USA > Ohio > The history of the state of Ohio; from the discovery of the great valley, to the present time > Part 40
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This Indian band, it soon was learned, was composed. of de- tachments from several tribes. There were Shawnees, Wyan- dots, Delawares, and Cherokees. The booty captured was divided among them by an aged chief, and all seemed satisfied with his de- cision. Flinn was given to a Shawnee warrior. Skyles to an old, wrinkled, crabbed Indian of the same tribe, who looked like a fiend incarnate. Johnston was particularly fortunate. He was assigned to a young Shawnee chief, who developed very generous and noble traits of character. His countenance was mild, open, and prepossessing. His figure was very fine, his movements grace- ful, and in native courtliness of bearing he would have graced almost any society. Miss Flemming was surrendered to the Cher- okees.
These arrangements were very promptly made. Though the Indians were sure that there could be no foe near them, and there- fore they did not deem it necessary to post any sentinels, still, every man placed his gun directly behind him, the breech resting upon the ground and the barrel resting between the forks of a small stake, driven into the ground, so that upon the slightest alarm each man could easily seize his gun.
After the distribution of their captives, Flinn and Johnston with Thomas and Divine, were ordered to prepare oars for the boat they had taken that the Indians might man it with their warriors, and compel the white men to row it to the attack of other boats which might be descending the Ohio. They manifested much sagacity in these preparations, which occupied the remainder of the day.
That night the Indians had a grand carouse. Their camp-fire threw its lurid gleams over the wide expanse of miles of forest and
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of river. Their demoniac revelry, blending with the cry of the bear and the howl of the wolf echoed through those vast solitudes, reminding one rather of the maddened yell of fiends in the world of woe, than of the enjoyments of rational men, originally made in God's own image.
The next morning the Indians, as soon as it was light, sent their scouts up the river to watch for descending boats. Those who remained in the encampment painted their faces, dressed their scalp-tufts, and decorated themselves in the highest style of bar- baric military art. Each warrior had a pocket mirror which had been obtained by previous traffic with the whites.
About ten o'clock in the forenoon a canoe was seen close to the Kentucky shore, containing six white men. They were ascending the river, laboriously rowing against the current. All the prisoners were immediately ordered upon pain of death to descend to the water's edge, and make every effort to decoy the canoe within reach of the Indian rifles. Divine entered upon the service with alacrity, seeming to enjoy it, and was very ingenious in the strata- gems which he employed. He invented a very lamentable and plausible story of their descending the river in a boat, when it struck a snag and sunk, they escaping only with their lives. He said that they had no guns to obtain food, that they had not come across any Indians, and that they were actually starving.
With agony Johnston beheld the canoe put off from the Ken- tucky shore to cross the river. In vain he endeavored to make signs to them to go back. The Indians concealed themselves among the willows which grew very densely along the river banks, As soon as the humane, unsuspecting men drew within gunshot, the Indians selected their victims, and taking deliberate aim, fired. Some fell into the river, and in thus falling overset the canoe. which floated down the river with the bodies of the dead. When they fired, the canoe was within one hundred feet of the shore. The Indians, eager for scalps, plunged into the water, and seizing the dead bodies, obtained the scalps of all.
While thus employed their scouts announced another and a far more splendid prize in view. Three large, flat-bottomed boats were in sight, heavily laden with horses and dry goods. They were bound for Lexington, Kentucky. It was then nearly twelve o'clock and the little flotilla was about a mile above the point where the Indians stood concealed in the woods. Instantly all
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was commotion. A large party of warriors sprang into the boat, and compelled their white prisoners to pull at the oars. The three boats, at a short distance from each other, drifted rapidly down the stream, until they came opposite the point where the savages were concealed beneath the shelter of the willows.
The Indians then forcing the rowers to their utmost efforts, pushed out rapidly in pursuit, and very speedily opened a heavy fire upon their victims. The boats returned the fire, and a warm contest ensued, as the contending parties floated rapidly side by side, down the swift current of the stream. The Indian warriors, though they had but one boat, greatly outnumbered the white men.
