Hull, 
he encountered two large parties of Ottawas and Wyandots on their 

* Sibley to Worthington, 26th February, 1812. 
