march to their relief. With a faint promise of
assistance, and with the assurance that their situation should be
immediately made known to the executive authority of the state, he set
off on his return. Confiding the ammunition which he had obtained, to
the care of his companions, and prudently advising and instructing
them in the course best to be pursued, he left them, and hastened to
make his way alone, back to St. Asaph. In ten days after his departure
from the fort, he returned to it again; and his [149] presence
contributed much to revive and encourage the garrison; 'till then in
almost utter despair of obtaining relief. In a few days after, the
party arrived with the ammunition, and succeeded in entering the fort
unperceived; though it was still surrounded by the Indians. With so
much secrecy and caution had the enterprise been conducted, that the
enemy never knew it had been undertaken, until it was happily
accomplished.

For some time after this the garrison continued in high expectation of
seeing the besiegers depart, despairing of making any impression on
the fort. But they were mistaken in this expectation. Each returning
day shewed the continued investiture of the fort, and exhibited the
Indians as pertinaciously intent on its reduction by assault or
famine, as they were on the day of their arrival before it. Weeks
elapsed, and there was no appearance of the succours which had been
promised to Logan, when in the settlement on Holstein. And although
the besieged were still successful in repelling every assault on the
garrison, yet their stock of provisions was almost entirely exhausted;
and there was no chance of obtaining a farther supply, but from the
woods around them. To depend on the success of hunting parties, to
relieve their necessities and prevent their actual starvation or
surrender, seemed indeed, but a slender reed on which to rely; and
the gloom of despondency overshadowed their hitherto sanguine
countenances. But as they were resigning themselves to despair, and
yielding up the last hope of being able to escape from savage fury and
savage vengeance, Colonel Bowman arrived to their relief, and forced
the Indians to raise the siege. It was not however, without some loss
on his part. A detachment of his men, which had preceded the advance
of the main army, was unfortunately unable to reach the fort,
undiscovered by the besiegers; who attacked and killed them before
they could enter the garrison.