Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Relation Of A Captivity Among The Indians Of North America.
feet ; for if the family had happened to awake , they would immediately have come to the door after me , and if they had found me at all dressed , they could have been at no loss to divine my intentions . Never in my life have I seen such a night of rain , thunder , and lightning . 1 could scarcely make more than a mile in an hour , owing to the darkness and thickness of the woods , which were so full of briers and thorns that I was much retarded in endeavours to get through themI
revery my . solved therefore to change my route , and quitting the woods , struck off to the river , in which I thought I could walk with the water up to my chin , so that I might not be noticed by any Indians on the road . This might have succeeded had I had more time before me , but I had yet several miles to go before I could arrive at the place of rendezvous , and I ran the risk of being surprised by daylight before I could accomplish it . I found it therefore expedient to try the woods again , but in this I well ni
was gh being prevented , by discovering the figures of two Indians approaching , each with -his gun in his hand . I was still wading in the water ; and observing the trunk of an old tree near me , which had fallen into the river , I endeavoured to conceal myself by squatting down behind it . But I could not do this so effectually but what they might have observed me had they looked . I knew I should be tomahawked and scalped the spot if I were discoveredFortunatel
upon . y , however , for me , these Indians were engaged together in earnest discourse , and being returned from some feast , were a little intoxicated . They passed me at no great distance , going towards a small French house about a hundred yards off . I then immediately ran to the thickets as silently as possible ; and in
order to prevent the whiteness of my skin from discovering me , 1 rubbed myself over with black moss and mire . Thus pursuing my course in fear and in hope , startling at every rustling among the leaves , and sometimes mistaking trees for Indians , I at last arrived at the place where I thought the Frenchman was to have been with his canoe , but could not find him . I ventured to call in a low voice , but nobody answered . I then began to exclaim bitterly the Frenchman
against perfidious , who had thus in my desperate situation deserted and deceived me . Exhausted with fatigue , I sat me down to rest , hardly knowing what I did . My thoughts were occupied about the Frenchman ' s conduct . I thought he could not surely be such a coward after all as to abandon me when I had to go through the most dangerous part of the enterprise myself . I considered also how much it was his interest to carry it through . Recollecting myself
a little , and looking round upon the place where I was , I discovered , what my eagerness and anxiety , and , I may add , my fears , had made me overlook ^—that I was about a quarter of a mile higher up the river than the place we had agreed upon . This discovery gave me fresh spirits and vigour , and , springing up , I soon arrived at the appointed spot , where , to my inexpressible joy , I found the Frenchman , who was sleeping in his canoe . Having roused him , we pushed off into the
middle of the river , to have the benefit of the current to carry us down . We passed through the midst , of the enemy ' s encampments , making as little noise as possible with our paddles . We could hear the Indians ' voices very plainly , and saw some of them dancing at a feast round a fire , which they accompanied by singing . About an hour before daybreak we at last arrived and got on board a ship lying opposite to Detroit . Then it was that I was agitated in a manner such as I never before
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Relation Of A Captivity Among The Indians Of North America.
feet ; for if the family had happened to awake , they would immediately have come to the door after me , and if they had found me at all dressed , they could have been at no loss to divine my intentions . Never in my life have I seen such a night of rain , thunder , and lightning . 1 could scarcely make more than a mile in an hour , owing to the darkness and thickness of the woods , which were so full of briers and thorns that I was much retarded in endeavours to get through themI
revery my . solved therefore to change my route , and quitting the woods , struck off to the river , in which I thought I could walk with the water up to my chin , so that I might not be noticed by any Indians on the road . This might have succeeded had I had more time before me , but I had yet several miles to go before I could arrive at the place of rendezvous , and I ran the risk of being surprised by daylight before I could accomplish it . I found it therefore expedient to try the woods again , but in this I well ni
was gh being prevented , by discovering the figures of two Indians approaching , each with -his gun in his hand . I was still wading in the water ; and observing the trunk of an old tree near me , which had fallen into the river , I endeavoured to conceal myself by squatting down behind it . But I could not do this so effectually but what they might have observed me had they looked . I knew I should be tomahawked and scalped the spot if I were discoveredFortunatel
upon . y , however , for me , these Indians were engaged together in earnest discourse , and being returned from some feast , were a little intoxicated . They passed me at no great distance , going towards a small French house about a hundred yards off . I then immediately ran to the thickets as silently as possible ; and in
order to prevent the whiteness of my skin from discovering me , 1 rubbed myself over with black moss and mire . Thus pursuing my course in fear and in hope , startling at every rustling among the leaves , and sometimes mistaking trees for Indians , I at last arrived at the place where I thought the Frenchman was to have been with his canoe , but could not find him . I ventured to call in a low voice , but nobody answered . I then began to exclaim bitterly the Frenchman
against perfidious , who had thus in my desperate situation deserted and deceived me . Exhausted with fatigue , I sat me down to rest , hardly knowing what I did . My thoughts were occupied about the Frenchman ' s conduct . I thought he could not surely be such a coward after all as to abandon me when I had to go through the most dangerous part of the enterprise myself . I considered also how much it was his interest to carry it through . Recollecting myself
a little , and looking round upon the place where I was , I discovered , what my eagerness and anxiety , and , I may add , my fears , had made me overlook ^—that I was about a quarter of a mile higher up the river than the place we had agreed upon . This discovery gave me fresh spirits and vigour , and , springing up , I soon arrived at the appointed spot , where , to my inexpressible joy , I found the Frenchman , who was sleeping in his canoe . Having roused him , we pushed off into the
middle of the river , to have the benefit of the current to carry us down . We passed through the midst , of the enemy ' s encampments , making as little noise as possible with our paddles . We could hear the Indians ' voices very plainly , and saw some of them dancing at a feast round a fire , which they accompanied by singing . About an hour before daybreak we at last arrived and got on board a ship lying opposite to Detroit . Then it was that I was agitated in a manner such as I never before