USA > Massachusetts > Our western border : its life, combats, adventures, forays, massacres, captivities, scouts, red chiefs, pioneer women, one hundred years ago, containing the cream of all the rare old border chronicles > Part 24
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Next morning four of the Indians and the Frenchman went off on a scout, leaving one to take care of us. About the middle of the day they came running the way we came the evening before-they hallooed as soon as they came in sight; by the time they got to the camp, the one who took care of us took me on his back and ran as fast as he could for about a quarter of a mile, then threw me down, broke a twig and switched me along until we got on the mountain again; about an hour after, we began to gather whortleberries, as they were very plenty on the mountains; lucky, indeed, for us, for I verily believe we would have starved, had it not been for the berries, for we could not eat the meat without bread or salt. We got off the mountain that evening, and encamped in a thicket; it rained that night and the next morning; they had made a shade of some of their spare blankets; we were long in starting the next morning. Whilst we were sitting about the fire we heard the report of two guns at a little distance directly the way we came the evening before; they started up in an instant, and picked up their blankets and other things. The one who carried me before took me on his back and ran as fast as he could for about half a mile, then threw me down and whipped me along as he had done the day before.
MCCULLOUGH'S IDEA OF THE DEVIL-HOW HE WAS MADE HARDY.
It must be observed that they always carried my brother time about; for my part it was the only two rides I got from the day I was taken till we got to Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburgh.) I must pass over many occurrences that happened on our way to Pittsburgh, excepting one or two. The morning before we came to Kee-ak-kshee-man-nit-toos, which signifies Cut Spirit, an old town at the junction of La-el-han-neck, or Middle Creek, and Can-na-maugh, or Otter Creek. The morning be- fore we got there, they pulled all the hair out of our heads, except a small spot on the crown, which they left. We got to the town about the middle of the day, where we got some squashes to eat; the next morning we set out for Fort Duquesne-the morning after that we came to several Indian camps-they gave us some bread, which was the first we tasted from the time we were taken. About a mile or two before we came to the fort, we met an old Indian, whose dress made him ap- pear very terrifying to us; he had a brown coat on him, no shirt, his
-
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breast bare, a breech-clout, a pair of leggins and moccasins, his face and breast painted rudely with vermilion and verdigris, a large bunch of artificial hair, dyed of a crimson color, fixed on the top or crown of his head, a large triangular piece of silver hanging below his nose, that covered almost the whole of his upper lip; his ears (which had been cut according to their peculiar custom) were stretched out with fine brass wire, made in the form (but much larger) of what is commonly fixed in suspenders, so that, perhaps, he appeared something like what you might apprehend to be a likeness of the devil.
As he approached toward us, the rest said something to him-he took hold of me by the arm, and lashed me about from side to side; at last he threw me from him as far as he was able, then took hold of my bro- ther and served him the same way. Shortly after that they stopped and painted us, tying or fixing a large bunch of hawk's feathers on the top of each of our heads, then raised the war halloo, viz .: one halloo for each scalp, and one for each prisoner, still repeating at certain intervals; we met several Indians who came running out to meet us-we were ta- ken to the middle of their encampment into one of their chief's huts; after they had given a narrative of their adventures, the old chief drew out a small bag from behind his bed and took out a large belt of wam- pum and fixed it around my neck. We then started down to the fort; a great number of Indians of both sexes were paraded on each side of the path to see us as we went along; some of them were shoving in lit- tle fellows to strike us, and others advising me to strike them, but we seemed to be both afraid of each other; we were taken into a French house, where a number of Indians were sitting on the floor; one of the chiefs took my brother by the hand and handed him to a Frenchman who was standing at a room door, which was the last sight I had of him.
