292 Peter Penet among the Oneida Indians. 



writing, yet they still hold Mr. Penet, that he is sent from 

 the King of France, and Louis is trying to scare us and 

 said, that he would make us sensible in a few days, and 

 would make us sorry because we don't believe Mr. Penet. 

 We are much surprised of his interruption ; and further, 

 he says, in the council, that he will make us sleep very 

 fast, so that we cannot wake up again ; and we look upon 

 our Sachems, they are still the same as they were in the 

 first of our division or worse, quite contrary to our opin- 

 ion ; and the said Louis blames us much, and said we did 

 send for him from Canada the beginning of the late war, 

 therefore he thought then that we would mind what he 

 would say to us ; but we say he is mistaken about that. 

 The Continental Commissioners of Indian affairs did send 

 for him. This said Louis has despised the governor and 

 can't deny it ; but when we told him he should not despise 

 the governor, he said he would do so before your excel- 

 lency, and he added and said to us; 'You had despised Mr. 

 Penet, because you will not believe him, therefore you 

 shall not expect any presents of him at his return, and let 

 Governor Clinton give you presents more than you ever 

 had ; you think you are a free people, but I say you are 

 slaves to the State of New York ; but if you are free from 

 the State, I myself will make you slaves. Let your minis- 

 ter, Mr. Kirkland, prove that you are free.' 



" Brothers : "We remember all our transaction of the 

 late treaties ; you always tell us that we are free peojDle, 

 and we look on our nation as free people. Can Col. Louis 

 make us slaves, when he is a stranger to us ? Can a sin- 

 gle nation make a nation slaves? We think it is too 

 impossible, we never [have,] and cannot recollect we ever 

 gave him commission to reign over us as a king. 



"Brothers: We are little sensible that we have a little 

 kind of slavery, our neighboring brothers the white people, 

 do not use us very well, our young warriors were among 

 them ; when the white people saw our Indians they kill 

 their neighbor's hogs, and told their neighbors that the 



