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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent le mAthode. i errata id to It ie pelure, pon A n 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 li. Wlui iJud m AprU hat t^ftear hmjitm lioai 6D i^sof^ a aojiuded €md\ t:* i^ »' 4^;' NARRATIVE OF TBS £XTaA0ADZNAR7 LZFB OF KNOWN BY MANY BY THE NAME OP THE DUTCH HERMIT, Who for tlie last 50 years has lived a secluded and lonely life, in a log hutf in a remote part of the village of Dundee, (Lower Canada,) where he died on the '24th of April last, (1840,) at the age of between 80 and 00. Shafford early emigrated to Canada, and was induced first to prefer a lonely life in consequence of being deprived of an only child, a beloved dauirhter, who, when but 15 years of Hgc, was taken prisoner and car- ried off a captive be the Indians and who, although she was three months after redeemed by her afflicted father, yet m consequence of the most shameful and beastly treatment she had received from the merciless sava- ges, she expired a wretched victim of their barbarity, three weeks after her hberatioh. The particulars of the Captivity and dreadful sufferings of this unfortunate young female, may bo fiiund herein detailed, and are sufficient to satisfy the reader, that the North American savases are not in every instance ■o humane and forbearing to their white female captives as they have been represented to be. k,/ NBW-YORK: C. L. CARPENTER, PUBLISHER. id €md \ t iMi^"iilhj..Ti1IWIBB ^<- ... ■>"!'<,. JVv"^ Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year I&IO, by C. L> C Wi in the Clerk's Office of the District Court, for the Southern Dinifigl^. York, -•^ * ii.;.:J^ •^ fc^ ■yl i'Hitiy ■^.^raatt-rg ^R^ f -' ^. **. k^' f^. '.V LIFE OF t JOHN CONRAD SHAFFORD, > THB , DUTCH HERMIT. '1 ■' ■ '',* . ^ -. I - -i* " Par in a wild, unknown to public view, Prom youih to age, a reverend Heimit grew ; The moss hia bed, a hut his humble cell, His food the /mi^s, his drink the cry^^aZ we^i ,- Remote from man, with God he past his days, Prayer nil his business, alt his pleasure praise f iT^S^wntfe-^n a hunting excursion near the village of Dundee * (Lower Canada,) ifn. the month of November last, (1839,) that the writer of the Narrativ^vjiere oresented, was attracted by the ap. p^rance of smoke proceeding from the chimney of a log hut of very humble construction, situated in a forest far from any other dwelling, and apparently so inaccessable, as to be but seldom visit. '^ ed by any human being ! Impelled by a curiosity to ascertain who the inmates could be, and their motives for selecting a spot 80 secluded and dreary for their place of abode, the writer ap- proached and knocked at the door of the hut, (constructed of two or three unwrought slabs, which appeared intended as a temporary barricade to the only place of entrance that could be discovered,) and at which soon appeared a human being clad in a garment of fur, and whom, by his wrinkled brow, and long white beard flow- ing therefrom, it was to be presumed that in age, he could tibt num- ber much less than fourscore and ten years ! — on presenting him- self to view (however ludricous he might have supposed his ap- pearance must have been to a stranger) he appeared in no way alarmed or disconcerted ; and the writer having first apologized for the intrusion, as well as his motive for thus unceremoniously V, ■ ■ ■4 »•• *^ ■■■*, # mmmtmt Ki' ^ yt 9 \':' tr^ > Lira or JORN Ot SHAFFOBDi I disturbing the old gentleman in his solitary retreat, he appeared not the least displeased witli the visit, but disposed to gratify the curiosity of his new and unexpected visitor, by readily replying to interrogatories, as to his motive in thus prefering a secluded life, (for he had intimated that he there dwelt entirely alone,) to that of mingling with human society, which he assured the writer, was in consequence of the heavy afflictions that he had been doomed to experience in early life, which alone first led him to select this retired and then unfrequented spot, as the place of his permanent residence ; and having erected with his own hands, the humble hut in which he then dwelt, he had remained the only living Occupant thereof for upwards of fifty years! — And, on the enquiry how and in what manner he subsisted, and obtained the necessaries of life, at so advanced an age, he replied, that ** at a short distance there* from, he had under cultivation a small patch of land, which pro- duced him his vegetables, and that he too possessed a good cow, with some few other domestic animals ; and in addition to which* the fruits of his labour in his most vigorous days had not yet l>e* ; come quite exhausted, and he could not but flatter himself^ajj^P'^J^flSp^?? prudence, they might prove even sufficient to senj^'hini (br ihe re- roainder of his life, which, it was but