mped not far apart; and in the morning the fires of the
latter being discovered by Elias Hughes, the detachment which was
accompanying him fired upon the camp, and one of the savages fell. The
remainder taking [279] to flight, one of them passed near to where
Col. Lowther and the other men were, and the Colonel firing at him as
he ran, the ball entering at his shoulder, perforated him, and he
fell. The horses and plunder which had been taken by the savages, were
then collected by the whites, and they commenced their return home, in
the confidence of false security. They had not proceeded far, when two
guns were unexpectedly fired at them, and John Bonnet fell, pierced
through the body. He died before he reached home.[14]

[280] The Indians never thought the whites justifiable in flying to
arms to punish them for acts merely of rapine. They felt authorized to
levy contributions of this sort, whenever an occasion served, viewing
property thus acquired as (to use their own expression) the "only rent
which they received for their lands;" and if when detected in secretly
exacting them, their blood paid the penalty, they were sure to
retaliate with tenfold fury, on the first favorable opportunity. The
murder of these two Indians by Hughes and Lowther was soon followed by
acts of retribution, which are believed to have been, at least
mediately, produced by them.

On the 5th of December, a party of Indians and one white man (Leonard
Schoolcraft) came into the settlement on Hacker's creek, and meeting
with a daughter of Jesse Hughes, took her prisoner. Passing on, they
came upon E. West, Senr. carrying some fodder to the stable, and
taking him likewise captive, carried him to where Hughes' daughter had
been left in charge of some of their party.--Here the old gentleman
fell upon his knees and expressed a fervent wish that they would not
deal harshly by him. His petition was answered by a stroke of the
tomahawk, and he fell dead.

They then went to the house of Edmund West, Jun. where were Mrs. West
and her sister (a girl of eleven years old, daughter of John Hacker)
and a lad of twelve, a brother of West. Forcing open the door,
Schoolcraft and two of the savages entered; and one of them
immediately tomahawked Mrs. West. The boy was taking some corn from
under the bed,--he was drawn out by the feet and the tomahawk sank
twice in his forehead, directly above each eye. The girl was standing
behind the door. One of the savages ap