260 Journal of Col. Croghan. 



and level, with high and steep banks to the rivers. From here 

 I despatched an Indian to the Plains of Scioto, with a letter to the 

 French traders from the Illinois residing there, amongst the 

 Shawnesse, requiring them to come and join me at the mouth of 

 Scioto, in order to proceed with me to their own country, and 

 take the oaths of allegiance to his Britannic Majesty, as they were 

 now become his subjects, and had no right to trade there with- 

 out license. At the same time, I sent messages to the Shawnesse 

 Indians to oblige the French to come to me in case of refusal. 



21st. We embarked at half past 8 o'clock in the morning, and 

 sailed to a place called the Big Bend, about thirty-five miles 

 below Bottle River. The course of the Ohio, from Little Con- 

 hawa River to Big Bend, is about south-west by south. The 

 country hereabouts abounds with bufFaloe, bears, deer, and all 

 sorts of wild game, in such plenty, that we killed out of our boats 

 as much as we wanted. We proceeded down the river to the 

 Buffalo Bottom, about ten miles from the beginning of the Big 

 Bend, where we encamped. The country on both sides of the 

 river, much the same as we passed the day before. This 

 day we passed nine islands, all lying high out of the water. 



22d. At half an hour past 5 o'clock, set off and sailed to a 

 place, called the Alum Hill, so called from the great quantity of 

 that mineral found there by the Indians ; this place lays about 

 ten miles from Buffalo Bottom ; thence we sailed to the mouth of 

 Great Conhawa River, being ten miles from the Alum Hill. The 

 course of the river, from the Great Bend to this place, is mostly 

 west ; from hence we proceeded down to Little Guyondott River, 

 where we encamped, about thirty miles from Great Conhawa ; 

 the country still fine and level ; the banks of the river high, with 

 abundance of creeks and rivulets falling into it. This day we 

 passed six fine islands. In the evening one of our Indians dis- 

 covered three Cherokees near our encampment, which obliged 

 our Indians to keep out a good guard the first part of the night. 

 Our party being pretty strong, I imagine the Cherokees were 

 afraid to attack us, and so ran off. 



23d. Decamped about five in the morning, and arrived at Big 

 Guyondott, twenty miles from our last encampment : the country 

 as of yesterday ; from hence we proceeded down to Sandy River, 

 being twenty miles further ; thence to the mouth of Scioto, about 

 forty miles from the last mentioned river. The general course 