reaso;n^fe to suppo^, was tlien drawing to a close !" — And to he >vriter*s Pjrther inquiry that '< alone and defenceless, (as he appeared to be,) if he was not un^r some apprehension that at an unexpected moment he might be visited by robbers, with the view of dispossessing him of his little wealth 1" the old man unhesitatingly replied, •» well, indeed, I might» was I really as defenceless as you represent me, but not so, I have the means oi defence at hand that I was early taught to believe was sufficient to protect me against an r.ftack of a host of the mtest foes ! And if you will tarry but a moment, friend, (continued he) I will show you what it is, and then you may judge for yourself!" — As he had previously hinted that hunting had once been hi$ favourite amusement, the writer here supposed that his boasted means of (fe/*ence, could be no other (probably) than the possessioQ of some ancient, highly prized, and doubtless well charged /ncZu^ fiece! and great therefore was his surprise to behold the Old pa- triarch on his return, presenting the Hdy BU>le, with the remark that •'that was hlM9^«guard,by which he bad been (aught th»t . 'vt m V r-ar'^ •^f. % ■v- TRK DUTCH BVVMIT. if he lived faiihfuJy however lonely his situation, there would be •Iways ti friend near, both willing and able to protect him !'* The writer having from n motive of curiosity expressed a desire to become better acquninted with tiie old gentleman's history, as well as the privilege of being permitted to have an internal view of his humble hut, his request was not only granted, but was very politely invited to walk in for the purpose that he had mentioned, and by whom, as regarded the latter, was found much more wretch- ed than what he had anticipated. The only furniture which it cor« tained, was n block of wood, which served the aged inmate for « chair, and his only bed a hollow log, filled with dry grass and leaves, and ol a size so small as to be hardly sufficient to hold his body — and his only cooking utensils, dec. an iron pot, a small broken spider, a pewter poringer and a wooden spoon ! — On the writer's remarking, that, « in the choice of his furniture he must have been governed more by the principles of economy, than that of convenience,'' "indeed I was, (was his reply,) and well I might * _r"^**'®° ^"* * ^°y* ' ^^^ ''l^e too many others of my age, bi'oughit'V*^ SM the folly of prWc and cx«rat7<»^ancc / — When but sixteen years of ag&,.(ny parents emigrated from Holland to the United States, and witli tlie small means that they then possessed, they rente^ a few acres of liitid in the western part of the State of New York, in the neighbourhood of a well cultivated farm of my uncle (my father's brother) who had emigrated to America eleven years before - by industry and frugality, in four years, the produce of the few acres of land rented by niy father, was sullicicnt to ena- ble him to purchase a small farm, clear of incumbsance, situated In the neighborhood of the Mohawk river, and about vJ^ph time I became of age, and agreed to work for my father for the term of one year, for the consideration of receiving seven dollars per month, the highest wages then paid — I fulfilled my contract faith* fully, as he did his, by paying me at the end of the year the very considerable sum (so then considered by me) of 81 doiliird in silver money ; indeed scarcely had I seen, much less possessed so great a sum before ! A sum which I then foolishly believed sufficie^nt to enable me to live idh a few months at least — a sum which if pru« dently laid out would at that period, (as the western parts of the State was than rapidly settling,) have been sufficient to have pur> % W ■t^ .p. -^ >' - mm 8 LIFE or JOHN C. BHAFFOnO, * vhom ■•# chased a very valuable lot of land, which ten years after, would no doubt have yielded me ten times that num — but, as the snying is '* the fnol and his money is soon parted," and so with mo, for with the pretence of travelling to find a cheaper and more desirable sit- uation, and at such expense (hut when found, my monoy was mostly gone, and I had become too poor to purchase, but determining to improve by past folly, and being still in my prime, I again returned to my falher, and with whom I once more contracted to work ano. ther year for the same wages ns before, which I did, and I believe much to his satisfaction, and with rqnal punctuality on his part re- ceived the fruits of my labour at the years* end, with which I very soon after made a purchase of forty acres of good but uncleared land, in that section called Genessee country, then but very thinly settled by white inliabitants. The Brst year I cleared a few acres and erected me a log house thereon, and the spring following visit- ed my father to inform him of my location dec, but more particu- larly for the purpose of obtaining as an helpmate, a smart and