the protection of all the chiefs, by whom any insult I might sustain would be avenged, the ambassadors were peremptorily told that they might go back as they came, none of the young men of this village being foolish enough to join them. 'The tenor of this speech greatly alarmed the Indians of the Sault, who, after a very short consultation, agreed to send twenty deputies to Sir William Johnson at Niagara. This was a project highly interesting to me, since it offered me the means of leaving the country. I intimated this to the chief of the village, and received his promise that I should accompany the deputation. 'A moment after, a report was brought that a canoe had just arrived from Niagara. As this was a place from which every one was anxious to hear news, a message was sent to these fresh strangers, requesting them 'On the 10th of June, I emto come to the council. The barked with the Indian deputastrangers came accordingly, and tion, composed of sixteen men. being seated, a long silence en- Twenty had been the original sued. At length one of them, number designed; and upwards taking up a belt of wampum, of fifty actually engaged themaddressed himself thus to the selves to the council for the assembly: "My friends and undertaking. But, exclusively brothers, I am come with this of the degree of timidity which belt from our great father, Sir prevailed, we are to take into William Johnson. He desired account the various domestic me to come to you as his am- calls which might supersede all bassador, and tell you that he is others, and detain many with making a great feast at Fort their families. In the evening Niagara; that his kettles are of the second day of our voyage, all ready and his fires lit. He we reached the mouth of the invites you to partake of the Missisaki, where we found about feast, in common with your forty Indians, by whom we were friends, the Six Nations, who received with abundant kindness, have all made peace with the and at night regaled at a great English. He advises you to feast, held on account of our seize this opportunity of doing arrival. The viand was a prethe same, as you cannot other-paration of the roe of the sturwise fail of being destroyed; geon, beat up and boiled, and for the English are on their of the consistence of porridge. march with a great army, which | After eating, several speeches will be joined by different nations of Indians. In a word, before the fall of the leaf, they will be at Michilimackinac, and the Six Nations with them." were made to us, of which the general topic was a request that we should recommend the village to Sir William Johnson. This request was also specially addressed to me, and I promised to comply with it. 'On the fourteenth of June we passed the village of La Cloche, of which the greater part of the inhabitants were absent, being already on a visit to Sir William Johnson. This circumstance greatly encouraged the companions of my voyage, who now saw they were not the first to run into danger, The next day, about noon, the wind blowing very hard, we were obliged to put ashore at Point aux Grondines. While the Indians erected a hut, I employed myself in making a fire. As I was gathering wood, an unusual sound fixed my attention for a moment; but as it presently ceased, and as I saw nothing from which I could suppose it could proceed, I continued my employment, till, advancing farther, I was alarmed by a repetition. I imagined that it came from above my head; but after looking that way in vain, I cast my eyes on the ground, and there discovered a rattlesnake, at not more than two feet from my naked legs. The reptile was coiled, and its head raised considerably above its body. Had I advanced another step before my discovery, I must have trodden upon it. 'I no sooner saw the snake than I hastened to the canoe, in order to procure my gun; but the Indians, observing what I was doing, inquired the occasion, and being informed, begged me to desist. At the same time, they followed me to the spot, with their pipes and tobacco pouches in their hands. On returning, I found the snake still coiled. The Indians on their part surrounded it, all addressing it by turns, and calling it their grandfather, but yet keeping at some distance. During this part of the ceremony they filled their pipes; and now each blew the smoke towards the snake, who, as it appeared to me, really received it with pleasure. In a word, after remaining coiled and receiving incense for the space of half an hour, it stretched itself along the ground in visible good humour. Its length was between four and five feet. Having remained outstretched for some time, at last it moved slowly away, the Indians following it, and still addressing it by the title of grandfather, beseeching it to take care of their families during their absence, and also that it would be pleased to open the heart of Sir William Johnson, so that he might show them charity, and fill their canoes with rum. 'Early the next morning we proceeded. We had a serene sky and very little wind, and the Indians therefore determined on steering across the lake, to an island which just appeared in the horizon, saving by this course a distance of thirty miles, which would be lost in keeping the shore. At nine o'clock A.M. we had a light breeze astern, to enjoy the benefit of which we hoisted sail. Soon after the wind increased, and the Indians beginning to be alarmed, frequently called on the rattlesnake to come to their assistance. By degrees the waves grew high; at eleven o'clock it blew a hurricane, and we expected every moment to be swallowed up. From prayers the Indians now proceeded to sacrifices, both alike offered to the god rattlesnake, or Manito kinibic. One of the chiefs took a dog, and after tying its forelegs together, threw it overboard, at the same time calling on the snake to preserve us from being drowned, and desiring him to satisfy his hunger with the carcase of the dog. The snake was unpropitious, and the wind increased. Another chief sacrificed another dog, with the addition of some tobacco. In the prayer which accompanied these gifts, he besought the snake, as before, not to avenge upon the Indians the insult which he had received from myself, in the conception of a design to put him to death. He assured the snake that I was absolutely an Englishman, and of kin neither to him nor to them. At the conclusion of this speech, an Indian who sat near me observed that, if we were drowned, it would be for my fault alone, and that I ought myself to be sacrificed, to appease the angry Manito; nor was I without apprehensions that in case of extremity this would be my fate; but happily for me, the storm at length abated, and we reached the island safely. 