dian fell
forward, but quickly recovering and seeing his gun in the hands of his
assailant, ran off, howling hideously.--The anxiety of Doctor Knight,
saved the life of the savage.--When he seized the gun, he drew back
the cock in such haste and with so much violence as to break the main
spring and render it useless to him; but as the Indian was ignorant of
this circumstance, he continued his flight and the doctor was then
enabled to escape. After a toilsome travel of twenty-one days, during
which time he subsisted altogether on wild gooseberries, young
nettles, a raw terrapin and two young birds, he arrived safely at Fort
McIntosh--meagre, emaciated and almost famished.

Another instance of great good-fortune occurred in the person of John
Slover,[13] who was also made prisoner after having travelled more
than half the distance from the fatal scene of [246] action to Fort
Pitt. When only eight years of age he had been taken by some Indians
on New river, and detained in captivity for twelve years. In this time
he became well acquainted with their manners and customs, and attached
to their mode of living so strongly, that when ransomed by his
friends, he left his Indian companions with regret. He had become too,
while with them, familiar with the country north west of the Ohio, and
an excellent woodsman; and in consequence of these attainments was
selected a principal guide to the army on its outward march. When a
retreat was prematurely began to be made by detached parties, he was
some distance from camp, and having to equip himself for flight, was
left a good way in the rear. It was not long however, before he came
up with a party, whose horses were unable to extricate themselves from
a deep morass, over which they had attempted to pass. Slover's was
soon placed in the same unpleasant situation, and they all, alighting
from them, proceeded on foot. In this manner they traveled on until
they had nearly reached the Tuscarawa, when a party of savages from
the way side, fired upon them. One of the men was killed, Slover and
two others made prisoners, & the fifth escaped to Wheeling.

Those taken captive were carried first to Wachatomakah (a small town
of the Mingoes and Shawanees,) from whence after having been severely
beaten, they were conducted to a larger town two miles farther. On
their arrival here, they had all to pass through the usual ceremonies
of running the gauntlet; and one of them who had been stripped of hi