mafter's pack, the favage monster would often knock him off; and fometimes too with the handle of his hatchet. Several ugly marks, indented in his head by the cruel Indians, at that tender age, are still plainly to be feen. 14. At length we arrived at Crown Point, and took up our quarters there, for the fpace of near a week. In the mean time, fome of the Indians went to Montreal, and took feveral of the weary captives along with them, with a view of felling them to the French. They did not fucceed, however, in finding a market for any of them. 15. They gave my youngest daughter to the governor, de Vaudreuil, had a drunken frolic, and returned again to Crown Point, with the reft of their prifoners. From hence we fet off for St. John's, in four or five canoes, just as night was coming on, and were foon furrounded with darknefs. 16. A heavy form hung over us. The found of the rolling thunder was very terrible upon the waters, which at every flafh of expanfive lightning feemed to be all in a blaze. Yet to this we were indebted for all the light we enjoyed. No object could we difcern any longer than the flashes lafted. 17. In this pofture we failed in our open tottering canoes, almoft the whole of that dreary night. The morning indeed had not yet begun to dawn, when we all went afhore; and having collected a heap of fand and gravel for a pillow, I laid myself down, with my tender infant by my fide, not knowing where any of my other children were, or what a miferable condition they might be in. 18. The next day, however, under the wing of that ever-prefent and all-powerful Providence, which had preferved us through the darknefs and imminent dangers of the preceding night, we all arrived in fafety at St. John's. 19. Our next movement was to St. François, the metropolis, if I may fo call it, to which the Indians, who led us captive, belonged. Soon after our arrival at that wretched capital, a council, cenfifting of the chief Sachem, and fome principal warriors of the St. François tribe, was convened; and after the ceremonies ufual on fuch occafions were over, I was conducted and delivered to an old squaw, whom the Indians told me I must call my mother. 20. My 20. My infant ftill continued to be the property of its 21. Liftening to my repeated and earnest folicitations, But 22. Our provifion was fo fcanty as well as infipid and unfavory; the weather was fo cold, and the travelling fo very bad, that it often feemed as if I must have perished on the way. 23. While we were at Montreal, we went into the houfe of a certain French gentleman, whofe lady being fent for, and coming into the room where I was, to examine me, feeing I had an infant, exclaimed with an oath," I will not buy a woman who has a child to look after." 24. There was a fwill-pail standing near me, in which I obferved fome crufts and crumbs of bread fwimming on the furface of the greafy liquor it contained. Sorely pinched with hunger, I kimmed them off with my hands, and ate them; and this was all the refreshment which the houfe afforded me. 25. Somewhere in the courfe of this visit to Montreal, my Indian mother was fo unfortunate as to catch the fmallpox, of which diftemper fhe died, foon after our return, which was by water, to St. François. And now came on the season when the Indians began to prepare for a win ter's hunt. This was a 26. I was ordered to return my poor child to thofe of faieking and screaming, enough to penetrate a heart ftone, into the hands of thofe unfeeling wretches, whofe tender mercies may be termed cruel. 27. It was foon carried off by a hunting party of thofe Indians, to a place called Meffifkow, at the lower end of Lake Champlain, whither, in about a month after, it was my fortune to follow them. And here I found it, it is true, but in a condition that afforded me no great fatisfaction; it being greatly emaciated and a'most starved. 28. I took it in my arms, put its face to mine, and it inftantly bit me with fuch violence, that it feemed as if I muft have parted with a piece of my cheek. I was permitted to lodge with it that, and the two following nights; but every morning that intervened, the Indians, I fuppofe on purpose to torment me, fent me away to another wigwam, which flood at a little diftance, though not so far from the one in which my diftreffed infant was confined, but that I could plainly hear its inceffant cries, and heartrending lamentations. 29 In this deplorable condition, I was obliged to take my leave of it, on the morning of the third day after my arrival at the place. We moved down the lake feveral miles the fame day; and the night following was remarkable on account of the great earthquake which terribly shook that howling wilderness. 30. Among the islands hereabouts, we fpent the winter feason, often shifting our quarters, and roving about from one place to another; our family confifting of three perfons only, befide myself, viz. my late mother's daughter, whom therefore I called my fifter, her fanhop, and a pappoofe. 