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THEILLING ADVENTURES

▲MONO TUK

INDIANS:

COMPRISING

tire <fehi 3uMfltt Sta,

AS WELL AS OF

INCIDENTS IN THE RECENT INDIAN HOSTILITIES IN
MEXICO AND TEXAS.

By JOHN FROST, LL.D.

AUTHi* or " PICTORIAL HISTORY OP THE UNITED STATES," " PICTORIAL HI3TOBY OP THE
WORLD," && &0.

ILLUSTRATED WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS,
fBOM DESIGNS BY W. CEOOMB AND OTHER DISTINGUISHED ARTISTS

BOSTON:

L. P. CROWN & CO., 61 CORNHILL,

PHILADELPHIA:
J. W. BRADLEY, 48 NORTH FOURTH ST.

1854.

EVTX&ID ACCOREIKO TO ACT OF CoKQRESS, IK THE TSiX 1849, BY J»H>* FKOSY,

ik the Clerk' a Office of the District Court for the Eastern Dimrict of

UJIO * BAXELTj, prdttee^, no. 9 SASBOM STRZ<1.

PREFACE.

The following narratives have been carefully compiled
from a large mass of material which has been accumulated
during the many years which the author has devoted to the
study of American history. They comprise the incidents
which were considered most striking and remarkable, and
best calculated to afford the reader an adequate idea of the
Indians, their peculiar modes of warfare, and their general
character.

It is a remarkable fact that the Indians, as a mass, remain
now nearly in the same state as they were found by the first
discoverers of the New World. In religion, manners, and
customs, they are as wild and savage as ever. The western
tribes hunt with the bow and arrow ; and still make war with
the spear and shield. Certain tribes originally settled east
of the Mississippi, have become to a certain extent Christian-
ized and civilized. Their history and present state would
form the subject of a very interesting volume by itself — a
volume which is a desideratum in American literature. But
the wild western Indians are still heathen and still savage.
Unless an enlightened public sentiment shall be awakened,
jmd the benevolent exertions of the American people shall be
interposed to civilize and reclaim these tribes, there is every
reason to fear that they will ultimately become extinct ; so
that a century hence not a living representative will remain
of all the powerful nations which formerly possessed this
country. Ignorance, superstition, and mutual dissension

PREFACE.

among the tribes are rapidly wasting them away. This re-
sult should not be permitted by the Christian nation which
owes to them and their dead ancestors the noble domain
which it occupies. The facts recorded in the following pages
exhibit traits of character in the Indians, which command
admiration and awaken sympathy, united with other traits
which excite in the well regulated mind the liveliest pity for
their unhappy and misguided state. They might be reclaimed,
civilized, and saved. But while they are regarded as enemies,
possessing desirable lands, or as mere hunters of furs for
white people, subjects of conquest or speculation merely,
there is little hope for the poor Indian. Here and there a
voice is raised in their defence, but selfishness and prejudice
are many-tongued ; and the cry that the Indians cannot be
reclaimed and must perish, is the prevailing one. It is to be
hoped that some able and eloquent defender may yet take up
their cause, and that the blessings of civilization may here-
after preserve a remnant of the once numerous and powerful
aborigines of North America.

CONTENTS.

Introduction ----- - 9

Captivity and Escape of Mrs. Frances Scott, of Washington

County, Virginia --.---.-13
Singular Narrative of the Adventures of Captain Isaac Steward,

who probably saw the gold mines of California before 1782 21

Singular Prowess of a Woman in a Combat with Indians - - 24

Thrilling Incidents of Border Warfare in Pennsylvania - 28

The Ranger's Adventure - -- -- --32

Sufferings of Butler, the American Mazeppa, among the Indians 38

Heroism of a Woman - -- -- --43

Escape of Mrs. Davis from the Indians ----- 45

Singular Execution for Murder ------ 49

An Extraordinary Duel - - - - - - - 51

The Maiden's Rock 55

Shenandoah- - -- -- -- --63

Indian Gratitude - • * - - - - - - 66

Daring Feat of a Girl during an Assault by Indians - - 72

The Faithful Nurse 76

Courage and Generosity of Pe-ta-la-sha-roo - - - - 80

Magnanimity of a Sioux - - - - - - - 85

Noble Action of Lieutenant Beall - - - - - - 86

Massacre at Taos, New Mexico, and Death of Governor Bent 92

Adventures of Colonel Hays with the Indians - - - 95

Poo's Adventure with two Indians 100

a2 6

6 CONTENTS.

Captain Ilcid's Battle with the Lipan Indians - 104
Fight of Colonel Kinney with the Camanche Indians - - 107

Attack on Cherry Valley 110

Major McCulloch's Adventure with the Camanches - - 112
Attack upon American Train Companies - - - - 113
Massacre of American Volunteers by Indians - - - 117

The Rose of Guadaloupe 119

Indian Fishing in New Brunswick 124

Thrilling Adventure at an Indian Burial-place - - - 130
A Striking Scene - -- -- -- - 134

Treeing a Bear - -- -- -- - 137

Insurrection of the Pueblos in New Mexico - - - 141

Singular Freak of a Creek Indian 147

Irruption of the Camanches into Chihuahua - - - 149

Night Attack by the Pawnees 151

Carson's Adventures with the Indians - - - - 154
Battles of American Volunteers with Indians - - - - 159

Indian Cruelty to a Prisoner 164

Striking Instance of Indian Patriotism 168

Indian Sense of Propriety - - 170

Personal Encounter with two Indians 172

The Prophet of the Alleghany 176

Tecumseh 184

M'Dougal and the Indians ------ 190

Paugus and Chamberlain 198

Indian Children 209

Wanou and the English Officer 215

Burning of Hanna's Town ------ 218

The Lost Sister of Wyoming 227

Disaster of a Party of Missouri Traders - - - - 233
Hunting the Moose 236

CONTENTS. 7

The Rifleman of Chippewa 243

The Indian and the Wild Turkey 253

The Indian and the Bear - - - - - - -259

Attack on Haverhill 260

Bobasheela 266

Remarkable Escape from the Indians - - - • - 281
Massacre at Minims' s Fort 285
American Forces attacked by Camanches - 290
Death of Captain Smith, a Santa Fe Trader - - - - 291
Adventure with a Party of Yutas ..... 292
Hunting the Buffalo by Stratagem - - - • - 297
Wonderful Escape of Tom Higgins - - - - 298

March of the Sioux 306

The Murderer's Creek 309

The Scalp-Dance • - - -314

Adventure of an Indian Woman - - - - • 318
An Indian Lodge - - - 327

Silouee .329

A Buffalo Hunt 338

Sufferings of Captain Bard's Family - • - • 343

Black Bird 346

Indian Pipe-Dance - - - - ^ - - • - 348

Escape from Torture - - - - - - - -351

Perilous Adventure of Captain Brady - - - - 353

Story of Indian Revenge - - - - - - -354

Mandan Bull Dance - - - ■ - • - - 357

Singular Scene in an Indian Council ..... 369

Narrative of an Escape from the Indians ... 372

Early Settlers of Bedford County 379

Indian Attack on Dover, New Hampshire .... 381
Indian Gratitude for Favours - - • - - -387

8 CONTENTS.

Paoi

Escape from Indiana 388

Murder of a Family in New Hampshire • 391

Dance of Ojibbeway Indians (in London) ... 392

Murder of a family in Tennessee • • 402

Depredations by the Sioux 404

Indian Horsemanship ....... 406

Battle of Oriskany 412

Fight between the Crow and the Blackfeet Indians - - 415

Savage Patriotism - - - - - - - 419

Farmer's Brother -- 421

Indian Bear Hunt 424

The Catastrophe 429

Story of George Ash 432

The Sioux, or Dacotas, and their Chief Wahktageli, or Big

Soldier 441

Kenton .- 451

General Clarke and the Indians 458

Attack upon Widow Scraggs' House - - - - 467

Defence of Fort Harrison ...... 474

Battle of Point Pleasant 478

M'Culloch's Leap 487

Adventure of Two Scouts - - - - • - 491

Joe Logston - - 5C3

In the period of near
two centuries and a half,
which has elapsed since the
first settlement of North
America by the British
colonists, there have oc-
curred a great number of
wars between the white
people and the Indians,
both parties struggling with
equal animosity for the pos-
session of the soil. The re-
sult has been the almost
total extermination of the
Indians; and the present

peaceful possession by the
2

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

whites of what was once the Indian's home. In these
wars there has been much of thrilling and romantic
adventure ; many examples of courage, fortitude, con-
tempt of danger, and heroic endurance of suffering —
examples which serve at once to illustrate the hardy
character of our ancestors, and the marked and origi-
nal traits of their savage enemies. The narratives
of these adventures have been fortunately preserved
in many instances. Some of them are given by the
sufferers themselves ; and others were so conspicuous
as to find a place in local or national annals.

They abound in scenes of adventure and danger, to
which it is hardly possible to find a parallel in the
annals of war. Such scenes display traits of char-
acter in more vivid colours than does the most
laboured description. Cruelty, at which the heart
sickens ; vindictiveness, which knows no end and no
mitigation; skill, ingenuity and endurance in war;
heroism, gratitude to friends, treachery toward ene-
mies, stoicism, keen observation, and the most deli-
cate sense of honour — all these, the characteristics
of an Indian, are to be studied, not in the pages
of the moralist, but in the narrative of adventures.
But in all this there is something more than even a
display of character and a tale of adventure. There
is a moral to be learned. The qualities which we
abhor in a hostile Indian are not peculiar to Indians.
They are possessed by all men, they exist in all
societies. Civilization modifies, perhaps lessens them
in the white man; and if by exhibiting the evils of
their unlimited license in the poor Indian, we could

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

teach our own people to prize the blessings of civili-
zation ; if we could induce the young to apply those
blessings to the extirpation of their own wild pas-
sions, then would the moral of our " Thrilling Ad-
ventures" be complete. It has been our aim to accom-
plish this object. We have endeavoured to display
the character of the Indian and his enemies in their
true colours, and to draw from the picture a useful
moral. Without further preamble we now proceed to
our narratives.

fcapttottB anD ®W$t of 0Lx%. §xmtt* fxott, of SEa^tegtoii

On Wednesday the 29th day of June, 1785, late
in the evening, a large company of armed men passed
the house, on their way to Kentucky : some part of
whom encamped within two miles. Mr. Scott, living
on a frontier part, generally made the family watch-
ful ; but on this calamitous day, after so large a body
of men had passed, shortly after night, he lay down
in his bed, and imprudently left one of the doors of
his house open ; the children were also in bed and
asleep. Mrs. Scott was nearly undressed, when, to
her unutterable astonishment and horror, she saw,
rushing in through the door that was left open, painted
savages with presented arms, raising a hideous shriek.
Mr. Scott being awake, instantly jumped out of his
bed, but was immediately fired at : he forced his way
through the middle of the enemy, and got out of the

B 13

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

door, but fell a few paces from thence. An Indian
seized Mrs. Scott, and ordered her to a particular spot,
and not to move : others stabbed and cut the throats
of the three youngest children in their bed, and after-
wards lifted them up and dashed them down on the
floor, near the mother. The eldest, a beautiful girl of
eight years old, awoke, and escaped out of the bed,
and ran to her parent, and, with the most plaintive
accents, cried, " 0 mamma ! mamma ! save me." The
mother, in the deepest anguish of spirit, and with a
flood of tears, entreated the savages to spare her child ;
but, with a brutal fierceness, they tomahawked and
stabbed her in the mothers arms. Adjacent to Mr.
Scott's dwelling-house another family lived, of the
name of Ball. The Indians also attacked them at
the same instant they did Mr. Scott's ; but the door
being shut, the enemy fired into the house through an
opening between two logs, and killed a young lad, and
then endeavoured to force the door open ; but a sur-
viving brother fired through the door, and the enemy
desisted, and went off : the remaining part of the
family ran out of the house and escaped. In Mr.
Scott's house were four good rifles well loaded, and a
good deal of clothing and furniture, part of which
belonged to people that had left it on their way to
Kentucky. The Indians loaded themselves with the
plunder, being thirteen in number, then .speedily made
off, and continued travelling all night. Next morning
their chief allotted to each man his share ; and de-
tached nine of a party to steal horses from the in-
habitants on Clinch. The eleventh day after Mrs

CAPTIVITY OF MRS. SCOTT.

Scott's captivity, the four Indians that had her in
charge, stopped at a place fixed upon for a rendez-
vous, and to hunt, being now in a great want of pro-
visions. Three went out, and the chief, being an old
man, was left to take care of the prisoner, who, by
this time, expressed a willingness to proceed to the
Indian towns, which seemed to have the desired effect
of lessening her keeper's vigilance. In the day time,
as the old man was graining a deer skin, the captive,
pondering on her situation, and anxiously looking for
an opportunity to make her escape, took the resolu-
tion, and went to the Indian carelessly, asked liberty
to go a small distance to a stream of water, to wash
the blood off her apron, that had remained besmeared
since the fatal night of the murder of her little
daughter. He told her in the English tongue "go
along;" she then passed by him, his face being in a
contrary direction from that she was going, and he
very busy. She, after getting to the water, proceeded
on without delay, made to a high barren mountain,
and travelled until late in the evening, when she
came down into the valley, in search of the track she
had been taken along ; hoping thereby to find the way
back, without the risk of being lost, and perishing
with hunger in uninhabited parts. On coming across
the valley to the river side, supposed to be the east-
erly branch o£ Kentucky river, she observed in the
sand, tracks of two men that had gone up the river,
and had just returned. She concluded these to have
been her pursuers, which excited emotions of grati-
tude and thankfulness to Divine providence for so

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

timely a deliverance. Being without any provisions,
having no kind of weapon or tool to assist her in
getting any, and being almost destitute of clothing,
also knowing that a vast tract of rugged high moun-
tains intervened, between where she was and the
inhabitants eastwardly, and the distance of the Ken-
tucky settlements unknown, and she almost as ignor-
ant as a child of the method of steering through the
woods, her situation was truly desolate. But certain
death, either by hunger or wild beasts, seemed prefer-
able to being in the power of human beings, who
had excited in her mind such horror. She addressed
Heaven for protection, and, taking courage, proceeded
onward. After travelling three days, she had nearly
met with the Indians, as she supposed, that had been
sent to Clinch to steal horses, but providentially hear-
ing their approach, she concealed herself behind a tree
until the enemy had passed. This, giving a fresh
alarm, and her mind being filled with consternation,
she got lost, proceeding backwards and forwards for
several days. At length she came to a river, that
seemed to come from the east ; concluding it was
Sandy river, she accordingly resolved to trace it to its
source, which is adjacent to the Clinch settlement.
After proceeding up the same several days, she came
to where the river runs through the great Laurel
mountain, where is a prodigious water-fall, and nu-
merous high craggy cliffs along the water edge ; that
way seemed impassable, the mountain steep and diffi-
cult; however, our mournful traveller concluded that
the latter way was the best. She therefore ascended

Mrs. Scott in danger of recapture.
b 2

CAPTIVITY OF MRS. SCOTT.

for some time, but coming to a range of inaccessible
rocks, she turned her course towards the foot of the
mountain and the river side. After getting into a deep
gully, and passing over several high steep rocks, she
reached the river side, where, to her inexpressible
affliction, she found that a perpendicular rock, or
rather one that hung over, of fifteen or twenty feet
high, formed the bank. Here a solemn pause took
place ; she essayed to return, but the height of the
steeps and rocks she had descended over, prevented
her. She then returned to the edge of the precipice,
and viewed the bottom of it, as the certain spot where
she must quickly end all her troubles, or remain on the
top to pine away with hunger, or be devoured by wild
beasts. After serious meditation, and devout exercises,
she determined on leaping from the height, and accord-
ingly jumped off. Although the place where she had to
alight was covered with uneven rocks, not a bone was
broken ; but, being exceedingly stunned with the fall,
she remained unable to proceed for some space of time.
The dry season caused the river to be shallow — she
travelled in it, and, where she could, by its edge, until
she got through the mountain, a distance probably
of several miles. After this, as she was travelling
along the bank of the river, a venomous snake bit
her on the ankle. She had strength to kill it, and
knowing its kind, concluded that death must soon
overtake her. By this time, Mrs. Scott was reduced
to a mere skeleton with fatigue, hunger, and grief ;
probably this state of her body was the means of pre-
serving her from the effects of the poison : be that as

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

it may, so it was, that very little pain succeeded the
bite, and what little swelling there was fell into
her feet. Our wanderer now left the river, and after
proceeding a good distance, she came to where the
valley parted into two, each leading a different course.
Here a painful suspense again took place : the poor
woman was almost exhausted, and certain, if she was
led far out of the way, she would never see a human
creature. During this suspense, a beautiful bird
passed close by her, fluttering along the ground, and
went out of sight up one of the valleys. This drew
her attention, and whilst considering what it might
mean, another bird of the same appearance in like
manner fluttered past her, and took the same valley
the other had done. This determined her choice of the
way ; and on the second day after, which was the 11th
of August, she reached that settlement on Clinch called
New Garden ; whereas (she is since informed by wood-
men) had she taken the other valley, it would have
led her back towards the Ohio. Mrs. Scott relates,
that the Indians told her, that the party was com-
posed of four different nations, two of whom she
thinks thev named Delawares and Minsroes.

She further relates, that during her wandering from
the 10th of July to the 11th of August, she had no
other subsistence but chewing and swallowing the
juice of young cane stalks, sassafras leaves, and some
other plants she did not know the names of; that, on
her journey, she saw buffaloes, elks, deer, and fre-
quently bears and wolves ; not one of which, although
some passed very near her, offered to do her the least

CAPTAIN ISAAC STEWART.

harm. One day a bear came near her, with a young
fawn in his mouth, and, on discovering her he dropped
his prey and ran off. Hunger prompted her to go
and take the flesh and eat it : but, on reflection, she
desisted, thinking that the bear might return and de-
vour her ; besides she had an aversion to taste raw
flesh. Mrs. Scott long continued in a low state of
health, remaining inconsolable for the loss of her
family, particularly bewailing the cruel death of her
little daughter.

Angular Kamtik of $ttftentitr*0 of ©aptafw Igaac ^tcfosrt,
fofjo pro&aftlg gato t&e mine* of ®aKfonwa Moxt

This account we find in a selection of narratives of
outrages committed by the Indians, published at Car-
lisle by Archibald Loudon in 1808. A memorandum
by Dr. Mease, in the margin, informs us that he was
from South Carolina ; and the doctor gives a reference
to the Columbian Magazine, vol. i. p. 320, in proof.
Loudon gives the narrative as taken from Stewart's
own mouth in March, 1782. It appears to us quite
clear that Stewart must have actually visited the
mines of the Sacramento and Gila, which are now
attracting so much attention. This narrative is as
follows : —

I was taken prisoner about fifty miles to the west-
ward of Fort Pitt, about eighteen years ago, by the
Indians, and was carried by them to the Wabash, with

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

many more white men, who were executed with cir-
cumstances of horrid barbarity ; it was my good for-
tune to call forth the sympathy of Rose, called the
good woman of the town, who was permitted to re-
deem me from the flames, by giving, as my ransom,
a horse.

After remaining two years in bondage amongst the
Indians, a Spaniard came to the nation, having been
sent from Mexico on discoveries. He made applica-
tion to the chiefs for redeeming me and another white
man in the like situation, a native of Wales, named
John Davey; which they complied with, and we
took our departure in company with the Spaniard,
and travelled to the westward, crossing the Missis-
sippi near la Riviere Rouge, or Red River, up which
we travelled seven hundred miles, when we came to
a nation of Indians remarkably white, and whose
hair was of a reddish colour, at least mostly so ; they
lived on the bank of a small river that empties itself
into the Red River, which is called the River Post.
In the morning of the day after our arrival amongst
these Indians, the Welchman informed me, that he
was determined to remain with them, giving as a
reason that he understood their language, it being
very little different from the Welch. My curiosity
was excited very much by this information, and I
went with my companion to the chief men of the
town, who informed him (in a language I had no
knowledge of, and which had no affinity to that of
any other Indian tongue I ever heard) that their fore-
fathers of this nation came from a foreign country.

CAPTAIN ISAAC STEWART.

and landed on the east side of the Mississippi, describ-
ing particularly the country now called West Florida,
and that on the Spaniards taking possession of Mexico,
they fled to their then abode ; and as a proof of the
truth of what he advanced, he brought forth rolls of
parchment, which were carefully tied up in otter skins,
on which were large characters, written with blue ink ;
the characters I did not understand, and the Welch-
man being unacquainted with letters, even of his own
language, I was not able to know the meaning of the
writing. They are a bold, hardy, intrepid people,
very warlike, and. the women beautiful, when com-
pared with other Indians.

We left this nation, after being kindly treated and
requested to remain among them, being only two in
number, the Spaniard and myself, and we continued
our course up the waters of the Ked River, till we
came to a nation of Indians, called Windots, that
never had seen a white man before, and who were un-
acquainted with the use of fire-arms. On our way,
we came to a transparent stream, which, to our great
surprise, we found to descend into the earth, and, at
the foot of a ridge of mountains, disappeared ; it was
remarkably clear, and, near to it, we found the bones
of two animals, of such a size that a man might walk
under the ribs, and the teeth were very heavy.

The nation of Indians who had never seen a white
man lived near the source of the Red River, and
there the Spaniard discovered, to his great joy, gold
dust in the brooks and rivulets; and being informed
bv the Indians, that a nation lived farther west, who

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

were very rich, and whose arrows were pointed with
gold, we set out in the hope of reaching their country,
and travelled about five hundred miles, till we came
to a ridge of mountains, which we crossed, and from
which the streams run due west, and at the foot of
the mountains, the Spaniard gave proofs of joy and
great satisfaction, having found gold in great abun-
dance. I was not acquainted with the nature of the
ore, but I lifted up what he called gold dust from the
bottom of the little rivulets issuing from the cavities
of the rocks, and it had a yellow cast, and was re-
markably heavy; but so much was the Spaniard
satisfied, he relinquished his plan of prosecuting his
journey, being perfectly convinced that he had found
a country full of gold.

Qn our return he took a different route, and, when
we reached the Mississippi, we went in a canoe to the
mouth of the Missouri, where we found a Spanish
post ; there I was discharged by the Spaniard, went
to the country of the Chickesaws, from thence to the
Cherokees, and soon reached Ninety-six, in South
Carolina.

jbingular ??refcfW of a SSloraan in a Combat fcttp EnStan*.

The lady, who is the heroine of this story, is named
Experience Bozarth. She lived on a creek called
Dunkard creek, in the south-west corner of West-
moreland county, Pennsylvania. About the middle

Mrs. Eozarth defending her Dwelling

SINGULAR PROWESS OF A WOMAN. 27

of March, 1779, two or three families who were afraid
to stay at home, gathered to her house, and there
stayed; looking on themselves to be safer than when
all scattered about at their own houses.

On a certain day some of the children thus col-
lected, came running in from play in great haste, say-
ing, there were ugly red men. One of the men in
the house stepped to the door, where he received a
ball in the side of his breast, which caused him to fall
back into the house. The Indian was immediately in
over him, and engaged with another man who was
in the house. The man tossed the Indian on a bed,
and called for a knife to kill him. (Observe these
were all the men that were in the house.) Now Mrs.
Bozarth appears the only defence, who, not finding a
knife at hand, took up an axe that lay by, and with
one blow cut out the brains of the Indian. At that
instant, (for all was instantaneous,) a second Indian
entered the door, and shot the man dead, whc was
engaged with the Indian on the bed. Mrs. Bozarth
turned to this second Indian, and with her axe gave
him several large cuts, some of which let his entrails
appear. He bawled out, Murder, murder. On this,
sundry other Indians (who had hitherto been fully
employed, killing some children out of doors) came
rushing to his relief ; one of whose heads Mrs. Bo-
zarth clove in two with her axe, as he stuck it in at
the door, which laid him flat upon the soij. Another
snatched hold of the wounded, bellowing fellow, and
pulled him out of doors, and Mrs. Bozarth, with the
assistance of the man who was first shot in the door,

TWILLING ADVENTURES.

and by this time a little recovered, shut the door after
them, and made it fast, where they kept garrison for
several days, the dead white man and dead Indian
both in the house with them, and the Indians about
the house besieging them. At length they were re-
lieved by a party sent for that purpose.

This whole affair, to the shutting of the door, was
not perhaps more than three minutes in acting.

grilling I-nntmts cf Sorter SSsrfart m ?J>fnnsr!fcsTua.

In the year 1779 the Indians began to make in-
roads into the settlements of Northumberland county,
and coming to the house of Andrew Armstrong, made
him prisoner. His wife escaped by concealing herself
under a bed until after they were gone.

About this time two families, flying from the In-
dians, were attacked at a place called Warrior's Run.
The men, Durham and Macknight, were behind, driv-
ing their cattle ; their wives, riding before, were fired
upon by the Indians. Mrs. Durham's child was shot
dead in her arms, at sight of which she fainted, and
fell from her horse ; the other, being unhurt, rode on
and escaped; the men, being alarmed, fled precipi-
tately, and escaped. While Mrs. Durham remained
insensible, she was scalped, but reviving, escaped to a
place of safety, and recovered.

A party of Indians having made two girls prisoners
in Buffalo valley, passed on to Penn's valley, where
they discovered, from the top of a mountain, a com-

BORDER WARFARE IN PENNSYLVANIA. 31

pany of reapers in a valley. Leaving the girls with
one Indian, they proceeded to attack the reapers.
After they were gone, the Indian lay down to rest ;
soon afterwards it began to rain, and one of the girls,
on pretence of sheltering him, covered him with
leaves ; then seizing an axe, she sunk it into his head.
The girls then fled towards the reapers, but being dis-
covered by the Indians, they were fired at, and one
of them killed ; the other escaped and gave the reap-
ers information of the enemy. A company was col-
lected and went in pursuit of them; but they
retreated, carrying the dead Indian with them.

The inhabitants of Northumberland county, in
order to defend themselves from the Indians, built
Freelan's, Bosly's, Bready's, Wallace's, and Broome's
forts. Captain Bready was killed while bringing pro-
visions to the garrison. By the assistance of these
forts, the incursions of the Indians were more effect-
ually opposed.

A party of Indians, in one of their incursions into
Northumberland, captured Peter Pence, another man,
and a boy. After travelling through snow till night,
and being much fatigued, they lay down. When the
Indians were all asleep, Pence got his hands loose, and
communicated his design of escaping to the other man,
who refused to assist him ; he then instructed the boy
in the scheme he proposed to execute. They first
made themselves masters of all the guns ; then placing
the boy at a small distance from them with the gun,
Pence with a tomahawk, as soon as the boy fired,
fell upon them and killed two, the rest started up and

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

fled precipitately, without their guns. Information
was afterwards received, that those who fled were all
starved to death but one ; being destitute of the means
of procuring provisions. The two men and the boy
returned in safety.

A correspondent of the Knickerbocker, after de-
scribing a visit to the residence of a very old gentle-
man, Dr. Blank, in the western part of Massachusetts,
relates the following details of an adventure, during
the old French war :

At nineteen years of age, he joined the army of
the provinces that in 1755 essayed to take Crown
Point from the French. He marched to the lakes
with Colonel Ephraim Williams, than whom a more
gallant man never breathed the air of New England.
The doctor fought under his command at Lake George,
on the memorable eighth of September ; saw, or ima-
gined he saw, the fall of his brave leader ; and is quite
sure that he put a bullet into the French officer, Mons.
St. Pierre. The next year he joined Rogers' company
of Rangers, and was stationed with a party of them at
Fort Ann, not far from where Whitehall now stands.
But at that day it was a "dark and bloody ground;"
a frontier station in the forests, which were filled
with rival savages attached to France or England.

One day, in mid-winter, eight rangers, with a ser-
geant, were ordered out on some service, the doctor

THE RANGERS ADVENTURE. 33

did not know what, but probably to seize some strag-
gling Frenchman about Ticonderoga or Crown Point,
and bring him to the fort, for the sake of obtaining
intelligence. He was himself of the party. A narrow
road, or rather path, led northward toward Canada,
and they followed it for several hours. There had
just been a heavy fall of snow ; all the pines and
hemlocks in the forest were loaded thick with it; and
as the afternoon was still and clear, only occasional
flakes or light masses dropped from the burdened
boughs like feathers. These circumstances were
stamped on the old man's mind, seeming like a con-
stantly recurring dream. The rangers waded in
Indian file through the snow, and as danger was ap-
prehended, a man was placed some rods in advance,
one on each flank, and another behind. This last,
was the doctor himself, " and this was the gun I car-
ried," said he, taking a short heavy piece from a
corner. They saw no signs of the enemy : there was
no sound but the note of the little " Chick-a-dee-dee,"
«o familiar to the pine woods in winter.

Cbiokadee.

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

At length, they descended into a hollow : the frozen
sheet of Lake George lay not far on to the left, and
a steep hill on the right. The ground, a short distance
before them, was low and swampy, and a little brook
had spread itself out on the path, making a frozen
space, free from trees, across which their advanced
man was now slowly trampling, crushing his boots
into the ice and water at every step. He paused sud-
denly, turned sharply round, and gave the low whistle
appointed as the signal of alarm. He had seen the
tracks of many moccasined feet in the fresh snow be-
yond. There was not time to think ; the loud report
of a gun broke the stillness. The ranger gave a
shrill scream, leaped four feet into the air and fell
flat. Instantly the Indian yell burst from the woods
on our right and left, followed by the stunning rattle
of more than fifty guns, and not a man of the rangers
but one ever moved alive from the spot where he stood
transfixed with surprise at the sudden death of his
comrade.

That man was our hero, whose position, far behind
the rest, saved him. He remembered the panic felt
at the fierce burst of yells and musketry, and the sud-
den rush of the savage swarm from their ambush,
upon his fallen comrades ; and, in the next instant,
that his memory could recall, he was flying back to-
ward the fort. He heard sharp, sudden yelps behind
him, and glancing back, saw two Indians bounding
on his track. He ran a mile, he should think, with-
out turning or hearing a single sound; then turning
his head saw an Indian leaping silent as a spectre,

♦

Hie Ranger'a Pursuer Impaled.

THE RANGER'S ADVENTURE.

within a few rods of him. With admirable coolness,
he turned quickly round, and raising his gun with a
steady hand, fired with such good effect that the Abe-
naki pitched forward to the ground, and his shaven
head ploughed up the snow, for yards, by the impulse
of his headlong pursuit. The young soldier turned
and fled again, and as he did so he heard the report
of the other Indian's gun, followed by the loud hum-
ming of the ball. So alert and attentive were his
faculties, that he observed where the bullet struck
upon a loaded bough in front of him ; scattering the
glittering particles of snow.

The path now led downward with a steep descent ;
at the bottom an ancient pine tree had fallen across
it, whose sharp broken branches rose up perpendicu-
larly from the prostrate trunk four or five feet from
the ground, blocking up the way, like a bristling
chevaux-de-frise. The rangers had previously turned
aside to avoid it. There was no time to do so now.
The doctor's limbs were small and light, but as active
as a deer's, and the Indian's tomahawk was close be-
hind. Without hesitating, he ran down and sprang
into the air. His foot caught, so that he fell on the
other side ; but he snatched up his gun and ran again.
In a moment he heard a wild and horrid cry, and
turning as he ran up the opposite hill, he saw a sight
that has murdered his sleep for many a night. The
daring savage had leaped like him, but not so well ;
he had tripped, and one of the broken branches had
caught and impaled him on its upright point, passing
upward into the cavity of his chest ! He saw the

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

starting eye-balls, and the painted features hideously
distorted, and paused to see no more.

About sunset the sentinels of Fort Ann saw him
emerging from the woods, running as if the Indians
were still behind him. A strong party sent out next
morning found the bodies of the rangers stripped, and
frozen in the various positions in which they died, so
that they appeared like marble statues. On a tree
close by, the French officer who commanded the
Abenakis had fastened a piece of birch bark, inscribed
with an insolent and triumphant message to the
English. The bodies of the two Indians had been
removed, although the white snow around the old
pine tree retained ineffaceable marks of the tragedy
that had been enacted there, and was beaten hard
by the moccasins of a crowd of savages who had ga-
thered about that place.

The taste of war was enough for the doctor's mar-
tial zeal. He did not take the field again till twenty
years afterward, when he came to Washington's camp
at Cambridge, armed with probe and balsam, instead
of a musket and powder.

^ufftnngs cf 23utlrr, tfce Smrrican ^£ajrpj>a, among tfje Jufctaiis.

The early history of Kentucky is one continued
series of daring and romantic adventures. Had the
founder of that State lived in the days of chivalric
yore, his exploits would have been sung in connection

Butler's Mazeppa Adventure.

THE AMERICAN MAZEPPA.

with those of Arthur and Orlando ; and his followers,
in the same region, would certainly have been knights
of the Round Table. The hero of our story was one
of these. Those who desire to inspect his adventure,
by the light of romance, will not be displeased at
learning that his choice of a hunters life was deter-
mined by a disappointment in the object of his early
love. He was then jnly nineteen, yet he fearlessly
left his native state, and sought, amid the unculti-
vated wilds of Kentucky, the stirring enjoyment of
a western hunter. After rendering valuable service
to the Virginia colony, as a spy and pioneer, he under-
took a voyage of discovery to the country north of
the Ohio. It was while thus engaged that he was
taken prisoner by the Indians.

He was, no doubt, known to the Indians as an active
and dangerous enemy; and they now prepared to
avenge themselves upon him. They condemned him
to the fiery torture, painted his body black, and
marched him toward Chilicothe. By way of amuse-
ment on the road, he was manacled hand and foot,
tied on an unbridled and unbroken horse, and driven
off amid the shouts and whoops of the savages ; poor
Butler thus playing the part of an American Mazeppa.
The horse, unable to shake him off, galloped with
terrific speed toward the wood, jarring and bruising
the rider at every step ; but at length, exhausted and
subdued, it returned to camp with its burden, amid
the exulting shouts of the savages. When within
a mile of Chilicothe, they took Butler from the horse,
and tied him to a stake where, for twenty-four hours,

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

he remained in one position. He was then untied, to
run the gauntlet. Six hundred Indians, men, women,
and children, armed with clubs and switches, arranged
themselves in two parallel lines, to strike him as he
passed. It was a mile to the council house, which,
if he reached, he was to be spared. A blow started
him on this encouraging race; but he soon broke
through the files, and had almost reached the council
house, when he was brought to the ground by a club.
In this position he was severely beaten, and again
taken into custody.

These terrible sufferings, instead of satisfying the
Indians, only stimulated them to invent more ingeni-
ous tortures. Their cruelty was not more astonish-
ing than the fortitude of the victim. He ran the
gauntlet thirteen times; he was exposed to insult,
privation, and injury of every kind : sometimes he
was tied, sometimes beaten. At others, he was pinched,
dragged on the ground, or deprived for long periods
of sleep. Then, amid jeers and yells, he was marched
from village to village, so that all might be entertained
with his sufferings. Yet, amid such torture, he never
foiled to improve an opportunity favourable for escap-
ing, and in one instance would have effected it, but
for some Indians whom he accidentally met returning
to the village. Finally it was resolved to burn him
at the Lower Sandusky.

The procession, bearing the victim to the stake,
passed by the cabin of Simon Girty, whose name is a
counterpart to that of Brandt, in the annals of Penn-
sylvania. This man had just returned from an un-

HEROISM OF A WOMAN. 43

successful expedition to the frontier of that State,
burning, of couyse, with disappointment, and a thirst
for revenge. Hearing that a white prisoner was being
carried to the torture, he rushed out, threw Butler
down and began to beat him. The reader will not be
apt to imagine that this was in any way favourable
to Butler's escape ; yet it was so. He instantly re-
cognised in the fierce assailant a companion of early
days, and as such made himself known. The heart
of the savage relented. He raised up his old friend,
promised to use his influence for him, summoned a
council, and persuaded the Indians to resign Butler to
him. Taking the unfortunate man home, he fed and
nursed him until he began to recover. But five days
had scarcely expired, when the Indians relented,
seized their victim, and marched him to be burned at
Lower Sandusky. By a surprising coincidence, he
here met the Indian agent from Detroit, who inter-
ceded and saved him. He was taken to that town,
paroled by the governor, and subsequently escaped
through the woods to Kentucky.

3^ttoi*m of a tHoman.

The following anecdote has in it little pleasing or
amiable. Woman, as an Amazon, does not appear to
advantage. Something seems to be wanting in such
a character; or, perhaps, it has something too much.
Yet, occasionally, circumstances render it necessary

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

for the gentler sex to fight or die; and then, though
the record may be bloody and revolting, we experience
a kind of pleasure at the heroine's triumph.

The circumstance we refer to occurred in 1791, at
the house of Mr. Merill, in Nelson county, Virginia.
At that time the Indians were committing devasta-
tions, which kept the western settlements of Penn-
svlvania and Virginia in a state of constant alarm.
In 1784, they had attacked the villages on Clinch
river; and, after killing many of the settlers, and lay-
ing waste a large tract of country, they retired with
a number of prisoners to Ohio. There they burned
to death a Mrs. Moore and her daughter Jane, with
all the aggravated circumstances of Indian torture.

On the occasion referred to above, a large party as
saulted the house of Mr. Merill. Mr. Merill opened
the door to ascertain the cause of the barking of the
dogs. He was fired at, and fell wounded into the
room. The savages attempted to rush in after him,
but Mrs. Merill and her daughter effectually clo^-d
the dod The assailants began to hew a passage
through it with their tomahawks ; and having made
a breach, attempted to squeeze through into the room.
Undismayed by the cries and groans within, and the
exulting yells without, the courageous wife seized an
axe, gave the entering ruffian a fatal blow, and drag-
ged him through the opening in the door. Another
and another pressed in, supposing their precursors
were safely engaged in the work of death within, until
four were slain. The silence within induced one of
those without to explore the interior, through the

ESCAPE OF MRS. DAVIS. 45

crevice of the door. Discovering the fate of his com-
panions within, after some counsel with those without,
two mounted the house, and began to descend the
broad wooden chimney. Aware, from the noise of the
climbers, what was in agitation, Mrs. Merill promptly
met that danger. Her little son was ordered to cut
open a feather bed, and throw the contents in the fire.
The two lodgers in the funnel, scorched and suffocated
by the burning feathers, tumbled down in a half-in-
sensible state, far from enviable. Mr. Merill so far
recovered from his wound as to aid his heroic wife,
helped to despatch them, while she continued to guard
the door with her uplifted axe. Another savage at-
tempted to enter, but was saluted with such a blow
as drove him howling away. Thus, through the
courage of one woman, the whole party were either
killed or wounded. A prisoner heard this incident
related by the survivor in his own town. Being asked
as usual, " What news ?" he answered, " Bad news !
The squaws fight worse than the Long knives."

3S*cape ef 0it%* Dafcte from t]&f InMan*.

The following anecdote proves that the Indians
sometimes make a distinction in favour of the sex
of those they take in battle. In 1761, Mr. Davis and
his wife, of the J ames River settlement, vi ere taken
prisoners by a party of Indians. The former was put
to death. Mrs. Davis was carried through the forests

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

to the Chilicothe towns, north of the Ohio, where she
was compelled to live with the squaws, painted and
dressed as one of their number. Instead of abandon-
ing herself to useless grief, she became a nurse and
physician to the tribe, performing such celebrated
cures as to obtain the reputation of a necromancer.
Her person was regarded as sacred, and received from
the Indians all the honour due to an agent of the Great
Spirit.

Meanwhile she had been meditating escape; and
having effectually lulled the former anxiety of the
tribe, she resolved upon attempting it. She was ac-
customed to wander into the woods to gather herbs
and roots. In 1763, she set out ostensibly for the
same purpose ; but not returning at night, she was
suspected and pursued. To avoid leaving traces of
her path, she crossed the Sciota three times, but when
again attempting it, was discovered and fired at. The
shot failed ; but in the hurry of flight, she wounded
her foot with a sharp stone, and was obliged to creep
into a hollow sycamore log. Here she was obliged to
remain in agonizing suspense, while her enraged pur-
suers were searching in every direction, and frequently
stepping on or over the log. Their camp was pitched
near it for the night, and she could hear them build-
ing a fire and cooking their supper. Next morning
they again started in pursuit. She crept from her hid-
ing-place and proceeded in another direction as fast as
her lameness permitted. After remaining in the
neighbourhood three days, she again set forward,
reached the Ohio, crossed it on a drift log, and entered

SINGULAR EXECUTION.

the forests leading to Virginia. She was obliged to
travel at night, and to subsist on roots, wild fruit and '
river shell-fish. After travelling three hundred miles,
through forests and rivers, and over mountains, she
became entirely exhausted, and lay down to die. This
was near the Green Brier settlement. She was dis-
covered by some of the inhabitants, brought into the
village, and soon restored to health.

jbingular 3Sxtmtfow for gutter*

The courage necessary to enable man to meet his
fellow-man in the struggle of the battle-field, is pos-
sessed by the white man in common with the Indian.
But, in many instances, there is a feeling of stoical
indifference to death, the result of steady uninter-
rupted habit, which, while found in the Red man, is
almost wholly unknown to his more tenderly edu-
cated neighbour. It might seem strange to affirm,
that the fear of death, so innate and universal, could
ever be subdued by education; that man, under the
dominion of artifical strictures, could be made to look
calmly upon his dissolution, so as even to neglect the
improvement of opportunities favourable to averting
it. Yet such is the case, and that not merely in one
or two instances, but, as a general rule, among many
populous tribes. The following anecdote is an ex-
ample of this sort. While admiring the fearlessness
of this untutored Indian, we cannot but lament, that

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

it had not been employed in a nobler cause. Such a
character, enlisted among the friends of humanity, of
science or of religion, would have gained for itself a
reputation like that of Howard, Herschell, or Robinson.

In March, 1823, a Choctaw, named Sibley, stabbed
another Indian in a drunken fit. A brother of the
murdered man called upon Sibley, to inform him that
he had come to take his life, in atonement for that
of his relative. Such a mission would have occa-
sioned strange tumults in a white man's house. Sibley,
on the contrary, readily assented to the just decision,
merely requesting that the execution might be post-
poned until the following morning. The reasonable
request was immediately complied with ; and the
executioner retired, leaving Sibley entirely free from
restraint.

Under this reprieve, the first impulse of a white
man would have been to run for the woods. Such
was not the Indian's course. He slept that night as
usual ; and, on the following morning, went out with
a party, of which one was his victim's brother, to dig
a grave. In this work he assisted with perfect apathy ;
and when it was finished, he observed to the bystand-
ers, that he thought it large enough to contain two
bodies. His wish to be buried there was agreed to.
Sibley now placed himself over the grave, stretched
out his arms, and gave the signal to fire. He received
a rifle ball through his heart, and fell upon the body
of his victim.

The following is an example in all respects similar.

In the autumn of 1830, the town of Alexandria,

EXTRAORDINARY DUEL.

in Louisiana, was visited by various tribes of savages*.
In a drunken frolic one of them was killed. The per-
son who committed the act surrendered himself to the
relations of the deceased. After this, he walked
through the streets, talking composedly of his antici-
pated execution. A number of the citizens joined,
and raised a considerable sum of money to buy his
pardon : but it was rejected — the surviving brother
declaring, that no money could purchase his redemp-
tion. The criminal expressed no anxiety to escape.
No gun could be procured ; when — stating his objec-
tion to the delay, and threatening to leave the ground,
if he was not immediately punished — the brother
advanced, and, with a spade, knocked him down, and
split open his skull — exhibiting demoniacal expres-
sions of joy at the accomplishment of the act.

fin Hgrtxasrfcmarg MutU

In the summer of 1806, the following extraordi-
nary circumstance occurred in the neighbourhood of
Natchez.

About two o'clock, P. M., an Indian was discovered
by the family, entering the south end of Colonel Gi-
rault's lane. He drew their attention, being painted
in an uncommon manner: his whole body appeared
red. He held in his right hand a gun, which he brand-
ished with many gesticulations; in his left, a bottle.
He was attended by two other Indians, in rather a

52 THRILLING ADVENTURES

sober pace. At the opposite end of the lane some
more Indians were discovered, among whom was a
man painted in like manner, but unarmed. He was
held and detained by a woman : but when the one
brandishing his gun came within about twenty steps
of him, he burst from the embrace of his wife, and
pushed towards his antagonist. About four yards
distance they both halted, when the unarmed one
presented his naked breast to the other, who took de-
liberate aim ; but, appearing to recollect himself, he
dropped his gun and took a drink from the bottle which
was tied to his wrist — the other patiently waiting,
and holding his breast open and presented all this
time. Having finished his draught, and given a
whoop, he took fresh aim, and in an instant the other
dropped almost at his feet. This done, he loaded his
pun with all possible speed, gave it to a bystander,
(son of the deceased,) and then, in turn, bared and
presented his breast, and was instantaneously sent into
eternity.

The dead bodies were carried each the way they
had come, and by their respective friends interred,
one at each end of the lane. The wife and relatives
of the unarmed one — who . was first killed — howled
over his remains three days and nights. They then
disappeared. On Friday last (says the account) they
returned again, fired several guns on approaching the
grave, gave a general howl, about a quarter of an
hour, and retired.

We learn (says the same account) from one among
them, who speaks broken English, that they had

Extraordinar- "^ei

THE MAIDEN'S ROCK.

quarrelled over a bottle some considerable time ago,
when the Indian, who was first killed, had his finger
bitten by the other, in such a manner that his arm
became inflamed. He declared he was " spoiled," and
they must both die. They agreed, and formed the
arrangement as here related.

Just below the Falls of St. Anthony, (which you
will find in about 44° North latitude and 95° West
longitude) the channel of the Mississippi, by becoming
deeper and wider than ordinary, assumes the appear-
ance and character of a lake, to which the French
have given the name of Lake Pepin. This lake is
twenty-one miles long, and about two and a half
broad, and in most places nearly fills the valley be-
tween the majestic heights which extend along the
shores, in a more regular manner than the hills which
are found on the banks of the river. Here, too, in-
stead of the rapid current of the Mississippi, wind-
ing around numerous islands, with surfaces sometimes
covered with wood, and sometimes mere barren tracts
of sand, the lake presents an unbroken expanse of
water, which the traveller will often find still and
smooth as a mirror. The Indians will not cross the
lake when the wind is strong, for, though small, it is
deep, and easily agitated so much as to make it dan-
gerous for a man to expose himself to its waves in a
frail canoe.

5tf THRILLING ADVENTURES.

About halfway up the lake its eastern bank rises
to the height of five hundred feet. The lower three
hundred feet consist of a very abrupt and precipitous
slope, extending from the water's edge to the base of
a naked rock, which rises perpendicularly two hun-
dred feet higher.

The wildness of the scenery is such that the travel-
ler, who has already gazed with delight on the high
bluffs on either side of the Mississippi, is struck with
admiration on beholding this beautiful spot. Here he
will see the steep craggy rock, whose base is washed
by a wide expanse of water, generally with a calm
unruffled surface, contrasting strongly with the savage
features of the surrounding landscape. Cold must the
heart of that man be, who can contemplate unmoved
and uninterested the stupendous cliffs that enclose
this lake !

Father Hennepin, the first white man who ever
saw it, calls it the Lake of Tears, because his party
having been taken prisoners by the Indians, a consul-
tation respecting their fate was held at the base of
these precipices, when it was resolved that he and his
companions should be put to death the following day ;
from which fate they were, however, delivered. The
deeds of cruelty, of danger, and of daring, which
have here been perpetrated, will never be unfolded ;
but there is a tale, told indeed by a savage, yet of so
much interest that many a heart has been made sad
by its recital. "We cannot recommend it as an ex-
ample, but it shows, notwithstanding the apathy and
indifference to fate which is usually imputed to the

THE MAIDEN'S ROCK.

Ked men of America, that they do possess the feel-
ings of our common nature.

Twenty years ago there was in the nation of the
Dacotas an aged and celebrated chief, whose name
was "Wapasha. It was in the time of his father, who
was also a chief, that one of the most melancholy
transactions that ever occurred among the Indians,
took place at the spot we have described above.

There was at that time in the village of Keoxa, in
the tribe of Wapasha, a young woman, whose name
was Winona, which signifies, the first-bom. She was
dear to her parents and a favourite with the whole
tribe. She had promised to spend her life with a
young hunter of the same nation, who was strongly
attached to her. He applied to her parents for leave
to marry her, but was greatly surprised when they
refused him, and told him that their daughter was
already promised to a warrior of distinction. The
latter had acquired a name by the services he had
rendered to his village when it was attacked by the
Chippewas, and, encouraged by Winona's parents and
brothers, he urged his claim with great assiduity, but
she still refused him, and persisted in her preference
for the hunter.

To the recommendation of her friends in favour of
the warrior, she replied, that she had chosen a hunter
who would spend his life with her, but if she accepted
the warrior, he would be constantly absent from her
on some exploit, exposing himself to danger and his
family to hardship. Winona's expostulations were of
no avail with her parents, and after they had sue-

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

ceeded in driving away her lover, they used harsh
means to induce her to marry the man they had
chosen. Till now Winona had always been the de-
light of her parents, and had been more indulged
than is usual with women among the Indians.

About this time a party was formed in the village
to go to Lake Pepin, to procure a supply of the blue
clay which is found upon its shores, and which is used
by the Indians for the purpose of painting. The pa-
rents and brothers of Winona were of the party, and
she also was with them. On the day of their visit to
the lake, her brothers made presents to the warrior,
and encouraged by this he again addressed her, and
was again rejected. Her father, who was not accus-
tomed to be contradicted, became more and more
angry, and declared that the marriage should take
place that very day.

"You leave me no hope/' said Winona; u I told
you I did not love him. and I would not live with
him. I wished to remain unmarried since you have
driven the hunter away from me, but you would not
permit it. Is this the love you have for me ! Yes,
you have driven him that loves me away from our
village, and now he wanders alone in the forest ; he
has no one to build his lodge, no one to spread his
blanket, and wait on him when he returns home,
weary and hungry from the chase. But even this is
not enough ; you would have me rejoice when he is
far away, and unite myself with another." Casting a
melancholy look on her father and mother, as she

THE MAIDEN'S ROCK.

finished these words, she slowly withdrew herself from
the assembly.

Preparations for the marriage feast were still going
on, when Winona silently wound her way up to the
top of the cliff, and having gained the summit of the
rock, from the very verge of the precipice she called
out to her friends below. A light breeze bore her
voice along the surface of the water, and her parents
heard her last words : i( Farewell ! you were cruel to
me and my lover ; you dared to threaten me, but you
did not know me. Look now whether you can force
me to marry one whom I do not love."

Her distracted brothers ran towards the top of the
cliff in order to prevent her design; while many
hastened to the foot of the rock in hopes of receiving
her in their arms. Her aged parents, with tears in
their eyes, endeavoured by signs to make her aban-
don her purpose. But all was in vain ; as the sound
of her last words floated towards them on the calm
lake, they saw her dash herself from the summit of
the rock ! . . . . Whenever one of the Dacota In-
dians passes by the place in his light canoe, he raises
his eye for a moment to gaze on the giddy height, still
called The Maiden's Kock; and the recollection of
Winona's dreadful fate makes his heart sorrowful ;
but he hopes she is gone to the Great Master of Life,
and that a better portion is now appointed for her
where no sorrows will ever come to trouble her.

Such is the story as it was related by Wazecota, an
aged Indian chief, who, being very young at the time,
saw what he related. While telling the story, the

THRILLING ADVENTURES

stiffness of age forsook his limb?, and the momentary
restoration of his youth manifested the deep impres-
sion made upon his mind.

Winona was an uncivilized Indian : she had nevei
been taught the word of the Master of Life, " thou
shalt not kill" — she had never heard that "the patient
in spirit is better than the proud in spirit."

But let those who can read the word of God re-
member, that they who attempt to escape the evils of
this life by self-destruction, are far worse than the
rudest savages of the wilderness.

SHENANDOAH.

That part of the country round the thriving town
of Utica, in the State of New York, and through
which a railroad now runs, was formerly called Whites-
borough, and there is now a small town joining Utica
so called. The first settler in that part of the coun-
try was a Mr. White, after whom the place wTas
named. At the time we speak of, there were nume-
rous Indians living in the neighbourhood ; with them
he had several interviews, and mutual promises of
friendship were exchanged. He also smoked the pipe
of peace with them, to confirm the contract more
solemnly.

Still the Indians were suspicious. " The white
men," said they, " are deceitful, and we must have
some proof of his sincerity."

Accordingly, one evening, during Mr. White's ab-

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

sence from home, three Indians went to his house.
At first, Mrs. White and her children were much
alarmed, but on perceiving one of the Indians to be
Shen-an-do-ah, whom they knew to be a mild, humane
man. their fear was in some degree quieted. On enter-
ing the house, they addressed Mrs. "White, saying,
" We are come to ask you for your little daughter
Jane, that we may take her home with us to-night."

Such a request might well startle the good woman ;
she knew not what answer to rive. To refuse misrht,
she feared, excite their anger ; to grant their request
might hazard the liberty or even the life of her child.

Luckily at this moment, while the Indians were
waiting for a reply, Mr. White, the father of the
child, came in. The request was repeated to him,
and he had sufficient presence of mind to grant it, in-
stantly and cheerfully.

The mother was overwhelmed with surprise, and
felt all the horror that can be conceived ; but she was
silent, for she knew it would be vain to resist. The
little girl was fetched, and delivered to the Indians,
who lived about ten or twelve miles off.

Shen-an-do-ah took the child by the hand, and led
her away through the woods, having first said to her
father, u To-morrow, when the sun is high in the
heavens, we will bring her back."

Mrs. White had often heard that the Indians were
treacherous, and she well knew they were cruel ; she
therefore looKed upon her little daughter as lost, and
considered that she was given as a kind of sacrifice
to save the family.

SHENANDOAH.

Mr. White endeavoured to comfort her, for he felt
assured that his child would be brought safely back
the following morning. To the poor mother the night
was long and sleepless ; her anxiety became greater
as the promised time approached. Already she im-
agined that the Indians would keep their word, and
indeed bring back the child, but she fully believed
that they would not bring her back alive. She
watched the sun with a beating heart, and just when
it seemed at the highest point of the heavens, she
cried out to her husband, " There they are !"

Shen-an-do-ah and his companions were faithful to
their promise ; they now came back with the little
Jane, who, smiling with delight, was decked out in
all the finery that an Indian wigwam could furnish —
necklaces of shells, dyed feathers, and moccasins
beautifully worked with porcupine quills. She was
delighted with her visit and with her presents.

The effect of Mr. "White's confidence was just what
might be expected. From this time the Indians were
his friends. Had he acted with timidity, and refused
to let his child visit them, they would have had no
confidence in him.

Shen-an-do-ah was an Oneida chief of some cele-
brity, having fought on the side of the Americans in
the Revolutionary war. He lived to be a hundred
years old; and though in his youth he was very wild,
and addicted to drunkenness, yet by the force of his
own good sense, and the benevolent exhortations of a
Christian missionary, he lived a reformed man for

9 F2

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

more than sixty yean.* He was intrepid in war, but
mild and friendly in the time of peace. His vigilance
once preserved the infant settlements of the German
flats (on the Mohawk) from being cruelly massacred
bv a tribe of hostile Indians ; his influence brought
his own tribe to assist the Americans, and his many
friendly actions in their behalf gained for him, among
the Indian tribes, the appellation of the u White man's
friend."

To one who went to see him a short time before his
death, he thus expressed himself : " I am an aged
hemlock — the winds of a hundred winters have
whistled through my branches — I am dead at the top.
The generation to which I belong have passed away
and left me. Why / still live, the Great Spirit alone
knows ! But I pray to him that I may have patience
to wait for my appointed time to die."

Not long after Connecticut began to be settled by
the English, a stranger Indian came one day to a
tavern in one of its towns in the dusk of the even-
ing, and requested the hostess to supply him with

* In 1775 Shen-an-do-ah was present at a treaty made in Albany.
At night he was excessively drunk, and in the morning found him-
self in the street, stripped of all his ornaments, and every article
of clothing. His pride revolted at his self-degradation and he re-
solved never more to deliver himself over to the power of u strong
water."

INDIAN GRATITUDE.

something to eat and drink, at the same time he
honestly told her that he could not pay her for either,
as he had had no success in hunting for several days ;
but that he would return payment as soon as he
should meet with better fortune.

The hostess, who was a very ill-tempered woman,
not only flatly refused to relieve him, but added abuse
to her unkindness, calling him a lazy, drunken fellow,
and told him that she did not work so hard herself,
to throw away her earnings upon such vagabonds
as he was.

There was a man sitting in the same room of the
tavern, who, on hearing the conversation, looked up,
and observed the Indian's countenance, which plainly
showed that he was suffering severely from want and
fatigue, and being of a humane disposition, he told
the woman to give the poor wanderer some supper,
and he would pay for it.

She did so : and when the Indian had finished his
meal, he turned towards his benefactor, thanked him,
and told him that he should not forget his kindness.
"As for the woman," he added, "all I can give her
is a story — if she likes to hear it." The woman,
being now in a rather better temper, and having some
curiosity to hear what he had to tell, readily con-
sented, and the Indian addressed her as follows : —

" I suppose you read the Bible ?" The woman as-
sented. "Well," continued the Indian, "'the Bible
say, God made the world, and then he took him, and
looked on him, and say, 'It's all very good/ Then
he made light, and took him, and looked on him, and

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

6ay, 'It's all very good.' Then he made dry land,
and water, and sun, and moon, and grass, and trees,
and took him, and say, 1 It's all very good/ Then he
made beasts, and birds, and fishes, and took him, and
looked on him, and say, 6 It's all very good.' Then
he made man, and took him, and looked on him, and
say, 1 It's all very good.' And last of all he made
tvoman, and took him, and looked on him, and he no
dare say one such tvord" The Indian, having told his
story, departed.

Some years after, the man who had befriended the
Indian had occasion to go some distance into the
wilderness between Litchfield and Albany, which is
now a populous city, but then contained only a few
houses. Here he was taken prisoner by an Indian
scout, and carried off into Canada. When he arrived
at the principal settlement of their tribe, which
was on the banks of the great river St. Lawrence,
some of the Indians proposed that he should be put
to death, in revenge for the wrongs that they had
suffered from the white men ; and this probably would
have been his fate, had not an old Indian woman, or
squaw, as they are called, demanded that he should
be given up to her, that she might adopt him in place
of her son, whom she had lately lost in war. He was
accordingly given to her, and, as it is customary under
such circumstances, was thenceforth treated in the
same manner as her own son.

In the following summer, as he was one day at
work in the forest by himself, felling trees, an Indian,
who was unknown to him, came up and asked him

INDIAN GRATITUDE.

to meet him the following day at a certain spot which
he described. The white man agreed to do so, but
not without some apprehension that mischief was
intended. During the night these fears increased to
so great a degree, as effectually to prevent his keep-
ing his appointment.

However, a few days after, the same Indian, find-
ing him again at work, gravely reproved him for not
keeping his promise. The man made the best ex-
cuses he could, but the Indian was not satisfied until
he had again promised to meet him the next morning
at the place already agreed on.

