44 The Winning of the West 



of the inaction, and made a foray into the Indian 

 country himself with nineteen men, defeating a 

 small party of his foes on the Scioto. At the same 

 time he learned that the main body of the Miamis 

 had at last marched against Boonesborough. In- 

 stantly he retraced his steps with all possible speed, 

 passed by the Indians, and reached the threatened 

 fort a day before they did. 



On the eighth day of the month the savages ap- 

 peared before the stockade. They were between 

 three and four hundred in number, Shawnees and 

 Miamis, and were led by Captain Daigniau de 

 Quindre, a noted Detroit partisan 35 ; with him were 

 eleven other Frenchmen, besides the Indian chiefs. 

 They marched into view with British and French 

 colors flying, and formally summoned the little 

 wooden fort to surrender in the name of his Britan- 

 nic Majesty. The negotiations that followed showed 

 on the part of both whites and reds, a curious mix- 

 ture of barbarian cunning and barbarian childish- 

 ness ; the account reads as if it were a page of 

 Grgeco-Trojan diplomacy. 36 Boone first got a re- 

 spite of two days to consider De Quindre' s request, 

 and occupied the time in getting the horses and 

 cattle into the fort. At the end of the two days the 

 Frenchman came in person to the walls to hear the 

 answer to his proposition; whereupon Boone jeered 



35 Haldimand MSS. Aug. 17, 1778, Girty reports that four 

 hundred Indians have gone to attack ' ' Fort Kentuck. ' ' Ham- 

 ilton's letter of Sept. i6th speaks of there being three hundred 

 Shawnees with de Quindre (whom Boone calls Duquesne). 



36 See Boone's narrative. 



