1763, July.] THE RAFT. 301 



spark of fire on the surface of the river, at some 

 distance above. It grew larger and brighter ; it 

 rose in a forked flame, and at length burst forth 

 into a broad conflagration. In this instance, too, 

 fortune favored the vessel ; for the raft, which was 

 larger than the former, passed down between her 

 and the fort, brightly gilding her tracery of ropes 

 and spars, lighting up the old palisades and bastions 

 of Detroit, disclosing the white Canadian farms and 

 houses along the shore, and revealing the dusky 

 margin of the forest behind. It showed, too, a 

 dark group of naked spectators, who stood on the 

 bank to watch the effect of their artifice, when a 

 cannon flashed, a loud report broke the stillness, 

 and before the smoke of the gun had risen, these 

 curious observers had vanished. The raft floated 

 down, its flames crackling and glaring wide through 

 the night, until it was burnt to the water's edge, 

 and its last hissing embers were quenched in the 

 river. 



Though twice defeated, the Indians would not 

 abandon their plan, but, soon after this second 

 failure, began another raft, of different construction 

 from the former, and so large that they thought it 

 certain to take effect. Gladwyn, on his part, pro- 

 vided boats which were moored by chains at some 

 distance above the vessels, and made other prepar- 

 ations of defence, so effectual that the Indians, after 

 working four days upon the raft, gave over their 

 undertaking as useless. About this time, a party 

 of Shawanoe and Delaware Indians arrived at De- 

 troit, and were received by the Wyandots with a 



