﻿HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  107 
  

  

  The 
  opposition 
  now 
  assumed 
  a 
  grave 
  aspect, 
  and 
  ac- 
  

   quired 
  some 
  form. 
  Several 
  companies 
  of 
  militia 
  were 
  

   organized, 
  and 
  made 
  ready 
  for 
  service 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  deter- 
  

   mined 
  to 
  hold 
  a 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  inhabitants 
  on 
  

   the 
  20th 
  inst. 
  

  

  Both 
  parties, 
  in 
  the 
  mean 
  time, 
  continued 
  their 
  pre- 
  

   parations, 
  and 
  the 
  governor 
  exerted 
  himself 
  in 
  rein- 
  

   forcing 
  and 
  strengthening 
  the 
  fort, 
  his 
  force 
  being 
  too 
  

   inconsiderable 
  to 
  justify 
  offensive 
  operations. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  guns 
  of 
  the 
  fort 
  was 
  brought 
  to 
  bear 
  upon 
  

   the 
  tent 
  of 
  the 
  commissioner, 
  and 
  a 
  slight 
  collision 
  took 
  

   place 
  between 
  the 
  patrols 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  parties 
  at 
  night. 
  

   Shots 
  were 
  exchanged, 
  but 
  without 
  much 
  damage. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  19th, 
  by 
  the 
  request 
  of 
  the 
  governor, 
  Ellicott 
  

   met 
  him 
  at 
  the 
  house 
  of 
  his 
  aid. 
  Major 
  Minor, 
  which 
  the 
  

   governor 
  reached 
  privately 
  by 
  a 
  circuitous 
  route 
  through 
  

   the 
  canebrakes 
  and 
  thickets 
  passing 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  

   plantation, 
  and 
  through 
  the 
  cornfield. 
  The 
  humiliating 
  

   state 
  to 
  which 
  he 
  was 
  reduced, 
  had 
  made, 
  says 
  Ellicott, 
  

   a 
  visible 
  impression 
  upon 
  his 
  mind 
  and 
  countenance 
  j 
  his 
  

   situation 
  was 
  poignant 
  and 
  distressing. 
  

  

  He 
  assured 
  Ellicott, 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  sincerely 
  desirous 
  of 
  

   coming 
  to 
  terms 
  of 
  accommodation 
  with 
  the 
  people 
  ; 
  and 
  

   as 
  he 
  learned 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  intended 
  to 
  be 
  present 
  at 
  

   the 
  appointed 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  inhabitants, 
  desired 
  him 
  to 
  

   use 
  his 
  influence 
  to 
  bring 
  about 
  a 
  compromise. 
  

  

  A 
  party 
  of 
  Choctaw 
  Indians, 
  returning 
  from 
  a 
  war 
  

   expedition 
  against 
  another 
  tribe 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  

   arrived 
  at 
  Natchez 
  at 
  this 
  period. 
  Stopping 
  as 
  usual 
  to 
  

   pay 
  their 
  respects 
  to 
  the 
  governor, 
  they 
  found 
  him 
  shut 
  

   up 
  in 
  the 
  fort 
  : 
  their 
  respect 
  for 
  him 
  and 
  his 
  people 
  was 
  

   sensibly 
  diminished 
  in 
  consequence; 
  and 
  this 
  incident 
  

   had 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  attaching 
  the 
  Choctaws 
  to 
  the 
  American 
  

   interest, 
  and 
  increasing 
  their 
  attentions. 
  

  

  