Accordingly, when he arrived at the spot, he found
the Indian already there, provided with two muskets
and powder, and two knapsacks. The Indian ordered
him to take one of each, and to follow him. The di-
rection of their march was southward. The man
followed without the least knowledge of what he was
\o do, or whither he was going, but he concluded that
if the Indian intended to do him harm, he would have
despatched him at the first meeting, and certainly
would not have provided him with a musket and
powder for defence. His fears, therefore, gradually
subsided, although the Indian maintained an obstinate
silence when he questioned him concerning the object
of their expedition.

In the day time they shot and cooked as much
game as they required, and at night they kindled a
fire by which they slept. After a fatiguing journey
through the forest for many days, they came one
morning to the top of a hill from which there was the

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

prospect of a cultivated country, interspersed with
several snug farm-houses.

" Now," said the Indian to his joyful companion,
"do you know where you are?" "Yes," replied he,
"we are not ten miles from my own village." "And
do you not recollect a poor Indian at the tavern ? —
you feed him — you speak kind to him — I am that
poor Indian ; — now go home." Having said this, he
bade him farewell, and the man joyfully returned to
his own home.

Sterir.g £est of a Gtrl fcur:r.g sn Stegsult b% Er.St5!*s.

The town of Wheeling, like many of our early
Pennsylvanian settlements, has suffered several at-
tacks from the Indians. On one of these occasions,
the house of Colonel Zane, outside the principal fort,
contained a supply of ammunition, and was garrisoned
by seven or eight persons, male and female, besides
the colonel's family. Before firing, the Indians de-
manded a surrender of the house. They were answered
by a volley of musketry. The attack and defence
were maintained till night, when the assailants at-
tempted to fire the house. One of them, crawling
with a brand toward the kitchen, was driven away
by a shot from a black man. At this moment a small
boat, loaded with cannon-balls, and steered by one
man, approached the fort. The savages poured forth
a volley of balls against him, and rushed to seize the
boat. He gained the fort with a wound, leaving the

Daring Feat of a Girl

DARING FEAT OF A GIRL.

whole cargo in possession of the Indians. With a
cannon they could now have battered house and fort
to pieces ; and aware of this, they procured a hollow
log, twisted chains around it, and rammed in a heavy
charge. This ingenious piece of ordnance blew into
a thousand pieces with the first discharge, killing
several, wounding more, and throwing the survivors
into a state of mingled terror and astonishment.

In a little time they renewed the assault on the
house, but were driven back. But the ammunition
of the garrison was fast failing, and it was proposed
that some one should sally to the fort for a supply.
Among the volunteers to this bold attempt, was a
young sister of Colonel Zane, who had recently re-
turned from a boarding-school in Philadelphia. When
reminded that a man would have an advantage over
her in strength and swiftness, she answered, that the
loss of a woman would be less felt. Arranging her
dress for the purpose, she bounded towards the fort.
Awed by the singular apparition, the Indians re-
strained their fire, and uttered a cry of admiration.
She safely reached the fort, and the commandant,
Colonel Silas Zane, a relative of the other colonel,
filled a table cloth with powder, bound it round her
waist, and sent her back. By this time the Indians
had obtained an inkling into the fair one's mission,
and poured after her a volley of balls. She passed
untouched through all, and entered the house with her
load. Soon after the Indians abandoned the siege,
and retired down the river.

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

.^attfcful Km*.

The battle of Monmouth (in New Jersey) was
fought on the 28th June, 1778. The Americans
were commanded by General Washington, and the
English by Sir Henry Clinton. The day was in-
tensely hot. A woman, named Molly Pritchard, the
wife of a soldier in the American army, who was em-
ployed in loading and firing a cannon, occupied her-
self in carrying water from a spring to the battery
where her husband was stationed. He was shot dead,
and she saw him fall. An officer on the spot imme-
diately ordered another man to the gun. But Molly
Pritchard stepped up, offered her services, and to the
astonishment of the soldiers, took her husband's place.
She fought so manfully, that half pay was granted to
her for life by Congress. She wore a soldier's epau-
lette, and was known by the name of " Captain Molly"
ever after.

A few years after Boston and its neighbourhood
were settled by the English, a party of Narragansett
Indians who were out hunting, stopped at the house
of Mr. Minot, in Dorchester, and rudely demanded
food. On being refused, they went away with evident
marks of displeasure, and Oquamehud, their chief,
threatened to be revenged. For this purpose, he left
in the bushes, near the house, an Indian named Osa-
mee, who had long been known in the neighbourhood
for his uncommon ferocity.

The next morning Mr. and Mrs. Minot went to

The faithful N'jrse.

THE FAITHFUL NURSE.

Boston, a distance of only three miles : the Indian
saw them from his hiding-place, and prepared himself
for an assault on the house, which he supposed wa;
left without any defence. However, although Mr
Minot had no apprehension of an attack of this kind,
he had taken the precaution to give strict charge tc
the maid-servant to confine herself with his two little
children to the house, and to open the door to no per-
son until his return.

The girl was trusty and watchful, and she soon
espied the Indian drawing cautiously towards the
house. After looking about, apparently to make sure
that there was nobody near, he rushed furiously
against the door, but it was so securely bolted that it
withstood his force, and he next attempted to get in
through the window. The young woman had hidden
her masters children under two brass kettles, charg-
ing them not to stir, nor make the least noise ; she
then loaded a musket belonging to the house, and
bravely stood upon her defence.

The Indian, probably guessing her design, fired at
her, but he missed his mark. The girl then fired,
and the bullet entered his shoulder. Still he per-
sisted in his attempt, and had succeeded in getting
half through the window, when, with great presence
of mind, she seized a pan full of red-hot cinders from
the stove, and threw them in his face. They lodged
in his blanket, and the pain they created was too
much even for Osamee. He fled, and his dead body
was found next day in a wood on the borders of the
town.

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

The circumstances being made known to the go-
vernment of Massachusetts Bay, this courageous
young woman was, by their order, presented with a
silver bracelet, on which her name was engraved,
with this motto, "She slew the Narrhagansett
hunter."

"We do not see much to admire in the unfeminine
conduct of u Captain Molly," and have related the
story, merely that the readers of these tales may com-
pare her with the trustworthy servant girl, who saved
the lives of two children as well as her own, by her
presence of mind and courage. Assuredly the silver
bracelet was better deserved than the epaulette of
Molly Pritchard. Such instances of cool courage are
rare.

A still more honourable badge than in either of
the cases above cited was awarded to a Pawnee brave,
for his courage, generosity, and humanity.

Pe-ta-la-sha-roo was the son of La-te-le-sha, or Old
Knife, a Pawnee chief: Pe-ta-la-sha-roo was a Irave,
that is, one who has greatly distinguished himself in
battle, and is next in importance to a chief. At the
early age of twenty-one, this young man had, by his
heroic deeds, acquired for himself the rank of the
bravest of the braves."

The savage practice of torturing and burning to
death their prisoners existed in this tribe. The hu-

COURAGE OF PE-TA-LA-SHA-ROO. 83

mane La-te-le-sha had long endeavoured to put a stop
to this cruel custom, but in vain. In a warlike ex-
pedition against the Iteans, a woman was taken pri-
soner, who, on their return, was doomed to suffer
according to their barbarous usage.

The unfortunate victim was bound to the stake,
and a vast crowd was assembled on the plains to
witness the shocking scene. Pe-ta-la-sha-roo, unob-
served, had stationed two fleet horses at a little dis-
tance from the spot, and was now seated amongst the
crowd, a silent spectator. All were now anxiously
waiting for the commencement of the frightful tra-
gedy, and the torch was already borne towards the
funeral pile, when, suddenly springing from his seat,
the youthful " brave" rushed forward, and, cutting the
cords asunder which bound the captive, with the
swiftness of thought he bore her in his arms beyond
the amazed multitude; then placing her upon one
horse, and mounting the other himself, he bore her
safely off to her friends and country.

This act would have endangered the life of an
ordinary chief ; but such was the popularity of both
father and son, that, on the return of the " bravest
of the braves" to his village, no one presumed to cen-
sure his conduct; and such was the influence of his
good example, that since that time no human sacri-
fice has ever been offered in this or any of the Pawnee
tribes.

The account of this transaction being circulated at
Washington, during the young chief's stay there,
whilst on a deputation from his nation to the Ameri-

84 THRILLING ADVENTURES.

can government in 1821, the young ladies of Miss
White's boarding-school in that city, in a manner
highly creditable to themselves, resolved to give him
some demonstration of the esteem in which they held
him on account of his brave and humane conduct;
they therefore presented him with an elegant silver
medal, engraved with an appropriate inscription, and
accompanied by the following short but affectionate
address : —

"Brother, — Accept this token of our esteem — al-
ways wear it for our sakes; and, whenever again you
have the power to save a poor woman from death or
torture, think of this and of us, and fly to her relief
and rescue.

The Pawnee's reply was as follows : —

"Sisters and Friends, — This (meaning the medal)
will give me more ease than I ever had j and I will
listen more than ever I did to white men.

"I am glad that my brothers and sisters have
heard of the good act that I have done. My bro-
thers and sisters think that I did it in ignorance, but
I now know what I have done. I did it in ignorance,
and did not know that it was good ; but by giving
me this medal I know it."

There is much pleasure in meeting with such in-
stances of heroic conduct among the untaught savages
of the West, and, as it has often been our lot to re-
count the deeds of violence which are committed by
the red men, it would be most unjust to suppress
any traits of an opposite nature.

MAGNANIMITY OF A SIOUX.

^agnanimitg cf a jlioux.

The Sioux are one of the most warlike and inde-
pendent nations of Indians within the boundaries of
the United States, and with them every passion seems
subservient to that of war. They had long been at
variance with the Sauteurs, or Fall Indians,* as they
are also called, from their lands being near the Falls
of St. Mary.

Cha-ta-wa-con-a-mee, chief of a small band of Sioux
situated on the banks of the Mississippi, going out
one morning at sunrise to examine his beaver trapA
descried a Sauteur in the act of stealing it. He ap-
proached so silently that he was not perceived, and
while the Sauteur was engaged in taking the trap from
the water, he stood deliberately surveying him with
a loaded rifle in his hand.

As the two nations were at war, and as the offence
was in itself considered of the most heinous nature,
he would have been thought perfectly justified in
killing him on the spot; and the thief, on finding
himself detected, looked for nothing else than imme-
diate death.

But the Sioux chief, with a nobleness of disposi-
tion which would have done honour to the most en-

* The St. Mary is a strait, or river, about eighty miles long, which
connects Lake Superior with Lake Huron. Near the head of this
lake is the fall, or Sault de Ste. Marie, where the river descends
about twenty-three feet in half a mile. Canoes, and even barges,
an) towed up these rapids.

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

lightened man, calmly walked up to him, and thus
addressed the astonished Sauteur : — u Be not alarmed
at my approach ; I only come to present you with the
trap, of which I see you stand in need* You are en-
tirely welcome to it. Take my rifle also, for I see
you are poor and have none of your own ; and now
depart with it to the land of your countrymen, and
linger not here, lest some of my young men who are
panting for the blood of their enemies should dis-
cover your footsteps in our hunting-grounds, and
should foil upon you and kill you."

So saying, he delivered his rifle into the hands of
the poor Sauteur, and returned unarmed to the village
of which he was so deservedly the chief.

We copy from the North American of June 12,
1849, the following thrilling adventure of Lieutenant
Beall. It is a credit to the American name.

Lieutenant Beall, United States Navy, is already
well known to the country, having particularly dis-
tinguished himself, on several different occasions, as
a bearer of important despatches to and from Califor-
nia, both through the heart of Mexico, during the
war, and across the prairies and Rocky Mountains,
forcing his way, with equal spirit, through civilized
and savage enemies. As a gallant naval officer and
intrepid traveller, with the courage to face and the

NOBLE ACTION OF LIEUT. EE ALL. 87

energy to overcome every difficulty and peril, we can
well believe he has no superior ; but we have recently
heard an anecdote told of him, being the account of a
circumstance which happened on the last journey to
California, from which he has only so lately returned,
which, while it illustrates the dangers of the road,
proves that there is another quality in him higher
than mere resolution and bravery, — a humane and
generous disposition, which gives to those virtues the
character of heroism.

It was, we believe, in the Gila country, that Lieu-
tenant Beall, having encamped his party, and placed
it in safety, went out hunting. He set out alone, on
a favourite saddle mare, which was generally kept up
or spared for such occasions. About six miles from
the camp, he had the good fortune to kill a deer ; and
he was on the ground dressing the carcass, when, on
looking up, he suddenly beheld a troop of mounted
Apaches, who had discovered him, and were clashing
furiously towards him. They had, doubtless, heard
the report or seen the smoke of his rifle, and so were
on him before he was aware ; but he knew very well
that to be overtaken by them, a single white man
among those naked hills which they called their own.
was certain death; and, accordingly, leaving his
quarry and mounting in hot haste, he relied upon the
mettle of his mare, which he put to her full speed, to
carry him back in safety to the camp. Away darted
the young lieutenant, and on rushed the savages,
thundering and yelling in the certain assurance of
their prey. But confident as they were, the fugitive

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

was quite as well satisfied of his ability to escape ;
although their horses were fresher than the mare, and
it was pretty certain they were gaining slightly upon
her, and would give her a severe contest before reach-
ing the camp.

Thus assured of his safety, but not relaxing his
speed, Lieutenant Beall had recovered half his distance
from the camp, when, dashing over the crest of a hill,
he was horrified at the sight of one of his own men,
on foot, climbing the hill, and in fact, following in his
trail to assist him in the hunt. The sight of the lieu-
tenant flying down the hill at such a furious rate was,
doubtless, enough ; perhaps the poor fellow could
hoar the whoops of the Indians ascending the hill
from the opposite side ; at all events, he understood
his fate, and spreading his arms before the horse's
head, he cried out, with the accents of despair, " Oh,
Mr. Beall, save me ! I am a husband and the father
of six helpless children !" Never was prayer more
quickly heard, or more heroically answered.

The lieutenant, though riding for his own life, im-
mediately stopped his mare, dismounted, and, giving
her to the man, said, "You shall be saved. Ride
back to the camp, and send them out to give my
body decent burial !" And so they parted, — the foot-
man to escape, the officer, as he supposed, to be slain ;
for the hill was utterly bare, without a single hiding
place, and he thought of nothing but selling his life
as dearly as possible. For this purpose, he drew his
revolver, and, sitting down on the ground, waited for
the savages; who in a moment came rushing over the

NOBLE ACTION OF LIEUT. BEALL. 9!

brow 3f the hill, and then, to the unspeakable amaze-
ment v>f Lieutenant Beall, dashed past him down the
descent like madmen, not a soul of them paying the
least regard to him, not a soul, in fact, seeing him.
They saw, in reality, nothing but the horse and the
horseman they had been pursuing for three miles;
they knew nothing of a footman; and perhaps the
sitting figure of the lieutenant appeared, to eyes only
bent on one attractive object, as a stone or huge cac-
tus, such as abound on those sterile hills.

At all events, Lieutenant Beall, by what seemed to
himself almost a direct providential interposition in
his behalf, remained wholly undiscovered ; and in a
moment more the Apaches were out of sight, still
pursuing the horse and his rider to the camp. The
latter barely succeeded in escaping with his life, the
Indians having overhauled him so closely, just as he
reached the camp, as to be able to inflict one or two
slight wounds upon him with bullets, or perhaps with
arrows. As for Lieutenant Beall, he was not slow to
take advantage of his good fortune ; and selecting a
roundabout course, he succeeded in reaching the
camp just about the time the poor fellow whom he
had saved, and the other members of the party, were
about sallying out to obey his last request, and give
his body decent burial.

Upon such an act as this it were superfluous to
comment. It is an act, however, which deserves to
live in men's recollections, like the story of a great
battle and victory. •

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

GENERAL KEARNT.

$Jag*acre at tTacg, Kcfi $8cxtco, aitf) HBsafy cf Get cms: <3mt.

The modern reader is too apt to regard Indian
1 attacks and their consequent evils as events belong-
ing to time long since passed. In our great cities an
Indian is a curiosity; the land which once knew none
but his ancestors knows them no more ; and their
successors, the sons of civilization, know of the war-
whoop, the midnight attack, and the burning village
only through the medium of some dusty narrative.
Hence many at the present day cannot conceive of a
wild Indian ; or, if they can, he is regarded as the
game degenerate, harmless being, as we see some-

MASSACRE AT TAOS.

times exhibited in theatres and museums. It has
been our desire to dissipate this delusion by relating
various stirring events which transpired during the
war with Mexico. That great event removed many
a veil of prejudice, or ignorance, which had hitherto
hung over American vision. It exhibited in his true
colours a being hitherto unknown to the world — the
western ranger. It made known adventures of hard-
ship and daring, at which the boasted personal
prowess of the heroes of antiquity sinks into insig-
nificance or contempt; and it displayed the important
fact, that the Indians of the western wilds are the
same daring, independent, and, in some respects,
cruel race, that their progenitors were two hundred
years ago. In addition to the incidents elsewhere
related, we give below an account of the outrage
committed by a party of Indians upon the American
garrison at Taos, a trading post in New Mexico.

In 1846, an American army, under General
Kearny, marched into New Mexico and received
the submission and oath of allegiance of the autho-
rities at Santa Fe. After Kearny's departure from
that city, the inhabitants conspired against the Ame-
rican government; but their object was discovered,
and its execution prevented. The population of
New Mexico includes no inconsiderable portion
of Indians; and these people, inflamed, no doubt,
by their Mexican neighbours, had entered heart-
ily into the conspiracy. Although it had been
discovered, they did not abandon the hope of execut-
ing it ; and their superior cunning soon afforded them

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

opportunity to make the attempt. On the 19th of
January. 1847, a considerable number of them col-
lected in the village of Taos to obtain the release of
two companions whom the authorities had impri-
soned. So singular a demand was, of course, re-
fused ; when, without repeating it, the Indians mur-
dered the sheriff and the Mexican prefect, broke into
the prison, and released the prisoners. Instead of
retiring, they then rushed through the village, and
forced their way into a house where Governor Bent
had but a short time previously taken up a temporary
residence. In this extremity, the unfortunate man
appears to have lost his presence of mind, neither
fighting nor retreating until it was too late to do
either. As the Indians approached his room, he
decided upon retreating, but, being wounded in at-
tempting to jump from the window, he returned, and
was shot through the body by the Indians. Then
followed a scene sickening to every one but a savage.
The dying man was shot in the face with his own
pistol, then scalped, and, lastly, nailed to a board.
A Mr. Leal, acting at that time as district attornej-,
was killed by slow torture, after having been scalped
alive. Some others were killed in another part of
the village; and the Indians afterwards formed in
procession, parading the bodies of the governor and
attorney through the village. The object of the
savages was undoubtedly to excite an insurrection ,
but in this they were again disappointed.

ADVENTURES OF COLOXEL HAYS. 96

COLONEL HATS.

The war between the United States and Mexico
brought into conspicuous notice individuals whose
abilities for border warfare have since been a theme
of wonder and admiration, both in America and Eu-
rope. Born amid the wilds of Texas or of the west,

* For the facta in this sketch we are indebted to Lieutenant
Reid's "Scouting Sketches of the Texas Rangers."

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

accustomed to the Indian's whoop and the glare of the
burning village, they had early become initiated into
danger, as to their natural element, and from early
youth looked forward to the battle-field as the thea-
tre of distinction and renown. At an age when the
more favoured son of an Atlantic clime is quietly stu-
dying amid the shades of a college, these youth of
the wilderness, armed with rifle and revolver, were
ranging the pathless prairie, surrounded on all sides
with savage Indians, and rancheros still more sa-
vage. In this school of excitement and danger, such
men as Gillespie, Walker, and Hays studied the va-
ried arts of border warfare. They met the Caman-
che on his own ground and in his own element ; and,
though he is the most dreaded of all Indians, they
conquered him with his own weapons. They drove
the robber and marauder from the Colorado and the
Sabine across the Rio Grande, and avenged, on the
prowling bands which attacked the border settle-
ments, the massacres of Mier and of the Alamo.
When war was declared against Mexico, they, with
united heart, came forward against their old enemy,
and, whenever employed, evinced a coolness and
daring as wonderful as it was serviceable.

One of the most famous of these partisans is Co-
lonel John C. Hays, known among the Indians and
Mexicans as " Captain Jack." His feats among the
Camanches would furnish materials for a volume.
In the year 1841, he formed one of a party of fifteen
or twenty men, employed to survey some lands near
what is called by the Indians the Enchanted Rock.

ADVENTURES OF COLONEL HAYS.

This rock forms the apex of a high, round hill, rug-
ged and difficult to climb. In the centre is a circu-
lar hollow, sufficiently large to allow a small party of
men to lie in it, the projecting sides serving as a pro-
tection from assault without.

While the surveying party were engaged not far
from the base of the hill, they were suddenly attacked
by a band of Indians. Hays, being at some distance
from the party, ascended the hill, and, intrenching
himself within the Enchanted Eock, determined to
sell his life as dearly as possible. He was well known
to the Indians ; and, being eager to secure him at all
hazards, they mounted the hill, surrounded the rocky
fort, and prepared to charge. Hays was fully sensi-
ble that his life depended more upon his skill than
his courage. Instead, therefore, of rashly throwing
away his fire, whenever the Indians came near, he
rose, presented his rifle and revolvers, and waited the
charge. Knowing his unerring aim, they would fall
back, and Hays would resume his former position.
In this manner they alternately advanced and re-
treated for more than an hour, howling in the mean
time most frightfully. At last, ashamed to be foiled
by one man, they rushed forward. Hays sprang to
his feet and presented his rifle. They still advanced.
He fired, and, seizing his revolver, discharged it
rapidly among the crowded mass. At the same time,
by skilful manoeuvres, he avoided their arrows, and
managed to load his rifle and pistol. The battle was
maintained in this manner for three hours, when

.13 I

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

Hays's men, having fought their way through the
Indian ranks, advanced to his relief.

In July, 1844, Hays, with fourteen men, advanced
toward the Pierdenales river, about eighty miles from
San Antonio. At that time the Texan border was
exposed to the excursions of the Camanches, and
many families had either been carried away by those
Indians or driven into the interior. It was for the
purpose of discovering their haunts and of checking
the movements of their marauding parties, Hays's
party of Rangers had been equipped. Among his
men were Walker, Gillespie, and others, who after-
wards rendered themselves famous. On reaching the
river, the party came in sight of about fifteen Ca-
manches mounted on good horses, and apparently
eager for battle. As Hays advanced, they retreated
towards a thick copse of undergrowth, or chaparral,
which convinced him that they were but a portion of
a still larger part}' which lay there concealed. He,
therefore, restrained the impetuosity of his men, and,
taking a circuitous route round the clump of chap-
arral, drew them up on a ridge, separated from the
enemy by a deep ravine. Immediately after, the
Indians showed themselves to the number of seventy-
five. Hays, aware that a battle could not be avoided,
determined to choose his own ground and manner of
conducting the attack. He moved slowly down the
hill with his men until they reached the ravine, the
sides of which hid them from the Indians, when,
starting at full gallop to its extreme length, he turned
the ridsre and gained the enemy's rear. The Caman-

ADVENTURES OF COLONEL HAYS. 99

ches, having their eyes fixed upon the side of the
ravine opposite to the point from which the Kangers
had left it, did not perceive their danger until they
were aroused by the report of a dozen rifles. They
were immediately thrown into confusion, but soon
recovered and prepared for the charge. Hays formed
his men into a circle, and ordered each one to grasp
his revolver. Twenty-one of the Indians were killed
at the first fire ; the remainder fell back. Hays
changed his position and charged furiously. A bat-
tle ensued which lasted nearly an hour, the two par-
ties charging and retreating alternately. The amu-
nition of the Kangers was at length exhausted, - ' '
the Indian chief perceiving, he collected his warriors
for a decisive struggle.

Of Hays's little band, two were now killed, and
four or five wounded ; the remainder were without
effective arms. The result, therefore, of a contest
with some fifty Indians must be complete destruction.
But, at the moment when the Camanches were bend-
ing forward to the charge, Hays ascertained that Gil-
lespie had not discharged his rifle. "Dismount im-
mediately," exclaimed Hays, " and shoot the chief."
That action decided the battle. Thirty of the In-
dians were left dead upon the field.

100

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

Although, in early times, the Indians were the
terror of our western settlements, this fact must be
ascribed to the scattered condition of the inhabitants
and their paucity of number, rather than to any
want of courage. Yet even in that period of misery
and murder, a class of men were training themselves
in tfie Indian's own school, to avenge the slaughter of
their neighbours, wives, and parents. In all the arts
and stratagems of war and the chase, the western
hunter and pioneer was a real Indian. Not unfre-
quently superior to his dusky antagonists in strata-
gem and ingenuity.

Two brothers named Poe were of this character.
Each was remarkable for strength and gigantic size,
qualities which rendered them conspicuous in nearly
every affair with the Indians at that period. On one
of these occasions, they started with six other men,
in pursuit of a party of Indian marauders, who had
been seen between Wheeling and Fort Pitt. Fearing
an ambuscade, Adam Poe left the band, crossed the
Ohio, and, concealed among the high weeds, searched
about for the enemy. He soon perceived two Indians,
one of them a powerful man, standing upon the
shore watching for the white men. Poe took deliber-
ate aim, but his gun missed, and the snap of the lock
betrayed him. Too near to retreat, he sprang upon
the bank, seized the large Indian by the breast with
one hand, and the small one round the neck with the

POE's ADVENTURE WITH TWO INDIANS. 103

other, and threw both to the ground. The smaller
one regained his feet, but while in the act of striking
with his tomahawk, he received a kick which shook
the weapon from his hand. Poe was now seized by
the chief, while the smaller Indian regained his
tomahawk and performed sundry flourishes around
the hunters head, preparatory to striking a fatal
blow, Aware of the object of this scientific exhibi-
tion, Poe calmly waited for the final stroke, whek
throwing up his arm he saved his head at the ex-
pense of his wrist. The chief now attempted to
throw him down, but, extricating himself he seized
his gun and shot his smaller antagonist dead. In-
stantly the other seized and threw him to the ground.
Poe bounded to his feet in a moment, when a struggle
commenced which precipitated both into the Ohio.
Here, in another element, the fierce combatants re-
newed their struggle, one striving to drown the other.
After each had several times been pushed under
water, Poe, by a dexterous effort, seized the chief-
tain's thick knot of hair, dragged his head under
water, and held it until, as he supposed, life was ex-
tinct. But no sooner had he loosed his hold, than
the Indian was again erect, the struggle recommenced,
and both were carried beyond their depth. They
now aimed for the shore, each striving to gain it first,
so as to seize one of the guns there. The Indian
succeeded, and Poe made for the middle of the stream,
so as to escape the shot by diving. Fortunately the
chief first took the empty gun, which enabled Poe to
get further into the river. At this moment two of the

104

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

whites came up, and through mistake wounded Poe
in the shoulder. He turned and swam bleeding
toward the shore, and recognising his brother, called
on him to shoot the Indian. This was done, and Poe
plunged into the water to help his brother. Mean-
while the dying Indian, to escape being scalped,
threw himself into deep water and was drowned.

Captain 3&db'$ Battle tottfj t$e S(pan En&tsng,

The recent Mexican war brought our soldiers, on
more than one occasion, in contact with the various
tribes of Indians inhabiting the wilds to the north
and west of Mexico. The warriors of these nations,
untamed as yet by bitter experience, displayed a
courage and heroism that would have conferred hon-
our on a Philip or a Tecumseh. One of the most
spirited of these skirmishes, was an attack by a de-
tachment of Colonel Doniphan's men, upon a party of
Lipan warriors near the rancho of El Paso. The
colonel was marching from Chihuahua to Saltillo
(May 13, 1847) and had detached Captain Reid, with
thirty men to El Paso, as an advance guard. About
nine o'clock in the morning, the captain observed a
party of Indians emerging from a gap in the moun-
tains, five miles distant, and advancing toward the
rancho. They numbered about sixty, and were re-
turning from an attack upon a neighbouring Mexican
town, where they had secured many prisoners and

CAPTAIN REID's BATTLE.

105

more than a thousand horses and mules. Although
in arms against the Mexicans, Reid lost no time in
deciding upon his course. The number of Indians
was double his own; they had the advantage of
ground; they could, if it were needful, retreat at
once, and either escape or perhaps draw him into an
ambush ; but he determined on rescuing the prisoners.
At the word of command, each American was in the
saddle, and the whole party bore down at full speed
upon the Indians. The latter coolly awaited the
charge, and opened the skirmish by a partial dis-
charge of arrows. The Americans answered by an
entire volley from their rifles. Immediately the In-
dians, raising a yell, rushed forward and discharged
their arrows with astonishing rapidity. After fight-
ing for some time, the Americans were driven back,
but having reloaded, they again charged and drove
the Indians before them. The superior horsemanship
of the latter afforded them great advantages. They
waved their bodies in the saddles, galloped swiftly
up and down, and by other methods known only to
savages, contrived to elude the American balls. The
battle continued nearly two hours, each party charg-
ing and retreating alternately, and keeping up a con- m
tinual fire. At length the captain's men began to
gain ground, inch by inch, as the Indians becoming
discouraged, fought with less obstinacy and less skill.
In the final retreat the latter suffered severely, leav-
ing fifteen dead on the field and carrying away a still
larger number, together with all their wounded.

Nine Mexican prisoners were recovered and restored

106

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

to liberty, and a herd of one thousand horses and
mules, were apportioned, as far as practicable, to their
original owners

In this afiair Captain Reid was the only American
wounded, although some of his men had received
arrows in their clothes. Throughout the battle he
was ably assisted by Lieutenants Gordon, Spruel, and
Winston. A Mexican horseman assisted during the
skirmish, and with his lasso dragged down and killed
two Indians. The medicine man of the Lipans was
killed and left upon the field — a loss, no doubt,
severely felt by the savages. During the day, the
prefect of Parras waited upon Captain Reid, with an
official document from the authorities and citizens of
that place, expressing their admiration and gratitude
for his noble conduct, and their sympathy on hearing
of his wound.

FIGHT OF COLONEL KINNEY.

107

CORPUS CHRIST I.

§i$t of Goloftd Wmnrg feiifj tfje ©amancfjt Ifo&iHns.

Corpus Christi, rendered classic ground by its con-
nection with the history of General Taylor s first Mex-
ican campaign, was settled by Colonel H. L. Kinney in
1838. He established there a trading post, which
was long known among the Texans as Kinney's
Ranch. Being the extreme frontier settlement, it
\Tas exposed to the incursions of the Lipan and Ca-
m^che Indians, which obliged the proprietor to lead,
from the time of settlement until the Mexican war,
a life of constant vigilance and battle. He was one
of the calm, fearless men, peculiarly fitted by nature
for a life of wild adventure ; and his many exploits
among the Indians would afford materials for a most
exciting narrative. One of these, the subject of our

108

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

story, is his skirmish with a party of Cainanches,
under one of their celebrated chiefs, named Santa
Anna.

The Camanches are, perhaps, the most warlike
tribe on the American continent, and were long
dreaded by the Texans, the Mexicans, and the sur-
rounding Indians, as their most formidable enemies.
Seventeen of these savages, under Santa Anna, sud-
denly attacked the houses near Kinney's Ranch, com-
mitted devastations upon the lands and buildings,
and hastily retreated. Colonel Kinney immediately
summoned his neighbours, numbering eleven, mount-
ed the swiftest horses, and overtook the Indians on a
prairie. Both parties reined up, dismounted, and
began skirmishing. At the distance of fifty yards
the firing commenced, each man on either side sin-
gling out his victim. After the fight had continued
for some time, Santa Anna suddenly dashed to the
front, and, holding his raw-hide shield before him,
ran along the line of his opponents. The hunters
fired on him ; but their balls rattled harmlessly on
his shield. The object of this bold manoeuvre was
soon apparent. The Indians, having drawn their
antagonists' fire, rushed upon them. The colonel
alone had time to mount before the whole savage force
was mingling in a hand to hand struggle with him-
self and his followers. One of the hunters was im-
mediately speared and killed; another was speared
and shot in several places with arrows. A young
Mexican, clerk to the colonel, was speared and had
his horse shot under him. Kinney dragged him on

FIGHT OF COLONEL KINNEY.

109

to his own horse. Another spear pierced him, wound-
ing Kinney also in the back. At the same moment
the colonel parried a third spear, which penetrated,
however, both sleeves of his buckskin hunting-shirt.
He instantly wheeled his horse around, tearing the
weapon from his sleeves. Meanwhile the clerk was
clinging on to his throat. An Indian attempted to
reach him, but was shot by Kinney. At the same
moment the unfortunate boy was speared through the
abdomen. He relaxed his hold and fell dead. An-
other Indian aimed at Kinney, but he dashed his
unloaded pistol in his face, and succeeded in wrest-
ing the spear from him.

Santa Anna had by this time become discouraged,
and withdrew his men from the field. He had lost
seven men. Of the colonel's party, three men and
nine horses were killed, and all the survivors wound-
ed. One had received five arrows, and was speared
in two places. Considering the small number en-
gaged, this skirmish was one of the bloodiest and
most obstinate which had yet taken place on the
Texas frontier.

110

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

SUtacfc on ©£crrs ItTsIkg,

On the 11th of November, 1778, seven hundred
Tories and Indians, led by Brant and Butler, attacked
the fine settlement of Cherry Yalley. Colonel Alden
commanded the fort in the vicinity: on the 10th, the
inhabitants, warned of the approach of the Indians,
requested him to give them shelter in it. He refused,
assuring them there was no danger. During the night,
snow and rain fell, making the atmosphere thick and
hazy. Favoured by that circumstance, the Indians
in the morning approached the fort unper^.eived. The
ignorance and mistakes of the colonel favoured them
still more. Rushing into the settlement, the Indians
surrounded the houses and summoned the command-
ant to surrender. He endeavoured to escape, was

ATTACK ON CHERRY VALLEY. Ill

overtaken, killed and scalped. The guard, being out-
side the fort, shared his fate or were captured. The
family of Robert Wells, consisting of himself, his
mother, wife, brother, sister, four children, and three
domestics, were massacred. J ane, his sister, had run
to a wood-pile to screen herself. The Indian who
pursued her, deliberately wiped his bloody knife on
his leggins, sheathed it, and seizing the girl, drew his
tomahawk. She begged for life, and a Tory named
Smith seconded her intercession. The Indian shook
his tomahawk in defiance, and, with a blow, clove her
skull. The wife of Samuel Dunlop, an aged minister,
was killed ; the old man was saved by a Mohawk
chief, named Little Aaron, but he died in about a year
in consequence of the shock then received. A Mr.
Mitchell escaped to the woods ; the Indians murdered
his wife and four children, and fired his house. He
returned the next day, and, without a companion to
assist him, carried his family on a sled to the fort and
had them buried. Colonel Campbell was then from
home ; on his return, he beheld his house in flames
and his wife and children carried into captivity.
Thirty-two inhabitants, principally women and chil-
dren, were killed, and sixteen soldiers. Some few
made their way to the Mohawk river ; the remainder
were taken prisoners. Nearly all the houses and
barns were burned. Subsequently the settlement
was entirely abandoned.

112

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

While the American army, under General Taylor,
was stationed at Monterey, Major McCulloch with a
small party of men was sent from that city to San
Antonio. After crossing the Nueces about noon, the
party dismounted, and, placing their horses near by,
lay down upon the grass to rest. Suddenly two
Camanche Indians galloped among the horses, and
effected what is called by Spaniards a stampede, which
consists in so frightening those animals as to hurry

ATTACK UPON AMERICAN TRAINS.

113

them away at a headlong pace. Happily for the
party, McCulloch's horse, and that of Captain Ches-
hire, remained quiet. These two officers immediately
mounted and hurried after the Indians. The major
reaching them first, received several arrows, one of
which wounded his horse. He dismounted and drew
his revolver, but it would not go off. McCulloch and
one of the Indians now began to manoeuvre, while
the other Indian was creeping behind the major, so
as to shoot him with his rifle. At this crisis, Ches-
hire arrived ; McCulloch wished to charge, but Ches-
hire resolved to try his rifle. It missed, and a run-
ning fight ensued, during which the major advanced
near enough to discharge his revolver. He fired twice
without effect, the third time the pistol broke. Ches-
hire fired with better success, wounding his man, who,
however, made good his escape. Both Indians now
retreated, and the officers seizing the horses of the
party returned to their comrades.

ftttacfe* upon toerican Wxmn tifompanfotf*

At the capture of Taos, by Colonel Price, during
the war with Mexico, a Delaware Indian named
Nahcoma, who was prisoner at that place, was liber-
ated. In May, 1847, he started to return to his own
country, but on the road encountered a band of In-
dians, numbering, as he supposed, a thousand, and
consisting of Camanches, Arapahoes, Pawnees, and

15 K 2

114

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

Osages. Being made prisoner, he was spared, on con-
dition of joining the band in a contemplated attack
upon some white men. He assented; the whole
party set out, and in a few days encountered an Ame-
rican train of thirty mule teams and ten horsemen,
a few miles below Walnut creek. The wagons were
freighted with government stores for the use of the
troops at Santa Fe\

On perceiving this little party, the Indians halted
and prepared for a charge. Of the particulars of the
conflict that ensued little is known. The Americans
were driven from their saddles, and not one escaped
to tell the story. After this scene of slaughter, the
savages rifled the wagons of such things as they re-
quired, and drove the mules away. For his services
in the affair, Nahcoma was presented with a fine
mule, and permitted to depart.

The above account, in substance, was given by Nah-
coma himself, on his arrival in Missouri. There ap-
pears little reason to doubt it, since the mule upon
which he rode was recognised as one upon which a
government officer had formerly set out for the west.
The party is supposed to have been one commanded
by Captain Miller.

At the same place (Walnut Creek) another party
of Americans was attacked by about one hundred
Arapahoe Indians, in June, 1847. The assailants
did not succeed so well as their comrades had formerly
done. It seems that a Mr. Sharp and the wagon-
master, had gone out in quest of buffaloes They
had not proceeded more than three hundred yards,

Attack upon Lieut Peck"s Tr&in.

MASSACRE OF AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS. 117

when they were charged by three separate parties of
savages. Sharp fired and killed a chief ; in the next
moment he was riddled by balls and arrows, and fell
dead. His companion, by simply presenting his gun,
kept the enemy at bay, until the party arrived to his
assistance. The Indians then retreated, carrying with
them Sharp's scalp and more than sixty horses and
<nules.

A short time previous to this affair, Lieutenant
Peck, with a train party was attacked by ninety Ca-
manche Indians, and lost ten horses. He then fell
back and waited two days in expectation of being
joined by other trains. He was again attacked, how-
ever, and lost all his animals. This second attack
resulted in a rather serious skirmish, during which
one Williams was severely lanced in the body, and
several others had their clothing cut by balls. At
the bend of the Arkansas, this unlucky party was
attacked by Pawnees, who stole two horses and en-
deavoured, without effect, to excite a stampede among
the others. The train reached its destination with-
out further injury.

In the summer of 1847, a company of volunteers,
under Colonel Easton, was encamped on the Arkan-
sas, ready for service in the war then going on with
Mexico. The men, being but raw recruits, were ac-

118 THRILLING ADVENTURES.

customed to wander from camp, frequently unarmed,
and sometimes to pass a considerable time in the
wilderness. Along the wagon route on the north side
of the river, there is so little timber that it was often
necessary to cross to the other side to obtain it. In-
stead of going in a body and in regular order, the
volunteers appear to have crossed, each by himself,
or at best in squads of eight or ten. It was at length
rumoured that Indians were in the vicinity, and the
Americans became more careful ; yet the fatal negli-
gence of crossing the river unarmed was not al-
together corrected.

On the 25th of July, twenty-five men crossed to
the opposite bank, and spread themselves over an
area of several hundred yards. Suddenly a party
of savages, supposed to number five hundred, rose
from the grass and surrounded the volunteers. Most
of the latter rushed for the river ; a few, happening to
be armed, discharged their pieces and the remainder
sought to break through the Indians into the outer
country. One was chased into the stream and there
killed; another was severely wounded on the bank.
A third, named Benjamin Frost, was observed to fight
desperately with his clubbed rifle. That night, when
the volunteers searched the ground for the slain, he
could not be found. Next day, about noon, he was
observed on the south bank of the river, whither he
had crawled. He was able to speak, and stated that
he remembered nothing after his fall, until he was
awakened that morning by the firing in the camp.
The Indians in scalping him had flayed his entire

THE ROSE OF GUADALOUPE.

119

head. Four others were scalped. Altogether eight
were killed and four wounded. The slaughter would
have been much greater, but that the main body of
volunteers, hearing the firing, crossed . the river to
assist their companions. The Indians, it was supposed,
lost one killed and at least one wounded. They were
Camanches and had among them a white man armed
with a rifle, who at the beginning of the affair was
heard to exclaim, " Come on, if you will fight."

®ise ftoge of tSruafcaloupe.

A STOKT OP THE TEXAS RANGERS.

The Camanche Indians are to Texas what the
Pequots formerly were to New England, and what
the Sioux still are to the traders and trappers of the
West. Their incursions are still a source of terror,
even to Americans; and among the Texan settlers
many a story is told of parties surprised and mur-
dered, of settlements broken up, and women or chil-
dren carried into captivity. One of these, from the
singularity of the circumstances attending it, cannot
but be interesting to the reader.

Several years ago, an old man, named Lockhart,
lived on the Guadaloupe river, in what is known as
the Great Bend. His favourite child was a daughter
about seventeen years old, who, on account of her
beauty and winning manners was familiarly known
as the Bose of the Guadaloupe. Near the house was a

.20

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

nath leading to the Quero settlement, while, on every
other side, vast prairies, stretching further than sight
could reach, seemed to cut off the old man's house
from every other human habitation. Over these the
girl was accustomed to wander, carelessly gathering
flowers, or engaged in some light work, while the
anticipation of danger seems never to have crossed
her mind.

One evening, while thus engaged, she was startled
by a loud noise, and suddenly a party of Camanches
rushed from a neighbouring thicket toward her. She
screamed and fled. The chief of the party pursued,
and, as his horse swept by, he stooped from the sad-
dle and lifted the girl on to the seat before him, with-
out checking in the least the animal's speed. The
party having accomplished their object, hurried with
the fair prize to the mountains.

This sight appears to have been witnessed by the
father. He ran to the neighbouring settlement, and
with a father's feelings spread the terrible news.
Every one was in commotion. The hardy settlers
left their work, seized their rifles, and set off in rapid
pursuit. Lockhart led the party. With the tact of
a backwoodsman, he followed the Indians day and
night, and at length reached their mountain encamp-
ment at evening. Here they had the satisfaction to
find that their pursuit had not been discovered. They,
therefore, secreted themselves among the neighbour-
ing thickets and other objects, so as to be ready for a
vigorous charge on the following morning.

At daylight the Texans raised their war-shout and

Miss Lookhart carried away by the Camanche Chief:
16 L

THE ROSE OF GUA.DALOUPE.

123

rushed toward the village. The warriors were in-
stantly roused, and, gathering in close array, awaited
the charge. They numbered two hundred, while
the Texans were but forty. The assault was that of
brave men made desperate. It was received with
firmness, and one of those war scenes began where,
mingled with friend and foe, each man singles out
his man in the cruel strife, not for fame, but revenge.
All day that struggle went on. Sometimes the Tex-
ans, sure of victory, were rushing into the village,
when a vigorous charge would drive them back over
the dead bodies of friends and enemies. Foremost
in danger was Lockhart. He cheered his friends to
duty; he engaged one after another of the enemy;
he more than once approached so near the tent in
which was his child that he could hear her voice call-
ing to him. But the superiority of numbers pre-
vailed. After a day of incessant battle, the Texans
were forced from the field, dragging after them the
wretched father. Through all the perils of that day
he had moved as though possessing a charmed life ;
and, though forced from the field, he came off unhurt.
The little party returned sorrowfully to their homes.

Some time after the battle, a treaty was made with
the Camanches, and the girl was given up. But her
health and her spirits were gone. In captivity she
had suffered every extreme of hunger, privation, and
abuse. A deep melancholy had settled over her once
happy countenance, and the hours which she spent
by herself weeping, showed that her heart was broken.
She lived at home but a few months before death re-

124

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

leased her from her sufferings. We are indebted for
the particulars of this remarkable capture and at-
tempted rescue, to the " Scouting Sketches of the
Texas Rangers," an eloquent narrative from the pen
of Lieutenant Samuel C. Reid.

The rivers of New Brunswick are frequented by a
great variety of fish, which ascend them annually to
spawn. The principal of these are the salmon, stur-
geon, bass, shad, gaspereau, smelts, and some others
of less importance. The rivers also abound with a
great variety of fish, which are constantly found in

THI PERCH.

these waters, and never descend to the sea. These
are the trout, perch, (red and white,) eels, cusk,
carp, wach, dace, gudgeon, bleak, gizzard-fish, and
an infinite variety of others, some of which have
not even a name, and are yet undescribed by any
professor of natural history.

INDIAN FISHING IN NEW BRUNSWICK. 127

When the salmon make their appearance in the
Nashwak, fleets of canoes, each containing a couple
of Indians, leave Fredericton to spear them by torch-
light. The fish, checked by the falls, are collected
in great numbers in the pools below. Nothing can
be more exciting than this scene. The canoes, hurled
about in all directions by the foaming tide ; the skill
displayed by the Indians in forcing them up the ra-
pids, and fending them off the rocks, or allowing them
to plunge head-foremost down stream, when they sud-
denly bring them to and transfix their fish. The
eagerness of the chase, the contrast of the flaming
torches with the black masses of the woods, and the
fine attitudes of the men, dashing at the salmon with
their long spears, form a wild and most animating
picture. The spear, which is most destructive, is
very simple in its construction, and does not lacerate
or spoil the fish. A spike of iron is fastened between
two jaws made of rock maple, into the end of a long,
light fir pole. When the fish is stuck, the jaws open
far enough to allow the spike to pierce and break the
vertebrae of the spine, and, closing round the fish at
the same time, hold it fast.

THE SICRGE0 5.

The sturgeon of the New Brunswick waters are

123

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

large, frequently eight feet in length, and sometimes
twelve. They are a coarse fish, not at all esteemed,
are seldom caught or molested, and therefore abound.
When running up stream, they leap out of the water
to a great height. A good story is told of an old
squaw : whilst paddling down the river, one of these
fish jumped on board her canoe with such impetus
that it must have gone clean through the bottom, had
not Molly Greenbaize, quick as lightning, seized it by
the tail before the head and shoulders of the fish had
got well through ; and, its progress thus arrested, it
did the duty of a plug, until she contrived to work
her canoe ashore.

The trout-fishing is excellent, and nowhere to be
surpassed, except, perhaps, in Labrador. No sooner

THE IEOUT.

does the ice break up, than myriads of flies appear
upon the water, and the trout come upon them at
once. The Indians, not being disciples of Izaak
Walton, know no other means of fishing for them
than by cutting a hole in the ice, when the fish in-
stantly come to the aperture, and will take almost
any kind of bait; they, however, do not consider
them worth the trouble of fishing for, and only resort
to the piscatorial art when in actual want on a hunt-
ing expedition, or when other game fails. In the

INDIAN FISHING IN NEW BRUNSWICK. 129

Kedhead Kiver, some few miles from St. Johns, are to
be caught the most delicious trout : it is a back-water
from the sea, and is occasionally affected by it at very
high spring tides, a circumstance which, no doubt, has
ts influence on the flavour of the fish. In the Lougb
Lomond Lakes, also in the chain of lakes beyond the
Bald Mountain, having their outlet in the Musquash
marshes, and in the rivers connecting these lakes, the
fly-fishing is excellent.

130

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

Ki.NDiX ICE IIXG-PLACL

Shrilling Hfilwi at an Intel INtfaHPbct.

The Indians have, in their different tribes, a variety
of modes of disposing of their dead. Carver says
the body is attired in the same dress it usually wore
whilst living ; and other travellers inform us that a
warrior's arms and his medicine bag are buried with
him, for his use in the world of spirits. It is ascer-
tained that, in former times, certain tribes deposited
their dead in caverns, where many of them have been
found placed in a sitting posture. The Sioux and
Mandans (before the extinction of the last-mentioned
'ribe) erected stages on which they deposited theii

ADVENTURE AT AN INDIAN BURIAL-PLACE. 133

dead. The engraving above represents a part of the
burying-place in the vicinity of the principal village
of the Mandans. We have copied it from an engrav-
ing in the splendid work of Prince Maximilian of
Wied, entitled " Travels in the Interior of North
America." The prince tells us that near these stages
were several high poles, with skins and other things
hanging on them as offerings to the lord of life, Oma-
hank-Numakshi, or to the first man, Numank-Ma-
chana.

Dr. Richardson, in his eloquent work, Fauna Bo-
reali-Americana, relates a thrilling adventure at an
Indian burial-place, in which the principal performer
was the Great Horned Owl of Virginia, whose loud
and full nocturnal cry, " Waugh Oo ! — Waugh Oo !"
issuing from the gloomy recesses of the forest, bears
some resemblance to the human voice, uttered in a
hollow sepulchral tone, often alarming the traveller.
A party of Scottish Highlanders, in the service of
the Hudson's Bay Company, happened, in a winter
journey, to encamp after night-fall in a dense clump
of trees, whose dark tops and lofty stems, the growth
of centuries, gave a solemnity to the scene that
strongly tended to excite the superstitious feelings of
the Highlanders. The effect was heightened by the
discovery of a tomb, which, with a natural taste,
often exhibited by the Indians, had been placed in
this secluded spot. Our travellers having finished
their supper, were trimming their fire preparatory to
retiring to rest, when the slow and dismal notes of
the Horned Owl fell on the ear with a startling near-

134

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

ness. None of them being acquainted with the
Bound, they at once concluded that so unearthly a
voice must be the moaning of the spirit of the de-
parted, whose repose they supposed they had dis-
turbed by inadvertently making a fire of some of the
wood of which his tomb had been constructed. They
passed a tedious night of fear, and with the first
dawn of day hastily quitted the ill-omened spot.

® Striking Jbcntf.

A most striking tribute to tvorth was paid a few
years ago, by a party of poor Indians who came from
the back country to visit Philadelphia.

When the statue in the Pennsylvania Hospital
yard was pointed out to them as the figure of " Father
Onas," or Penn, they all with one accord fell down on
their knees before it ; thus testifying, in the strongest
manner in their power, their reverence for the cha-
racter of one of the few white men who have treated
their race with humanity.

It was not an exhibition got up for effect ; it was
the spontaneous result of feeling — of a deeply im-
planted feeling, which neither time nor distance had
been able to destroy. It had descended from father
to son ; it had been cherished in the Western wilds ;
and it broke forth in the midst of civilized society,
and was evinced by the strongest of natural signs —
reverence on the knee !

TREEING A BEAR.

137

BLACK BEAR.

freeing a Mzax*

The Indians consider the black bear as the most
valuable of wild animals, and the chase of it as their
noblest field-sport, its death being always followed by
expressions of the greatest exultation. It is, indeed,
highly useful to them; and, like the ox and the
sheep, there is no part of it which is not applied to
some useful purpose. The flesh is highly esteemed,
and the paws are reckoned the richest bonne louche
that the wild forests of America afford. The skin
furnishes their softest couch, and their most sub-
stantial protection against the severities of winter.
Even the claws have their value : they are bored and
strung upon the tendons of deer, to be worn as neck-
laces and other ornaments.

In the vicinity of Hudson's Bay, the black bear

18 m 2

138

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

has been observed in the month of June to feed en-
tirely on water-insects, when the berries are not ripe.
These insects, of different species, are found in im-
mense quantities in some of the lakes, where they
are driven by gales of wind in the Bay, and, being
pressed together in vast multitudes, they die. The
odour which arises from this vast mass of putrefac-
tion is intolerable. In some places they lie two or
three feet deep. The manner in which the bears
catch those insects, is by swimming with their mouths
open, and thus they gather the insects on the surface
of the water. When the stomach of the animal is
opened at this season, it is found to be filled with
them, and emits a disagreeable odour. The Indians,
navigating the lakes in their light canoes, sometimes
surprise a bear engaged in swimming after the insects.
Then commences a highly interesting chase. The
bear, finding himself assailed by the paddles of the
Indians, makes for the shore, or for the nearest tree
standing in the water. When fairly "treed," he is
easily despatched by the arrows or rifle balls of his
indefatigable enemies.

The black bear is very indiscriminate in his feed-
ing, and, though suited by nature for the almost ex-
clusive consumption of vegetable food, yet, when
pressed by hunger, he scarcely refuses any thing.
Not only grapes, berries, green corn, and vegetables,
but worms, slugs, turtles' eggs, small quadrupeds, and
even carrion, form a part of his diet, as circumstances
vary.

INSURRECTION OF THE PUEBLOS.

141

Xngurrection of #e jpusfclo* in ^tfo JEafro.

New Mexico is one of the oldest settlements in
America. The popular account, however, of its being
founded by a party from the army of Cortez, seems
to be incorrect; since as late as 1595, the govern-
ment of Mexico was petitioned by Don Juan de Onate
of Zacatecas, for permission to establish a colony in
that region, already known as New Mexico. The
petition was granted, and Onate entered the region
near the Rio del Norte, with two hundred soldiers,
and sufficient provisions, implements, and animals to
support his colony for a year. He was honoured by
the king with the hereditary title of marquis, the
offices of governor and captain general, a loan of
twenty thousand dollars, privilege of working the
mines exempt from taxation, and absolute power
over the Indians. Under such extensive privileges
New Mexico advanced rapidly in wealth and import-
ance ; the Indians were christianized or put to death ;
many valuable mines were discovered, and the Spanish
colonists conducted themselves with that recklessness
of human life, that avarice for gain, and that open
violation of justice to the Indians, which had dis-
graced their conquests in the southern provinces.

For nearly a century the Indians bore oppression
without resistance. Their lands were taken from
them, their religion insulted, they were dragged to
the mines and forced to labour like horses under the
lash, they were sold by troops of scores and hundreds

142

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

into the country of the plague and the vomito ; and
yet they offered only submission, and kissed the hand
which was lacerating them with stripes. But a day
of reckoning was coming. About the year 1680, a
great warrior from a distant tribe appeared among
the Pueblos or christianized Indians of New Mexico.
His eye burned with indignation as he looked upon
the oppressions of his countrymen, and with a spirit
worthy of Montezuma, whose descendant he professed
to be, he contrived a plan to emancipate them. Pass-
ing from tribe to tribe, he exhorted the chiefs of each
to unite together ; to appoint a day in which to rise
upon their oppressors, and then to massacre every
white inhabitant. The 13th of August, 1680, was
determined upon ; and so wily was the intrepid chief-
tain that he did not permit a single woman to be let
into the secret. But his designs were in a great
measure frustrated by the treachery of two chiefs,
who revealed the plot to the governor.

On the appointed day, the work of death began.
Servants rose against their masters, the slave dashed
his load to the ground and burst furious from the
mines, churches were broken into, priests and nuns
were murdered at the altar, men, women, and chil-
dren were involved in one slaughter. Governor
Otermin had hastily exhorted the inhabitants to join
him at Isleta ; they were met on the road and massa-
cred. The affrighted remnant gathered within the
fortification of Santa Fe and other cities. Five hun-
dred Pueblos besieged the capital. They encamped in
the deserted suburbs, and offered the citizens the al-

INSURRECTION OF THE PUEBLOS. 143

ternative of massacre or an immediate evacuation of
the province. The governor offered full pardon for
all crimes if they would return to duty ; they laughed
at the proposal and began the siege. A great battle
was soon fought, which lasted all day, with heavy
loss to both sides. That night the surrounding hills
were covered by Indian hosts, hastening to assist
their comrades. The dismayed Spaniards again took
refuge behind their works; another siege of nine
days ensued ; the water was turned from its course,
and their animals fell dead one after another with
thirst. In this extremity Otermin made a vigorous
sally, drove back a portion of the besiegers, and secured
provisions and water. But the relief was only tem-
porary ; the Indians continued to increase, and at last
the governor resolved upon evacuating the city. On
the 21st of August, the little garrison set out on foot,
loaded with heavy burdens and encumbered with a
number of wounded on mules. They were not pur-
sued, but as all provisions had been removed, they
were in a short time reduced almost to starvation.
After a few days, Otermin halted and sent for assist-
ance to the lieutenant-governor. Some carts and a
supply of provisions were received, and the party
again proceeded until it arrived at Paso del Norte.
Here they founded the town which goes by that
name.

In the following year, Otermin was superseded by
Don Diego Zapata. The Indians held possession of
the country, and this officer commenced the work of
its reconquest. It was a work of difficulty, and lasted

144

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

ten years. A Pueblo village named Zia maintained
a most obstinate siege against a force under Don Pedro
Cruzate, in 1688. It was at length taken by assault.
Six hundred Indians were massacred, and a great
number captured for the mines. Among these was
a great warrior named Ojeda. He had fought nobly
for his liberty, and when taken was examined respect-
ing the insurrection. He spoke Spanish well, and gave
long details of the revenge which his countrymen had
taken. The priests had been the especial object of
their fury. The padre of Zia had been dragged from
his bed, stripped, mounted upon a hog, and whipped
through the village. He was then placed upon all-
fours, some of the tormenters mounted his back by
turns, while the others beat him until he fell dead
under their blows.

The second subjugation of these Indians was has-
tened by their own internal feuds, by which whole
villages were sometimes utterly destroyed. In 1700
all resistance had been crushed, and the Indians were
again subject to their invaders, although their condi-
tion was much ameliorated.

SINGULAR FREAK OF A CREEK INDIAN. 147

jlingulai $xts& cf a @mfc Indian.

It is not often that an Indian can be induced to
leave his tribe or his country ; much less will he join
the society of white men, and adopt its modes and
observances. This ardent patriotism and jealousy
of national dignity appear to be common to all sa-
vage tribes ; and, though it may appear singular, yet
well-attested facts sustain the assertion, that it is
harder to wean a Laplander, a Tartar, or an Indian
from the snowy sides of Hecla, or the boundless prai-
ries of Oregon, than to induce a European to turn
hunter. Of all the instances on record, in which In-
dians have been partially civilized, leaving out of
view the influence of religion, few were without a long-
ing tc return to the old mode of life; but, on the

148

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

other hand, the white captive, who has long resided
with Indians, often rejects every overture of friends
and relatives to win him back. The following is an
instance where an Indian seems to have become dis-
gusted with his condition, and sought amelioration by
uniting himself with white men.

