206 JOHN BARTRAM TO [1756. 



are mostly watching for an opportunity to ruin us. And we that 

 are near the city are under apprehensions, too, from the neutral 

 French, which are sent amongst us full of resentment and revenge, 

 although they yet appear tolerably civil, when we feed them with 

 the best we can afford. They are very fond of their brethren 

 the Irish and Dutch Romans, which are very numerous amongst 

 us ; many of which openly declare their -wishes, that the French 

 and Indians would destroy us all, and others of them privately 

 rejoice at our calamities. deplorable condition ! that we sus- 

 pect our friend of treachery while he is willing to assist us, and 

 can't discover our enemy till it is too late ! 



By what we can understand, by the reports of our back inha- 

 bitants, most of the Indians which are so cruel, are such as were 

 almost daily familiars at their houses, ate, drank, cursed and swore 

 together were even intimate playmates ; and now, without any 

 provocation, destroy all before them with fire, ball, and tomahawk. 

 They coimnonly, now, shoot with rifles, with which they will, at a 

 great distance, from behind a tree, fence, ditch, or rock, or under 

 the covert of leaves, take such sure aim as seldom misseth their 

 mark. If they attack a house that is pretty well manned, they 

 creep behind some fence, or hedge, or tree, and shoot red-hot iron 

 slugs, or punk, into the roof, and fire the house over their heads ; 

 and if they run out, they are sure to be shot at, and most or all of 

 them killed. If they come to a house where the most of the family 

 are women and children, they break into it, kill them all, plunder 

 the house, and burn it with the dead in it ; or if any escape out, 

 they pursue and kill them. If the cattle are in the stable, they 

 fire it, and burn the cattle : if they are out, they are shot, and the 

 barn burnt. 



If our captains pursue them, in the level woods, they skip from 

 tree to tree like monkeys ; if in the mountains, like wild goats, 

 they leap from rock to rock, or hide themselves, and attack us in 

 flank and rear, when, but the minute before, we pursued their 

 track, and thought they were all before us. They are like the 

 Angel of Death give us the mortal stroke, when we think our- 

 selves secure from danger. 



Pennsylvania ! thou that was the most flourishing and 

 peaceable province in North America, art now scourged by the 

 most barbarous creatures in the universe. All ases, sexes, and 

 stations, have no mercy extended to them. * * * 



