fishing; and falling suddenly upon them killed the men and made
prisoners of the boys. They then liberated one of the boys, and giving
him a tomahawk, directed him to go home; shew it to his friends;
inform them what had been the fate of his companions, and what they
were to expect for their own. The threat was fearfully executed. Many
families were entirely cut off and many individuals sacrificed to
their fury. Companies of Indians were constantly traversing the
country in secret, and committing depredations, wherever they supposed
it could be done with impunity. A remarkable instance of their failure
and suffering in attempting to form an entrance into a house where was
an almost unprotected family, deserves to be particularly mentioned.

On the 24th of December 1791, a party of savages attacked the house of
John Merril, in Nelson county. Mr. Merril, alarmed by the barking of
the dogs, hastened to the door to learn the cause.--On opening it, he
was fired at by two Indians and his leg and arm were both broken. The
savages then ran forward to enter the house, but before they could do
this, the door was closed and secured by Mrs. Merril and her daughter.
After a fruitless attempt to force it open, they commenced hewing off
a part of it with their tomahawks, and when a passage was thus opened,
one of them attempted to enter through it. The heroic Mrs. Merril, in
the midst of her screaming and affrighted children, and her groaning
suffering husband, seized an axe, gave the ruffian a fatal blow, and
[301] instantly drew him into the house. Supposing that their end was
now nearly attained, the others pressed forward to gain admittance
through the same aperture. Four of them were in like manner despatched
by Mrs. Merril, before their comrades were aware that any opposition
was making in the house. Discovering their mistake the survivors
retired for awhile, and returning, two of them endeavored to gain
admittance by climbing to the top of the house, and descending in the
chimney, while the third was to exert himself at the door. Satisfied
from the noise on the top of the house, of the object of the Indians,
Mr. Merril directed his little son to rip open a bed and cast its
contents on the fire. This produced the desired effect.--The smoke and
heat occasioned by the burning of the feathers brought the two Indians
down, rather unpleasantly; and Mr. Merril somewhat recovered, exerted
every faculty, and with a billet of wood soon de