dians, and _from his
knowledge of the_ [251] _country, be enabled_ to conduct them the more
securely to blood and plunder. He was a man of sanguinary and
revengeful disposition, prone to quarrelling, and had been known to
say, that if he caught particular individuals with whom he was at
variance, in the woods alone, he would murder them and attribute it to
the savages. He had led, when in England, a most abandoned life, and
after he was transported to this country, was so reckless of
reputation and devoid of shame for his villainies, that he would often
recount tales of theft and robbery in which he had been a conspicuous
actor. The fearful apprehensions of increased and aggravated injuries
after the taking of him prisoner, were well-founded; and subsequent
events fully proved, that, but for the evacuation of the fort, and the
removal of the inhabitants, all would have fallen before the fury of
savage warriors, with this abandoned miscreant at their head.

While some of the inhabitants of that settlement were engaged in
moving their property to a fort in Tygart's Valley (the others
removing to Nutter's fort and Clarksburg,) they were fired upon by a
party of savages, and two of them, Michael Hagle and Elias Paynter,
fell. The horse on which John Bush was riding, was shot through; yet
Bush succeeded in extricating himself from the falling animal, and
escaped though closely pursued by one of the savages. Several times
the Indian following him, would cry out to him, "_Stop, and you shall
not be hurt--If you do not, I will shoot you_," and once Bush, nearly
exhausted, and in despair of getting off, actually relaxed his pace
for the purpose of yielding himself a prisoner, when turning round he
saw the savage stop also, and commence loading his gun. This inspired
Bush with fear for the consequences, and renewing his flight he made
his escape. Edward Tanner, a mere youth, was soon taken prisoner, and
as he was being carried to their towns, met between twenty and thirty
savages, headed by Timothy Dorman, proceeding to attack Buchannon
fort. Learning from him that the inhabitants were moving from it, and
that it would be abandoned in a few days, the Indians pursued their
journey with so much haste, that Dorman had well nigh failed from
fatigue. They arrived however, too late, for the accomplishment of
their bloody purpose; the settlement was deserted, and the inhabitants
safe within the walls of other fortresses.

[252] A few