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of truce, and represented the state of the extraordinary passenger. The guard apprehensive of treachery, and punctilious to their orders, threatened to fire into the boat, if it stirred before day light.

20. Her anxiety and sufferings were thus protracted through seven or eight dark and cold hours; and her reflections upon that first reception, could not give her very encouraging ideas of the treatment she was afterwards to expect, But it is due in justice at the close of this adventure to say, that she was received and accommodated by General Gates, with all the humanity and respect that her rank, her merits, and her fortunes deserved.

21. Let such as are affected by these circumstances of alarm, hardship and danger, recollect that the subject of them was a woman; of a most tender and delicate frame; of the gentlest manners; accustomed to all the soft elegancies and refined enjoyments that attend high birth and fortune, and far advanced in a state in which the tender cares always due to her sex, become indispensably necessary. Her mind alone was formed for such trials.

IX.

ADVENTURES of GENERAL PUTNAM.

1. N the month of August, 500 men were employed, under the orders of majors Rogers and Putnam, to watch the motions of the enemy near Ticonderoga. At South Bay, they separated the party into two equal divisions, and Rogers took a position on Wood Creek, twelve miles distant from Putnam.

2. Upon being, sometime afterwards, discovered, they formed a re-union, and concerted measures for returning to Fort Edward. Their march through the woods, was in three divisions by FILES, the right commanded by Rogers, the left by Putnam, and the centre by captain D'Ell. The first night they encamped on the banks of Clear river, about a mile from old Fort Ann, which had been formerly built by general Nicholson.

3. Next morning major Rogers and a British officer, named Irwin, incautiously suffered themselves, from a spirit of false emulation, to be engaged in firing at a mark. Nothing could have been more repugnant to the military principles of Putnam than such conduct, or reprobated by him in more pointed terms.

4. As soon as the heavy dew, which had fallen the preceding night, would permit, the detachment moved in one body, Putnam being in front, D'Ell in the centre, and Rogers in the rear. The impervious growth of shrubs and under-brush that had sprung up, where the land had been partially cleared some years before, occasioned this change in the order of march.

5. At the moment of moving, the famous French partizan Molang, who had been sent with five hundred men to intercept our party, was not more than one mile and an half distant from them. Having heard the firing, he hastened to lay an ambuscade precisely in that part of the wood most favourable to his project. Major Putnam was just emerging from the thicket into the common forest, when the enemy rose, and with discordant yells and whoops, commenced an attack upon the right of his division.

6. Surprised, but undismayed, Putnam halted, returned the fire, and passed the word for the other divisions to advance for his support. D'Ell came. The action, though widely scattered and principally fought between man and man, soon grew general and intensely warm. It would be as difficult as useless to describe this irregular and ferocious mode of fighting.

7. Major Putnam, perceiving it would be impracticable to cross the creek, determined to maintain his ground. Inspired by his example, the officers and men behaved with great bravery: sometimes they fought aggregately in open view, and sometimes individually under cover; taking aim from behind the bodies of trees, and acting in a manner independent of each other.

8. For himself, having discharged his fuzee several times, at length it missed fire while the muzzle was pressed against the breast of a large and well proportioned savage. This warrior, availing himself of the indefensible attitude of his adver sary, with a tremendous war-whoop, sprung forward with his lifted hatchet, and compelled him to surrender; and having disarmed and bound him fast to a tree, returned to the battle. 9. The intrepid captains D'Ell and Harman, who now commanded were forced to give ground for a little distance; the savages conceiving this to be the certain harbinger of victory, rushed impetuously on, with dreadful and redoubled cries. But our two partizans collecting a handful of brave men, gave the pursuers so warm a reception, as to oblige them

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in turn to retreat a little beyond the spot at which the action had commenced. Here they made a stand.

10. This change of ground occasioned the tree, to which Putnam was tied, to be directly between the fire of the two parties. Human imagination can hardly figure to itself a more deplorable situation. The balls flew incessantly from either side, many struck the tree, while some passed through the sleeves and skirts of his coat. In this state of jeopardy, unable to move his body, to stir his limbs, or even to incline his head, he remained more than an hour. So equally balanced and so obstinate was the fight!

11. At one moment, while the battle swerved in favour of the enemy, a young savage chose an odd way of discovering his humour. He found Putnam bound. He might have despatched him at a blow. But he loved better to excite the terrors of the prisoner, by hurling a tomahawk at his head-or rather it should seem his object was to see how near he could throw it without touching him-the weapon struck in the tree a number of times at a hair's breadth distance from the mark.

