xt7f4q7qnw9x https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7f4q7qnw9x/data/mets.xml Spooner, Walter Whipple, 1861- 1883 books b92-86-27376443 English W.E. Dibble, : Cincinnati : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Indian captivities. Fountier and pioneer life United States. Back-woodsmen, or, Tales of the borders : a collection of historical and authentic accounts of early adventure among the Indians / by Walter W. Spooner with an introduction by Florus B. Plimpton. text Back-woodsmen, or, Tales of the borders : a collection of historical and authentic accounts of early adventure among the Indians / by Walter W. Spooner with an introduction by Florus B. Plimpton. 1883 2002 true xt7f4q7qnw9x section xt7f4q7qnw9x THE DEATH OF JAMES BRADY. This page in the original text is blank. THE BACK-WOODSMEN OR TALES OF THE BORDERS A COLLECTION OF HISTORICAL AND AUTHENTIC ACCOUNTS OF EARLY ADVENTURE AMONG THE INDIANS BY WALTER W. SPOONER WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY FLORUS B. PLIMPTON COPIOUSLY ILLUSTRATED CINCINNATI W. E. DIBBLE CO., PUBLISHERS pound;883 COPYRI(GIIT W. E. DIBBLE CO r883 AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 'rORIES of adventure in real life, and instances 3of heroism, daring and devotion, when based on truth and related with fidelity, can rarely fail to en- gage the attention of the most listless reader. To know the lengths to which physical effort can go, and to witness the struggles of the faculties when the body is placed in circumstances of great trial, must be objects of curiosity as long as curiosity is a natural instinct. In the following pages the author has attempted to present, in the light of truth, a phase of actual life around which cluster associations of great romantic interest. To do this with acceptation he has adopted the narrative form exclusively, believing that, for the purpose which he proposes, a complete and faithful picture can be better given by episode than by his- torical relation. The principal merits of his work, the author be- lieves, will be found to be as follows: T. Simplicity and directness in style and treatment. A writer who undertakes a task of modest preten- sions should have these qualities well developed. In (v) AUTHOR S PREFACE. the treatment of great themes there is room for the display of great literary power; but in dealing with ordinary matters, where neither the imagination nor the reasoning faculties are taxed, entire simplicity will be the best indication of the writer's intelli- gence. 2. Thorough reliability. A work which attempts to present a true picture of any phase of actual life must not be lacking in this element. As far as dependence can be placed upon the reliability of his material, the author feels confi- dent that the work bears every mark of scrupulous fidelity to truth. 3. Freshness in matter and originality in arrange- ment and general treatment. Books descriptive of Western adventure and of Indian life, character and warfare, are so numerous that a new work in this department of narrative liter- ature, in order to be favorably received, must contain something that shall make it worthy of being named apart from the rest. The author invites a comparison of his work with others of this class, both in respect of contents and method in arrangement. The principal authorities which have been con- sulted are Pritts's " Border Life," McBride's "Pioneer Biography," Hall's "Romance of Western History," McClung's " Sketches of Western Adventure," "Spen- cer's Narrative," and Flint's "Life of Daniel Boone." In the story of Spencer the language of the orig- inal has in several places been retained. The rest vi AUTHOR'S PREFACE. Vii of the book is of the author's own composition, ex- cept where otherwise indicated in the text. The three concluding stories,-" Girty, the Rene- gade," "The Doomed Wyandot," and " Sketch of a Pioneer," by William D. Gallagher and Otway Curry, respectively, are taken from "The Hesperian, or Western Monthly Magazine." The author's grateful acknowledgments are due to his friend, Florus B. Plimpton, Esq., the writer of the Introduction, and to Prof. W. H. Venable, for useful suggestions. This page in the original text is blank. CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION, BY FLORUS B. PLIMPTON The Story of Spencer's Captivity among the Indians Spy-Life.-Robert McClellan Robert McClellan on the Plains The Captivity of John McCullough C.iptain Samuel Brady . John and James Brady The Adventures of Lewis Weitzel The Adventures of Isaac Anderson Incidents in the Life of Boone Anecdotes of Kenton . REMARKABLE ESCAPES. John Slover. The Johnson Boys. The Linn Boys William Kennan . Mrs. Woods . Miss Callaway INSTANCES OF INDIAN GENEROSITY. Logan Saves the Life of Robinson Johnston Protected by a Humane Indian The Little Captive. INTERESTING INCIDENTS. Mrs. Taylor. Luke Holland Muldrow Widow Shanks The Wild White Man Mrs. Cunningham's Captivity Girty, the Renegade. By William D. Gallagher The Doomed Wyandot. By Otway Curry Sketch of a Pioneer. By Otway Curry. PAGEC 17 94 . 