In 1831, a party of American traders approached
a village of Creek warriors, on the north branch of
the Canadian. Soon after they had encamped, they
were joined by one of the Indians, who, by signs, sig-
nified his willingness to join them. The traders were
suspicious of his intentions ; but, as he assured them
that he would be one of their party, and had resolved
not to return to the village, they received him. Next
morning some little light was thrown upon the myste-
rious affair. He had quarrelled with his wife ; and she
now entered the traders' camp, wailing and howling,
denouncing her own wicked conduct and imploring the
forgiveness of her injured lord. His heart did not
relent ; a brief deluge of tears could not drown the
world of insults, quarrels, and bickerings which had
for years degraded his character, and broken with too
rude a spell his early dreams of romance. His dis-
consolate partner returned to her home, and the In-
dian set out with the traders. He proved a faithful
and valuable companion, and soon became a favourite
with the Americans. On reaching Santa F£, he
joined a company of volunteers under Mr. James
Kirker, and assisted more than once in skirmishes
with the Shawnee and Delaware Indians. He was
ever a firm friend to the white men, and in his habits
and feelings virtually civilized.

WHITE CAPTIVES AMONG THE INDIANS. 149

Irruption of tfje (SDamant^K j» into @£i$uaf)ua«

The practice among the Indians of naturalizing
captives, whether men or women, exists to an extent
greater than is generally supposed, and in these in-
stances the female captive is invariably obliged to be-
come the wife of a brave. The feelings of a virtu-
ous wife, or of a mother, when subjected to this law,
may be imagined; but, when she has once become
incorporated into the tribe, we cannot wonder at her
unwillingness to return to civilized life.

In 1805, the account of an instance of this kind
was transmitted to the War Department by Dr.
Sibley. Twenty years before, the wild Camanches
made an irruption into the territory of Chihuahua.
While every thing was hushed in sleep, they stole
upon the residence of the governor-general, and suc-
ceeded in carrying away his daughter. The wretched

father afterwards ascertained where she was taken

if 2

loO

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

to, and to purchase her ransom transmitted one thou-
sand dollars to a trader, then visiting the Camanche
village. The chiefs immediately signified their as-
sent ; but the unhappy girl refused to return. With
bitter tears, she sent word to her father that her face
had been tatooed ; that she was the wife of a war-
rior, and that she could not meet the unfeeling scorn
which the knowledge of these circumstances would
bring upon her should she return to her people.

Numerous instances of a like nature may be found
in the narratives of the traders, trappers, and adven-
turers of the west. In 1832, a Santa Fe trader
found a boy of eleven or twelve years old among a
party of Camanches. He was a Mexican ; had been
captured near Parral, and had remained' a captive
four years. He was sprightly and cheerful, retained
full command of his native language, and evinced no
desire to return. Of half a dozen other captives,
questioned by the same trader, only one expressed a
willingness to return.

NIGHT ATTACK BY THE PAWNEES.

151

T$i$t Attack 5>2 tfje JPa&uw**.

The incident we are about to relate occurred on the
10th of March, 1840, and, in the hands of the ro-
mancer, might form the ground-work of a thrilling
narrative. A party of hunters had halted on a wide
prairie, having before them a deep ravine, which, as
they supposed, would protect them from assault in
that quarter. The night was cold, dark, and damp ;
but a large fire was soon built, round which the sen-
tinels sat at regular intervals, beguiling the weariness
by tales of adventures and of home. This quiet re-
laxation was interrupted by a sudden discharge of
rifles, while a shower of balls whistled over and
around the heads of the sentinels. This was suc-
ceeded by the war-whoop and " Pawnee whistle," a
circumstance that speedily convinced the traders of
the nature of so unexpected an attack. At the next
moment, each man was upon his feet and levelling
his rifle ; but hostilities were for a while suspended by
a rather ridiculous incident. Among the traders was
a friendly Camanche ; he seemed deeply impressed

152

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

with an idea that the assailants were of his own na-
tion ; and, anxious for the common good, besides in-
spired with a deep conviction of his own oratorical
talents, resolved to set things right. He mounted a
suitable position, and commenced a boisterous speech
in genuine Camanchp. This part of that night's
scene, when both parties listened to a discourse which
neither understood, when the orator grew in propor-
tion as danger thickened around him, and when hun-
dreds of grinning savages were prevented from rid-
dling him at once only because they did not under-
stand what he was about, formed one of the few
incidents in war which are not not serious. The con-
clusion of his talk was still more ridiculous. B\
some unmistakeable signs, the orator ascertained that
the congregation for which he was labouring was not
Camanche, and, indignant that talent should have
been wasted in vain, he suddenly seized his rifle and
blazed away. This was the signal of battle. The
Indians had stationed themselves in great numbers
within the ravine, from which they poured forth a
continuous shower of balls. The traders took refuge
behind their wagons ; but the darkness preventing
them from distinguishing their foe, they were obliged
to aim by the flash of their guns or to fire at random.
The Indians kept up a continual shouting, in order to
stampede the animals ; but in this they failed. Mean-
while the traders used every exertion to maintain
their position behind the wagons, and to preserve the
lives of their animals. In this latter service some
daring feats were performed. A Mexican named

NIGHT ATTACK BY THE PAWNEES.

163

Antonio Chaves, rushed outside of the enclosure,
seized a valuable horse which was there tied, and
brought him into camp amid a shower of balls. The
attack lasted nearly three hours ; but the Indians
had fortunately aimed too high, so that only two
white men were wounded. One horse escaped, and
a mule was badly shot. Before daylight the Indians
retired ; and, at the same time, a heavy fall of snow
concealed their track, and prevented the traders from
ascertaining the result of their defence.

The Pawnee Indians seem to possess an inveterate
hatred of the Americans. In October, 184 7, a party
of them attacked an American train under Mr.
Wetherill. With nineteen men he was crossing the
Arkansas river at night. A skirmish took place, in
which the Pawnees were driven off with some loss.
On the following night, the attack was renewed.
One American was wounded in the arm ; another in
the leg. A heavy and well-directed fire again drove
the Indians away.

154

THRILLIN G a I > V R N TU R ES.

©argon** 8lfcbctttur** toitfj tf)t JnStana.

Christopher Carson, u Kit Carson" as he is fa-
miliarly called, is one of the most remarkable cha-
racters which the recent war with Mexico rendered
conspicuous in the United States. At the age of
fifteen he became a trader, and from that time until
the present, he has passed his life in a continued series
of wild, hazardous, and daring adventures. As a
trapper, he is unrivalled in skill and success ; and in
his numerous conflicts with the Indians, he acquired
a name which was the terror of every hostile red
man, and the envy of every hunter. His shot rarely

carson's adventures.

155

failed ; and through the wilds of a Missourian wilder-
ness, none could guide a party of traders as he could.
On account of his sagacity and steadiness under all
circumstances, he was chosen to lead in almost all
enterprises of unusual danger, and in all attacks on
the Indians. On one occasion he tracked sixty Crows
with only twelve men, cut loose the horses which
they had taken from the white people, and which had
been tied within ten feet of the log fort where the
Indians had taken shelter, and made good his retreat.
One of his narrowest escapes occurred during the
night attack of the Tlamuth Indians, upon a small
party of Americans under Colonel Fremont, who had
lately arrived on an exploring expedition in New
Mexico. This was in May, 1846. The account of
this night attack cannot be given more forcibly than
in Carson's own words : —

" Mr. Gillespie had brought the colonel letters from
home — the first he had had since leaving the States
the year before — and he was up, and kept a large fire
burning until after midnight; the rest of us were
tired out, and all went to sleep. This was the only
night in all our travels, except the one night on the
island in the Salt Lake, that we failed to keep guard ;
and as the men were so tired, and we expected no
attack, now that we had sixteen in party, the colonel
didn't like to ask it of them, but sat up late himself.
Owens and I were sleeping together, and we were
waked at the same time by the licks of the axe that
killed our men. At first I didn't know it was that ;
but I called to Basil, who was at that side, ' "What's the

156

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

matter there? — what's that fuss about?' He never
answered, for he was dead then, poor fellow ; and he
never knew what killed him — his head had been cut
in, in his sleep ; the other groaned a little as he died.
The Delawares (we had four with us) were sleeping
at that fire, and they sprang up as the Tlamaths
charged them. One of them caught up a gun, which
was unloaded ; but, although he could do no execu-
tion, he kept them at bay, fighting like a soldier, and
didn't give up until he was shot full of arrows — three
entering his heart : he died bravely. As soon as I
called out, I saw it was Indians in the camp, and I
and Owens together cried out ( Indians.' There were
no orders given ; things went on too fast, and the
colonel had men with him that didn't need to be told
their duty. The colonel and I, Maxwell, Owens,
Godey, and Stepp, jumped together, we six, and ran
to the assistance of our Delawares. I don't know
who fired and who didn't ; but I think it was Stepp's
shot that killed the Tlamath chief ; for it was at the
crack of Stepp's gun that he fell. He had an English
half-axe slung to his wrist by a cord, and there were
forty arrows left in his quiver — the most beautiful
and warlike arrows I ever saw. He must have been
the bravest man among them, from the way he was
armed, and judging by his cap. When the Tlamaths
saw him fall, they ran ; but we lay, every man with
his rifle cocked, until daylight, expecting anothei
attack.

" In the morning, we found, by the tracks, that
from fifteen to twenty of the Tlamaths had attacked

carson's adventures.

157

us. They had killed three of our men, and wounded
one of the Delawares, who scalped the chief, whom
we left where he fell. Our dead men we carried on
mules ; but, after going about ten miles, we found it
impossible to get them any farther through the thick
timber ; and, finding a secret place, we buried them
under logs and chunks, having no way to dig a grave.
It was only a few days before this fight that some of
these same Indians had come into our camp ; and, al-
though we had only meat for two days, and felt sure
that we would have to eat mules for ten or fifteen
days to come, the colonel divided with them, and
even had a mule unpacked to give them some tobacco
and knives."

Two days after this battle, Fremont's party came
suddenly upon a large village of Tlamaths, contain-
ing more than a hundred warriors. Carson was in
advance with ten men. The Indians made a show
of resistance ; when he fearlessly charged them, kill-
ing some of the warriors and burning their village
and fishing boats. " The women and children," ob-
serves Carson, " we did not interfere with." A second
battle was fought on the same day, during which a
chief advanced upon Carson with a bow and arrows.
Carson levelled his rifle, but it missed, and the next
moment the arrow would have pierced his breast had
not Fremont, observing the dangei. drove his war
horse against the Indian and knocKed him down.
" The colonel and Sacramento saved me," observed
Carson with some humour. Sacramento was the name
of Fremont's horse.

158

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

The following notice of Carson occurs in Mr. Rux-
tons "Life in the West," just reprinted from the Lon-
don edition by Messrs. Harper &, Brothers of New
York.

" Kit Carson, paragon of mountaineers I* small in
stature, and slenderly limbed, but with muscles of
wire, with a fair complexion, and quiet, intelligent
features. To look at Kit none would suppose that the
mild looking being before him was an incarnate devil
in the Indian fight, and had raised more hairj* from
heads of redskins than any two men in the western
country ; and yet thirty winters had scarcely planted
a line or furrow on his clean-shaven face. No name,
however, was better known in the mountains, from
Yellow Stone to Spanish Peaks, from Missouri to
Columbia River; than that of Kit Carson, 'raised' in
Boonlick county of Missouri state, and a credit to the
diggins that gave him birth."

* Since the time of which we speak, Kit Carson has distinguished
himself in guiding the several United States exploring expeditions
under Fremont, across the Rocky Mountains, and to all parts of
Oregon and California; and for his services, the President of the
United States presented the gallant mountaineer with the commission
of lieutenant in a newly raised regiment of mounted riflemen, of
which his old leader, Fremont is appointed colonel.

raise hair/' is the expression used by the trappers and
hunters in the western country for scalping.

BATTLES OF AMERICANS WITH INDIANS. 150

Battles of fa*rican HcTelmttm fcitf) SnMang.

ON-the 29th of May, 1847, Major Edmonson, with
one hundred and seventy-five men, was attacked by
four hundred Mexicans and Apache Indians, at the
Red River canon. The Americans laboured under
much disadvantage, having dismounted for the pur-
pose of crossing a deep miry morass, in which the
horses sunk to the middle. In this situation they
fought a host of savages for two hours, dealing de-
struction through their ranks, and endeavouring to

160

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

bring their horses together for a charge. In the lat-
ter they failed, and, in order, to prevent an entire
slaughter of the animals, the major ordered a retreat.
Meanwhile Lieutenant Elliott, with twenty-seven
rangers, posted himself in full view of the Indians,
and by daring manoeuvering, united with great
bravery, succeeded in covering the retreat of the
main party. The horses were all shot or captured.

A still more severe battle was fought by Lieutenant
Love, with a large party of Mexicans and Camanches
near the Pawnee Fork. The particulars of this
affair are so well described by an officer who shared
its dangers, that we give them in his own words.
The battle occurred June 26th, 1847.

On the 23d, we arrived at the Pawnee Fork, and
there met two government trains of provision wagons
destined for Santa Fe, and learned from them that
the day previous the Indians charged on them as
their cattle were grazing, wounding three men —
one severely — and driving off from traders and a
return train of government wagons under Mr. Bell,
some seventy yoke of oxen, leaving twenty wagons
and a considerable quantity of provisions and other
property without the means of transportation. The
wagons and property were burned to prevent their
falling into the hands of the Indians. Next "day,
(the 24th,) we travelled up to the Fork and en-
camped, and on the 25th to this place, on which day
I was in charge of the guard, and the night passed
over without any alarm, although every vigilance and
precaution was used. Next morning, the 26th, im-

BATTLES OF AMERICANS WITH INDIANS. 161

mediately after reveille*, Hayden's train, which was
encamped about five hundred yards due west from
the guard-tent, drove their oxen from the corell to
graze. All were scarcely out, when a large band of
Camanches and Mexicans emerged from a ravine
called Coon creek, about two hundred yards west,
and charged furiously on the teamsters and herdsmen,
wounding three and driving off one hundred and
thirty yoke of government oxen, and thirty yoke
belonging to a trader who was accompanying them.
One conspicuous Indian rode within carbine range. I
fired and killed the horse from under him, and, as far
as could be ascertained, wounded himself ; however,
he was soon behind another Indian. In the mean
time the camp was armed, and some eighteen or nine-
teen mounted dragoons were ordered out under my
command, for the purpose of retaking the cattle.
"When my command reached within one hundred and
fifty yards of the enemy, I halted, and formed in ex-
tended line, expecting to rally on a body of teamsters
who were out as footmen ; then charged on the In-
dians, and forced them to retreat. As they were re-
treating, a large body of well-mounted Indians crossed
the river between me and the camp on my left, and
charged us in the rear with great fury, preventing us
from rallying, and obliging us to cut our way through
them. About this time I was shot, and charged on
by several Indians. I made my sabre, however,
drink blood, having killed one and wounded another.
Every man in my little command fought bravely and
manfully, and five of my poor fellows were killed,

91 0 2

162

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

defending themselves to the last, and selling their
lives at a dear rate, and six wounded — three more
besides myself severely wounded. The killed were
Arlidge, Deckhart, Short, Gaskill, and Blake. The
wounded, myself, Vancaster, Lovelace, and Ward,
severely, and Burk and Wilson slightly. The severe
loss we met with I attribute to the almost unma-
nageable state of the horses, all being new in the
service, and to the Indians being permitted to charge
on us from behind. The enemy took off the cattle,
scalped three men, and took off the horses, equipments,
arms and ammunition, and the clothes of the dead.
The Indians, when in a body, numbered about five
hundred. I make no comments, I merely give you
the facts as they occurred before me. The Indians
were all armed with lances measuring from twelve to
fifteen feet in length, bows and arrows, and a great
man}' with rifles and muskets. There were some
white men among them. Several of our men saw
them as well as myself. The air was actually as
dark as if a flight of birds were hovering over us,
from the balls, lances, and arrows that were flying
through the air. Twelve or fifteen of the enemy are
known to have fallen — perhaps more — but were im
mediately carried off. Four of their horses were left
dead on the ground. Since then, we remain here,
merely changing positions for the purpose of pastime.
To-morrow, I understand, we will proceed again on
our route, arrangements being made to take all the
trains along, with somewhat less team, however.
The Indians have attacked every train that has gone

BATTLE OF AMERICANS WITH INDIANS.

163

out or come in this year, and are bound to attack
every train that will follow. These Camanches, Paw-
nees, and Arrapahoes deserve a castigation that would
ever after keep them quiet, and which they are sure
some day to receive.

Lieutenant Love was in a most distressing situa-
tion. Never has man suffered, I believe, more in one
day than he suffered. Here were twelve wagons,
with six mules to each — provisions, and all the specie,
that he could not by any possible means abandon, as
another large force were ready to attack the camp if
he were to go out with a large force ; and yet he saw
the awful situation in which we were placed, and
could not give us the slightest aid or assistance. I
am convinced that he acted prudently and wisely ;
for it has been his special care to take all the precau-
tions that an experienced officer could take to save
his men and animals ever since he commenced his
march."

Such was the character of the Indian aggression
on the route to New Mexico. The violence was,
however, confined to the Camanches, and to a small
portion of the Arrapahoes, and the band of Pawnees
south of the Platte. This violence the United States
government took effectual measures to quell, by plac-
ing a competent force under command of Colonel
Gilpin, who had signally distinguished himself with
Doniphan, in Chihuahua.

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

frfcun Crwto to t ?rijowt.

Ox the 18th of March, 1690, the town of Berwick,
in Maine, was attacked by a body of French and In-
dians, under command of Hertel de Rouville and
Whoop Hood, a sachem. After killing about thirty
of the inhabitants and capturing fifty others, they
hastily retreated, and, though pursued by a body of
Englishmen, succeeded in escaping. One of their
prisoners, named Rogers, was unable to keep pace
with his captors ; while lagging behind, loaded with
a heavy pack, he threw it down and attempted to
escape. After running some distance, he hid in a
hollow tree ; but hither he was traced and discovered.
After being stripped and beaten, he was pushed for-
ward on his journey until evening. They then halted
and encamped, and, while preparing a feast, tied the
prisoner's hands behind his back, fastened him to a
stump, and began dancing and shouting around him.
They then made a great fire near the unfortunate
man, and, with savage malignity, bade him take leave
of his friends, giving him at the same time a few mo-
ments to pray. They then moved the fire gradually
forward, roasting him by degrees ; when the agony
of the sufferer had almost exhausted him, they with-
drew the coals ; thus increasing his misery, both by
its length and by the alternations of torture. At in-
tervals they cut slices of flesh from his perishing
frame, laughed at his agonies, and answered his
groans by insults and mockery. Meanwhile the

INDIAN CRUELTY TO A PRISONER.

167

other captives were placed outside the fire that they
might behold their companion's death. When the
wretched man had expired, they seated his body on
the coals, that at some future time his friends might
be tortured by the sight.

4 I4T00ID IKDIAS.

168

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

K A S D A > XX » 1 01 ■ I L09SL

Jbttiitng Instant* o: Ir.tisn ?kla:nctisnu

The Indians are capable of the most extraordinary
acts of self-sacrifice, under the influence of supersti-
tion or of patriotism. Mr. Catlin, in his interesting
account of the Indians, has given us a narrative of the
strange religious ceremonies of the Mandans in their
Medicine Lodge, where they spent four days in a
series of self-tortures and mutilations too horrible for
us to relate, all of which was done from a principle of
obedience to their peculiar superstitious notions.

The other tribes exhibit instances not less remark
able of self-sacrifice from patriotic motives.

Every Indian is proud of his connection with his
tribe, jealous of its honour, and implacable when vin
dicating it. A striking instance of this occurred in
Warren county, Illinois, which will remind the
reader of an incident in Edward Third's siege of Ca-
lais. Four Indians of the Sac tribe had murdered
some white men, and the War Department instructed

INDIAN PATRIOTISM.

169

the United States* agent to demand the murderers.
Keokuck, the Indian chief, stated that they were out
of his reach, but that he would consult with his tribe
upon the course to be pursued. On calling the chiefs
together, he stated the circumstances, together with
his apprehensions that the Great Father would send
an army into the nation to avenge his murdered chil-
dren. On hearing this, four young men offered them-
selves to be delivered to the agent as the offenders.
They were taken by Keokuck to the agent, who im-
mediately threw them into prison to await their trial.

When the court convened, Keokuck appeared as a
witness for the prosecution. He stated before the
grand jury, that the prisoners were not the men who
had committed the murder, they having fled from the
tribe ; but that he supposed the court would be satis-
fied, if any four of his young men were delivered up
to justice. Of course the prisoners were immediately
discharged.

AIT INDIAN LODOJS.
P

170

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

MI3SI03ART PBEACHIXO TO TBI I5DI1SB.

The Indians are remarkable for their sense of pro-
priety. In a deliberative assembly, they preserve
the strictest decorum. The speakers address the
assembly in a certain order, according to their rank.
Xo speaker is ever interrupted, or coughed down, or
called to order, as among civilized nations. This cha-
racteristic of the Indians has been of great service to
the whites in their intercourse with them. It has ob-
tained a patient hearing of our deputies in all nego-
tiations and treaties; and it has procured for the
numerous missionaries who have been sent among
them a respectful attention. This sense of propriety
in the Indians appears in the following anecdote.

History presents few instances of greater valour and
magnanimity than are displayed in the character of
Opechanchanough, an Indian chief. Bold, artful, in-
sinuating, skilled in dissimulation and intrigue, he
for many years kept the settlers of Virginia in a state
of continual alarm, and more than once menaced

INDIAN SENSE OF PROPRIETY. 171

them with destruction. Although so decrepit by age
as to be unable to walk, he commanded in person,
and directed from the litter on which he was borne,
the onset and retreat of his warriors in the dread-
ful massacre of 1641, which almost exterminated the
colonists. The excessive fatigues of this campaign
completed the wreck of his constitution. His flesh
wasted away, his sinews lost their elasticity, and
his eyelids hung so far over the balls as to obscure
their sight. In this forlorn condition, bending under
the weight of years, and worn out by the hardships
of war, he was surprised, and carried captive to James-
town. After some time he was shot by one of the
soldiers appointed to guard him.

To the last moment his courage remained un-
broken. It supported him in adversity and prosperity,
in sickness and in death. Just before he expired "he
heard," says the historian, " an unusual bustle in his
prison ; having ordered his attendant to lift up his
eyelids, he discovered a number of persons crowding
around him to gratify an unseasonable and cruel
curiosity. The dying chief felt this indignity with
a keenness of sensibility, the more violent as it was
new and unforeseen. It was a burst of passion, a
momentary ascendancy of nature over the habit of
education, and its exhibition and effect must be ac-
knowledged to correspond with the greatness of the
occasion. Without deigning to notice the intruders,
he raised himself from the earth, and with a voice
and tone of authority, commanded that the governor
should be immediately called in. When he made his

172

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

appearance, Opechanchanough scornfully told him,
" that had it been his fortune to take Sir William
Berkely prisoner, he would not meanly have exposed
him as a show to his people P

What nobleness of spirit ! What matchless hero-
ism ! At the age of one hundred years, blind, unable
to stand, wounded and captive, his courage was un-
subdued. The prospect of power and incentive of
example are the usual sources of splendid actions ;
it remains for the truly great soul to preserve its
equanimity in the gloom of dungeons and the embrace
of death.

The exploits of this extraordinary man, in the
vigour of life, are unknown to us. We saw him only
for a short time on the edge of the horizon, but from
the lustre of his departing beams, we may easily con-
ceive what he was in his meridian blaze.

•JjJmonal ^Encounter fclt£ ttoo Jmfclan*.

In 1779, a Mr. Morgan, of Ricket's Fort, West
Virginia, was surprised in the woods by two Indians,
who immediately gave chase. Being old and some-
what infirm, he faltered in the race, and was obliged
to take refuge behind a tree : the Indians did the
same, but one of them exposing his body, was shot
by Morgan, and, after falling, stabbed himself. Mor-
gan again fled ; but his surviving antagonist gained
rapidly upon him, and at length raised his gun to fire.

ENCOUNTER WITH TWO INDIANS. 175

Morgan adroitly stepped aside, and the ball passed
him. Then each rushed to closer combat. Morgan,
while striking with his gun, received the Indian's
tomahawk, which cut off a finger, and knocked the
gun from his grasp. Being an expert wrestler, he
closed, and threw his antagonist ; but he was speedily
overturned, when the Indian, uttering the customary
yell of triumph, began feeling for his knife. Its hilt
was entangled in a woman's apron, which the savage
had tied round his waist ; and this apparently trivial
circumstance saved the prostrate hunter. During
the search, Morgan had seized his antagonist's fingers
with his teeth, a position in which he used all becom-
ing exertions to keep them. Meanwhile he assisted
in the search for the knife. The Indian at length
seized it, but so far toward the blade, that Morgan
caught hold of the upper portion of the handle, and
drew it through his adversary's hand, inflicting a deep
wound. Both sprang erect, Morgan still holding on
to the Indian's fingers and having his body within his
grasp. He had therefore all the advantage, and
while his foe was struggling to disengage himself, he
plunged the knife to the hilt in his body. The dai-
ing old hunter returned to the fort in triumph.

176

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

®j&e $rop&et of t$e aflrgfjans.

About fifty years ago, one of the missionaries to
the Indians was on his way from Tuscarora settlement
to the Senecas. As he was journeying along, in pic us
meditation, through the forest, a majestic Indian
darted from its recesses and stopped his progress.
His hair was somewhat changed with age, and his
face marked with the deep furrows of time ; but his
eye expressed all the fiery vivacity of youthful pas-
sion, and his step was that of a warrior in the vigour
of manhood.

" White man of the ocean, whither wanderest
thou ?" said the Indian.

" I am travelling," replied the meek disciple of
peace, "towards the dwellings of thy brethren, to
teach them the knowledge of the only true God, and
to lead them to happiness and peace."

" To happiness and peace !" exclaimed the tall
chief, while his eyes flashed fire. " Behold the bless-
ings that follow the footsteps of the white man !
Wherever he comes the red men of the forest fade
away like the mists of morning. Our people once
roamed in freedom through the woods, and hunted,
unmolested, the beaver, the elk, and the bear. From
the further side of the great water came the white
man, armed with thunder and lightning. In war,
he hunted us like wild beasts ; in peace, he destroyed
us by deadly liquors. Depart, dangerous man, and
may the Great Spirit protect you on your journey

THE PROPHET OF THE ALLEGHANY. 177

homeward; but I warn you to depart!" The tall
chief darted into the wood, and the good missionary
pursued his way with pious resolution.

He preached the word of God, he taught them the
name of our Saviour, and many of the poor Indians
heard and believed. In the course of eighteen
months, their devotion became rational, regular, and,
as the missionary hoped, permanent.

But, alas ! all at once the little church in which
the good man used to teach his flock became desert-
ed. No one came to listen with reverence to the
nure doctrines which they once delighted to hear, and
only a few idlers were seen on a Sunday morning,
lounging about, and casting a wistful, yet fearful
look, at their peaceful, but now silent mansion.

The missionary sought them out, and explained to
them the sinfulness of those, who, having once
known, abandoned the religion of the only true God.
The poor Indians shook their heads, and told him
that the Great Spirit was angry with them, and
had sent a prophet to warn them against listening
to new teachers; that he would soon come amongst
them, when there would be a great meeting of the
old men, and he would then deliver to the people the
message the Great Spirit had intrusted him with.,
The zealous missionary, anxious to confront the im-
postor whom he had heard spoken of as the " Prophet
of the Alleghany," and who was the brother of the
famous Tecumseh, asked and obtained permission to
appear at the council, when it was to be determined

178

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

whether they should follow the religion of their fa-
thers, or that of the white men.

The council-house not being large enough to con-
tain so vast an assemblage of people, they met in a
valley west of Seneca lake. This valley is embow-
ered under lofty trees. On every side it is surrounded
with high, rugged hills, and a little stream winds
through it. It was a scene that no one could look
on with indifference. On a smooth level, near the
bank of the stream, and under the shade of a wide-
spreading elm, sat the chief men of the tribe. Around
the circle which they formed was gathered a crowd
of wondering savages, with eager looks seeming to
demand the true God at the hands of their wise men.
In the middle of the circle sat the aged and way-
worn missionary. A" few gray hairs were scattered
over his forehead; his hands were crossed on his
breast; and, as he turned his hope-beaming eyes
towards heaven, he seemed to be calling with piou>
fervour upon the God of truth, to vindicate his own
eternal word by the mouth of his servant.

For several minutes there was deep silence in the
valley, save the whispering of the wind in the trees,
and the gentle murmuring of the stream. Then all
at once the hum of many voices was heard through
the crowd, for the prophet of the Alleghany was seen
descending one of the hills. With hurried steps and
furious looks he entered the circle ; and the mission-
ary saw with surprise the same tall chief who, two
years before, had crossed him in the Tuscarora forest.
The same deer-skin hung over his shoulders, the

THE PROPHET OF THE ALLEGHANY. 181

same tomahawk glittered in his hand, and the same
fiery and turbulent spirit shot from his eyes. He
addressed the awe-struck savages, and the whole val-
ley rung with the sound of his iron voice.

"Red men of the woods! hear what the Great Spirit
says to his children who have forsaken him !

" There was a time when our fathers owned this
island.* Their lands extended from the rising to the
setting sun. The Great Spirit made it for their use.
He made the buffalo and the deer for their food ; the
beaver and the bear, too, he made, and their skins
served us for clothing. He sent rain upon the earth,
and it produced corn. All this he did for his Red
children, because he loved them. But an evil day
came upon us. The White men crossed the water
and landed on this island — their numbers were small :
they found friends, not enemies. They told us they
had fled from their own country, because of wicked
men, and had come here to enjoy their own religion.
We took pity on them, and they sat down amongst
as. Their numbers increased ; they wanted more
iand — they wanted our country. They wanted to
lorce their religion upon us, and to make us their
slaves !

"Red men of the woods! have ye not heard at even-
ing, and sometimes in the dead of night, those mourn-
ful sounds that steal through the deep valleys and
along the mountain sides ? These are the wailings

* The Indians of North America invariably call their c juntry an
ft Island/'

182

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

of those spirits whose bones have been turned up by
ths plough of the White man, and left to the mercy
of the rain and wind. They call upon you to avenge
then*, that they may enjoy their blissful paradise far
beyond the blue hills !

" Hear me, 0 deluded people, for the last time ! —
This wide region was once your inheritance ; but now
the cry of revelry or war is no more heard on the
shores of the majestic Hudson, or on the sweet banks
of the silver Mohawk. The eastern tribes have long
since disappeared— even the forests that sheltered
them are laid low ; and scarcely a trace of our nation
remains, except here and there, the Indian name of
a stream, or a village. And such, sooner or later,
will be the fate of the other tribes ; in a little while
they will go the way that their brethren have gone.
They will vanish like a vapour from the face of the
earth : their very history will be lost in forgetfulness,
and the places that now know them will know them
no more. We are driven back until we can retreat
no farther ; our hatchets are broken ; our bows are
snapped ; our fires are extinguished ; a little longer
and the White man will cease to persecute us, for we shall
cease to exist F The Prophet ended his speech, which
was delivered with all the wild eloquence of real or
fancied inspiration, and, all at once, the crowd seemed
to be agitated with a savage feeling of indignation
against the good missionary.

When this emotion had somewhat subsided, the
mild apostle obtained permission to speak in behalf
of Him who had sent him. Surely there never was

THE PROPHET OF THE ALLEGHANY. 183

a more touching and beautiful figure than that of this
good man. He seemed to have already exceeded the
term of years allotted to man by the Psalmist ; and,
though his voice was clear and his action vigorous,
yet there was that in his looks which seemed to for-
bode that his pilgrimage was soon to close for ever.

With pious fervour he described to his audience
the power and beneficence of the Creator of the uni-
verse. He told them of Christ's promise of eternal
happiness to those who hear his word and do his will;
and, when he thought that he had duly impressed
their minds with this important part of his subject,
he proceeded to set before his attentive audience the
numerous advantages of civilization. He contrasted
the wild Indian roaming through the desert in savage
independence, now revelling in the blood of his ene-
my, and in his turn the victim of his cruel ven
geance, with the peaceful husbandman, enjoying, in
the bosom of his family, all the comforts of a culti-
vated life in this happy land ; and he finished by a
solemn appeal to Heaven, that his sole motive for
coming amongst them was the love of his Creator
and of his fellow-creatures.

As the benevolent missionary closed his address,
Sagouaha, {the Keeper awake,) or, as he is usually
called, Red J acket, a Seneca chief of great authority,
and one of the most eloquent of his nation, rose and
enforced the exhortations of the venerable preacher.
He pleaded the cause of religion and humanity, and
concluded his speech with these remarkable words : —

" Friends and brothers ! It was the will of the

181

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

Great Spirit that we should meet together this day.
He orders all things, and has given us a fine day for
our council. He has taken his garment from before
the sun, and caused it to shine with brightness upon
us. Our eyes are opened, so that we see clearly ; our
ears are unstopped, so that we can hear the good words
that have been spoken. For all these favours we
thank the Great Spirit."

The council then deliberated for nearly two hours ;
at the end of which time, the oldest man arose and
solemnly pronounced the result of their conference :
" That for the future they would worship the God of
the Christians ; and that the missionary who had
taught them his laws ought to be cherished as their
greatest benefactor."

When this decision was pronounced by the venera-
ble elder, the rage of the Prophet of the Alleghany
became terrible. He started from the ground, seized
his tomahawk, and, denouncing the vengeance of the
Great Spirit upon the whole assembly, darted from
the circle with wild impetuosity, and disappeared
amongst the shadows of the forest.

Tecumseh (the Shooting Star) was the son of
Blackfish, and brother of the Prophet of the Alle-
ghany. This noted warrior was first made known to
the public as the leader of the Indians at the battle

TECUMSEH.

185

of Tippecanoe,* (November, 1811.) He burst sud-
denly into notice, but from that time, until his death,
the attention of the American people was constantly
turned towards him. He possessed all the courage,
sagacity, and fortitude, for which the most distin-
guished Indian chiefs have been celebrated; and more
than this, he was always disinterested and true to his
word. He was an orator as well as a soldier, and by
the persuasive power of his eloquence formed one of
the most powerful confederacies amongst the Indians.
His watchful mind was ever on the alert, his enmity
never slumbered, and he was a stranger to personal
fatigue. He was of an independent spirit, remarkably
graceful in his address and reserved in his manner.
He held the commission of Brigadier-General under
King George III.

OIXSKAL HARBISON.

*A branch of the "Wabash, in Indiana. In 1811, the English,
with the Indians who fought in the British service, were defeated by
the United States' troops on the banks of this river.
24 Q 2

186

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

It is said that at the last conference which General
Harrison held at Vincennes, Indiana, with the In-
dians, Tecumseh, at the end of a long and animated
speech, found himself unprovided with a seat. Ob-
serving the neglect, General Harrison ordered a chair
to be placed for him, and requested him to accept it.
" Your father," said the interpreter, " requests you to

♦

COLONEL RICHARD M. JOHNSON.

take a chair." " My father !" replied the proud chief ;
" the Sun is my father, and the Earth is my mother ;

TECUMSEH.

187

I will repose upon her bosom;" and, saying, this, he
sat himself on the ground, in the Indian manner.

Such was Tecumseh, who fell towards the close of
the battle of the Thames,* in a personal combat with
Colonel Johnson of Kentucky. He was a Shawnee.

Towards the close of the last century, Captain
Thomas Brian of Kentucky was employed by the
British government to survey certain lands in the
central part of Ohio. Not being so fortunate as to
find game for several successive days, his provisions
became scant, and at length were entirely exhausted.
He directed his hunter to make another attempt to
procure subsistence, and to meet him and his party
at a particular spot ; at which, after the labours of
the day were over, he proposed to encamp for the
night. Towards evening the men became exhausted
with hunger : they were in the midst of an uninhab-
ited wilderness, and every circumstance conspired to
cause the greatest Rejection of spirits. After mak-
ing painful exertions to reach the place appointed for
their encampment, they had the mortification of learn-
ing from the hunter that he had again been unsuc-
cessful. He declared that he had made every possi-
ble exertion, but all his attempts were of no avail, for
the whole forest appeared to him entirely destitute
both of birds and beasts ! At this moment starvation
seemed to await them ; but Captain Brian, feeling his
spirits roused by the thoughts of their desperate situ-

* The Thames is a river that falls into lake St, CJair, between
lakes Htfron and Eric.

188

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

ation, thrust his staff into the earth, and ordered his
men to prepare their camp and make a good fire,
whilst he took the gun of the unsuccessful hunter
and went forth in pursuit of game.

He had not left his party more than half an hour,
when he was cheered by the sight of three deer, two
of which he shot ; and before he returned to the camp
he had the good fortune to kill a bear. He immedi-
ately called for his men to assist him in carrying the
game to the camp; and no one, except those who
have been in a like situation, can conceive what the
feelings are on such an occasion !

But miserable as the plight of the surveyor and his
party had been, there were others not far off who
were suffering still greater distress. Five Indians,
who had been out on a hunting excursion, hearing
the report of Captain Brian's gun, made immediately
in that direction, and arrived at the camp at the same
moment that he did. They soon explained their
wretched situation, telling Brian that for the last two
days their whole party had subsisted on one skunk !
They described the absence of game, in the language
of the hunter, " as if the whole forest was entirely
destitute both of birds and beasts."

Captain Brian told them that he had now plenty
for them and his own party too, and kindly welcomed
them to his fire. He bid them help his men in flay-
ing the bear and deer, which were now brought into
the camp, and then to cook, cut, and carve tor them-
selves. Their looks were expressive of the joy they
felt for so unexpected a deliverance; nor did they

TECUMSEH.

189

spare the provision. Their hunger was such that as
soon as one round was served, another and another
were quickly devoured.

After all were satisfied, a fine, tall, and graceful
young Indian stepped up to Captain Brian, (who was
now reposing on account of great fatigue and severe
rheumatism,) and informed him that the old man
present was a chief ; that he felt very grateful to the
Great and Good Spirit for so signal an interposition
in their favour ; that he was about to make a prayer,
and address the Great Spirit, and thank him : that it
was the custom, on such occasions, for the Indians to
stand up in their camp ; and that his chief requested
the captain and his men to conform, in like manner,
by standing up in their camp. Brian replied, that his
men should all conform, and order should be pre-
served ; but as for himself, he felt too ill to rise any
more that night ; but he begged that this might not
be considered out of any disrespect.

The old chief then rose, as did all around him ; and
lifting up his hands, commenced his prayer and thanks-
giving with an audible voice. And a more beautiful
address to the Deity, on such an occasion, surely never
liowed from mortal lips ! The tone, the modulation
of his voice, the gestures, all combined to make a
deep impression on his hearers. In the course of his
thanksgiving he recapitulated the fearful situation in
which they so recently had been ; the horrors of star-
vation with which they were threatened, the vain
attempts they had made to procure food, until He, the
Great, the Good Spirit, had sent the white man forth

190

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

and crowned his exertions with success, and so directed
him and them to meet, and to find plenty. But who
can describe the abundant overflowings of a grateful
heart? He continued in this strain for about half an
hour ; when Brian's men, reflecting on their own re-
cent situation, and beholding the pious gratitude of
this " child of the forest," felt the same sensations, and
were melted into tenderness — if not into tears.

The young Indian who so gracefully addressed Cap-
tain Brian in behalf of his chief was Tecumseh.

Several years ago, a Scotchman and his wife,
named M'Dougal, emigrated to America. Having
but very little money, he purchased land where it
was then sold for almost nothing, in a country thinly
peopled, and on the extreme verge of civilization.

His first care was to construct a house and clear
away some of the trees round it. This done, he spent
his whole time, early and late, in making a garden
and cultivating a few fields. By unwearied industry,
and with the occasional help of older settlers, he by
degrees acquired a stock of cattle, sheep, and pigs,
and was, in a rough way, possessed of a comforta-
ble independence.

His greatest discomforts were, distance from his
neighbours, the church, market, and even the mill ;
but, above all, the complete separation from his

M'DOUGU, AND THE INDIAN. 191

friends ; and this he would have felt still more had
he been an idle man.

One day farmer M'Dougal, having a quantity of
corn to grind, knowing that the distance was consi-
derable and the road none of the smoothest, set out
in the morning at sunrise, hoping he should reach
home again before dark.

When the farmer was at home he always drove up
the cows for his wife to milk, morning and evening ;
but now this care devolved on her, and the careful
woman went out in qnes* of them. Not accustomed
to go far from the house, J -e soon found herself in an
unknown country, and, with neither pocket compass
nor notched trees to guide, it is not to be wondered
that she wandered long and wearily to very little
purpose. Tall trees seemed to encompass her on
every side, or where the view was more open, she
beheld the distant blue hills rising one behind an-
other; but no village spire or cottage chimney was
there to cheer her on her way, and fatigued with the
search, and despairing of finding the cattle, she re-
solved, while it was yet light, to retrace her steps
homeward.

But this resolution was more easily formed than
executed ; she became completely bewildered ; she
knew not in which direction to turn, and at length,
with tears in her eyes, and her mind agitated almost
to distraction, she sunk on the ground. But she had
not rested there many minutes before she was startled
by the sound of approaching footsteps, and, on look*
ing up, she beheld before her an Indian hunter.

192

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

Although Mrs. M'Dougal knew that there were In
dians living in the neighbourhood, she had never yet
seen one, and her terror was very great. The Indian,
however, knew her; he had seen her before, he knew
where she lived, and he instantly guessed the cause
of her distress. He could speak but a few words of
English ; but he made signs for her to follow him.
She did so, and, after a few minutes' walk, they ar-
rived at the door of an Indian wigwam. He invited
her to enter, but not being able to persuade her to do
so, he darted into the wigwam, and spoke a few words
to his wife, who instantly appeared, and by the kind-
ness of her manner induced the stranger to enter
their humble abode. Venison was prepared for sup-
per, and Mrs. M'Dougal, though still alarmed at the
novelty cf her situation, could not refuse to partake
of the savoury meal.

Seeing that their guest was weary, the Indians re-
moved from their place near the roof two beautiful
deer skins, and, by stretching and fixing them across,
divided the wigwam into two apartments. Mats
were then spread in both, and the stranger was made
to understand that one division was for her accommo-
dation. But here again her courage failed her, and
to the most pressing entreaties she replied that she
would sit and sleep by the fire. This determination
seemed to puzzle the Indian and his squaw sadly.
They looked at one another, and conversed softly in
their own language ; and at length, the squaw taking
her guest by the hand, led her to her couch and be-
came her bedfellow.

M'DOUGAL AND THE INDIANS. 193

In tiiC morning she awoke, greatly refreshed, and
anxious to depart without further delay ; but this her
new friends would not permit, until she had eaten of
their corn cakes and venison. Then the Indian ac-
companied his guest, and soon conducted her to the
spot where the cattle were grazing. These he drove
from the wood, on the edge of which Mrs. M'Dougal
descried her husband, who was equally delighted at
seeing her, as her absence from home all night had
caused him great uneasiness. They invited their In-
dian benefactor to their house, and, on his departure,
presented him with a suit of clothes.

Three days after he returned, and endeavoured,
partly by signs, and partly in broken English, to in-
duce farmer M'Dougal to follow him into the forest ;
but he refused. Time was precious to him, who had
to work hard for every thing he possessed, and the
Indian repeated his entreaties in vain. The poor
fellow looked grieved and disappointed; but a mo-
ment after, a sudden thought struck him. He hit on
an expedient which none but an Indian hunter would
have thought of.

Mrs. M'Dougal had a young child, which the In-
dian's quick eye had not failed to notice ; and, find-
ing that his eloquence was completely thrown away
upon the parents, he approached the cradle, seized
the child, and darted out of the house with the speed
of an antelope. The father and mother instantly fol-
lowed, loudly calling on him to return ; but he had
no such intention. He led them on, now slower, now

25 R

194

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

faster, and occasionally turning towards their., laugh-
ing, and holding up the child to their view.

It is needless to go into all the details of this sin-
gular journey, further than to say that the Indian,
instead of enticing them to his own wigwam, as they
expected, halted at length on the margin of a most
beautiful prairie, covered with the richest vegetation,
and extending over several thousand acres. In a
moment the child was restored to its parents, who,
wondering what so strange a proceeding could mean,
stood awhile panting for breath, and looking at one
another with silent astonishment.

The Indian, on the other hand, seemed overjoyed
at the success of his manoeuvre, and never did a hu-
man being frisk about and gesticulate with greater
animation. We have heard of a professor of signs,
and, if such a person were wanted, the selection would
not be a matter of difficulty, so long as any remnant
exists of the aborigines of North America. All tra-
vellers agree in describing their gestures as highly
dignified, and their countenances intelligent ; and we
have Mr. M;Dougal's authority for stating that the
hero of this tale proved himself a perfect master of
the art of eloquence. His broken English was nearly
in these words :

" You think Indian treacherous ; you think him
wish steal the child. No, no; Indian has child of
his own. Indian knew you long ago ; saw you when
you not see him ; saw you hard working man. Some
white men bad, and hurt poor Indian. You not bad;
you work hard for your wife and child ; but you

Indian carrying off Mr. McDougal's ChDd.

M'DOUGAL AND THE INDIAN. 197

choose bad place ; you never make rich there. In-
dian see your cattle far in forest; think you come
and catch them; you not come; your wife come.
Indian find her faint and weary; take her home;
wife fear go in ; think Indian kill her ! No, no ; In-
dian lead her back ; meet you very sad ; then very
glad to see her. You kind to Indian ; give him meat
and drink, and better clothes than your own. Indian
grateful ; wish you come here ; not come ; Indian
very sorry; take the child; know you follow child.
If Indian farm, Indian farm here. Good ground;
not many trees ; make road in less than half a moon;
Indians help you. Indians your friends ; come, live
here."

M'Dougal immediately saw the advantage that
such a change would be to him, and, taking the In-
dian's advice, the day was soon fixed for the removal
of his log-house, along with the rest of his goods and
chattels ; and the Indian, true to his word, brought a
party of his red brethren to assist in one of the most
romantic removals that ever took place, either in the
Old World or the New.

In a few days a roomy log-house was raised, and a
garden marked out in the most fertile and beautiful
part of the prairie. The Indians continued friendly
and faithful, and the good understanding between
them and the white settlers was a source of great
comfort to both parties.

198

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

In old times, whenever war commenced between
the English and French in Europe, their colonies in
America were involved in its calamities, to an un-
known and fearful extent ; and wars were constantly
going on in America in which the Indians fought
sometimes on the side of the English against the
French, and sometimes with the French against the
English. Some chiefs and tribes were noted for being
the firm and faithful friends of the white men, and
others were known as their implacable foes. In the
month of May, 1725, a memorable battle was fought
between the English colonists commanded by Captain
Lovewell, and the Pequakets, a tribe of Indians who
then inhabited the State of New Hampshire. Amongst
Lovewell's men, was a New Hampshire settler, named
John Chamberlain. He was one of those rugsred
spirits who at that time moved from the thickly set-
tled country near the coast, and penetrated into the
wilderness. On his scouting expeditions to surprise
the frontier settlers, the Indian passed his rude log-
house, buried amongst trees and mountains. Around
it were the haunts of the wild beasts of the forest.
The smoky rafters of his hut were hung with gam-
mons of the bear that had tumbled from the white
pine at the sound of his unerring rifle ; and at night
he lay on the soft fur of the dun catamount.

He was tall — tall as the stateliest Indian. Strong?
Two of them were hardly a match for him with their

PAUGUS AND CHAMBERLAIN 199

tomahawks against his heavy hatchet. Was he swift
of foot ? He could outrun the moose in full trot.
Sagacious and eagle-eyed, he entrapped the Indian in
his ambush, and surpassed him in that instinct which
guides alike the savage and the wild beast through
the wide and pathless forest.

The red men passed cautiously by the dwelling of
John Chamberlain. As they watched in ambush for
game, they would lie still and suffer him to go on un-
molested, even if there were half a score of them ; for
they feared lest their rifles should miss what they
deemed his charmed body, and bring down his ven-
geance upon them.

There is a beautiful lake in New Hampshire which
is still called by the Indian name, Winnipisiogee. It
is twenty-eight miles long and ten wide ; the country
around is hilly, and clothed with thick woods. On
the shores of this lake there dwelt a powerful tribe
of Indians called Pequakets. Paugus was their chief.
He was a savage of great strength and stature : swift,
cunning, and deadly with his rifle and his tomahawk ;
cruel and vengeful beyond the wonted vengeance of
savages ; the terror of man, woman, and child along
the frontiers, and even of the towns that were further
removed from the scenes of his violence.

Parties of armed men had penetrated through the
woods to the shores of the Winnipisiogee, to discover
the retreat of this terrible savage, and, if possible,
to take him prisoner. But he was too sagacious, and
always eluded their search. Once, indeed, when they
had set his wigwam on fire, he was hidden so near

200

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

the spot that he felt the heat of the flames, and saw
the smoke curling over the tops of the trees under
-which he lay concealed.

In the skirmishes with the Indians, in which Cham-
berlain was often engaged, he had constantly endea-
voured to single out Paugus as the foe most worthy
of his rifle ; nor was Paugus less willing to encounter
the far-famed settler ; but they had never chanced to
meet. The time, however, was now at hand, when
one of these mighty men must yield to the superior
power or craft of his rival. The colonists, under Cap-
tain Lovewell, had marched out with the expectation
of meeting Paugus and his men. They had already
penetrated the woods to a considerable distance, and
arrived at the place where they expected to find In-
dians. Early on the morning of the 7th of May,
whilst at prayers, they heard a gun, and, starting up,
they immediately prepared for an encounter ; but no
Indians were in sight, except a hunter, whom Ensign
Wyman discovered carrying two black ducks in one
hand and a gun in the other. There can be no pro-
bability that he thought of meeting an enemy; but
no sooner was he seen by the colonists, than several
guns were fired at him, but missed him. Seeing that
certain death was his lot, the Indian resolved to de-
fend himself as long as he could. He levelled his
gun at his assailants, and Captain Lovewell was mor-
tally wounded, whilst, almost at the same moment,
Ensign "Wyinan, taking deliberate aim, killed the
poor hunter.

The remainder of this day passed without further

PAUGUS AND CHAMBERLAIN. 201

adventure, though the colonists were in constant ap-
prehension of falling into some snare prepared by the
wily Paugus. On the morning of the 8th, Mr. Frye,
the chaplain,' having assembled the men as usual be-
fore they resumed their day's march, commenced his
prayer with these words : " We came out to meet the
enemy; we have all along prayed God that we might
find them ; we had rather give up our lives to Provi-
dence, yea, and die for our country, than return home
without seeing them, and be called cowards for oftr
pains." The chaplain did not pray in vain ; for about
noon the colonial troops encountered an almost over-
whelming body of Indians, who rose from their co-
verts and nearly encircled them, but seemed loath to
begin the fight; for they were, no doubt, in hopes
that the colonists, seeing their numbers, would yield
without a battle. They, therefore, made towards
them with their guns presented. They then held up
ropes which they had provided for securing their cap-
tives, and asked them if they would have quarter.
This only encouraged the colonists, who answered,
" only at the muzzles of our guns ;" and they rushed
towards the Indians, firing as they pressed on, and,
killing many, drove them back several rods. But
they soon rallied and fired vigorously in their turn,
and obliged the colonists to retreat, leaving several
dead and others badly wounded. Lovewell, though
mortally wounded the preceding day, had led his men
until this time, but now fell to rise no more.

The fight continued very furious a*id obstinate till
towards night, the Indians roaring and howling like

202

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

wolves, barking like dogs, and making all sorts of
hideous noises, as is their custom whilst engaged in
battle : but before night they were completely de-
feated, whilst the loss of the colonists was very great,
and, among others, the worthy chaplain, Jonathan
Frye, was slain.

After the thickest and most desperate of the con-
flict was over, Chamberlain, weary with fighting,
thirsty and faint with heat, retired to the edge of a
lake (since known by the name of Lovewell's pond) to
drink and to wash out his gun, which had grown so
foul with frequent firing that at last he could not
make it go off. He pushed his way through a copse
of willows to a little beach by the pond, when, lo !
from the thicket, at a short distance from him. ap-
peared the stately figure of Paugus, covered with dust
and blood, and making his way likewise to the water.

The warriors knew each other at a glance. Cham-
berlains gun was useless, and he thought of rushing
upon Paugus with his hatchet before he could level
his rifle; but the Indian's gun was in the same con-
dition with his own, and he, too, had come to the
edge of the pond to quench his thirst, and hastily
scour out his foul rifle. The condition of the rifles
was instantly seen by the enemies, and they agreed
to a truce while they washed them out for the en-
counter. Slowly and with equal movements they
cleaned their guns, and took their stations on the
beach. u Now, Paugus," cried Chamberlain, u 1*11
have you;" and, with the quickness and steadiness
of an old hunter, he loaded his rifle. "Na, na, me

PATJGUS AND CHAMBERLAIN. 205

have you," replied Paugus ; and he handled his gun
with a dexterity that made the bold heart of Cham-
berlain beat faster, whilst he involuntarily raised his
eyes to take a last look of the sun. They rammed
their cartridges, and each at the same instant cast
his ramrod upon the sand. " I'll have you, Paugus,"
shouted Chamberlain again, as in his desperation he
almost resolved to fall upon the savage with the butt
end of his rifle, lest he should receive his bullets be-
fore he could load. Paugus trembled as he applied
his powder horn to the priming. Chamberlain's
quick ear heard the grains of his powder rattle lightly
on the leaves which lay at his feet. Chamberlain
struck his gun-breech violently upon the ground — the
rifle primed itself 7 he aimed, and the bullets whistled
through the heart of Paugus. He fell — and, as he
went down, the bullet from the muzzle of his ascend-
ing rifle whizzed through Chamberlain's hair, and
passed off, without avenging the death of its master,
into the bordering wilderness.

The hunter, after he recovered the shock of this
sudden and fearful encounter, cast a look upon the
fallen savage. The paleness of death had come over
his copper-coloured forehead. He seized the rifle, the
bullet pouch, and powder horn, and, leaving him on
the sand, sought again the lessened ranks of the
white men, as they wearily defended themselves
against the savages. He shouted to them of the fall
of Paugus. The Indians looked around them ; the
tall figure of their chief was nowhere to be seen.

In grief and despair they ceased their fire, and fell

206

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

back into the woods, leaving Wyman, with Chamber-
lain, and the small remains of the band of white
men, to retrace their way to the distant settlement.

The spot on which this fight took place was fifty
miles from any white inhabitants, and it was almost
miraculous that any should have escaped death at the
hands of Paugus and his courageous warriors. Those
who survived did not leave the battle-ground till near
midnight, and only fourteen lived to return to their
friends. One man, named Solomon Keyes, having
received three wounds, said he would hide himself
and die in a secret place, where the Indians could not
find him to get his scalp. As he crawled upon the
shore of Lovewell's pond, at some distance from the
scene of action, he found a canoe, into which he rolled
himself, and was drifted away by the wind. To his
great joy and astonishment, he was cast ashore at no
great distance from the fort at which "WYman's men
shortly after arrived, and, gaining strength, was soon
able to return home.

Fifty men from New Hampshire were immediately
ordered to march to the scene of action, where they
found and buried the dead. They found the bodies
of only three Indians ; the rest had undoubtedly been
taken away by their comrades.

Thus terminated the expedition against the Pe-
quakets; and, although the whites could scarcely
claim the victory, yet the northern Indians received
a blow from which they hardly recovered. Several
songs were written upon the subject ; but it must be
confessed that they were much more circumstantial

INDIAN CHILDREN.

209

than poetical, and it can hardly be expected that any
cultivated reader should take sufficient interest in the
subject to make him wish for even a specimen.

The Indians have been frequently represented as
ilmost devoid of natural affection, or indeed of feel-
ing altogether ; but this is a mistake, which probably
arises from the great command over their feelings
which they are in the habit of exercising, particularly
when in the presence of strangers. Those persons
who have had the best opportunities of knowing the
real character of the Indians have remarked, amongst
many other good traits, the great affection that they
have for their children, and the respect which young
people pay, not only to their own parents, but to all
elderly people.

Before they can run alone, th b little papoose is con-
fined in a cradle which is carried on the mother's
back while she is at her work, or set upright against
the wall.

The children, both boys and girls, appear to be
particularly under the care of their mother: she
teaches them how to make leggins, moccasins, and
many other things that have already been described ;
and if she be a good mother, as many of these poor
squaws are, she is particular in keeping her daughters
continually employed, so that they may have the re-

27 s 2

210

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

putation of being industrious girls, which is a recom-
mendation to the young men to marry them.

Corporal punishment is very seldom resorted to for
the correction of children ; but if they commit any
fault, it is common for the mother to blacken their
faces and send them out of the lodge : when this is
done, they are not allowed to eat till it is washed off,
and sometimes they are kept a whole day in this
situation, as a punishment for their misconduct.

There is a considerable difference in the manners
and characters of different tribes, some being brave,
honourable, and generous, while others are noted for
their treacherous disposition and filthy habits. In
many tribes their families appear to be well regulated,
and great pains are taken by the chiefs and principal
men to impress upon the minds of the younger part
of their respective nations what they conceive to be
their duty.

When the boys are six or seven years of age, a
small bow and arrows are put into their hands, and
they are sent out to shoot birds around the lodge or
village : this they continue to do five or six years,
and then their father procures for them short guns,
and they begin to hunt ducks, geese, and small game.
In the winter evenings their father will relate to them
the manner of approaching a deer, elk, or buffalo, and
describe the manner of setting traps for different ani-
mals : when he is able, he will take them a hunting
with him, and show them the tracks of wild beasts.
To all these instructions the boys pay the most earn-
est attention.

INDIAN CHILDREN.

211

The Indians generally appear to be more afflicted
at the loss of an infant, or young child, than of a
person who has arrived at mature years ; the latter,
they think, can provide for himself in the country
whither he has gone, but the former is too young to
provide for himself.

The men appear ashamed to show any signs of grief
at the loss of any relation, however dear he might
have been to them ; but the women do not attempt to
conceal their feelings ; and on the loss of either hus-
band or child, they cut off their hair, disfigure their
faces and limbs with black paint, and even with cuts,
and burn all their clothes excepting a few miserable
rags.

A striking display of the strong affection that an
Indian feels for his child occurred some years since in
a town in Maine. One of the Kennebec tribe, re-
markable for his good conduct, had received a grant
of land from the State, and settled himself in a part
of the country where several families were already
settled. Though by no means ill-treated, yet the
common prejudice against Indians prevented any
sympathy with him ; and he felt this keenly, when,
at the death of his only child, none of his neighbours
came near him to attend the funeral.

A few months afterwards he announced his inten-
tion of leaving the village ; he called on some of the
inhabitants, and expressed himself in the following
manner : — " AVhen white man's child die," said he,
" Indian man be sorry ; he help bury him. When
my child die, no one speak to me — I make his grave

212

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

alone — I can no live here." He gave up his farm,
dug up the body of his child, and carried it with him
two hundred miles, through the forest, to join the
Canadian Indians.

Not long after the first English settlers had estab-
lished themselves in Pennsylvania, during the winter
a white man's child strayed away from his parent's
house ; and after having in vain been sought in every
direction by the parents for a whole day and night,
the father resolved to apply for assistance to one of
his Indian neighbours, with whom he had always
lived on friendly terms. He knew the superior facility
with which the Indians, who are in the habit of con-
stantly roaming the woods, can detect and distinguish
objects of sight and sound.

