Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Relation Of A Captivity Among The Indians Of North America.*
May Sth . —We passed several villages , but there appeared few Indians in them . We supposed they were gone upon their hunting parties . May 6 th —In the morning we arrived at Pinmern , where there were some Canadians building a saw-mill , and for whom we had brought by desire of a French gentleman at Detroit , a few barrels of flour . I hese people returned us their thanks , and with all the rhetoric they were misters of assured that the whole of the nations of Indians around ,
us were in leaome to take up the hatchet against the English ; that they knew of our coming that way , and were waiting six miles up the river to seize or destroy us ; that certainly if we persisted in proceeding any further , we should be all cut to pieces . They begged us with tears for God ' s sake to return , so that by means of the wind and strong currents , we might regain the fort before the Indians could discover that we were aware of their intentions . . and b le who had evidently
This was a friendly advice , given y peop nothing but our safety at heart ; and had we followed it , not a few oi us would have saved their lives on this occasion , and others avoided a long and painful captivity . Captain Robson , however , partly doubting the truth of what the Canadians told us , and partly from a mistaken notion of the estimate in which the Indians helcl the prowess of the English imagined that they would not dare to attempt any attack , at least until under cover of nig ht ; and as it was then morning , he thought we mi <* ht go on notwithstanding , and sound about the mouth of the river Huron , which would finish the survey in that quarter , and after
that return to the fort as fast as possible , lie theretore ordered tlie rowers to ply their oars , and without seeming to suspect any danger , proceeded forward till we came to a place where there was a small Indian village the very spot where the Canadians warned us we should be attacked by the savages . Then it was , though too late , that , our leader discovered the truth of the information he had received . Ihe whole bank of the river was covered with Indians to the amount of three at this time consider
or four hundred . Sir Robert Davers was - ably before us in his canoe , and had , at the request of the Indians , put the head of the vessel ashore , and smoked a pipe of friendship with some of the chiefs till we came up . He advised us to row on and pass him , without seeming to suspect that they had any design upon us And here I must observe , that the river was become more and id that we were obliged to keep the boat close to the
narrow , ran so rap shore even then the Indians could walk much faster than we could row ' To have attempted now to return , would have been certain destruction to us all , as the savages had their canoes ready to have pursued if necessarv . Sensible of this , we kept rowing forward , endeavouring
to humour them as much as possible . They crowded near us men , women , and children , bestowing upon us all the while the friendly appellation of brothers , telling us they were glad to see us , and if we would come on shore we should have whatever was good . The Squaws showed us fish maple , sugar , & c , in order to induce us to land , and asked tor bread and tobacco , which we threw them . During this time the men filmoff by degreestill at last there was not one to be seenthe
were " , , women crowding on the bank to cover their movements and divert our attention The warriors were then posting themselves behind a rising ground a little further on ; for on our arriving opposite this place , all the ' Squaws suddenly scampered off , and the warriors seeing them out of the way , poured in a fire upon us , at the distance of sixty yards .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Relation Of A Captivity Among The Indians Of North America.*
May Sth . —We passed several villages , but there appeared few Indians in them . We supposed they were gone upon their hunting parties . May 6 th —In the morning we arrived at Pinmern , where there were some Canadians building a saw-mill , and for whom we had brought by desire of a French gentleman at Detroit , a few barrels of flour . I hese people returned us their thanks , and with all the rhetoric they were misters of assured that the whole of the nations of Indians around ,
us were in leaome to take up the hatchet against the English ; that they knew of our coming that way , and were waiting six miles up the river to seize or destroy us ; that certainly if we persisted in proceeding any further , we should be all cut to pieces . They begged us with tears for God ' s sake to return , so that by means of the wind and strong currents , we might regain the fort before the Indians could discover that we were aware of their intentions . . and b le who had evidently
This was a friendly advice , given y peop nothing but our safety at heart ; and had we followed it , not a few oi us would have saved their lives on this occasion , and others avoided a long and painful captivity . Captain Robson , however , partly doubting the truth of what the Canadians told us , and partly from a mistaken notion of the estimate in which the Indians helcl the prowess of the English imagined that they would not dare to attempt any attack , at least until under cover of nig ht ; and as it was then morning , he thought we mi <* ht go on notwithstanding , and sound about the mouth of the river Huron , which would finish the survey in that quarter , and after
that return to the fort as fast as possible , lie theretore ordered tlie rowers to ply their oars , and without seeming to suspect any danger , proceeded forward till we came to a place where there was a small Indian village the very spot where the Canadians warned us we should be attacked by the savages . Then it was , though too late , that , our leader discovered the truth of the information he had received . Ihe whole bank of the river was covered with Indians to the amount of three at this time consider
or four hundred . Sir Robert Davers was - ably before us in his canoe , and had , at the request of the Indians , put the head of the vessel ashore , and smoked a pipe of friendship with some of the chiefs till we came up . He advised us to row on and pass him , without seeming to suspect that they had any design upon us And here I must observe , that the river was become more and id that we were obliged to keep the boat close to the
narrow , ran so rap shore even then the Indians could walk much faster than we could row ' To have attempted now to return , would have been certain destruction to us all , as the savages had their canoes ready to have pursued if necessarv . Sensible of this , we kept rowing forward , endeavouring
to humour them as much as possible . They crowded near us men , women , and children , bestowing upon us all the while the friendly appellation of brothers , telling us they were glad to see us , and if we would come on shore we should have whatever was good . The Squaws showed us fish maple , sugar , & c , in order to induce us to land , and asked tor bread and tobacco , which we threw them . During this time the men filmoff by degreestill at last there was not one to be seenthe
were " , , women crowding on the bank to cover their movements and divert our attention The warriors were then posting themselves behind a rising ground a little further on ; for on our arriving opposite this place , all the ' Squaws suddenly scampered off , and the warriors seeing them out of the way , poured in a fire upon us , at the distance of sixty yards .