125 . '79 . 205 . 236 . 251 . 300 327 365 395 412 . . 415 422 . 429 . . 430 439 442 . 444 .454 . 462 ; 465 . 468 . 476 . 484 . 498 . 526 532 ix) x CONTENTS. Hunting the Buffalo . NEw ENGLAND STORIES. The Dustan Family . The Attack on Lancaster and Mrs. Rowlandson's Captivity. Isaac Bradley and Joseph Whittaker . The Massacre at Dover LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. The Death of James Brady . Emigrants Passing down the Ohio. Spencer Led into Captivity . Wawpawwawquaw Saves Spencer's L: William Moore Running the Gauntlet Spencer's Encounter with the Wildca The White Squaw's Shot The Rangers Ride into the Indian Cai A Convivial Meeting Rocky Mountain Scenery Camping in the Far West McCullough Defending his Children Brady's Jump The Massacre of the Weitzel Family Weitzel Escapes from the Guards . Kentucky Emigrants Attacked by Ind Boone Escapes by Strategy Simon Kenton a Prisoner The Linn Boys Fighting Young India The Rescue of Miss Callaway Return of the Little Captive. Muidrow's Adventure . The Indian Betrayed by his White Brc Indian Scalp Dance A Buffalo Hui-t . New England Scenery. Frentisoiece TO FACE PAGE. 24 43 ife . 57 . . . . . 74 t. . . . . . . 8 104 np . . . . . . 120 138 ,.1 . x46 X . . 0 - 172 184 226 . 254 283 lians. . 343 357 .. 387 ns . . . . . . 419 437 453 . 46S other. . . . 483 .. 542 . 565 . 59c PAGe. . 558 573 58i 593 . 603 INTRODUCTION. THE purpose of the writer and compiler of the fol- lowing pages is to bring within the compass of a moderately-sized volume, and into orderly sequence, the substance of various narratives of romantic ad- venture in the Great West during the period of its first settlement by a civilizing race. These tales are, for the most part, but fading le- gends in the memory of the present generation. Some of them are out of print; others to be found only in rare collections. They are often prolix and tedious in details that, however interesting they may have been at the time they were written, have lost flavor and significance with the passing years. The object, in a word, is to present as fully and fairly as may be done from the material at command, a picture of pioneer life during the most picturesque period of American history-a period abounding in daring personal exploits, hardships, sufferings, perils, and wonderful escapes from imminent death. These could come to pass only in an unsettled state of soci- ety, where the safety of the individual depends more upon his own vigilance, readiness, and sagacity, than upon the protection which either civil authority or mil- itary supervision could afford him. (xi) xii INTRODUCTION. It was not alone the rugged and opposing forces of savage nature that the pioneer had to contend with: attracted from the older states by the genial climate, the fat and fertile lands, and the splendid rivers of the Mississippi Valley, at every advancing step into the wilderness he was followed by a lurking and re- morseless foe, who, regarding the invader as a nat- ural enemy, neglected no contrived or chance oppor- tunity to overcome and destroy him. Surprised in his newly built cabin, attacked in his half-cleared field, tracked in his hunting excursions, the pioneer, with the ever-present consciousness of danger, became inured to peril, as the sailor to that of the treacherous sea, and, without relaxing his vig- ilance, he matched craft with cunning, strength with sagacity, lightness of foot with suppleness of arm, and, not unfrequently, cruelty with ferocity. Under no other conditions could such characters as McClellan, the spy, Captain Brady, the scout, and Lewis Weitzel, the hunter, have been developed. To a greater or less degree, all experienced pioneers re- sembled them in intrepidity of conduct, alertness of action, and hardiness of constitution. They were sim- ply a more perfect type of the back-woodsman, who divided his life between hard labor, rough fighting, andl rude frolicking. One will search in vain in the romantic pages of Cooper and Simms for incidents of such surpassing and thrilling interest as are to be found in the plain stories of marvelous escapes from captivity, torture, and death, recorded in this volume. Were they not, INTRODUCTION. Xiii indeed, well authenticated and undisputed, they would be regarded as extravagancies of the liveliest imagi- nation. Too trivial for sober history, perhaps, which concerns itself with higher themes, they will grow in value as illustrating a phase of frontier life that can never be repeated on this continent, and, mellowed by time and distance, will yet form subjects for the painter's canvas and the poet's pen. The conditions of the settlement of a new country now are very different from those that attended the civilizing conquest of the Mississippi Valley. The railroad carries forward to the pioneering colony (even anticipating its wants) all the conveniences and comforts of older communities; the telegraph speedily follows; and few settlements are now so remote as to be isolated from the civilized world. But the pioneers who, upward of a century ago, crossed the Alleghanies from