on made when he obtained a spare gun, and the five men in the
station, well armed, followed him to his residence. When they arrived at
the house, the Indians, as well as the family were found to be gone, and
no evidence appeared that any of the family had been killed. A search was
made to find the direction the Indians had taken; but owing to the dryness
of the ground, and the adroit manner in which they had departed, no
discovery could be made. In this study and perplexity, the party being all
good woodsmen, took that direction in pursuit of the Indians, which they
thought it most probable they would take. After going a few miles, their
attention was arrested by the howling of a dog, which afterwards turned
out to be a house-dog that had followed the family, and which the Indians
had undertaken to kill, so as to avoid detection, which might happen from
his occasionally barking. In attempting to kill the dog, he was only
wounded, which produced the howling that was heard. The noise thus heard,
satisfied them that they were near the Indians, and enabled them to rush
forward with the utmost impetuosity. Two of the Indians being in the rear
as spies, discovering the approach of the party, ran forward to where the
Indians were with the family--one of them knocked down the oldest boy,
about eleven years old, and while in the act of scalping him, was fired
at, but without effect. Mrs. Daviess, seeing the agitation and alarm of
the Indians, saved herself and sucking child, by jumping into a sink hole.
The Indians did not stand to make fight, but fled in the most precipitate
manner. In that way the family was rescued by nine o'clock in the morning,
without the loss of a single life, and without any injury but that above
mentioned. So soon as the boy had risen on his feet, the first words he
spoke were, "Curse that Indian, he has got my scalp!" After the family had
been rescued, Mrs. Daviess gave the following account of how the Indians
had acted.

[Illustration: GOING INTO CAPTIVITY.]

A few minutes after her husband had opened the door and stepped out of the
house, four Indians rushed in, whilst the fifth, as she afterwards
learned, was in pursuit of her husband. Herself and children were in bed
when the Indians entered the house. One of the Indians immediately made
signs, by which she understood him to inquire how far it was to the next
house. With an unusual presence of mind, knowing how important it would be
to make the dis