After that he took me by the hand, and made a speech for about half an hour, then handed me to an Indian, who was sitting on the hearth smoking his pipe ; he took me between his legs, (he could talk very good English,) and asked me several questions, telling me that I was his brother, that the people had killed a brother of his about a year be- fore, and that these good men (meaning the warriors who took us) had gone and brought me to release his deceased brother; he also told me that he had been raised amongst the white people, and that he had been taught to read when he was young, but that he had almost forgot it. I believe he was telling the truth, for he knew all the letters and figures. He then took me by the hand and led me to the Al-lee-ge-ning, or Alle- gheny river, which signifies an impression made by the foot of a human being ; for, said they, the land is so rich about it that a person cannot travel through the lands adjoining it without leaving the mark of their
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feet. We got in a canoe and went across the river, where a great num- ber of Indians were encamped. He led me through their encampment; toward evening we came back. Shortly after our return two young fel- lows took me by the hand and led me to the river; we got into a canoe and paddled about thirty or forty yards from the shore, when they laid down their paddles and laid hold of me by the wrists, and plunged me over head and ears under the water, holding me down till I was almost smothered, then drew me up to get breath. This they re- peated several times.
I had no other thought but that they were going to drown me. I was at every interval pleading with them not to drown me ; at last one of them said, " me no killim, me washim." I pleaded with them to let me in shallow water, and I would wash myself; accordingly they did-I then began to rub myself; they signified to me to dive; I dipped my face into the water and raised it up as quick as I could : one of them stepped out of the canoe and laid hold of me on the back of my neck, and held me down to the bottom, till I was almost smothered, before he let me go. I then waded out ; they put a new ruffled shirt on me, tell- ing me that I was then an Indian, and that they would send me away to the rest of their friends. Accordingly I was sent off the next day with a female friend, to an uncle of my adopted brother's, who lived at a town called She-nang-go, on Beaver Creek. Nothing remarkable hap- pened during our journey, excepting several falls that I got off a young horse I was set on to ride.
On the third or fourth night we arrived in She-nang-go, about an hour after dark : after the female friend whom I was sent with had in- formed the family who I was, they set up a lamentable cry for some time : when their lamentation was over, they came to me one after another and shook me by the hand, in token that they considered me to stand in the same relationship to them as the one in whose stead I was placed. The next morning I was presented to my uncle, with whom I lived about a year. He was blind of one eye-a very good- natured man. In the beginning of Winter he used to raise me up by daylight every morning, and make me sit down in the creek up to my chin in the cold water, in order to make me hardy, as he said, whilst he would sit on the bank smoking his pipe; until he thought I had been. long enough in the water, and he would then bid me dive. After Ii came out of the water he would order me not to go near the fire until I would be dry. I was kept at that till the water was frozen over; he. would then break the ice for me and send me in as before. Some time. in the Winter, perhaps not long before Christmas, I took very sick; I lay all Winter at the fire side, and an old squaw attended me (what lit- 14
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cle attendance I got) ; she used to go out in the snow and hunt up herbs by the old tops; the roots of which she would boil and make a kind of drink for me. She would never suffer me to taste cold water, or any kind of flesh, or anything that was sweet or salt. The only nourishment that I was suffered to take was honey, or dumplings, made of coarse Indian meal boiled in water. As I said before, I lay all Win- ter at the fire side ; I had nothing but a small blanket to cover me, part of which I drew under me for my bed ; my legs drew up so that I was obliged to crawl when I had occasion to go out of doors. I remained in that situation till corn-planting time, when I began to get better. They anointed my knees and hams with bear's oil, and made me keep my knees stretched out as tight as I could bear them, by which means I got the use of my joints in about a month's time.
AN INDIAN BOY SHOT AND KILLED-MCCULLOUGH SUSPECTED.
Shortly after I got able to run about, a dreadful accident happened by my hands, in the following manner : The most of the Indians of the town were either at their corn fields or out a fishing-my uncle had been unwell for some time-he was below the town at the creek side, where he had an Indian doctor sweating him and conjuring out his dis- order. He had a large pistol, which he had hung up by the guard at the head of his bed. There were two brothers, relations of ours, the oldest was perhaps about my own age, the other about two years younger. The oldest boy took down the pistol and cocked it, threat- ening, for diversion, to shoot his brother : the little fellow ran off from us. I assisted him to let down the cock of the pistol, which he held in his left hand with the muzzle towards his body, and his right hand against the cock ; I would then (after cautioning him to turn the muz- zle past his body) draw the trigger, and he would let down the cock slowly. I advised him several times to lay by the pistol, which he would do ; but as soon as his brother would come back to us, he would get it again. At last his brother got afraid and would not come near us any more.
