430 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1696/7-98.

             Lib. x.   mountaines the names of Severall whereof were incerted in

                 an Order of Councill there before us were Indians Suspected

                 to be Authors of the Murthers lately Comitted and were said

                 to be Indians belonging to the Susquehannah Nation who

                 were required as also the rest of the Indians if they had any

                 Outlyers to call (hem in to which the Susquehannah King

                 replyed that they had no Indians that lay out as he knew of

                 that if any prtending themselves of the Susquehannah Nation

                 Were outlyers they are such as were never under the obe

                 dience of his Governmt We also asked the Kings in generall

                 if any such Indians as were there nominated were residents

                 among them or one Esqr Tom to which they answered no;

                 nor were they acquainted with any such

                   We then asked the King of the Susquehannahs what he

                 had to Communicate to the English whereupon he gave us to

                 understand tht Last fall he was taken by Eleaven of the

                 Shaukkerawq and Carried Prisoner to theire nation att which

                 he stopp'd & Ordered his flag to be brought him wch was In-

                 closed in a leather bagg saying here is a flag of Peace Recéd

                 from the King of the Shawkerawques then Calling Beshaccus

                 to Come sitt by him on his right hand after haveing advanced

                 it gradually and with a great deal of formality delivered it to

                 Beshaccus to unveile who boar it advanced all the remainder

                 of the treaty and theire procecding to give an acctt of his

                 Kings behalfe what was to be offered on that Subject the

                 Substance of which as follows That theire King being Taken

                 Prisoner by the Shawkeraques the last fall was Carried Cap

                 tive to theire Nation where he was kept bound for the space

                 of a month after wch time Expired he was by Order of the

                 King released who bid him not be afraid for tht he should be

                 restored to his own Nation that it was not the Cruelty of his

                 nature prompted him to make warr nor the delight he tooke

                 in the Effusion of human blood for that he knew better &

                 feared tht Eternall God of Nature the Author of life & being

             p. 197    who by his own power could over rule the sun buta Necessity

                 of State for the procureing a genrall & everlasting Peace with

                 all Nacons in Order to which he has Endevoured to take of

                 all Nations that now by him alone he hoped to effect his desires

                 & tht he would forbear all Acts of hostility for the Space of

                 one year either wth the Christians or Indians in wch Space of

                 time he required the Christians & Indians Answer by the

                 King of the Susquehannahs but if not Returned in tht time he

                 should then look upon us as Adversaries tht for his Safety in

                 passing & repassing the woods he should bear the fflagg wch

                 wd be his Security in Case of any Danger & hoped the Chris

                 tians would not be against his proposall seeing he desired no

                 other then a free Trade with our Indians & a peace wth all