meantime asecond
delegation of thirty -two of the most prominent men. led by the young
war chief Oconostota (Agan-st&ta), 1 arrived t<> make a further efforl
for peace, Imt the governor, refusing to listen to them, seized the
whole party and confined them as prisoners at Fort Prince George, in
a room large enough for only six soldiers, while at the same time he
set fourteen hundred troops in motion to invade the Cherokee country.
On further representation by Ata-kullakulla (Ata'-gul''kfilu'), the civil
chief of the Nation and well known as a friend of the English, the gov-
ernor released Oconostota and two others after compelling some half
do/en of the delegation to sign a paper by which they pretended to
agree lor their tribe to kill or seize any Frenchmen entering their
countrj . and consented to the imprisonmentnotices Bee I he fi :
i Montgomery's expedition — 1760 43
to see what was wanted, Oconostota, standing on the opposite side of
the river, swung a bridle above his head as a signal to his warriors
concealed in the bushes, and the officer was at once shot down. The
soldiers immediately broke into the room where the hostages were
confined, every cue being a chief of prominence in the tribe, and
butchered them to the last man.
It was now war to the end. Led by Oconostota, the Cherokee
descended upon the frontier settlements of ( iarolina, while the warriors
across the mountains laid close siege to Fort London. In June, L760,
a strong force of over L,600 men. under Colonel Montgomery, started
to reduce the Cherokee towns and relieve the beleaguered garrison.
Crossing the Indian frontier. Montgomery quickly