hen a third Indian came up, the first Indian that
took hold of me took the handle of his tomahawk and rubbed it on my
shoulder and down my arm, which was a token that he would not kill me
and that I was his prisoner. Then they all took their hands off me and
stood around me. The fourth Indian came up and attempted to strike me,
but the first Indian that caught me pushed him away. He was still
determined to kill me, and tried to get around to my back; but I still
faced round as he was trying to get to my back--when he got up by my
side, he drew his tomahawk the second time to strike me, but the same
Indian pushed him off and scolded him very much--he let his tomahawk
hang by his side, but still intended to kill me if he could get an
opportunity. The other Indians watched him very closely. There were but
four Indians that gave me chase, they were all naked except their
breachcloth, leggins and moccasins. They then began to talk to me in
their own language, and said they were Kickapoos, that they were very
good Indians, and I need not be afraid, they would not hurt me, and I
was now a Kickapoo and must go with them, they would take me to the
Matocush, meaning a French trading town on the Wabash river. When the
Indians caught me I saw Mr. Vallis about one hundred yards before me on
the road--he had made a halt. They shot him in the left thigh about
seven or eight inches above the knee, the ball came out just below his
hip, his horse was not injured--he rode an elegant horse which carried
him out of all farther danger--his wound mortified, he lived six weeks
after he was wounded, then died. I understood their language, and could
speak a little. They then told me to march; an Indian took hold of each
of my arms, and led me back to where they shot at me, and then went
about half a mile further off the road, where they had encamped the
night before and left their blankets and other things. They then took
off my under coat and tied my hands behind my back, and then tied a rope
to that, tying about six or seven feet long, we then started in a great
hurry, and an Indian held one end of the rope while we were marching.
There were but eight Indians marched in company with me that morning
from the camp. The other eight took some other route, and never fell in
with us again, until some time after we got to their towns. We had
marched about three or four miles from that camp when Vallis arrived at
the fort, about six miles from where the