60 EXPEDITION TO THE 



indebted to some of the inhabitants of Piqua for a descrip- 

 tion of it. 



About these forts there are, as might be expected, many 

 Indian arrow-heads, and other remains to be found. Those 

 which we saw present however nothing peculiar. We 

 observed both the war and the peace arrow-head, or that 

 which is used in hunting, and which is distinguished from 

 the war arrow-head, by the absence of the acute shoulder, 

 with which the war arrow is always provided, in order to 

 cause it to remain in the wound, from which it cannot be 

 extricated without much danger and pain to the patient : 

 whereas, that used in hunting is such that it can be with- 

 drawn without diificulty. For the same reason, while the 

 latter is attached to the arrow very firmly, the war head 

 adheres to it but imperfectly, so that after it has entered 

 into the body, if the arrow be withdrawn, the head remains 

 buried in the flesh. Among other things found near these 

 fortifications was a piece of broken pottery, which was con- 

 sidered as of Indian manufacture; but on examining it 

 closely, we immediately recognised it to be a fragment of 

 a small earthen crucible, and from its appearance we believe 

 it to be of French manufacture, as it resembles more the 

 French than the German crucible. Taking this into con- 

 sideration, and bearing in mind that the first French 

 settlers in this country were constantly looking out for 

 ores of gold, silver, &c. we entertain no doubt that this, 

 instead of being of Indian manufacture, is a fragment of a 

 crucible, probably imported from France, and used in some 

 docimastic experiment. 



We had an opportunity the ensuing day, on our road to Fort 

 St. Mary, to see the remains of an old Indian work, which 

 consists of stones apparently from the destruction of a stone 

 wall which is supposed to have been erected by the same 