in- dustriou)? young woman of about my own age, and of Dutch.pa rents, who lived in the neighborhood of my father, and -' I had previously become acquainted, and with ji/fiorii artd her old- est brother, I two weeks after returned to y^Am. I was then pleased 4o consider my permanent home, anjj/riiy wife (as regarded her- self) was as pleased on her arrival so to consider it. In less than one year, by the persevering industry of my wife's brother, and myself, we cleared and sowed with wheat between fifteen and sixteen acres of my small farm, and to which, from rear to year (as my land proved productive and the market good for the sale of the produce,) I was enabled to purchase and to add thereto additional lots of land, until i found myself in the year 178i^ in possession of a faim sufficiently large to divide into two and thus to provide for my brother-in-law, who, until that period had industriously wrought for me, and to whom I considered my- self much indebted for the success and good fortune that had at- tended me. — To the time mentioned 1 had been blessed with but one child, (a daughter,) and had it not been but for an unfortu- nate circumstance, we might, as we then did (although remotely situated from any conpideriible settlement,) have long enjoyed un- molested the fruits of our honest industry — but, unfortunately, ;-- ■■-.* .=„, > ^' ■<* ifs THE DUTCH IIEUMIT. would ying is ir with ble sit> mostly ling to turned k ano* believe art re- 1 very cleared thinly w acres ig visit- )articu* and in- itchvpa* ^Ik vnom her old- pleased cd her- y wife's let ween )ni j'ear ood for to a^d le year ito two^ period ed my- had at* ith but infortu* Binotely yed un. inately» ''*-).. although the long protracted and expensive war, which had beep "aging between America and Great Britain, had been brought to 9 close, yet the savages who had been engaged to take a part in the contest with the latter, appeared unwilling to bury the hatchet, and continued for some time to molest, and either to butcher out- right, or to make captives and carry off such of the defenceless white inhabitants on the frontiers as were so unfortunate as to fall into their hands-<-they even became so bold and blood thirsty, and so eager to obtain the scalps of the unfortunate whites, as to ex- tend their excursions in larger or smaller parties to within a few miles of my neighborhood ; yet, from me and my family, when ' visited by them, they had ever met with such a kind and friendly reception, that they had repeatedly given us to understand that we never need be under any fear or apprehension of their troubling us, that as they had been informed that I had taken no part in the late war against them, they would sooner afford me their protection than do me an injury ; and in token whereof, they frequently prof- fered me the pipe of peace ! — ^Vith these assurances of friendship, we were, like many others, lulled into immaginary security, until the close t^C^^e year 1790, when a party of the Canadian Indians having crossed itl^ Lake, to invade a settlement of Indians with whom they had been, ^nd were still at war, the latter, through fear of being overpowered by the former, fled in much confusion to ob- tain the assistance of a friendly tribe further south, and to within a few miles of which tribe they were pursued by their invading foes ! but, not being so successful in their pursuit as they antici- pated, they teturned, filled with rage and disappointment, and with the avowed determination to revenge themselves on the whites, with whom their Indian foes had been on friendly terms during their contest with Great Britain ; and, agreeably to their threats (as it was afterward ascertained,) on their return surprized, mur- dered and scalped several of the defenceless inhabitants, and took some prisoners, previous to their arrival in my neighborhood, which was a little past nine o'clock in the evening ; and I had but just time hastily to secure the doors of my house, without the recollec- tion at the moment that my daughter (my only child) had stepped out on some necessary occasion a few minutes previous, and whose almost immediate cries for help, too well assured me that she had 2 ■■' -^ , t.