. Benjamin Franklin: his autobiography : with a narrative of his public life and services. toCarlisle, and met the Indians accordingly. As those people are extremely apt to get drunk,and, when so, are very quarrelsome and disorderly,we strictly forbade the selling any liquor to them;and when they complained of this restriction, wetold them that if they would continue sober duringthe treaty, we would give them plenty of rum whenthe business was over. They promised this, andthey kept their promise, because they could get norum, and the treaty was conducted very orderly, andconcluded to mutual sa
. Benjamin Franklin: his autobiography : with a narrative of his public life and services. toCarlisle, and met the Indians accordingly. As those people are extremely apt to get drunk,and, when so, are very quarrelsome and disorderly,we strictly forbade the selling any liquor to them;and when they complained of this restriction, wetold them that if they would continue sober duringthe treaty, we would give them plenty of rum whenthe business was over. They promised this, andthey kept their promise, because they could get norum, and the treaty was conducted very orderly, andconcluded to mutual satisfaction. They then claim-ed and received the rum; this was in the afternoon :they were near one hundred men, women, and chil-dren, and were lodged in temporary cabins, built inthe form of a square, just without the town. In theevening, hearing a great noise among them, thecommissioners walked to see what was the found they had made a great bonfire in the 192 LIFE OF FRANKLIN. middle of the square ; thej were all drunk, men andwomen, quarreling and fighting. Their dark-col-. ored bodies, half naked, seen oulj by the gloomylight of the bonfire, running after and beating oneanother with firebrands, accompanied by their hor-rid yellings, formed a scene the most resembling ourideas of hell that could well be imagined ; there wasno appeasing the tumult, and we retired to our lodg-ing. At midnight a number of them came thunder-ing at our door, demanding more rum, of which wetook no notice. The next day, sensible they had misbehaved ingiving us that disturbance, they sent three of theirold counselors to make their apology. The oratoracknowledged the fault, but laid it upon the rum:and then endeavored to excuse the rum by saying, The Great Spirit, who made all things, made every LIFE OF FRANKLIN. 193 thing for some use, and whatever use he designed anything for, that use it should always be put to. Now,when he made rum, he said, Let this he for the In-dians to get drunk wit
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