Osamee, for that was the name of the friendly In-
dian, immediately went to the house of the parents,
and looking attentively round it, soon discovered the
little footsteps of a child and the direction which they
had taken; and although the child's father could
hardly discover the marks and signs by which he was
guided, he followed the track with as much apparent
ease and confidence as a civilized traveller would a
turnpike road, and after tracing it for about three
miles into the forest, he found the poor child lying
under a tree, crying bitterly, and almost perishing
with cold.

This little incident was the means of reconciling
some of the white people to the near settlement of
the Indians, of wThom they had been in dread ; but
they now rather rejoiced in having such good neigh-

1 I

WA-NOU AND THE ENGLISH OFFICER. 215

bours ; and it would have been well for both parties
if the good feelings shown by the Indians to the first
settlers in some hundreds of instances had met with
such a return as men calling themselves Christians
were bound to make ; but, alas ! it was far otherwise.

An anecdote which has been preserved, concerning
an old Mohegan Indian named Wanou, affords a strik-
ing example of the strong affection of a father towards
his only son.

During the frequent wars which took place between
the Indians and the white men, the former had de-
feated a party of English soldiers, and put them to
flight. The retreat being without order, a young
English officer, in attempting to escape, was pursued
by two of the savages, and finding an escape imprac-
ticable, he determined to sell his life as dearly as possi-
ble. He turned round to face his enemies, and a vio-
lent conflict commenced, in which he must have soon
fallen; but just as one of his assailants was about to
raise the fatal tomahawk over his head, an old Indian
threw himself between the combatants, and the red
men instantly retired with respect.

The old man took the young officer by the hand,
dispelled his fears, and led him through the forest to
his wigwam, where he treated him with the greatest
kindness, He seemed to take pleasure in the youth's

216

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

company ; he was his constant companion ; he taught
him his language, and made the rude arts of his
countrymen familiar to him. They lived happily
together, though the thoughts of home would occa-
sionally disturb the Englishman's tranquillity, and for
a while his countenance appeared sorrowful. At these
times Wa-nou would survey his young friend atten-
tively, and while he fixed his eyes upon him, the
tears would start into them.

On the return of spring, hostilities were recom-
menced, and every warrior appeared in arms. Wa-
nou, whose strength was still sufficient to support the
toils of war, set out with the rest, accompanied by
his prisoner. The Indians having marched above
two hundred miles, at length arrived within sight of
the English camp. Wa-nou observed the young mans
countenance whilst he showed him the camp of his
countrymen. " There are thy brethren," said he,
u waiting to fight us. Listen to me. I have saved
thy life. I have taught thee to make a canoe, a bow
and arrows ; to hunt the bear and the buffalo ; to
bring down the deer at full speed, and to outwit even
the cunning fox. What wast thou when I first led
thee to my wigwam ? Thy hands were like those of
a child ; they served neither to support nor to defend
thee ; thou wert ignorant, but from me thou hast
learnt every thing. Wui thou be ungrateful, and
rai.se up thine arm against the red men ?"

The young Englishman declared with much warmth,
that he would rather lose his own life than shed the
blood of one of his Indian friends. The old warrior

WA-NOU AND THE ENGLISH OFFICER. 217

seemed to be overcome by some painful recollection ;
he covered his face with his hands, bowed down his
head, and remained in that posture for some time ;
then making as it were a strong effort, he again looked
at the young man, and said to him in a tone mixed
with tenderness and grief, " Hast thou a father ?"

" He was living," said the young man, " when I
left my country."

" Oh, how fortunate he is still to have a son !" cried
the Indian; and then, after a minute's silence, he
added, " Knowest thou that I have been a father,
but I am no longer so ? I saw my son fall in battle ;
he fought bravely by my side ; my son fell covered
with wounds, and he died like a man ! but I revenged
his death ; yes, I revenged it."

Wa-nou pronounced these words with great vehe-
mence ; his whole frame seemed agitated ; his eyes
lost their usual serenity, and his chest heaved with
deep sighs. By degrees he became more calm, and,
turning towards the east where the sun had just risen,
he said, —

" Young man, thou seest that glorious light — does
it afford thee any pleasure to behold it?"

" Yes," replied the Englishman, " I never look upon
the rising sun without pleasure, or without feeling
thankful to our great Father who created it."

" I am glad that thou art happy, but there is no
more pleasure for me," said Wa-nou. A moment
after, he showed the young man a shrub that was in
full bloom.

28 t

218

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

" Scest thou that beautiful plant ?" said he. "Hast
thou any pleasure in beholding it ?"

" Yes, great pleasure/' replied the young man.

" To me. it can no longer give pleasure," said the
old man : and then, after embracing the vounor Ens:-
lishman with great affection, he concluded with these
words : " Begone, hasten to thine own country, that thy
father may still have pleasure in beholding the rising sun
and the floivers of spring."

hunting e! ^am\a'* Sofoiu

Hanna's Town, in "Westmoreland county, is famous,
in the early records of Pennsylvania, as the first
place west of the Alleghanies where justice was dis
pensed according to the legal forms of the white man.
The dignity of this venerable settlement may be con-
ceived from the fact, that the court was established
there coeval with the formation of the county, as
well as from the no less authentic fact, that its thirty
log cabins were then dignified by the title of houses.
The court-house and jail were of the same frail ma-
terial as the houses, as was likewise the fort. Here,
amid difficulties in the pursuit of knowledge, of which
modern barristers have little idea, much less expe-
rience, the legal gentlemen of that day struggled on
to fame and affluence, and in a manner, too, which
astonished the good people of that early county town.
The first presiding justice was Robert Hanna, cud

BURNING OF HANNa's TOWN. 219

Thomas Smith, afterwards a judge in the supreme
court, was an occasional resident. The road which had
been opened by General Forbes, while marching to
Fort Pitt, passed through the town. The periodical
return of the court brought together a hardy, adven-
turous, frank, and open hearted set of men from the
Ked stone, the George creek, the Yough'ogheny, the
Monongahela, the " Catfish settlements," and from
the region known as Old Westmoreland. On these
occasions there was many a scene of joyous merri-
ment ; for such men, in such times, when they did
meet, met joyously. But this bright scene was des-
tined to be clouded and destroyed by the terrible
scenes of one stormy day.

On the 13th of July, 1782, a party of the inha-
bitants were harvesting in the field of one O'Connor,
about a mile and a half north of the village. That
summer had been one of constant terror and distress,
owing to the successful incursions of Indians upon
the neighbouring frontier. Several families of Han-
na's Town had abandoned their homes, and, with
some from the adjoining settlements, had repaired to
Miller's station, two miles to the south. While the
reaping party were busily engaged, one of them, who
had been near the woods, returned in great alarm,
and reported that a number of Indians were ap-
proaching. Each threw down his sickle and ran for
the town. Their arrival caused a scene of conster-
nation and uproar. Many rushed toward the fort ;
some ran up and down seeking their wives or chil-
dren ; others assisted the aged. The jail door was

220

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

flung open ; men, women, and children stumbled and
fell over each other in the eager race to gain a place
of safety. Uncertainty as to the number and de-
signs of the Indians, increased the apprehensions of
them; and it was not until the entire population
were involved in a state of inextricable confusion,
that a few conceived the fortunate idea of sending
out spies to ascertain something certain. Accordingly
four young men, armed with rifles, set out on foot for
O'Connor's field, by way of the Highlands ; while

Captain J , who was accidentally in the town,

pursued a more circuitous route on horseback. The
captain, arriving first, found himself very unexpect-
edly before a large body of Indians, painted and
armed in genuine savage style, and evidently bent
upon the destruction of Hanna. He turned and fled.
Meeting the four young men, he ordered them to fly,
and then pushed on to aid the inhabitants in their
retreat. David Shaw, one of the party on foot, and
his three companions, were hotly pursued, but took
refuge in a ravine which led from Crab-tree creek.
The Indians, not aware that the town had been
alarmed, refrained from firing, a circumstance to
which the four young men owed the preservation of
their lives. Shaw, on entering the town, found every
thing desolate; but, on turning round, beheld the
Indians with their tufts of hair flying in the wind,
and their tomahawks brandished aloft in air. As
they uttered the war-whoop, Shaw, with a courage
bordering on rashness, levelled his rifle, took delibe-
late aim, and shot one of their number dead. He

BURNING OF HANNa's TOWN. 221

then rushed toward the fort, which he reached in
safety. The Indians entered the town, and, exaspe-
rated at finding it deserted, fired the buildings. One
of them dressed himself in a large coat, and paraded
before the fort. He was shot down ; but the garrison^
fearful probably of an assault, did not venture to fire
upon the main body." A young lady, named Jennet
Shaw, was killed in the fort under circumstances pe-
culiarly affecting. A child having run opposite the
gate which contained apertures that occasionally ad-
mitted a ball, she followed it, and was instantly shot
in the bosom.

Meanwhile, a party of the Indians had marched
toward Miller's station. At that place a wedding
had been held the day before, and a number of the
surrounding settlers had collected at the bride's house.
Among them was John Brownlee, renowned in the
annals of frontier forage and scouting expeditions,
and endeared to all by his courage, activity, and gene-
rosity. The Indians were acquainted with his charac-
ter, and some of them had probably seen him before.
When the savages approached, the bridal party were
enjoying themselves in the principal mansion. Some
men were mowing in a meadow, and the remaining
inhabitants were occupied in their various pursuits.
Sudden as a clap of thunder, the war-whoop broke
over the settlement. Those in the meadow, and
most of the others, made their escape. One man was
carrying his child and assisting his mother. When
they arrived at the top of a neighbouring hill, she
exclaimed that the Indians were gaining upon them,

ooo

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

and they would be murdered. The man put down
his child, that he might more effectually assist his
mother. He escaped, and Providence seemed to
smile on his deed, for next morning, on returning to
his cabin, he found the little one asleep in its bed —
the only human thing left living amid the desolation.
Probably the child had wandered back to the house,
unobserved by the Indians, and laid itself on the
well-known couch. At the principal mansion, the
party were so agitated by the cries of women and
children mingling with the savage war-whoop, that they
remained a moment irresolute. Then one young man,
of powerful frame, grasped a child of Brownlee's and
rushed toward the fields. He was pursued by three
or four savages ; but gained upon them so much,
thatr, on coming to a rye-field, he was able to take
advantage of a thick copse to hide momentarily from
his pursuers. Then, mounting the fence, he leaped
far out into the rye and lay down. He heard the
infuriated yells as the savages rushed by, and their
low growls of disappointment when returning. He
afterwards lived to a great age. Brownlee seized a
rifle and rushed toward the door ; but, while in the
act of engaging with some Indians, he heard his wife
exclaiming, ;* J ack, you won't leave me." He returned
and sat down calmly by her. The whole party, in-
cluding the bridegroom and bride, were made prison-
ers. While they were being carried away, Captain
J was seen dashing toward the village on horse-
back. So eager was he to warn the settlement, that
he did not notice the position of affairs until he was

BURNING OF HANNa's TOWN.

225

within gun-shot. The Indians, certain of their prey,
raised their pieces. He turned and fled, escaping a
shower of balls, and reached the fort in safety.

The Indians now began their retreat. After pro-
ceeding about half a mile, the prisoners observed that
four or five of those around Brownlee interchanged
rapid sentences and looked frequently toward him.
A little while after he stooped slightly to adjust the
child on his back. A chief instantly tomahawked
him. The child shared his fate. One of the women
screamed at the sight, and the same bloody weapon,
wielded by the same hand, clave her skull. Mrs. Brown-
lee looked on, in speechless horror. On the approach
of evening, the marauders halted at Hanna's Town,
regaled themselves on what they had stolen, and
awaited the return of day to attack the fort. The
fort was saved by a stratagem. At sunset, thirty
sturdy backwoodsmen had assembled at George's
farm, not far from Miller's, for the purpose of succour-
ing the fort. Soon after dark they set out for the
fort, some on horseback, and the remainder on foot,
each armed with his well-loaded rifle. They ap-
proached the fort with proper circumspection ; but,
finding that the enemy were in the crab-tree bottom,
they marched to the gate. The joy of the garrison
at this unexpected succour may be imagined. After
much consultation, they arrived at the opinion that
the Indians would most probably attack the fort on
the following morning. The garrison numbered fifty-
five or sixty men, with forty-five rifles. The Indians
were more than three hundred. In order to hide

226

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

this disparity of numbers from the enemy, the horses
were mounted by active men, and brought full trot
over the bridge, which crossed the ditch surrounding
the stockade. This was frequently repeated; and, at
the same time, two old drums were newly braced,
and, in company with a fife, were made to keep up
music at intervals during the night. While march-
ing and countermarching, the bridge was frequently
crossed on foot by the whole garrison. These mea-
sures had the desired effect. The military music
from the fort, and the trampling of men and horses,
were borne, in the silence of night, over the low lands
of the crab-tree, and struck terror into the bosoms
of the savages. They fled with their prisoners about
midnight, and on the following day were pursued to
some distance.

On arriving in Canada, the Indians surrendered
their prisoners to the British, where one of them, a
young lady of much personal beauty, was subse-
quently married to an English officer. After the
peace of 1783, the rest were released, and returned
to Pennsylvania.

THE LOST SISTER OF WYOMING. 227

Numerous instances are on record of Indians
abandoning their wigwam, throwing off their habits and
their religion, and becoming creditable members of
civilized society. Examples of the opposite change
are rare ; yet some few have occurred. But it has
oftener happened, that white children, when captured
and brought up by the Indians, have forgotten early
associations, or if too young to forget, have often dis-
regarded the difference of colour, and become real In-
dians. Experience in these cases seems to prove that
the adopted savage is harder to win back to civiliza-
tion than are his dusky brethren ; and if this be es-
tablished, the comparative influence of natural and
artificial society over the affections and happiness of
man might form a very nice question for the philo-

228

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

8ophical inquirer. Whether the investigation would
tend to disturb the complacency with which we regard
our own superiority in this respect, must be left to
the judgment of every reader.

In 1778, the family of Mr. Jonathan Slocum, near
Wilkesbarre, (Campbell's Wyoming,) Pennsylvania,
was attacked by Indians. Within were two girls
aged nine and five years, a son of thirteen, a little boy
of two and a half, and their mother. The men were
working in the field, and two youths were in the
porch, grinding a knife. One of these was shot and
scalped with his own knife. The eldest sister seized
the little boy and ran with him toward the fort. The
Indians displayed unwonted humanity, chasing the
girl merely to frighten her and enjoy the sight of her
running. They then took the boy who had been
turning the grindstone, young Slocum, and his sister
Frances, and prepared to depart. Little Slocum was
lame, and the Indians, instead of murdering him, set
him down and departed. One of the party slung the
little girl over his shoulder ; and its face covered with
tears, and half hidden by long curling hair, was the
last object which met the mother's gaze.

Nothing was heard of the Indians or their captives
for more than a month ; but they then returned,
murdered the aged grandfather, and shot a ball into
the leg of the lame boy, which he carried to his grave.
They again plunged into the woods, and came no
more. Years passed away, and nothing was heard of
the little girl and her fellow-captive. When the
mother had died, and the remaining brothers grown

THE LOST SISTER OF WYOMING. 229

to manhood, they resolved to ascertain, if possible, the
fate of their, sister. They made every inquiry, wrote
letters to different tribes and agents, and travelled
through the west and into the Canadas. All was
vain ; and for fifty-eight years the deep forests, true to
their savage inhabitants, buried amid their solitudes
the little captive's fate.

All this time Frances was living. She was intro-
duced to the knowledge of civilized society by a cir-
cumstance purely accidental. The Honourable G.
"W. Ewing, United States agent to Indiana territory,
while travelling on the banks of the Missiesiniwa,
(about 1836) lost his way, was overtaken by night,
and sought the shelter of a neighbouring wigwam. "It
belonged to a wealthy hunter, and was profusely stored
with skins, arms, and provisions. The agent was
kindly received, and after supper entered into con-
versation with the hostess. Ewing was soon sur-
prised by observing that her hair was fine and flaxen-
coloured, and that, under her dress, her skin appeared
to be white. He received from her the astonishing
story, that she was the daughter of white parents,
that her name was Slocum, that when five years old
she had been carried captive by Indians from a house
on the Susquehanna. All else was forgotten.

On reaching home, the agent related his adventure
to his mother. At her solicitation he wrote an ac-
count of it, which he sent to Lancaster for publication.
Through some unaccountable neglect it lay in the
office two years ; but when it was published, it was

n a few days seen by Mr. Slocum of Wilkesbarre,

230

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

the little boy saved by the girl of thirteen, sixty
years before. He immediately started for Indiana,
accompanied by the sister who had saved him, at the
same time writing to his brother to meet him at the
wigwam. The little incidents connected with this
most remarkable journey have been preserved with
care, and may afford ground for pleasurable reflection.
" I shall know my sister," said the lady, " because
she lost the nail of her first finger. Your brother
hammered it off in the blacksmith's shop when she
was four years old." On entering the cabin, they
beheld an Indian woman, apparently seventy-five
years old, painted and jewelled. Yet her hair was
as the agent had described it, and her skin beneath
her dress appeared white. They obtained an inter-
preter and began to converse. We may imagine the
feelings of the little party, while they listened to the
Indian woman's tale. The incidents of the assault
and capture — too well known already — were disclosed
with a faithfulness wdiich left no room for doubt.
"How came your nail gone?" inquired the sister.
" My elder brother pounded it off when I was a little
child in the shop." " What was your name then ?"
She did not remember. " Was it Frances ?" She
smiled on hearing the long-forgotten "sound, and
promptly answered, " Yes." All were now satisfied
that they were of one family, and yet there was little
joy in that meeting. There was a sadness, not merely
through remembrance of the past, but of a kind pre-
sent, deep, painful; for though the brothers were
walking the cabin unable to speak, and the sister was

THE LOST SISTER OF WYOMING. 231

sobbing in anguish, yet there sat the poor Indian sis-
ter, motionless and passionless. No throb disclosed
that the chords of her bosom were touched ; for there
were in her bosom no fine chords to be touched.

Frances's story may be told in a few words. The
party which had conducted the attack against her
father's house was composed of Delawares. With
this tribe she remained until grown up, when she
married one of their chiefs. He died or ran away,
when she became united to a Miami. She had two
daughters, both of whom grew up and married In-
dians. They all lived in one cabin, rode the same
horses, and at night slept in the same manner — which
was on the ground, wrapped in a blanket.

The brothers and sister tried to persuade their sis-
ter to return with them, and, if she desired it, to bring
her children. They offered to give her a happy home
on the banks of the Susquehanna. She answered
that she had always lived with the Indians; that
they had always been kind to her ; that she had pro-
mised her late husband, on his death-bed, never to
leave them, and that promise she was resolved to
keep. Sad and sorrowful the three generous relatives
retraced their steps, leaving their sister in the wilder-
ness.

The "Indian sister" died in 1847. Although to
her last days, her manners and customs were those
of the Indian, yet there was something in her appear-
ance which seemed to raise her above her companions.
Her household displayed taste and neatness, and ow-
ing to her economy in her domestic affairs, her tent

232

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

was always stocked with plenty. She was admired
alike by the red and the white man. Her grave is
on a beautiful knoll near the confluence of the Mis-
sissinewa with the Wabash, — a spot chosen by her-
self, and which had been her place of residence for
thirty years.

DISASTER OF MISSOURI TRADERS.

233

SANTA 71, NSW XXZICO.

EBi&mttx cf a ^artj of $&te$ourt ^raDer*.

In December, 1832, twelve missionaries left Santa
Fe, and proceeded by way of the Canadian river to-
ward Independence. Their mules were laden with
about ten thousand dollars in specie. On reaching
the river, they beheld a large party of Camanche
and Kiawa Indians approaching. Both parties halt-
ed, and the traders, while eyeing their antagonists,
prepared for defence. Instead of charging, the In-
dians approached, one by one, in the most friendly
manner, and stationed themselves so as to surround
the traders. The latter, becoming alarmed, moved
forward with some speed, at which the Camanches

30 u 2

234

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

mounted their horses and quietly jogged on after
them. After both parties had proceeded a short dis-
tance, two mules suddenly started from the others
and trotted toward the river. One of the mission-
aries, named Pratt, went to bring them back. At
that moment the work of death began. Pratt was
shot dead ; and, as he fell, every Indian rushed for-
ward toward the little band. The traders leaped
from their horses and poured in a volley upon the as-
sailants, which drove them to their former position.
Another of their number had fallen ; but they took
advantage of the Indians' repulse to form a barricade
with the packs of their mules. Behind this they
scratched a trench with their hands, which protected
them from their enemies' fire. The Camanches made
several charges ; but they were each time repulsed,
although in a short time all the mules and horses be-
longing to the party were killed or wounded. Thus
foiled, the Indians changed their tactics, and convert
ed the assault into a siege. The situation of the ten
traders was now deplorable. Food they could obtain
from the slain animals; but they were on a dry,
sandy spot, destitute of water, and deprived of every
means of obtaining it. To die by thirst was more
dreadful than the certainty of death by the Indians,
and, after remaining thirty-six hours in a state of
siege, they resolved upon a sortie by night. The
animals being killed, it was impossible to carry away
all the money. Each man, therefore, took as much
r.s he could carry, and the remainder was buried.
Then the little party emerged silently from their

DISASTER OF MISSOURI TRADERS. 235

hiding-place, passed through the lines of the sleeping
savages, and hurried on their march. At every step
they expected to hear the heavy sound of pursuit ;
but what must appear most extraordinary, they saw
no more of the Camanches.

But the sufferings of these men were not yet at an end.
Their provisions and ammunition gradually wasted.
For a while they sustained themselves upon bark and
roots. Their feet were burnt and torn by the heated
sands or rocks, and, finally, they lost their rou^e. Dis-
putes ensued : five took one direction and five another.
After enduring intense sufferings, one of these parties
arrived among the Creek settlements on the Arkansas
river, where they were kindly received and nursed
until they had recovered. Of the other five, three found
graves in the wilderness. The remaining two, after
enduring intense sufferings, succeeded in reaching the
United States. Of course, all their money had been
abandoned along the way, and it was afterwards ascer-
tained that the Camanches had dug up the portion

236

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

THI MOOSL

The Moose* {Cervus alces) inhabits the northern
parts of the continents of Europe and America. On
the American it has been found as far north as that
country has been fully explored ; its southern range
once extended to the shores of the great lakes, and
throughout the New England States. At present
it is not heard of south of the State of Maine, where
it is becoming rare.

* It is in Europe frequently called the Elk; but the elk, (Oervu*
Canadensis,) red deer, wapiti, or stag, is distinguished from the
moose by the most striking characters.

HUNTING THE MOOSE.

237

The male moose often exceeds the1 largest horse m
size ; the females are considerably smaller, and differ-
ently coloured. The hair of the male is long and
soft ; it is black at the tip, within it is of an ash
colour, and at the base pure white. The hair of the
female is of a sandy-brown colour, and in some places,
particularly under the throat and belly, it is nearly
white at the tip, and altogether so at the base.

Dense forests and closely shaded swamps are the
favourite resorts of these animals, as there the most
abundant supply of food is to be obtained with the
least inconvenience. The length of limb and short-
ness of neck, which in an open pasture appear so dis-
advantageous, are here of essential importance, in
enabling the moose to crop the buds and young twigs
of the birch, maple, or poplar ; or, should he prefer
the aquatic plants which grow most luxuriantly
where the soil is unfit to support other animals, the
same length of limb enables him to feed with security
and ease. When obliged to feed on level ground, the
animal must either kneel or separate his fore legs
very widely. In feeding on the sides of acclivities,
the moose does so with less inconvenience, by grazing
from below upwards, and the steeper the ground the
easier it is for him to pasture. Yet, whenever food
can be procured from trees and shrubs, it is preferred
to that which is only to be obtained by grazing.

In the summer, the moose frequents swampy or
low grounds, near the margins of lakes and rivers,
through which they delight to swim, as it frees them
for the time from the annoyance of insects. They

238 THRILLING ADVENTURES.

are also seen wading out from the shores, for the pur-
pose of feeding on the aquatic plants that rise to the
surface of the water. At this season they regularly
frequent the same place in order to drink, of which
circumstance the Indian hunter takes advantage to
lie in ambush, and secure the destruction of the deer.
During the winter, the moose, in families of fifteen or
twenty, seek the depths of the forest for shelter and
food.

The moose is generally hunted in the month of
March, when the snow is deep and sufficiently crusted
with ice to bear the weight of a dog, but not of a
moose. Five or six Indians, provided with knapsacks
and snow-shoes, containing food for about a week, and
all necessary implements for making their "camp"
at night, set out in search of a moose yard. When
they have discovered one, they collect their dogs and
encamp for the night, in order to be ready to com-
mence the chase at an early hour, before the sun
softens the crust upon the snow, which would retard
the dogs and facilitate the escape of the deer. At
daybreak the dogs are laid on, and the hunters, wear-
ing large snow-shoes, follow as closely as possible. As
soon as the dogs approach a moose, they assail him
on all sides, and force him to attempt his escape by
flight. The deer, however, does not run far, before
the crust on the snow, through which he breaks at
every step, cuts his legs so severely that the poor ani-
mal stands at bay, and endeavours to defend himself
against the dogs by striking at them with his fore-
feet. The arrival of the hunter within a convenient

HUNTING THE MOOSE.

241

distance soon terminates the combat, as a ball from
his rifle rarely fails to bring the moose down.

I will now close the account of the moose with an
anecdote I once heard of a hunter.

The hounds had been put into the woods for the
purpose of scenting a deer — a business with which
they were well acquainted, whilst the hunter placed
himself in a convenient spot, suitably near the deer's
run-away, so as to be able to bring it down at a shot,
as it fled at the noise of the dogs from the mountain
to the river. The spot he selected to wait in ambush
was on a certain flat, very near the foot of the steep
hill. This flat was about three-quarters of a mile in
length : at one end was the hill by which our hunter
stood ; at the other, a steep bank along the edge of
the river. The hunter had chosen his position well ;
he had narrowly examined the contents of his rifle,
and made sure that the priming was in good order ;
he had rubbed the edge of the flint on his hat to
make it brighter — all was in readiness, and he stood
in a listening attitude, with his ear turned towards
the hill, and his mouth slightly open to assist his
hearing.

He had not waited in his hiding-place long, when
the distant cry of the hounds struck his ear. He
now knew that but a few minutes would pass before
a deer would be seen bounding along in the path of
their run-away, for his dogs had given tokens of the
chase by their yells. He was not deceived ; he heard
plainly the rapid, but heavy bounds of a deer, which
in an instant after he perceived, as it broke over the

31 x

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

brow of the hill, with its majestic antlers thrown
back over its neck. Now comes the decisive moment ;
one leap more and his noble breast is exposed to
death, within a few yards of the fatal gun which has
already been brought to the hunter's cheek, while his
eye looked steadily along the smooth barrel. The
trigger was touched — a blaze, and the death-ring
struck sharp and shrill on the still air. The fugitive,
a noble buck, fell, and the hunter, in a moment, to
secure his victim, having dropped his gun and drawn
his knife, sprung across his back in order to cut his
throat.

But, behold ! the ball had struck one of his horns
only near the root, which stunned the animal and
caused it to fall. He recovered his feet again before
the hunter had time to wound him with his knife,
and, finding his enemy on his back, he rose and
sprung off with the speed of an arrow ; while the
hunter, having full occupation for his hands in hold-
ing fast by the horns, found no time to invade his
throat. So, clinging with his feet under the belly of
the deer, he was borne away at a fearful rate the
whole length of the flat, till he came to the steep
bank of the river, at which place he had no sooner
arrived, than, with his rider, the deer plunged with a
tremendous leap into the deep water.

Here a scuffle ensued between the hunter and the
deer ; the deer endeavouring to push him under wa-
ter with his fore-feet, while the hunter was striving
to hold its head, and at the same time cut its throat.
This he soon accomplished, and, swimming ashore,

THE RIFLEMAN OF CHIPPEWA.

243

drew his prize after him, declaring to his companions,
who had witnessed the sport, and were now assem-
bled on the river's bank, that he had had " a most
glorious ride."

This man's name was John M'Mullen, and he is
well remembered even now by many of the old inha-
bitants along the Susquehanna.

Btflcmatt of ©Jjippefoa.

The Chippewas are a numerous people inhabiting
the country north of Lake Superior, and about the
source of the Mississippi. They are divided into
several tribes, and are distinguished by the number
of blue or black lines tattooed on their cheeks and
foreheads.

Travellers have always described them as "the
most peaceable tribes of Indians known in North
America." They are not ren arkable for their activity
as hunters, and this no doubt is owing to the ease with
which they can procure both game-and fish.

In their pursuit of deer, they sometimes drive them
into the small lakes, and then spear them from their
canoes ; or shoot them with the bow and arrow, after
having driven them into enclosures constructed for
the purpose. Snares made of deer sinews, too, are
frequently used for catching both large and small
game : and as these occupations are not beyond the
ritrength of the old men and boys, they take a share

244

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

in these toils, which among most of the tribes are
left exclusively to the squaws.

In person, the Chippewas are not remarkable ; they
are generally robust, their complexions swarthy, their
features broad, and their hair straight and black,
which is the case in most of the Indian tribes. But
they have not that piercing eye, which so generally
animates the Indian countenance.

The aspect of the women is more agreeable than
that of the men; they wear their hair of a great
length, and pay much attention to its arrangement,
greasing it with bear's oil, and plaiting it with con-
siderable taste.

They appear to be more attentive to the comforts
of dress, and less anxious about its exterior, than
some of their red brethren. Deer and fawn skins,
dressed with the hair on, so skilfully that they are
perfectly supple, compose their shirt or coat, which
is girt round the waist with a belt, and reaches half
way down the thigh. Their moccasins and leggins
are generally sewn toget1 ter, and the latter meet the
belt to which they are fastened. A ruff or tippet
surrounds the neck, and the skin of the deer's head
is formed into a curious sort of cap.

A robe made of several deer skins sewn together is
thrown over the whole ; this dress is sometimes worn
single, but in winter it is always made double, the
hair forming both the lining and the outside.

Thus attired, a Chippewa will lay himself down on
the snow and repose in comfort; and if in his wan-
derings across the numerous lakes with which his

THE RIFLEMAN OF CHIPPEWA.

245

country abounds, he should fall short of provision, he
has only to cut a hole in the ice, when he seldom
fails of taking a black-fish, or a bass, which he broils
over his little wood fire with as much skill as a
French cook.

At the time of the French and Indian wars, the
American army was encamped on the Plains of Chip-
pewa. Colonel St. Clair, the commander, was a brave

COLONEL, AFTERWARDS GENERAL ST. CLAIR.

and meritorious officer, but his bravery sometimes
amounted to rashness, and his enemies have accused
him of indiscretion. In the present instance perhaps
he may have merited the accusation, for the plain on
which he had encamped was bordered by a dense
forest, from which the Indian scouts could easily pick
off his sentinels without in the least exposing them-
selves to danger.

Five nights had passed, and every night the sen-
tinel who stood at a lonely out-post in the vicinity of
the forest had been shot ; and these repeated disasters
struck such dread among the remaining soldiers,

246

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

that no one would come forward to offer to take th(
post, and the commander, knowing it was only throw
ing away men's lives, let it stand for a few nights un
occupied.

At length a rifleman of the Virginian corps vo-
lunteered his services for this dangerous duty ; he
laughed at the fears of his companions, and told them
he meant to return safe and drink his commanders
health in the morning. The guard marched up soon
after, and he shouldered his rifle and fell in. He
arrived at the place which had been so fatal to his
comrades, and bidding his fellow soldiers "good
night," assumed the duties of his post. The night
was dark, thick clouds overspread the firmament, and
hardly a star could be seen by the sentinel as he paced
his lonely walk. All was silent except the gradually
retreating footsteps of the guard : he marched onwards,
then stopped and listened till he thought he heard
the joyful sound of "All's well" — then all was still,
and he sat down on a fallen tree and began to muse.
Presently a low rustling among the bushes caught his
ear ; he gazed intently towards the spot whence the
sound seemed to proceed, but he could see nothing
save the impenetrable gloom of the forest. The sound
drew nearer, and a well-known grunt informed him
of the approach of a bear. The animal passed the
soldier slowly, and then quietly sought the thicket to
the left. At this moment the moon shone out bright
through the parting clouds, and the wary soldier per-
ceived the ornamented moccasin of a savage on what
an instant before he believed to be a bear ! He could

THE RIFLEMAN OF CHIPPEWA.

24.

have shot him in a moment, but he knew not how
many other such animals might be at hand ; he there-
fore refrained, and having perfect knowledge of Indian
subtilty, he quickly took off his hat and coat, hung
them on a branch of the fallen tree, grasped his rifle,
and silently crept towards the thicket. He had
barely reached it, when an arrow, whizzing past his
head, told him of the danger he had so narrowly
escaped.

He looked carefully round him, and on a little spot
of cleared land he counted twelve Indians, some sit-
ting, some lying full length on the thickly strewn
leaves of the forest. Believing that they had already
shot the sentinel, and little thinking there was any
one within hearing, they were quite off their guard,
and conversed aloud about their plans for the morrow.

It appeared that a council of twelve chiefs was
now held, in which they gravely deliberated on the
most effectual means of annoying the enemy. It was
decided that the" next evening forty of their warriors
should be in readiness at the hour when the sentinel
should be left by his comrades, and that when they
had retired a few paces, an arrow should silence him
for ever, and they would then rush on and massacre
the guard.

This being concluded, they rose, and drawing the
numerous folds of their ample robes closer round
them, they marched off in Indian file* through the

* One behind the other, and every man in succession setting his
foot exactly in the track of the leader, so that whether there are fifty
men, or only one, cannot be discovered by their footsteps.
32

250

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

gloomy forest, seeking some more distant spot, where
the smoke of their nightly fire would not he observed
by the white men.

The sentinel rose from his hiding-place and returned
to his post, and taking down his hat, found that an
arrow had passed clean through it. He then wrapt
himself in his watch-coat, and returned immediately
to the camp; and without any delay demanded to
speak to the commander, saying that he had some-
thing important to communicate.

He was admitted, and when he had told all that he
had seen and heard, the Colonel bestowed on him the
commission of lieutenant of the Virginia corps, which
had been made vacant by the death of one of his
unfortunate comrades a few nights back, and ordered
him to be ready with a picket guard, to march an
hour earlier than usual to the fatal out-post, there to
place a hat and coat on the branches, and then lie
in ambush for the intruders.

The following evening, according to the orders
given by Colonel St. Clair, a detachment of forty
riflemen, with Lieutenant Morgan at their head,
marched from the camp at half-past seven in the eve-
ning towards the appointed spot, and having arranged
the hat and coat so as to have the appearance of a
soldier standing on guard, they stole silently away and
hid themselves among the bushes.

Here they lay for almost an hour before any signs
of approaching Indians were heard. The night was
cold and still, and the rising moon shone forth in all
her beauty. The men were becoming impatient of

THE RIFLEMAN OF CHIPPEWA.

251

GENERAL MORGAN.

their uncomfortable situation, for their clothes were
not so well adapted to a bed of snow as the deer-skin
robes of the hardy Chippewas.

" Silence !" whispered Lieutenant Morgan — " I
hear the rustling of the leaves."

Presently a bear of the same description as had
been seen the night before, passed near the ambush ;
it crept to the edge of the plain — reconnoitred — saw
the sentinel at his post — retired towards the forest a
few paces, and then, suddenly rising on his feet, let
fly an arrow which brought the sham sentinel to the

252

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

ground. So impatient were the Virginians to avenge
the death of their comrades, that they could scarcely
wait till the lieutenant gave the word of command to
fire — then they rose in a body, and before the Chip-
pewas had time to draw their arrows or seize their
tomahawks, more than half their number lay dead
upon the plain. The rest fled to the forest, but the
riflemen fired again, and killed or wounded several
more of the enemy. They then returned in triumph
to relate their exploits in the camp.

Ten chiefs fell that night, and their fall was, un-
doubtedly, one principal cause of the French and In-
dian wars with the English.

Lieutenant Morgan rose to be a captain, and at
the termination of the war returned home, and lived
on his own farm till the breaking out of the American
war. And then, at the head of a corps of Virginia
riflemen, appeared our hero, the brave and gallant
Colonel Morgan, better known by the title of General,
which he soon acquired by his courage and ability.

THK INDIAN AND THE WILD TURKEY. 253

WILD TURKEY.

' ©f>e Indian anil #e Willi) ITurfceg.

The male bird of the wild turkey, or gobbler, is 4
noble bird, and his plumage is resplendent with tl e
brightest gold-tinged bronze, varying, as he changes
position, to blue, violet, and green. Each feather i3
terminated with a deep black band, and has also a
bronze or copper-coloured lustre. The feathers from
the tail make excellent wings for "hare's ears."
and "deep purple" artificial flies are quite as good

254

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

as the mallard's coat, and infinitely better than those
of the domestic bird used for the same purpose.

The wild turkey-cock has a long pendent tuft of
hair on its breast. This, as well as the carnucles
about the head and neck, comes to perfection and ar-
rives at the greatest size and length in the third year.
Audubon says, that from fifteen to eighteen pounds
may be taken as a fair average of their weight ; but
that he once saw a gobbler in the Louisville market
which weighed thirty-six pounds, and the tuft of hair
on the breast measured upwards of a foot. Bona-
parte confirms this account, and remarks that birds
of thirty pounds are not rare.

The wild turkey, however he may be surprised
when feeding in patches of maize or buckwheat in
the clearance, is the most difficult bird possible to find
in the woods, as they run with great swiftness, and
are most watchful. They are bad flyers, and for that
reason go up to the tops of the highest trees before
they will attempt the passage of rivers of no great
width ; and even then the weakest birds are often
sacrificed in the attempt. The lumberers on the
Mississippi, Ohio, and other broad streams, are so
well aware of their proceedings, that, when they
hear the row, the strutting, the gobbling, and all
the other devices practised by the oldest birds to
instil courage into the funking part of the commu-
nity, they take up a position in the neighbourhood,
and, so soon as the turkeys make up their mind, and
have screwed their courage up for a start, they con-
trive to bag great quantities which have fallen into

THE INDIAN AND THE WILD TURKEY. 255

the water. After mounting the highest trees they
can find, they stretch out their necks once or twice,
as if to take breath ; and, at a given signal, all start
together for the nearest point on the opposite side,
descending constantly until they reach it.

In the love-making season, there is no end to the
strutting and puffing of the male, for the purpose of
winning the admiration of his mate ; and his splen-
did tail is then spread in the form of a fan — a habit
pursued on the same occasion both by the ruffed and
pinnated species of grouse. After the season of in-
cubation, the males cease to gobble, and are easily
killed ; but at this time they are of no value, being
meagre and covered with vermin. In the breeding
season, however, they are often decoyed within shot,
by blowing through the large bone of the turkey's
wing, cut off at one end, and which, if skilfully per-
formed, produces exactly the plaintive sound of the
female. When this practice is followed, the hunter
proceeds cautiously ami alone, and places himself
under " a roost." As the light appears, he may find
himself directly under a flock of turkeys ; but, if not,
he must wait until he hears the gobble. Then, says
a Yankee writer, in " The Spirit of the Times,"* the
first sound from the old gobblers the hunter answers
by the plaintive note of the female, and the male bird
is* ready to search out a mistress with becoming gal
lantry. " Pup, pup," lisps the hunter ; " Gobble,
gobble," utters the proud bird ; and here the interest
of the hunt commences. Then is to be seen the

* The "Bell's Life" of the New World, published in New York,

256

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

alluring on of the gobbler, his strutting and prancings,
and a thousand gallant airs, for his lady-love. Anon
his suspicions get the better of his love, and the
coward is plainly visible in his suddenly contracted
body and air of ready flight. The hunter warily
plies his music, and the bird comes on, until the sure
rifle finds the beautiful bird in its range. This, how-
ever, requires to be practised with skill, for the cau-
tiousness of the wild turkey is wonderful, surpassing
that of the deer or any other game whatever ; and
nothing but stratagem and the most intimate know-
ledge of its habits will command success.

" We once knew an Indian," says the above-quoted
writer, " who gained a living by bringing game into a
town in the West, who always boasted exceedingly
if he could add a wild turkey to his common load of
deer; and, as the demand for birds was greater than
he could supply, he was taunted by the disappointed
epicures of the village for want of skill in hunting.
To this charge he would always reply with great in-
dignation, saying that the quality of venison which
he brought to market was sufficient proof of his be-
ing a good hunter. 1 Look here/ he would angrily
say; 'I see deer on the prairie; deer look up and
say, May be Indian, may be stump, and deer eats on.
Come little nearer, deer look up again and say, May
be Indian, may be stump ; and first thing deer know
he dead. I see wild turkey great way off ; creep up
very slowly ; turkey look up and say first time he
see me, Dat rascal Indian any how, and off he goes.
No catch turkey ; he cunning too much! *

THE INDIAN AND THE BEAR.

259

%\)t fofcian ant) tU 23ear.

The animal fell, and set up a most plaintive cry-
something like that of the panther when he is hun-
gry. The hunter, instead of giving him another shot,
stood up close to him, and addressed him in these
words : — " Harkee, bear ! you are a coward, and no
warrior, as you pretend to be. Were you a warrior,
you would show it by your firmness, and not cry and
whimper like an old woman. You know, bear, that
our tribes are at war with each other, and that yours
was the aggressor. You have found the Indians too
powerful for you, and you have gone sneaking about
in the woods, stealing their hogs ; perhaps at this
time you have hogs flesh in your belly. Had you
conquered me, I would have borne it with courage
and died like a brave warrior. But you, bear, sit
here and cry, and disgrace your tribe by your cow-
ardly conduct."

I was present at the delivery of this curious invec-
tive. When the hunter had despatched the bear, I
asked him how he thought the poor animal could un-
derstand what he said to it. " Oh," said he, in
answer, " the bear understood me very well. Did not
you observe how ashamed he looked while I was
upbraiding him ?"

260

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

attarfi en $§abnr!>tn.

On the 29th of August, 1708, this unfortunate vil-
lage, then consisting of about thirty houses, was at-
tacked by a party of French and Indians. At break
of day the inhabitants aroused themselves just in
time to find that the enemy were upon them. A
Mrs. Smith was the first victim. She was shot while
fleeing from her house to a neighbouring garrison.
The foremost party then attacked the house of the
Rev. Benjamin Rolfe, which was then garrisoned by
three soldiers. Leaping from the bed, he placed him-
self against the door, and called to the soldiers, who
were in an opposite room, for assistance. This manly
garrison, after closing the intervening door, answered
by running through the rooms wringing their hands.
The Indians then fired two balls through the door,
one of which wounded Rolfe in the elbow. They
then pressed against it with united strength; and,
finding his efforts useless, he rushed precipitately
through the house and out at the back door. He was
pursued, overtaken, and tomahawked. The house
was then plundered. Mrs. Rolfe was found and mur-
dered ; while the youngest child, torn from her dying
grasp, was dashed against a stone. A female slave,
named Hagar, leaped from her bed, carried two of the
children, one six, the other eight years old, to the
cellar, and covered them with tubs. She then hid
herself behind a barrel. The Indians entered the
cellar, plundered it of every thing valuable, passed

ATTACK ON HAVERHILL

263

and repassed the tubs, took meat from the barrel, and
drank milk from the pans ; yet the children and
their faithful protectress escaped unnoticed. A girl
named Anna Whittaker concealed herself in an apple-
chest under the stairway, and escaped unharmed.
The three soldiers, destitute of either the sagacity or
courage of slaves and children, threw themselves in
tears before the Indians, and were tomahawked.

A second party attacked the family of Thomas
Hartshorne. The father, with two sons, attempted
to escape, but were immediately shot dead. A third
son was tomahawked at the door. The mother, with
all her younger children, was now alone. With asto-
nishing presence of mind, she left her infant in a bed
in the garret, lest its cries might defeat her plans,
and then hurried with her remaining family to the
cellar. As usual, the Indians subjected each room to
a rigid scrutiny, but failed to find the mother. Her
infant they threw out of the garret window. When
all was over, it was found on a pile of clap-boards,
completely stunned by the fall. It lived, however, to
become a man of uncommon strength and stature, a
circumstance which gave rise to the joke that he had
been stunted by the Indians.

Meanwhile, similar attacks were made in different
parts of the village. Lieutenant John Johnson was
shot while standing in the door with his wife. She
fled through the house into the garden, carrying her
infant with her, but was overtaken and murdered.
Her last thoughts were those of a mother : in the
agonies of death she could fall so as to cover her

264

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

child with her body without hurting it ; and, when
the massacre was over, it was taken unharmed from
her cold bosom. The wife of Captain Samuel Wain-
wright was more fortunate. A party killed her hus-
band at the first fire. Some soldiers in the house
were preparing to defend it, when Mrs. Wainwright
fearlessly unbarred the door and invited the Indians
in. The kindness displayed in her voice and manner,
and the alacrity with which she waited upon them,
completely paralyzed the Indians. Entering cau-
tiously, they refrained from violence ; but, after some
time, asked for money. She retired to bring it, but
did not return. We must admire the stratagem of a
helpless woman, who could thus amuse the infuriated
murderers of her husband, until the whole family had
had time to escape. The money-beggars were not
long in ascertaining how matters stood, and their rage
and disappointment amounted to actual fury. Their
efforts to force a way into the soldiers were, however,
vain; and after attempting to fire the house, they
were forced to retreat. Two of their number were
afterwards killed in a field.

The wife of Mr. Swan also displayed a coolness
and courage which does honour to her sex. When
the Indians approached the house, the husband and
wife placed themselves against the door, which was
so narrow that two could scarcely enter abreast. The
assailants, after their first rush had failed, changed
their tactics — one placing his back against it while
the other pushed him. The door began to give way,
and Mr. Swan, who was no way remarkable for

ATTACK ON HAVERHILL.

265

strength, and still less for heroism, intimated to his
wife that " it would be better to let them in." She
had no such idea. The door was now partially open,
the front Indian crowding himself in, and the other
pushing lustily after; but the woman, seizing her
iron spit, which was nearly three feet long, drove it
through the body of the foremost foe. At so un-
looked-for a welcome, his speed suddenly slackened ;
he and his companion left hastily, and the family was
saved.

Another Indian party set fire to the back part of
the meeting-house, a new and an elegant building.
But at this time a man, named Davis, went behind
Rolfe's barn, which was near the church, struck it
violently with a large club, called on men by name,
gave the word of command, as though ordering an
attack, and shouted with a loud voice, " Come on ;
we will have them." The party in Rolfe's house sup-
posing the military had come, retired precipitately;
and, about the same time, Major Turner arrived with
a company of soldiers, when the whole body of In-
dians commenced a disorderly retreat. They did not
retire unmolested. Captain Samuel Ayer, a fearless
man, collected a small party and pursued. He was
soon joined by a similar force under his son, and
overtook the Indians as they were entering the woods.
A battle ensued, in which the latter were defeated,
and several of the prisoners were recovered.

266

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

iMai|ttbt

Mr. Catlin gives the following narrative of a
thrilling adventure, which took place while he was
exhibiting a party of Iowa Indians at his exhibition
rooms in London : —

The night of this memorable day I had announced
as the last night of the Indians at the Egyptian Hall,
arrangements having been effected for their exhibi-
tions to be made a few days in Vauxhall Gardens

BOBA.SHEELA.

267

before leaving London for some of the provincial
towns. This announcement, of course, brought a
dense crowd into the Hall, and in it, as usual, many
of my old friends, to take their last gaze at the
Indians.

The amusements were proceeding this evening as
on former occasions, when a sudden excitement was
raised in the following manner. In the midst of one
of their noisy dances, the war-chief threw himself,
with a violent jump and a yell of the shrill war-
whoop, to the corner of the platform, where he landed
on his feet in a half-crouching position, with his eyes
and one of his forefingers fixed upon something that
attracted his whole attention in a distant part of the
crowd. The dance stopped — the eyes of all the In-
dians, and of course those of most of the crowd, were
attracted to the same point; the eyes of the old war-
chief were standing open, and in a full blaze upon
the object before him, which nobody could well ima-
gine, from his expression, to be any thing less excit-
ing than a huge panther, or a grisly bear, in the act
of springing upon him. After staring a while, and
then shifting his weight upon the other leg, and tak-
ing a moment to wink, for the relief of his eyes, he
resumed the intensity of his gaze upon the object be-
fore him in the crowd, and was indulging during a
minute or two in a dead silence, for the events of
twenty or thirty years to run through his mind, when
he slowly straightened up to a more confident posi-
tion, with his eyes relaxed, but still fixed upon theii
object, when, in an emphatic and ejaculatory tone,

268

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

he pronounced the bewildering word of Bobasheela !
and repeated it, Bobasheela ? " Yes, I'm Bobasheela,
my good old fellow ! I knew your voice as soon as
you spoke, though you don't understand English yet."
Chee-au-mung-ta-wangish-kee, Bobasheela. " My
friends, will you allow me to move along towards that
good old fellow ? — he knows me." At which the old
chief (not of a hundred, but) of many battles, gave a
yell and a leap from the platform, and took his faith-
ful friend Bobasheela in his arms, and, after a lapse
of thirty years, had the pleasure of warming his cheek
against that of one of his oldest and dearest friends —
one whose heart, we have since found, had been tried
and trusted, and as often requited, in the midst of the
dense and distant wildernesses of the banks of the
Mississippi and Missouri. While this extraordinary
interview was proceeding, all ideas of the dance were
for the time lost sight of, and, while these veterans
were rapidly and mutually reciting the evidences of
their bygone days of attachment, there came a simul-
taneous demand from all parts of the room for an in-
terpretation of their conversation, which I gave as far
as I could understand it, and as far as it had then
proceeded, thus : — The old Sachem, in leading off his
favourite war-dance, suddenly fixed his eye upon a
face in the crowd, which he instantly recognised, and,
gazing upon it a moment, decided that it was the
well-known face of an old friend, with whom he had
spent many happy days of his early life on the banks
of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers in America.
The old chief, by appealing to this gentleman's familiar

BOBASHEELA.

269

Indian cognomen of Bobasheela, brought out an in-
stant proof of the correctness of his recognition ; and,
as he held him by both hands to make proof doubly
strong, he made much merriment among the party of
Indians, by asking him if he ever " floated down any
part of the great Mississippi river in the night, astride
of two huge logs of wood, with his legs hanging in
the water ?" To which Bobasheela instantly replied
in the affirmative. After which, and several medicine
phrases and masonic grips and signs had passed be-
tween them, the dance was resumed, and the rest of
the story, as well as other anecdotes of the lives of
these extraordinary personages, postponed to the pro-
per time and place, when and where the reader will
be sure to hear them.

The exhibition for the evening being over, Boba-
sheela was taken home with the Indians to their lodg-
ings to smoke a pipe with them; and, having had
the curiosity to be of the party, I was enabled to
gather the following further information : This Bo-
basheela, (Mr. J. H., a native of Cornwall,) who
is now spending the latter part of a very independ-
ent bachelor's life among his friends in London,
left his native country as long ago as the year 1805,
and, making his way, like many other bold adven-
turers, across the Alleghany mountains in America,
descended into the great and almost boundless valley
of the Mississippi, in hopes, by his indefatigable in-
dustry and daring enterprise, to share in the products
that must find their way from that fertile wilderness
valley to the civilized world.

£70

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

In this arduous and most perilous pursuit, he re-
peatedly ascended and descended in his bark canoe —
his pirogue or his Mackinaw boat — the Ohio, the
Muskingum, the Cumberland, the Tennessee, the
Arkansas, the Missouri, and Mississippi rivers ; and,
among the thousand and one droll and amusing in-
cidents of thirty years spent in such a sort of life,
was the anecdote which the war-chief alluded to, in
the unexpected meeting with his old friend in my
exhibition-room, and which the two parties more fully
related to me in this evening's interview. The good
natured Mr. H. told me that the tale was a true one,
and the awkward predicament spoken of by the war-
chief was one that he was actually placed in when
his acquaintance first began with his good friend.

Though the exhibition had kept us to a late hour,
the greetings and pleasing reminiscences to be gone
over by these two reclaimed friends, and, as they
called themselves, " brothers" of the " Far West/
over repeatedly charged pipes of k'nick k'neck, were
pleasing, and held us to a most unreasonable hour at
night. When the chief, among his rapid interroga-
tions to Bobasheela, asked him if he had preserved
his she-she-quoin, he gave instant relief to the mind
of his friend, from which the lapse of time and
changes of society had erased the recollection of the
chief's familiar name, She-she-quoi-me-gon, by which
his friend had christened him, from the circumstance
of his having presented him a she-she-quoin, (or mys-
tery rattle,) the customary badge bestowed when any

BOBASHEELA..

271

one is initiated into the degree of " doctor" or " bro-
ther."

From the forms and ceremonies which my good
friend Bobasheela had gone through, it seems (as his
name indicates) that he stood in the relationship of
brother to the chief ; and, although the chief's inter-
rogations had produced him pleasure in one respect,
one can easily imagine him much pained in another,
inasmuch as he was obliged to acknowledge that his
sacred badge, his she-ske-qiioin, had been lost many
years since, by the sinking of one of his boats on the
Cumberland river. For his standing in the tribe,
such an event might have been of an irretrievable
character ; but for the renewed and continued good
fellowship of his friend in this country, the accident
proved to be one of little moment, as will be learned
from various incidents recited in the following pages.

In the first evening's interview over the pipe, my
friend Mr. H., to the great amusement of the party
of Indians, and of Daniel and the squaws, who had
gathered around us, as well as several of my London
friends, related the story of "floating down the Mis-
sissippi river on two logs of wood," &c, as follows :

"This good old fellow and I formed our first ac-
quaintance in a very curious way, and, when you
hear me relate the manner of it, I am quite sure you
will know how to account for his recognising me this
evening, and for the pleasure we have both felt at
thus unexpectedly meeting. In the year 1806, I
happened to be on a visit to St. Louis, and thence
proceeded up the Missouri to the mouth of the

272

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

6 Femme Osage' to pay a visit to my old friend Daniel
Boone, who had a short time before left his farm in
Kentucky and settled on the banks of the Missouri,
in the heart of an entire wilderness, to avoid the con-
stant annoyance of the neighbours who had flocked
into the country around him in Kentucky. The
place for his future abode, which he had selected,
was in a rich and fertile country, and forty or fifty
miles from any white inhabitants, where he was de-
termined to spend the remainder of his days, believ-
ing that, for the rest of his life, he would be no more
annoyed by the familiarity of neighbours. I spent
several weeks very pleasantly with the old pioneer,
who had intentionally built his log-cabin so small,
with only one room and one bed for himself and his
wife, that even his best friends should not break upon
the sacred retirement of his house at night ; but, hav-
ing shared his hospitable board during the day, were
referred to the cabin of his son, Nathan Boone, about
four hundred yards distant, where an extra room and
an extra bed afforded them the means of passing the
night.

" The old hunter and his son were thus living very
happily, and made me comfortable and happy while I
was with them. The anecdotes of his extraordinary
life, which were talked over for amusement during
that time, were enough to fill a volume. The vene-
rable old man, whose long and flowing locks were sil-
very white, was then in his 78th year, and still he
almost daily took down his trusty rifle from its hooks
in the morning, and in a little time would bring in a

BOBASHEELA.

273

saddle of venison for our breakfast, and thus he
chiefly supported his affectionate old lady and him-
self, and the few friends who found their way to his
solitary abode, without concern or care for the future.
The stump of a large cotton wood tree, which had
been cut down, was left standing in the ground, and
being cat square off on the top, and his cabin being
built around it, answered the purpose of a table in
the centre of his cabin, from which our meals were
eaten. When I made my visit to him, he had been
living several years in this retired state, and been
perfectly happy in the undisturbed solitude of the
wilderness, but told me several times that he was
becoming very uneasy and distressed, as he found
that his days of peace were nearly over, as two Yan-
kee families had already found the way into the
country, and one of them had actually settled within
nine miles of him.

* Having finished my visit to this veteran and his
son, I mounted my horse, and, taking leave, followed
an Indian trail to the town of St. Charles, some
thirty or forty miles .below, on the north banks of the
Missouri. I here visited some old friends with whom
I had become acquainted on the lower Mississippi in
former years, and intending to descend the river from
that to St. Louis by a boat, had sold my horse when
I arrived there. Before I was ready to embark, how-
ever, an old friend of mine, Lieutenant Pike, who
had just returned from his exploring expedition to
the Rocky Mountains, had passed up from St. Louis
to a small settlement formed on the east bank of the

274

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

Mississippi, and a few miles below the mouth of the
Missouri, to attend a wedding which was to take
place on the very evening that I had received the in-
formation of it, and, like himself, being intimately
acquainted with the young man who was to be mar-
ried, I resolved to be present if possible, though I
had had no invitation to attend, it not being known
to the parties that I was in that part of the country.
The spot where the wedding was to take place being
on the bank of the river, and on my route to St.
Louis, I endeavoured to procure a canoe for the pur-
pose ; but, not being able to get such a thing in St.
Charles at that time for love or money, and still re-
solved to be at the wedding, I succeeded in rolling a
couple of large logs into the stream, which lay upon
the shore in front of the village, and, lashing them
firmly together, took a paddle from the first boat that
I could meet, and, seating myself astride of the two
logs, I pushed off into the muddy current of the Mis-
souri, and was soon swept away out of sight of the
town of St. Charles. My embarkation was a little
before sundown, and, having fifteen or twenty miles
to float before I should be upon the waters of the
Mississippi, I was in the midst of my journey over-
taken by night, and had to navigate my floating logs
as well as I could among the snags and sandbars that
fell in my way. I was lucky, however, in escaping
them all, though I sometimes grazed them as I
passed, and within a few inches of being hurled to
destruction. I at length entered the broad waters of
the Mississippi, and a few miles below, on the left

BOBASHEELA.

277

bank, saw the light in the cabins in which the
merry circle of my friends were assembled, and with
all my might was plying my paddle to propel my
two logs to the shore. In the midst of my hard
struggle, I discovered several objects on my right and
ahead of me, which seemed to be rapidly approach-
ing me, and I concluded that I was drifting on to
rocks or snags that were in a moment to destroy me.
But in an instant one of these supposed snags si-
lently shot along by the side of my logs, and, being
a canoe with four Indians in it, and all with their
bows and war-clubs drawn upon me, they gave the
signal for silence, as one of them, a tall, long-armed,
and powerful man, seized me by the collar. Having
partially learned several of the languages of the In-
dian tribes bordering on the Mississippi, I understood
him as he said in the Iowa language, ' Not a word !
if you speak you die !' At that moment, a dozen or
more canoes were all drawn close around my two logs
of wood, astride of which I sat, with my legs in the
water up to my knees. These canoes were all filled
with warriors with their weapons in their hands, and,
no women being with them, I saw they were a war-
party, and preparing for some mischief. Finding
that I understood their language and could speak a
few words with them, the warrior who still held me
by the collar made a sign to the other canoes to fall
back a little while he addressed me in a low voice.
6 Do you know the white chief who is visiting his
friends this night on the bank yonder where we see
the lights ?' To which I replied, 6 Yes, 'ie is an old

273

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

friend of mine/ * Well/ said he, * he dies to-night,
and all those wigwams are to be laid in ashes. Stet-
e-no-ka was a cousin of mine, and Que-tun-ka was a
good man and a friend to the white people. The
pale faces hung them like two dogs by their necks,
and the life of your friend, the white warrior, pays
the forfeit this night, and many may be the women
and children who will die by his side !' I explained
to him as well as I could that my friend, Lieutenant
Pike, had had no hand in the execution of the two
Indians ; that they were hung below St. Louis when
Lieutenant Pike was on his way home from the Rocky
Mountains. I told him also that Lieutenant Pike
was a great friend of the Indians, and would do any
thing to aid or please them ; that he had gone over
the river that night to attend the wedding of a friend,
and little dreamed that among the Indians he had
any enemies who would raise their hands against
him.