12. When the Indian had finished his amusement, a French bas-officer (a much more inveterate savage by nature, though descended from so humane and polished a nation) perceiving Putnam, came up to him, and levelling a fuzee within a foot of his breast, attempted to discharge it; it missed fire-ineffectually did the intended victim solicit the treatment due to his situation, by repeating that he was a prisoner of war.

13. The degenerate Frenchman did not understand the language of honour or of nature; deaf to their voice, and dead to sensibility, he violently and repeatedly pushed the muzzle of his gun against Putnam's ribs, and finally gave him a cruel blow on the jaw with the butt of his piece. After which dastardly deed he left him.

14. At length the active intrepidity of D'Ell and Harman, seconded by the persevering valour of their followers prevailed. They drove from the field the enemy, who left about ninety dead behind them. As they were retiring, Putnam was united by the Indian who had made him prisoner, and whom he afterwards called master.

15. Having been conducted for some distance from the place of action, he was stripped of his coat, vest, stockings, d shoes; loaded with as many packs of the wounded as

could be piled upon him; strongly pinioned, and his wrists tied as closely together as they could be pulled with a cord.

16. After he had marched through no pleasant paths, in this painful manner, for many a tedious mile; the party (who were excessively fatigued) halted to breathe. His hands were now immoderately swelled from the tightness. of the ligature; and the pain had become intolerable. His feet were so much scratched, that the blood dropped fast from them.

17. Exhausted with bearing a burthen above his strength; and frantic with torments exquisite beyond endurance; he entreated the Irish interpreter to implore as the last and only grace he desired of the savages, that they would knock him on the head and take his scalp at once, or loose his hands. 18. A French officer, instantly interposing, ordered his hands to be unbound, and some of the packs to be taken off. By this time the Indian who captured him, and had been absent with the wounded, coming up, gave him a pair of mocasons, and expressed great indignation at the unworthy treatment his prisoner had suffered.

19. The savage chief again returned to the care of the wounded, and the Indians, about two hundred in number, went before the rest of the party to the place where the whole were that night to encamp. They took with them major Putnam, on whom (besides innumerable other outrages) they had the barbarity to inflict a deep wound with a tomahawk, in the left cheek.

20. His sufferings were in this place to be consummated. A scene of horror, infinitely greater than had ever met his eyes before, was now preparing. It was determined to roast him alive. For this purpose they led him into a deep forest, stripped him naked, bound him to a tree, and piled dry brush, with other fuel, at a small distance, in a circle round him.. 21. They accompanied their labours, as if for his funeral dirge, with screams and howls, inimitable but by savage voices. Then they set the piles on fire. A sudden shower damped the rising flame. Still they strove to kindle it, until at last, the blaze ran fiercely round the circle. Major Putnam soon began to feel the scorching heat. His hands were so tied that he could move his body. He of ten shifted sides as the fire approached.

22. This sight, at the very idea of which all but savages

must shudder, afforded the highest diversion, to his inhuman tormentors, who demonstrated the delirium of their joy by correspondent yells, dances, and gesticulations. He saw clearly that his final hour was inevitably come. He summoned all his resolution and composed his mind, as far as the circumstances could admit, to bid an eternal farewel to all he held most dear.

23. To quit the world would scarcely have cost a single pang, but for the idea of home, for the remembrance of domestic endearments, of the affectionate partner of his soul, and of their beloved offspring. His thought was ultimately fixed on a happier state of existence, beyond the tortures he was beginning to endure.

24. The bitterness of death, even of that death which is accompanied with the keenest agonies, was in a manner past-nature, with a feeble struggle, was quitting its last hold on sublunary things-when a French officer rushed through the crowd, opening a way by scattering the burning brands, and unbound the victim. It was Molang himself, to whom a savage, unwilling to see another human sacrifice immolated, had run and communicated the tidings.

25. That commandant spurned and severely reprimanded the barbarians, whose nocturnal powwas he suddenly ended. Putnam did not want for feeling or gratitude. The French commander, fearing to trust him alone with them, remained until he could deliver him in safety into the hands of his

master.

26. The savage approached his prisoner kindly; and seemed to treat him with particular affection. He offered him some hard buiscuit, but finding he could not chew them, on account of the blow he had received from the Frenchman, this more humane savage soaked some of the biscuit in water and made him suck the pulp-like part.

27. Determined, however, not to lose his captive (the refreshment being finished) he took the mocasons from his feet and tied them to one of his rists; then directing him to lie down on his back upon the bare ground, he stretched one arm to its full length, and bound it fast to a young tree; the other arm was extended and bound in the same manner his legs were stretched apart and fastened to two saplings. 28. Then a number of tall, but slender poles were cut down; which, with some long bushes, were laid across his body from head to foot; on each side lay as many Indians

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