hed battle; but yet they did a large amount of mischief without
putting their precious bodies in danger.

Wherever a squad of the fugitives was withdrawn from the main body, making
ready a boat, the painted fiends would swoop down upon it, performing
their murderous work and getting away with a fresh supply of scalps before
the victims' friends could rush to their assistance.

I saw a boat laden with men, the greater number of whom were unarmed
because of having thrown away their weapons during the flight, push off in
company with several others; but the oarsmen of this particular craft were
clumsy, and she drifted down the shore until beyond range of the
remainder of the force.

Then it was that the feather-bedecked wolves began shooting at the
helpless men until a full half of the crew were wounded, after which
Thayendanega's beauties swam out to her, killing and scalping all on
board.

This is but a single instance of what the savages did during that mad
retreat. More than once had my rifle been emptied in behalf of some
sore-beset soldier, and I even went so far in my sympathy for the white
men that I saved the life of a Tory who would have been killed had we not
come up in the nick of time. After rescuing him, however, we turned the
fellow over to a squad who were guarding twenty or more prisoners, thus
making certain he would not be left at liberty to work mischief among our
people.

The following brief account of the retreat was written and printed by one
who took every care to learn all the truth regarding the affair, and I set
it down here that he who reads may know I have not exaggerated the story
for the purpose of shaming the enemy:

"The Indians, it is said, made merry at the precipitate flight of the
whites, who threw away their arms and knapsacks, so that nothing should
impede their progress. The savages also gratified their passion for murder
and plunder by killing many of the retreating allies on the borders of the
lake, and stripping them of every article of value. They also plundered
them of their boats, and, according to St. Leger, 'became more formidable
than the enemy they had to expect.'"

It was late in the afternoon before Captain Jackman gave us the word to
turn back. He would have returned sooner, but our men pleaded for
permission to watch the fugitives until they had embarked, and he could
hardly do otherwise than remain.

A happy, light-hearted company it was that marched back to w