He wrote, “The face of the Indian affairs in this country, I have the greatest satisfaction in informing you, seems considerably altered for the better.  His Excellency Lord Dorchester’s speech and the arrival here of speeches from the Spaniards induce me to believe that a very extensive union of the Indian Nations will be the immediate consequence.  The Lieutenant Governor has ordered a strong detachment of the 24th Regt. to take post a mile & a half below this place, this step has given great spirits to the Indians and impressed them with a hope of our ultimately acting with them and affording a security for their families, should the enemy penetrate to their villages.” [Footnote:  Canadian Archives, McKee to Chew, May 8, 1794.]

    The British Furnish Them with Arms and Munitions.

Nor did the British confine their encouragement to words.  The Canadian authorities forwarded to the Miami tribes, through the agent McKee, quantities of guns, rifles, and gunlocks, besides vermillion paint and tobacco. [Footnote:  Canadian Archives, Chew to Coffin, June 23, 1794.] McKee was careful to get from the home authorities the best firearms he could, explaining that his red proteges preferred the long to the short rifles, and considered the common trade guns makeshifts, to be used only until they could get better ones.

    British Agents Greet the Scalping Parties.

The Indians made good use of the weapons thus furnished them by the “neutral” British.  A party of Delawares and Shawnees, after a successful skirmish with the Americans, brought to McKee six of the scalps they had taken; and part of the speech of presentation at the solemn council where they were received by McKee, ran:  “We had two actions with [some of Wayne’s troops who were guarding convoys] in which a great many of our enemies were killed.  Part of their flesh we have brought here with us to convince our friend of the truth of their being now in great force on their march against us; therefore, Father, [addressing McKee] we desire you to be strong and bid your children make haste to our assistance as was promised by them.”  The speaker, a Delaware chief, afterwards handed the six scalps to a Huron chief, that he might distribute them among the tribes.  McKee sent to the home authorities a full account of this council, where he had assisted at the reception and distribution of the scalps the savages had taken from the soldiers of a nation with which the British still pretended to be at peace; and a few days later he reported that the Lake Indians were at last gathering, and that when the fighting men of the various tribes joined forces, as he had reason to believe they shortly would, the British posts would be tolerably secure from any attacks by Wayne. [Footnote:  Canadian Archives, McKee’s letters May 25 and May 30, 1794.]

    Indians Serve the British as Police.