'The next day was calm, and we arrived at the entrance of the navigation which leads to Lake Aux Claies (Lake Suncoe). We presently passed two short carrying-places, at each of which were several lodges of Indians, containing only women and children, the men being gone to the council at Niagara. From this, as from a former instance, my companions derived fresh courage. On the 18th of June we crossed Lake Aux Claies, which appeared to be upwards of twenty miles in length. At its further end we came to the carrying-place of Toronto. Here the Indians obliged me to carry a burden of more than a hundred pounds weight. The day was very hot, and the woods and marshes abounded with mosquitoes; but the Indians walked at a quick pace, and I could by no means see myself left behind. The whole country was a thick forest, through which our only road was a footpath, or such as in America is exclusively termed an Indian path. Next morning, at ten o'clock, we reached the shore of Lake Ontario. Here we were employed two days in making canoes out of the bark of the elm tree, in which we were to transport ourselves to Niagara. For this purpose, the Indians first cut down a tree, then stripped off the bark in one entire sheet of about eighteen feet in length, the incision being lengthwise. The canoe was now complete as to its top, bottom, of their own peaceable views, and sides. Its ends were next and after singing the song which closed by sewing the bark to- is in use among them on going gether; and a few ribs and bars into danger, they embarked and being introduced, the architec-made for Point Missisaki, which ture was finished. In this man- is on the north side of the ner we made two canoes, of mouth of the river or strait of which one carried eight men Niagara, as the fort is on the and the other nine. south. A few minutes after I crossed over to the fort; and here I was received by Sir William Johnson, in a manner for which I have ever been gratefully attached to his person and memory. 'On the 21st we embarked at Toronto, and encamped in the evening four miles short of Fort Niagara, which the Indians would not approach till morning. At dawn the Indians were awake, and presently assembled. in council, still doubtful as to the fate they were to encounter. I assured them of the most friendly welcome; and at length, after painting themselves with the most lively colours, in token 'Thus was completed my escape from the sufferings and dangers which the capture of Fort Michilimackinac brought upon me; but the property which I had carried into the upper country was left behind.' CHAPTER II. CAPTURE OF QUINTIN STOCKWELL BY INDIANS, AND PERILOUS JOURNEY MADE IN THEIR COMPANY. 'IN the year 1777, September | others before that. Being in the 19th, at Deerfield, Mass., this swamp, which was miry, between sunset and dark, the I slumped in and fell down, Indians came upon us. I and whereupon one of the enemy another man being together, we stepped to me, with his hatchet ran away at the outcry the lifted up to knock me on the Indians made, shouting and head, supposing that I had been shooting at some others of the wounded, and so unfit for any English that were hard by. We other travel. I, as it happened, took a swamp that was at hand had a pistol by me, which, though for our refuge. The enemy spy- uncharged, I presented at the ing us so near them, ran after Indian, who presently stepped us, and shot many guns at us; back, and told me if I would three guns were discharged upon yield I should have no hurt. me, the enemy being within He said, which was not true, three rods of me, besides many that they had destroyed all Hatfield, and that the woods were full of Indians; whereupon I yielded myself, and falling into their hands, was by three of them led away to the place where I first began to make my flight. Here two other Indians came running to us, and the one lifting up the butt end of his gun to knock me on the head, the other with his hand put by the blow, and said I was his friend. 'I was now by my own house, which the Indians burned the last year, and I was about to build up again; and there I had some hopes to escape from them. There was a horse just by, which they bid me take. I did so, but made no attempt to escape thereby, because the enemy was near, and the beast was slow and dull. Then was I in hopes they would send me to take my own horses, which they did; but they were so frightened that I could not come near to them, and so fell still into the enemy's hands. They now took and bound me, and led me away, and soon was I brought into the company of other captives, who were that day brought away from Hatfield, who were about a mile off: and here methought was matter of joy and sorrow both; joy to see company, and sorrow for our condition. Then were we pinioned and led away in the night over the mountains, in dark and hideous ways, about four miles farther, before we took up our place of rest, which was in a dismal place of wood, on the east side of the mountain. We were kept bound all that night. The Indians kept awake, and we had little mind to sleep in this night's travel. The Indians dispersed, and as they went made strange noises, as of wolves and owls, and other wild beasts, to the end that they might not lose one another, and if followed, might not be discovered by the English. I About the break of day we marched again, and got over that great river at Pecomptuck (Deerfield) river mouth, and there rested about two hours. Here the Indians marked out upon the trees the number of their captives and slain, as is their manner. Now was I again in great danger, a quarrel having arisen about me, whose captive I was; for three took me. thought I must be killed to end the controversy; so, when they put it to me, whose I was, I said three Indians took me; so they agreed to have all a share in me. I had now three masters, and he was my chief master who laid hands on me first; and thus was I fallen into the hands of the worst of all the company, as Asphelon the Indian chief told me, which chief was all along very kind to me, and a great comfort to the English. In this place they gave us some victuals, which they had brought from the English. This morning also they sent ten men forth to the town of Deerfield, to bring away what they could find. Some provi |