- ' % '' . % 5 r I w i 10 LIFE OF JOUN C. CHAFFORP) fallen into tho lianda of the merciless wretches ! who after making two or three unsuccessful attempts to force my doors, deported, having, as 1 then supposed, either murdered, or, what was almost as much to he dreaded, carried ofl' my poor child a captive! Early tho morning ensuing confirmed my fears, as to tho melan- choly tUct of her having been carried otf by them, as her lifeless body, or any appearance of her having been murdered, could not be discovered ; and as soon as I could convey information of my loss to my neighbour, (who lived to the distance of about one mile,) he with myself, and accompanied by my brother-in-law, started on horseback in pursuit, with tho distant hope of being able to overtake the savages previous to their crossing the Lake ; but in this we were disappointed, for on reaching the Lake the next day we were informed by a friendly Indian that he had noticed them crossing over to tho Canadt side two or three hours previous to our arrival ; and, in confirmation that they were the same party which we were in pursuit of, he had particularly noticed that among other prisoners, there was a young female, answering the desci iption given of my daughter ! — As we at that time possesHed not the means to cross the Lake to pursue them furthfis^ on receivr ing the information of their having actually ^ftisaed, we gave up the pursuit, and I returned home to my disconsolate wife, and who could not be made to believe otherwise than that the life of her poor child had not only been spared, to experience the most cruel tortures that savage barbarity eould invent, or inflict ! and who could only be consoled with tho promise, that, as soon as possible, I would pursue the savage ruffians into Canada, and -if so fortu. nate as to find our child alive, I would spare no pains to effect her redemption at any price ; and for this purpose, the week follow, ing I left home, and succeeded in reaching Canada, to learn that the Indians who composed the expedition were chiefly those of the St. Francis tribe, as they were then denominated, and who dwelt at some distance from where I then was, to the north ; and thither with some difficulty, I repaired, where although I met with some who confessed that they were attached to the expedition, yet from them could obtain no other information of the fate of my daughter, than that they had (by the intercession of their chief,) concluded to spare her life, and as he had been instrumental in saving her .^p ^■^ *. i" ^ •** THE DUTCH IIERHIT. 11 from the smlping knife, ho claimed hor ns his own, on thrir arri. val at their Hetllt'tncnt ; nml hh tinno appciircd (hsponed to diHpute rights with hitii, he hud .oiiiprlled her to nccoiiipiiny hirii to hiu setthtinont, (ho hring of iinothcr tril)o, Htilt further north,) und where, if Htill Uvin^, they had nu doubt that ht) too highly valued his '• young squaw" to ho very willing to piirt with lier ! ' > . By this information (the truth of vvliich I hnd no great reason to douhl,) I began to despair of being soon ablo to find and to ef- fect the rehmsc of my poor child, as the tribo with which she was now represented a prisoner, hud ever been eonsidered a wunrlering tribe, and without any permanent place of residence — as my only alternative now, and what appeared to mo to bo the best and only means to recover her, I, previous to my return, publicly made known to every Indian th it I met with, (particularly those of the , St. Francis tribe) that to any one of them who would thereafter restore to rnc my daughter, alive, I would present the sum of 2U0 dollars in silver money ; and having received the assurances of many, that, for the value of the reward, they would do all in their )ower to find out to what part of the interior she was conveyed, ' and if a pi)^?^'® t'''"o» ^° assist her in efTecting her escape, if her liberty could not "t'le otherwise obtained, I once more returned to my afflicted wife, aniJ where in a state of melancholy suspense, we passed nearly three months, without receiving any tidings whatever respecting the fate of our unfortunate daughter ; which, from the well known character of the savages into whose hands she had fallen, we had no reason to believe oould be the best, as after my return, I received information from some of my neigh- bours of many other depredations committed by the same party _ of Indians, on their return from their unsuccessful expedition. — She most melancholy instance was that of the destruction of the lives of almost every member of the unfortunate family of a Mr. John Corbly, a preacher of the gospel ; the particulars of which I re- ceived from his own lips, and were these— that " having an ap- pointment to preach at a short distance from his dwelling house, he left home for that purpose, with his wife and five children, and while they proceeded forward he walked behind them leisurely, without apprehending any danger ; and while thus proceeding he ' was suddenly alarmed by the screeching of his family, to the relief Hi-r ■■T X '> # * *..« 'H.'S, ■■>•»■ k; ."■»!»«? tk .m. id * .