the east or the Cum- berlands from the south, afoot, on horseback, or in rude wagons, cut loose from their base of supplies, and beyond provision for the barest necessities, had to create for themselves those things that contribute to the comfort and happiness of living. The very ground upon which the pioneer's cabin was built, the field which was to supply his food, had first to be cleared of its wealth of timber and luxuri- ous undergrowth. He was accounted fortunate who had brought with him into the wilderness other prod- ucts of civilization than the inseparable axe and rifle, the plow and the spinning-wheel, and such household utensils as were absolute necessities. Dr. Doddridge, INTRODUCTION. in his " Notes on Western Virginia," tells us that he was a well-grown lad, and on a visit to friends in the East, before he saw or knew there were such articles as dishes of earthenware. Pewter spoons and plates, wooden bowls, puncheon floors, and rudely-hewn and plastered log walls were the common surroundings of the hardy men and women who laid the foundations of the great States of the North-west. There are men of middle age living in Ohio who can recall the time when nothing but homespun was worn by the boys and girls, and when a rag carpet was accounted a luxury. But with all the hardships and deprivations of the pioneers, life was not without its enjoyments and compensations to them. There was a sense of freedom, independence, and equality which is not so fully realized when communities be- gin to accumulate wealth, and the dividing line be- tween rich and poor appears. A hearty though rude hospitality prevailed. An English engineer who, in early times, had to tramp afoot between Cleveland and Pittsburgh-then no more than villages-told the writer that nothing so much impressed him as the fact that, at every place where he stopped overnight, compensation for his entertainment was almost indig- nantly refused. The latch-string was out, and the stranger welcomed to the best the house afforded. The pleasures of the pioneers, though few, were hearty. There was the frolic and dance by the large, roaring wood-fire in winter, the log-rolling bee in spring and autumn, the barn-preaching by "early candle-light" when some stray itinerant came bearing xiv INTRODUCTION. the tidings of great joy to the frontiersman, and later, the occasional camp-meeting and the militia muster. with feats of strength in wrestling and foot-races, and like diversions, which served to alleviate the other- wise barren life of the pioneer. It was amid such scenes of hardship, danger, and rude pastimes that the foundations of a civilization of incalculable possibilities were laid. The builders builded better than they knew. We are indebted to them for the sturdier virtues of American manhood, and for that practical common sense and ingenious adaptability which enable an average American boy to " turn his hand" to almost any thing, with the chances of success in his favor. Yet it is doubtful whether, with our many advantages and privileges of culture and refinement, we can improve upon the pioneers of American civilization in the essentials of good citizenship. F. B. PLIMPTON. "COMMERCIAL" OFFICE, Cincinnati, Nraeinber, 1882. XV This page in the original text is blank. THE STORY OF SPENCER'S CAPTIVITY AMONG THE INDIANS. TRUE NARRATIVE. AMONG the various stories of early adventure, enterprise, and heroism, related in these pages, none are more remarkable, or will be read with greater attention, than that of 0. M. Spencer, who, during a period of eight months' captivity with the Indians, passed through an experience of the most singular and eventful character, gaining, in that time, a knowledge of the language, manners, and customs of the Indian tribes, which was at once highly inter- esting and instructive. This story possesses more than usual interest, not only on account of the exciting nature of the narrative, but also of the extreme youth of the adventurer; and the insight which it affords us into the early history of the Western country, as well as of the character of the savage races who populated it, renders it very use- ful and pleasing to the thoughtful reader. It was on a pleasant day in October, of the year ( 17) THE BACK-WOODSMEN. 1790, that young Spencer, then only nine years of age, mounted the leading horse attached to the foremost of two wagons destined to the far West. In these wagons were stowed such indispensable articles of household furniture as could not at that time be easily procured west of the Alleghanies. With spirits naturally buoyant, pleased with the novelty of traveling, from which he anticipated a great deal of pleasure, the few tears which the youthful emigrant shed on quitting forever the home of his childhood were soon dried; and he won- dered not a little at the sober sadness of his father, the deep sighs of his mother, tnd the frequent sobs of his sisters, whose feelings and expectations he supposed would naturally correspond with his own. Mr. Spencer's father had descended from one of the first families who left England on account