The hindermost boat of the three was for a time in great dan- ger. It had but one pair of oars, was heavily laden, and had only three or four men on board. The Indians made for that boat, and swept the deck with an incessant fire from their rifles. The men at the oars in this boat strained every nerve in the endeavor to overtake their companions who were in the advance, while Captain Marshall, who was in command, stood firmly at the steer- ing oar, with a shower of bullets whistling around him.
The Indians, in their eagerness to overtake the whites, left the swift central current, and endeavored to cut across the river, from point to point, hoping by shortening the distance to gain the ad- vantage. They thus lost the force of the current, and found themselves rapidly dropping astern. The practiced rowers in the white man's boat pushed on with renewed zeal, while the second boat waited for them. As soon as they came in contact the crew leaped on board the larger and better manned barge, and they abandoned their own, with its horses, goods, and all its contents to the enemy.
The two crews, thus united, were enabled to shoot ahead with increased rapidity, so that they soon overtook the leading boat, into which they also leaped, surrendering another richly freighted craft to the foe. This boat, in which all were now assembled, was the largest and strongest of all. It had six pair of oars, and being so strongly manned, was soon beyond the reach of the bul- lets of the savages. Fortunately the Indians, accustomed only to the paddle, did not know how to row. The white men were skilled in the use of the oars. The captive whites, who were forced into the chase, while apparently doing their best, were careful never to
ESCAPE IN THE FLAT BOAT.
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pull together, and did everything in their power to favor the escape of their friends. The Indian, also, who endeavored to steer, was not a skilled helmsman.
Though the chase continued for an hour, the Indians then be- came satisfied that they could not overtake the white men. Aban- doning the pursuit, they turned their attention to the two boats which had thus been deserted. They were both drawn to the shore, and to their unbounded delight they discovered that the prize which had fallen into their hands was rich beyond their most san- guine expectations. There were several fine horses on board these capacious barges, and a large supply of sugar, flour, choco- late and other inestimable treasures.
Another keg of whisky was found, which discovery was greeted with more exuberant applause than was any other of the acquisi- tions. These Indian warriors ever carried their home with them. Wherever they chanced to be was their home. They resolved to regale themselves with another magnificent feast. The sublime and gigantic forest, with no underbrush, carpeted with green sward, and bordered on the south by the wide-flowing river, pre- sented a lawn for such a festival as no park which the hand of opulence had reared could rival. The sun shone in beauti- fully upon them from the south. The trees and the rising hills beyond sheltered them from the cold March winds. With their hatchets they soon constructed several wigwams, which rose in graceful beauty beneath the canopy of foliage which was even then beginning to clothe the forest. The warriors, in their gay attire of plumes and fringes and gorgeously colored robes, as they flitted about among the trees, added to the enchantment of the scene.
Fire, bright illumination, seems to be ever and inseparably the companion of festivity. As the shades of evening darkened around them, one of the grandest of bonfires which ever graced a savage carousal was built. A large kettle was filled with chocolate and sugar, the Indians seeming to understand perfectly the art of preparing the rich beverage. Somehow they learned that young Johnston understood the art of cookery. He was'ordered to make some flour cakes, and bake them in the fire. A deer skin was handed him as a tray on which to knead the flour. As this skin had been used for some time as a saddle, it was not in a condition to add to the appetite of the white lookers on.
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Johnston made some dumplings, sweetened them with sugar, and boiled them in the chocolate. The Indians, in devouring such unimagined delicacies, gave utterance to the most unbounded sat- isfaction. They praised the cook in their most eulogistic strains, and declared that he should ever henceforth serve them in that capacity. As with the white men, the wine comes after the feast, so with these Indian revelers the whisky came, after they had gorged themselves with their unaccustomed food.
The beverage, so precious yet so fatal to them, as to all the rest of mankind, had been carefully guarded. As usual, in preparation for a disgraceful drunken bout, a select band was appointed to keep sober, and to watch over the inebriates when frenzied with the fire-water. With what was intended as true hospitality, their white prisoners were invited to share in their carouse. Johnston and Skyles declined the invitation. But Flinn, a backwoodsman of generous impulses, but of semi-barbarian habits, eagerly joined the revelers. He drank as deeply as any, and soon, in the frenzy of intoxication, forgot all his calamities and lost all self-control.