He then threatened to shoot me; I fled out of the house from him. The town lay in a semi-circular form, round a bend of the creek ; there happened to be a woman at the upper end of the town (as we lived at the lower end) that had observed me when I fled out of the house from him-he immediately called me back to assist him to let down the cock ; I refused to go, unless he would turn the butt of the pistol to me, which he did; I went in, in haste (and forgot to caution him to hold the muz- zle to one side) and drew the trigger ; the consequence was, the pistor
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AN INDIAN BOY SHOT AND KILLED.
went off and shot him in the stomach. The pistol flew out of our hands; he laid his hands across his breast and ran out of the house, screaming aloud as he ran; I ran out of the house and looked after him ; he went towards their own door, (about forty or fifty yards off,) but quit screaming before he fell. It was late in the evening ; his mother and grandmother were coming from their corn field at that instant ; his grand- mother just cast her eye towards him, as she came past him, and came to me where I was standing ; before they got near me, I told her that Watook, (for that was his name,) had shot himself; she turned away from me without saying anything. In a short time all the Indians in the town collected about me; examining me, and getting me to show them what way he took to shoot himself; I told them that he took the pistol in his left hand and held the muzzle to his stomach, whilst he pushed the trigger from him with his thumb : I held to the one story. At last the woman (whom I mentioned had seen me when I fled out of the house from him) came and told them that she was standing out of doors looking at me across the bend of the creek, at the time she heard the report of the pistol, and that I was standing a considerable distance from the house at the time-at which they all dispersed. There was something very singular in this affair, as the same woman and her hus- band, about a year after the above accident, were the means of saving my life when I was apparently drowned, as I shall have occasion to mention hereafter.
It happened to be the first funeral that I had seen amongst them, and not being acquainted with their customs, I was put to a terrible fright ; shortly after dark they began to fire their guns, which they always do when any one dies. As all the family had gone to the wake, I was left by myself in the house ; when the firing began I concluded that they were about to take my life ; I therefore crept under a bed that was set upon forks drove into the ground, a considerable height off the floor, where I lay as close to the wall as I could get, till about break of day, when I was roused by the report of their guns again. I did not go near the corpse-however, I heard them say, that he bled none, as the wadding and the blaze of the powder had followed the ball into his body. There were several young squaws who had seen us running about with the pistol ; they frequently charged me with being the cause of the boy's death, which I always denied, but Queek-queek-co-mooch- que a little white girl, (a prisoner,) who lived with the family that the deceased belonged to, was like to be the worst evidence against me- she told that she saw me have the pistol in my hands several times-but the woman's evidence overruled the whole of them; however, their minds were not entirely divested of the thought that I had taken his 1
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life, as they often cast it up to me afterwards, that I had shot Watook ; especially when I would happen to get into a quarrel with any of the little fellows, they would tell me that I had killed one of them already, and that I wanted to kill another; however, I declared the thing was merely accidental.
When I reflect on the above accident, and the circumstances attend- ing it, my mind flows with gratitude to that Almighty Being whose wise providence directs the affairs of the world; I do not say that a lie is justifiable in the sight of God, yet I am led to believe that the woman was guided by Providence in telling a manifest falsehood, which, per- haps, was the means of prolonging my days ; as I am led to believe, had the true circumstances of the case been known to them, I never should have seen the light of another day ; nor should I have expected that my body would have been laid under the ground, but that I would rather have been thrown into the creek, to be devoured by fish, or left above ground to be devoured by vermin, as I knew to be the case with two men, which I shall mention before I close this narrative.
Some time in the Summer following, we went to a treaty with the French at Presq' Isle. On our way there, we went by an Indian town at or near where Meadville now stands ; just as we got to the town, we observed a number of batteaux coming down French Creek ; the French came to the shore where we were; one of them offered to purchase me from the Indians; he offered for me an old spade, wanting the handle, (which, perhaps, was the lowest value that ever was set upon me). They laughed scornfully at him for his folly ; however, they de- camped immediately, for fear the French might come and steal me away by night. When we got to Presq' Isle, I was given up to my Indian mother, whom I had never seen before. After the treaty was over, my old uncle returned to Shenango, and left me with my old mother and two brothers something older than myself; we had a step-father also, who hunted for us. We moved from Presq' Isle near to Fort Le Bœuf, where my mother had raised a small patch of corn; we lived there till the Fall, occasionally going to the fort to draw rations, as the French constantly supplied the Indians with provisions whilst they lay about the fort. The French always observed to fire off a swivel, as a salute, when the Indians came to the fort with prisoners or scalps.
