308 THE FIGHT OF BLOODY BRIDGE. [1763, July. 



returned and lay in ambush among the bushes, 

 hoping to lure some of the English within reach 

 of their guns. None of them, however, fell into 

 the snare.^ 



Captain Dalzell was the same officer who was 

 the companion of Israel Putnam in some of the 

 most adventurous passages of that rough veteran's 

 life ; but more recently he had acted as aide-de- 

 camp to Sir Jeffrey Amherst. On the day of his 

 arrival, he had a conference with Gladwyn, at the 

 quarters of the latter, and strongly insisted that the 

 time was come when an irrecoverable blow might 

 be struck at Pontiac. He requested permission to 

 march out on the following night, and attack the 

 Indian camp. Gladwyn, better acquainted with 

 the position of affairs, and perhaps more cautious 

 by nature, was averse to the attempt ; but Dalzell 

 urged his request so strenuously that the command- 

 ant yielded to his representations, and gave a tardy 

 consent.^ 



Pontiac had recently removed his camp from its 

 old position near the mouth of Parent's Creek, and 

 was now posted several miles above, behind a great 

 marsh, which protected the Indian huts from the 



1 Pontiac MS. 



2 Extract from a MS. Letter — Major Gladwyn to Sir J. Amherst. 



" Detroit, Aug. 8th, 1763. 

 " On the 31st, Captain Dalyell Kequested, as a particular favor, that 

 I would give him the Command of a Party, in order to Attempt the Sur- 

 prizal of Pontiac's Camp, under cover of the Night, to which I answered 

 that I was of opinion he was too much on his Guard to Effect it ; he then 

 said he thought I had it in my power to give him a Stroke, and that if I 

 did not Attempt it now, he would Run off, and I should never have 

 another Opportunity ; this induced me to give in to the Scheme, contrary 

 to my Judgement." 



