TRAVELS IN 
40 
juft as he had determined upon the point, the In- 
dian chief came up, and obferving the courfe he had 
fixed upon, fpoke, and faid it was not right; but 
that the courfe to the place was fo and fo, holding 
up his hand, and pointing. The furveyor replied, 
that he himfelf was certainly right, adding, that 
that little inftrument (pointing to the compafs) told 
him fo, which, he faid, could not err. The Indian 
anfwered, he knew better, and that the little 
wicked inftrument was a liar ; and he would not ac- 
quiefce in its decifions, fince it would wrong the 
Indians out of their land. This miftake (the fur- 
yeyor proving to be in the wrong) difpleafed the 
Indians ; the difpute arofe to that height, that the 
chief and his party had determined to break up the 
bufinefs, and return the fhorteft way home, and 
forbad the furveyors to proceed any farther : how- 
ever, after fome delay, the complaifance and pru- 
dent condudt of the colonel made them change their 
refolution : the chief became reconciled upon con- 
dition that the compafs fhould be difcarded, and 
rendered incapable of ferving on this bufinefs ; that 
the chief himfelf fhould lead the furvey; and, 
moreover, receive an order for a very confiderable 
quantity of goods. 
Matters being now amicably fettled, under this 
new regulation, the colonel having detached two 
companies on feparate routes, Mr. Mdntofh and 
myfelf attaching ourfelves to the colonel’s party, 
whofe excurfion was likely to be the moft extenfive 
and varied, we fat off from the Buffalo Lick, and 
the Indian chief, heading the party, conducted us 
on a ftraight line, as appeared by collateral obfer- 
vation, to the defired place. We purfued nearly 
a north courfe up the Great Ridge, until we came 
near the branches of Broad River, when we turned 