He fell into a quarrel with a drunken Indian, and, being a man of wonderful muscular strength, gave his antagonist an unmerci- ful beating. Several of the tribe to which that Indian belonged rushed upon him with fury; but the others interposed, with peals of laughter, saying that Flinn had exhibited genuine pluck, that it was a fair fight, and that he should have fair play.
As Johnston and Skyles had refused to join the revelers, it was feared that they might attempt to escape during the scene of tumult and confusion which would ensue. They were therefore bound. But as there was danger that they might be assailed by some of the Indians, in their drunken fury, and killed, they were removed to a distance and laid down beside some trees.
While in this helpless condition, unable in the slightest degree to defend themselves, they saw with terror a burly savage reeling towards them, with his drawn knife in his hand, and uttering drunken curses. The wretch, when within a few paces of them, stopped, eyed them savagely, and harangued them madly for a minute, in language which they could not understand. Having worked himself up to a state of insane fury, he uttered a hideous yell, and springing upon Skyles, seized him by the hair and en- deavored to scalp him. He was so intoxicated that he worked very clumsily, though he cut a severe gash in Skyles' head.
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Before he had accomplished his purpose, the guard appointed for the general protection ran up at their utmost speed, and seizing him by the shoulders hurled him to the distance of several yards. The escape of poor, wounded, suffering Skyles was very extraor- dinary, and it was some time before he could recover from the agitation of the scene.
The next morning the Indians separated. The party to which Flinn belonged remained at the river, hoping to intercept more boats. Johnston's party directed their steps in a northerly direc- tion toward their distant homes on the banks of the Maumee. Among the prizes which they found in the boat abandoned by Captain Marshall there was a cow. Johnston was required to lead her by a halter. As she was unaccustomed to this mode of travel, she proved exceedingly refractory. We are told that, " when he took one side of a tree, she regularly chose the other. Whenever he attempted to lead her, she planted her feet firmly before her, and refused to move a step. When he strove to drive her, she ran off into the bushes, dragging him after her, to the no small injury of his person and dress. The Indians were in a roar of laughter throughout the whole day, and appeared highly to enjoy his perplexity."*
After the first day's march, at night they reached a small Indian village, or rather encampment. Here they left the women and children of their party. Also, to the great relief of Johnston, they slaughtered the cow, and had a great feast, fortunately without any whisky to inflame their wild passions.
The kind-hearted Mess-ha-wa, to whom Johnston had been com- mitted, was absent this night. The wary Indians, far more cau- tious than the white people often were, thinking it possible that they might be pursued, had entrusted a guard of several warriors to Mess-ha-wa, who was to bring up the rear. During his ab- sence, Johnston was entrusted to an Indian of very inhuman character.
After the feast he cruelly bound Johnston that he'might not escape during the night. As he drew the cord tightly around the wrist, causing great pain, Johnston ventured to complain. The merciless fellow affected to fall into a great passion. Utter- ing a revolting oath, which he had learned from the lips of vulgar, swearing white men, he drew the tightly twisted cord with all the
* Western Adventures, by John A. McClung,
ROBERT LUCAS Governor 1832 36.
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strength of his brawny muscles, burying it in the tender flesh of his victim. The anguish was most acute. During the whole night Johnston remained thus fearfully tortured, moaning in almost unendurable pain.
In the morning Mess-ha-wa came. He found his prisoner in a burning fever, with his hands dreadfully swollen. He was very indignant, immediately cut the cords, and assailed, in language of severest rebuke, the wretch who had wantonly in- flicted the torture. The march was resumed. Mess-ha-wa watched over his captive with the utmost tenderness. He could not have treated a brother more kindly. On the other hand, the savage fiend to whom Skyles had been entrusted, seemed to delight in making him miserable. Notwithstanding his inflamed wound, he piled upon his back a heavy burden of baggage, and also compelled him to carry his rifle. Thus his wound was kept continually irritated, and prevented from healing. He continually assailed him with curses, often with blows, and nearly starved him.
