In the whole text of the treaty
there was not a word about the Six Nations. But all their
lands south of Lake Ontario as far as the banks of the
Hudson came into the possession of the United States.
For some time it seemed as though the Indians' sacrifices
on behalf of His Majesty the King were to be reckoned as
nothing, and the tribesmen who had been loyal were very
wroth. They had fought valiantly for the crown, and now
expected that the king should do something for them in
return. All that they had to fall back upon was the
promise that their rights would be respected when the
conflict ended.

'Now is the time for you to help the King,' General
Haldimand had said to the assembled redskins in 1775.
'The war has commenced. Assist the King now, and you will
find it to your advantage. Go now and fight for your
possessions, and, whatever you lose of your property
during the war, the King will make up to you when peace
returns.'

Sir Guy Carleton had also assured the Indians that money
would be spent to give them the same position after the
war that they had occupied before it, and that the
government would not be lax in dealing with their needs.
In 1779, when General Haldimand was already in command
of all the forces in Canada, he had reiterated his
promises, and said that he would do his best to fulfil
them, 'as soon as that happy time [the restoration of
peace] should come.'

When the war was ended most of the Mohawk nation were
dwelling on the west bank of the Niagara river. They had
pitched their wigwams close to the landing-place, now
Lewiston, which was some miles above the fort. Their old
territory was situated in the heart of the country of
their conquerors and to this they could not return with
safety. The Senecas, who lived near by, saw how sad was
their plight and offered them land upon which they might
reside. The Mohawks appreciated the kindness of this
proposal of the warlike nation which had fought by their
side in the long struggle, but they could not accept the
offer. In the words of Brant himself, they were resolved
to 'sink or swim' with the English.

To settle the matter the War Chief journeyed down the St
Lawrence to confer with the Canadian leaders. At Quebec
he met General Haldimand and was welcomed by this officer
with the sincerest friendship and given a chance to
discuss the unhappy lot of his homeless people. Haldimand
said that he would be quite ready to fulfil the promises
that