290 RUIN OF THE INDIAN CAUSE. [1765. 



their misconduct by such falsehoods as might sug- 

 gest themselves to their invention. 



Still apologizing for what they had done, but by 

 no means suffering their prisoners to escape, they 

 proceeded up the Wabash, to the little French fort 

 and settlement of Vincennes, where, to his great 

 joy, Croghan found among the assembled Indians 

 some of his former friends and acquaintance. 

 They received him kindly, and sharply rebuked 

 the Kickapoos, who, on their part, seemed much 

 ashamed and crestfallen. From Vincennes the 

 English Avere conducted, in a sort of honorable 

 captivity, up the river to Ouatanon, where they 

 arrived on the twenty-third, fifteen days after the 

 attack, and where Croghan was fortunate enough 

 to find a great number of his former Indian friends, 

 who received him, to appearance at least, with 

 much cordiality. lie took up his quarters in the 

 fort, where there was at this time no garrison, a 

 mob of French traders and Indians being the only 

 tenants of the place. For several days, his time 

 was engrossed with receiving deputation after dep- 

 utation from the various tribes and sub-tribes of the 

 neighborhood, smoking pipes of peace, making and 

 hearing speeches, and shaking hands with greasy 

 warriors, who, one and all, were strong in their 

 professions of good-will, promising not only to 

 regard the English as their friends, but to aid them, 

 if necessary, in taking possession of the Illinois. 



While these amicable conferences were in prog- 

 ress, a miscreant Frenchman came from the Mis- 

 sissippi with a message from a chief of that region, 



