1763, June.] FORT BEDFORD. 43 



Ligonier ; the former commanded by Captain Lewis 

 Ourry, and the latter by Lieutenant Archibald 

 Blane. These officers kept up a precarious cor- 

 respondence with him and each other, by means 

 of express-riders, a service dangerous to the last 

 degree and soon to become impracticable. It was 

 of the utmost importance to hold these posts, which 

 contained stores and munitions, the capture of 

 which by the Indians w^ould have led to the worst 

 consequences. Ourry had no garrison worth the 

 name ; but at every Indian alarm the scared inhab- 

 itants would desert their farms, and gather for 

 shelter around his fort, to disperse again when the 

 alarm was over. 



On the third of June, he writes to Bouquet : 

 " No less than ninety-three families are now come 

 in here for refuge, and more hourly arriving. I 

 expect ten more before night." He adds that he 

 had formed the men into two militia companies. 

 " My returns," he pursues, " amount already to 

 a hundred and fifty-five men. My regulars are 

 increased by expresses, etc., to three corporals and 

 nine privates ; no despicable garrison ! " 



On the seventh, he sent another letter. ..." As 

 to myself, I find I can bear a good deal. Since the 

 alarm I never lie down till about twelve, and am 

 walking about the fort between two and three in 

 the morning, turning out the guards and sending 

 out patrols, before I suffer the gates to remain 

 open. . . . My greatest difficulty is to keep my 

 militia from sti'aggling by twos and threes to their 

 dear plantations, thereby exposing themeelves to 