^ 12 LIFE OF JOHN C. 8HAFF0KD, . * ^■ of whom he immediately hastened, vainly seeking a club or some other weapon to defend himself as he ran — when within a few rods of his family, his unfortunate wife perceiving him approach- ing, cried out and begged him to make his escape — at which in. stant, an Indian, (who it was supposed with several others had lain in ambush,) ran up and attempted to shoot him^ but his gun missing fire, Mr. Corbly succeeded in making his escape — the Indians im- mediately thereupon commenced a murderous attack on his de. fenceless family ! His wife was first shot and scalped by the Indian who had attempted to shoot him (Mr. C.) and a small infant which she carried in her arms shared no better fate ! — his little son six years of age, they next dispatched, mangling his body in a shocking manner with their tomahawks, as they did his little daugh- ter still younger. — During the dreadful slaughter his oldest child (a daughter) attempted to escape by concealing herself in a hollow tree a few rods from the scene of action, and observing the Indians retiring (as she supposed) she deliberately crept from the place of her concealment, when one of the Indians who still remained on the ground espying her, knocked her down with his tomahawk an^^r scalped her !" This was but one of the many instajpiCKty of savace barbarity exercised toward the defenceless whiitg inhabitants and it was supposed, by one and the same part^ of Indians on their return to Canada. '~" f^"' As we coufd obtain no tidings of our daughter (as I observer^) and three months had passed since the fatal night iliat the cruel savages conveyed her away, we began almost to despair of being ever again permitted to meet her on earth — but, while our appre- hensions were at the greatest height, that such would be our mis. fortune, we were, in the dead of night,, suddenly awakened by the well known yell of savages, who immediately thereupon com- menced knocking at my door with their clubs and tomahawks, and in broken English requesting admittance, as they '< had brought home my captive child !"— but believing this to be too good news to be true, and that it was nothing more or less than a stratagem of the treacherous savages to gain admittance, and perhaps for no other purpose than to take our scalps, I at first paid no other at- tention thereto than to put myself in the best possible state of de. fence, and to call out to them, and assure them that « I would •? \% .« ■u .V Ki. ■ ^^f^ THE DUTCH HKRMIT. 13 i4 shoot the first Indian that should enter my house against my will !'^ this, however, so far from intimidating (hem in the least, seemed to have a contrary effect, inasmuch us that they continued to knock at my door with increased violence, and at the same time to repeat their assurances that they meant me no harm, and had come for no other purpose than to restore to me my child, who&e liberation they had, agreeable to my views, providentially effected ! — as this was spoken in a tone peculiar only to those of the savage tribe who are ■pacijieally disposed, I began to think more fhvoura. bly of them, and that what they had represented to me to be the fact, might even so prove — and, to guard myself well against the possibility of deception, I told them that nothing but hearing the voice of my ■ daughter would satisfy me that they were friends, and my daughter was once more at liberty, and then, one of their number. — Immediately upon which my poor child, (with a voice as loud as her enfeebled health would admit of) declared to me that " it was all positively true, and begged that I would open the door as soon as possible, that she might enjoy the privilege of behold, ing the faces of her dear parents once more!" — it was my daugh- voice'f-jiss, I could not be deceived ! — it was enough ! and required no savage^ssistance now to force back the bolts, or to remove the bars of my tiqors, with which I had taken the precau- tion to secure them — no, it^ was done by myself alone, and in an instant, as if by magic — and at the next, my long lost child was in my arms, -.vhen the mingled emotions of joy and grief produced thereby, prevented any other utterance, on the part of either, than the exclamation « my father!" "my child !"— while the savages who accompanied her, stood during the affecting moment, appa- rently motionless, and grinning, as it were, a ghastly smile ! — I had indeed, to my inexpressible joy, recovered my beloved daugh- ter, but, alas, she appeared but the shadow of what she once was ; and too evident was it by her weak and emaciated appearance, that th« three months that she had been in the power of the merci- less savages, that she had suffered eve^y thing but death itself as her tale of woe afterward confirmed ! Early the morning ensuing the savages (through whose instrumentality I had been enabled to recover my child,) becoming impatient to return, I paid them their promised reward, in hard money, and they departed, apparently fi ■i>^ 'fr. m m -.a ■'„"*' 1 ' u '\ LIFE OF JOHN C. 8HAFFORD, highly pleased with their good fortune in receiving so considerable a sum, for services so easily performed ; they having engaged to pay the young chief but the sum of twenty dollars on their return in exchange for the fair captive, who