The Indian Wars, 1784-1787 163 



his followers, with but three men in company with 

 him, he overtook the three rearmost Indians, among 

 whom was Black Wolf. The struggle was momen 

 tary but bloody. All three Indians were killed, but 

 Colonel Christian and one of his captains were also 

 slain. 35 



The Kentuckians were by this time thoroughly 

 roused, and were bent on making a retaliatory ex 

 pedition in force. They felt that the efforts made 

 by Congress to preserve peace by treaties, at which 

 the Indians were loaded with presents, merely re 

 sulted in making them think that the whites were 

 afraid of them, and that if they wished gifts all they 

 had to do was to go to war. 36 The only effective 

 way to deal with the Indians was to strike them in 

 their own country, not to try to parry the strokes 

 they themselves dealt. Clark, who knew the savages 

 well, scoffed at the idea that a vigorous blow, driven 

 well home, would rouse them to desperation; he 

 realized that, formidable though they were in actual 

 battle, and still more in plundering raid, they were 

 not of the temper to hazard all on the fate of war, 

 or to stand heavy punishment, and that they would 

 yield very quickly, when once they were convinced 

 that unless they did so they and their families would 



85 State Department MSS. Papers Continental Congress. 

 Sam McDowell to Governor of Virginia, April 18, 1786. John 

 May to Do., April 19, 1786. Clark MSS. Bradford's Notes 

 on Kentucky. John Clark to Jonathan Clark, April 21, 1786. 



86 Draper MSS. Jon. Clark Papers. John Clark to Jona 

 than Clark, March 29, 1786. Also, G. R. Clark to J. Clark, 

 April 20, 1788. 