The Indians were east of the Scioto River. They soon reached the stream, which it was necessary to cross. It could not be forded, as it was swollen by the spring rains. It was but a partial protection, after all, which the kind hearted Mess-ha-wa could afford his captive. It was necessary to build a raft. Johnston was compelled to work like a slave. A large log was to be carried for this purpose several hundred yards. Two Indians took the light end. The heavy butt was given to Johnston alone. With convulsive strength he placed it upon his shoulder. As he tottered along it was crushing him. Sinking beneath the load, he shouted to those at the other end, "take care," and dropped his burden. They did not understand the warning, and were both violently knocked down, and rendered, for a moment, insensible. Then, seizing their tomahawks, they rushed, with curses upon their lips, towards Johnson, and would instantly have killed him had not the others interposed.
These savages had a singular sense of justice. They reviled the two Indians who had placed upon the shoulder of their captive twice as heavy a burden as they could carry themselves. They laughed uproariously at their merited discomfiture, and would not allow them to lay any hand of violence upon the victim of their fury.
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They all crossed the river on the raft. The Indians, deeming themselves now entirely secure from pursuit, began to journey much more leisurely. Johnston was quite impatient to reach the villages on the Maumee. He hoped to find there some benevolent trader, French or English, who would ransom him and set him at liberty. Johnston gives the following account of a game of cards which they were accustomed to play with the most intense enjoyment. The game was called Nosey.
The Indians took an ordinary pack of cards, such as they ob- tained from the traders. The pack was equally divided between the two players. The game consisted in each one endeavoring, by some process not explained, to get all the cards into his own possession. The winner had the right to ten fillips at his adver- sary's nose. This the loser was to meet in perfect gravity. Should the slightest smile curl his lip, he was to receive ten ad- ditional fillips, and so on for every smile.
At this game the childish Indians would play all day long. They seemed never to be weary of it. A group of bystanders usually looked on, as much entertained as were the players Shouts of laughter rose from all lips when the penalty was exacted.
The Indians were very capricious. Sometimes they were good natured, and seemed peculiarly amiable and smiling. Again they would seem sulky, morose, and cruel in the extreme. Upon one occasion, Johnston asked an aged Shawnee chief how far it was to their village. The chief replied with great good nature. Taking a stick, he drew quite accurately upon the sand a diagram of their route. He pointed out the situation of the Ohio River and of the Scioto, of the various Indian villages, and waived his hand for every day which would be necessarily occupied on the journey.
Johnston then inquired how many inhabitants their village con- tained. The placidity of the chief at once disappeared. He was thrown into a great rage. His eyes flashed fire.
"Once," said he, "we were a great, great nation. We had many warriors. The Long Knives came, and they have killed nearly all of us. There are but few left. But so long as there is a single Shaw- nee alive, we will fight, fight, fight. When there is no Shawnee then there is no fight."
It so chanced that they passed through a forest which a survey- ing party had explored. The indications of their encroachments
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were evident by ax-marks on a tree. The Indians halted, exam- ined the trees for some moments in silence, and then they unitedly set up a maddened yell. They gave vent to their rage, and added to its intensity by smiting the tree with their hatchets, and by cursing their prisoners with such menacing gestures that they supposed their doom was sealed. It seemed that such anger could never be appeased.
Resuming silently their journey, they had advanced but a little distance when they came to a creek of deep, dark water, which they had to pass on a slippery log. The weather was bitterly cold. A severe frost during the night had glazed with ice the log which had been barked. The Indians passed in safety. Johnston's inexpe- rienced foot slipped, and he was soused over head and ears in the cold flood. The Indians, who had just been apparently almost bursting with rage, raised shouts of good-natured laughter. Their anger was instantly all dispelled.
It was one of their favorite amusements, when good natured, to compel their captives to dance in English fashion, keeping time to their own music. Again, indulging in more savage enjoyment, they would build a large fire and force their captives to leap through the flames with such rapidity as not to be seriously burned.
The slow and painful journey through the wilderness, which we are now describing, occupied several weeks. Thus far Skyles and Johnston had been kept together. They were now separated. One party with Skyles took a westerly course, and directed their steps toward the valley of the Great Miami. The other party turned north, seeking the Sandusky.