" 'My friend/ said he, 'you have said enough; if
you tell me that your friend, or the friend or the
enemy of any man, takes the hand of a fair daughter
on that ground to-night, an Iowa chief will not offend
the Great Spirit by raising the war-cry there. No
Iowa can spill the blood of an enemy on the ground
where the hands and the hearts of man and woman
are joined together. This is the command of the
Great Spirit, and an Iowa warrior cannot break it.
My friend, these warriors you see around me with
myself had sworn to kill the first human being we
met on our war-excursion. We shall not harm you ;

BOBASHEELA.

279

so you see that I give you your life. You will, there-
fore, keep your lips shut, and we will return in peace
to our village, which is far up the river, and we shall
hereafter meet our friends, the white people, in the
great city,* as we have heretofore done, and we have
many friends there. We shall do no harm to any
one. My face is now blackened, and the night is
dark, therefore you cannot know me ; but this arrow
you will keep — it matches with all the others in my
auiver, and by it you can always recognise me ; but
the meeting of this night is not to be known/ He
gave me the arrow, and with these words turned his
canoe, and, joining his companions, was in a moment
out of sight. My arrow being passed under my hat-
band, and finding that the current had by this time
drifted me down a mile or two below the place where
I designed to land, and beyond the power of reaching
it with my two awkward logs of wood, I steered my
course onward toward St. Louis, rapidly gliding over
the surface of the broad river, and arrived safelv at
the shore in front of the town at a late hour in the
night, having drifted a distance of more than thirty-
five miles. My two logs were an ample price for a
night's lodging and breakfast and dinner the next
day; and I continued my voyage in a Mackinaw boat
on the same day to Vide Pouche, a small French
town about twenty miles below, where my business
required my presence. The wedding party proceeded
undisturbed, and the danger they had been in was
never made known to them, as I promised the war-

* St. Louis.

£80

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

chief, who gave me, as the condition of my silence,
the solemn promise that he would never carry his
feelings of revenge upon innocent persons any farther.

" Thus ends the story of 1 floating down the Missis-
sippi river on the two logs of wood/ which the war-
chief alluded to in the question he put to me this
evening. On a subsequent occasion, some two or
three years afterwards, while sitting in the office of
Governor Clark, the superintendent of Indian affairs
in St. Louis, where he was holding i a talk* with
a party of Indians, a fine-looking fellow, of six feet
or more in stature, fixed his eyes intently upon me,
and, after scanning me closely for a few moments,
advanced, and, seating himself on the floor by the
side of me, pronounced the word ' Bobasheela,' and
asked me if ever I had received an arrow from the
quiver of an Indian warrior. The mutual recogni-
tion took place by my acknowledging the fact, and a
shake of the hand, and an amusing conversation
about the circumstances, and still the facts and the
amusement all kept to ourselves. This step led to
the future familiarities of our lives in the various
places where the nature of my business led me into
his society, and gained for me the regular adoption
as Bobasheela (or brother) and the badge (the she-she-
quoin, or mystery rattle) alluded to in the previous
remarks, and which, it has been already stated, was
lost by the sinking of one of my boats on the Cum-
berland river."

REMARKABLE ESCAPE FROM INDIANS. *281

Mtmmkahk ^Escape ham itfje Inteng.

Tn the autumn of 1695 a party of Indians attacked
the town of Haverhill, Massachusetts, and succeeded
in capturing two youths ; Isaac Bradley, aged fifteen
years, and Joseph Whitaker, aged eleven. Without
attempting further violence, the Indians quickly re
treated, passed through the adjoining forests, an«
reached their tribes on the shores of Lake Winnepise-
ogee. The prisoners were treated with kindness, and
became members of a family in which were two or
three Indian children. They soon learned the Indian
language ; a circumstance which so pleased the tribe,
that it was resolved to carry them to Canada in the
ensuing spring. To the elder boy, who was of an
active and enterprising disposition, this resolution was
full of terror. Already a deep and unbroken wilder-
ness, pathless mountains, and swollen rivers, lay be-
tween him and home ; and should he and his com-
panion be carried still further north, there was but
little likelihood of their ever again reaching home.
Isaac determined to attempt an escape, before the re-
turn of spring. Night and day, while apparently
asleep, or while apparently cheerful in obeying the
commands of his master, he adopted and rejected
various plans, which might effect the wished-for pur-
pose. Anxiety of mind brought on a raging fever,
from which he narrowly escaped with life. The
gloomy winter of a New England forest came on;
month after month slowly glided away; the spring

36 2 a 2

♦282

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

returned, and still the two boys were prisoners. But
the nearness of the dreaded calamity quickened the
ingenuity of the captive youth ; he matured his plan
and appointed a night in April for its execution.

The attempt was made at midnight. Isaac lay
awake until his Indian companions were sunk in
sleep, and every thing was hushed around. He then
arose and glanced timidly around. A thick darkness
had settled on the face of nature, scattered only when
the moon broke through the passing clouds. This
attempt was a desperate one, and he felt it so ; but
his spirit had been trained among those of the early
settlers of Plymouth and Massachusetts. Stepping
softly among his tawny bed-fellows, he secured his
masters guns, moosemeat, and bread, which he carried
to a neighbouring thicket of bushes. He then at-
tempted to awake his companion, but with a success
which convinced him that to persevere in the attempt
would ruin his purpose. He therefore left the wig-
wam and hurried to the place where were concealed
the arms and provisions, but before he was able to
reach it, he was alarmed by the noise of footsteps,
and perceived that he was followed. It was by his
fellow captive. They speedily secured their booty,
and then, without chart or compass, struck into the
woods in a southerly direction, aiming for the settle-
ment of Haverhill. After running all night, they
stopped at daylight near a hollow log, into which they
both crept.

Here, in the course of the morning, they were
tracked by their master's Jogs. Behind them the In-

REMARKABLE ESCAPE FROM INDIANS. 283

dians were in full pursuit. In this extremity the boys
spoke kindly to the animals, which, knowing their
voices, ceased to bark. They then threw to them
some moosemeat, which the animals devoured greedily.

The pursuers now arrived, but passed without
noticing the dogs ; and at night Isaac and his com-
panion left the log, and hurried away in another
direction. After consuming their small stock of bread,
they gathered roots and buds. Next day they again
concealed themselves; but they travelled the third
day and night without resting. In this manner they
journeyed five days, living partly on roots and partly
upon a pigeon and a turtle, which they were obliged
to eat raw. On the sixth day, they struck into an
Indian path, and followed it till night, when they
suddenly came within sight of an encampment, with-
in which a number of their enemies were seated
round a fire. They precipitately retraced their steps,
until, at the appearance of morning, they reached a
small stream, by which they sat down. They were
now in a pathless and seemingly interminable forest,
surrounded by savages, hungry, destitute, and lacerated
with thorns and rocks. It is no wonder that, under
such circumstances, these unhappy boys felt their
hearts sink within them, as they leaned one upon the
other, and mingled their tears with the ripples of the
careless stream. >

Still the elder boy did not despair. Knowing that
the stream must eventually lead to a large body of
water, he encouraged his companion, and after refresh-
ing themselves, both again pushed forward, following

284

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

the course of the rivulet. On the eighth morning
Joseph lay down in despair. His limbs were mangled,
his body was emaciated. Isaac begged him to pro-
ceed ; he dug roots for him to eat, and brought water
to quench his thirst. He represented the certainty
of death, should he remain there. It was vain ; and
leaving his companion to his fate, he, with weary steps
and a bleeding heart, pursued his lonely journey.
Suddenly he came in sight of a small building. In-
spired by hope, he hurried to his companion, urged
him to another trial, and rubbed his stiffened limbs
until they could once more sustain their accustomed
weight. They started together, Isaac sometimes lead-
ing, sometimes carrying his companion ; until, after
toiling all day, they reached Saco Fort.

This is undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary
escapes from Indians that we have on record. Dur-
ing nine days, two youths, one scarcely emerged from
childhood, had travelled through an immense forest,
subsisting on a little bread, on buds and berries, and
on a raw turtle and a pigeon, without seeing the face
of a friend or warming themselves near a fire. When
they arrived at Fort Saco, they were lacerated by
thorns, exhausted by sickness, and emaciated to
skeletons. When Isaac regained his strength, he
started for Haverhill, and arrived safely at his fathers
dwelling. Joseph had more to suffer. For a long
time he lay at Saco, suffering under a raging fever.
His father, when Isaac returned, went to the fort, and
as soon as possible brought home his long lost son.

MASSACRE AT MIMMS S FORT.

285

JEaggacre at JEimrog'j* £ntt.

The following account of the destruction of
Mimms's Fort and the adjoining defences, by the
Southern Indians, previous to their removal to the
west, is extracted from the journals of the year 1813 :

A few days before the attack, some negroes of Mr.
McGirks, who lived in that part of the Creek country
inhabited by half-breeds, had been sent up the Ala-
bama to his plantation for corn. Three of them were
taken by a party of Indians. One escaped, and brought
down news of the approach of the Indians. The
officer gave but little credit to him, but they made
some further preparation to receive the enemy. On
the next day, Mr. James Cornels, a half-breed, and
some white men, who had been out on the late battle
ground, and discovered the trail of a considerable
body of Indians going towards Mr. McGirt's, came to
the fort and informed the commanding officer of their
discovery. Though their report did not appear to re-
ceive full credit, it occasioned greater exertions, and on
Saturday and Sunday considerable work was done to
put the fort in a state of defence. Sunday morning,
three negroes were sent out to attend the cattle, who
soon returned with an account that they had seen
twenty Indians. Scouts were sent out to ascertain
the truth of the report. They returned and declared
that they could see no signs of Indians. One of the
negroes belonging to Mr. Eandom was whipped for
bringing what they deemed a false report. He was

286

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

gent out again on Monday, and .saw a body of Indians
approaching, but, afraid of being whipped, he did not
return to Mimms's, but to Pierce's fort ; but before his
story could be communicated, the attack was made.
The commanding officer called upon Mr. Fletcher, who
owned another of the negroes, to whip him also. He
believed the boy, and resisted twro or three applications;
but at length they had him actually brought out for
the purpose, when the Indians appeared in view of
the fort. The gate was open. The Indians had to
come through an open field a hundred and fifty yards
wide before they could reach the fort, and yet they
were wTithin thirty steps of the fort at eleven o'clock in
the morning, before they were noticed. The sentry
then gave the cry of " Indians !" and they immedi-
ately set up a most terrible war-whoop, and rushed
into the gate with inconceivable rapidity, and got
within it before the people of the fort had any oppor-
tunit}' of shutting it. This decided their fate. Major
Beasly was shot through the belly, near the gate. He
called to the men to take care of the ammunition and
to retreat to the house. He went himself to a kitchen,
where it is supposed he must have been burnt

The fort was originally square. Major Beasly had
it enlarged, by extending the lines of two sides about
fifty feet and putting up a new side, into which the
gate was removed. The old line of pickets stood, and
the Indians, upon rushing into the gate, obtained
possession of this additional part, and through the
port-holes of the old line of pickets fired on the peo-
ple who held the interior. On the opposite side of the

MASSACRE AT MIMMS's FORT.

289

fort, an offset or bastion was made round the back
gate, which, being open on the outside, was also taken
possession of by the Indians, who, with the axes which
lay scattered about, immediately began to cut down
the gate. There was a large body of Indians, though
they did not probably exceed four hundred. Our
people seemed to sustain the attack with undaunted
spirit. They took possession of the port-holes in the
other lines of the fort, and fired on the Indians who
remained in the field. Some of the Indians got on
the block-house at one of the corners, but after firing
a good -deal down upon the people, they were dis-
lodged ; they succeeded, however, in setting fire to a
house near the pickets, from which it was communi-
cated to the kitchen, and from thence to the main
dwelling-house. They attempted to do it with burn*
ing arrows, but failed. When the people of the fort
saw that the Indians retained full possession of the
outer court, that the gate continued open, that their
men fell very fast, and that their houses were in
flames, they began to despond. Some determined to
cut their way through the pickets and escape.

Of the number of white men and half-breeds in the
fort, it is supposed that not more than twenty-five or
thirty escaped, and of these many were wounded :
the rest, and almost all the women and children, fell
a sacrifice either to the arms of the Indians or the
flames. The battle terminated about an hour or an
hour and a half before sunset.

37 SB

290

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

American forces attacked bg @amancf)*js.

The Mexican war afforded the Camanche Indians
favourable opportunities to capture or destroy portions
of the American trains, that followed in the rear of
our different armies. Sometimes small parties of vo-
lunteers or adventurers encountered some of the Ca-
manche bands, and, though generally successful, not
unfrequently met with considerable loss. The famous
" guerilla warfare," so dreaded in the civil contentions
of Mexico, was in part sustained' by half-civilized,
half-savage Camanches, who, armed with lasso, gun,
and tomahawk, and accompanied by white men, half-
savage, half-civilized like themselves, spread terror
and desolation wherever they came. It was reserved
for the American volunteer to dissolve the halo of
fear which had so long hung over the name of Ca-
manche, and to prove to the world that he was not
invincible.

At daylight of July 26th, 1847, a party of Ameri-
cans on the Arkansas river, three hundred miles from
Fort Leavenworth, was attacked by the Camanches.
The party were escorting a large government train.
The dragoons, being mounted, made a vigorous
charge, the infantry, with a few horsemen, remaining
to guard the camp. A desperate struggle ensued, in
which three hundred Camanches exerted every effort
of savage strength and ingenuity to surround a little
band of opponents, whom they outnumbered six to
one. Five of the Americans were killed, three

DEATH OF CAPTAIN SMITH.

291

severely wounded, two slightly, and one hundred and
thirty-five yoke of cattle driven off or butchered. The
loss of the Indians was not ascertained, as they car-
ried off their dead and wounded. In one week, this
band of Camanches, assisted by rancheros and gue-
rillas from northern Mexico, destroyed United States
property to the amount of ten thousand dollars.

3®eatf) of ©aptain jbiiUf), a Santa §t drafter.

The trading parties between Independence and
Santa Fe are frequently attacked by Indians, more,
it would seem, from a thirst for plunder than from
cruelty or revenge. Some instances of the latter kind
are, however, on record ; and one of these, the mur-
der of the trader Captain Smith, was long remembered
by the border men as an inducement to revenge.
Smith had long been known as a Rocky mountain
hunter, and his feats of daring in the great western
wilderness formed subjects for admiration and asto-
nishment to many a forlorn " trapping" party, as it
pursued its way over the prairies. In 1831, he joined
a company under Captain Sublette, destined for Santa
Fe. Each man of this company appears to have been
profoundly ignorant of the route, and of the hard-
ships to be encountered in a long journey through
the deserts of New Mexico. After many days tra-
velling, they seem to have lost their road ; their water
was exhausted, and around them was an arid waste,

292

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

destitute of both stream and vegetation. In this
dreadful condition, Smith left the party and followed
a buffalo track, with the hope of thereby arriving at
some brook or pond. For many miles he fearlessly
pursued his way, until whaf he imagined to be a small
ptream broke upon his sight. He hurried forward as
fast as his weakened condition would admit, but on
reaching the bank, he found nothing but a dry, sandy
bed, whose reflections glared intolerably upon his be-
wildered vision. Unable to bear his raging thirst
any longer, he threw himself into the channel and
scooped up the sand with his hands. As he dug
deeper, it seemed to get moist, and at the distance of
more than a foot below the surface, water began to
ooze gradually through the sand. He sunk his face
into it, and sucked the grateful liquid from the ground.
He had escaped one mode of death only to die by
another. A party of Camanches had followed his
track, and, seizing the moment when he was thus un-
guarded, they discharged a flight of arrows upon him
and rushed to closer conflict. Smith fought despe-
rately, killing two or three of his enemies ; but was
at length overpowered and killed.

Sfcbntture tottf) a $arts ef Yutag.

The Eutaw or Yuta Indians inhabit the north-
western part of New Mexico and California. They
are renowned for bravery and for their custom of mi-
grating in large parties, especially during the spring

ADVENTURE WITH THE YUTAS. 293

and fall. They are almost constantly at war with
some of the neighbouring tribes, and, when unsuccess-
ful, will often gratify their vindictive feelings upon
parties of the whites. A case of this nature occurred
in 1837. A considerable number of the Yutas en-
countered half a dozen Shawnees, near the head
waters of the Arkansas. The Shawnees had come
upon a friendly visit ; but 'the Yutas soon contrived
to quarrel with them, and finally made a charge. The
Shawnees boldly gathered around their goods, dis-
charged their arrows upon the enemy, and succeeded
in effecting their escape without loss. Several of the
aggressors were killed.

Immediately after this affair, a party of about
thirty-five traders, under Mr. Josiah Gregg, arrived
near the battle-ground. On halting, in order to pass
the night, they were surprised at seeing a large num-
ber of Indians enter their camp and move freely with
themselves to every position. They were the de-
feated Yutas, who, incensed at their late discomfiture,
were now prepared to perform any outrage upon
friend or foe. Suddenly a young chief sprang upon
a horse belonging to one of the traders, and galloped
off at full speed. Gregg's force was too small to en-
gage the Indians, but he resolved to present a bold
front, and accordingly demanded, in peremptory lan-
guage, the restoration of the horse. Its effect disap-
pointed him. The Indians laughed at the message,
and, gathering in small groups, frowned contemptu-
ously upon their opponents. Gregg then declared his
determination to obtain redress by force. The In-

294

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

dians immediately grasped their arms, uttered the
war-whoop, and sprang upon their horses. Their
valour was accompanied with due caution. The wo-
men and children were removed to an adjoining
precipice, and the warriors collected in order of battle.
By this time they had observed that a part of the
trading force were Mexicans ; and with true Indian
cunning they prepared to take advantage of it. A
young warrior left his ranks and riding up to within
a short distance, exhorted his " Mexican friends" to
desert the Americans. This was accompanied with
the assurance that they should be well treated, while
to the Americans no quarter was to be shown. The
Mexicans treated the invitation with scorn, und both
parties now prepared for a struggle. During the
preliminary season of suspense, an aged squaw un-
expectedly rode up, and addressing the chiefs exhorted
them to remember the ties of friendship existing be-
tween the Yutas and the Americans, and to reject
the council of a few impetuous youths, who were
clamorous for war. This strange mediation was fa-
vourably received ; both parties relaxed their military
bearing; the stolen horse was restored, and the adven-
ture terminated by a social smoke between the traders
and their strangely acquired friends.

HUNTING THE BUFFALO BY STRATAGEM. 297

pirating t&e Buffalo h$ Stratagem*

The western territories, especially the portions
near the Rocky Mountains, abound in wolves, of
which the most numerous and formidable is a white
species, which attains a great size, and is considered
a good match for the largest dog. These animals
prowl about in flocks of fifty or sixty, attacking any
solitary animal that may fall within their reach. The
buffalo is their favourite prey ; and they always fol-
low in the hunters track to glean what he leaves,
or to kill some unfortunate bull, which may chance
to secrete himself from man. But, when the buffa-
loes are herded together, they have little fear of the
wolf, and will permit him to approach very near
them. Of this sense of security the Indian hunter
frequently takes advantage. Covering himself with
a white wolf's skin, he creeps across the prairie, and
discharges his arrows among the unsuspecting herd
with fatal effect. Of course, the fattest and most
tender are selected on these occasions ; and some-
times a warrior will destroy as great a number in this
manner as when engaged with the whole tribe in the
chase. The method may remind the' reader of the
manner in which the negroes of southern and western
Africa hunt and destroy the ostrich.

Another equally effective method of hunting the
buffalo is, by driving him into snow banks in the
winter season. In these regions, the snow is often
three or four feet deep, being blown from the tops and

298

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

sides of hills. At such times, the buffaloes assemble
on the hill tops; but, on being attacked, they rush
down and endeavour to pass through the snow, but
sink in it to their flanks. Here they fall an easy
prey to the hunter, who, on his snow shoes, glides
with ease and celerity over the glazed crust of snow.
The buffalo's skin is in winter much esteemed on ac-
count of its long fur ; but, with improvident thought-
lessness, the carcass is left to be eaten by the wolves.

SEonfoerful Escape of ®cm $$fggln*.

Among a party of young men who formed them-
selves into a little corps called Rangers, expressly for
the protection of the western frontier, was one named
Tom Higgins. He was a native of Kentucky, and a
capital specimen of the genuine backwoodsman. In
the month of August, he was one of a party of twelve
men who were posted at a small stockade between
Greenville and Vandalia. These towns were not
then in existence, and the surrounding country was
one vast wilderness. On the 30th of the month, In-
dians were observed in the neighbourhood, and at
night they were discovered prowling around the
fort, but no alarm was given.

Early on the following morning, the lieutenant
moved out with his little party mounted on horse-
back to reconnoitre the Indians. Passing round the
fence of a corn-field adjoining the fort, they struck

WONDERFUL ESCAPE OF TOM HIGGINS. 29

across the prairie, and had not proceeded more than
a quarter of a mile, when, in crossing a small ridge,
which was covered with a hazel thicket, in full view
of the station, they fell into an ambuscade of Indians,
who rose suddenly around them to the number of
seventy or eighty, and fired. Four of the party were
killed, among whom was the lieutenant ; one other
fell, badly wounded, and the rest fled, except Hig-
gins.

It was a sultry morning, the day was just dawn-
ing, a heavy dew had fallen during the night, the air
was still and damp, and the smoke from the guns
hung in a cloud over the spot. Under cover of this
cloud, Higgins's companions had escaped, supposing all
who were left to be dead. Higgins's horse had been
shot through the neck, and fell on its knees, but rose
again. Believing the animal to be mortally wounded,
he dismounted, but, finding that the wound had not
disabled him, he continued to hold the bridle, for he
now felt confident of being able to make good his
retreat. Yet, before he did this, he wished, as he
said, " to have one pull at the enemy."

For this purpose he looked round for a tree, from
behind which he might fire in safety. There was
but one, and that was a small elm; but, before he
could reach it, the cloud of smoke, partially rising,
disclosed to his view a number of Indians, none of
whom, however, discovered him. One of them stood
within a few paces of him, loading his gun ; at him
Higgins took a deliberate aim, fired, and the Indian
fell. Still concealed by the smoke, Higgins reloaded

300 THRILLING ADVENTURES.

his gun, mounted his horse, and turned to fly, when
a low voice near him hailed him with,

" Tom, you won't leave me ?"

On looking round, he discovered one of his com-
rades, named Burgess, who was lying wounded on
the ground, and he instantly replied, "No, I'll not
leave you, come along, and I'll take care of you."

" I can't come," replied Burgess, " my leg is smashed
all to pieces."

Higgins sprang from his saddle, and, taking his
companion in his arms, proceeded to lift him on his
horse, telling him to fly for his life, and that he would
make his own way on foot. But the horse, taking
fright at this instant, darted off, leaving Higgins with
his wounded friend on foot. Still the cool bravery
of the former was sufficient for every emergency, and,
setting Burgess gently down, he told him, " Now,
my good fellow, you must hop off on your three legs,
while I stay between you and the Indians to keep
them off," instructing him, at the same time, to get
into the highest grass, and crawl as close to the
ground as possible. Burgess followed his advice, and
escaped unnoticed.

History does not record a more disinterested act
of heroism than this of Tom Higgins, who, having in
his hands the certain means of escape from such im-
minent peril, voluntarily gave them up, by offering
his horse to a wounded companion; and who, when
that generous intention was defeated, and his own
retreat was still practicable, remained, at the hazard
of his life, to protect his crippled friend.

WONDERFUL ESCAPE OF TOM HIGGINS. 301

The cloud of smoke, which had partially opened
before him as he faced the enemy, still lay thick be-
hind him ; and, as he plunged through this, he left it,
together with the ridge and hazel thicket, between
him and the main body of the Indians, and was re-
tiring, unobserved by them. Under these circum-
stances, it is probable, that, if he had retreated in a
direct line towards the station, he might have easily
effected his escape. But Burgess was slowly crawl-
ing away in that direction, and the gallant Higgins
foresaw, that, if he pursued the same track, and
should be discovered, his friend would be endangered.
He, therefore, resolved to deviate from his course so
far, as that any of the enemy who should follow him
would not fall in with Burgess. With this intention,
he moved warily along through the smoke and
bushes, hoping, when he emerged, to retreat at full
speed. But, just as he left the thicket, he beheld a
large Indian near him, and two more on the other
side, in the direction of the fort.

Confident in his own courage and activity, Tom
felt undismayed ; but, like a good general, he deter-
mined to separate the foe and fight them singly.
Making for a ravine not far off, he bounded away ;
but soon found that one of his limbs failed him, hav-
ing received a ball in the first fire, which until now
he had hardly noticed.

The largest Indian was following him closely.
Higgins several times turned to fire ; but the Indian
would halt and dance about to prevent him from tak-
ing aim, and Tom knew that he could not afford to

302

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

fire at random. The other two were closing on him,
and he found that, unless he could dispose of the
first, he must be overpowered. He therefore halted,
and resolved to receive a fire. The Indian, at a few
paces distant, raised his rifle. Higgins watched his
adversary's eye, and, just as he thought his finger
pressed the trigger, suddenly turned his side towards
him. It is probable that this motion saved his life,
for the ball entered his thigh, which otherwise would
have pierced his body.

Tom fell, but rose again and ran ; the largest In-
dian, certain of his prey, loaded again, and then, with
the two others, pursued. Higgins had again fallen,
and, as he rose, they all three fired, and he received all
their balls!

He now fell and rose several times, and the In-
dians, throwing away their rifles, advanced on him
writh spears and knives. They repeatedly charged
upon him ; but, upon his presenting his gun at one
or the other, they fell back, till at last the largest of
them, thinking, probably, from Tom's reserving his
fire so long, that his gun was empty, attacked him
boldly, when Higgins, taking a steady aim, shot him
dead. With four bullets in his body, with an empty
gun, with t\^> Indians before him and a whole tribe
a few rods off, almost any other man would have de-
spaired. But Tom Higgins had no such notion ! He
had slain the most dangerous of his foes, and he felt
but little fear of the others. He, therefore, faced
them, and began to load his rifle. They raised a
whoop and rushed on him.

WONDERFUL ESCAPE OF TOM HIGGINS. 303

" They kept their distance as long as my rifle was
loaded," said he ; " but when they knew it was empty,
they were better soldiers."

A fierce and bloody conflict ensued. The Indians
stabbed him in many places ; but it happened, fortu-
nately for Tom, that the shafts of their spears were
thin poles, which had been hastily prepared for the
occasion, and which bent whenever the points struck
a rib, or encountered one of his tough muscles. From
this cause, and the continued exertion of his hands
in warding off their thrusts, the wounds they made
were not deep. His whole front, however, was co-
vered with gashes, of which the scars yet remain in
proof of his valour.

One of them now drew his tomahawk. The edge
sunk deep into Higgins's cheek — passed through his
ear — laid bare his skull to the back of his head, and
stretched him on the plain. The two Indians rushed
on ; but Tom, instantly recovering his self-possession,
kept them off with his feet and hands. At length
he succeeded in grasping one of their spears, which,
as the Indian endeavoured to pull it from him, helped
him to rise. Now, holding his rifle like a club, he
rushed on the nearest of his foes and dashed his
brains out, in doing which he broke the stock to
pieces, and retained only the barrel in his hand.

The remaining Indian, though wounded, was now
by far the most powerful man ; but though our hero's
strength was rapidly failing, his courage was not ex-
hausted, and the savage began to retreat towards the
place where he had dropped his rifle. Tom in the

304

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

meanwhile searched for the gun of the other Indian.
Thus both, though bleeding and out of breath, were
in search of arms to renew the combat.

By this time the smoke, which hung between the
combatants and the main body of Indians, had passed
away, and a number of the latter having crossed the
hazel thicket were in full view. It seemed, therefore,
that nothing could save our valiant ranger; but
relief was at hand.

The little garrison at the fort had witnessed the
whole of this remarkable combat. They were only
six in number, and among them was one heroic wo-
man— a Mrs. Pursley. "When she saw Higgins con-
tending singly with the foe, she urged the men to go
to his rescue ; but the rangers objected, as the Indians
outnumbered them ten to one. Mrs. Pursley declared
that so fine a fellow as Tom should not be lost for
want of help, and, snatching a rifle out of her hus-
band's hand, she jumped on a horse and sallied out ;
while the men, ashamed to be outdone by a woman,
followed at full gallop towards the place of combat.

A scene of intense interest ensued. The Indians
at the thicket had just discovered Tom, and were ad-
vancing toward him with savage yells ; his friends
were spurring their horses to reach him first. Hig-
gins, exhausted from loss of blood, had fallen and
fainted ; his adversary, too intent on his prey to ob-
serve any thing else, was looking for his rifle.

The rangers reached the battle-ground first. Mrs.
Pursley rode up to Tom and offered him her gun ;
but Tom was past shooting. His friends lifted him

WONDERFUL ESCAPE OF TOM HIGGINS. 305

up, threw him across a horse before one of the party,
and turned to retreat just as the Indians came up.
They made good their escape, and the Indians retired
to the woods.

After being carried into the fort, Tom remained
insensible for some days. His life was preserved
only by extreme and continued care. His friends
extracted all the balls except two, which remained in
his thigh. One of these gave him great pain at
times for several years, although the flesh was healed.
At length he heard that a skilful physician had set-
tled within a day's ride of him, and Tom determined
to go and see if he could help him.

The physician willingly undertook to extract the
bullet; but on condition that he should receive the
exorbitant sum of fifty dollars for the operation.
This Tom flatly refused to give, as it was more than
half a year's pension. "When he reached home, he
found that the exercise of riding had so much
chafed the part that the ball, which usually was not
discoverable to the touch, could now be plainly felt.

He requested his wife to hand him a razor. With
her assistance, he deliberately laid open his thigh
until the edge of the razor touched the bullet. Then
inserting both his thumbs into the cut, he "flirted it
out," as he said, " without costing a cent.1*

The other ball remains in his limb yet ; but gives
him no trouble except when he uses violent exercise.
He is now one of the most successful hunters in the
country, and it still takes the best kind of a man to
handle him.

39 2 c 2

306

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

$&arcft of tfjr jstcui.

The Crow and Sioux Indians, like most tribes who
subsist by hunting, are obliged to move frequently
from place to place; and the manner in which they per-
form one of the migrations is both singular and araus-
ing. The appointment of the time of starting is left
in a great measure to the chief. A few hours before it
arrives, he sends criers through the village, announcing
his determination to move, and at the same time places
the signal, always observed on such occasions, at his
wigwam. The whole village is now in commotion.
Provisions, household goods, and clothing are bundled
together ; dogs and horses are yoked to burdens twice
their own size ; children are slung in sacks, and placed
on their mothers' backs; and each one is speedily
loaded with the burden, never a very inconsiderable
one, which he is to bear to the new settlement. The
usual order of arrangement is as follows : — The poles
of a lodge are divided into two bunches. The little
ends of each bunch are fastened upon the shoulders
of a horse, leaving the other ends to drag upon the
ground on each side. Behind the horse a cross-piece
connects the bunches and keeps them in their place.
On the bunches are placed the lodge or tent rolled up,
sundry- huge articles of household stuffs, and three or
four women and children. To lead each horse, which,
under the circumstances, would appear absolutely ne-
cessary, a woman goes before holding the bridle, and
carrying on her shoulders a load similar in size to that

THE MURDERER'S CREEK.

309

of the horse. Occasionally the animal carries another
woman upon his back, in whose arms is a young pa-
poose affectionately embracing a favourite dog. In
this manner, five or six hundred wigwams, with all
their furniture, are moved many miles at once. The
cavalcade is drawn out to an immense distance, the
men mounted on good horses, numbering more than
a thousand, and the number of canine assistants at
least five times that number. Each dog has to bear
part of the general burden. Two poles about fifteen
feet long are placed upon his shoulders, in the same
manner as the lodge poles are attached to the horses,
leaving the larger ends to drag upon the ground be-
hind him. On these is placed a bundle, with which
he trots off, keeping up with the caravan until night,
and only stopping when there seems prospect of a
battle with some of his companions.

There is a little stream which runs into that most
beautiful of all rivers, the noble Hudson, that still
bears the name of the Murderers Creek, though few
perhaps can tell why it was so called. About a cen-
tury ago, the beautiful region watered by this stream
was possessed by a small tribe of Indians, which has
long since become extinct, or incorporated with some
more powerful nation of the west. Three or four hun-
dred yards from the mouth of this little river, a white

310

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

family of the name of Stacey had established itself
in a log-house, by tacit permission of the tribe, to
whom Stacey had made himself useful by his skill in
a variety of arts highly estimated by the savages. In
particular a friendship subsisted between him and an
old Indian, called Naoman, who often came to his
house, and partook of his hospitality. The family
consisted of Stacey, his wife, and two children, a boy
and a girl, the former five, and the latter three years
old.

The Indians never forgive injuries nor forget
benefits.

One day Naoman came to Stacey's log-house in his
absence, lighted his pipe and sat down. He looked
unusually serious, sometimes sighed deeply, but said
not a word. Stacey's wife asked him what was the
matter, — if he were ill ? He shook his head, but
said nothing, and soon went away. The next day he
came, and behaved in the same manner. Stacey's wife
began to think there was something strange in all
this, and acquainted her husband with the matter as
soon as he came home. He advised her to urge the
old man to explain his conduct, in case he should
come again, which he did the following day. After
much importunity, the old Indian at last replied to
her questions in this manner. " I am a red man, and
the pale faces are our enemies : why should I speak?"
"But my husband and I are your friends; you have
eaten bread with us a hundred times, and my chil-
dren have sat on your knees as often. If you have
any thing on your mind, tell it me now." " It will

THE MURDERER'S CREEK.

311

cost me my life if it is known, and you white-faced
women are not good at keeping secrets/' replied Nao-
man. " Try me, and you will find that I can," said
she. " Will you swear by the Great Spirit that you
will tell none but your husband ?" " I have no one
else to tell." " But will you swear ?" " I do swear
by our Great Spirit, that I will tell none but my hus
band." " Not if my tribe should kill you for noi
telling ?" " No, not though your tribe should kill me
for not telling." Naoman then proceeded to tell her,
that owing to the frequent encroachments of the white
people on their land at the foot of the mountains, his
tribe had become exceedingly angry, and were resolved
that night to massacre all the white settlers within
their reach ; that she must send for her husband, and
inform him of the danger, and as secretly and speedily
as possible, take their canoe, and paddle with all
haste over the river to Fishkill for safety. " Be quick,
and cause no suspicion," said Naoman, as he departed.

The good wife instantly sought her husband, who
was down on the river fishing, told him the story, and
as no time was to be lost, they proceeded to their
boat, which was unluckily filled with water. It took
some time to clear it out ; and meanwhile Stacey re-
collected his gun, which he had left behind. He went
to his house and returned with it. All this took a
considerable time, and precious time it proved to this
poor family.

The daily visits of Naoman, and his more than
ordinary gravity, had excited suspicion in some of his
tribe, who therefore now paid particular attention to

312

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

the movements of Stacey. One of the young Indians
who had been kept on the watch, seeing the whole
family about to take the boat, ran to the little Indian
village, about a mile off. and gave the alarm.

Five stout Indians immediately collected, and ran
down to the river, where their canoes were moored,
jumped in, and paddled after Stacey, who by this time
had got some distance out into the stream. They
gained upon him so fast, that twice he dropped his
paddle and took up his gun. But his wife prevented
his shooting, by telling him that if he fired, and they
were afterwards overtaken, they would meet with no
mercy from the Indians. He accordingly refrained,
and plied his paddle, till the sweat rolled in big drops
down his forehead. All would not do ; they were
overtaken within a hundred yards from the opposite
shore, and carried back with shouts and veils of
triumph.

The first thing the Indians did when they got
ashore, was to set fire to Stacey's house. They then
dragged him, his wife and children, to their village.
Here the principal old men, and Naoman among
them, assembled to deliberate on the affair. The chief
men of the council expressed their opinion that some
of the tribe had been guilty of treason, in apprizing
Stacey, the white man, of their designs, whereby they
took alarm, and had wellnigh escaped. They pro-
posed that the prisoners should be examined in order
to discover who was the traitor. The old men as-
sented to this, and one of them who spoke English
began by interrogating Stacey, and interpreted what

THE MURDERER'S CREEK. 313

was said to the others. Stacey refused to betray his
informant. His wife was then questioned, while two
Indians stood threatening the children with their
tomahawks, in case she did not confess.

She attempted to evade the truth, by pretending
that she had a dream the night before, which had
warned her to fly, and that she had persuaded her
husband to do so. " The Great Spirit never deigns
to talk in dreams to the white faces," said one of the
old Indians. " Woman, thou hast two tongues and
two faces; speak the truth, or thy children shall
surely die." The little boy and girl were then brought
close to her, and the two savages stood over them
ready to execute their cruel orders.

" Wilt thou name that red man," said the old In-
dian, " who betrayed his tribe ? I will ask thee three
times." The mother made no answer. " Wilt thou
name the traitor ? This is the second time." The
poor woman looked at her husband, and then at her
children, and stole a glance at Naoman, who sat
smoking his pipe with invincible gravity. She wrung
her hands and wept, but remained silent. " Wilt
thou name the traitor ? I ask you for the third and
last time." The agony of the mother was more and
more intense : again she sought the eye of Naoman,
but it was cold and motionless. A moment's delay
was made for her reply. She was silent. The toma-
hawks were raised over the heads of her children, who
besought their mother to release them.

" Stop," cried Naoman. All eyes were instantly
turned upon him. " Stop," repeated he, in a tone of

40 2D

314

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

authority. " White woman, thou hast kept thy word
with me to the last moment. Chiefs, I am the
traitor. I have eaten the bread, warmed myself at
the fire, and shared the kindness of these Christian
white people, and it was I who told them of their
danger. I am a withered, leafless, branchless trunk ;
out me down if you will : I am ready to fall."

A yell of indignation resounded on all sides. Nao-
man descended from the little bank of earth on which
he sat, shrouded his dark countenance in his buffalo
robe, and calmly awaited his fate. He fell dead at
the feet of the white woman, by the blow of the
tomahawk.

But the sacrifice of Naoman, and the heroic firm-
ness of the Christian white woman, did not suffice to
save the lives of the other victims. They perished —
how, it is needless to say ; but the memory of their
fate has been preserved in the name of the beautiful
little stream on whose banks they lived and died,
which to this day is called the Murderers Creek.

©j&e Jbcalf = Stance.

The scalp-dance, says Mr. Catlin, is given as a cele-
bration of a victory ; and among the Sioux, as I learned
while residing with them, danced in the night, by the
light of their torches, and just before retiring to bed.
When a war-party returns from a war excursion, bring-
ing home with them the scalps of their enemies, they

THE SCALP-DANCE.

317

generally " dance them" for fifteen nights in succes-
sion, vaunting forth the most extravagant boasts of
their wonderful prowess in war, while they brandish
their war weapons in their hands. A number of
young women are selected to aid (though they do
not actually join in th^f dance) by stepping into the
centre of the ring, and holding up the scalps that
have been recently taken, while the warriors dance
(or rather jump) around in a circle, brandishing their
weapons, and barking and yelping in the most fright-
ful manner, all jumping on both feet at a time, with
a simultaneous stamp and blow, and thrust of their
weapons, with which it would seem as if they were
actually cutting and carving each other to pieces.
During these frantic leaps, and yelps, and thrusts,
every man distorts his face to the utmost of his mus-
cles, darting about his glaring eyeballs and snapping
his teeth, as if he were in the heat, and actually
breathing through his inflated nostrils the very hiss-
ing death, of battle ! No description that can be
written could ever convey more than a feeble outline
of the frightful effect of these scenes enacted in the
dead and darkness of night, under the glaring light
of their blazing flambeaux ; nor could all the years
allotted to mortal man in the least obliterate or de-
face the vivid impress that one scene of this kind
would leave upon his memory.

The precise object for which the scalp is taken is
one which is definitely understood, and has already
been explained ; but the motive, or motives, for
which this strict ceremony is so scrupulously held

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

by all the American tribes over the scalp of an ene
my, is a subject as yet not satisfactorily settled in my
mind. There is no doubt but one great object in
these exhibitions is public exultation ; yet there are
several conclusive evidences that there are other and
essential motives for thus formally and strictly dis-
playing the scalp. Among some of the tribes, it is
the custom to bury the scalps after they have gone
through this series of public exhibitions, which may
in a measure have been held for the purpose of giv-
ing them notoriety, and of awarding public credit to
the persons who obtained them, and now, from a cus-
tom of the tribe, are obliged to part with them. The
great respect which seems to be paid to them while
they use them, as well as the pitying and mournful
song which they howl to the manes of their unfortu-
nate victims, as well as the precise care and solemnity
with which they afterwards bury the scalps, suffi-
ciently convince me that they have a superstitious
dread of the spirits of their slain enemies, and many
conciliatory offices to perform to ensure their own
peace — one of which is the ceremony above described.

Sftfcmture* cf an Jnfcian S3Somait.

The life of an Indian woman, even though she
may be the favourite wife of a great chief, is always
fraught with toil and drudgery. The men will go
through great fatigue in war or in hunting, but any

ADVENTURES OF AN INDIAN WOMAN. 319

thing like regular work they scorn. Scooping out
canoes, building their huts, dressing the skins of ani-
mals, and cultivating the earth, are labours which
fall to the lot of the squaw; but, what is still worse,
they are obliged to carry all the heavy burdens with-
out any assistance from their husbands. An Indian
hunter, setting out in the morning before sunrise, tra-
verses the country for many miles in search of deer,
and, as he goes along, he once in a while breaks down
a bush to serve as a mark for his wife, whose business
it is to find the game he has killed and carry it home,
and, as the animals sometimes lie at a great distance
from each other, and she can carry but one at a time,
f»he toil she then encounters is truly grievous.

In fishing and snaring birds, the women are very
successful, and, uniting much art with insurmounta-
ble patience, they catch great numbers of geese and
ducks, which migrate to the lakes at certain seasons
of the year. To snare these birds in their nests re-
quires a considerable degree of art, and, as the na-
tives say, a great deal of cleanliness; for they have
observed that, when the snares have been set by
those whose hands were not clean, the birds would
not go into the nest.

Even the goose, though so simple a bird, is noto-
riously known to forsake her eggs, if they have been
breathed on by the Indians.

The smaller species of birds, which make their
nests on the ground, are by no means so delicate,
and of course less care is necessary in snaring them.
It has been observed that all birds which build on the

320

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

ground, go into their nest on one particular side, and
out of it on the opposite. The Indians, being accu-
rate observers of nature, are well aware of this fact,
and always set their snares on the side on which the
bird enters the nest ; and, if care be taken in setting
them, seldom fail of seizing their object. For small
birds, such as larks and many others of equal size,
the Indians generally use two or three of the long
hairs out of their own head ; but for larger birds, par-
ticularly swans, geese, and ducks, they make snares
of deer sinews, twisted like pack-thread, and occa-
sionally of a small thong cut from a dressed deer-
skin.

We may believe that women so trained are not
very delicate, or easily daunted by any difficulties
that may befall them ; and, in proof of this, I will
relate an anecdote as it was told by an English gen-
tleman who travelled among the northern Indians
many years ago : —

On the 11th of January, as some of my compa-
nions were hunting, they observed the track of a
strange snow-shoe,* which they followed, and at a
considerable distance came to a little hut, where they
discovered a young woman sitting alone. As they
found she understood their language, they brought

* Snow-shoes are from three to four feet in length, and more than
a foot wide in the middle ; they are sharp-pointed at both ends, the
frames are made of birch -bark, and they are netted cross and cross
with thongs of deer-skin, leaving a hole just big enough to admit the
foot. These shoes, being large and light, enable the Indians to
travel over the snow with great facility

ADVENTURES OF AN INDIAN WOMAN. 321

her with them to our tents. On examination, she
proved to be one of the western Dog-ribbed Indians,
who had been taken prisoner by the Athapuscow In-
dians two summers ago, and last summer, when the
Indians that took her prisoner were near this part,
she escaped from them, with the intention of return-
ing to her own country; but the distance being so
great, and having, after she was taken prisoner, been
carried in a canoe the whole way, the turnings and
windings of the rivers and lakes were so numerous,
that she forgot the track; so she built the hut in
which we found her, to protect her from the weather
during the winter, and here she had resided ever
since the beginning of autumn.

From her account of the moons past since her
elopement, it appeared that she had been nearly seven
months without seeing a human face; during all
which time she had supported herself very well by
snaring partridges, rabbits, and squirrels; she had
also killed two or three beavers and some porcupines.
That she did not seem to have been in want is evident,
as she had a small stock of provisions by her when she
was discovered. She was also in good health and con-
dition, and was certainly by far the finest looking
Indian woman that I have ever seen in any part of
America.

The methods practised by this poor creature to pro-
cure a livelihood were truly admirable, proving in-
deed the truth of the old proverb, that " necessity is
the mother of invention." When the few deer sinews
that she had an opportunity of taking with her were

322

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

all expended in making snares and sewing her cloth-
ing, she had nothing to supply their place but the
sinews of the rabbits' legs and fee-t ; these she twisted
together with great dexterity and success. The rab-
bits and squirrels which she caught in her snares, not
only furnished her with a comfortable subsistence,
but of the skins she made a suit of neat and warm
clothing for the winter.

It is scarcely possible to conceive that a person in
her forlorn situation could be so composed as to be
capable of contriving or executing any thing that was
not absolutely necessary to her existence ; but there
were sufficient proofs that she had extended her care
much further, as all her clothing, besides being calcu-
lated for real service, showed great taste, and exhi-
bited no little variety of ornament. The materials,
though rude, were very curiously wrought, and so
judiciously placed, as to give the whole of her garb a
very pleasing, though rather romantic appearance.

Her leisure hours from hunting had been employed
in twisting the inner rind or bark of willows into
small lines, like netting-twine, of which she had some
hundred fathoms by her ; with this she intended to
make a fishing-net as soon as the spring advanced.
It is of the inner bark of willows, twisted in this
manner, that the Dog-ribbed Indians make their fish-
ing nets; and they are greatly preferable to those
made by the northern Indians.*

* The northern Indians make their fishing-nets with small thongs
cut from raw deer-skins, which, when dry, appear very good ; but,
after being soaked in water some time, grow so soft and slippery that,

ADVENTURES OF AN INDIAN WOMAN. 323

Five or six inches of an iron hoop made into a
knife, and the shank of an iron arrow-head, which
served her as an awl, was all the metal this poor wo-
man had with her when she eloped ; and with these
implements she had made herself complete snow-
shoes, and several other useful articles.

Her method of making a fire was equally singular
and curious, having no other materials for that pur-
pose than two hard sulphureous stones. These, by
long friction and hard knocking, produced a few
sparks, which, at length, communicated to some
touch-wood ; but, as this method was attended with
great trouble, and not always with success, she did
not suffer her fire to go out all the winter. Hence
we may conclude that she had no idea of producing
fire by friction in the manner practised by the Esqui-
maux and other uncivilized nations ; because, if she
had, the above-mentioned precaution would have been
unnecessary.

When the Athapuscow Indians took this woman
prisoner, they, according to the universal custom of
those savages, surprised her and her party in the
night, and killed every one in the tent except her-
self and three other young women. Among those
whom they destroyed were her father, mother, and
husband. Her young child, between four and five
months old, she concealed in a bundle of clothing,
and took with her undiscovered in the night ; but,

when large fish strike the net, the meshes are very apt to slip and
let them escape. Besides this inconvenience, they are very liable to
rot, unless they be frequently taken out of the water and dried.

324

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

when she arrived at the place where the Athapuscow
Indians had left their wives, (which was not far dis-
tant,) they began to examine her bundle, and, find-
ing the child, one of the women took it from her and
immediately killed it.

This last piece of barbarity gave her such a dis
gust towards those Indians, that, notwithstanding the
man who took care of her treated her in every re-
spect as well as he did his wife, and was, as she said,
remarkably kind to her, so far was she from being
able to reconcile herself to any of the tribe, that she
rather chose to expose herself to misery and want
than live in ease and abundance among persons who
had so cruelly murdered her infant.

In a conversation with this woman soon after-
wards, she told us that her country lies so far to the
westward that she had never seen iron, or any other
kind of metal, till she was taken prisoner. All of
her tribe, she observed, made their hatchets and ice-
chisels of deer's horns, and their knives of stones
and bones. She told us that their arrows were shod
with a kind of slate, bones, or deer's horns ; and the
instruments which they employed to make their
wooden utensils were nothing but beavers' teeth.
Though they had frequently heard of the useful ma-
terials which the tribes to the east of them were sup-
plied with from the white men, so unwilling were
they to draw nearer for the sake of trading in iron,
that, on the contrary, they retreated further back, to
avoid the Athapuscow Indians, who made terrible
slaughter among them both in winter and summer.

AN INDIAN LODGE.

327

&n Mian HcDge.

The Blackfeet and the Crows, (says Catlin,) like
the Sioux and Asinneboins, have nearly the same
mode of constructing their wigwam or lodge ; in
wnich tribes it is made of buffalo skins sewed to-
gether, after being dressed, and made into the form
of a tent ; supported within by some twenty or thirty
pine poles of twenty-five feet in height, with an apex
or aperture at the top, through which the smoke
escapes and the light is admitted. These lodges, or
tents, are taken down in a few minutes by the squaws,
when they wish to change their location, and easily
transported to any part of the country where they
wish to encamp ; and they generally move some six
or eight times in the course of the summer, following
the immense herds of buffaloes as they range over
these vast plains, from east to west and north to
south. The objects for which they do this are two-
fold: to procure and dress their skins, which are
brought in, in the fall and winter, and sold to the
Fur Company for white man's luxury, and also for
the purpose of killing and drying buffalo meat, which
they bring in from their hunts, packed on their
horses' backs, in great quantities; making pemican
and preserving the marrow-fat for their winter quar-
ters, which are generally taken up in some heavy-
timbered bottom, on the banks of some stream, deop
imbedded within the surrounding bluffs, which break
off the winds and make their long and tedious winter

828

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

tolerable and supportable. They then sometimes
erect their skin-lodges among the timber, and dwell
in them during the winter months ; but more fre-
quently cut logs and make a miserable and rude sort
of log-cabin, in which they can live much warmer
and better protected from the assaults of their ene-
mies, in case they are attacked ; in which case a log-
cabin is a tolerable fort against Indian weapons.

The Crows, of all the tribes in this region, or
on the Continent, make the most beautiful lodges.
They construct them as the Sioux do, and make
them of the same material ; yet they oftentimes
dress the skins of which they are composed al-
most as white as linen, and beautifully garnish
them with porcupine quills, and paint and orna-
ment them in such a variety of ways as renders
them exceedingly picturesque and agreeable to the
eye. I have procured a very beautiful one of this
description, highly ornamented, and fringed with
scalp-locks, and sufficiently large for forty men to
dine under. The poles which support it are about
thirty in number, of pine, and all cut in the Rocky
Mountains, having been some hundred years, perhaps,
in use. This tent, when erected, is about twenty-five
feet high, and has a very pleasing effect, with the
Great or Good Spirit painted on one side, and the
Evil Spirit on the other.

SILOUEE.

329

$0ottff.

There cannot be a more unprincipled and vicious
set of men than the whites who dwell on the bounda-
ries between civilized men and the Indians ; they
rob, murder, and betray them. And in return, taking
a dreadful revenge for many unprovoked attacks, the
Indians frequently destroy, not only their persecutors,
but their whole families with them.

Virginia, so named in honour of Queen Elizabeth,
was first settled by English colonists about two hun-
dred and fifty years ago. On one particular occasion,
Colonel Bird was employed by the English govern-
ment to transact some business with a tribe of Chero-
kee Indians. It unfortunately happened that a short
time before he went among them, some white people
had seized two Indians who had given them some
trifling offence, and had most unjustly put them to
death; and the Indians, naturally made angry at such
an outrage, determined upon taking revenge when-
ever an opportunity should offer.

The wished-for opportunity was now presented by
the appearance of Colonel Bird among them, and pri-
vate consultations were held by their aged men as
to the most effectual means of getting him into their
power, and making him the sacrifice.

Their unfriendly intentions were soon perceived
by Colonel Bird, who, although he was by no means
deficient in courage, felt that he had just cause of
alarm ; for he knew he was in their power, without

42 2 e 2

330

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

neans either of escape or defence. On retiring to
rest, he could not help reflecting that before morning
he might be scalped, or, what was worse, retained
a prisoner to be tortured for their savage amusement.
Several nights were passed in sleepless anxiety, and
in vain endeavours to contrive some plan of escape.

Among the neighbouring Cherokees was one named
Silou£e. Besides being a chief, he was also a cele-
brated pow-wow, or, as we should say, a wizard, or a
conjuror. This man had known Colonel Bird for a
considerable time, and had even eaten with him at
his table. Silouee therefore felt a friendship for the
colonel, and almost every night came to his tent, and
appeared anxious to relieve him. He told him not
to be alarmed, and even assured him that the Indians
should not injure him. This assurance comforted
Colonel Bird in some degree ; but, as Silouee was only
one among many chiefs, he feared that his influence
would not be sufficient to protect him from the vio-
lence of the revengeful savages.

At length a general council of the chiefs and old
men of the tribe was held, and, contrary to Silouee's
expectation, it was determined that Colonel Bird
should be put to death in revenge for the loss of their
countrymen. It was in vain that Silouee earnestly
pleaded for his friend, urging that he had no hand in
the murder of their two countrymen. The unani-
mous decision was against him.

Two warriors were now despatched to Colonel
Bird's tent, to execute the cruel sentence that had
been pronounced against him. Silouee insisted on

SILOUEE.

331

accompanying them. On reaching the tent, Silouee
rushed in before them, threw himself on the bosom of
his friend, and, as soon as the two warriors ap-
proached, he exclaimed, " This man is my friend ;
before you take him, you must kill me."

Overawed by the magnanimous determination of
Silouee, the warriors returned to the council and re-
lated to their brethren what they had seen. Indians
entertain the greatest respect for a faithful friend.
The consultation was renewed. The noble conduct
of Silouee touched their better feelings, and altered
their purpose. They could not put to death a white
man who was the friend of Silouee ; they, therefore,
released Colonel Bird, and bid him go to his home in
peace. Silouee was his guide and protector, and not
till they came in sight of Colonel Bird's tent did he
leave him. As they parted, Silouee's last words to
his friend were, " When you see poor Indian in fear
of death from cruel white men, remember Silouee."

The strong tendency to superstition in the Indian
mind furnishes a powerful inducement to the more
bold and crafty among them to assume the character
of pow-wows, medicine-men, and even prophets.

Every thing among the Indians of great efficacy
and power — in short, every thing that is inexplicable —
is a " medicine," and " medicine-men" are held in
almost as great respect as the warriors and braves.
" Medicine-men" are a sort of jugglers, and they
affect much mystery in preparing and administering
their nostrums. Incredible stories are related of their
powers and performances, many of which we pre-

832

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

sume never took place, except in the imaginations of
the ignorant hunters and trappers who were imposed
on by the dexterity of these audacious quacks.

A medicine is also a charm which every Indian, who
has arrived at the age of manhood, carries about him.
It is usually the dried skin of some animal, such as
a beaver, an otter, a fox, weasel, raven, or some other
bird ; but, whatever it may be, it is preserved by
them with the most superstitious care. In no in-
stance have they been tempted to sell a " medicine"
to the white man, however great the price offered ;
and at their death it is invariably buried with its
owner.

Some years after Colonel Bird's life had been saved
by Silouee, he became a Virginian planter, and took
up his residence near the J ames river, where he cul-
tivated tobacco. Silouee, we have already stated,
was a pow-wow; he retained his friendship for Colonel
Bird, of whom he was now a near neighbour. Like
many of his nation, he had, by his intercourse with
white men, acquired a great taste for " strong wa-
ters," as they call intoxicating spirits, and the dignity
of the chief was often clouded over by drunkenness.
On one occasion, Colonel Bird had gone to another
part of the country, forty or fifty miles distant, on
business, and had left the care of his plantation to
an overseer. The tobacco had obtained some size,
and a long drought coming on, there was a prospect
of the crop being much injured. One day, when Si-
louee came to the plantation, the overseer expressed
great regret that the tobacco was taking so much

SILOQEE.

333

harm ; " indeed," continued he, " it will be entirely
lost, if we have not rain soon."

" Well," said the Indian, " what will you give me
if I bring you rain ?"

" You bring rain ?" said the overseer, laughing.

" Me can," said the Indian. " Give me two bottles
rum — only two, and me bring rain enough."

The overseer cast his eyes towards the heavens,
but could discern no appearance that foretold rain.
To gratify the Indian, he promised to give him the
two bottles of rum when Colonel Bird arrived, in case
the rain should come speedily and save the crop of
tobacco.

Silou^e now fell to pow-wowing with all his might,
making grimaces, contorting his body, and uttering
strange, unintelligible ejaculations.

It was a hot, close day, and it so happened that
towards evening, the sky, which had been clear for
some weeks, clouded over, and the appearance of the
heavens was strongly in favour of rain. Before mid
night, thunder was heard, and heavy showers of rain
watered the colonel's plantation thoroughly ; while it
was remarked that the showers were so partial that
the neighbouring plantations were left almost as dry
as they were before. The Indian waited quietly till
the rain was over, and then walked away. A few
days after, the colonel returned to the plantation, and,
when Silou^e heard of his arrival, he went immedi-
ately to visit him.

" Master Bird," said he, " me come for my two bot-
tles rum."

334

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

" Your two bottles of rum," exclaimed the colonel,
pretending not to know any thing of the matter ;
" pray, do I owe you two bottles of rum ?"

" You do," replied the Indian.

" How so ?" inquired the colonel.

" Me bring you rain — me save your crop," said the
Indian.

" You bring rain," said the colonel ; " no such
thing."

" Me did," persisted the Indian ; " me loved you ;
me tell overseer give two bottles rum, and then me
bring rain. Overseer say he would ; me bring cloud,
then rain ; now me want rum."

" You saw the cloud," said Colonel Bird ; " you are
a sad cheat."

