with five or six men, to enter into parley with them, and try to obtain provisions.  I immediately became aware that the village was abandoned, the women and children having fled to the woods, taking with them all the articles of food.  The young men, however, offered us dogs, of which we purchased a score.  Then we passed to a second village, where they were already informed of our coming.  Here we bought forty-five dogs and a horse.  With this stock we formed an encampment on an island called Strawberry island.

Seeing ourselves now provided with food for several days, we informed the natives touching the motives which had brought us, and announced to them that we were determined to put them all to death and burn their villages, if they did not bring back in two days the effects stolen on the 7th.  A party was detached to the rapids, where the attack on Mr. Stuart had taken place.  We found the villages all deserted.  Crossing to the north bank, we found a few natives, of whom we made inquiries respecting the Nipissingue Indian, who had been left behind, but they assured us that they had seen nothing of him.[T]

[Footnote T:  This Indian returned some time after to the factory, but in a pitiable condition.  After the departure of the canoe, he had concealed himself behind a rock, and so passed the night.  At daybreak, fearing to be discovered, he gained the woods and directed his steps toward the fort, across a mountainous region.  He arrived at length at the bank of a little stream, which he was at first unable to cross.  Hunger, in the meantime, began to urge him; he might have appeased it with game, of which he saw plenty, but unfortunately he had lost the flint of his gun.  At last, with a raft of sticks, he crossed the river, and arrived at a village, the inhabitants of which disarmed him, and made him prisoner.  Our people hearing where he was, sent to seek him, and gave some blankets for his ransom.]

Not having succeeded in recovering, above the rapids, any part of the lost goods, the inhabitants all protesting that it was not they, but the villages below, which had perpetrated the robbery, we descended the river again, and re-encamped on Strawberry island.  As the intention of the partners was to intimidate the natives, without (if possible) shedding blood, we made a display of our numbers, and from time to time fired off our little field-piece, to let them see that we could reach them from one side of the river to the other.  The Indian Coalpo and his wife, who had accompanied us, advised us to make prisoner one of the chiefs.  We succeeded in this design, without incurring any danger.  Having invited one of the natives to come and smoke with us, he came accordingly:  a little after, came another; at last, one of the chiefs, and he one of the most considered among them, also came.  Being notified secretly of his character by Coalpo, who was concealed in the tent, we seized him forthwith, tied