of the persecutions for religious opinions, in the reign of the second Charles, to seek, in the unbroken wilds of New England, an asylum from oppression, and to rear a temple to the God of their fathers, in which they might worship "according to the dictates of their own consciences." Inheriting the spirit of his ancestors, he was among the first to resist the pre. tensions of Great Britain, and to arm in defense of American rights and liberties. Having signalized himself on several occasions, particularly in the battle of Springfield, N. J., at the head of a battalion of militia, he was appointed, by Congress, to the com- mand of a regiment, which he led in the battles of Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth; and at SPENCER'S CAPTIVITY the head of this regiment he continued until the close of the war. Before entering the Continental army, he had become possessed of a small fortune, the fruits of his industry in a lucrative business; but of this, a large amount was destroyed by the enemy, and more than ten thousand dollars, advanced by him in specie to pay and clothe his regiment, was repaid to him by Congress, in Continental money, on which he sustained a total loss. Like many of his com- panions in arms, after encountering the dangers and enduring the hardships of a protracted war, Colonel Spencer found himself at its close reduced from affluence to comparative poverty; but with them, too, he enjoyed the proud satisfaction of having aided in achieving that independence which laid the foundation of our national greatness and prosperity, and the hope of perpetuating to his children's chil- dren the blessings of civil and religious liberty. With impaired health and injured constitution, he again engaged in business, hoping in time to retrieve his losses, and trusting in the honor and justice of the government to pay his equitable claims against it; but in this hope and confidence he was deeply disappointed. After toiling many years with little suc- cess, hearing the flattering accounts then in circulation of the beauty and fertility of the Aliami country, he determined to explore it. He visited it in 1789; and, being. much pleased with it, determined to make it his future home. Previous to his leaving home, he had disposed of his certificates for his military 2 I9 THE BACK-WOODSMEN. services at one-third of their nominal value, and invested their proceeds in Miami lands; and, hav. ing purchased some lots, and erected a cabin in Columbia for the reception of his family, he returned to effect the removal. The first few days of the journey passed very heavily,-the thoughtless whistle of young Spencer, and the quaint expressions and occasional humorous sayings of the driver, an old soldier, being all that for hours broke upon the stillness of the lonely woods, or varied the dull monotony of the rumbling wheels. Gradually, however, the family became more cheerful. Dwelling less upon the past, their thoughts began to be occupied with their present condition and future prospects, and they now found much to. interest them, and to render their journey agreeable. From Mendham, a small village in East Jersey (their late residence), their route lay through Easton and Harrisburg. Passing these towns, the formida- ble mountains which separate the waters of the At- lantic States from those of the Mississippi Valley were soon reached, and here the family were called upon to exercise all their fortitude and patience. Few who now make the journey by rail from New York or Philadelphia to Cincinnati, with all the com- forts of modern travel, can conceive of the hazards incurred by the early emigrants, who, besides being subjected to the greatest personal inconvenience and exposure, were not unfrequently placed in imminent peril of life and limb, partly from the dangerous character of the roads, which were narrow in width 20 SPENCER'S CAPTIVITY and often extremely steep and even precipitous, and partly from attacks by hostile Indians, who at that time infested every part of the then Western country. During the journey across the mountains, an inci- dent occurred which, though happily not serious in its results, caused the family considerable alarm. They had taken shelter one evening in a dense forest, two miles from any habitation, and, after eating their slender meal, had retired for the night. Young Spencer had slept, perhaps, two hours, when, awaking at about eleven o'clock, he discovered that his bed-fellow, a nephew a year his senior, had left the wagon. After waiting some time, as he did not return, he called him; and, repeating his calls louder and louder, soon awakened the family. Search was made in every direction, but in vain.; loud calls and the firing of guns received no response but the louder howling of the wolves, which, as the family now believed, had torn him to pieces. But, in the midst of their alarm and distress, they received the welcome information of his safety. He had walked in his sleep, with bare feet, and almost naked, in a cold night of October, to a house about two miles distant, had knocked at the