th tied for the
night; and in the morning White being painted red, and Petro black,
they were forced to proceed to the Indian towns. When approaching a
[169] village, the whoop of success brought several to meet them; and
on their arrival at it, they found that every preparation was made for
their running the gauntlet; in going through which ceremony both were
much bruised. White did not however remain long in captivity. Eluding
their vigilance, he took one of their guns and began his flight
homeward.--Before he had travelled far, he met an Indian on horseback,
whom he succeeded in shooting; and mounting the horse from which he
fell, his return to the Valley was much facilitated. Petro was never
heard of afterwards. The painting of him black, had indicated their
intention of killing him; and the escape of White probably hastened
his doom.

During this time, and after the return of White among them, the
inhabitants of Tygart's Valley practiced their accustomed watchfulness
'till about the twentieth of November; when there was a considerable
fall of snow. This circumstance induced them to believe, that the
savages would not attempt an irruption among them until the return of
spring; and they became consequently, inattentive to their safety.

Generally, the settlements enjoyed perfect quiet from the first
appearance of winter, until the return of spring. In this interval of
time, the Indians are usually deterred from penetrating into them, as
well because of their great exposure to discovery and observation in
consequence of the nakedness of the woods and the increased facility
of pursuing their trail in the snows which then usually covered the
earth, as of the suffering produced by their lying in wait and
travelling, in their partially unclothed condition, in this season of
intense cold. Instances of their being troublesome during the winter
were rare indeed; and never occurred, but under very peculiar
circumstances: the inhabitants, were therefore, not culpably remiss,
when they relaxed in their vigilance, and became exposed to savage
inroad.

A party of twenty Indians, designing to commit some depredations
during the fall, had nearly reached the upper end of Tygart's Valley,
when the snow, which had inspired the inhabitants with confidence in
their security, commenced falling. Fearful of laying themselves open
to detection, if they ventured to proceed farther at that time, and
anxious to effect some mischief before