ection of the western
settlers, and for the curbing of the ambitious encroachments and
preposterous claims of France.

This grave-faced citizen came out with some papers in his hand, and
the crowd was hushed into silence.

Overhead anxious faces could be seen looking out at the window. It
was not by the wishes of the Assembly that such letters were made
public; but many of them had been addressed to James Freeman
himself, and they could not restrain him from doing as he would
with his own.

"My friends," he said, and his voice rose distinct in the clear
air, "we have heavy tidings today. You shall hear what is written
from some sufferers not far from Fort Cumberland, where forty white
men, women, and children were barbarously murdered a few days back.

"'We are in as bad circumstances as ever any poor Christians were
ever in; for the cries of the widowers, widows, fatherless and
motherless children are enough to pierce the hardest of hearts.
Likewise it is a very sorrowful spectacle to see those that escaped
with their lives with not a mouthful to eat, or bed to lie on, or
clothes to cover their nakedness or keep them warm, but all they
had consumed to ashes. These deplorable circumstances cry aloud to
your Honour's most wise consideration how steps may speedily be
taken to deliver us out of the hand of our persecutors the cruel
and murderous savages, and to bring the struggle to an end.'"

The reader paused, and a low, deep murmur passed through the crowd,
its note of rage and menace being clearly heard. The speaker took
up another paper and recommenced.

"This comes from John Harris on the east bank of the Susquehanna:

"'The Indians are cutting us off every day, and I had a certain
account of about fifteen hundred Indians, besides French, being on
their march against us and Virginia, and now close on our borders,
their scouts scalping our families on our frontier daily.'"

Another pause, another murmur like a roar, and a voice from the
crowd was raised to ask:

"And what says the Assembly to that?"

"They say that if the Indians are rising against us, who have been
friendly so long, then we must surely have done something to wrong
them; and they are about to search for the cause of such a possible
wrong, and redress it, rather than impose upon the colony the
calamities of a cruel Indian war!"

A yell and a groan went up from the crowd. For a moment it seemed
almost as though some attack would be made u