In the Current of the Revolution 57 



The friendship of the French was invaluable, for 

 they had more influence than any other people with 

 the Indians. 



In 1777, Clark sent two young hunters as spies 

 to the Illinois country and to the neighborhood of 

 Vincennes, though neither to them nor to any one 

 else did he breathe a hint of the plan that was in his 

 mind. They brought back word that, though some 

 of the adventurous young men often joined either 

 the British or the Indian war parties, yet that the 

 bulk of the French population took but little interest 

 in the struggle, were lukewarm in their allegiance to 

 the British flag, and were somewhat awed by what 

 they heard of the backwoodsmen. 2 Clark judged 

 from this report that it would not be difficult to keep 

 the French neutral if a bold policy, strong as well as 

 conciliatory, was pursued toward them ; and that but 

 a small force would be needed to enable a resolute 

 and capable leader to conquer at least the southern 

 part of the country. It 'was impossible to raise 

 such a body among the scantily garrisoned forted 

 villages of Kentucky. The pioneers, though warlike 

 and fond of fighting, were primarily settlers; their 

 soldiering came in as a purely secondary occupation. 

 They were not a band of mere adventurers, living 

 by the sword and bent on nothing but conquest. 

 They were a group of hard-working, hard-fighting 



2 The correctness of this account is amply confirmed by 

 the Haldimand MSS., letters of Hamilton, passim; also 

 Rocheblave to Carleton, July 4, 1718; and to Hamilton, April 



12, 1778. 



