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Article AMERICAN ANECDOTES. ← Page 2 of 4 →
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American Anecdotes.
battle , for the reception of the savages ; but after remaining in that position for several hours ; and finding that they did not advance , he prosecuted his march . He had not , however , proceeded many miles , before he found himself in a narrow pass between two high mountains , and at the same time perceived a large body of Indians ( upwards of three hundred ) pouring down upon him . He
immediately formed his men in the most advantageous situation circumstances would admit of , determining to sell their lives at as , dear a rate as possible . The conflict Was now begun ; the consequence of which was that the English were all cut to pieces , except seven men ancl their officer , who was wounded . The Indians had upwards of sixty of their number killed , besides many wounded . They tied the hands of the survivors of-this brave little detachment behind their backs , aud most unmercifully loaded them with their baggage . In this
manner they were marched six days , when they arrived at the habitations of the savages , nearly famished for want of the necessaries of life . The next morning the unhappy prisoners were led forth by the wives of those Indians that fell in the action , who first proceeded , by way of prologue to the tragical scene which was to follow , by stripping them quite naked ; and then tying one of them to a stake , and lighting a small und slow fire between his feetthey began to exercise the most
excru-, ciating tortures their ingenuity could possibly invent , by tearing the miserable wretch's flesh off his bones with red-hot pincers , boring his eyes out , and otherwise tormenting him by the most barbarous and unheard-of cruelty , to the great entertainment of the more than savage brutes who were fhe spectators . In this horrid manner did those infernal wretches continue to exercise their most savage naturesuntil
, they had put an end to the lives of the poor unhappy soldiers . Those Squaws ( for such are the females called ) who displayed the greatest barbarism as tormentors , received the greatest applause and approbation from all their companions during the exhibition of this tragical
scene . It now became the Officer ' s turn to fall a sacrifice to the manes of those departed savages . Pie told the squaws ( having served long in America , he had' acquired the Indian language ) when they came to drag him to the stake , "that if they would spare his life fie would communicate a secret , the knowledge of which would enable them to render their bodies invulnerableso that neither ball nor sword could
, penetrate them ; that he would admit of the first experiment to be made upon himself ; and that he only , desired to be allowed twentyfour hours for the preparation of a composition necessary for the undertaking . " The savages , after having deliberated together for some time , acquiesced in compliance to the Officer ' s proposition ; but at the same time denounced , that the most unheard-of vengeance should
await him , if he deceived them by thus procrastinating his fate . The twenty-four hours being expired , the savage women led forth their victim , who had prepared a liquid composed of water , red clay ( something-like ochre ) and wood ashes . With this he anointed his neck until it was of a brownish colour ; he then informed them , that when it was a little dry , they might make an experiment , by applying-a very
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
American Anecdotes.
battle , for the reception of the savages ; but after remaining in that position for several hours ; and finding that they did not advance , he prosecuted his march . He had not , however , proceeded many miles , before he found himself in a narrow pass between two high mountains , and at the same time perceived a large body of Indians ( upwards of three hundred ) pouring down upon him . He
immediately formed his men in the most advantageous situation circumstances would admit of , determining to sell their lives at as , dear a rate as possible . The conflict Was now begun ; the consequence of which was that the English were all cut to pieces , except seven men ancl their officer , who was wounded . The Indians had upwards of sixty of their number killed , besides many wounded . They tied the hands of the survivors of-this brave little detachment behind their backs , aud most unmercifully loaded them with their baggage . In this
manner they were marched six days , when they arrived at the habitations of the savages , nearly famished for want of the necessaries of life . The next morning the unhappy prisoners were led forth by the wives of those Indians that fell in the action , who first proceeded , by way of prologue to the tragical scene which was to follow , by stripping them quite naked ; and then tying one of them to a stake , and lighting a small und slow fire between his feetthey began to exercise the most
excru-, ciating tortures their ingenuity could possibly invent , by tearing the miserable wretch's flesh off his bones with red-hot pincers , boring his eyes out , and otherwise tormenting him by the most barbarous and unheard-of cruelty , to the great entertainment of the more than savage brutes who were fhe spectators . In this horrid manner did those infernal wretches continue to exercise their most savage naturesuntil
, they had put an end to the lives of the poor unhappy soldiers . Those Squaws ( for such are the females called ) who displayed the greatest barbarism as tormentors , received the greatest applause and approbation from all their companions during the exhibition of this tragical
scene . It now became the Officer ' s turn to fall a sacrifice to the manes of those departed savages . Pie told the squaws ( having served long in America , he had' acquired the Indian language ) when they came to drag him to the stake , "that if they would spare his life fie would communicate a secret , the knowledge of which would enable them to render their bodies invulnerableso that neither ball nor sword could
, penetrate them ; that he would admit of the first experiment to be made upon himself ; and that he only , desired to be allowed twentyfour hours for the preparation of a composition necessary for the undertaking . " The savages , after having deliberated together for some time , acquiesced in compliance to the Officer ' s proposition ; but at the same time denounced , that the most unheard-of vengeance should
await him , if he deceived them by thus procrastinating his fate . The twenty-four hours being expired , the savage women led forth their victim , who had prepared a liquid composed of water , red clay ( something-like ochre ) and wood ashes . With this he anointed his neck until it was of a brownish colour ; he then informed them , that when it was a little dry , they might make an experiment , by applying-a very