31. They once left me alone two difmal nights; and when they returned to me again, perceiving them fmile at each other, I asked what is the matter? They replied, that two of my children were no more. One of which, they said, died a natural death, and the other was knocked on the head. 32. I did not utter many words, but my heart was forely pained within me, and my mind exceedingly troubled with ftrange and awful ideas. I often imagined, for intance, that I plainly saw the naked carcaffes of my deceas ed children hanging upon the limbs of the trees, as the Indian > . dians are wont to hang the 'raw hides of those beafts which they take in hunting. 33. It was not long, however, before it was fo ordered. by kind Providence, that I fhould be relieved in a good measure from thofe horrid imaginations; for as I was walking one day upon the ice, obferving a smoke at fome dif tance upon the land, it muft proceed, thought I, from the fire of fome Indian hut; and who knows but fome one of my poor children may. be there. 34. My curiofity, thus excited, led me to the place, and there I found my fon Caleb, a little boy between two and three years old, whom I had lately buried, in fentiment at leaft; or rather imagined to have been deprived of life, and perhaps alfo denied a decent grave. 35. I found him likewife in tolerable health and circumstances, under the protection of a fond Indian mother ; and moreover had the happiness of lodging with him in my arms one joyful night. Again we shifted our quarters, and when we had travelled eight or ten miles upon the fnow and ice, came to a place where the Indians manufactured fugar which they extracted from the maple trees. 36. Here an Indian came to vifit us, whom I knew, and who could fpeak English. He asked me why I did not go to fee my fon Squire. I replied that I had lately been informed that he was dead. He affured me that he was yet alive, and but two or three miles off, on the oppofite fide of the Lake. 37. At my request, he gave me the beft directions he could to the place of his abode. I refolved to embrace the first opportunity that offered of endeavouring to fearch it out. While I was bufy in contemplating this affair, the Indians obtained a little bread, of which they gave me a small share. 38. I did not tafie a morfel of it myself, but faved it all for my poor child, if I fhould be fo lucky as to find him. At length, having obtained of my keepers leave to be absent for one day, I fet off early in the morning, and fteering, as well as I could, according to the directions which the friendly Indian had given me, I quickly found the place, which he had fo accurately marked out. 39. I beheld, as I drew nigh, my little fon without the camp; but he looked, thought I, like a starved and mangy Q puppy, that had been wallowing in the afhes. I took him in my arms, and he spoke to me these words, in the Indian tongue; "Mother, are you come ?" 40 I took him into the wigwam with me, and obferv.. ing a number of Indian children in it, I distributed all the bread which I had referved for my own child, among them all; otherwife I fhould have given great offence. 41. My little boy appeared to be very fond of his new mother, kept as near me as poffible while I ftayed ; and when I told him I must go, he fell as though he had been knocked down with a club. 42. But having recommended him to the care of Him who made him, when the day was far spent, and the time would permit me to ftay no longer, I departed, you may well fuppofe, with a heavy load at my heart. The tidings I had received of the death of my youngest child had, a little before, been confirmed to me beyond a doubt; but I could not mourn fo heartily for the deceased, as for the living child. 43. When the winter broke up, we removed to St. John's; and through the enfuing fummer, our principal refidence was at no great distance from the fort at that place. In the mean time, however, my fifter's husband having been out with a fcouting party to fome of the English fettlements, had a drunken frolic at the fort, when he returned. 44. His wife, who never got drunk, but had often experienced the ill effects of her husband's intemperance, fearing what the consequence might prove, if he should come home in a morofe and turbulent humor, to avoid his infolence, proposed that we fhould both retire, and keep out of the reach of it, until the ftorm abated. 45. We abfconded accordingly; but fo it happened, that I returned, and ventured into his prefence, before his wife had prefumed to come nigh him. I found him in his wigwam, and in a furly mood; and not being able to revenge upon his wife, becaafe fhe was not at home, he laid hold of me, and hurried me to the fort; and, for a trifling confideration, fold me to a French gentleman, whofe name was Saccapee. 46. It is an ill wind certainly that blows nobody any good. I had been with the Indians a year lacking farteen days |