white men was coming
from Kentucky. The consequence was, that as Clarke approached the towns,
he found them all deserted; the Indians had fled to the woods. His march,
however, was not made for nothing. The towns of Old and New Chilicothe,
Pecaway, and Wills' Town, were all reduced to ashes. One old Indian
warrior was surprised, and surrendered himself a prisoner. This man, to
the great sorrow of General Clarke, was afterward murdered by one of the
soldiers.

Notwithstanding this punishment, Indian massacres still went on. Stories
of savage butchery were heard of everywhere; every station that they
dared approach felt their fury, and the poor settler who had built his
cabin away from any station was sure to be visited.

General Clarke started out again, against the Indians on the Wabash.
Unfortunately, his expedition failed this time, for the want of
provisions for his men. Another expedition of Colonel Logan, against the
Shawanese Indians, was more successful. He surprised one of their towns,
killed many of their warriors, and took many prisoners.

The war had now become so serious, that in the fall of 1785 the General
Government invited all the lake and Ohio tribes of Indians to meet at the
mouth of the Great Miami. It was hoped that in this way matters might be
settled peaceably. But many of the tribes were insolent and ill-natured;
they refused to come in, giving as an excuse that the Kentuckians were
for ever molesting them. Emboldened by the very invitation, they
continued the warfare more vigorously than ever. They not only assaulted
the settlements already made, but made an attempt to guard the Ohio
river, to prevent any further settlers from reaching the country in that
direction. Small parties placed themselves at different points on the
river, from Pittsburgh to Louisville, where they laid in ambush and fired
upon every boat that passed. Sometimes they would make false signals,
decoy the boat ashore, and murder the whole crew. They even went so far
at last as to arm and man the boats they had taken, and cruise up and
down the river.

I must tell you of a very bold defence made on the Ohio about this time
by a Captain Hubbel, who was bringing a party of emigrants from Vermont
His party was in two boats, and consisted in all of twenty. As Hubbel
came down the river, he fell in with other boats, was told of the Indian
stratagems, and advised to be careful. Indeed, the inmates of some of the
boats begged tha