La Salle launched a vigorous campaign to claim the Mississippi River basin for France. Meanwhile France, Britain and Spain continued to compete for tribal alliances, expand their hold on land, and gain access to waterways. Desperate for firearms to defend themselves against raids from northern enemy tribes, the Chickasaws developed an affinity for the British and their supplies. The British, with colonies on the distant Atlantic coast, sought to strengthen their Chickasaw ties and help support the tribe's role as a powerful obstacle to French expansion.