Towards Fall my old brother (I call him old because he was the oldest of the family-he was not more than twenty-two or three) came to us ; I had not seen him from the time I was given to him at Fort Duquesne (or Pittsburgh) till then ; he came to take us to Shenango to live amongst the rest of our friends. We had but one horse to carry our provisions; our apparel we carried on our backs like the terrapin,
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CAPTIVE NEARLY DROWNED.
so that we had to travel on foot. We were a long time on the way, as they frequently stopped three or four days at a place to hunt. . We ar- rived at Shenango in the beginning of Winter. Not long after our ar- rival, I took a severe turn of the pleurisy, and lay very ill for about twenty days; my old mother and an old aunt paid great attention to me ; observing, with regard to my drink and diet, as my former attend- ant had done before.
CAPTIVE NEARLY DROWNED-A SQUAW WHIPPED FOR ABUSING HIM.
The next Summer I had like to lose my life; all the Indians of the town, excepting one man and a woman, were out at their corn fields, leaving the young ones to take care of their houses. About ten o'clock of the day, four of the little fellows and I went into the creek to bathe ourselves; the creek is perhaps about sixty or seventy yards wide ; there is a ridge of rocks that reaches across the stream, where I had often observed the Indians wading across, the water being deep at each side; I ventured to wade over, and made out very well until I got about a rod off the shore on the opposite side; when the water began to get too deep for me, I turned about, proud of my per- formance. When I had got about half way back, I missed my course, and all at once stepped over the edge of the rocks and went down over head and ears ; I made a few springs as high as I could above the water; at last I swallowed so much water, not having yet learned to swim, I was obliged to give over. When the little fellows who came to bathe along with me, saw that I had given myself up, they raised the scream. The woman whom I mentioned before, came running to the bank to see what was the matter ; they told her that Isting-go-weh-hing (for that was the name they gave me) was drowned. She immediately ran to the house and awaked her husband, who came as quick as possible (as they told me afterwards) to my relief; as I kept afloat all the time, he waded up to his chin before he could get a hold of me by the leg, he then trailed me through the water until he got to the rocks that I had stepped over, he then laid me on his shoulder and brought me out to the bank, where he threw me down, supposing that I was dead.
It happened that my head was down hill; the water gushed out of my mouth and nose; they had previously sent off one of the little boys to inform my friends of the accident. After some time I began to show some signs of life. He then took me by the middle, clasping his hands across my belly, and shook me, the water still running plentifully out of my mouth and nose. By the time my friends arrived, I began to breathe more freely. They carried me up the bank to a weik-waum, 01
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house, and laid me down on a deer skin, where I lay till about the mid- dle of the afternoon; at last I awoke out of sleep and was surprised to see a great number of Indians of both sexes standing around me. I raised my head, my old brother advanced toward me, and said, "au moygh-t-ha-heeh a-moigh," that is, "rise, go and bathe yourself." I then recollected what I had been doing. He told me that if he would see me in the creek again he would drown me outright; however, the very next day I was paddling in the water again.
Some time whilst we resided at She-nang-go, (perhaps in the latter end of November,) about thirty warriors returned through She-nang-go from a tour; they were of the Mingo nation: they had a number of scalps with them and a prisoner, a man of about twenty-five years of age; one of the party had got wounded in the body; the prisoner had a large bundle of blankets tied up and slung on his back, with a hap-pees, for the wounded Indian to sit on. I make no doubt but that he had car- ried him the whole way from where he received the wound, which, I presume, could not be less that two hundred miles. They tarried about two hours in town, then started off again. The prisoner had to take the wounded Indian on his back again and march off; I understood they had to go a considerable distance beyond Presq' Isle, which, I presume, could not be less than three hundred and fifty or four hundred miles that the poor, unfortunate prisoner had to carry the wounded Indian on his back, before they would get to their destination. However, he had one advantage over what other prisoners had to undergo, that was, he was exempt from a severe beating at every town they went through be- fore they got to their destination, which every grown person has to suf- fer, as I shall relate hereafter. I understood by them that it was a gen- eral custom among all their nations, that if any one happened to get wounded, that the rest would do their utmost to take a prisoner or pris- oners to carry him.