he represented to them had become his wife by adoption ! As soon as my poor ill-fated child had become in some degree composed, and had gained suSicient strength so to do, she narrated to me and her afflicted mother, the heart rending trials and afflictions that she had been made the subject of, from the time that misfortune placed her in the power of the savages 'mtil the moment that she was providentially re- stored to liberty, which as far as my recollection serves me, was in substance as follows : — " That on the fatal evening that she was made a prisoner of, the savages seized her at the moment that she was about to enter the back door of the house, dragged her a few rods therefrom, and bound her with a cord to a tree, when were ihree other white captives (males) in a similar condition ; which, when done, they returned to commence an attack on the house, and in which they were but a short time employed, for they not only found thg^-jj well secured, but at the very moment hearing the-%atffi^ of a horn and the report of a musket, they became rpjfKarently much fright- ened, (probably svipposing themselves pureed) unbound her and the other captives, in great haste, and s«i'tting out upon a trot, drove her and the other prisoners before them, whom, if they attempted to slacken their pace in any degree, were unmercifully beat and scourged with rods which the savages had each prepared himself for that purpose — their bitter lamentations and entreaties for mercy had no other effect than to induce them to attempt to in- crease their pace by a still more severe application of their rods ! — it was in this way that my daughter was compelled to travel through an almost impenetrable forest, until the break of day, when her strength began to fail her, and she to manifest an inability to travel, in the manner mentioned, any further — the savages perceiv- ing this, they came to a halt, when a warm dispute arose among them, some (as she was afterward informed) being in favour of dispatching her on the spot, and to be no longer troubled with her, while others (among whom was their young chief) were in favour of sparing her life, which opinion appeared at length to prevail, i '# 4 •4 ^■■■f' iMiyi . - THE DUTCH HEBHIT. 16 "$ through the influence of their leader, who at this moment dis- mounting from the horse on which he rode, and having with the assistance of another Indian placed my daughter on the back thereof, she was thereto secured ; when a part of the savages who appeared to have disagreed in opinion with their chief, and were probably in favour of her being otherwise disposed of, (which in- deed would have proved a great mercy to her, if permitted to judge by the dreadful treatment that she afterward experienced) now separated from those by whom she was still held a prisoner, and accompanied by the three other captives, took their departure in another direction. * She thought she probably would have been treated with less in- humanity by the savages, had they not by some means or other been plentifully supplied with spirituous liquor, with which they became more or less intoxicated, and frequently beat her for no other reason, as she could conjecture, than that their natural bar- barous dispositions lead them so to do ! — as they compelled the beast on which she rode to travel mostly on a trot, and nothing beingjillowed her but a tattered blanket to ride upon, she would not have been savages travelled with much greater speed 'tha*! on the day pre. ceding, and greatly to her suffering composed her to keep paco with them until sunset, when having sought ah encampment Sot the night, in the midst of a thicket, where the young chief having signified to her by signs and in very broken £nglish that he had preserved her life that she might become his adopted " squaw !" attempted to take liberties with her, which was the first insult of the kind that she had received from either him or any one of his party, since the evening of heir unfortunate capture, and who on that occasion met with such a repulse as to deter him from a re- petition, at that time, of his wicked and beastly design — in every other respect she was treated with more humanity than by some of those who last left them ; but the treatment that she then re- ceived was of a nature to satisfy h'^r what she might expect from this savage ruffian, if it should be her misfortune to remnin long in his power ! nor in these awful apprehensions was she disappoint- ed, for on their arrival two days after at his settlement (situated near the boarder of the Lake) she was proclaimed by himself and others his '< young captive squato !" in great triumph, and by a « r\. ■m .^^1^0 '¥ .■#• 4^ THE DUTCH UEIMIT. 