" Me no cheat," said the Indian ; " me saw no cloud ;
me bring cloud."

"Well, well," said the colonel, "you are an old
friend, and you shall have the rum, since you beg so
hard for it. But mind you, it is not for the rain .
The Great Spirit sent the rain, not you."

" Well," said the Indian, "your tobacco had rain
upon it — why others have none ? Answer that, colonel,
if you can."

Although the North American Indians have never
been found idolaters; yet, like all ignorant people,
they are exceedingly superstitious. Some of their
superstitions, connected with religious beliefs, are
very curious, as they bear so much resemblance to the
Mosaic account of the Creation and the Deluge as to
leave hardly a doubt of their having some tradition

SILOUEE.

335

of those events ; but, from the art of writing being
totally unknown among them, the wonder is that any
similarity in the account should have been preserved
through so many ages.

As might be expected, different tribes have their
own peculiar superstitions ; but all agree in the belief
in one All-wise, Supreme Being, whom they call the
Great Spirit, or Master of Life ; that he created the
world and all good things, and that he rewards good
actions, both in this world and in a future life.

Their heaven, or place of reward, they imagine to
be a delightfully warm country, where game of all
kinds is very abundant, and where corn and fruits
grow without the trouble of cultivation.

Their imagined place of punishment is a climate
of extreme cold; barren, and covered with eternal
snows. The torments of this freezing place they de-
scribe as the most excruciating ; but they also believe
that those who go there will suffer for a time propor-
tioned to their transgressions, and that they will then
be admitted into the land of happiness.

Some of the Indian tribes observe an annual reli-
gious ceremony, for which great preparations are made
beforehand. On the appointed morning there ap-
pears at a distance a man whom they recognise by
the name of Nu-mock-muck-a-nah, which means, the
first or only man. He slowly and with great gravity
enters the village, telling the assembled people that
he is just arrived from the West. His body is painted
red ; he is dressed in the skins of white wolves ; his
head-dress is made of ravens' feathers, and in his

336

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

band he carries an enormous pipe. At his approach,
the medicine-lodge, which till then had been most
scrupulously kept shut, is thrown open, and the floor
is seen strewn with green willow branches and the
most fragrant herbs that can be collected. It is like-
wise whimsically ornamented with buffalo and human
sculls.

The first man now proceeds to every lodge or wig-
wam that composes the village, and demands from
each a knife, an axe, or some such tool ; and these
are readily given to be sacrificed ; " for, with these
things," say they, " the great canoe was built."

These articles are then deposited in the medicine-
lodge, with profound veneration, until the ceremonies
are all over, and they are then sacrificed by being
thrown into the water.

At sunrise, on the following morning, Nu-mock-
muck-arnah opens and enters the medicine-lodge ; a
number of young men follow him, who, after lying
on the floor in perfect silence and fasting till their
strength is almost exhausted, voluntarily submit to
the most cruel tortures, during which several annu-
ally perish ; but those who survive are recompensed
by having acquired the honourable title of " Braves,"
and the hope of this distinction enables them to en-
dure the most agonizing pain without flinching.

The conductor of the ceremonies now enters the
lodge. He is painted yellow, and wears a cap of buf-
falo skin ; he receives the great pipe from the first
man, who immediately leaves the lodge and returns
to the West, not to make his appearance again till
the next annual celebration.

SILOUEE.

337

During the first three days, there is a great va-
riety of dances and curious songs and ceremonies per-
formed in front of the medicine-lodge, by persons fan-
tastically dressed and painted for the occasion. They
are performed round an elevated mound of earth,
about six feet in diameter, and as many in height, on
the top of which is placed with the greatest venera-
tion a model of " the great canoe."

The principal actors in this scene are eight persons *
variously painted and nearly naked, but all carrying
wreaths of willow in their hands ; the season when
this interesting ceremony takes place being uniformly
as soon as this tree is in full leaf ; for the Indians
Bay that " the twig which the dove brought to the great
canoe had leaves upon it" They consider this bird as
sacred, and never attempt to destroy it.

On the third day, in the midst of all this dancing
and festivity, the village appears to be suddenly
thrown into the utmost confusion by the approach of
a man who is seen running about apparently in great
trouble. He is naked and painted black, with the
exception of his face, which is frightfully daubed
with red and white. He is called by the Indians the
"Evil Spirit" He runs from lodge to lodge, and be-
haves with the greatest rudeness to all whom he
meets ; but he is constantly frustrated in his evil de-
signs by the conductor, who thrusts his great pipe be-
tween him and those whom he assails. At length he
is fairly driven out, and the village is again restored
to tranquillity.

* The numbers of persons who went into the ark.
43 a *

338

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

The buffalo hunt is, next to an Indian battle, the
most intensely exciting scene which may be witnessed
among the wilds of the West. To the buffalo, the
Indian looks for food, for clothing, and for religious
and household implements. The hunting of that ani-
mal he regards as a duty as well as a pleasure ; and
when once it is rumoured through a village that a herd
of buffaloes is in sight, then warriors who have faced
death in a hundred forms bring out their swiftest
horses and spring upon them ; and when the whole
party rushes across the field to engage the bellowing
herd, a scene is presented for which it would be vain
to look for a parallel, not merely amid the tame for-
malities of civilized life, but even among the deserts
and cane-brakes of Africa or the jungles of India.

The Indians have several methods of attacking
buffaloes. The most exciting, as well as most danger-
ous one, is that in which they surround the herd for

A BUFFALO HUNT.

341

the purpose of destroying it. The hunters, well
mounted on their buffalo horses, and armed with bows
and arrows or long lances, divide themselves into two
columns, take opposite directions, and at the distance
of a mile or more draw gradually around the herd,
and having formed a circle, close upon their prey at
regular distances. On perceiving the danger, the
herd run in the opposite direction, but the horsemen
rush in full speed to their front, and by brandishing
their weapons and yelling, they turn the dense mass
in an opposite direction. Here they are met and
foiled in a similar manner. By this means, the hun-
ters soon unite their parties, thus forming a continu-
ous line around the herd. By this time the buffaloes
are wheeling about in a crowded and confused mass,
wounding and climbing upon each other. Then the
work of death commences. Galloping round and
round, the fierce hunters drive their arrows and
lances to the hearts of their trembling victims. Some-
times the animals, infuriated by deadly wounds, plunge
furiously forward, and, bearing down horse and rider,
gore and crush the former, while the Indian escapes
by running. Sometimes the herd suddenly divides
into two; and the horsemen, blinded by clouds of dust,
are wedged in among the crowding beasts, when their
only chance of escape is to leap over the backs of the
herd, leaving the horses to their fate. Occasionally a
buffalo selects a particular horseman and pursues him
at full speed, until, when stooping to lift the horse
upon his horns, he receives in the side the warrior's
shaft. Some of the Indians, when pursued, throw

S42

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

their buffalo robe over the horns and eyes of the in-
furiated animal, and dashing by its side, drive their
weapon to its heart. Others suddenly dash off upon
the prairies in pursuit of the few who have separated
from the throng. These are soon brought down. In
a few minutes the hunt is changed into a desperate
battle, and gradually the whole mass of buffaloes
sink in death.

A new scene immediately succeeds the work of car-
nage. The hunters, leading their horses by the bridle,
move among the dead and dying animals, and draw-
ing the weapons from their sides, claim their prey by
the private marks on the arrows. " Among the poor
affrighted creatures (says an eye-witness to one of
these scenes) that has occasionally dashed through the
ranks of their enemy, and sought safety in flight upon
the prairie, I saw them stand a while looking back,
when they turned, and as if bent on their own de-
struction, retraced their steps and mingled themselves
and their deaths with those of the dying throng.
Others had fled to a distance on the prairies, and for
want of company had stood and gazed on until the
battle scene was over, when they fell easy victims to
the pursuer's weapons."

After all the animals have been claimed, the war-
riors hold a council, and, after smoking a few pipes,
ride into their village to announce the result. Of
course every thing is there in commotion, and soon
long processions of dogs and women issue forth, skin
and cut up the prey, and return amid loud acclama-
tions to their homes.

SUFFERINGS OF BARD's FAMILY. 343

jbufferir.g* of Captain sftarfc'* .^air.tlg.

The cruelty of the Indians to their captives taken
in war is proverbial. A detail of the tortures which
they formerly inflicted upon such, would shock and
sicken the modern reader. Happily these atrocities are
now much less common than formerly, even among
the tribes which still retain their primitive strength
and independence. The silent, but powerful influence
of association or intercourse with the whites has not
failed to produce a gratifying effect ; while the com-
paratively small number of wars among different
tribes tends to render them more friendly in peace,
more humane in war. But when the entire tract from
the Alleghanies to the Pacific swarmed with fierce
and populous tribes, embroiled in endless wars with
each other, and possessing nothing in common, save
hatred to the English settlers, the sufferings endured
by the unfortunates who fell into Indian hands were
indeed dreadful. Perhaps no States suffered more
than Virginia and Pennsylvania. The history of our
western counties, Alleghany, Westmoreland, Bedford,
and others, is one continuous narrative of massacre,
conflagration, and devastation.

The family of Richard Bard resided on the Carroll
tract, in Adams county. On the 13th of April, 1758,
his house was attacked by nineteen Delaware Indians.
Bard and his wife, two children, a servant boy, and
Lieutenant Potter, a relative, were within. As the
foremost Indians rushed in, one of them aimed a blow

344

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

at Potter with a large cutlass; this he dodged and
wrested the weapon from the owner. Bard snapped
a pistol, which alarmed the savages, and they retreated
from the house. But the odds were so great that
Bard, fearing they would fire the house, surrendered.
Two other men and a hoy were taken in a field, and
the Indians, having plundered the house and fired the
adjoining mill, set out on their return.

By this time the neighbourhood had become alarmed,
and a party of white men were forming to pursue the
savages. Aware of this, the latter hurried their re-
treat toward the Alleghanies. Now the sufferings of
the prisoners began. At a little distance from the
house, Potter was killed and scalped ; soon after the
smaller child was tomahawked and scalped. One of
the men found in the field shared a like fate. The
remaining prisoners were hurried through forests and
over mountains, and subjected to every extreme of
toil and hunger. A council was held to determine
upon Bard's fate. At its close one half of his face was
painted red, to indicate that the warriors were equally
divided respecting his fate. Toward evening he was
employed with his wife in picking a turkey. At this
time some of the Indians were lying down, and others
amusing themselves with articles of dress. Bard re-
solved on attempting an escape, and communicated
the design to his wife. Soon after being sent to a
spring for water, he effected his purpose, while Mrs.
Bard amused the Indians with one of her gowns
After an unsuccessful search, they proceeded to fort
Duquesne and thence down the river to Kuskusky.

SUFFERINGS OF BARD'S FAMILY. 345

Here the Indians pulled and scratched the faces of
Mrs. Bard and her children, and then beat them in
an unmerciful manner. Daniel Mc Mammy, one of
the captured men, was detained outside the town.
The Indians surrounded him, beat him with sticks
and tomahawks, tied him to a post, tortured him with
burning coals and scalped him. They passed red-hot
gun barrels over his body, and stabbed him with
bayonets heated to fusing until he expired.

After this tragedy the Indians separated Mrs. Bard
from her children, and carried her into one of their
councils. Two squaws approached and struck her on
the face ; but this insult was condemned by the war-
riors as a breach of decorum. A chief took her by
the hand, and delivered her to two Indians as a sub-
stitute for a deceased sister. She lived as such about
a month, and was then taken to the head waters of
the Susquehanna. The journey was so fatiguing that
she was taken sick, and remained so nearly two months.
She remained in captivity two years and five months,
when she was ransomed, together with her children,
by Mr. Bard. He, after effecting his escape, had wan-
dered about from one settlement to another, in quest
of his wife ; and on more than one occasion narrowly
escaped death from the Indians. He afterwards lived
on friendlv terms with one of the Indians who had
acted as brother to his wife.

346

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

Among the first tribes of the Great Oregon Terri-
tory, which established friendly intercourse with the
United States traders, were the Omahas. The boast
of these Indians was a chief named Blackbird, who
was a steadfast friend of the white men and the ter-
ror of the neighbouring hostile tribes. Such were
his skill, courage, and success in war, that friends and
foes regarded him as enchanted. He delighted in
trials of strength or agility, in which he always came
off victorious. In addition to these qualities, he pos-
sessed a secret which rendered him more than human
in the eyes of his barbarous followers. This was an
acquaintance with the properties of arsenic, which he
had obtained from a white trader. Whenever he was
displeased with an Indian, he prophesied his death
before a certain day, and the sure accomplishment of
the prophecy rendered Blackbird an object of terror
and reverence.

On one occasion the Poncas made an incursion into
Blackbird's territory, and carried away a number of
women and horses. He immediately collected his
warriors and pursued them. The Poncas sheltered
themselves behind a rude embankment, but their per-
severing enemy, gaining a good position, poured upon
them a well-directed fire, which did fearful execu-
tion. The Ponca chief despatched a herald with the
calumet, but he was immediately shot; a second
herald experienced the same treatment. The chief-

BLACKBIRD.

347

tain's daughter, a young maiden of much personal
beauty, then appeared before the stern foe, dressed
with exquisite taste, and bearing the calumet. Black-
bird's heart softened, he accepted the sacred emblem,
and concluded a peace with his enemy. The pledge
given and received was the beautiful Ponca maiden,
as wife to the fierce chieftain of Omaha.

For the first time the heart of Blackbird felt the
genial influence of love. He loved the young crea-
ture who had saved her tribe, with all the ardour of
untutored nature. But he was still a savage, and
sometimes ungovernable bursts of rage would trans-
port him beyond all bounds of affection or decency.
In one of these, his beloved wife unwittingly offended
him. He instantly drew his knife and laid her dead
with a single blow. The dreadful deed calmed him
in a moment. For a little while he looked at the
beautiful corpse in stupid grief, and then, with his
head wrapped in his robe, he sat down beside it. He
ate no food, spake no word for three days. The re-
monstrances of his people were received with silence,
and no one dared to uncover his face. At length one
of them brought in a small child, and placed the foot
of the unhappy warrior on its neck. Blackbird was
moved by the significant appeal, and throwing aside
his robe, he arose and delivered an oration.

The Omaha tribe were greatly thinned by small-
pox, and to this loathsome disease their great chief-
tain fell victim. His dying request was bold and fan-
ciful. Near the source of the Missouri is a high soli-
tary rock, round which the river winds in a nearly

348

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

circular direction, and which commands a view of the
adjacent country for many miles around. There Black-
bird had often sat to watch for the canoes of the white
traders, and there it was his dying request to be
buried. He was to be mounted upon his horse, com-
pletely armed, so as to overlook his lands, and watch
for the coming boat of the white men. His orders
were obeyed ; and on that same high promontory, over
the tomb of the Indian warrior was raised his national
banner, capped with the scalps which he had taken
in battle. Of course the Indians regard the rock with
superstitious reverence, and have their own stories of
the scenes which occasionally take place on and
around it.

This ceremony seems to be peculiar to the Assin-
neboin Indians. A small fire is made on a hard-trod-
den pavement in front of the village, and round this
the dancers, generally young men, collect — each
seated upon a buffalo robe spread on the ground.
The presiding genius is a chief, sometimes a medicine-
man, who, with a long pipe in his hand, seats him-
self by the fire, and smokes with a fervour and per-
severance worthy the dignity of an Indian ceremony.
Occasionally he harmonizes the surrounding uproar by
a song uttered in half-strangled gutturals, intelligible
only to himself. Meanwhile, an equally august per-

ESCAPE FROM TORTURE.

351

sonage beats on a drum, modifying its music by a
song, wholly independent of the pipe-smokers. In a
little while, one of the young men leaps from the
ground, and, while singing in time with the taps of the
drum, leaps about off of one foot and on to the other
in the most violent manner. In this way he goes
round the circle several times, brandishing his fists in
the face of each one seated, and at length jerking one
of them forcibly to his feet. Both now dance and
sing, until at length another is dragged out, who, in
his turn, drags another. The whole party then join
in frightful yells, and gesticulations so violent that
the earth seems to shake under their feet. Mean-
while, the master of ceremonies sits with the utmost
coolness, puffing clouds of smoke, and merrily grunt-
ing his inimitable song. The dance usually lasts
nearly an hour, and closes with piercing yells and
barkings, like those uttered by frightened dogs.

Sssftap* from Soctact.

A renowned Muscoghee warrior, named Old
Scranny, was taken prisoner by the Shawanoe war-
riors and condemned to the fiery torture. After beat-
ing him with their customary barbarity, he was tied
to a stake and subjected to the most exquisite suffer-
ings. These he bore with entire unconcern ; at the
same time returning the taunts of his persecutors

352

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

with all the scorn of an Indian warrior. He called
them squaws and old women ; told them that his
fame in his own nation, which was great, had all
been achieved at their expense ; that they knew not
how to die, and he longed to teach them. He con-
fessed that, through some impurity or other, he had
forfeited the protection of the Great Spirit, and de-
served to die ; but that he still retained virtue suffi-
cient to enable him to punish himself much more
effectually than they could. This he engaged to
prove, if they would release him and hand him one
of the hot gun-barrels out of the fire. The proposal
was rendered more bold by his manner of making it ;
and the curiosity of the Indians being excited, they
agreed to grant him an opportunity.

He was not slow in furnishing an exhibition of his
skill. No sooner had he laid hold of the gun-barrel,
then, brandishing it from side to side, he forced his
way through the armed but astonished multitude,
leaped dowrn a high, steep precipice into the river,
dived through it, ran over a small island, passed an-
other bank, amid a shower of bullets from the garri-
son at New Windsor, and gained a thick bramble
bush, where he remained secure. From this he soon
after started ; and, though numbers of his eager ene-
mies were in pursuit, he succeeded in reaching his
own tribe. He was ever afterwards a terrible scourge
to the Shawanoes.

PERILOUS ADVENTURE OF CAPTAIN BRADY. 858

3P?rilou0 ftftftgnture of Captain Bra&g.

In the days when there were more red men than
white in western Pennsylvania, little parties, each
under a favourite leader, were frequently sent into
the woods as rangers, to guard against surprise. One
of these, commanded by Captain Samuel Brady, was
sent into " French Creek country," in Butler county.
On reaching the waters of Slippery Bock, a branch
of the Beaver, he discovered an Indian trail, and pur-
sued it until dark. On the following morning, he
recommenced the pursuit, and came up with the In-
dians while they were seated at breakfast. He im-
mediately fired. Suddenly he also received a fire
from the rear ; and now perceived, for the first time,
that he had himself been pursued by a second party
of Indians. He was now between two parties. The
battle cry of those in the rear was fiercely answered
by those in front. Two of his men fell at the first
fire, and his own tomahawk was shot from his
side. There being no chance of successful defence,
Brady's men fled in all directions. The captain was
well known to the Indians as one of their most dan-
gerous foes, and, thirsting for revenge, they passed by
his men so as to secure him. The country was un-
known to him, and he unconsciously took the road
to the creek, the channel of which ran between deep
and precipitous banks, twenty-three feet apart. Sure
of securing their enemy, the Indians uttered a yell

354

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

of triumph as, throwing down their guns, they seized
their tomahawks and bent forward to the chase.

The captain had, long before this, resolved, as a
rule of conduct, never to be captured by the Indians.
On observing the creek, he comprehended at a glance
what was his only chance of escape, and, summoning
his every effort, he sprang toward the opposite shore.
A moment after, the Indians arrived to see their prey
on the bank coolly loading his rifle. " Brady make
good jump," exclaimed the chief, as he darted away
in a zigzag course to avoid the captains fire. Soon
after, Brady met his remaining three men at a place
previously appointed, and the little party set out for
Pittsburgh. Three Indians had been seen to fall by
their first fire.

jbiorg of Jnbian 35Wb*nge.

Narratives of revenge and bloodshed should be
interesting to an enlightened mind only so far as, by
illustrating human nature, they may be rendered
effectual in reforming it. The morbid mind, which
can dwell upon scenes of horror only for the purposes
of curiosity and amusement, might, if divested of the
restraints of civilized society, join the untutored sa-
vage in his war-whoop and scalp-dance. The intrin-
sic difference between the wild red man and the edu-
cated white man lies not so much in the training of
the head as of the heart; and, while we condemn

STORY OF INDIAN REVENGE. 355

the former for his cruelty and thirst for revenge, it
would be well for us to beware of imbibing an appe-
tite of mere curiosity for the narratives in which such
characteristics are set. forth.

In September, 1823, an Indian, named Abraham
Antone, was executed for murder in Madison county,
New York. The history of this individual is a pic-
ture of some of the darkest passions of human na-
ture. He never forgot an injury, and never failed to
avenge one. When angry, his appearance was fright-
ful. One evening, on entering his wigwam, he found his
child, about five months old, crying. Snatching it from
the mother's arms, he buried it in a bed of hot coals,
accompanying the action with expressions which
made even the Indian mother tremble. In 1810, his
daughter Mary became attached to a young man,
member of another tribe, but who soon left her for a
more agreeable partner. Nature had bequeathed to
Mary a portion of her fathers disposition. She visited
her rival, stabbed her to the heart, and was executed
at Smithfield. A gentleman, named Jacobs, who had
been active in her arrest, was the principal witness
against her. Antone threatened to kill him, and Ja-
cobs, knowing that such a promise from his enemy
was never compromised, left the county. Thus foiled,
the Indian changed his tactics, acknowledged the in-
justice of his former threat, and invited his victim to
return. He did return, and had an interview with
Antone, while hoeing corn with a number of men in a
field. The Indian grasped his hand, exclaiming
" How d ye do, brother," and stabbed him three times

356

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

under the ribs with a long knife, which lie held in
his sleeve. Before the bystanders could recover fram
their horror, he uttered a loud yell and bounded
away. That night a party of Indians set out in pur-
suit of him. He had encamped in a thick copse
of underbrush, and was provided with dogs to give
alarm if any one approaohed. In his rear he had,
with much labour, cut a path in the almost impassa-
ble thicket. The plan completely succeeded — An-
tone fleeing through the narrow path at the first
alarm and effecting his escape. Soon after a party
of about thirty white men and Indians traced him to
a second hiding-place; but again he succeeded in
escaping. After this he went constantly armed with
a rifle, two or three knives, and, as was supposed, a
brace of pistols. Besides, he was generally accom-
panied by his two sons, well armed, and one or two
of his brothers. On one occasion two large Indians,
having ascertained that Antone was alone, repaired
to his camp for the purpose of capturing him. He
was making a broom ; but, hearing a rustling at the
entrance of the thicket, he quickly seized his rifle,
and, as the foremost entered, pointed it toward him,
declaring that' if he advanced a step further he would
shoot him dead. They stopped, and, after parleying
for some time, withdrew. His rifle was unloaded!
The adventure increased his recklessness. He boasted
of having scared two Indians with an empty rifle,
and at length passed through the towns and villages
in open^lay.

At his trial he pleaded not guilty. The witnesses

MANDAN BULL DANCE.

357

against him were principally Indians ; but their tes-
timony was baven with carefulness and precision, and
the evidence was conclusive. His counsel rested the
defence on the ground that New York had no crimi-
nal jurisdiction over the Indian tribes within her ter-
ritory ; but this the court overruled, and Antone was
sentenced to be hanged on Friday, September 12, 1823.
In his character, the evils of savage life and of jivil-
ized society were blended, while, apparently, he was
destitute of the manly virtues of the one, and of the
softening influence of the other.

JMatifoan 3MI Dane*,

The Bull Dance is one of the great religious
ceremonies of the Mandans, preparatory to the cruel
ordeal through which their young men pass before
they are admitted to the dignity of braves. These
religious rites are held annually, and the inhabitants
of each village look forward to their return with deep
interest. The occasion brings together men, women,
and children, and such is the effect of superstition, ■
that the stoutest warriors tremble on account of the
evil influence which at that time is supposed to per-
vade the air. The great mystery lodge is opened,
strown with herbs and boughs alid adorned with
groupes of buffalo and of human skulls. During the
first day a mysterious personage, known as the First

858

THRILLING ADVENTURES

or only man, passes from one lodge to another, relating
the sad catastrophe which had happened on the earth's
surface by the overflowing of the waters, and affirm-
ing " that he was the only person saved from the uni-
versal calamity; that he landed his big canoe on a
high mountain in the west, where he now resides, that
he had come to open the medicine lodge which must
needs receive a present of some edged tool from the
owner of every wigwam, that it may be sacrificed to
the water, for if this is not done there will be another
flood, and no one will be saved, as it was with such
tools that the big canoe was made." The tool is
always given, and deposited in the medicine lodge.
During the night, no one is able to ascertain where
this strange being sleeps ; all living things are kept
within doors, and dead silence reigns throughout the
village. On the following morning he again appears,
followed by the young men who are candidates for
torture, and who, with their leader, enter the medicine
lodge. Here they remain for four days, fasting and
praying to the Great Spirit. During this period they
are cut off from intercourse with the villages, and
meanwhile, the Bull Dance takes place outside. The
ceremony is thus described by Catlin

u This very curious and exceedingly grotesque part
of their performance, one of the avowed objects for
which they held this annual fete ; and to the strictest
observance of which they attribute the coming of
buffaloes to supply them with food during the season —
is repeated four times during the first day, eight times
on the second day, twelve times on the third day, and

MANDAN BULL DANCE.

361

sixteen times on the fourth day ; and always around
the curb, or 6 big canoe,' of which I have before spoken.

" The principal actors in it were eight men, with
the entire skins of buffaloes thrown over their backs,
with the horns and hoofs and tails remaining on; their
bodies in a horizontal position, enabling them to imi-
tate the actions of the buffalo, whilst they were look-
ing out of its eyes as through a mask.

" The bodies of these men were chiefly naked, and
all painted in the most extraordinary manner, with
the nicest adherence to exact similarity ; their limbs,
bodies, and faces, being in every part covered, either
with black, red, or white paint. Each one of these
strange characters had also a lock of buffalo's hair
tied around his ancle — in his right hand a rattle, and
a slender white rod or staff, six feet long, in the other ;
and carried on his back, a bunch of green willow
boughs, about the usual size of a bundle of straw.
These eight men, being divided into four pairs, took
their positions on the four different sides of the curb
or big canoe, representing thereby the four cardinal
points ; and between each group of them, with the
back turned to the big canoe, was another figure, en-
gaged in the same dance, keeping step with them,
with a similar staff or wand in one hand and a rattle
in the other, and (being four in number) answering
again to the four cardinal points. The bodies of these
four young men were chiefly naked, with no other
dress upon them than a beautiful kelt or quartz-quaw,
around the waist, made of eagles' quills and ermine,
and very splendid head-dresses made of the sam

46 2 H

362

THRILLING ADVENTURE8.

materials. Two of these figures were painted en-
tirely black with pounded charcoal and grease, whom
they called the i firmament or night/ and the numer-
ous white spots which were dotted all over their bodies,
they called 1 stars.' The other two were painted from
head to foot as red as vermilion could make them ;
these they said represented the day, and the white
streaks which were painted up and down over their
bodies, were 'ghosts which the morning rays were
chasing away/

" This most remarkable scene, then, which is wit-
nessed more or less often on each day, takes place in
presence of the whole nation, who are generally
gathered around, on the tops of the wigwams or other-
wise, as spectators, whilst the young men are reclin-
ing and fasting in the lodge as above described. On
the first day, this 6 bull dance is given once to each
of the cardinal points, and the medicine-man smokes
his pipe in those directions. On the second day,
twice to each ; three times to each on the third day,
and four times to each on the fourth. As a signal for
the dancers and other characters (as well as the pub-
lic) to assemble, the old man, master of ceremonies,
with the medicine-pipe in hand, dances out of the
lodge, singing (or rather crying) forth a most pitiful
lament, until he approaches the big canoe, against
which he leans, with the pipe in his hand, and con-
tinues to cry. At this instant, four very aged and
patriarchal looking men, whose bodies are painted red,
and who have been guarding the four sides of the
lodge, enter it and bring out the four sacks of water,

MANDAN BULL DANCE.

363

which they place near the big canoe, where they seat
themselves by the side of them and commence thump-
ing on them with the mallets or drum sticks which
have been lying on them; and another brandishes
and shakes the eeh-na-dees or rattles, and all unite to
them their voices, raised to the highest pitch possible,
as the music for the bull dance, which is then com-
menced and continued for fifteen minutes or more in
perfect time, and without cessation or intermission.
When the music and dancing stop, which are always
perfectly simultaneous, the whole nation raise the
huzza ! and a deafening shout of approbation ; the
master of ceremonies dances back to the medicine-
lodge, and the old men return to their former place ;
the sacks of water, and all rest as before, until by the
same method they are again called into a similar
action.

" The supernumeraries or other characters who
play their parts in this grand spectacle are numerous
and well worth description. By the side of the big
canoe are seen two men with the skins of grizzly bears
thrown over them, using the skins as a mask, ovei
their heads. These ravenous animals are continually
growling and threatening to devour every thing before
them, and interfering with the forms of their religious
ceremony. To appease them, the women are con-
tinually bringing and placing before them dishes of
meat, which are as often snatched up and carried to
the prairie, by two men whose bodies are painted
black and their heads white, whom they call bald
eagles, who are darting by them and grasping their

3G4

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

food from before them as they pass. These are again
chased upon the plains by a hundred or more small
boys, who are naked, with their bodies painted yellow
and their heads white, whom they call Cabris or ante-
lopes ; who at length get the food away from them and
devour it; thereby inculcating (perhaps) the beauti-
ful moral, that by the dispensations of Providence, his
bountiful gifts will fall at last to the hands of the in-
nocent.

" During each and every one of these dances, the old
men who beat upon the sacks and sing, are earnestly
chanting forth their supplications to the Great Spirit,
for the continuation of his influence in sending them
buffaloes to supply them with food during the year;
they are administering courage and fortitude to the
young men in the lodge, by telling them, that 6 the
Great Spirit has opened his ears in their behalf — that
the very atmosphere all about them is peace — that
their women and children can hold the mouth of the
grizzly bear — that they have invoked from day to
day O-ke-hee-de (the evil spirit) — that they are still
challenging him to come, and yet he has not dared to
make his appearance P

" But alas ! in the last of these dances, on the fourth
day, in the midst of all their mirth and joy, and about
noon, and in the height of all these exultations, an
instant scream burst forth from the tops of the lodges !
— men, women, dogs and all, seemed actually to howl
and shudder with alarm, as they fixed their glaring
eye-balls upon the prairie bluff, about a mile in the
west, down the side of which a man was seen des-

MAN DAN BULL DANCE.

305

cending at full speed towards the village ! This
strange character darted about in a zig-zag course in
all directions on the prairie, like a boy in pursuit of a
butterfly, until he approached the piquets of the vil-
lage, when it was discovered that his body was entirely
naked, and painted as black as a negro, with pounded
charcoal an<J bear's grease ; his body was therefore
everywhere of a shining black, except occasionally
white rings of an inch or more in diameter, which
were marked here and there all over him ; and fright-
ful indentures of white around his mouth, resembling
canine teeth. ' Added to his hideous appearance, he
gave the most frightful shrieks and screams as he
dashed through the village and entered the terrified
group, which was composed (in that quarter) chiefly
of females, who had assembled to witness the amuse-
ments which were transpiring around the 6 big canoe/
" This unearthly-looking creature carried in his two
hands a wand or staff of eight or nine feet in length,
with a red ball at the end of it, which he continually
slid on the ground a-head of him as he ran. All eyes
in the village, save those of the persons engaged in
the dance, were centred upon him, and he made a
desperate rush towards the women, who screamed for
protection as they were endeavouring to retreat ; and
falling in groups upon each other as they were
struggling to get out of his reach. In this moment
of general terror and alarm there was an instant
check ! and all for a few moments were as silent as
death.

" The old master of ceremonies, who had run from

366

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

his position at the big canoe, had met this monster of
fiends, and having thrust the medicine-pipe before him,
held him still and immovable under his charm!
This check gave the females an opportunity to get
out of his reach, and when they were free from their
danger, though all hearts beat yet with the instant
excitement, their alarm soon cooled down into the
most exorbitant laughter and shouts of applause at
his sudden defeat, and the awkward and ridiculous
posture in which he was stopped and held. The old
man was braced stiff by his side, with hrs eye-balls
glaring him in the face, whilst the medicine-pipe held
in its mystic chains his Satanic Majesty, annulling
all the powers of his magical wand, and also depriv-
ing him of the power of locomotion ! Surely no two
human beings ever presented a more striking group
than these two individuals did for a few moments,
with their eye-balls set in direst mutual hatred upon
each other; both struggling for the supremacy, relying
on the potency of their medicine or mystery. The
one held in check, with his body painted black, repre-
senting (or rather assuming to be) his sable majesty,
O-kee-hee-de, (the evil spirit,) frowning vengeance on
the other, who sternly gazed him back with a look of
exultation and contempt, as he held him in check and
disarmed under the charm of his sacred mystery-pipe.

" When the superior powers of the medicine-pipe
(on which hang all these annual mysteries) had been
thus fully tested and acknowledged, and the women had
had requisite time to withdraw from the reach of this
fiendish monster, the pipe was very gradually with-

\ A.NDAN BULL DANCE.

367

drawn from before him, and he seemed delighted to
recover the use of his limbs again, and power of
changing his position from the exceedingly unpleas-
ant and really ridiculous one he appeared in, and was
compelled to maintain, a few moments before; ren-
dered more superlatively ridiculous and laughable,
from the further information, which I am constrained
to give, of the plight in which this demon of terror
and vulgarity made his entree into the midst of the
Mandan village, and to the centre and nucleus of their
first and greatest religious ceremony. * * * *

" In this plight he pursued the groups of females,
spreading dismay and alarm wherever he went, and
consequently producing the awkward and exceedingly
laughable predicament in which he was placed by the
sudden check from the medicine-pipe, as I have above
stated, when all eyes were intently fixed upon him,
and all joined in rounds of applause for the success
of the magic spell that was placed upon him; all
voices were raised in shouts of satisfaction at his de-
feat, and all eyes gazed upon him ; of chiefs and of
warriors — matrons and even of their tender-aged and
timid daughters, whose education had taught them to
receive the moral of these scenes without the shock of
impropriety, that would have startled a more fastidi
ous and consequently sensual-thinking people.

"After repeated attempts thus made, and thus de-
feated in several parts of the crowd, this blackened
monster was retreating over the ground where the
buffalo-dance was going on, and having swaggered
against one of the men placed under the skin of a

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

buffalo and engaged in the i bull dance/ he started
back, and placed himself in the attitude of a buffalo.

" After this he paid his visits to three others of the
eight, in succession, receiving as before the deafening
shouts of approbation which pealed from every mouth
in the multitude, who were all praying to the Great
Spirit to send them buffaloes to supply them with
food during the season, and who attribute the coming
of buffaloes for this purpose entirely to the strict and
critical observance of this ridiculous and disgusting
part of the ceremonies.

"During the half hour or so that he had been
jostled about amongst men and beasts, to the great
amusement and satisfaction of the lookers-on, he
seemed to have become exceedingly exhausted, and
anxiously looking out for some feasible mode of
escape.

" In this awkward predicament he became the
laughing-stock and butt for the women, who being no
longer afraid of him, were gathering in groups around,
to tease and tantalize him ; and in the midst of this
dilemma, which soon became a very sad one — one of
the women, who stole up behind him with both hands
full of yellow dirt — dashed it into his face and eyes,
and all over him, and his body being covered with
grease, took instantly a different hue. He seemed
heart-broken at this signal disgrace, and commenced
trying most vehemently, when another caught his
:cand from his hand, and broke it across her knee. It
was snatched for by others, who broke it still into
bits, and then threw them at him. His power was

SCENE IN AN INDIAN COUNCIL. 369

now gone — his bodily strength was exhausted, and he
made a bolt for the prairie — he dashed through the
crowd, and made his way through the piquets on the
back part of the village, where were placed for the
purpose, an hundred or more women and girls, who
escorted him as he ran on the prairie for half a mile
or more, beating him with sticks, and stones, and dirt,
and kicks, and cuffs, until he was at length seen
escaping from their clutches, and making the best of
his retreat over the prairie bluffs, from whence he first
appeared." With this the bull dance terminated.

Jugular Jbcnte fa an Inftfon HfywfXL

An institution among the Indians, similar to one
among the ancient Jews, rendered it the duty of the
nearest relative of a murdered man to pursue and
punish the murderer. If he was a member of another
tribe, one from its number was chosen to satisfy the
demands of justice. Such an atonement being re-
quisite to the happiness of the deceased warrior in the
world of spirits, was considered more as a religious
duty than an act of revenge. The following anecdote
forcibly illustrates this custom, together with an in-
novation of it rarely permitted among Indians.

About the year 1780, an Indian had been murdered
in Westmoreland county, New York, by some un-
known white man. The chiefs met in council at
Oneida, to determine what was to be done. One of

370

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

the early settlers in the county was a Mr. Dean, who
feeling curious, perhaps alarmed, at the proceedings
around him, continued, through the friendship of an
Indian, to obtain knowledge of their consultations.
It by no means satisfied him; since from the
office he held (judge of county courts) and his high
standing among the white men, the chiefs urged that
he was the proper one to make atonement. But he
had been adopted by them as a son, and many of the
warriors argued that this circumstance would nullify
the virtue of the sacrifice. For several days the
matter was debated without being decided. His
friendly informant apprized him of all that was done,
and he continued to hope for the best. An effort to
escape would have exposed him, with his wife and
children, to certain destruction. He adopted the pre-
caution of concealing from his family all knowledge
of his situation, and as the council remained in ses-
sion his hopes of escape brightened. They were vain.
One night after retiring to rest, he heard the war-
whoop, and then for the first time intimated to his
wife that he feared a party was approaching to take
his life. After exhorting her to remain quiet with
the children, he went to an adjoining chamber, ad-
mitted the Indians and seated them in the outer room.
They numbered eighteen, and were the principal men
of the tribe. After a short interval, the senior chief
arose and informed the judge that they had come to
sacrifice him for their dead brother, and that he must
prepare to die. To this disagreeable piece of infor-
mation he replied at length, affirming that as he was

SCENE IN AN INDIAN COUNCIL. 371

an adopted son of the tribe, it would be wrong to re-
quire his blood for the wrong committed by a wicked
white man, that he was not ready to die, that he could
not leave his wife and children unprovided for, &c
The council listened with profound gravity and atten-
tion, and after he had finished, one of the chiefs re-
plied. The debate continued a long while, but evi-
dently little to the judge's favour. When about re-
signing himself to his doom, the noise of footsteps
was heard, and suddenly a squaw entered. She was
wife to the senior chief and the foster parent of the
unfortunate white man. Though her entrance into a
solemn council was entirely repugnant to all Indian
notions of propriety, yet she was permitted to take her
place in silence. Immediately after, another squaw
entered, and she was as soon followed by another. Each
of the three stood closely wrapped in a blanket, but
said nothing. After a long pause, the presiding war-
rior bade them be .gone. The wife replied that the
council must change its determination, and leave her
adopted son, the good white man, alone. The com-
mand was repeated. Suddenly each of the women,
throwing aside her blanket, brandished a knife and
declared that if the sentence were executed, she would
plunge it into her bosom. So strange a scene amazed
even Indians ; they regarded the unheard of pro-
cedure of a woman's interfering with a national coun-
cil as an interposition of the Great Spirit. The will
of their deity was implicitly obeyed, the decree re-
versed on the spot, and the judge dismissed with
honour.

372

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

Warrattfc* cf an SscEp? froa tyt Entrtar.*.

The following is a narrative of Major Moses Van
Campen, a member of the American army during the
Revolution, and quarter-master to General Sullivan
during the expedition of that officer against the In-
dian towns of the Genesee, in 1779. He distinguished
himself in several skirmishes at Newtown and Hog
Back Hill, and with his brother was famous in the
border wars of the Susquehanna. The account of
his captivity is given in his own words : —

On the return of the army, I was taken with the
camp fever, and was removed to the fort which I had
built in '78, where my father was still living. In the
course of the winter I recovered my health, and my
father's house having been burnt in '7S by the party
which attacked the before-mentioned fort, my father
requested me to go with him and a younger brother
to our farm, about four miles distant, to make prepa-
rations for building another and raising some grain.
But little apprehension was entertained of molesta-
tions from the Indians this season, as they had been
so completely routed the year before. We left the
fort about the last of March, accompanied by my uncle
and his son, about twelve years old, and one Peter
Pence. * "We had been on our farms about four or five
Jays, when, on the morning of the 30th of March,
we were surprised by a party of ten Indians. My
father was lunged through with a war-spear, his throat
was cut, and he was scalped ; while my brother was

ESCAPE FROM THE INDIANS. 373

tomahawked, scalped, and thrown into the fire before
my eyes. While I was struggling with a warrior,
the fellow who had killed my father drew his spear
from his body and made a violent thrust at me. 1
shrank from the spear ; the savage who had hold of
me turned it with his hand, so that it only penetrated
my vest and shirt. They were then satisfied with
taking me prisoner, as they had the same morning
taken my uncle's little son and Pence, though they
killed my uncle. The same party, before they
reached us, had touched on the lower settlements of
Wyoming, and killed a Mr. Upson, and took a boy
prisoner of the name of Rogers. We were now
marched off up Fishing creek, and in the afternoon
of the same day we came to Huntington, where the
Indians found four white men at a sugar camp, who
fortunately discovered the Indians and fled to a house.
The Indians only fired on them and wounded a Cap-
tain Ransom, when they continued their course till
night. Having encamped and made their fire, we,
the prisoners, were tied and well secured, five Indians
lying on one side of us and five on the other. In
the morning they pursued their course, and, leaving
the waters of Fishing creek, touched the head-waters
of Hemlock creek, where they found one Abraham
Pike, his wife and child. Pike was made prisoner;
but his wife and child they painted, and told Joggo,
squaw, go home. They continued their course that
day, and encamped the same night in the same man-
ner as the previous. It came into my mind that

sometimes individuals performed wonderful actions

374

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

and surmounted the greatest danger. I then decided
that these fellows must die, and thought of the plan
to despatch them. The next day I had an opportu-
nity to communicate my plan to my fellow-prisoners.
They treated it as a visionary scheme for three men
to attempt to despatch ten Indians. I spread before
them the advantages that three men would have over
ten when asleep ; and that we would be the first pri-
soners that would be taken into their towns and vil-
lages after our army had destroyed their corn ; that
we should be tied to the stake and suffer a cruel
death. We had now an inch of ground to fight on,
and if we failed it would only be death, and we might
as well die one way as another. That day passed
away, and, having encamped for the night, we lay as
before. In the morning we came to the river, and
saw their canoes. They had descended the river and
run their canoes upon Little Tunkhannock creek, so
called. They crossed the river and set their canoes
adrift. I renewed my suggestion to my companions
to despatch them that night, and urged them to
decide the question. They agreed to make the trial;
but how shall we do it ? was the question. Disarm
them, and each take a tomahawk and come to close
work at once. There are three of us; plant our
blows with judgment, and three times three will
make nine, and the tenth one we can kill at our
leisure. They agreed to disarm them, and after that,
one take possession of the guns and fire, at the one
side of the four, and the other two take tomahawks
on the other side and despatch them. I observed

ESCAPE FROM THE INDIANS. S75

that would be a very uncertain way. The first shot
fired would give the alarm ; they would discover it
to be the prisoners, and might defeat us. I had to
yield to their plan. Peter Pence was chosen to fire
the guns ; Pike and myself to tomahawk. We cut
and carried plenty of wood to give them a good fire.
The prisoners were tied and laid in their places. After
I was laid down, one of them had occasion to use his
knife ; he dropped it at my feet ; I turned my foot
over it and concealed it ; they all lay down and fell
asleep. About midnight I got up and found them in
a sound sleep. I slipped to Pence, who rose ; I cut
him loose and handed him the knife; he did the
same for me, and I in turn took the knife and cut
Pike loose. In a minute's time we disarmed them.
Pence took his station at the guns. Pike and myself
with our tomahawks took our stations. I was to
tomahawk three on the right wing, and Pike two on
the left. That moment Pike's two awoke, and were
getting up. Here Pike proved a coward and lay
down. It was a critical moment. I saw there was
no time to be lost ; their heads turned up fair ; I de-
spatched them in a moment, and turned to my lot as
per agreement, and, as I was about to despatch the
last on my side of the fire, Pence shot and did good
execution. There was only one at the off wing that
his ball did not reach. His name was Mohawke, a
stout, bold, daring fellow. In the alarm he jumped
off about three rods from the fire. He saw it was
the prisoners who made the attack, and, giving the
war-whoop, he darted to take possession of the guns.

376

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

I was as quick to prevent him ; the contest was then
between him and myself. As I raised my tomahawk,
he turned quick to jump from me. I followed him
and struck at him; but. missing his head, my
tomahawk struck his shoulder, or rather the back of
his neck. He pitched forward and fell ; at the same
time my foot slipped, and I fell by his side. We
clinched ; his arm was naked ; he caught me round
my neck. At the same time I caught him with my
left arm around the body, and gave him a close hug ;
at the same time feeling for his knife, but could not
reach it.

In our scuffle my tomahawk dropped out. My
head was under the wounded shoulder, and almost
suffocated me with his blood. I made a violent
spring and broke from his hold. We both rose at
the same time, and he ran. It took me some time
to clear the blood from my eyes. My tomahawk had
got covered up, and I could not find it in time to
overtake him. He was the only one of the party
that escaped. Pike was powerless. I always had a
reverence for Christian devotion. Pike was trying
to pray, and Pence swearing at him, charging him with
cowardice, and saying it was no time to pray; he
ought to fight. We were masters of the ground, and
in possession of all their guns, blankets, match-coats,
&,c. I then turned my attention to scalping them,
and recovering the scalps of my father, brother, and
others. I strung them all on my belt for safe-keep-
ing. "We kept our ground till morning, and built a
raft, it being near the bank of the river where they

ESCAPE FROM THE INDIANS.

377

had encamped, about fifteen miles below Tioga Point.
We got all our plunder on it, and set sail for Wyo-
ming, the nearest settlement. Our raft gave way,
when we made for land ; and we lost considerable
property, though we saved our guns and ammunition,
and took to land. We reached Wyalusing late in the
afternoon. Came to the narrows ; discovered a smoke
below, and a raft lying at the shore, by which we
were certain that a party of Indians had passed us
in the course of the day, and had halted for the night.
There was no alternative for us but to rout them, or
go over the mountain. The snow on the north side
of the hill was deep. We knew from the appearance
of the raft that the party must be small ; we had
two rifles each ; my only fear was of Pike's coward-
ice. To know the worst of it, we agreed that I
should ascertain their number, and give the signal
for the attack. I crept down the side of the hill so
near as to see their fires and packs, but saw no In-
dians. I concluded they had gone hunting for meat,
and that this was a good opportunity for us to make
off with their raft to the opposite side of the river.
I gave the signal. They came and threw their packs
on to the raft, which was made of small, dry pine
timber. With poles and paddles we drove her briskly
across the river, and had got nearly out of reach of
shot when two of them came in. They fired ; their
shots did no injury. We soon got under cover of an
island, and went several miles. We had waded deep
creeks through the day; the night was cold. We

4S 2i2

378

THRILLING 4DVENTURES.

landed on an island, and found a sink-hole, in which
we made our fire. After warming, we were alarmed
by a cracking in the crust. Pike supposed the In-
dians had got on the island, and was for calling for
quarters. To keep him quiet, we threatened him
with his life. The stepping grew plainer, and seemed
coming directly to the fire. I kept a watch, and soon
a noble racoon came under the light. I shot the ra-
coon, when Pike jumped up and called out, "Quar-
ters, gentlemen ; quarters, gentlemen !" I took my
game by the leg and threw it down by the fire.
" Here, you cowardly rascal," I cried, " skin that and
give us a roast for supper." The next night we
reached "Wyoming, and there was much joy to see
us. We rested one da}', and it being not safe to go
to Northumberland by land, we procured a canoe,
and, with Pence and my little cousin, we descended
the river by night. We came to Fort Jenkins before
day, where I found Colonel Kelly and about one hun-
dred men encamped out of the fort. He came across
from the west branch by the heads of Chillisquake
to Fishing creek, the end of the Nob mountain, so
called at that day, where my father and brother were
killed. He had buried my father and uncle. My
brother was burnt, a small part of him only was to
be found. Colonel Kelly informed me that my mother
and her children were in the fort, and it was thought
that I was killed likewise. Colonel Kelly went into
the fort to prepare her mind to see me. I took off
my belt of scalps and handed them to an officer to keep.

EARLY SETTLERS OF BEDFORD COUNTY. 379

Human nature was not sufficient to stand the inter-
view. She had just lost a husband and a son, and
one had returned to take her by the hand, and one,
too, that she supposed was killed.

Many stories of Indian outrages and of daring per-
sonal adventure with the savages are still preserved
by descendants of the early settlers of Bedford. In
1777, an attack was made upon the house of Mr. Tull,
containing the old gentleman, his wife, and nine
daughters, their only son being absent. A neighbour
named Williams, and his son, were returning from
some work on the road. Observing a smoke in the
direction of Tull's house, they entered the garden.
Here they found the old man just expiring, while near
him lay an Indian paint-bag. They fled in terror to
the fort; but next day a party returned to ascertain
the fate of the survivors. The mother was found
with the infant in her arms, both scalped, and at dif-
ferent distances were the remaining children all dead
and scalped except one, who it was supposed had
been burned.

About the same time, a rather singular circum-
stance occurred in the neighbourhood of the Allegha-
nies. A man, named Wells, after making considera-
ble improvement, was obliged, through dread of the
Indians, to retire with his family to the adjacent

3S0

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

fort. In the fall he returned to dig his potatoes, tak-
ing with him six or seven men, a girl to cook, and a
horse. After finishing their job. they made prepara-
tions to return on the following day. During the
night, Wells dreamed that on his way he had been
attacked and gored by a bull, and so strongly was he
impressed by this circumstance, that he mentioned
it to his companions together with his apprehension
that something serious was about to occur. He a^ain
slept, and dreamed that, when about to shoot a deer,
the main-spring of his gun broke, and he distinctly
heard the crack of its spring. Lovers of the mar-
vellous will be pleased to hear. that, on his arising
and examining his gun. the main-spring actually did
break. The party now became alarmed, and, hastily
despatching their breakfast, set out for the fort. The
girl had already been sent forward on the horse. On
the road, five Indians suddenly rose before Wells, and
advanced with extended hands. His companions
immediatelv fled. Not liking the looks of the near-
est Indian, Wells threw his useless rifle at him and
ran. The Indians pursued; but, finding that he
outran them, they suddenly stopped and fired. All
the balls struck him, but without much effect. Soon
after he discovered his hidden companions, and beg-
ged them to fire; but they were afraid. He next
overtook the girl, who. comprehending his danger,
dismounted, and exhorted him to save himself, while
she hid amongst the bushes. Destitute of a whip,
he could get the horse only on a trot, and the Indians
again got near enough to fire. One of the balls struck

INDIAN ATTACK ON DOVER.

381

him in the hip, and lodged in his side. The report
so frightened the horse that he started off at full gal-
lop, thus enabling his rider to escape. The Indians
were afterwards pursued, and four of them killed.

In 1689, that part of the town of Dover, lying on
the first falls of the river Cocheco, contained five
garrisoned houses. These were surrounded by timber
walls, the gates of which were secured by bolts and
bars. The garrisons, or rather families of these
places, seem to have relapsed into a state of imaginary
safety, neglecting the precautions which, at that early
day, could not be neglected without risk of surprise
and massacre. The Indians, some of whom were
constantly prowling about the neighbourhood, were
not slow in discovering this criminal lethargy, nor in
devising a plan to take advantage of it. Two of
their women were to go to each of the garrisoned
houses in the evening, and ask leave to lodge by the
fire. At night, when all was hushed, they were to
open the gates and give the signal by whistling ; upon
which the assailants were to rush in and massacre
or capture the garrisons.

On the evening of Thursday, the 27th of June,
1789, two squaws applied to each of the garrisons
for lodging, as they frequently did in time of peace.
They were admitted into all but the younger Coffin's,

382

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

and the people, at their request, showed them how to
open the doors, in case they should have occasion to
go out in the night. Mesandowit, one of their chiefs,
went to Waldron's garrison, and was kindly enter-
tained, as he had often been before. The squaws
told the major that a number of Indians were com-
ing to trade with him the next day, and Mesandowit,
while at supper, with his usual familiarity, said,
u Brother Waldron, what would you do if the strange
Indians should come?" The major carelessly an-
swered, that he could assemble a hundred men by
lifting up his finger. In this unsuspecting confidence
the family retired to rest.

When all was quiet, the gates were opened and
the signal given. The Indians entered, set a guard
at the door, and rushed into the major's apartment,
which was an inner room. Awakened by the noise,
he jumped out of bed, and, though now advanced in
life to the age of eighty years, he retained so much
vigour as to drive them with his sword through two
or three doors ; but, as he was returning for his other
arms, they came behind him, stunned him with a
hatchet, drew him into his hall, and, seating him in
an elbow chair on a long table, insultingly asked him,
" Who shall judge Indians now ?" They then obliged
the people in the house to get them some victuals,
and, when they had done eating, they cut the major
across the breast and belly with knives, each one
with a stroke, saying, " I cross out my account."
They then cut off his nose and ears, forcing them
into his mouth, and, when spent with the loss of

INDIAN ATTACK ON DOVER. 383

blood, he was falling down from the table, one of
them held his own sword under him, which put an
end to his misery. They also killed his son-in-law,
Abraham Lee ; but took his daughter Lee with seve-
ral others, and, having pillaged the house, set it on
fire. Otis's garrison, which was next to the major's,
met with the same fate. He was killed, with several
others, and his wife and child were made prisoners.
Heard's was saved by the barking of a dog just as
the Indians were entering. Elder Wentworth, who
was awakened by the noise, pushed them out, and
falling on his back set his feet against the gate, and
held it till he had alarmed the people ; two balls
were fired through it, but both missed him. Coffin's
house was surprised ; but, as the Indians had no par-
ticular enmity to him, they spared his life and the
lives of his family, and contented themselves with
pillaging the house. Finding a bag of money, they
made him throw it by handfuls on the floor, while
they amused themselves in scrambling for it. They
then went to the house of his son, who would not
admit the squaws in the evening, and summoned him
to surrender, promising him quarter. He declined
their offer, and determined to defend his house, till
they brought out his father and threatened to kill
him before his eyes. Filial affection then overcame
his resolution, and he surrendered. They put both
families together into a deserted house, intending to
reserve them for prisoners ; but, while the Indiana
were busy in plundering, they all escaped.

Twenty-three people were killed in this surprisal

384

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

and twenty-nine were taken captive ; five or six houses,
with the mills, were burned ; and so expeditious were
the Indians in the execution of their plot, that, be-
fore the people could be collected from the other parts
of the town to oppose them, they fled with their pri-
soners and booty. As they passed by Heard's garri-
son, in their retreat, they fired upon it ; but the peo-
ple being prepared and resolved to defend it, and the
enemy being in haste, it was preserved. The pre-
servation of its owner was more remarkable.

Elizabeth Heard, with her three sons and a daugh-
ter, and some others, were returning in the night
from Portsmouth. They passed up the river in their
boat, unperceived by the Indians, who were then in
possession of the houses ; but, suspecting danger by
the noise which they heard, after they had landed,
they betook themselves to TValdron's garrison, where
they saw lights, which they imagined were set up for
direction to those who might be seeking a refuge.
They knocked and begged earnestly for admission ;
but, no answer being given, a young man of the com-
pany climbed up the wall, and saw, to his inexpressi-
ble surprise, an Indian standing in the door of the
house with his gun. The woman was so overcome
with the fright that she was unable to fly : but besr-
ged her children to shift for themselves, and they
with heavy hearts left her. When she had a little
recovered, she crawled into some bushes, and lay
there till day-light. She then perceived an Indian
coming toward her with a pistol in his hand ; he
looked at her and went away. Returning, he looked

INDIAN ATTACK ON DOVER.

385

at her again, and she asked him what he would have.
He made no answer, but ran yelling to the house, and
she saw him no more. She kept her place till the
house was burned and the Indians were gone, and
then, returning home, found her own house safe. Her
preservation in these dangerous circumstances was
more remarkable, if, as it is supposed, it was an in-
stance of justice and gratitude in the Indians ; for,
at the time when the four hundred were seized in
1676, a young Indian escaped and took refuge in
her house, where she concealed him. In return for
which kindness he promised her that he would never
kill her, nor any of her family in any future war,
and that he would use his influence with the other
Indians to the same purpose. This Indian was one
of the party who surprised the place, and she was
well known to most of them.

The same day, after the mischief was done, a let-
ter from Secretary Addington, written by order of the
government, directed to Major Waldron, giving him
notice of the intention of the Indians to surprise him
under pretence of trade, fell into the hands of his
son. This design was communicated to Governor
Bradstreet by Major Henchman of Chelmsford, who
had learned it of the Indians. The letter was de-
spatched from Boston the day before by Mr. Weare ;
but some delay, which he met with at Newbury ferry,
prevented its arrival in season.

The prisoners taken at this time were mostly car-
ried to Canada and sold to the French ; and these, it

49 2K

386

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

would appear, were the first that ever were carried
thither.

One of these prisoners was Sarah Gerrish, a re-
markably fine child of seven years old, and grand-
daughter of Major Waldron, in whose house she
lodged that fatal night. Some circumstances attend-
ing her captivity are truly affecting. When she was
awakened by the noise of the Indians in the house,
she crept into another bed and hid herself under the
clothes to escape their search. She remained in their
hands till the next winter, and was sold from one
to another several times. An Indian girl once
pushed her into a river ; but, catching by the bushes,
she escaped drowning, yet durst not tell how she
came to be wet. Once she was so weary with tra-
velling that she did not awake in the morning till the
Indians were gone, and then found herself alone in
the woods, covered with snow and without any food.
Having found their tracks, she went crying after them
till they heard her and took her with them. At an-
other time, they kindled a great fire, and the young
Indians told her she was to be roasted. She burst
into tears, threw her arms round her master's neck,
and begged him to save her, which he promised to do
if she would behave well. Being arrived in Canada,
she was bought by the Intendant's lady, who treated
her courteously and sent her to a nunnery for educa-
tion. But when Sir William Phips was at Quebec,
she was exchanged and returned to her friends, with
whom she lived till she was sixteen years old.

The wife of Richard Otis was taken at the same

INDIAN GRATITUDE FOR FAVOURS. 387

time, with an infant daughter of three months old.
The French priests took this child under their care,
baptized her by the name of Christina, and educated
her in the Romish religion. She passed some time in
a nunnery, but declined taking the veil, and was
married to a Frenchman, by whom she had two chil-
dren. But her desire to see New England was so
strong, that, upon an exchange of prisoners in 1714,
being then a widow, she left both her children, who
were not permitted to come with her, and returned
home, where she abjured the Romish faith.

The following anecdote displays a singular medley
of cruelty and gratitude. It is refreshing to meet
with instances of lenity, even though in the midst
of slaughter; for light never appears so bright as
when contrasted with a dark ground.