A negro slave had escaped from Kentucky, and had taken ref- uge among the Wyandots. They had received him kindly and adopted him into the tribe. A Wyandot Indian, who had become a very shrewd trader, had taken the negro into his service as an assistant. He found the negro's knowledge and intelligence to be of great value to him. The Indian was in the habit of purchas- ing, at Detroit, whisky, powder, blankets and other such articles as would be in demand, packing them upon horses and selling them in the Indian villages for furs and hides, often making a thousand per cent. on his sales.
This man, with his negro attendant, casually encountered, in one of the trails of the forest, the party journeying with Johnston towards the Sandusky. The trader produced his rum, and imme-
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diately a brisk traffic ensued; the Indians rapidly disposing of the articles which they had obtained from the boats. Johnston saw his admirable boots, for which he had paid eight dollars in Virginia but a few weeks before, exchanged for a pint of rum. Other articles were sold at the same rate.
The Indians, as usual on such occasons, laid in an ample sup- ply of whisky, and made their deliberate preparations for a night's carouse. Johnston, for his own personal safety, and also to prevent his escape, was entrusted to the care of two sober Indians. They bound him securely with a cord, the two ends of which they passed under their own bodies, as they laid themselves down to sleep in the open air, one on each side of their prisoner. He could not move without giving them warning.
In the night it began to rain. The falling flood woke Johnston. The Indians regarded it no more than would a wolf or a buf- falo. Johnston, unable to extricate himself, was endeavoring to submit to his lot in patience, when the kind-hearted negro, with benevolence characteristic of his race, came to him and courte- ously invited him to take shelter beneath his tent, which stood near by.
Johnston was beginning to explain to his friend that he was so fettered that he could not extricate himself without the consent of his guards, when they, roused by the incident, and supposing that an escape was intended, sprang to their feet, grappled their cap- tive with convulsive violence, and simultaneously gave that terrific yell which was called the alarm whoop. The cry seemed to be instantly repeated by every Indian in the encampment. The whole band, nearly all in a frenzy of drunkenness, rushed towards Johnston, and he gave himself up for lost. The poor negro was pallid with terror. The savages, however, proved more consider- ate than could reasonably have been expected of them. They were doubtless conducting Johnston to their village, in anticipa- tion of a grand revel in burning him at the stake. To kill him in a moment of anger would spoil their sport.
Several of the Indians seized Johnston and dragged him vio- lently a few paces into the woods. They then questioned him with the shrewdness of a cross-examining lawyer respecting his interview with the negro-what the negro said and what he said. He replied. by simply and clearly telling the whole truth. They then took the terrified negro aside, and with their gleaming toma-
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hawks brandished before his face, assured him that Johnston had confessed all, and that they would scalp him on the spot if he did not tell the whole truth. His story agreed exactly with that which Johnston had told. As it was not possible that he could know what Johnston had said, these logical barbarians inferred that their story must be true, and that no plot for escape had been concerted.
The Indians were completely sobered by the alarm, and as it was raining violently, they allowed Johnston to take shelter in the comfortable wigwam which the negro had reared for himself. Johnston was in the vigor of youth and health, and being much exhausted he soon fell very soundly asleep-sleeping like a log, as is often said. But he was soon tormented by a terrible nightmare. He dreamed that he was drowning in the creek into which he had that morning fallen, and that he was suffering all the horrors of strangulation. At length he awoke. He found that a burly Indian had entered the wigwam, seated himself upon his breast as if he had been a log, and was quietly smoking his pipe. Johnston threw the Indian off. The savage did not resent it; but taking another seat, with great gravity resumed smoking his pipe.
The next morning the warriors, in continuation of their revel, had a great war dance. They painted themselves hideously, dressed themselves in their most gorgeous military display, and endeavored to fan the flame of their passions into fury, as they recited the wrongs which they had received from the white men. A stake was planted in the ground and painted in alternate stripes of black and red. The dancers circled around it, chanting in angry tones their accusations and denunciations.
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