17 ■■^' \ iding last but by ►y BO""^ «1 lay pre. >p paco ient fos having he had iquaw !" insult of � of his who on a re- in every by some then re- set from long in lappoint- situated iself and td by a general pow-wow, and after being fancifully painted, and decorated after their Indian manner she was forcibly conveyed to his wig. warn, where she was given in charge of two or three squaws (one of whom was very aged) by whom she was given to understand that that was to be the place of her future abode ! It was at that moment (my poor child observed) she would have given worlds, had she possessed them, to have been once more at liberty, and under the protection of her dear parents, from the out- rages of a sava^^e monster, who appeared not in the least afiected with a view of the state of wretcliedncss in wiilch ho hod placed her, but to the contrary, with miicii seeming unconcern left her the morning ensuing (in a state of mental distraction) to reengage in his usu.il hunting excursions, and with her most earnest prayer that ho migiit never be permitted to return again ! — she was left in ch:U'ge of his jnolher and sister, by whom during his absence she' was most cruelly treated ; they kept her almost constantly em- ployed in pounding parched or baked corn, in a large wooden mortar, which when sufficiently refined, they manufactured into |dj^,l^llinh with a few slices of half putrid venspn, served them for their daily lo9^anu of wliich they allowed hoi" barely sufiicient to sustain natur«i|-*—in1cur days from tiio time of his departure the youno- chief returned, at whp-e appearance she could not but shud- der at the recollection of the treatment that she had and might again expect to receive from him! — on learning from her (by sio^ns) the cruel treatment tiiat eho harl received in hi? absence, the unfeelii)''- brute seemed more gratified than displeased there- with, and in no way disposed (as it proved) to spare the poor child from stiil greater torments, and that too, apparently to the great satisfacitoa ami amuso-icnl of both his mother nvd sifter ! The morning following, sho tbund that although her time was to be devoted io some other cmpioyment than that in which she had been engaged, yet, to such as proved still more unpleasant and equally laborious, and which was no other than tliat of dissecting and preparing the carcases, (by salting and smoking) such ani- mals as the young chief had returned with from his hunting ex- cursion ; and in the performance of which, being not much ac- quainted, she made but very slow progress, and for which she was 80 severely chastised by both the old squaw and her sop as to bring 3 '%h #' > »^ ^ y' mtt mr^ttf-' 1^ '<»,- I ♦ 18 IIPB OF JOHM 0. BHAPFOK0I upon her a eeltled fever, with which she was twelve days confined to her bed (if a few dry corn husks could be so called) without being able but with great difficulty to help herself; and shonld (she thought) certainly have died, had she not during her illness been treated with a little more lenity, which was probably from motives of gain, more than that of pity ! but, no sooner was it perceived that she had in a small degree recovered her health and strength, than she was again compelled to become the victim of shameful insult, and to the performance of the daily labour allot- ted her, and which in some way or other she was compelled to perform with little intermission until the happy day of her deliver- ance arrived, and until which time the young chief was more than half his time absent on a hunting, fishing, or some other excur- sion, when she was always left, as in the first instance, in charge of the old squaw and her daughter, and whose greatest desire it seemed to be to see who should outrival each other in acts of cruel- ty towards her ! * ' * .* The fortunate day (which was to prove the last of her captivi- ty) the hut, or wigwam, to which she had been almost^iffWstar'^iY confined, the three months that she had been h^ In tiittcr captivi. ty, was unexpectedly visited by four straffge iii^ages, bearing a white flag, which with them, as well qs with those morfj.civilizedr is ever viewed as an emblem of peace — their first inqimry was for i» the young chief, with whom they represented to his mother (the old squaw) that their business was not only of a pacific nature, but of very great importance — the chief soon after entered, be- tween whom and the four visiting savages a conversation ensued, and although my child too imperfectly understood their language to be able to determine the tenor thereof, yet as the four Indians in the course of the conversation frequently pointed to her, she vas not without her suspicions that it was something relating to herself, and which was afterward confirmed, (as three of said sav- ages were about retiring) by the chief's directing her by signs to follow them, in the mean time repeating the words " go away !" « go away !" ** white face !" and one of the three at the same moment taking her by the arm led her from the hut, while two of the others (the fourth remaining) closely followed behind — to what pAace they weita about to conduct her* or for what purpoge, she 4 V THE DUTCH HEXailT. 