During the old French war, a Mr. Schoonhover,
with six or seven other Americans, was captured by
Indians while journeying from Fort William Henry
to Sandy Hill. They were led to what is now the
middle of Sandy Hill, and seated one by one on a log.
The Indians then began at one end and deliberately
split the skulls of the prisoners with their toma-
hawks, each feeling the stroke which murdered his
neighbour before he received his own. Schoonhover
was the last but one. The work of death had

388

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

reached him, and the hatchet was already lifted,
when the butchery was suddenly stopped. A chief
approaching him, mildly said : " Do you not remem-
ber that, when your young men were dancing, poor
Indians came and wanted to dance too ? Your young
men said 6 No, Indians shall not dance with us but
you said, ' Indians shall dance/ Now, I will show
you that Indians can remember kindness." It is
needless to add, that Schoonhover was spared, to-
gether with his trembling companion.

In 1703, the town of Wells, in Maine, was attacked
by Indians. Stephen Harding, a resident on the op-
posite side of the river, heard the firing, but supposed
that it originated from a company of soldiers exercis-
ing. On the following morning, he prepared to go
a hunting ; but his wife begged him to stay, because,
during the night, two men, as she thought, had looked
in at the window. Convinced that this was the effect
of imagination, he went over to his shop to wait for
breakfast. On the road he observed a crowd of per-
sons on a neighbouring height, and, being now
alarmed, he returned to his house and told his wife to
carry their child, about a year old, across Gooch's
creek, and remain under a particular oak until he
could ascertain what was the matter. He then went

ESCAPE FROM INDIANS.

389

to his shop, heat on the side of it with an axe, and
gave the war-whoop. Suddenly four Indians started
up from their hiding-places, and ran toward the door.
Harding escaped on the other side. In passing
through an adjacent corn-field, and when within a
short distance of the house, he found his wife, who
was too much frightened to run. He caught her
under one arm and the child under the other, and
aimed for the creek. Though it was at flood-tide, he
safely forded it, and, placing his charge under an
oak, he returned to ascertain the disposition of the
Indians, still hoping it might be friendly. On the
way he met an enormous bear, which obliged him
again to seek his family, and set out with them to-
ward one of the Wells forts. A small dog was killed
lest it might betray them by its barking. At night
they reached the top of a hill, where they remained
until morning, feeding upon berries. The next
evening they reached Store r's garrison, the inmates
of which were asleep. From this circumstance,
Harding imagined that he had left his house without
sufficient cause, and was about retracing his steps,
when the cries of women and children for the loss
of their relatives convinced him that he had not
yielded to a false alarm.

Meanwhile, the Indians had pulled up all the corn
in search of the fugitive ; but afterwards gave up the
pursuit, affirming that he was as good an Indian as
themselves. They did not injure the house ; but
killed his hogs and took all the clothing and bedding,
throwing away the feathers of the latter. Their ob-

2 k2

390

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

ject was to take him alive and convey him to the set-
tlements in Canada, where his trade as a blacksmith
would render him of great service to them. Afterwards
the Indians crossed the river and killed the wife and
three children of William Larrabee, who lived in the
field near what are called Bugler's rocks. Larrabee was
at work on the marsh. Perceiving two Indians running
toward him, he concealed himself among the bushes.
After they had given up the search, he crept toward
the house, and saw the party regaling themselves
upon the provisions taken from his house. Near him
his wife and two children were lying dead. The other
child was not quite dead, but raised its head several
times.

The Indians next proceeded to the house of Philip
Durrill. From thence they took away Mrs. Durrill, her
two daughters, Susan and Rachel, and two sons, one
an infant. The Indians carried their prisoners as far
as Peywacket or Fryeburg, when Mrs. Durrill per-
suaded them to let her return with her infant. One
of the Indians carried her child for her to the stone
fort at Saco, from which place she returned home.
The other son was accidentally drowned in Saco;
the daughters married Frenchmen, and refused to
return after the war was over.

MURDER OF A FAMILY.

391

J$Iurfoer of a Jpamilg in tKTffc ^>amp*&{re.

In 1723, the family of Aaron Rawlins, on Samprey
river, New Hampshire, was attacked by Indians, and
himself and eldest daughter murdered, under circum-
stance of great barbarity. At that time the people
generally retired at night to the garrisoned houses,
and returned home in the daytime. On the evening
of August 29, they neglected this precaution. At
this time eighteen Indians were in the neighbourhood,
and observing the defenceless condition of the family,
immediately resolved on an attack. Mrs. Rawlins,
going to the door, was seized, together with two of her
children. Her husband closed the door, and with his
eldest daughter, about twelve years old, began firing
upon the assailants, calling to his neighbours for help.
They were afraid to venture out; and the unhappy
man was at length killed by a random shot through
the door. The Indians then broke into the house,
killed the daughter, cut off her head, and scalped her
father. His wife and two children, a son and a
daughter, were carried to Canada. In a few years
Mrs. Rawlins was redeemed. The son was adopted
by the Indians, and lived. After peace had been de-
clared, he came into Pennycook with some of his red
companions, and expressed to some people with whom
he conversed, much resentment against his uncle
Samuel Rawlins, on account of some property which,
as he supposed, had been detained from his mother.
The daughter married a Frenchman, and when nearly

392

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

sixty years old, returned with him to her native
place, in expectation of receiving the patrimony which
she imagined was left her by her father. But the
estate had been sold by her grandfather's administra-
tor, and after a year or two she went back to Canada.

The impossibility of studying the Indian character
and Indian customs where they ought to be studied,
among their native wilds, must ever prove a serious
obstacle to their proper representation. It was a
noble thought of our countryman, Mr. Catlin, to re-
ject those partial and meagre records concerning our
aborigines which were current during his youth, and
to resolve upon seeing the Indian in his own element,
surrounded with all the mighty works of which he is
a part. He found the Indian, in civilized life, a soli-
tary, degraded wanderer, without a country, without
a home, without a friend, his hand against every man
and every man's hand against him. He journeyed to
the prairies of the West. There the Indian was
another being — the lord of creation, the member of a
race of heroes, to which those of Homer and Tasso
are tame ; the champion of feats at which the white
man would shudder. There, amid new laws and
noble scenery, the Indian is the civilized man; and the
European, the wandering, dejected outcast. It is for
this reason that Mr. Catlin's book is of all books

DANCE OF OJIBBEWAY INDIANS. 393

about Indians the most instructive and amusing. Ii
takes for granted that the Indian is a man — a real
man like ourselves, has affections and feelings like
other men ; having love for friends, gratitude for fa-
vours, sensibility for kindness, as other men have.
The author went among populous tribes, some of them
smarting under injuries lately received, armed not
with rifle and scalping knife, but with a palette. He
loved the Indian character, he mourned over their
coming fate, and he appeared among their tribes as a
friend. As a friend they welcomed him. The distinc-
tion of colour was forgotten ; the memory of past in-
juries was forgotten. The white man was admitted to
every wigwam, shared every hunt and every ceremony.
He was even installed a medicine-man, and admitted to
the great ceremonial feasts. Can we wonder that he
learned to love the poor Indian, or that his narrative
forces us also to love them?

On returning to the Eastern States, Mr. Catlin ex-
hibited his gallery of Indian paintings in New York.
Afterwards he went with it to London ; while there,
he was surprised by a visit from a party of Ojibbe-
way Indians, who not long after were followed by a
party of Ioways. These were exhibited in the same
building with his paintings, and met with the greatest
favour from all classes of the English people. Dur-
ing the exhibitions they gave the white people an
opportunity to enjoy sights, and we may add to hear
noises which their forefathers had neither seen nor
heard. The displays were truly Indian; and taught
the spectators more of the real Indian character in

394

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

one night than all the books of Indians then in the
kingdom could have done, Mr. Catlin's book always
excepted.

Some of these performances, with their attendant
incidents, were no less amusing than instructive. The
following is Catlin's account of their first appearance
at the Exchange Buildings, Manchester: — " On the
same evening, by our announcements, they were to
make their first appearance in my exhibition, and at an
early hour the Rooms were filled, and we were obliged
to close the doors. I had erected a strong platform in
the middle of my room, on which the Indians were to
give their dances, and having removed all seats from
the room, every part of the floor was covered as dense-
ly as it was possible for men and women to be grouped
together. Into the midst of this mass the party dashed
in Indian file, with shield and bow and quiver slung —
with war-clubs and tomahawks in hand, as they
sounded the frightful war-whoop and were endeavour-
ing to reach the platform. The frightened crowd, with
screams and yells as frightful nearly as those of the
Indians, gave way, and they soon had a free passage
to the platform, upon which they leaped, without
looking for the flight of steps prepared for them, and
were at full length before the staring, gaping multi-
tude. They were in a moment seated, and were pass-
ing their pipe around, while I was, by a brief lecture,
introducing them, and the modes they were to illus-
trate to the audience.

" I described the country and the tribe they be-
longed to, and the objects for which they had crossed

DANCE OF OJIBBEWAY INDIANS. 397

the Atlantic; and also expressed to the audience the
happy opportunity it was affording me of corroborat-
ing the many assertions I had been heretofore making
relative to the looks and modes of those people, many
of which I was fully aware were difficult of compre-
hension. Having done this, I should leave the In-
dians to entertain the audience with such of their
dances and other amusements as they might decide
upon, and endeavour to stand by and explain each
amusement as they gave it, feeling abundantly able
to do so from a residence of eight years among the
various tribes in America.

" There was a shout of applause at the close of my
remarks, and the most impatient anxiety evinced on
all sides to see the commencement of the curious
tricks which were just ready to be introduced. At
this moment, with a sudden yell, the men all sprung
upon their feet ; their weapons brandished and their
buffalo robes thrown back, while the women and chil-
dren seated themselves at the end of the platform.
Another shrill yell of the war-whoop, with the flou-
rish of their weapons, and the medicine-man or doctor
commenced with tambour (or drum) and his voice
upon the war-song; and they were all off in the
dance. At the first rest, when they suddenly stopped,
there was but one mingled roar of applause, which
showed to the poor fellows that they had made 4 a
hit/ and were to be received with great kindness and
interest. This stimulated them to finish it with
spirit ; and when it was done, and they were seated
a few moments to rest, hundreds were ambitious to

398 THRILLING ADVENTURES

crowd up to them and offer them their hands. It
was with great difficulty that I could get the audience
quiet enough to hear my explanations of the war-
dance — its meaning, and the objects and character of
the war-whoop which they had just heard. I gained
the patience of the crowd by promising them a num-
ber of dances and other amusements, all of which I
would render instructive by my explanations, and
afford all, in the remotest parts of the room, an op-
portunity to shake hands with the Indians when their
amusements were finished.

" After my explanations and their pipe were fin-
ished, they arose and gave the Wa-be-no dance, as
they call it. Wa-be-no, in the Ojibbeway language,
means mystery, and their mystery-dance is one of
their choicest dances, only given at some occasion of
their mystery-feasts, or for the accomplishment of some
mysterious design. This dance is amusing and gro-
tesque, and made much merriment among the audi-
ence. I explained the meaning of this also, and they
afterwards gave some surprising illustrations of the
mode of catching and throwing the ball in their fa-
vourite game of ball-play, with their ball-sticks in
their hands. The astonishing quickness and certainty
with which thev throw and catch the ball in their
rackets elicited immense applause; and after this
they gave the ' scalp-dance,1 which is given when a
party returns from war, having brought home scalps
taken from their enemies' heads, and preserved as
trophies by the victors. In this dance the women,
occupying the centre, hold up the scalps, attached to

DANCE OF OJIBBE WAY INDIANS. 399

the tops of little poles, while men who have come
from war dance around in a circle, brandishing their
weapons, gnashing their teeth, and yelling the war
whoop at the highest key of their voices. At the
close of this terrifying dance, *hich seemed to come
iust up to the anxiety of the excited audience, there
was a tremendous roar of applause, and, in the midst
of the uproar, an old gentleman took from his pocket
a beautifully chased silver tobacco-box, and handing
it to me, desired me to give it to the old chief, and
tell him to carry his tobacco in it. I handed it to the
old man, and, as he had seen th ^ hand that gave it,
he sprang upon his feet, as if h* were but a boy, and
reaching out his hand, grasped, over the heads of the
audience, the hand of the venerable old gentleman,
who told him 6 he was happy to see him, and to make
him a little present to recollect him by.' The old
chief straightened up and squaied himself upon the
platform, throwing his buffalo robe over his left
shoulder and passing it forward under his right arm
and into his left hand ; and with the most benignant
smile (as he turned his box a moment under his eye,
and passed it into his left hand) commenced — ' My
friends, though I am old I thank the Great Spirit for
giving me strength to say a few words to you. He
has allowed me to live many years, and I believe it is
because I thank him for all his gifts. His eye was
upon us when we were on the great salt lake, and he
has brought us here safe, for which we all are thank-
ful. He has directed you all to come here this night
and to be so kind to us, for we had done nothing to

400

THRILLING AD VENTURES.

make you come. We have long heard of the Sag-ar
noshes* and we have been anxious to come and see
them. We ha ve fought for them and with them, and
our fathers and brothers have bled for them. There
are many of the Sag-a-noshes among us, and we love
them. The Great Spirit has smiled upon our under-
taking, and he has guided the hand of my brother to
make me this present. My friends, my heart is warm
and I am thankful. We have now done our dancing
and singing, and we offer you our hands in friend-
ship. ' At this there was a rush towards the platform
from every part of the room to shake the hands of
the Indians, who had seated themselves on the front
of the platform for the purpose.

" These greetings for half an hour or so were ex-
ceedingly warm ; and to make them more impressive,
several persons deposited in their hands valuable
trinkets and money, which they received with thanks."

During the second night's performance, a most
laughable scene took place between the Indians and
the fair portion of his audience. To the general
reader the narrative of it may perhaps afford unmixed
amusement ; the more reflecting will perhaps dis-
cover in it some indications that the Indian character
is not that stoical thing, indifferent alike to pleasure
and pain, that many have hitherto represented it :

H The room was filled long before they made their
appearance ; and in the roar and confusion of ap-
plause at the end of their amusements, there was a
cry from the end of the room, 'Let some of them

* Englishmen.

DANCE OF OJIBBEWAY INDIANS. 401

come this way — we can't get near them — we can't
tell whether they are in their own skins or in flesh-
ings.' And another hallooed out, ' Let that handsome
little fellow come here, (alluding to Samak, who was
a very fine-looking young man ;) here is a lady who
wants to kiss him !'

" This being interpreted to him, he leaped into and
through the crowd, (as he would dash into the river
that he was to ford,) and had his naked arms around
her neck and kissed her before there was any time
for an explanation. The excitement and screaming
and laughing among the women in that part of the
room made kissing fashionable, and every one who
laid her hand upon his arm or his naked shoulders
(and those not a few) got a kiss, gave a scream, and
presented him a brooch, a ring, or some other keep-
sake, and went home with a streak of red paint on
her face, and perhaps with one or two of black or
green upon her dress. The gallant little fellow
squeezed himself through this dense crowd, kissing
old and young as he went, and returned to the plat-
form, from which he held up and displayed his tro-
phies with much satisfaction.

" I felt it my duty to reprimand him for his rude-
ness, and told him it was not fashionable in such
crowds to kiss the ladies ; to which he replied, that
' he knew what he was about — the white ladies are
very pretty and very sweet, and I gave my kisses
only where they were asked for/ The response all
over the house was that ' he had done right ; good
little fellow, he has done no harm.' — A voice, 6 No,

51 2 L 2

402 THRILLING ADVENTURES.

no harm, indeed ; I'll kiss him again if he will come
down, charming little fellow !' — He was in the act of
leaping off, when Cadotte, the interpreter, seized him
by the arm and turned him back."

iSurter of a ;£air.i!g (n ZtmtMtt.

The following narrative of the murder of two fa-
milies on the Tennessee river, (April 22, 1812,) dis-
plays in the most glaring light the cruelties of the
savage breast, when, through long-concealed hatred
and the desire of revenge, it has banished or sup-
pressed every nobler feeling of untutored nature.

In 1812, the dread of an attack from the southern
Indians obliged the inhabitants of Humphreys county
to collect in parties of fifteen or twenty, comprising
sometimes several families in one house. For this
purpose John Crawley had gone with his family to
the house of Jesse Manly. The family of Crawley
consisted of a wife and four children ; Manly 's, of a
wife and three children. The evening before the at-
tack, Manly and Crawley were both called from
home, taking Crawley's eldest son with them. They
had employed C. Hays, a promising young man, to
stay at the house until their return. Early next
morning he had saddled his horse, and had proceeded
about one hundred yards from the house, when the
Indians, who were concealed behind the fence, fired
upon him. He received two mortal wounds. While

MURDER OF A FAMILY IN TENNESSEE. 403

one of the Indians was scalping him, the other four
ran into the house. One of Manly's children, outside
of the house, was torn in pieces by their dogs, and
afterwards scalped.

They now forced the door, and, snatching Mrs.
Manly's child, only eight days old, from her, scalped
it and threw it into the fire. An indiscriminate
butchery of the other children followed, until five
had been scalped and murdered.

Mrs. Manly was the last victim. After shooting
her, they scalped her and committed atrocious bar-
barities on her body. They then left the house, tak-
ing Mrs. Crawley along as prisoner. About four hours
after the Indians were gone, the neighbours got infor-
mation of the murder and collected at the house.
They found Mrs. Manly alive and in her perfect
senses. Amidst the carnage, one of Mrs. Crawlej's
children escaped unhurt. During the attack upon
the house, she had the presence of mind to raise a
portion of the floor, and throw her child into the
cellar.

404

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

Deprecation* l&s tfje Jbioux.

The Sioux Indians are the dread of all the nu-
merous tribes scattered from Canada to Mexico, and
from Council Bluffs to the Rocky Mountains. In
numbers, in skill, and in ferocity, they are unequalled
by any save the Camanches. The depredations about
to be described were committed by them during the
late war between the United States and Mexico.

On the 16th of December, 1846, a band of Sioux
encountered some Omaha Indians near Council Bluffs.
A battle ensued, in which the Omahas, being few in
number, were worsted. The Sioux then entered the
village and butchered sixty women and children. Four
days previous, a war-party of Sioux had invaded the
Omaha country, situated sixty miles from Bellevieu.

DEPREDATIONS BY THE SIOUX. 405

They found none there but women and children, the
warriors having gone on a hunt. At once the work
of death commenced. The slaughter was indiscrimi-
nate and terrible. Seventy- three were killed and
nineteen mortally wounded. Some white families,
living with the Omahas, and whose male members
were found in the village, shared in the massacre.
Only two of them escaped — one of them, Joseph La-
fleche, a trader in the employ of Mr. Peter A. Sarpy,
and at that time in charge of a stock of goods. He
arrived at Bellevieu with both feet frozen, having run
the whole distance barefoot. Mr. Sarpy and the
agent, Major Miller, despatched a party of men to
ascertain the facts. They soon returned with the
melancholy news. The scalped and murdered ones
had been found ; property, household goods, the pro-
ductions of the field, had been destroyed or carried
away. The snow for miles around was strewn with
broken articles and tracked with blood. The village
resembled a slaughter house. Five of the Sioux had
been stabbed by the Omaha women. A few days
before this tragic event, the Omahas had been at-
tacked by a war-party of Ayouas under a celebrated
chief, White Cloud. On that occasion, they had four
warriors wounded and one woman killed. In the
same month, the Sioux and Osages held a council to
deliberate upon a plan for uniting their forces and in-
fluence against the United States — possibly under the
hope of obtaining aid from Mexico.

In 1847, the Sioux commenced a war of extermi-
nation against the Ottoes and Pawnees. In Septem-

406 THRILLING ADVENTURES.

ber, they visited a building called " the farmer's
house," in the Pawnee village, and destroyed a black-
smith's shop, together with some tools and furniture.
On the 17th of the same month, they attacked an
Ottoe village, destroyed all the corn in the fields,
killed twenty of the tribe, and burned th* village.
At the same time, they threatened the American
garrison at Fort Kearny, ravaged and laid waste all
the surrounding country, and drove the tribes hostile
to them from their usual hunting-grounds. On the
26th of May, seven of their warriors entered the
Ottoe country and concealed themselves near a field
which the Ottoes had prepared for planting their corn.
Three squaws, who were approaching the village,
were fired upon. Two fell dead ; the other gave the
alarm. The warriors rushed out and pursued the
Sioux, who fled into a large weed brake. This the
Ottoes surrounded and set on fire, and, as the mur-
derers attempted to escape, they were massacred
without mercy. The war between these tribes is still
raging, (1849.)

Mian ^mmawtyty*

Catlin gives an astonishing account of the skill
with which the Camanche Indians of northern Texas
manage their horses.

The Camanches, like the northern tribes, have
many games, and in pleasant weather seem to be

INDIAN HORSEMANSHIP.

409

continually practising more or less of them on the
prairies back of and contiguous to their village.

In their ball-plays and some other games, they are
far behind the Sioux and others of the northern
tribes ; but, in racing horses and riding, they are not
equalled by any other Indians on the continent. Kacing
horses, it would seem, is a constant and almost inces-
sant exercise, and their principal mode of gambling ;
and perhaps a more finished set of jockeys are not to
be found. The exercise of these people, in a country
where horses are so abundant and the country so fine
for riding, is chiefly done on horseback ; and it " stands
to reason" that such a people, who have been practising
from their childhood, should become exceedingly ex-
pert in this wholesome and beautiful exercise. Among
their feats of riding, there is one that has astonished
me more than any thing of the kind I have ever
seen, or expect to see, in my life — a stratagem of war
learned and practised by every young man in the
tribe, by which he is able to drop his body upon
the side of his horse at the instant he is passing,
effectually screened from his enemies' weapons as he
lies in a horizontal position behind the body of his
horse, with his heel hanging over the horse's back,
by which he has the power of throwing himself up
again, and changing to the other side of the horse if
necessary. In this wonderful condition he will hang
while his horse is at fullest speed, carrying with him
his bow and his shield, and also his long lance of
fourteen feet in length, all or either of which he will
wield upon his enemy as he passes, rising and throw-

52 2M

410

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

ing his arrows over the horse's back, or, with equal
ease and equal success, under the horse's neck.

Since writing the above, I have conversed with
some of the young men of the Pawnees, who practise
the same feat, and who told me they could throw the
arrow from under the horse's belly, and elevate it
upon an enemy with deadly effect !

This feat I did not see performed; but, from what
I did see, I feel inclined to believe that these young
men were boasting of no more than they were able
to perform.

This astonishing feat, which the young men have
been repeatedly playing off to our surprise as well as
amusement, while they have been galloping about in
front of our tents, completely puzzled the whole of
us, and appeared to be the result of magic rather than
of skill acquired by practice. I had several times
great curiosity to approach them to ascertain by what
means their bodies could be suspended in this man-
ner, where nothing could be seen but the heel hang-
ing over the horse's back. In these endeavours, I was
continually frustrated, until one day I coaxed a young
fellow up within a little distance of me by offering
him a few plugs of tobacco, and he in a moment
solved the difficulty, so far as to render it apparently
more feasible than before ; yet leaving it one of the
most extraordinary results of practice and persever-
ing endeavours. I found on examination that a short
hair-halter was passed around under the neck of the
horse, and both ends tightly braided into the mane
on the withers, leaving a loop to hang under the

INDIAN HORSEMANSHIP.

411

neck and against the breast, which, being caught up
in the hand, makes a sling into which the elbow falls,
taking the weight of the body on the middle of the
upper arm. Into this loop the rider drops suddenly
and fearlessly, leaving his heel to hang over the back
of the horse to steady him, and also to restore him
when he wishes to gain his upright position on the
horse's back.

Besides this wonderful art, these people have seve-
ral other feats of horsemanship, which they are con-
tinually showing off ; which are pleasing and extra-
ordinary, and of which they seem very proud. A
people who spend so very great a part of their lives
actually on their horses' backs, must needs become
exceedingly expert in every thing that pertains to
riding, to war, or to the chase ; and I am ready, with-
out hesitation, to pronounce the Camanches the most
extraordinary horsemen that I have seen yet in all
my travels, and I doubt very much whether any peo-
ple in the world can surpass them.

412

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

Battl* of €>rtefcatt2.

During the Revolutionary War the British were
never more sanguine of ultimate success than at the
period when General Burgoyne was marching from
Canada to New York. The progress of that officer
from the St. Lawrence to Vermont was a series of
rapid triumphs. No American army could be brought
against him ; towns and villages were deserted at his
approach ; all the south of New England was in con-
fusion, and it was confidently anticipated that the
army at New York would soon join him, and thus
cut off all communication between the Middle States
and the North.

The turning point of this splendid career was Ben-
nington ; yet previous to that battle, the indefatiga-
ble energy of General Schuyler had nearly completed
the plan which ultimately ruined Burgoyne. One

BATTLE OF ORISKANY.

413

portion of this plan was the defence of Fort Schuyler.
The garrison, commanded by Lieutenant-colonel
Gansevoort, was besieged by a large body of British
Tories and Indians, led by St. Leger, but behaving with
heroic courage, their savage enemies were driven off
with shame and heavy loss. It was while advancing
to relieve the garrison, that General Herkimer, with
the militia of Tryon county, New York, was surprised
by the enemy, his march arrested, and himself mor-
tally wounded.

The battle was fought August 6, 1777. Fired by
the atrocities of the Indians, the militia collected from
all quarters, and, led by General Herkimer, marched
hastily toward the scene of action. On the 5th, they
reached Oriskany, and next morning the general an-
nounced his intention of remaining there to await re-
inforcements. This prudent precaution was over-
ruled ; officers and men clamoured to be led against the
enemy, and accused their leader of cowardice. Yield-
ing to their importunities, he gave orders to advance,
and the party again moved forward in high spirits
with much confusion. After marching about two
miles, they reached a gentle acclivity, bounded by a
deep ravine, which, after crossing the road from north
to south, swept toward the east so as to enclose a
semicircle. The bottom of this ravine was marshy,
and the road crossed it by means of a causeway. At
this place, St. Leger, having heard of Herkimer's ap-
proach, had posted a force of Indians and Tories under
Butler and Brant, to oppose him. They occupied
the rising ground parallel to the ravine, and were sc

414

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

arranged in a circle, having only one small gap
through which the Americans could march.

Before leaving Oriskany, Herkimer determined to
send forward scouts to clear the road ; but the design
was either neglected or abandoned. The militia ad-
vanced with blind speed into the enemy's midst ; and
were roused from their fatal indifference only by the
Indian war-whoop. They found themselves within
the fatal circle, the opening to which was immediate-
ly closed. The rear guard alone were excluded, but
they fled at the first fire. The devoted band received
a galling fire which completely broke their ranks;
their general fell wounded in the early part of the
action, and the savages, sure of success, were prepar-
ing to charge with the tomahawk. Happily Herki-
mer was still able to direct the battle ; his men formed
into circles, or, placed back to back, received the In-
dians on the points of their knives and bayonets, and
the terrible scene commenced of a conflict hand to
hand with infuriated savages. Personal danger seemed
forgotten in the struggle, and the work of butchery
was arrested only by a heavy storm. The enemy re-
tired to some neighbouring trees, and General Herki-
mer formed his men in a circle. In the early part of
the battle, if an American fired a gun from behind a
tree, an Indian rushed up and tomahawked him be-
fore he could reload. Herkimer now placed two men
at a single tree, one to reserve his fire until an Indian
ran up as before.

After an hours intermission, the battle was re-
newed. The Americans received the charge with

FIGHT BETWEEN CROWS AND BLACKFEET. 415

firmness, while their hidden marksmen picked off so
many of the savages, that they began to give way.
At this moment, a fresh body of Tories, known as
Johnson's Greens, arrived. The greatest part of these
men were personally known to the Americans, a cir-
cumstance which increased their former fury to mad-
ness. After discharging his piece, each man sprang
upon his selected victim, throttled or stabbed him and
rushed upon another. The field was covered with
groups of friends and foes, each grasped in his enemy's
embrace. This obstinate resistance discouraged the
Indians, who soon broke and fled in disorder. They
were soon followed by the main body, thus leaving
the militia masters of the field.

In this severe struggle the Americans lost two hun-
dred, or, according to Marshall, four hundred men.
The British loss was equally heavy. General Her-
kimer was removed from the field on a litter, and con-
veyed to his house on the Mohawk, where his leg
was amputated. The operation was unskilfully per-
formed, and in a few days he died. He was buried

near his own house in the town of Danube,
i

In June, 1845, a party of about seven hundred
Crow Indians were driven from their own country by
the Sioux, to the vicinity of fort F. A. C. near the
Falls of the Missouri. On the 17th they encountered

416

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

a small party of Blackfeet warriors, whom they im-
mediately attacked. Notwithstanding the great dis-
parity in numbers, the battle was fierce and bloody.
Twenty-two of the Blackfeet were killed, and one
hundred women and children carried away, together
with three hundred horses. At this moment they
beheld the main body of their party approaching;
the battle was renewed with terrible fury, and the
Crows, though superior in number, were in their turn
driven back. They retreated to a strongly fortified
spot, carrying with them the horses and goods. Most
of the prisoners escaped. The Blackfeet made several
desperate charges, but were finally obliged to retire.
About a dozen of their number were killed and many
more wounded.

At the time of this battle the Blackfeet tribe were
west of the Rocky Mountains, near the head waters
of the Columbia, whither it is their custom to retire
every spring. Those attacked by the Crows were
consequently only an advanced party which had
crossed the mountains earlier than usual. The Crows
had themselves been driven into the neighbourhood
where the fight occurred by the Sioux, who w^re
out in great force against them. At other times when
the Blackfeet are absent, they usually visit that sec-
tion of country. About a fortnight before the fight,
a small party of the Blackfeet had attacked the guard
at fort F. A. C, (the trading post of the American
Fur Company,) killed one man, seriously wounded
another, and stole thirty horses. The whole affair will
serve to show the dangers to which the western set-

A Blackfoot Wamor.

SAVAGE PATRIOTISM. 419

tiers are exposed, as well as the condition of constant
war and ferment in which the Indians of the great
West are still engaged.

The following anecdote is given in " Notes on the
Michigan Territory," lately published :

The Indians of Fond du Lac, a small village of
about fifty men, from their pacific dispositions, were
branded by their neighbours, the Sioux, with coward-
ice. Feeling indignant at this, thirteen of them,
without consulting their friends, who were then nego-
tiating a peace with the Sioux, formed a league to
rescue their tribe from the imputation on their cou-
rage, and secretly penetrated into the Sioux country.
Unexpectedly they came upon a party of one hun-
dred Sioux, and began to prepare for battle ; but the
Sioux, seeing their small number, advised them to
return home ; that they admired their valour, and in-
timated to them that, if they persisted, their destruc-
tion was inevitable. The Fond du Lac Indians re-
plied that they had set out with a determination to
fight the first enemy they should meet, however un-
equal their numbers might be, and would have en-
tered their villages, if none had appeared sooner.
They had resolved in this manner to show their
brethren that the stigmas that were thrown upon
them were unjust, "for no men were braver than

420

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

their warriors," and that they were ready and would
sacrifice their lives in defence of the character of their
*ribe. They encamped a short distance from the
Sioux, and, during the night, dug holes in the ground,
to which they might retreat and fight to the la»t ex-
tremity. They appointed one of their number, the
youngest, to take a station at a distance and witness
the struggle, and instructed him to make his escape
to their own country, when he had witnessed the
death of all the rest, and state the circumstances
under which they had fallen.

Early in the morning they attacked the Sioux in
their camp, who, immediately sallying out upon them,
forced them back to the last place of retreat they had
resolved upon. They fought desperately, and more
than twice their number were killed before they lost
their lives. Eight of them were tomahawked in the
holes to which they retreated, and the other four fell
on the field ; the thirteenth returned home according
to the directions he had received, and related the cir-
cumstances to his tribe. They mourned their death ;
but, delighted with the unexampled bravery of their
friends, they were happy in their grief.

FARMER'S brother.

421

During the second war with England, the Seneca
nation of Indians, who reside in the neighbourhood
of Buffalo, were employed by the American govern-
ment, and attached themselves to the army, then
about to enter Canada, under the command of Gene-
ral Brown. The principal chief of this tribe was
called "Farmers Brother" a stout, athletic warrior.
The frosts of more than eighty winters had passed
over his head, and yet he retained his faculties in an
eminent degree. He possessed all the ardour of his
young associates, and was uncommonly animated at
the prospect which a fresh harvest of laurels pre-
sented to his mind.

This celebrated chief, in the war between England
and France, was engaged in the service of the latter.
He once pointed out to the writer of this account

422

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

the spot where, with a party of Indians, he lay in
ambush — patiently waiting the approach of a guard
that accompanied the English teams employed be-
tween the Falls of Niagara and the British garrison.
The fort there had surrendered to Sir William John-
ston. The place selected for that purpose is now
known by the name of the " Devil's Hole," and is
three and a half miles below the famous cataract
upon the United States side of the strait. The mind
can scarcely conceive a more dismal-looking den. A
large ravine, occasioned by the falling in of the per-
pendicular bank, made dark by the spreading branches
of the birch and cedar, which had taken root below,
and the low murmurings of the rapids in the chasm,
added to the solemn thunder of the cataract itself,
conspire to render the scene truly awful. The Eng-
lish party were not aware of the dreadful fate which
awaited them. Unconscious of danger, the drivers
were gayly whistling to their dull ox-teams. On their
arrival at this spot, Farmer's Brother and his band
rushed from the thicket that had concealed them, and
commenced a horrid butcher}^. So unexpected was
the event, and so completely were the English de-
prived of all presence of mind, but a feeble resistance
was made. The guard, the teamsters, the oxen, and
the wagons were precipitated into the gulf. But two
of them escaped. A Mr. Stedman, who lived at
Schlosser, above the Falls, being mounted on a fleet
horse, made good his retreat ; also one of the soldiers,
who was caught on the projecting root of a cedar,
which sustained him until assured by the distant yell

farmer's brother.

423

of the savages they had quitted the ground. He
then clambered up, and proceeded to Fort Niagara
with the intelligence of the disaster. A small rivu-
let, which pours itself down the precipice, was lite-
rally coloured with the blood of the vanquished, and
has ever since borne the name of "The Bloody Run"
In the war of the Kevolution, Farmer's Brothel
evinced his hostility to the Americans upon every
occasion that occurred ; and with the same zeal he
engaged in the late war against his former friends —
the British.

Another anecdote of this chief will show his
promptness and decision of character. A short time
before the United States army crossed the Niagara,
Farmer's Brother chanced to observe an Indian who
had mingled with the Senecas, and whom he in-
stantly recognised as belonging to the Mohawks, a
tribe living in Canada, and then employed in the ene-
my's service. He went up to him and addressed him
in the Indian tongue : — " I know you well ; you be-
long to the Mohawks — you are a spy ; here is my
rifle — my tomahawk — my scalping knife — I give you
your choice ; which of them shall I use ? — but I am
in haste !" The young warrior, finding resistance
vain, chose to be despatched with the rifle. He was
ordered to lie upon the grass, while, with the left foot
upon the breast of his victim, the chief lodged the
contents of the rifle in his head. It should be re-
membered that this proceeding was not at all incon-
sistent with the practice of civilized nations in the

424

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

case of a spy. On proof of the fact, he is put to
death.

Farmer s Brother possessed many estimable traits
of character. He was as firm a friend, where he
promised fidelity, as a bitter enemy to those against
whom he contended, and would rather lose the last
drop of his blood than betray the cause he had
espoused. He was fond of recounting his exploits,
and, savage-like, dwelt with much satisfaction upon
the number of scalps he had taken in his skirmishes
with the whites.

In company with several other chiefs, he once paid
a visit to General Washington, who presented him
with a silver medal. This he constantly wore sus-
pended from his neck, and so precious was the gift in
his eyes, that he often declared he would lose it only
with his life. Soon after the battles of Chippewa
and Bridgewater, this veteran paid the debt of nature
at the Seneca village, and, out of respect to his
bravery, he was there interred with military honours
from the fifth regiment of United States Infantry.

In the northern part of the American continent,
the subterraneous retreats of the black bear may be
easily discovered by the mist which uniformly hangs
about the entrance of the den, as the animal's heat
and breathing prevent the mouth of the cave from

INDIAN BEAR HUNT.

427

being entirely closed, however deep the snow may
be. As the black bear usually retires to his winter
quarters before any quantity of snow has fallen, and
does not again venture abroad till the end of March
or the beginning of April, he therefore spends at
least four months in a state of torpidity, and without
obtaining food. It is therefore not very surprising,
though the bear goes into his winter quarters exces-
sively fat, that he should come forth in the spring a
melancholy picture of emaciation.

The black bear is sometimes destroyed by blocking
up the mouth of the cave with logs of wood, and
then suddenly breaking open the top of it, they kill the
animal with a spear or gun. This method is, however,
considered both cowardly and wanton, as the bear can
neither escape nor offer the slightest injury to his
merciless destroyers. The northern Indians display
great ingenuity in the manner in which they throw
the noose around the neck of this animal ; but the
barbarous way in which they despatch him with the
hatchet or tomahawk, after having drawn him to the
top of his hole, has little in it to admire.

Sometimes he is caught in traps, strong steel ones
chained to a tree and laid in a path which has been
partially stained with blood, by drawing a newly-
killed carcass along it. At other times, a noose, sus-
pended from a strong bough, is substituted for the trap,
in a path similarly prepared. The bear, whose sense
of smell is exceedingly keen, always follows upon
the track along which a dead animal has been drawn,

428

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

even although it has left no trace perceptible by the
human senses.

The common mode of hunting this bear is by two
or three well-trained dogs. When he finds that he is
pursued, he generally pushes forward for eight or ten
miles, and sometimes more, in nearly a straight course.
But when the dogs come up to him, he turns and
strikes at them with his paws, the blows of which
are so severe, that one of them, taking effect, would
instantly fell the strongest dog to the ground. The
great art in training the dogs consists in teaching them
to avoid these blows, and keep harassing the animal
till he is exhausted. When that is the case, he climbs
a tree to the height of twenty or thirty feet, at the
root of which the dogs remain and "give tongue" till
the hunter makes his appearance. When the hunter
appears, the bear drops to the ground, not for the
purpose of attacking him, but of making a new effort
at escape from the now increased number of his pur-
suers. But, as he is heated by the effort of climbing
and by the fall, though bears, from their form and
also the nature of their covering, fall with much less
injury than any other animals of the same weight, he
is much more annoyed by the dogs than before. This
makes him take to a tree again for refuge. He then
climbs as high as it will bear him, and endeavours to
conceal himself among the thick foliage. The hunter
now strikes against the trunk of the tree as if he
were felling it, which soon puts the bear in motion.
He makes his way to the extremity of a long and
lofty branch, at which he draws himself partially into

THE CATASTROPHE.

429

the form of a ball, and drops down often from such a
height as that he rebounds up again for several feet,
as if he were an elastic substance. He rises again
from this fall, still uninjured, and seeks safety by
flight as before. His exertions are, however, so much
greater than those of his pursuers, that, whatever
may be his strength, they in time wear him out, and
he is ultimately shot, either when standing up to give
battle to the dogs, or when attempting to hide himself
behind the trunk of a tree. Such is the mode of
bear-hunting where there are trees ; but, in the large
open prairies, he runs much farther, and the hunt is
one of greater ardour, unless when he is shot at an
early stage. But, if the marksman is not skilful,
shooting Is rather a dangerous matter while the bear
is unexhausted, as the pain arouses all his strength,
and arms him with the most desperate powers of re-
venge, so that he would be too much both for dogs
and hunter.

ffifye ®ata0teopf>e*

The son of a Kickapoo chief, being engaged to a
Wiattanon girl, came in quest of her to Fort Knox,
at Vincennes — though an Indian war was then wag-
ing against the United States ; and, in this, the Kicka-
poos were among the most formidable. We happened
to be there at this time. It was summer, and the
weather very warm. The young Kickapoo was ad-
mitted into the fort, and, among other presents, threw
down several joints of venison ; observing to the com
manding officer, that, if he could not eat them him-

430

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

self, (for they were tainted,) they might answer for
his hogs and dogs* — muttering, at the same time, and
making the sign of a halter round his neck, that per-
haps they might hang him for appearing among them,
(alluding, no doubt, to the then Indian war.)

On the evening of the same day the young Kicka-
poo got into a drunken frolic with other savages,
among whom was a Wiattanon. The latter said to
the Kickapoo, " May be I shall kill you :" and, with-
out further preface, he plunged a knife into him —
which instantly proved fatal. At this moment the
Wiattanons in company took the alarm — fearful of
the consequences that might befall their tribe, from
the death of the son of a powerful chieftain. It was
therefore determined to propitiate the Kickapoo's
father, by sending a deputation to him with the pre-
sent of a ten gallon keg of whisky as a peace-offering.
This was furnished for the purpose, on request, by the
commanding officer of the fort. They had not gone
far when the precious liquor proved too great a temp-
tation : the keg was broached, and soon emptied.
What then was to be done ?

Next morning, however, they appeared again at
the fort — deplored the " accident" (as they called it,)
and begged for another keg of liquor. This too was
granted — and off they went again. But this keg met
with the fate of the former : its contents proved an
irresistible temptation. As no more whisky could
now be obtained, the mission fell through.

* Appellations the Indians bestow upon menial servants This
savours strongly of the pride of independence.

THE CATASTROPHE.

431

Upon this, the Indians appeared before the fort,
with the murderer in custody, under the window of
the writer,* and demanded justice to be done on the
prisoner. He told them it was an affair for them-
selves to settle, as it was confined to themselves alone.
They now marched in Indian file, carrying off the
murderer, who, every now and then, looked fearfully
behind him — for the brother of the deceased's sweet-
heart had taken post next in his rear. They had not
proceeded far, when this brother plunged a knife into
the prisoner's back, which broke, and a part was left
buried in the wound. The whole party now returned
before the fort — the wounded man singing his death-
song. He was borne off by his friends into a thicket,
in the prairie, where all their efforts to extract the
broken blade proved ineffectual \ and the next day or
two he died.

The Spider, a brother of the murderer, and then
at Kaskaskia, hearing of the predicament which had
befallen the latter, hastened to Vincennes ; but death
had closed the scene. He came in time, however, to
attend the funeral. When the body was about to be
consigned to the earth, he opened the blanket which
enveloped the corpse, and taking off a silver orna-
ment which encompassed his head, he bound it around
that of the defunct, saying, " There, brother ! this
will bring you respect in the land of spirits."

* He was a judge of the supreme court of the North-western Ter-
ritory, and then upon the circuit to open the courts through that
extensive region.

432

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

The following was communicated to the Cincinnati
ronicle, in the autumn of 1829, by a gentleman, in
substance, as related below. He received it from the
mouth of Ash himself, who resides on the Ohio, in
Indiana, upon lands first presented to him by the
Indians, and afterwards confirmed, in part, by Con-
gress— he paying for the same. We copy it from Tur-
ner's Traits of Indian Character :

" My father, J ohn Ash, was one of the earliest
emigrants to Kentucky, and settled near Bardstown,
Nelson county, many miles from any other white
settlement. In the month of March, 1780, when I
was about ten years of age, we were attacked by the
Shawnee Indians ; a part of the family was killed, the
rest were taken prisoners. We were separated from
each other, and, excepting a younger sister, who was
taken by the same party that had me in possession, I
saw none of my family for seventeen year&.

STORY OF GEORGE A.SH.

433

" My sister was small; they carried her two or three
days, but she cried, and gave them trouble, and they
tomahawked and scalped her, and left her lying on
the ground. I was, after this, transferred from one
family to another, several times, and treated harshly,
and called a ' white dog/ till at length I was domesti-
cated in a family, and considered a member of it.
After this, my treatment was like that of other chil-
dren of the tribe.

" The Shawnees, at this time, lived on the Big
Miami, about twenty miles above Dayton. Here we
continued until General Clark came out, and attacked
us, and burnt our town. We then removed to St.
Mary's, and continued there about two years. After
this, we removed to Fort Wayne, on the Maumee ;
here we were attacked by General Harmar ; we then
removed to the Anglaize River, and continued there
some years. While there, General St. Clair came out
against us. Eight hundred and fifty warriors went
out to meet him, and on their way were joined by
fifty Kickapoos.

"The two armies met about two hours before sun-
set. When the Indians were within about half a mile
of St. Clair, the spies came running back to inform
us, and we stopped. We concluded to encamp; 6 it
was too late,' they said, 'to begin the play/ they would
defer the sport till next morning.

" General Blue Jacket was our commander. After
dark, he called all the chiefs around him, to listen to
what he had to say. 1 Our fathers/ said he, ' used to
do as we now do ; our tribes used to fight other tribe

55 2 0

434

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

— they could trust to their own strength and their
numbers; but in this conflict, we have no such re-
liance ; our power and our numbers bear no compari-
son to those of our enemy, and we can do nothing,

J 7 O?

unless assisted by our Great Father above. I pray
now,' continued Blue Jacket, raising his eyes to
heaven, 6 that he will be with us to-night, and (it was
now snowing) that to-morrow, he will cause the sun
to shine out clear upon us, and we will take it as a
token of good, and we shall conquer.' "

Blue Jacket appears to have been a priest, as well
as a warrior.

"About an hour before day, orders were given for
every man to be ready to march. On examination,
it was found that three fires, or camps, consisting of
fifty Pottawattomies, had deserted us. We marched
till we got within sight of the fires of St. Clair ; then
General Blue Jacket began to talk, and to sing a
hymn, as Indians sing hymns." Here the narrator
mentioned some ceremony, that I did not well under-
stand. " The fisrht commenced, and continued for an
hour or more, when the Indians retreated. As they
were leaving the ground, a chief, by the name of
Black Fish, ran in among them, and, in the voice of
thunder, asked them what they were doing, where
they were going, and who had given them orders to
retreat? This called a halt, and he proceeded in a
strain of the most impassioned eloquence, to exhort
them to courage, and to 1 deeds of daring,' and con-
cluded with saying, 6 that whatever the determination
of others might be, he knew not, but, for himself, Hi

STORY OF GEORGE ASH.

435

determination was, to conquer or die ! ' You who are
like-minded, follow me F and they raised the war-
whoop — which is, ' we conquer or die f

" The attack was most impetuous, and the carnage,
for a few moments, shocking. Many of the Indians
threw away their guns, leaped in among the Ameri-
cans, and did the butchery with a tomahawk. In a
few moments, the Americans gave way; the Indians
took possession of the camp and the artillery, spiked
the guns, and parties of Indians followed the retreat-
ing army many miles. Eleven hundred Americans
were left dead on the field. The number of Indians
killed, together with those who afterwards died of
their wounds, amounted to only thirty-five !

" In this battle, a ball passed through the back of
Ash's neck; he fell, and says, his recollection re-
turned while an Indian was carrying him away on his
back."

Many years afterwards, Ash ascertained that he
had a brother in St. Clair's army, who was killed in
this battle. Who can say that he did not direct the
ball that did the fatal work ? — for, all who have seen
Ash will allow that he was not a man to be idle in
battle.

" After this battle, I started, with eight others, on
an embassy to the Creek Nation. Our object was, to
renew the friendly relations between that nation and
our own tribe, and two of our number were regularly
accredited ambassadors, for that purpose. We made
a visit of a year, and were successful in the objects of
our mission. The nations north of the Ohio were

436

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

desirous of strengthening themselves against the
whites, by foreign alliances.

" While we were absent, our tribe had had a battle
with the whites, near Fort Hamilton. The Ameri-
can army was commanded, I think, by General
Bradley.

"After our return, Wayne came out against us
with eight thousand men. We sent out runners to
all nations, to collect together warriors, and soon an
army of fifteen hundred men was in the field. We
marched on to meet Wayne, who then lay at Fort
Recovery. We took one of Wayne's spies in our
march — a Chickasaw. He was taken to the Indian
army, that he might give us some account of Wayne's
movements. But the Indians were so enraged at him,
for his treachery, that they fell upon him, in the midst
of his narrative, and killed him. Our army was then
in great want of provisions. The Chippeway Indians
cut him up, 7-oasted, and ate hi?n.

" Near Fort Recovery we met a party of the Ameri-
can armv. and fought them — without much success —
and returned home. Wayne marched on the towns,
and only three hundred warriors could be mustered to
meet him. We went out, however, and fought him
in two battles, within three days of each other.
These battles were fought near Fort Wayne, and the
place where they were fought are not more than five
miles from each other. The Indians were, in fact,
conquered, and the war ended. General Blue Jacket
that winter hoisted the flag of truce, and marched
into Greenville to treat with Wayne."

STORY OF GEORGE ASH.

437

We are all familiarly acquainted with the history
of these Indian wars — of the gallant, but unfortunate
St. Clair — and of the chivalrous and successful Wayne.
This, for aught I know, is the first Indian account of
these transactions that has appeared ; and, if it is
correct — and I have abundant reason to think it is —
it must go, at least, to diminish our censure of St.
Clair, if it does not detract from the credit of Wayne.
St. Clair suffered himself to be surprised by the In-
dians in their own territory — a fault which Washing-
ton thought admitted of no excuse ; besides, his army
exceeded the enemy's in numbers. But, when we
take into consideration his ignorance of Indian war-
fare, and that he had to fight them in their own
wilds, we must acknowledge the disparity was not
very great. By their own showing, likewise, their
army consisted of nearly a thousand men — and such
men as are not easily conquered by any force — for
their motto was " We conquer, or die."

Ash had now been with the savages seventeen
years. He had long identified himself with them,
spoke their language perfectly, and had almost for-
gotten his own ; and had adopted their dress, and all
their modes of life. His right ear is fixed in a pe-
culiar manner for the purpose of wearing jewels.
The edge of the ear, about a third of an inch deep,
is cut off, excepting at the ends where the ear joins
the head. This rim hangs down on the face, and
serves as a kind of loop. The parting gristle of the
nose is perforated ; there is likewise a hole in his left
ear. I made some inquiries as to his painting. He

2 o 2

438

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

said he painted, and wore about a hundred dollars
worth of silver in ornaments, when he visited the
ladies. In his nose, he wore three silver crosses and
seven half moons, valued from five to six hundred
dollars ; and, as he proceeded to describe his decora-
tions for these excursions of gallantry, and the re-
ception he met with, I could not but reflect upon the
effect which ornament has with the fair in all ages
and among all nations.

" After peace/' proceeded he, " I told the Indians I
wanted to go to the white settlements, and see if any
of my family were living. They, at first, made ob-
jections, but finally consented ; and, in full dress,
with a good horse, a good gun, and a good hunting
dog. I started for Fort Pitt.

" Having travelled alone fourteen days in the wil-
derness, I arrived at my place of destination. I there
found a brother, and learned that my father was still
living in Kentucky. After staying some time at Fort
Pitt, I was employed by a gentleman as a guide
through the wilderness to Detroit. When we arrived
in the neighbourhood of Detroit, I told my employer
e might go on, and that I would spend the winter
among the Indians with my wife : for I had taken a
wife before I left them. He called for me in the
sprinsr, and we returned to Fort Pitt together.

" I there sold my horse, and proceeded down the
Ohio river in a boat, with the intention of visiting
mv father. I arrived at his house in the night, called
him up, and requested entertainment for the night.
He denied such a request to no man, whoever he

STORY OF GEORGE ASH.

439

might be, but evidently was not much pleased with
my appearance, for I was still in my Indian costume,
and could speak but a few words of English.

" He paid me but little attention, gave a servant
some orders about my lodging, and was about retiring
to bed, when I drew him into a conversation, by ask-
ing some questions about his family. I asked him if
he had not a son George (many years before) taken by
the Indians. He^ replied that he had — that he had
heard he was in St. Clair's defeat, and was killed. I
assured him that the report was incorrect, and that
I knew something of his son. He asked with eager-
ness where he was. I replied, ' He now stands before
you? He looked at me with searching scrutiny for a
few moments, and commenced pacing the room. He
walked up and down the room for two hours, before
he uttered another syllable. 6 Would you know your
brother Henry/ said he, "at last, ' if you should see
him ?' I told him ' No : — for he was a mere infant
when I went away/ He thought I should, and,
though late in the evening, rode several miles to
bring him."

In this part of the narration I perceived that Ash's
eyes grew moist, and that his voice was husky. He
rose to depart, but, by some entreaty, he was induced
to return, and continue his tale.

" My father," said he, " had become wealthy, pos-
sessing negroes and fine horses in abundance. But
my mother was dead, and my father had married a
second wife, who was not backward in letting me
know that that was no place for me.

440

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

" I started again for the Indian country, crossed the
Ohio, and pitched my camp on the spot where my
house now stands, on the hank of the Ohio, exactly
opposite the mouth of the Kentucky.

"After hunting for some time, I determined to
make another visit to my red brethren, and a friend
gave me a horse to ride. I found them preparing a
deputation for their great father, the President, and
nothing would do but that I should make one of the
party. With a number of chiefs I set out for Phila-
delphia, and, after visiting the President and all the
great people there, and by them, no doubt, thought a
very good Indian, I returned to my old camp, where
I now live.

" As a compensation for my services on this mission,
the Indians granted me a tract of land, opposite the
mouth of the Kentucky, four miles in length on the
river, and one mile back. When the territory was
ceded to the United States, the Indians neglected to
reserve my grant. I had cultivated some parts of my
land, and it was worth more than the government
price. It was offered for sale, and I petitioned Con-
gress to secure to me what was in fact my own. They
denied me the request, but permitted me to purchase
as much as I could at the government price !

" I had considered myself rich in lands, but I was
poor in cash, and my domain was reduced to about
two hundred acres. On this I have lived ever since ;
and this completes the history of George Ash."

THE SIOUX AND CHIEF WAHKTAGELI. 441

Wat jlioux, or EDacoia*, ant) $eir ®i)Uf S^a&fctagclt, or ttig ^ol&Ur.

From the Travels of Maximilian, Prince of Wied.

The Dacotas, or Sioux, called by the Ojibuas or
Chippeways, Nandoesi, or Nadowassis, are still one
of the most numerous Indian tribes in North
America. Pike stated their number at 21,575 souls,
and they are still reckoned at 20,000; nay, some
even affirm that they are still able to furnish 15,000
warriors, which seems rather too high an estimate.
Major Long, who gives much information respecting
this people, calculates their number at 28,100, of
which 7,055 are warriors, the nation possessing
2,330 tents, which agrees pretty nearly with the
statements we received on the Missouri. If we
add the Assiniboins, who are of the same origin, and

412

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

who are estimated at 28,000, we shall have for ali
the Dacotas 56,100 souls, of whom 14,055 are war-
riors, and the number of their tents 5,330. Major
Long is of opinion that they cannot be calculated at
less than 25,000 souls and 6,000 warriors; 20,000
is, therefore, not too high an estimate.

The territory which they inhabit extends from Big
Sioux River, between the Missouri and the Missis-
sippi, down the latter to Rock river, and northwards
to Elk river ; then westwards, in a line which in-
cludes the sources of St. Peter's river, and reaches
the Missouri below the Mandan villages, stretches
down it, crosses it near Hart river, and includes the
whole country on the western bank to the Black Hills
about Teton river as far as Shannon river. The
Sioux are divided into several branches, which all
speak the same language, with some deviations.
Three principal branches live on the Missouri, viz.
the Yanktons or Yanktoans, the Tetons or Titoans, and
the Yanktonans or Yanktoanons. The Mende-Wa-
kan-Toann, or the people of the Spirit Lake, and
some others, live on the Mississippi. All these
branches together are, as Major Long says, divided
by the traders into two great classes — the Gens du
Lac and the Gens du Large ; i e. those who live
near the Spirit Lake, and are now chiefly found
on the banks of the Mississippi, and those who roam
about in the prairies. The Yanktoanons are said to
constitute one-fifth of all the Dacotas, and the Tetons
the half of the whole nation.

The Dacotas roam as far as the territory of the

THE SIOUX AND CHIEF WAHKTAGELI. 443

Puncas, over the Black Hills, to the Arkansas, and
westwards to the Rocky Mountains into the territory
of the Crows, on the Yellow Stone river, &c. Pike
makes them, as well as the Pawnees, descend from
the Tartars ; but many objections may be made to
this notion, as the affinity of the North Americans
and the people of Asia is not proved, and the resem-
blance between them appears to be very limited. In
general, these Indians have more strongly-marked
countenances and higher cheek-bones than many
other tribes on the Missouri, nor are their features so
regular or pleasing ; yet there is no considerable dif-
ference in their physiognomy. Bradbury says they
are much inferior in stature to the Osages, Mandans,
and Puncas, and by no means so robust ; but this
assertion must be very much restricted, because there
are many tall men among the Dacotas. The Yank-
tons live in Sioux Agency, or the furthest down the
Missouri, among which tribe we now were. All these
Dacotas of the Missouri, as well as most of those of
the Mississippi, are only hunters, and, in their excur-
sions, always live in portable leather tents. Only
two branches of them are exceptions to this rule,
especially the Wahch-Pe-Kutch, on the Mississippi,
who cultivate maize and other plants, and therefore
live in fixed villages. All these Indians have great
numbers of horses and dogs, the latter of which
often serve them as food. The Dacotas, on the Mis-
souri, were formerly dangerous enemies to the whites.
Bradbury calls them blood-thirsty savages ; whereas
now, with the exception of the Yank ton ans, they

444

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

bear a very good character, and constantly keep peace
with the whites. Pike seems to have too high an
idea of their valour ; at least this is the opinion now
entertained on the Missouri. Such of these Indians
as reside near the whites are frequently connected
with them by marriages, and depend on them for
support. They then become negligent hunters, in-
dolent, and consequently poor. This was partly the
case at Sioux Agency, where they rarely possessed
more than two horses. One of the most considerable
men among them, wholly devoted to the whites, was
Wahktageli, called the Big Soldier, a tall, good-look-
ing man, about sixty years of age, with a high aqui-
line nose and large animated eyes. Besides him,
there were several elderly, and some slender young
men of this nation here. They had, in general, a
rather narrow, oval countenance ; narrow, long eyes,
and aquiline, or straight, well-formed noses; their
colour was a dark brown. They wore their hair
hanging down long over the shoulders, and often
platted en queue; the older men, however, let it hang
loosely, cut off a little below the neck, and turned
back from the forehead. Younger people generally
wore it parted, a large lock hanging down on the
nose. Young men had the upper part of the body
only wrapped in their large white or painted buffalo
hides. They had long strings of blue and white
wampum shells in their ears. Some of them wore
one, two, or three feathers, which were partly stripped
till towards the point.

