44 THE WAR ON THE BORDERS. [1763, June. 



be scalped, and weakening my garrison by such 

 numbers absenting themselves. They are still in 

 good spirits, but they don't know all the bad news. 

 I shall use all means to prevail on them to stay till 

 some troops come up. I long to see my Indian 

 scouts come in with intelligence ; but I long more 

 to hear the Grenadiers' March, and see some more 

 red-coats." 



Ten days later, the face of affairs had changed. 

 " I am now, as I foresaw, entirely deserted by the 

 country people. No accident having happened 

 here, they have gradually left me to return to their 

 plantations ; so that my whole force is reduced to 

 twelve Royal Americans to guard the fort, and seven 

 Indian prisoners. I should be very glad to see 

 some troops come to my assistance. A fort with 

 five bastions cannot be guarded, much less defended, 

 by a dozen men ; but I hope God will protect us." 



On the next day, he writes again : " This 

 moment I return from the parade. Some scalps 

 taken up Dening's Creek yesterday, and to-day some 

 families murdered and houses burnt, have restored 

 me my militia. . . . Two or three other families 

 are missing, and the houses are seen in fiames. 

 The people are all flocking in again." 



Two days afterwards, he says that, while the 

 countrymen were at drill on the parade, three 

 Indians attempted to seize two little girls, close to 

 the fort, but were driven off by a volley. " This," 

 he pursues, " has added greatly to the panic of the 

 people. With difliculty I can restrain them from 

 murdering the Indian prisoners." And he con- 