10 knew not, nor did she much care, for if to dispatch her at once, with their clubs or tomahawks for the sake of her scalp, it was her opinion that such a death would in all probability be instanta* neous, which would be far more desireable than the cruel linger- ing death which she must have experieuced had it been her lot to have remained longer in captivity, subject to the savage will and brutal treatment of one in whose power she had been the three last preceding months. But, as it proved, it was the will of pro. vidence that a better fate should attend her — that the savages in whose power she was now placed intended her no serious injury, she was perfectly satisfied when they appeared in no way disposed to treat her but with the greatest degree of humanity — while with thetlNhe suflfered nothing for the want of food, and that of a good and wholesome kind, and as her deprivations and sufferings had rendered her too feeble to walk but with a very slow pace, they, without her desiring it, constructed with poles a litter, by the aid of which they took turns to carry her, and she was thus convey* ed nearly the whole distance on her return, which was performed -!f in SIX I" As the poor oi{^i*tn concluded the melancholy tale of the cruel and unprecedei|| tatoes, and other vcgef^^es, enough to support himself and domes* tics, consisting of pigs, poultry, and latterly a cow and her pro. geny. For a few years past^e felt much annoyed at the inroads mankind made in the woods, which until then secluded him from the rest of the world, having for such a length of time considered himself lord of all he surveyed ; he felt quite uncomfortable at haV' ing neighbors within view of his hut, when for many a long year the nearest human habitation was many miles oflf. He lived a harmless and inoflfensive life. He retained his faculties to the last and died in the hope of a blessed immortality. He was removed in his last illness to one of his neighbor's houses." I 1 *- K-. *^ V gl %' i n i i->m » i ^1 l»»'i Miibit** .J&l iu. .1. 34 LiPi or ^ORN 0. inArvoRD, die. CONCLUDING REMARKS. I r^*. ■% % Although the deceased for many years profered the life of a Re. clusc, to that of mingling with human society, and dwelt alone in a solitary cabin, yet even there, how much more contented and happy may he have been than ho who would prefer the gaudy palace, ns well as the society of the gay and opulent ! in his retirement, with no other companion than that precious volume he no doubt not only spent the last years of his life, profitably, but with a hopeful chpor« fulness — his death bed (however small may have been his earthly possessions) may yet have been full of triiiin[)li ! — to him ileatli could not have come in a tnuinent of surprise, and terrify him with the immediate prospcr-t of eternity I ho no dou!)t was perfect- ly sensible at that important moinent, that he was only cycliang- ing his frail tenement of clay, for a permanent and jjlorin.n nbodo in his Father's kingdom! — In tliis worlil of woe, ha|)[)ine.'S ap. pears to bo nought after l)y almost every one, by the cild and the young, by the rich and the poor; and yet, comparatively spcaUina. but few <»btnin it — this being tho case, does no^hJt"u n.iV- urally arise, which is tho proper com ' 'pursue? and may we not answer, " love tho Lord Ihy God >;ah all your heart, and lead a virtuous life !" V Happiness does not consist, (as many have supposed) in tho possession of riches — to enjoy pure happiness it is not by any meons necessary for one to enjoy the '• good things of life" to over abundance — many a poor subject is happier than his king ; and like the pious Shajford, many a Hermit may live in a retired vale, and his secluded and humble dwelling almost unknown to man, yet happiness may ever reign within. Whether rich or poor, or whether we live a secluded life or not, if we wish to be happy, our thoughts must be pure, our desires rational, and our sentiments virtuous — it cannot bs purchased by the puerile toys of this world; to possess it in its purity we must lead a life in accordance with the Bible ; if we will do this, our felicity will be great ; yes, then, and not till then, shall we obtain the long searched for treasure ! # v-f -;^* *^ L Ji 'j^^ fe. >:^ , / ,^^^'^''«-' ■ *Ui^'^^ ^/rf^^t- ^ NARRATIVE OF THE CAPTIVITY AND SUFFERINGS OF Mr, ii W' I'-. JUiss ELLEI^ 8IIAFFORD, THE ONLY DAUGHTER OF JOHN C. SHAFFOUD— THE DUTCH HERMIT, Who when but 15 years of age, was taken prisoner and carried off far into the wilderness by ihe savages, and from whom she in three months received such cruel and beastly treatment, as to cause her death in five days after she was redeemed by her father. .^j il Ir tit kr ir la k