1806.] 



Suppofed JVelch Indians. 



519 



concluded that they were a warlike people. 

 It was conteived that they were (ei)t to 

 Jock out for a country for their nation ; 

 that, if they were fufFered to return, they 

 might expect a bodyot p^'Wcrful invaders ; 

 ■but that if thele fix men were put to death, 

 nothing would be known of their couniry, 

 and they would llill enjoy their pi(T:(Tions 

 in fecDiity. It was finely determinnid 

 th.1t they fliould be put to deat'ti. 



Griffith then thought it was time f;r 

 him t) fpeak. He adilreffed the council 

 in tiie Welch language. He infiTmed 

 them that they li J not been lent by any 

 nation j that they were aflna'ed merely 

 by priv.ite ctiriofity, they had no hoftile 

 intentions ; that it was their uviih to trace 

 the M.fluuii to its fource j and that they 

 fhould return to their country fitis- 

 fied with the difcoveries they had m»r!e, 

 without any wi(h to diiliirb the repole ot 

 their new acquaintances. 



An initant aftonifliment glowed in the 

 countenances not only ot the council but 

 of his Shawnees companions, who clearly 

 f.->w that he was underi^ood liy the people 

 of the coun'ry. Full confidence ^a^ at 

 once given to his declarations : the icing 

 advanced and gave him hi» h ind, They 

 abandoned the defign of putting him and 

 h:s companions to death, and from tliat 

 mommt treated him with the utmoft 

 frieridfhip. Griffith and the Shawnees 

 con inued eight mmths in ti-e nation ; 

 but weie deterred fr-.m profecuting their 

 researches up t'le Mi'l'ouri by the advice 

 of the people ot the country, who inforo) . 

 ed them that the)'- had gone a twelve- 

 month's j lurney up the river, but tcund it 

 as large there as It was in their own coun- 



As to the hi;lcry of this people he could 

 learn nothing ratisfa-.tory. Th^ only ac- 

 count (hey cculd give was, that thrir fore- 

 fathers had come iiD the river (rom a very 

 diftint country. They had no b'^oks, no 

 fee rds, no writings. They inieriTiixed 

 will no other people by marriage ; there 

 W3» not a (larklkinned man in the nation. 

 Their numners \A'ereve'y cr.nii ierable. 

 There was a continued range of fettle- 

 mentson the river lor fifty miks, and ihere 

 were within this Ipace thre^ '"""gi^ water- 

 courfcs which tell into the MKTinri, on the 

 b.inks of tatii of which they wers like- 

 ivife fettled, tie fuppofed that t'lere mtitt 

 bj fifty thoufand men in th<:nition ca;jahle 

 of beariiig arms. Their cloafhing was 

 llcins well drefTc.l. Their hoiifes were 

 jnade of iii>right potts and ttie hiik of 

 {jett. Tiic only implement they had to 



cut them with were ftnne tomahawks; they 

 had no iron. Their arms were bows and 

 arrows. They had fume filver, which 

 hTd been hammered with ftones into 

 C-arfe ornaments, hut it did not appear to 

 be pure. They had neither horfes, cattle, 

 fheeo, hogs, nor anv domeliic nor tame 

 animals. They lived hy hunting. He 

 fail no'hingabut their le^igiVn. 



Griffith and his Oin anions had fome 

 lirgt iron tomahawks u ith inein. With 

 thefc titey cut down a tree, and prepared a 

 canoe to return home in : but their tomi- 

 hawks were fj great a curiolity, and tke 

 people ot the cnuntiy we'e lb eager to 

 handle them, that t eir ci oe was c m- 

 pleted with very little labnur. When 

 this work was accomplifli d, hey orop )f. 

 ed to leave their new friends : Griffith, 

 however, having proniiled to viiit them 

 again. 



They defcended the river wi'li conGde- 

 rable Ipeed, but ami. ill rri^quent dtngcr.s, 

 from the rapidity of the current, particu> 

 larly when ;<affina throi'gh tne wliite 

 mounfains. When they readied the Shaw- 

 nees naiicn, they had been aoftnt about 

 two years and a half. t:iriffitii fuppoied 

 that when they travelled they went at the 

 rate of about fiftefn miles per day. 



He ftaid biit^ few inonch<: with the In» 

 diars after his return, as a ia.'ourable op^ 

 portunity offrietl itl'e^f to him to reach hi« 

 friends in Virginia.. He came with a 

 hiinting.psrty of Indians to the he.'.d- 

 waters of Coal-river, which runs into New, 

 river not far above the falls. There he 

 left the ShawneeK, and ealily reached the 

 fet'Iemen's en lloinokc. 



Mr. Childs knew him before he wtis 

 taken prifof.er, and fiw him a few davs 

 after his return, when he narrafed to him 

 the Dtecedirg circumftanccs. Griffith was 

 univerlally regard'-d as a Ifeadv honett 

 man, and a man of (frift veiacty. Mr. 

 Chtlds has always pl-.ced tlie utm. II con- 

 fidence in his account of himfclf and hi» 

 travels, and hai no more doi^t of the 

 truth of his relation than if he had feen the 

 whole himftlf. Whether Griffith be (fill 

 alive or no! he does not know. 



Whet'ier hi? ide.i* be correcf or not, we 

 fliall probably have' a better opportunity 

 of judging on the return otCap'ains Lewis 

 and (.lark ; wio, thoiinn they miy not pe- 

 netrate as fir as (jiiihth alleged that he 

 htid done, will i-.robably learn enough of 

 the country to enarile us t ) deternine w!ie. 

 ther the account given by Giiffiih be fic- 

 tion or tritth. Hak.*y ToiJL.ylN. 

 t'rankj'ord^Dec. ii, iSo.).. 



OllSER.- 



