o of whom he brought home with him, when he forsook
the Indians.

In 1787 the Indians again visited the settlement on Buffaloe, and as
Levi Morgan was engaged in skinning a wolf which he had just taken
from his trap, he saw three of them--one riding a horse which he well
knew, the other two walking near behind--coming towards him. On first
looking in the direction they were coming, he recognized the horse,
and supposed the rider to be its owner--one of his near neighbors. A
second glance discovered the mistake, and he siezed his gun and sprang
behind a large rock,--the Indians at the same instant taking shelter
by the side of a large tree.--As soon as his body was obscured from
their view, he turned, and seeing the Indians looking towards the
farther end of the [279] rocks as if expecting him to make his
appearance there, he fired and one of them fell. Instantly he had
recourse to his powder horn to reload, but while engaged in skinning
the wolf the stopper had fallen out and his powder was wasted. He
then fled, and one of the savages took after him. For some time he
held to his gun; but finding his pursuer sensibly gaining on him, he
dropped it under the hope that it would attract the attention of the
Indian and give him a better chance of escape. The savage passed
heedlessly by it. Morgan then threw his shot pouch and coat in the
way, to tempt the Indian to a momentary delay. It was equally
vain,--his pursuer did not falter for an instant. He now had recourse
to another expedient to save himself from captivity or death. Arriving
at the summit of the hill up which he had directed his steps, he
halted; and, as if some men were approaching from the other side,
called aloud, "come on, come on; here is one, make haste." The Indian
not doubting that he was really calling to some men at hand, turned
and retreated as precipitately as he had advanced; and when he heard
Morgan exclaim, "shoot quick, or he will be out of reach," he seemed
to redouble his exertion to gain that desirable distance. Pleased with
the success of the artifice, Morgan hastened home; leaving his coat
and gun to reward the savage for the deception practised on him.[12]

In September of this year, a party of Indians were discovered in the
act of catching some horses on the West Fork above Clarksburg; and a
company of men led on by Col. Lowther, went immediately in pursuit of
them.[13] On the third night the Indians and whites, unknown to each
other, enca