the whole camp crowded to the shore; but after half an hour they returned, leaving about sixty men near us.  The alarm given by the chiefs was said to be that the Mahas had attacked us, and that they were desirous of assisting us to repel it; but we suspected that they were afraid we meant to set sail, and intended to prevent us from doing so; for in the night the Maha prisoners had told one of our men, who understood the language, that we were to be stopped.  We therefore, without giving any indication of our suspicion, prepared every thing for an attack, as the loss of our anchor obliged to come to near a falling bank, very unfavourable for defence.  We were not mistaken in these opinions; for when in the morning,

Friday, September 28, after dragging unsuccessfully for the anchor, we wished to set sail, it was with great difficulty that we could make the chiefs leave the boat.  At length we got rid of all except the great chief; when just as we were setting out, several of the chief’s soldiers sat on the rope which held the boat to the shore.  Irritated at this we got every thing ready to fire on them if they persisted, but the great chief said that these were his soldiers and only wanted some tobacco.  We had already refused a flag and some tobacco to the second chief, who had demanded it with great importunity; but willing to leave them without going to extremities, we threw him a carrot of tobacco, saying to him, “You have told us that you were a great man, and have influence; now show your influence, by taking the rope from those men, and we will then go without any further trouble.”  This appeal to his pride had the desired effect; he went out of the boat, gave the soldiers the tobacco, and pulling the rope out of their hands delivered it on board, and we then set sail under a breeze from the S.E.  After sailing about two miles we observed the third chief beckoning to us:  we took him on board, and he informed us that the rope had been held by the order of the second chief, who was a double-faced man.  A little farther on we were joined by the son of the chief, who came on board to see his father.  On his return we sent a speech to the nation, explaining what we had done, and advising them to peace; but if they persisted in their attempts to stop us, we were willing and able to defend ourselves.  After making six miles, during which we passed a willow island on the south and one sandbar, we encamped on another in the middle of the river.  The country on the south-side was a low prairie, that on the north highland.

September 29.  We set out early, but were again impeded by sandbars, which made the river shallow; the weather was however fair; the land on the north side low and covered with timber contrasted with the bluffs to the south.  At nine o’clock we saw the second chief and two women and three men on shore, who wished us to take two women offered by the second chief to make friends, which was refused; he then requested us to take them to the other band of