door, and was admitted, but did not awake until the screams of the inmates, some of whom were terror-stricken, aroused him. Recovering himself, he soon convinced them that he was not an apparition, but a real "spirit of health," and, as it was late, was kindly accommodated with a bed for the night. Before the application of steam to the propulsion 2 I THE BACK-WOODSMEN. of vessels, almost the only conveyance on the West- ern waters was by keel and flat-boats. The latter, being cheap and easily built, and intended wholly for conveyance down the Ohio and Mississippi, were always sought by families descending these rivers; and, as there were several places along the Monon- gahela at which these boats were built, and where they could be obtained on better terms than at Pitts- burgh, instead of taking the direct road to that place, the Spencers took a south-westerly direction to Jacob's Creek, a branch of the Youghiogheny. Here, having arrived and waited more than a month for the building of a boat, and for a rise of water, they embarked for Columbia; and, in company with another family, which augmented their numbers to about sixteen, they soon found themselves quietly gliding down the beautiful waters of the Ohio. The remainder of the journey was made without any event of an unusual nature; and, although the emigrants were sometimes alarmed, and often appre- hended an attack, they saw no Indians, and but few signs of any, during their progress. Passing by Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Marietta, Kanawha, Gallipolis, Maysville, and a few other intermediate settlements, they arrived safely at Columbia, their future home, in December. I790. This town, like all others in the neighborhood of Cincinnati, was at that time in its primitive state. It had been laid out by Major Benjamin Stites, its original proprietor, into blocks,-each containing eight lots of half an acre apiece, bounded by streets 22 SPENCER'S CAPTIVITY. intersecting at right angles,-and was expected by him and others to become some day a large city, the capital of the great West. It was in a small log hut in this village that the Spencer family took up their residence. The doors were of thick oak plank, turning on stout wooden hinges, and secured with strong bars braced with timber from the floor, thus forming a safe barrier to the entrance below; while above, on every side, were pbrt holes or small embrasures, from which the in- mates might see and fire upon the enemy. Of windows, there were but two, containing only four panes of glass each, in openings so small that any attempt to enter them by force must have proved fatal to the intruder. The new habitation had been occupied about a month,-during which time its accommodations had been greatly increased,-before any event occurred to disturb the peace or happiness of the family. In- deed, they had begun to submit to the inconven- iences, privations, hardships, and dangers common to the pioneers of the West, without much repin- ing; and, having heard of no recent disturbances by Indians in their immediate neighborhood, had begun to give over their apprehension of danger. Their fears were, however, suddenly aroused by the news of an attack made by several hundred Indians on Dunlap's Station (now Colerain); fifteen or twenty miles north.west of Cincinnati, then garrisoned by a few inhabitants, and thirty or forty soldiers, under the command of Lieutenant Kingsbury. This intelli- 23 THE BACK-WOODSMEN. gence was brought by Mr. John S. Wallace (after ward Colonel Wallace), who, at the risk of his life, left the garrison at night, passed unperceived through the enemy, and reached Cincinnati the same night. Of the volunteers, who marched immediately to relieve the garrison, one company was from Co- lumbia. All were well mounted, and armed with rifles, knives, and some even with tomahawks, and dressed in hunting shirts; and, thus prepared, they moved off in single file. Arriving at Colerain too late to encounter the enemy, who a few hours before had raised the siege, they, after a short pursuit, returned home. The apprehensions of the citi- zens were by no means allayed by their fearful ac- counts of Indian warfare and barbarity; and the story of the burning of Mi. Abner Hunt, whom the savages had taken prisoner a few hours before their attack on the garrison, shocked them beyond measure. It is much easier to conceive than to de- scribe the feelings of the garrison, when, after being urged and entreated by the wretched man to purchase their own safety, and, above all, his life, by surrender- ing to the enemy, they saw him led off, and witnessed the fearful preparations for torture; or the heart-sick- ening anguish of hope suddenly extinguished, and the mute despair of the prisoner, as h e heard the decided though reluctant refusal of the garrison to save his life at the certain loss of their own. The Indians had tied their prisoner to a sapling within sight of the garrison, by whom his screams were distinctly heard, and built a large fire so near as to scorch him, inflicting the most 24 c c z (- 0 :w This page