Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1753-1761. 239

Lives in Battle; but to speak upon this Subject on the Footing
of Interest, Large Public Rewards for Scalps given by pro-
vincial Laws to Indians are attended with very pernicious
Consequences to his Majesty's Service, for they are so many
Temptations to some Indians to kill others that are our
Friends, that is when they think they have a good Oppor-
tunity to kill such single Indians that are found alone, two
fresh Instances of this have presented themselves to me. A
single Chicasaw one of our best Friends who was coming
up this Way with the Cherokees was killed by them when
asleep, and a single Creek in their Company had like to have
shared the same Fate, as no Cause of Quarrel is pretended,
the Motive could only be their Scalps, Those Cherokees car-
ried the Chicasaws Scalp with them out to War towards Fort
du Quesne, and brought it back again, and it is now hanging
exposed in Public before my Eyes, made into two Scalps,
among the Scalps of their Enemies tho' they know not that I
know it.
The Wife of the Chicasaw who made her Escape was sent
by Water from Williamsburg to Charles Town to be kept
there 'till my Arrival in Order to prevent the ill Consequences
of the Revenge she was bent upon exciting, not only among
the Chickasaws but among their Friends the Catawbas, and
I detain the Creek in this Country by Art to prevent the like
ill Consequences of the Revenge he might excite in the Creek
Nation

Lib. J. R.

& U. S.

From so light a Foundation, a War might be kindled be-
tween four Nations of Indians, at present in Friendship with
us, which it is our greatest Interest also to preserve in Friend-
ship with each other. A Meherrin Indian, a very clever
Fellow who lives at the Tuskerora Town in North Carolina
is now here, I have discovered that the Cherokees have fixed
their Eyes on him and determined to kill him for his Scalp,
so that I am obliged to take Measures to have him guarded
safe Home. Should he be killed there would be another
national Quarrel with the Tuskeroras. I think what I have
said sufficiently proves the pernicious Consequences to his
Majestys Service (wherein the general Interest of the Col-
onies is included) following from large Rewards for Scalps
given by provincial Laws to the Indians. And those Rewards
open a Door to great Fraud and Imposition upon the Colonies
or the Donors themselves, for the Cherokees in particular
have got the Art of making four Scalps out of one Man
killed, here are now twenty Scalps hanging out to public
View which are well known to have been made out of five
French men killed, what a Sum at £50 — each would they pro-
duce if carried to Maryland where the Artifice probably

p. 204