BRITISH FAITH.



charge of the Indians, it was agreed would
be left with some men, whom it was said
would afford ample protection until carry-
alls could be brought from Malden to trans-
port the prisoners there, but the sequel
proved they were a faithless, cowardly set.
The British were in quite a hurry, as were
their Indian allies, to leave after the sturren-
der. Pretty soon Captain Elliott came into
the room where Major Graves, Captain
Hickman, Captain Hart, and the writer of
this (all wounded) were quartered. He rec-
ognized Captain Hart, with whom he had
been a room-mate at Hart's father's, in Lex-
ington, Ky.  Hart introduced him  to the
other officers, and after a short   con-
versation,  in    which    be    [Elliott]
seemed quite restless and a good deal
agitated  [he, I apprehend, could  have
readily told why,), as he could not have for-
gotten the humiliation he had contracted in
deceiving Hart's family, pecuniarily. He
proposed borrowing a horse, saddle, and
bridle for the purpose of going immediately
to Malden, and hurrying on sleighs to re-
move the wounded. Thence assuring Cap-
tain Hart especially of the hospitality of his
house, and begging us not to feel uneasy;
that we were in no danger; that he would
leave three interpreters, who would be an
ample protection to us. He obtained Major
Graves's horse, saddle, and bridle, and left,
which was the last we saw of Captain El-
liott. We shall presently see how Elliott's
pledges were fulfilled. On the next morn-
ing, the morning of the massacre, between
davbreak and sunrise, the Indians were seen
approaching the   houses  sheltering the
wounded.   The house in which       M ajor
Graves, Captains Hart and Hickman and
the writer were had been occupied as
a tavern. The Indians went into the cellar
and rolled out many barrels, forced in their
heads, and began drinking andyelling. Pret-
ty soon they came crowding into the room
where we were, and in which there was
a bureau, two beds, a chair or two, and per-
haps a small table. They forced the draw
ers of the bureau, which were filled with
towels, table-cloths, shirts, pillow slips, etc.
About this time Major Graves and Captain
Hart left the room. The Indians took the
bed clothing ripped open the bed tick, threw
out the feathers, and apportioned the ticks
to  themselves.  They   took  the over-
coat, close bodied coat, hat and shoes from
the writer. When they turned to leave the
room, just as he turned, the Indians toma-
hawked Captain Hickman in less than six
feet from me. I weent out on to a porch,
next the street, when I heard voices in a
room at a short distance, went into the
room where Captain Hart was engaged in
conversation  with  the interpreter.  He



asked: "What do the Indians intend to do
withus." The reply was:   "They intend
to kill you." Hart rejoined. "Ask liberty
of them for me to make a speech to them
before they kill us." The interpreters re-
plied: "They can't understand." "But,"
said Hart, "you can interpret for me." The
intorpreters replied: "If we undertook to
I interpret for you, they will as soon kill us
as you." It was said, and I suppose truly,
that Captain Hart subsequently contracted
with an Indian warrior to take him to Am-
herstburg, giving him 600.  The brave
placed him on a horse and started. After
igoing a short distance they met another
company of Indians, when the one having
charge of Hart spoke ot his receiving the
600 to take Hart to Malden. The other
Indians insisted on  sharing the money,
which was refused, when som1e altercation
took place, resulting in the shooting of
aHart off the horse by the Indian who re-
ceived the money. A few minutes after
leaving the room, where I had met Hart
and the interpreters, and while standing
in  the  snow   eighteen  inches  deep,
the  Indians   brought Captain   Hick-
man   out on    the porch, stripped of
clothing except a flannel shirt, and tossed
him out on the snow within a few feet of
me, after which he breathed once or twice
and expired. While still standing in the
yard, without coat, hat or shoes, Major
Graves approached me in charge of an n-
dian, and asked if I had been taken. I an-
swered no. Ile proposed that I should go
along with the Indian who had taken him.
I replied, "No, if you are safe I am satisfied."
He passed on and I never saw him afterward.
IWhile standing in the snow two or three In-
dians appioached me at different times, and
I made signs that the ball I received was
still in my shoulder. They shook their
heads, leaving the impression that they de-
si'ned a more horrid death for me. I felt
that it would he a mercy to me if they would
shoot me down at once, and put me out of
my misery.  About this time I placed my
Ihand under my vest, and over the severe
wound I had received, induced thereto by
the cold, which increased my suffering.
Another young warrior passed on and
made signs that the ball had hardlv
struck  and  passed  on, to  which   I
nodded assent, He immediately took off a
blanket capot (having two) and tied the
sleeves around my shoulders, and gave me a
large red apple. The work of death on the
prisoners being well nigh done and the
houses tired, he started with me toward De-
troit. After going a short distance he dis-
covered mv feet were suffering, being with-
out shoes, and he having on two pair of
moccasins, pulled off the outer pair, and



3