in the original text is blank. SPENCER'S CAPTIVITY. acute pain; then, as his flesh, from the action of the fire, and the frequent application of live coals, became less sensible, making deep incisions in his limbs, as if to renew his susceptibility of pain; answering his cries for water, to allay the extreme thirst caused by burn- ing, by fresh tortures; and finally when, exhausted and fainting, death seemed approaching to release the wretched prisoner, terminating his sufferings by ap- plying flaming brands to his naked bowels. In this siege, which lasted two days, the Indians suffered severely in killed and wounded, without inflicting any serious personal injury on the garrison, whose princi- pal loss was in cattle, destroyed or driven off by the enemy. The attack on Dunlap's Station was followed by successive depredations and murders by the Indians. In the ensuing spring, they attacked several boats, killed many persons, and took some prisoners on the Ohio. Men were killed, or made prisoners, even on the outlots of Cincinnati, and near the mouth of Deer Creek, and many were the hair-breadth escapes from captivity or death. A Mr. Bailey, while returning home one night on horseback, was seized and made prisoner in the immediate neigh- borhood of the Spencers by Indians who had con- cealed themselves behind a large elm which grew near the turnpike; and shortly afterwards, near the narrows of the Little Miami River, the brave but unfortunate Newell fell a victim to the rifle and scalping-knife of the savage. The successful expedition of General Scott, of Ken- 27 THE BACK-WOODSMEN. tucky, against the Indians on the Wabash, in May, I791, had but little effect on the tribes to the north, whose boldness and daring remained unchecked. Early in the summer of that year, they stole the horses of the Spencer family, two in number, from a shed adjoining the cabin; and only a few days afterwards the whole family narrowly escaped total massacre. They had just ended their evening's re- past, and were about to rise from the table, when one of the women, hearing, as she believed, the almost noiseless tread of approaching footsteps, casting her eyes upon the door, and perceiving, as she thought, the latch gently rising, sprang up, and, seizing it, held it down until the doors were barred. Immediate preparations were made for de- fense. The lights were instantly extinguished; and, while the females of the family sought safety by cov- ering themselves with beds, the men, three in num- ber, with a rifle and two muskets, manned the port- holes above, and, by frequently moving to the differ- ent -sides of the house, endeavored to impress the Indians with an idea of their strength. The tread of the Indians was now distinctly heard, and the forms of two or three of them were indistinctly seen gliding through the darkness. Their intention, no doubt, had been to take the family by surprise, and, open- ing the back door silently, to have first fired, and then to have rushed into the house, and with their tomahawks completed the work of destruction; but, being too weak in numbers to accomplish this, and seeing n6o opportunity of making an attack, and, 28 SPENCER'S CAPTIVITY. probably, too, not wishing to alarm the town with- out first effecting some mischief, they soon stole off and disappeared. But a few minutes, however, had elapsed before the crack of rifles within two hun- dred yards was heard, followed by the shrill war- whoop of the Indians. Three musket shots in quick succession soon sounded an alarm; and, in ten minutes, about thirty men had assembled at the cabin of Ensign Bowman, on the hill-side, a short distance west of the Spencer house. They found the family in great consternation. The Indians had fired into the house through an opening between the logs, and, guided by the light within, had wounded Mrs. Bowman slightly in the body. At sunrise of the following day, a small party pursued the In- dians, whose number, judging from their trails, did not exceed six; and, toward noon, finding their tracks quite fresh, and judging that they were now almost in view of the enemy, moved cautiously, half bent, and straining their eyes as if they would look through every tree before them. Suddenly, at the sharp crack of one of their own rifles, as by one im- pulse, each sprang behind a tree, waiting a few mo- ments, in breathless suspense, the appearance of the Indians. At this moment a huge bear was seen bounding off a few rods from the left, and the dis- appointed marksman was heard muttering curses on his rifle for deceiving his expectations. The rest of the party, however, who had strong doubts of his courage, and believed that he had availed himself of this opportunity to avoid an encounter with the 29 THE BACK-WOODSMEN. enemy, were deeply incensed, and could with diffi- culty be prevented from anticipating the decision of a court-martial, by inflicting summary punishment on the culprit, who, in one unlucky moment, as they con- fidently believed, had deprived them of the certain spoils of victory. Soon after the failure of Colonel Harmar's expedi-