1763, Nov.] MAJOR WILKINS TO MAJOR GLADWYN. 109 



bury the hatchet ; and he hopes your Excellency 

 will forget what has passed." ^ 



Having soothed the English commander with 

 these hollow overtures, Pontiac withdrew with 

 some of his chiefs to the Maumee, to stir up the 

 Indians in that quarter, and renew the war in 

 the spring. 



About the middle of November, not many days 

 after Pontiac's departure, two friendly Wyandot 

 Indians from the ancient settlement at Lorette, near 

 Quebec, crossed the river, and asked admittance 

 into the fort. One of them then unslung his pow- 

 der-horn, and, taking out a false bottom, disclosed 

 a closely folded letter, which he gave to Major 

 Gladwyn. The letter was from Major Wilkins, 



1 The following is Pontiac's message to Gladwyn, written for him by 

 a Canadian : " Mon Frere, — La Parole que mon Pere m'a envoyee, pour 

 faire la paix, je I'ai acceptee, tons nos jeunes gens ont enterre leurs Casse- 

 tetes. Je pense que tu oublieras les mauvaises choses qui sont passees il 

 y a long-temps ; de meme j'oublierai ce que tu peux m'avoir fait pour ne 

 penser que de bonnes, moi, les Saulteurs [Ojibwas), les Hurons, nous 

 devons t'aller parler quand tu nous demanderas. Fais moi la reponse. 

 Je t'envoyes ce conseil (Q. collier?) afin que tu le voyes. Si tu es bien 

 comme moi, tu me feras reponse. Je te souhaite le bonjour. 



(Signe') "PoNDiAC." 



Gladwyn's answer is also in French. He says that he will commu- 

 nicate the message to the General ; and doubts not that if he, Pontiac, is 

 true to his words, all will be well. 



The following is from the letter in which Gladwyn announces the 

 overtures of peace to Amherst (Detroit, Nov. 1): "Yesterday M. De- 

 quindre, a volunteer, arrived with despatches from the Commandant of 

 the lUinois, copies of which I enclose you. . . . The Indians are pressing 

 for peace. ... I don't imagine there will be any danger of their breaking 

 out again, provided some examples are made of our good subjects, the 

 French, who set them on. . . . They have lost between 80 and 90 of 

 their best warriors ; but if y Excellency still intends to punish them fur- 

 ther for their barbarities, it may easily be done without any expense to the 

 Crown, by permitting a free sale of rum, which will destroy them more effectually 

 than fire and sword." 



