342 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1692-1694.

Liber K.

County, and took the Post with me, whereby I might the
readier give your Excellency Account of the Certainty of

Affairs with them, & returned again to my house last Night,
which is as followeth (Viz^t) On Saturday the 16^th Captⁿ Max-
well took eight men with him, and went to Thomas Thurs-
tons where he expected to find that Party of Indians men-
tioned in the inclosed from him to me, which came to my
hand in their County, but when he came there, found the
Indians had hired a Guide for One good Beaver Skin to
convey them about sixteen Miles to One M^r Jacob Lootons a
Baltimore County Iustice, where Captain Maxwell and his
Party followed them on Sunday Morning, and there they
found about seventy two Indian Men, and a hundred Women
and Children, who had 8 Guns, and all the rest of their men
well furnished with Bows and Arrows at the said Lootons
house, and there they found him in his Store, and full of
Indians a dealing with him for Goods, having great Store of
Indian Trade therein, which is said to belong to Col Wells
and Samuel Groome and that he trades under them, but I
find by Captain Maxwell and some of his Men, that Looton
and his Wife gave the English a very unwelcome reception
for disturbing their Trade on their Market day as Looton
called it: Now S^r if these be Lootons friends, and he so well
knows them (as Captⁿ Maxwell declares in his Letter) 'tis my
Opinion that he is the fittingest Man to render your Excel-
lency a true Account of their qualifications, which I hope Your
Excellency will call him to Account for his Misdemeanor, and
that he make appear what Indians they are, 'tis believed he
never saw these Jndians before, and for the sweet profits such
traders reap by them, who value not the spoil of their Neigh-
bours, if they get the Gains; Sir, One Thomas Iones of that

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County was with Captain Maxwell, and speaks something of
most Jndian Tongues, & of some Nations as well.as the
Indians themselves, but could understand very little of these,
nor of what Nation they are, but believes them to be a mixt
villainous sort of People that rambles up and down to seek
who they can devour, and believes they was never at Lootons
house before, he living not many miles from him, Looton has
bought abundance of them as reported, Jones saw him buy One
Beaver Skin for thirty green Apples, and One for thirty Ears
and Nubbins of Corn; Sir, These Jndians belong to the
Frenchman, that I hope is got safe down, who is much
enquired after by them, and hope he has made further known
of them to your Excellency before this Time, Captain Max-
well tells me that he did see in One of their hands such a
Stick as One of the Two was brought to your Excellency with
such Marks upon it, and feathers tyed to the End, having told