We lived about two years and a half in Shenango; we then moved to where they were settling a new town, called Kseek-he-ooing, that is, a place of salt ; a place now well known by the name of Salt Licks, on the west branch of Beaver, where we lived about one year: we moved there about the time that General Forbes took Fort Duquesne from the French. My brother had been about three years married; they had a young son, whom they thought a great deal of; my sister-in-law was very cross to me when my brother was absent; he had heard of it, and asked me, when we were by ourselves, if his wife did not strike me sometimes; when he was absent. I told him she did. He bid me to let him know if ever she would strike me again; not long after, my brother being ab- sent, she went to the corn field to work, and left her son in my care;
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A NOVEL PUNISHMENT.
as soon as she left us, I began to divert myself with a foot ball; the lit- tle fellow was running after me crying aloud, and his mother heard him. While I was engaged in my diversions, she came behind me unnoticed, and knocked me down with the handle of a billhook. I took the first opportunity to inform my brother how she had treated me; he advised her not to treat me so any more, telling her what the consequence would be if she did. She was highly affronted at him, and went off and left us. About three days after she came back, attended by a female cousin of hers, to carry off her movables; whilst she was gathering up her goods, my brother stepped out and began to try the strength of some small branches that had been recently chopped off a green tree; at see- ing that, she fled out of the house and ran as fast as she was able. He pursued her, and whipped her severely; she ran back to the house for protection and squatted down behind his mother, who had occasionally come to see us; it put the thoughts of leaving us out of her head; nei- ther did she ever strike me afterwards.
A NOVEL PUNISHMENT-HE ESCAPES FROM HIS OWN FATHER.
Some time while we resided at Kseek-he-ooing, or Salt Licks, Mos- sooh-whese, or Ben Dickson, invented a kind of punishment to inflict on boys who would do mischief, such as quarreling, plundering water- melon or cucumber patches, &c., in the following manner: There is a kind of fish that abounds in the western waters, called a gar, that has a very long bill and long, sharp teeth; he took the bill of one of those fish and wrapped a thin rag round it, projecting the teeth through the rag. He took any one who would do any kind of mischief, and after wetting their thighs and legs, he would score them from the hip down to the heel, three or four times on each thigh and leg, and sometimes, if they were found guilty a second or third time, he would score them from the top of the shoulder down to the wrists, and from the top of the shoulder, on the back, to the contrary hip, crossways. It hap- pened once that a nephew of his, a very mischievous boy, threw the entrails of a turtle in my face, then ran off as quick as he could from me round the house; I picked up a stone and pursued him, and threw it after him; it happened to light on the top of his head and knocked him down, and cut his head badly, or, it is probable, he would have con- cealed it, as he well knew what the consequence would be; for his back, arms, thighs and legs were almost constantly raw by the frequent pun- ishments he got for his mischief.
However, Mos-sooh-whese happened to be out a fishing at the time ; he was informed when he came home of what had taken place; I was
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apprehensive of what would be my doom, and was advised by my friends to hide myself ; accordingly I got into a small addition to the house, where a number of bales of deer skin and fur were piled up; I had not been long there until I heard him inquiring for me ; they told him that I had gone down to the creek, and was not returned yet: he therefore ordered one of my brothers, (who had been with him a fishing the day before,) to stand up until he would score him; as my brother was partly man grown, he refused; a struggle ensued-my brother, however, was obliged to give up. The reason he' gave for punishing others who were not present at the time the mischief was done was, that if they should be present at the time that any one was promoting mischief, he should do his best endeavor to prevent it, or inform against those who had done it-as the informer was always exempted from the punishment aforesaid. I then heard him say, that if I was to stay away a year he would score me ; he then went to the creek on the hunt of me ; after he was gone they told me that I might as well come out as conceal myself; accordingly I did. In a short time he came back, grinning and showing his teeth as if he had got a prize ; he or- dered me to stand up at the side of a post ; I obeyed his orders; he then took and wet my thighs and legs, to prevent the skin from tear- ing ; he took the gar's bill, and gave me four scores, or scrapes, with it, from the point of the hip down to the heel-the mark of which I will carry to my grave.
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