ence should, with a few of their followers, meet in an open These preliminaries being adjusted, the conference was

field.

opened.

In reply to Herkimer's inquiries,

" that the Indians were in concert with the

Brant

declared,*

king, as their fathers

had been ; that the king's belts were yet lodged with them, and they could not violate their pledge ; that Herkimer and his fol lowers had joined the Boston people against their sovereign ;

Boston people were resolute, the king would humble them; that General Schuyler was very smart on the Indians at German Flats, 1 but at the same time was not able to afford them the smallest article of clothing and finally, that the Indians had formerly "made war on the white people when they were all united, and as they were now divided, the He also told Herkimer that a Indians were not frightened." that although the

;

path had been opened across the country to Esopus, for the tories of Ulster and

Orange to join them.

A few days after this conference, Brant withdrew his warriors from the Susquehanna, and joined Sir John Johnson and Colonel John Butler, who had collected a body of tories and refugees at Oswego, preparatory to a descent upon the Mo

hawk and Schoharie settlements.

There Guy Johnson, and

other officers of the British Indian department, a

The conference of July, 1775. CampbtlFs Annah of Tryon County,

Claus tells the brazen story that Herkimer " had three hundred men with him and five hundred more in the distance," and that " Brant, who had not two hundred men, after resolutely declaring that he was determined to act for the king," obliged Herkimer to retreat