I 
ENGAGE INDIAN GUIDES. 309 
from whence, if the season would admit of it, 
and a favourable opportunity offered, they pro¬ 
posed to sail to Kingston, and proceed after¬ 
wards to Lower Canada; we, on the contrary, 
desirous of returning by a different route from 
that by which we had come up the country, 
crossed over to Buffalo Creek, in hopes of being 
able to procure horses at the Indian village 
there, to carry us through the Genesee country. 
To our disappointment we found, that all the 
Indians of the village who had horses had al¬ 
ready set out with them on their hunting expe¬ 
dition; but the interpreters told us, "that if we 
would consent to walk through the woods, as 
far as the settlements of the white people, the 
nearest of which was ninety miles from Buffalo 
Creek, he did not doubt but that he could find 
Indians in the village who would undertake to 
carry our baggage for us; and that once ar¬ 
rived at the back settlements, we should find 
it no difficult matter to hire horses. We 
readily agreed to his proposals, and he in con¬ 
sequence soon picked out from the Indians five 
men, amongst which was a war chief, on whom 
he told us we might place every reliance, as 
he was a man of an excellent character. The 
Indians, it was settled, were to have five dol¬ 
lars apiece for their services, and we were to 
furnish them with provisions and liquor. The 
interpreter, who was a white man, put us on 