Mr. Bodmer having expressed a wish, immediately

THE SIOUX AND CHIEF WAHKTAGELI. 445

on the arrival of the Big Soldier, to paint his portrait
at full length, he appeared in his complete state dress.
His face was painted red with vermilion, and with
short, black, parallel, transverse stripes on the cheeks.
On his head he wore long feathers of birds of prey,
which were tokens of his warlike exploits, particu-
larly of the enemies he had slain. They were fast-
ened in a horizontal position with strips of red cloth.
In his ears he wore long strings of blue glass beads ;
and on his breast, suspended from his neck, the great
silver medal of the United States. His leather leg-
gins, painted with dark crosses and stripes, were very
neatly ornamented with a broad embroidered stripe
of yellow, red, and sky-blue figures, consisting of
dyed porcupine quills ; and his shoes were adorned in
the same manner. His buffalo robe was tanned
white, and he had his tomahawk or battle-axe in his
hand. (See his portrait, which is a striking likeness,
in the frontispiece to this volume.) He appeared to
stand very willingly as a model for Mr. Bodmer, and
remained the whole day in the position required,
which, in general, the Indians find it difficult to do.
The remainder of these people were now entirely
without ornaments, naked, and the upper parts of
their bodies not at all painted, but only wrapped in
their buffalo robes. On their backs they carried their
quivers, which were made of leather, in which their
arrows are kept. They carry their bows in their hands.

The features of the women resembled, on the
whole, those we have already described; yet, their
faces, for the most part, were not so broad and flat as

440

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

those of the Saukies or Musquake women, and some
were even pretty. The tents of the Sioux are high
pointed cones, made of strong poles, covered with
buffalo skins, closely sewed together. These skins
are scraped on both sides, so that they become as
transparent as parchment, and give free admission to
the light. At the top, where the poles meet, or cross
each other, there is an opening to let out the smoke,
which they endeavour to close by a piece of the skin
covering of the tent, fixed to a separate pole standing
upright, and fastened to the upper part of the cover-
ing on the side from which the wind blows. The
door is a slit in the front of the tent, which is gene-
rally closed by another piece of buffalo hide stretched
upon a frame. A small fire is kept up in the centre
of the tent. Poles are stuck in the ground near the
tent, and utensils of various kinds are suspended
from them. There are, likewise, stages on which to
hang the newly-tanned hides ; others, with gayly-
painted parchment pouches and bags, on some of
which they hang their bows, arrows, quivers, leather-
shields, spears, and war-clubs.

We paid a visit to Wahktageli in his tent, and had
some difficulty in creeping into the narrow, low en-
trance, after pulling aside the skin that covered it.
The inside of this tent was light, and it was about
ten paces in diameter. Buffalo skins were spread on
the ground, upon which we sat down. Between us
and the side of the tent were a variety of articles,
such as pouches, boxes, saddles, arms, &c. A rela-
tion of the chief was employed in making arrows,

THE SIOUX AND CHIEF WAHKTAGELI. 447

which were finished very neatly and with great care.
Wahktageli immediately, with much gravity, handed
the tobacco-pipe round, and seemed to inhale the pre-
cious smoke with great delight. His wife was pre-
sent; their children were married. The conversa-
tion was carried on by Cephier, the interpreter kept
by the Agency, who accompanied us on this visit.
It is the custom with all the North American In-
dians, on paying a visit, to enter in perfect silence,
to shake hands with the host, and unceremoniously
sit down beside him. Refreshments are then pre-
sented, which the Big Soldier could not do, as he him-
self stood in need of food. After this the pipe circu-
lates. The owner of a neighbouring tent had killed
a large elk, the skin of which the women were then
busily employed in dressing. They had stretched it
out, by means of leather straps, on the ground near
the tent, and the women were scraping off the parti-
cles of flesh and fat with a very well-contrived in-
strument. It is made of bone, sharpened at one end
and furnished with little teeth like a saw, and at the
other end a strap, which is fastened round the wrist.
The skin is scraped with the sharp side of this instru-
ment till it is perfectly clean. Several Indians have
iron teeth fixed to this bone. Besides this operation,
we took particular notice of the harness of the dogs
and horses, hanging up near the tent, both these ani-
mals being indispensable to the Indians to transport
their baggage on their journeys. Even the great tent,
with many long, heavy poles, is carried by horses, as
well as the semi-globular, transparent wicker pan-

443

THRILLING A D VENTURES.

niers, under which the little children are protected
against sun and rain by spreading blankets and skins
over them. Smaller articles are conveyed by the dogs.
Many of the Sioux are rich, and have twenty or more
horses, which the}' obtained originally from the Span-
iards on the Mississippi and the frontier of New Mexi-
co on the Oregon ; but which are now found in great
numbers among the several Indian nations. One
of their most important employments is to steal
horses ; and the theft of one of these animals from
another nation is considered as an exploit, and as
much, nay more honoured than the killing of an
enemy. The dogs, whose flesh is eaten by the Sioux,
are equally valuable to the Indians. In shape, they
differ very little from the wolf, and are equally large
and strong. Some are of the real wolf colour ; others
black, white, or spotted with black and white, and
differing onlv by the tail beinsr rather more turned
up. Their voice is not a proper barking, but a howl,
like that of the wolf, and they partly descend from
wolves, which approach the Indian huts even in the
daytime and mix with the dogs.

General Simon Kenton.

KENTON AND GIRTT.

451

fSUntcn ant (Ehrtj.

Simon Kenton was one of the most noted rangera
in the early history of Kentucky. As a hunter and
Indian fighter, he had few equals, being brave,
enterprising, determined and skilful. Simon Girty,
also a famous woodsman, was the friend of Kenton's
youth. Girty, from unknown causes, became a rene-
gade, joined the Indians, and led many of their
attacks upon the white settlements.

Being active, of a strong constitution, fearless in
the extreme, and at all times ready to join their war
parties, he soon became very popular among his new
associates, and a man of much consequence. He was
engaged in most of the expeditions against the fron-
tier settlements of Pennsylvania and Virginia, —
always brave and always cruel, — till the year 17 78.
when occurred an incident which, as it is the only
Dright spot apparent in the whole dark career of the
renegado, shall be related with some particularity.

Girty happened to be at Lower Sandusky this

452

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

SIMON GIRTT.

year, when Kenton, — known at that period as Simon
Butler, — was brought in to be executed, by a pariy
of Indians who had made him prisoner on the banks
of the "Ohio. Years before, Kenton and Girty had
been companions at Fort Pitt, and served together
subsequently in the commencement of Dunmore's
Expedition ; but the victim was already blackened for
the stake, and the renegado failed to recognize in him
his former associate. Girty had at this time but just
returned from an expedition against the frontiers of

KENTON AND GIRTT.

453

Pennsylvania, which had been less successful than he
had anticipated, and was enraged by disappointment.
He therefore, as soon as Kenton was brought into the
village, began to give vent to a portion of his spleen,
by cuffing and kicking the prisoner, whom he even-
tually knocked down. He knew that Kenton had
come from Kentucky ; and this harsh treatment was
bestowed in part, it is thought, to frighten the
prisoner into answers of such questions as he might
wish to ask him. He then inquired, how many men
there were in Kentucky. Kenton could not answer
this question, but ran over the names and ranks of
such of the officers as he at the time recollected.
u Do you know William Steward ?" asked Girty.
" Perfectly well," replied Kenton ; " he is an old and
intimate acquaintance." " Ah ! what is your name,
then?" " Simon Kenton," answered Kenton; and on
the instant of this announcement, the hardened rene-
gado caught his old comrade by the hand, lifted him
from the ground, pressed him to his bosom, asked his
forgiveness for having treated him so brutally, and
promised to do every thing in his power to save his
life, and set him at liberty. " Syme !" said he, weeping
like a child, " you are condemned to die, but it shall go
hard with me,I tell you, but I will save you from that."

There have been various accounts given of this in-
teresting scene, and all agree in representing Girty as
having been deeply affected, and moved for the mo-
ment to penitence and tears. The foundation of
M'Clung's detail of the speeches made upon the
occasion, was a manuscript dictated by Kenton him-

454

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

self, a number of years before his death. From this
writer I therefore quote :

" As soon as Girty heard the name, he became
strongly agitated; and springing from his seat, he
threw his arms around Kenton's neck, and embraced
him with much emotion. Then turning to the as-
sembled warriors, who remained astonished spectators
of this extraordinary scene, he addressed them in a
short speech, which the deep earnestness of his tone,
and the energy of his gesture rendered eloquent. He
informed them that the prisoner, whom they had just
condemned to the stake, was his ancient comrade and
bosom friend : that they had travelled the same war-
path, slept upon the same blanket, and dwelt in the
same wigwam. He entreated them to have compas-
sion on his feelings — to spare him the agony of wit-
nessing the torture of an old friend, by the hands of
his adopted brothers — and not to refuse so trifling a
favour as the life of a white man, to the earnest inter-
cession of one who had proved, by three years' faith-
ful service, that he was sincerely and zealously de-
voted to the cause of the Indians.

" The speech was listened to in unbroken silence.
As soon as he had finished, several chiefs expressed
their approbation by a deep guttural interjection,
while others were equally as forward in making
known their objections to the proposal. They urged
that his fate had already been determined on in a
large and solemn council, and that they would be
acting like squaws to change their minds every hour.
They insisted upon the flagrant misdemeanours of

KENTON" AND GIRTY.

455

Kenton — that he had not only stolen their horses,
but had flashed his gun at one of their young men —
that it was vain to suppose that so bad a man could
ever become an Indian at heart, like their brother
Girty — that the Kentuckians were all alike — very
bad people — and ought to be killed as fast as they
were taken — and finally, they observed that many
of their people had come from a distance, solely to
assist at the torture of the prisoner, and pathetically
painted the disappointment and chagrin with which
they would hear that all their trouble had been for
nothing.

"Girty listened with obvious impatience to the
young warriors who had so ably argued against a re-
prieve, and starting to his feet as soon as the others
had concluded, he urged his former request with
great earnestness. He briefly, but strongly recapitu-
lated his own services, and the many and weighty
instances of attachment he had given. He asked if
he could be suspected of partiality to the whites?
When had he ever before interceded for any of that
hated race? Had he not brought seven scalps home
with him from the last expedition ? and had he not
submitted seven white prisoners that very evening to
their discretion ? Had he expressed a wish that a sin-
gle one of the captives should be saved ? Tliis was his
first and should be his last request : for if they refused
to him, what was never refused to the intercession of
one of their natural chiefs, he would look upon him-
self as disgraced in their eyes, and considered as un-
worthy of confidence. Which of their own natural

456

T II RILLING ADVENTURES.

-warriors had been more zealous than himself? From
what expedition had he ever shrunk ? what white
man had ever seen his back ? Whose tomahawk had
been bloodier than his ? He would say no more. He
asked as a first and last favour, as an evidence that
they approved of his zeal and fidelity, that the life
of his bosom friend might be spared. Fresh speakers
arose upon each side, and the debate was carried on
for an hour and a half with great heat and energy.

" During the whole of this time, Kenton's feelings
may readily be imagined. He could not understand
a syllable of what was said. He saw that Girty
spoke with deep earnestness, and that the eyes of the
assembly were often turned upon himself with vari-
ous expressions. He felt satisfied that his friend was
pleading for his life, and that he was violently op-
posed by a large part of the council. At length the
war-club was produced, and the final vote taken.
Kenton watched its progress with thrilling emotion,
which yielded to the most rapturous delight, as he
perceived that those who struck the floor of the
council-house, were decidedly inferior in number to
those who passed it in silence. Having thus suc-
ceeded in his benevolent purpose, Girty lost no time
in attending to the comfort of his friend. He led him
into his own wigwam, and from his own store gave
him a pair of moccasins and leggins, a breech cloth,
a hat, a coat, a handkerchief for his neck, and another
for his head."

In the course of a few weeks, and after passing
through some further difficulties in which the rene-

KENTON AND GIRTY.

457

gado again stood by him faithfully, Kenton was sent
to Detroit, from which place he effected his escape
and returned to Kentucky. Girty remained with the
Indians, retaining his old influence, and continuing
his old career.

458

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

dfcntral ®Iarfce an& t$f Jnbtan*.

General George Rogers Clarke was the idol of
the early settlers of Kentucky. His dauntless spirit
and military genius were known and appreciated, and
when danger threatened he was the rallying point.
As an Indian fighter, he had few equals, while his
knowledge of regular civilized warfare was extensive.
His expedition against Kaskaskia will always be re-
garded as the conception of a true military head, and
the execution of a most indomitable spirit. No man
better understood the Indian character than Gen.
Clarke. When he negotiated with them, he took a
contrary course from that usually pursued by the
whites, making no concessions to the red men, and
acting with a fearless independence which excited
the respect, and secured the friendship of the most
resolute warriors. The following speech, delivered
to the Indians at Fort Vincennes, illustrates the
policy of Gen. Clarke.

GENERAL CLARKE AND THE INDIANS. 461

*" Men and warriors ! pay attention to my words :
You informed me yesterday, that the Great Spirit had
brought us together ; and that you hoped, as he was
good, that it would be for good. I have also the same
hope, and expect that each party will strictly adhere
to whatever may be agreed upon, whether it be peace
or war, and henceforward prove ourselves worthy of
the attention of the Great Spirit. I am a man and a
warrior : not a counsellor. I carry War in my right
hand ; and in my left, Peace. I am sent by the
Great Council of the Big Knife, and their friends, to
take possession of all the towns possessed by the
English in this country ; and to watch the motions
of the Red People : to bloody the paths of those who
attempt to stop the course of the river ; but to clear
the roads from us to those who desire to be in peace,
that the women and children may walk in them with-
out meeting any thing to strike their feet against. I
am ordered to call upon the Great Fire for warriors
enough to darken the land, and that the Red People
may hear no sound, but of birds who live on blood. I
know there is a mist before your eyes. I will dispel
the clouds that you may clearly see the cause of the
war between the Big Knife and the English : then
you may judge, for yourselves, which party is in the
right : and if you are warriors, as you profess to be,
prove it by adhering faithfully to the party which
you shall believe to be entitled to your friendship :
and do not show yourselves to be squaws.

* Dillon's History of Indiana.

462

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

" The Big Knives are very much like the Red
People ; they don't know how to make blankets, and
powder, and cloth. They buy these things from the
English, from whom they are sprung. They live by
making corn, hunting, and trade, as you and your
neighbours, the French, do. But the Big Knives daily
getting more numerous, like the trees in the woods,
the land became poor, and hunting scarce; and
having but little to trade with, the women began to
cry at seeing their children naked, and tried to learn
how to make clothes for themselves. They soon
made blankets for their husbands and children ; and
the men learned to make guns and powder. In
this way we did not want to buy so much from the
English. They then got mad with us, and sent strong
garrisons through our country ; as you see they have
done among you on the lakes, and among the French.
They would not let our women spin, nor our men
make powder, nor let us trade with anybody else.
The English said we should buy every thing from
them ; and, since we had got saucy, we should give
two bucks for a blanket, which we used to get for
one : we should do as they pleased ; and they killed
some of our people, to make the rest fear them. This
is the truth, and the real cause of the war between
the English and us, which did not take place for
some time after this treatment.

" But our women became cold and hungry, and
continued to cry. Our young men got lost for want
of counsel to put them in the right path. The
whole land was dark. The old men held down their

GENERAL CLARKE AND THE INDIANS. 463

heads for shame; because they could not see the sun;
and thus there was mourning for many years over
the land. At last the Great Spirit took pity on us,
and kindled a Great Council Fire, that never goes out,
at a place called Philadelphia. He then stuck down
a post, and put a war tomahawk by it, and went
away. The sun immediately broke out: the sky
was blue again : and the old men held up their heads,
and assembled at the fire. They took up the hatchet,
sharpened it, and put it into the hands of our
young men, ordering them to strike the English as
long as they could find one on this side of the great
waters. The young men immediately struck the
war post, and blood was shed. In this way the
war began ; and the English were driven from one
place to another, until they got weak ; and then they
hired you Red People to fight for them. The Great
Spirit got angry at this, and caused your old father,
the French King, and other great nations to join the
Big Knives, and fight with them against all their
enemies. So the English have become like deer in
the woods ; and you may see that it is the Great
Spirit that has caused your waters to be troubled,
because you have fought for the people he was mad
with. If your women and children should now cry,
you must blame yourselves for it, and not the Big
Knives.

"You can now judge who is in the right. I have
already told you who I am. Here is a Bloody Belt
and a White one ; take which you please. Behave
like men : and don't let your being surrounded by

464

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

the Big Knives, cause you to take up the one belt
with your hands, while your hearts take up the
other. If you take the bloody path you shall leave
the town in safety, and may go and join your friend.^
the English. We will then try, like warriors, who
can put the most stumbling blocks in each other's
way, and keep our clothes longest stained with blood.
If, on the other hand, you should take the path of
peace, and be received as brothers to the Big Knives,
with their friends, the French, should you then
listen to bad birds that may be flying through the
land, you will no longer deserve to be counted as
men ; but as creatures with two tongues, that ought
to be destroyed without listening to any thing you
might say. As I am convinced you never heard
the truth before, I do not wish you to answer before
you have taken time to counsel. We will, therefore,
part this evening : and when the Great Spirit shall
bring us together again, let us speak and think like
men with but one heart and one tongue."

This kind of oratory was very effective. It fitted
the purpose to a hair. Gen. Clarke succeeded in con-
cluding several very advantageous treaties with the
North-eastern tribes.

ATTACK UPON WIDOW SCRAGGS' HOUSE. 467

Attack upon CTOofo Hwagg*' ?^ou*e.

On the 11th of April, 1787, the house of a widow
named Scraggs, on Cooper's river in Bourbon county,
became the scene of an adventure of a thrilling
character.

She occupied what is generally called a double
cabin, in a lonely part of the county, one room of
which was tenanted by the old lady herself, together
with two grown sons, and a widowed daughter, at
that time suckling an infant, while the other was
occupied by two unmarried daughters from sixteen to
twenty years of age, together with a little girl not
more than half grown. The hour was 11 o'clock at
night. One of the unmarried daughters was still
busily engaged at the loom, but the other members of
the family, with the exception of one of the sons, had
retired to rest. Some symptoms of an alarming nature
had engaged the attention of the young man for an
hour before any thing of a decided character took place.

The cry of owls was heard in an adjoining wood,
answering each other in rather an unusual manner.
The horses, which were enclosed as usual in a pound
near the house, were more than commonly excited, and
by their repeated snorting and galloping, announced
the presence of some object of terror. The young
man was often upon the point of awakening his
brother, but was as often restrained by the fear of
incurring ridicule and the reproach of timidity, at
that time an unpardonable blemish in the character

468

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

of a Kentuckian. At length hasty steps were heard
in the yard, and quickly afterwards, several loud
knocks at the door, accompanied by the usual excla-
mation of "who keeps house?" in very good English.
The young man, supposing from the language, that
some benighted settlers were at the door, hastily arose,
and was advancing to withdraw the bar which secured
it, when his mother, who had long lived upon the
frontiers, and had probably detected the Indian tone
in the demand for admission, instantly sprung out of
bed, and ordered her son not to admit them, declaring
that they were Indians.

She instantly awakened her other son, and the two
young men seizing their guns, which were always
charged, prepared to repel the enemy. The Indians,
finding it impossible to enter under their assumed
characters, began to thunder at the door with great
violence, but a single shot from a loop hole, compelled
them to shift the attack to some less exposed point;
and, unfortunately, they discovered the door of the
other cabin, which contained the three daughters. The
rifles of the brothers could not be brought to bear
upon this point, and by means of several rails taken
from the yard fence, the door was forced from its
hinges, and the three girls were at the mercy of the
savages. One was instantly secured, but the eldest
defended herself desperately with a knife which she
had been using at the loom, and stabbed one of the
Indians to the heart, before she was tomahawked.
In the meantime the little girl, who had been over-
oked by the enemy in their eagerness to secure the

Attack upon Widow Scraggs' House.

ATTACK UPON WIDOW SCRAGG'S HOUSE. 471

others, ran out into the yard, and might have effected
her escape, had she taken advantage of the darkness
and fled, but instead of that the terrified little creature
ran around the house wringing her hands, and crying
out that her sisters were killed. The brothers, unable to
hear her cries, without risking every thing for her
rescue, rushed to the door and were preparing to sally
out to her assistance, when her mother threw herself
before them and calmly declared the child must be
abandoned to its fate ; that the sally would sacrifice
the lives of all the rest without the slightest benefit
to the little girl. Just then the child uttered a loud
scream, followed by a few faint moans, and all was
again silent. Presently the crackling of flames was
heard, accompanied by a triumphant yell from the
Indians, announcing that they had set fire to that di-
vision of the house which had been occupied by the
daughters and of which they held undisputed pos-
session.

The fire was quickly communicated to the rest of
the building, and it became necessary to abandon
it. or perish in the flames. In the one case there was
a possibility that some might escape ; in the other,
their fate would be equally certain and terrible. The
rapid approach of the flames cut short their momen-
tary suspense. The door was thrown open, and the old
lady, supported by her eldest son, attempted to cross
the fence at one point, while her daughter carrying
her child in her arms, and attended by the younger
of the brothers, ran in a different direction. The
blazing roof shed a light over the yard but little infe-

472

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

rior to that of day, and the savages were distinctly
seen awaiting the approach of their victims. The
old lady was ' permitted to reach the stile unmo-
lested, but in the act of crossing, received several
balls in her breast, and fell dead. Her son, providen-
tially, remained unhurt, and by extraordinary agility
effected his escape.

The other party succeeded also in reaching the
fence unhurt, but in the act of crossing, were vigo-
rously assailed by several Indians, who throwing
down their guns, rushed upon them with their toma-
hawks. The young man defended his sister gallantly,
firing upon the enemy as they approached, and then
wielding the butt of his rifle with a fury that drew
their whole attention upon himself, and gave his sister
an opportunity of effecting her escape. He quickly
fell, however, under the tomahawks of his enemies,
and was found at day-light, scalped and mangled in
a shocking manner. Of the whole family, consisting
of eight persons, when the attack commenced, only
three escaped. Four were killed upon the spot, and
one (the second daughter) carried off as a prisoner.

The neighbourhood was quickly alarmed, and by
daylight about thirty men were assembled under the
command of Colonel Edwards. A light snow had
fallen during the latter part of the night, and the In-
dian trail could be pursued by a gallop. It led di-
rectly into the mountainous country bordering upon
Licking, and afforded evidenoes of great hurry and
precipitation on the part of the fugitives. Unfortu-
nately a hound had been permitted to accompany the

ATTACK UPON WIDOW SCRAGGS' HOUSE. 473

whites, and as the trail became fresh and the scent
warm, she followed it with eagerness, baying loudly,
and giving the alarm to the Indians. The consequen-
ces of this imprudence were soon displayed. The
enemy finding the pursuit keen, and perceiving that the
strength of the prisoner began to fail, instantly sunk
their tomahawks in her head, and left her still warm
and bleeding upon the snow.

As the whites came up, she retained strength
enough to wave her hands in token of recognition,
and appeared desirous of giving them some informa-
tion with regard to the enemy, but her strength was
too far gone. Her brother sprang from his horse and
knelt by her side, endeavouring to stop the effusion
of blood, but in vain. She gave him her hand, mut-
tered some inarticulate words, and expired within two
minutes after the arrival of the party. The pursuit
was renewed with additional ardour, and in twenty
minutes the enemy was in view. They had taken
possession of a steep narrow ridge, and seemed desi-
rous of magnifying their numbers in the eyes of the
whites, as they ran rapidly from tree to tree, and
maintained a steady yell in their most appalling
tones. The pursuers, however, were too experienced
to be deceived by so common an artifice, and being
satisfied that the number of the enemy must be infe-
rior to their own, they dismounted, tied their horses,
and flanking out in such a manner as to enclose the
enemy, ascended the ridge as rapidly as was con-
sistent with a due regard to the shelter of their
persons.

2h2

474

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

The firing quickly commenced, and now for the
first time they discovered that only two Indians were
opposed to them. They had voluntarily sacrificed
themselves for the safety of the main body, and had
succeeded in delaying pursuit until their friends could
reach the mountains. One of them was instantly-
shot dead, and the other was badly wounded, as was
evident from the blood upon his blanket, as well as
that which filled his tracks in the snow for a considera-
ble distance. The pursuit was recommenced, and urged
keenly until night, when the trail entered a running
stream and was lost. On the following morning the
snow had melted, and every trace of the enemy was
obliterated.

ZBtUnct cf $Qvt garrison.

The defence of Fort Harrison against a strong
force of Indians was the first important exploit of
Zachary Taylor, since so renowned as a general :

Not long after, he joined the army at New Orleans,
then under the command of General Wilkinson. In
1810 he was united in marriage to Miss Margaret
Smith, of Maryland, a lady in all respects worthy of
his affections. In the following November, he was
promoted to the rank of captain. In 1811, he was
placed in command of Fort Knox on the Wabash, in
the vicinity of Vincennes. From this station he was
ordered to the east, a short time before the battle of
Tippecanoe. In 1812 he received orders to take

DEFENCE OF FORT HARRISON. 475

command of Fort Harrison, a post situated on the
"Wabash, seventy-five miles above Vincennes, and fifty
miles beyond the frontier settlements. This was a most
important trust for one of his age. But subsequeut
events proved the sagacity of the appointment.

While in command of Fort Harrison, Captain
Taylor became the hero of one of the most desperate
conflicts fought during the war. This frontier post
was nothing more than a slight stockade, which had
been thrown up by General Harrison in 1811, while
on his march to Tippecanoe. The defences were of
the most simple and primitive kind. The whole was
built of unseasoned timber ; and was formed on three
sides by single rows of pickets, the fourth side con-
sisting of a range of log huts, appropriated as bar-
racks for the soldiers, and terminated at either
extreme by a block house. When Captain Taylor
assumed the command of this rude fortification, it
was exceedingly ill provided either for comfort or de-
fence, and was garrisoned by a single broken company
of infantry.

On the 3d of September, 1812, two men were
murdered by the Indians within a few hundred yards
of the fort. Late on the evening of the 4th, between
thirty and forty Indians arrived from the Prophet's
town, bearing a white flag. They were principally
chiefs, and belonged to the various tribes that com-
posed the Prophet's party. Captain Taylor was in-
formed that the principal chief would make him a
speech the next morning, and that the object of their
visit was to get something to eat. The plot was well

47G

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

conceived and boldly executed ; but it was instantly
detected by the eagle eye of the young commander,
and he redoubled his exertions to put the Fort in a
proper state of defence.

The premeditated attack, so craftily arranged, was
made as expected. About eleven o'clock, Captain
Taylor was awakened by the firing of one of the sen-
tinels. He immediately ordered the men to their
posts, and the firing became general on both sides.
In the midst of the uproar, it was discovered that
the Indians had set fire to the lower block house.
Without a moment's hesitation, Captain Taylor di-
rected buckets to be brought, and the fire to be ex-
tinguished. But it was much easier to give the
order than to have it executed. The men appeared
to be paralyzed and stupified. The alarm of fire had
thrown the garrison into the greatest confusion, in the
midst of which all orders were unheard or disre-
garded. Unfortunately, there was a large quantity
of whiskey among the contractor's stores deposited
in the block house, which having caught fire, caused
the flames to spread with great rapidity, and to
rage with irresistible fury. During this time the
Indians were not idle, but kept up an incessant
and rapid discharge of rifles against the picket-
ing, accompanied by a concert of the most infernal
yells that ever issued from the throat of man, beast,
or devil. The fire soon ascended to the roof of the
block house, and threatened to wrap the whole fort
in a sheet of flame. The men gave themselves up
for lost, and ceased to pay any attention to the orders.

DEFENCE OF FORT HARRISON. 477

Disorder was at its height, and the scene became
terrific. The fire raged and surged, and roared — the
Indians howled and yelled — dogs barked — the woun-
ded groaned ; and high above all, arose the shriek of
woman in her terror, sending its keen and thrilling
accents through the mingled sounds of battle — the
surrounding forest, bathed in bloody light, returned a
fiery glare, yet more appalling from the intense dark-
ness of the night ; and all combined made up a time
of awful terror, before which the stoutest heart quailed
and quaked. In the midst of this pandemonium stood
the youthful hero, like a living rock, firm and col-
lected, rapid and decisive, at a single glance intui-
tively determining the order of the defence, animating
his comrades to confidence and constancy, and by the
irresistible force of example, imparting a spirit of de-
termined and courageous perseverance even to the
weaker sex. The roof of the block house was thrown
off; the other buildings were kept wet, and by the
greatest exertions the flames kept under. The open-
ing made in the line of the defences by the burning
of the block house was supplied by a temporary
breastwork ; and after keeping up a constant fire
until about six o'clock in the morning, the Indians
retired. The loss of the garrison, in this affair, was
only one man killed, and two wounded. That of the
Indians was very considerable.

Captain Taylor, for this affair, was promoted to the
rank of Major by brevet. It was the first brevet con-
ferred during the war; and never was similar reward
more justly merited.

478

TURILLING ADVENTURES.

CAPTAIN ISAAC E RELET.

®l)t 2Satt5e of feint Pfagart.

The short contest known as Dunmore's War, in the
annals of Western Virginia, was signalized by one of
the bloodiest and hardest fought battles, in which the
Indians ever engaged. This conflict is known as the
battle of Point Pleasant. After several skirmishes
and numerous disasters upon the frontier of Virginia
had fully aroused the settlers, about 2500 men were

BATTLE OF POINT PLEASANT.

481

collected for active service. The troops were divided
into two bodies — the first being under the command
of Gen. Andrew Lewis, q,nd the second under the
orders of Gov. Dunmore himself. Gen. Lewis had his
rendezvous at Camp Union. There he received orders
to meet the Governor at the mouth of the Kanawha,
on the 2d of October, 1774.

On the 11th of September, Gen. Lewis, at the head
of about 1100 men, commenced his march through
an unknown and trackless wilderness. On the 30th,
he reached the mouth of the Kanawha, where he was
disappointed in not meeting the Governor. On the
9th of October, Gen. Lewis received information that
the plan of the campaign had been changed, and also
an order to march direct to the towns on the Sciota,
where the other division would join him. Accord-
ingly, preparations were made to move forward the
next day. Upon the morning of the 10th, the scouts
brought information of the approach of a great body of
Indians, under the command of the famous Cornstalk,
the brave Logan, and other chiefs. The Commander-
in-chief, supposing the number of the enemy was ex-
aggerated, ordered out the regiment under Col. Lewis,
to check them. The Colonel had barely passed the
outer guard, when the Indians appeared, and com-
menced the attack. Col. Fleming was now ordered
to reinforce Col. Lewis, and the conflict became furi-
ous. Col. Lewis was mortally wounded at an early
hour ; but with a resolution rarely equalled, he main-
tained his post until the line of battle had been fairly
formed, when he was carried, dying, from the field

482

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

The troops now gave way, and in all probability, would
have been routed, had not Gen. Lewis ordered up
Col. Field with a reinforcement. The fight now be-
came more desperate than ever, and was maintained
by both parties with consummate skill, energy and
valour. Neither parties could advance far, and
neither would retreat. Amidst the roar of battle, the
voice of the mighty Cornstalk was heard, bidding his
warriors " Be strong !" Those who attempted to fly,
he cut down with his tomahawk. The shouts of the
whites mingled with the fierce yells of the Indians.
Gen Lewis acted and commanded with coolness and
decision. About 12 o'clock, the fire of the red men
began to slacken, and they fell back slowly. The Vir-
ginians pressed them closely, but paid dearly for their
daring, by being ambuscaded on several occasions.
Gen. Lewis seeing the wily policy of Cornstalk, or-
dered three companies commanded by Captains John
Stuart, George Mathews and Isaac Shelby, to move
quietly beneath the banks of the Kanawha and
Crooked Run, and so gain the enemy's rear. This
manoeuvre was successfully executed, and the Indians
fairly gave up the fight about 4 o'clock in the day.
The victory remained with the Virginians, but they
dared not pursue. Cornstalk's retreat was original
and masterly. He alternately led on his men and
then fell back in such a manner as to hold the
whites in check, and allow the Indians an opportunity
to remove their dead. During the night they retired
beyond the Ohio.

The exact losses sustained by the conflicting par-

Cornstalk.

m'colloch's leap.

487

ties in this great battle have never been ascertained.
The Indians are said to have lost in all, about 150
men. The Provincials had about 200 of their army
either killed or wounded. At least 100 of Gen.
Lewis's men were absent, hunting, and knew nothing
of the battle till evening. The Indian army was
composed of the flower of the northern confederated
tribes. Their commander, Cornstalk, the Shawanee,
had talents for the council or the field, equal, at least,
to those of the famous Tecumseh. He possessed all
the elements of true greatness. The battle of Point
Pleasant will ever remain as an indication of those
mighty powers to which the wilderness had given
birth. Peace was concluded soon after this great
conflict.

The escape of Major Samuel M'Colloch from the
Indians by leaping down a fearful precipice is one of
the most startling exploits recorded in the history of
Western Virginia. The M'Colloch family was one
of the earliest that settled on Short Creek. Samuel
was the second son. At a very early age, he was
distinguished as a bold and enterprising borderer.
He was constantly engaged in excursions against the
Red men, and scouting for the security of the settle-
ments. The Indians had reason to dread this indom-

488

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

it able warrior, and their desire for vengeance upon
him was sleepless.

In 1775, M'Colloch, in consideration of his many
important services, was appointed Major. His most
famous exploit occurred on the 2d of September, 1777.
Shortly after the first attack upon Fort Henry, at Wheel
ing, Major M'Colloch, with about 40 men, appeared
before the fort, with the purpose of reinforcing the
garrison. Simultaneously with his arrival the Indians
re-appeared and began a furious onslaught, intending
to cut off a portion of the reinforcement. All the men
succeeded in entering the fort, except Major M'Col-
loch, who, in his anxiety for the safety of the others,
held back until he was nearly surrounded by the
enemv. There was but one road, and that led over
the lofty hill which now overhangs the city of Wheel-
ing. This hill was nearly three hundred feet high,
and the descent was almost perpendicular in some
places. M'Colloch gained the summit of the hill, and
then he comprehended his danger. The enemy
hemmed him in. They would not fire, for they were
anxious to take him alive and put him to death with
torture. The bold soldier determined never to abide
such a fate. Without a moment's hesitation, he
firmly fixed himself in his saddle, grasped securely
the bridle with his left hand, and supporting his rifle
in the right, he spurred his horse over the fearful pre-
cipice. The savages were amazed ; yet they were
sure that their enemy had perished among the rocks
below. How much greater was their astonishment,
when they saw the Major, on his brave steed, gallop-

ADVENTURE OF TWO SCOUTS.

491

ing across the peninsula, by which he escaped. The
feat was not more remarkable for daring than for suc-
cess. • The place has become memorable as M'Col-
loch's leap, and. as long as the hill stands, the fame
of the bold Major will be preserved. He was killed
by the Indians in the summer of 1782, having fallen
into an ambuscade. The red men ate his heart to
make them brave.

fttfttttttttt of tfeo Jlfout*.

As early as the year 1790, the block house and
stockade, above the mouth of the Hockhocking river,
was a frontier post for the hardy pioneers of that por-
tion of our State from the Hockhocking to the Sciota,
and from the Ohio river to our northern Lakes. Then
nature wore her undisturbed livery of dark and thick
forests, interspersed with green and flowery prairies.
Then the axe of the woodman had not been heard in
the wilderness, nor the plough of the husbandman
marred the beauty of the green prairies. Among
the many rich and luxuriant valleys, that of the Hock-
hocking was pre-eminent for nature's richest gifts —
and the portion of it whereon Lancaster now stands,
was marked as the most luxuriant and picturesque,
and became the seat of an Indian village, at a period
so early, that the " memory of man runneth not par-
allel thereto." On the green sward of the prairie was
held many a rude gambol of the Indians ; and here

492

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

too, was many an assemblage of the warriors of one
of the most powerful tribes, taking counsel for a " war
path " upon some weak or defenceless frontier post.
Upon one of these war-stirring occasions, intelligence
reached the little garrison above the mouth of the
Hockhocking, that the Indians were gathering in
force somewhere up the valley, for the purpose of
striking a terrible and fatal blow on one of the few
and scattered defences of the whites. A council was
held by the garrison, and scouts were sent up the
Hockhocking, in order to ascertain the strength of
the foe, and the probable point of attack. In the
month of October, and on one of the balmiest days
of our Indian summer, two men could have been seen
emerging out of the thick plumb and hazel bushes
skirting the prairie, and stealthily climbing the east-
ern declivity of that most remarkable promontory,
now known as Mount Pleasant, whose western sum-
mit gives a commanding view to the eye of what is
doing on the prairie. This eminence was gained by
our two adventurers and hardy scouts, and from this
point they carefully observed the movements taking
place on the prairie. Every day brought an accession
of warriors to those already assembled, and every day
the scouts witnessed from their eyrie, the horse-racing,
leaping, running and throwing the deadly tomahawk
by the warriors. The old sachems looking on with
indifference — the squaws, for the most part, engaged
in their usual drudgeries, and the papooses manifest-
ing all the noisy and wayward joy of childhood. The
arrival of any new party of warriors was hailed by

The Two Scouta

ADVENTURE OF TWO SCOUTS.

495

the terrible icar ichooj), which striking the mural face
of Mount Pleasant, was driven back into the various
indentations of the surrounding hills, producing rever-
beration on reverberation, and echo on echo, till it
seemed as if ten thousand fiends were gathered in their
orgies. Such yells might well strike terror into the
bosoms of those unaccustomed to them. To our scouts
these were but martial music strains which waked their
watchfulness, and strung their iron frames. From their
early youth had they been always on the frontier, and
therefore well practised in all the subtlety,craft and cun-
ning as well as knowing the ferocity and bloodthirsty
perseverance of the savage. They were therefore not
likely to be circumvented by the cunning of their
foes ; and without a desperate struggle, would not Ml
victims to the scalping knife. On several occasions,
small parties of warriors left the prairie and ascended
the Mount ; at which times our scouts would hide in
the fissures of the rocks, or lying by the side of some
long prostrate tree, cover themselves writh the sear
and yellow leaf, and again leave their hiding places
when their uninvited visitors had disappeared. For
food they depended on jerked venison, and cold corn
bread, with which their knapsacks had been well
stored. Fire they dared not kindle, and the report
of one of their rifles would bring upon them the en-
tire force of the Indians. For drink they depended on
some rain water, which still stood in excavations of
the rocks, but in a few days this store was exhausted,
and M'Clelland and White must abandon their enter-
prise or find a new supply. To accomplish this most

49G

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

hazardous affair, M'Clelland being the elder, resolved
to make the attempt — with his trusty rifle in his
grasp, and two canteens strung across his shoulders,
he cautiously descended to the prairie, and skirting
the hills on the north as much as possible within the
hazle thickets, he struck a course for the Hockhock-
ing river. He reached its margin, and turning an
abrupt point of a hill, he found a beautiful fountain
of limpid water now known as the Cold Spring, with-
in a few feet of the river. He filled his canteens and
returned in safety to his watchful companion. It was
now determined to have a fresh supply of water every
day, and this duty was to be performed alternately.
On one of these occasions, after White had filled his
canteens, he sat a few moments, watching the limpid
element, as it came gurgling out of the bosom of the
earth — the light sound of footsteps caught his prac-
tised ear, and upon turning round, he saw two squaws
within a few feet of him ; these upon turning the jet
of the hill had thus suddenly come upon him. The
elder squaw gave one of those far-reaching whoops
peculiar to the Indians. White at once compre-
hended his perilous situation, — for if the alarm should
reach the camp, he and his companion must inevita-
bly perish. Self-preservation impelled him to inflict a
noiseless death upon the squaws, and in such a man-
ner as to leave no trace behind. Ever rapid in
thought, and prompt in action, he sprang upon his
victims with the rapidity and power of a panther, and
grasping the throat of each, with one bound he sprang
into the Hockhocking, and rapidly thrust the head of

ADVENTURE OF TWO SCOUTS.

497

the elder woman under the water, and making strong
efforts to submerge the younger, who, however, pow-
erfully resisted. During the short struggle, the
younger female addressed him in his own language,
though almost in inarticulate sounds. Releasing his
hold, she informed him, that, ten years before she had
been made a prisoner, on Grave Creek flats, and that
the Indians, in her presence, butchered her mother
and two sisters ; and that an only remaining brother
had been captured with her, who succeeded on the
second night in making his escape ; but what had be-
come of him she knew not. During the narrative,
White, unobserved by the girl, had let go his grasp
on the elder squaw, whose body soon floated where it
would not, probably, soon be found. He now directed
the girl hastily to follow him, and with his usual en-
ergy and speed, pushed for the Mount. They had
scarcely gone two hundred yards from the spring, be-
fore the alarm cry was heard some quarter of a mile
down the stream. It was supposed that some war-
riors returning from a hunt, struck the Hockhocking
just as the body of the drowned squaw floated past.
White and the girl succeeded in reaching the Mount,
where M'Clelland had been no indifferent spectator
to the sudden commotion among the Indians, as the
prairie parties of warriors were seen to strike off in
every direction, and before White and the girl had
arrived, a party of some twenty warriors had already
gained the eastern acclivity of the Mount, and were
cautiously ascending, carefully keeping under cover.
Soon the two scouts saw the swarthy laces of the foe,

498

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

as they glided from tree to tree, and rock to rock, until
the whole base of the Mount was surrounded, and all
hopes of escape cut off.

In this peril nothing was left, other than to sell
their lives as dearly as they could ; this they resolved
to do, and advised the girl to escape to the Indians, and
tell them she had been made a captive to the scouts.
She said " no ! death, and i\mt in the presence of my
people, is to me a thousand times sweeter than cap-
tivity— furnish me with a rifle, and I will show you
that I can fight as well as die. This spot I leave not !
here my bones shall lie bleaching with yours ! and
should either of you escape, you will carry the tidings
of my death to my remaining relatives." Kemons-
trance proved fruitless ; the two scouts matured their
plans for a vigourous defence— opposing craft to craft,
expedient to expedient, and an unerring fire of the
deadly rifle. The attack commenced in front where,
from the narrow backbone of the Mount, the savages
had to advance in single file, but where they could
avail themselves of the rocks and trees. In advanc-
ing the warrior must be momentarily exposed, and
two bare inches of his swarthy form was target enough
for the unerring rifle of the scouts. After bravely
maintaining the fight in front, and keeping the enemy
in check, they discovered a new danger threatening
them. The wary foe now made every preparation to
attack them in flank, which could be most suc-
cessfully and fatally done by reaching an insulated
rock lying in one of the ravines on the southern hill
side. This rock once gained by the Indians, they

ADVENTURE OF TWO SCOUTS.

499

could bring the scouts under point blank shot of the
rifle ; and without the possibility of escape.

Our brave scouts saw the hopelessness of their situ-
ation, which nothing could avert but brave com-
panions and an unerring shot — them they had not.
But the brave never despair. With this certain fate
resting upon them, they had continued as calm, and as
calculating, and as unwearied as the strongest desire
of vengeance on a treacherous foe could produce.
Soon M'Clelland saw a tall and swarthy figure pre-
paring to spring from a cover so near the fatal rock,
that a single bound must reach it, and all hope be
destroyed. He felt that all depended on one advan-
tageous shot, although but one inch of the warrior's
body was exposed, and that at a distance of one hun-
dred yards — he resolved to risk all — coolly he raised
his rifle to his eye, carefully shading the sight with his
hand, he drew a bead so sure, that he felt conscious
it would do — he touched the hair trigger with his
finger — the hammer came down, but in place of strik-
ing fire it crushed his flint into a hundred fragments !
Although he felt that the savage must reach the fatal
rock before he could adjust another flint, he proceeded
to the task with the utmost composure, casting many
a furtive glance towards the fearful point. Suddenly
he saw the warrior stretching every muscle for the
leap — and with the agility of a deer he made the
spring — instead of reaching the rock he sprung ten
feet in the air, and giving one terrific yell he fell upon
the earth, and his dark corpse rolled fifty feet down
the hill. He had evidently received a death shot

500

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

from some unknown hand. A hundred voices from
below re-echoed the terrible shout, and it was evident
that they had lost a favourite warrior, as well as been
foiled for a time in their most important movement.
A very few moments proved that the advantage so
mysteriously gained would be of short duration; for
already the scouts caught a glimpse of a swarthy war-
rior, cautiously advancing towards the cover so re-
cently occupied by a fellow companion. Now, too>
the attack in front was resumed with increased fury,
so as to require the incessant fire of both scouts, to
prevent the Indians from gaining the eminence — and
in a short time M'Clelland saw the wary warrior be-
hind the cover, preparing for a leap to gain the fear-
ful rock — the leap was made and the warrior turning
a somerset, his corpse rolled down towards his com-
panion ; again a mysterious agent had interposed in
their behalf. This second sacrifice cast dismay into
the ranks of the assailants ; and just as the sun was
disappearing behind the western hills, the foe with-
drew a short distance, for the purpose of devising new
modes of attack. The respite came most seasonably
to the scouts, who had bravely kept their position,
and boldly maintained the unequal fight from the
middle of the day.

Now, for the first time was the girl missing, and
the scouts supposed that through terror she had
escaped to her former captors, or that she had been
killed during the fight. They were not long left to
doubt, for in a few moments the girl was seen emerg-
ing from behind a rock and coming to them with a

ADVENTURE OF TWO SCOUTS.

501

rifle in her hand. During the heat of the fight she
saw a warrior fall, who had advanced some fifty yards
before the main body in front. She at once resolved
to possess herself of his rifle, and crouching in under-
growth she crept to the spot, and succeeded in her
enterprise, being all the time exposed to the cross fire
of the defenders and assailants — her practised eye had
early noticed the fatal rock, and hers was the myste-
rious hand by which the two warriors had fallen — the
last being the most wary, untiring and blood-thirsty
brave of the Shawanese tribe. He it was, who ten
years previous had scalped the family of the girl, and
been her captor. In the west, dark clouds were now
gathering, and in an hour the whole heavens were
shrouded in them; this darkness greatly embarrassed
the scouts in their contemplated night retreat, for
they might readily lose their way, or accidentally fall
on the enemy — this being highly probable, if not in-
evitable. An hour's consultation decided their plans,
and it was agreed that the girl, from her intimate
knowledge of their localities, should lead the advance
a few steps. Another advantage might be gained
by this arrangement, for in case they should fall in
with some outposts, the girl's knowledge of the Indian
tongue, would perhaps enable her to deceive the sen-
tinel ; and so the sequel proved, for scarcely had they
descended one hundred feet, when a low "whist" from
the girl, warned them of present danger. The
scouts sunk silently to the earth, where by previous
agreement, they were to remain till another signal
was given them by the girl, — whose absence for more

502

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

than a quarter of an hour now began to excite the
most serious apprehensions. At length she again ap-
peared, and told them that she had succeeded in re-
moving two sentinels who were directly in their route
to a point some hundred feet distant. The descent
was noiselessly resumed — the level gained, and the
scouts followed their intrepid pioneer for half a mile
in the most profound silence, when the barking of a
small dog, within a few feet, apprized them of a new
danger. The almost simultaneous click of the scouts'
riiles, were heard by the girl, who rapidly approached
them and stated that they were now in the midst of
the Indian wigwams, and their lives depended on the
most profound silence, and implicitly following her
footsteps. A moment afterwards, the girl was ac-
costed by a squaw from an opening in a wigwam. She
replied in the Indian language, and without stopping
pressed forward. In a short time she stopped and
assured the scouts that the village was cleared, and
that they were now in safety. She knew that every
pass leading out of the prairie was safely guarded by
Indians, and at once resolved to adopt the bold ad-
venture of passing through the very centre of their
village as the least hazardous. The result proved the
correctness of her judgment. They now kept a course
for the Ohio, being guided by the Hockhocking river
— and after three days' march and suffering, the party
arrived at the Block- House in safety. Their escape
from the Indians, prevented the contemplated attack :
and the rescued girl proved to be the sister of the in-

JOE LOGSTON.

503

trepid Neil Washburn, celebrated in Indian history
as the renowned Scout to Capt. Kenton's bloody Ken-
tuckians.

3Jm Ecgstfott.

The elder Logston, whose name was Joseph, and
his wife, whose name was Mary, with an only son
bearing his name, resided in a cabin in Virginia,
near the source of the north branch of the Poto-
mac, in one of the most inhospitable regions of the
Alleghany mountains, some twenty or thirty miles
from any settlement. There never was, perhaps, a
family better calculated to live in such a place. Old
Joe (for they were soon known as Old J oe and Young
Joe Logston,) was a very athletic man, with uncom-
mon muscular strength. The old lady was not so
much above the ordinary height of women, but like
the Dutchman's horse, was built up from the ground ;
and it would have taken the strength of two or three
common women to equal hers. The son was no dis-
credit to either in the way of strength, size or activity.
In fact he soon outstripped his father. "What little
he lost in height was more than compensated in
the thickness and muscle of the mother, so that
when he came to his full size and strength, he went
by the name of Big Joe Logston. I would not ven-
ture to say his physical powers were equal to those
of the strong man of old, but such they were as to be-

504

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

come proverbial. It was often said to stout looking,
growing young men, " You will soon be as big as Big
Joe Logs ton."

Joe sometimes descended from the mountain heights
into the valleys, in order to exchange his skins for
powder, lead and other articles for the use of the
family. While in society he entered with great alac-
rity, into all the various athletic sports of the day.
No Kentuckian could ever, with greater propriety
than he, have said, "I can out-run, out-hop, out-jump,
throw-down, drag-out, and whip any man in the coun-
try." And as to the use of the rifle, he was said to
be one of the quickest and surest centre shots to be
found. With all this, as is usual with men of real
grit, Joe was good-natured, and never sought a quar-
rel. No doubt many a bullying and bragging fellow
would have been proud of the name of having whipped
Big Joe Logston, but that, on taking a close survey
of him, he thought " prudence the better part of
valour." and let him return to his mountain without
raising his dander.

About the time Joe arrived at manhood, his father,
and perhaps his mother, were called hence, leaving
bin single-handed to contend, not only with the Spitz-
bergen winters of the mountains, but with the bears,
panthers, wolves, rattlesnakes, and all the numerous
tribes of dangerous animals, reptiles and insects, with
which the mountain regions abound. Joe, however,
maintained his ground for several years, until the set-
tlements had besun to encroach on what he had been
accustomed to consider his own premises. One man

JOE LOGSTON.

505

sat down six miles east of him, another about the
same distance in another direction, and finally, one,
with a numerous family, had the temerity to come
and pitch his cabin within two miles of him. This
Joe could not stand, and he pulled up stakes and de-
camped to seek a neighbourhood where he could hear
the crack of no man's rifle but his own.

Of all men then known he was one of the best quali-
fied to live on a frontier where there were savages,
either animal or human, to contend with. His uncom-
mon size and strength, and inclination to be entirely
free from restraint, made him choose his residence a
little outside of the bounds of law and civil liberty.
We do not know the precise time he left the Alleglia-
nies, but believe it was between the years 1787 and
'91. The next we heard of Joe was, that he had set-
tled in Kentucky, south of Green river, we think on
Little Barren river, and, of course, a little in advance
of the settlements. The frontiers were frequently com-
pelled to contend with the southern Indians. There
was not a particle of fear in Joe's composition; that
ingredient was left out of his mixture. There he soon
had an introduction to a new acquaintance. So far
he had been acquainted only with savage beasts, but
now savage man came in his way, and as it " stirs the
blood more to rouse the lion than to start a hare," Joe
was in his delight. The Indians made a sudden at-
tack, and all that escaped were driven into a rude
fort for preservation, and, though reluctantly, Joe was
one. This was a new life to him, and did not at all
suit his taste. He soon became very restless, and

506

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

every day insisted on going out with others to hunt
up the cattle. Knowing the danger better, or fearing
it more, all persisted in their refusals to go -with
him, v

To indulge his taste for the woodman's life, he
turned out alone, and rode till the after part of the
day without finding any cattle. What the Indians
had not killed were scared off. He concluded to re-
turn to the fort. Riding along a path which led in,
he came to a fine vine of grapes. He laid his gun
across the pommel of his saddle, set his hat on it, and
filled it with grapes. He turned into the path and
rode carelessly along, eating his grapes, and the first
intimation he had of danger, was the crack of two
riiles, one from each side of the road. One of the
balls passed through the paps of his breast, which,
for a male, were remarkably prominent, almost as
much as those of many nurses. The ball just grazed
the skin between the paps, but did not injure the
breast bone. The other ball struck the horse behind
the saddle, and he sunk in his tracks. Thus was Joe
eased off his horse in a manner more rare than welcome.
Still he was on his feet in an instant, with his rifle in
his hands, and might have taken to his heels; and we
will venture the opinion, that no Indian could have
caught him. That, he said, was not his sort. He
had never left a battle ground without leaving his
mark, and he was resolved that that should not be
the first. The moment the guns fired, one very
athletic Indian sprang towards him with tomahawk in
hand. His eye was on him, and his gun to his eye,

JOE LOGSTON.

507

JOE LOOSTON AND THE INDIANS.

ready, as soon as he approached near enough to make
a sure shot, to let him have it. As soon as the In-
dian discovered this, he jumped behind two pretty
large saplings, some small distance %apart, neither of
which were large enough to cover his body, and to
save himself as well as he could, he kept springing
from one to the other.

508

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

Joe, knowing that he had two enemies on the
ground, kept a lookout for the other by a quick glance
of the eye. He presently discovered him behind a
tree loading his gun. The tree was not quite large
enough to hide him. When in the act of pushing
down his bullet he exposed pretty fairly his hips.
Joe, in the twinkling of an eye, wheeled and let him
have his load in the part exposed. The big Indian
then, with a mighty " Ugh !" rushed towards him
with his raised tomahawk. Here were two warriors
met, each determined to conquer or die, — each the
Goliah of his nation. The Indian had rather the ad-
vantage in size of frame, but Joe in weight and mus-
cular strength. The Indian made a halt at^the dis-
tance of fifteen or twenty feet, and threw his toma-
hawk with all his force, but Joe had his eye on him
and dodged it. It flew quite out of the reach of
either of them. Joe then clubbed his gun and made
at the Indian, thinking to knock him down. The In-
dian sprang into some brush, or saplings to avoid his
blows. The Indian depended entirely on dodging,
with the help of the saplings. At length Joe, think-
ing he had a pretty fair chance, made a side blow
with such force, that missing the dodging Indian, the
gun, now reduced to a naked barrel, was drawn quite
out of his hands, and flew entirely out of reach. The
Indian now gave another exulting " Ugh!" and sprang
at him with all the savage fury he was master of.
Neither of them had a weapon in his hands, and the
Indian seeing Logston bleeding freely, thought he
could throw him down and dispatch him. In this he

JOE LOGSTON.

509

was mistaken. They seized each other and a despe-
rate scuffle ensued. Joe could throw him down, but
could not hold him there. The Indian being naked,
with his hide oiled, had greatly the advantage in a
ground scuffle, and would still slip out of Joes grasp
and rise. After throwing him five or six times, Joe
found, that between loss of blood and violent exer-
tions, his wind was leaving him, and that he must
change the mode of warfare or lose his scalp, which
he was not yet willing to spare. He threw the Indian
again, and without attempting to hold him, jumped
from him, and as he rose, aimed a fist blow at his
head which caused him to fall back, and as he would
rise, Joe1 gave him several blows in succession, the
Indian rising slower each time. He at last succeeded
in giving him a pretty fair blow in the burr of the
ear, with all his force, and he fell, as Joe thought,
pretty near dead. Joe jumped on him, and thinking
he could dispatch him by choking, grasped his neck
with his left hand, keeping his right one free for con-
tingencies. Joe soon found the Indian was not so dead
as he thought, and that he was making some use of
his right arm which lay across his body, and on cast-
ing his eye down discovered the Indian was making
an effort to unsheath a knife that was hanging at his
belt. The knife was so short and so sunk in the
sheath that it was necessary to force it up by pressing
against the point. This the Indian was trying to ef-
fect, and with good success. Joe kept his eye on it
and let the Indian work the handle out, when he sud-
lenly grabbed it, jerked it out of the sheath, and sunk

2u2

510

THRILLING ADVENTURES.

it up to the handle in the Indian's breast, who gave
a death groan and expired.

Joe now thought of the other Indian, and not know-
ing how far he had succeeded in killing or crippling
him, sprang to his feet. He found the crippled Indian
had crawled some distance towards them, and had
propped his broken back against a log and was trying
to raise his gun to shoot him, but in attempting to do
which he would fall forward, and had to push against
his gun to raise himself again. Joe seeing that he
was safe, concluded he had fought long enough for
healthy exercise that day, and not liking to be killed
by a crippled Indian he made for the fort. He got
in about nightfall, and a hard-looking case he was —
blood and dirt from the crown of his head to the sole
of his foot, no horse, no hat, no gun — with an account
of the battle that some of his comrades could scarce
believe to be much else than one of his big stories
in which he would sometimes indulge. He told them
they must go and judge for themselves. Next morn-
ing a company was made up to go to Joe's battle
ground. When they approached it Joe's accusers be-
came more confirmed, as there was no appearance of
dead Indians, and nothing Joe had talked of but the
dead horse. They, however, found a trail as if some-
thing had been dragged away. On pursuing it they
found the big Indian at a little distance, beside a log,
covered up with leaves. Still pursuing the trail,
though not so plain, some hundred yards farther, they
found the broken-backed Indian, lying on his back
with his own knife sticking up to the hilt in his body,

JOE LOGSTON.

511

just below the breast-bone, evidently to show that lie
had killed himself and that he had not come to his
end by the hand of an enemy. They had a long
search before they found the knife with which Joe
killed the big Indian. They at last found it forced
down into the ground below the surface, apparently
with the weight of a person's heel. This had been
done by the crippled Indian. The great efforts he
must have made alone, in that condition, show among
thousands of other instances, what Indians are capa-
ble of under the greatest extremities.

Some years after the above took place, peace with
the Indians was restored. That frontier, like many
others became infested with a gang of outlaws, who
commenced stealing horses and committing various
depredations. To counteract which, a company of
regulators, as they were called, was raised. In a con-
test between these and the depredators, Big Joe Logs-
ton lost his life.

Such characters as Joe Logston would not be very
highly esteemed in refined and civilized society.
Those very qualities which fit them for service upon
the frontier, are obnoxious to the cultivated portion
of mankind. Their daring courage, fortitude, and
love of the exciting chase or war, would not be appre-
ciated, even if they found opportunity for exercise.
But where the struggle had to be constantly main-
tained against savage beasts and more savage men —
where foes lurked in every wood, and the hardy
and adventurous settler was liable to attack at all
times, such men as Joe were considered invaluable.

512

TIT RILLING ADVENTURES.

Without them the country never could have been
cleared and cultivated so as to be fit for the abode of
peaceful and refined society. In the early history of
the great west, many characters possessing the bold
restless qualities of Joe Logston may be found. Their
exploits were generally of a wild and startling nature,
furnishing abundant material for the narrator and
novelist. They met the red men in their own way,
and with their own weapons, and asserted the superi-
ority of the white race in strength and skill. Where
the arts of civilized warfare failed, they resorted to
the wildest stratagems, and thus triumphed.

ELLS BINDERY INC.
ALTHAM, MASS.
FEb. 1962

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Full text of "Thrilling adventures among the Indians: comprising the most remarkable personal narratives of events in the early Indian Wars, as well as of incidents in the recent Indian hostilities in Mexico and Texas"

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