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Isaac Coates Journal of Journeys to the Indian Country

SW_IC1799_Page_26

as wanted to use them. They have been so lent,and we have sent others for our friends to use. When our friends remove, such of the first parcel oftools as remain with them, will be left with yourchiefs to be lent out for the good of the nation. Brothers, we have lent some blacksmith tools tothe smith who resides at the upper town; the othersour friends take with them; but the smith who liveshere may have the use of them. The two smiths wehope are now able to do nearly all the smith-workyou will want. Brothers, if our friends get a house put up beforewinter suitable for their accommmodation, they willremove from the one they now live in. The barnand some of the land they may want another sum-mer, as perhaps they cannot get land enough clearedto raise grain and hay for their cattle. You willagree among yourselves which of you shall live herewhen our friends remove. Brothers, when our friends remove they willcontinue to give you assistance and instruction whenthey can; if they think you stand in need of it.Several of you have tools, and as there are some ofthe first parcel which came up that are not worn out,they will be left with the chiefs to be lent to such aswant. Many of these tools are already lent; wethink it will be best for you to appoint some personto have particular charge and care of them, as lend-ing tools has been very troublesome. Brothers, we understand by your speech to ourfriends that you want them to bring on tools andcloth to sell. Brothers, we do not want them to keepa store of goods among you; we think it will not bebest; but we intend to send on a few scythes, sickles,augers, and some such tools for our friends to sell tosuch of you as may want to buy; but if any of yourpeople buy from them and then sell to the whitepeople, they are not to sell any more to such as do so. Brothers, we again repeat it, we wish you tospeak your minds freely to us, and if there is any-thing which you and we do not understand alike,that you will tell us, as it is our wish to comply withall our engagements. The iron which our friendshave promised you will be sent on as soon as thewater will admit. After a little pause, Cornplanter replied: "If youwill leave us a little while, we will counsel amongourselves and return you an answer. We then left them about an hour, when they sentus word they were ready. We again seated ourselvesas before, when Cornplanter addressed us in sub-stance as follows: We are all glad to see you that are now assem-bled in council, and glad to hear what you say to us;and your speech is good, being the same languageyou have always spoken to us. We know the time isout that was first agreed upon for your young men tostay with us, and that nothing had been said to usabout their staying longer, and perhaps that was thereason why they wanted to purchase a piece of landfrom the Holland Company joining to ours; but theywere welcome to live where they now do as long asthey please; and if the Holland Company will notsell you any land, we hope they will continue to livewhere they now do. When your friends first came,and for a long time after, many of the white peopletold us to 'watch the Quakers well, for they are acunning, designing people, [and] under pretense ofdoing something for you intend to get some advan-tage of you some way or other.' But of late, findingall was straight and no advantage attempted to betaken, they have left off talking about it. Youryoung men and we have now lived several years asbrothers. When they came here we were very ig-norant, but are now just beginning to learn. Youryoung men do not talk much to us, but when theydo they speak good words and have been very help-ful in keeping us from using whiskey. We had de-sired them to agree among themselves who shouldlive in this house, as your young men expect to leaveit before winter; but we do not think it right to fixon any one yet, for if you cannot buy a piece of land,they will need this place themselves; and if you dobuy a piece, they may not get a house fit to live inbefore winter, and then they will want it themselves.You have said you will leave all the buildings, fences,farm, etc., for us to have, except the barn and someof the land next summer to raise some grain andhay for yourselves and cattle until you can raise iton your new settlement; but it is hard work to cutdown so many big trees and clear the land; perhapsthey cannot get enough cleared next summer, and ifthey do not, they are welcome to work this as longas they need it. So it will be time enough to chooseone of our people to have this house and farm whenyour young men are well fixed on the new place.We will appoint some of our chiefs to receive thetools and collect such as are lent out; to have thecharge of lending them. In our speech to your youngmen we requested them to bring cloth and tools tosell to us that we might not be cheated by the whitepeople. But you have come to a wise conclusion innot keeping a general store amongst us, for perhapssome uneasiness or dispute might arise if a store werekept. But we thank you for your kind intention ofbringing some scythes, sickles, augers, etc., to sell tosuch of our people as may want them, and are pleasedthat such who buy are restricted from selling to whitepeople; also for the iron which you propose to giveto us, we wish your young men may divide amongstour people, and then we can get the smiths to makesuch things as we want. Brothers, we are well pleased with your conducttoward us and having always done what you prom-ised to do. An old chief called Mushsaid a few words as akind of acknowledgment for some little uneasinesshe had occasioned principally by his not heretoforeunderstanding the nature of our intention or prospectof settling our young men amongst them, but nowappeared perfectly satisfied. Then Connewauteusaid that we promised to endeavor to send a smithamong them; that after some time we did send one,but he stayed a short time, and our smiths werenot fully perfect in the trade. Now you have sent asmith, the best we ever saw; he can make every-thing we want, but he has been here but a very littletime and now says he is going away. We wish he