(seq. 154)

February 25th
continued

Colonel Clarke's having succeded under such circumstances
illustrates the following remark made by some author whose
"name I do not recollect" // A Sanguine temper foresees few"
"difficulties and sometimes owes success to a fortunate rashness"
"which is esteemed by shortsighted people as taking Fortune in"
"The willing mood - tis time Fortune favors the bold, but"
"The rash have no pretensions to her favor - //

As we sat together this evening the Colonel giving a loose to
his military ardor said that he expected shortly to see the whole
race of Indians extirpated, that for his part he would never spare
Man woman or child of them on whom he could lay his hands -
I represented to him the Indians having so far foregon their
usual habits as to have saved the lives of several of their
captives and desired him to enquire of Henry the Armourer
who had been at Detroit and been witness to the treatment of
Prisoners, which when the Colonel had done and received such answers
as were indeed consistent with truth, Clarke turned to me and
said Sir I find I have been mistaken in your character & faith
have been grosly misrepresented - On his renewing his threats
against the Indians, I warned him against exasperating a people
who were so capable of ravaging the frontiers, & being renderd
implacable by severities, at the same time I quoted Mr. Gay, as
authority for humanity being the proper companion to true courage
"cowards are cruel, but the brave" he appeared rather checkd
"love mercy, and delight to save" and mortifyed ~

26th - Captain Helm was sent up the river with a detachment to
intercept the convoy from Miamis with provision &ca
Le Gras and Bosseron offerd their services and went, as did
Young Chapoton, whose father was a Captain of Militia at Detroit -