A-X1 BANCROFT LIBRARY I I v WH ButlerAat. Y/, / AMPTOM ACCESS JOk iB PREFACE, THE following narratives have been carefully compiled from a large mass of material which has been accumulated iuring tho many years which the author has devoted to the itudy 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, nd 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 4 PREFACE. among the tribes are rapidly wasting them away. This ra lult 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, cmlized, 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. Captivity and Escape of Mrs. Frances Scott, of Washington County, Virginia - - . - - - Ifl Singular Narrative of the Adventured of Captain Isaac Steward, who probably saw the gold mines of California before 1782 21 Singular Prowess of a Womar, 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 Genero&ity of Pe-ta4a-sha-roo - - , 80 Magnanimity of a Sioux - - - 85 Noble Action of Lieutenant Beaii - - - - - -86 Massacre at Taos, New Mexico, and Death of Governor Bent 92 Adventures of Colonel Hays with the Indians ... 95 Poe'i Adventure with two Indians - - . . - 100 A3 A CONTENTS. Captain Reid'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 - - - - 1 13 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 ........ 286 CONTENTS. T fc The Rifleman of Chippcwa ..... 245 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 Mimms's Fort ....... 28$ \merican 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 ........ 806 The Murderer's Creek .309 The Scalp-Dance 814 Adventure of an Indian Woman . . . 818 An Indian Lodge ...... 827 Silouee 329 A Buffalo Hunt 338 Bufferings of Captain Bard's Family . 343 Black Bird 346 Indian Pipe-Dance * - . . 343 Escape from Torture ---..... 351 Perilous Adventure of Captain Brady . . . .353 Story of Indian Revenge ....... 854 Mandan Bull Dance ........ 357 Singular Scene in an Indian Council ..... 369 Narrative of an Escape from the Indians - . -872 Early Settlers of Bedford County 379 Indian Attack on Dover, New Hampshire .381 Indian Gratitude lor Favours --.... 887 8 CONTENTS PAOT Escape from Indians - - - - 888 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 Dacotaa, 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 Seenti ...... 491 Jo Logston - . 608 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 19 THRILLING ADVENTURES. whiles 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. 11 teach our own people to prize the blessings of civili zation ; if we could induce the young to apply those blessings tc 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. Csptibltj anfc of of Uirgtnia* 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 13 14 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 thiuata 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, " 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 mother's 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, ana 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 weil 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 ail 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 Mm, CAPTIVITY OF MRS SCOTT. 18 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 pr^- visions. Three went out, and the chief, being an old man, was left to take care of the prisoner, who, bv 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 wasn 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 of 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 16 THRILLING ADVENTURES. timely a deliverance. Being without any pi 3visions, 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 arid 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 cam.? to where the river runs through the great Laurel mountain, where is a prodigious water-fall, and niv 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. &. ott in danger of recotur 8 2 CAPTIVITY OF MRS. SCOTT. 19 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 t*jie 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 pra serving her from the effects of the poison : be that a? 20 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 llth 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 they named Delawn,res and Mingoes. She further relates, that during her wandering from the 10th of July to the llth 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. 21 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 id take the flesh and eat it : but, on reflection, she v^-dted, 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. jfetngular Karratifee of t$t ^fcbmiuw* of Captain Base Jbtefoar* fefco profca&lg *afo tfje gold mine* of California before 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 waa 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 : 1 was taken prisoner about fifty miles to the west ward of Fort Pitt, about eighteen years ago, by the ans, and was carried by them to the Wa^ash, with 22 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 ; thoy 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. 28 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 Red 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 24 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. On 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. $rotoe of a 39oman in a &omfcat toil]) 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 Mi& Bozarth defending her 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 wore 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 waa 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, who 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 thi?, 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 soil. 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, 28 '"HR.ILLING Ab' 7 ENTURES. and by this time a little recovered, shut the door after them, and made it fast, wh^re 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. Sntiftint* of Border Warfare in 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- Tnrilling Adventure of two Girls. c 2 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, Ml upon them and killed two, the rest started up and 32 THRILLING ADVENTURES. flecf 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. tSFfjr fflUmgtr'* &fcenture. 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 inarched 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 Bure 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 THE RANGER S 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 jasi 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 clanger 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-do*/* o familiar to the pine woods in winter. 84 THRILLING ADVENTURES. At length, they descended into a hollow : the frozen eheet of Lake George lay not far on to the. left, anu a steep hill on the right. The ground, a short distance before them, was low and swainpy, 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 tke sud den rush of the savage swarin 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 bis head saw an Indian leaping silent as a spectre. ^^^^Pllllli "he Ranger's Fursr Impaled. THE RANGER'S ADVENTURE. 11 within a few rods of him. With admirable coolnesa, he turned quickly round, and raising his gun with a Bteady 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 aad 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 (acuities, that he observed where the bullet struck ipon 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 closo 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 und 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 88 1HIULLING 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 gathered 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. Sufferings of Butler, tlje American Pajeppa, among tlje $nMan0 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. 41 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 hunter's 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, Le 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. Yfhen within a mile of Chilicothe, they took Butler from the horse, and tied him to a stake where, for twenty-fou) hours, 12 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 failed 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 ui> HEROISM OF A WOMAN. 48 *ticcessful expedition to the frontier of that State, burning, of course, 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. of a 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 44 THRILLING ADVEN1URES. 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 sylvania 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 buined 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 closed the door. 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, tkrough 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." of Jto, Dafofe from tf)i Xnttan*. 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 James River settlement, were taken prisoners by a party of Indians. The former was put to death. Mrs, Davis was carried through the forests 46 THRILLING ADVENTURES. to the Chilicothe towns, north of t.he 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 Greit 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 tc 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 btarted 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. 4B 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. jbtngular 3Ejrecuttan for 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, go 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 7 E 50 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 w r ith; 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- V