Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1858-06-02


| to walk upon the battlcmemts of the fort, with
the aid of a stick. While engaged in this ex-
erclSe, on the morning of the 9th. lie observed
an unusual hustle in the fort. The Indians
stood in crowds at the great gate, armed and
painted. Many barrels of powder, ball. f1ints.
&C., were brought out to them, from which
each warrior helped himself to such articles
as he required. They were soon ioined bv a
small detachment of French regulars when
the whole party marched off together He
hau a iuIl view OF them as they passed, and
was confident that they could not exceed four
hundred men. He soon learned that it was
detached against Braddock who was now with
IN lew miles of the fort but from their
great lnferiority in numbers, he regarded their
destruction as certain, and looked joyfulIy to
tee arrival of Braddock in the evening as the
hour which was to deliver him from the power
OF the Indians. In the afternoon, however
an Indian runner arrived with far different in
teillgence. The battle had not vet ended
when he left the field but he announced, that
the English had been surrounded, and were
shot down in heaps by an invisible enemy:
that instead of flying at once or rushing upon
their concealed foe, they appeared completely
bewIldered, huddled together in the centre of
the ring, and before sun-down there would not
be man of them alive. This intellipence
fell like thuDdeIbOlt upon Smith, who now
SAN himself irretrevably in the power of the
savages, and could look forward to nothing
but torture or endless captivity. He waited
anXlously for further intelligence, still hoping
that the fortune of the day might change.
But about sunset, he heard at distance the
well known scalp halloo, followed by wild,
quick, joyful shrieks, and accompanied by
long continued firing. This too surely an
nounced the fate of the day. About dusk
the party returned to the fort, driving before
them twelve British regulars, stripped naked
and with their faces painted black! evidence
that the unhappy wretehes were devoted to
death. Next came the Indians displaying
their bloody scalps, of which they had inn
mense numbers, and dressed in the scarlet
coats, sashes, and military hats of the officers
and soldiers. Behind all came train of bag
gage-horses, laden with piles of scalps can
teens, and all the accOutrements of British
soldiers The savages appeared frantic with
JOY, and when Smith beheld them entering the
tort, dancing, yelling, brandishing their red
tomahawks, and waving their scalps in the air,
while the great guns of the fort replied to the |
inceSsant discharge of rifles without. he saws |
that it looked as if the lower regions had Civ
en- a holiday, and turned loose its inhabitants |
upon the upper world. The most melancholy |
spectacle was the band of prisoners. They |
appeared detected and anxious. Poor fellows |
They had but few months before left London, |
at the command of their superiors, and we |
may easily imagine their feelings, at the |
strange and dreadful spectacle around them. |
The yells of delight and congratulations were |
scarcely over, when those of vengence begun. |
The devoted prisoners-Brtish rcgulars-werc |
led out from the fort to the banks of the AL |
eghany, and to the eternal disgrace of the |
French commandant, were there burnt to |
death one after another, with the most awful |
tortures. Smith stood upon the battcments |
and witnessed the shocking spectacle. The |
prisoner was tied TO stake with his hands |
raised above his head, stripped naked, and |
surrounded by Indians. They would touch |
him with red hot irons, and stick his body full |
of pine splinters and set them on fire-drown-
ing the shrieks of the victim in the yells of |
delight with which they danced around him.
His companions in the meantime stood in a |
group near the stake, and had foretaste of |
what was in reserve for each of them. As |
fast as one prisoner died under his tortures, a
mother filled his place, until the whole perish
ed. All this took place so near the fort, that |
every scream OF the victims must have rung
in the ears OF the French commandant
Two or three DAYS after this shocking spec
tacle, most of the Indian tribes dispersed and
returned to their homes, as is usual with them
after great and decisive battle. Young
Smith was demanded of the French by the
tribe to whom he belonged, and was immedi
ately surrendered into their hands.
The party embarked in canoes, and ascend
ed the Allegheny river, far as small Indian
town about forty miles above fort Du Quesne.
>.
ing into the woods, travelled in a western di
rection, until they arrived at a considerable
Indian town, in what is now the State OF Ohio.
This village was called TullihaS-and was Sit
uated upon the western branch of the Mus
kingum. During the whole of this period,
Smith suffered much anxiety, from the un-
certainty of his future fate, but at this town
all doubt was removed. On the morning of
his arrival, the principal members of the tribe
gathered around him-and one old man with
deep gravity, began to pluck out his hair by
the roots, while the others looked on in silence,
smoking their pipes with great deliberation.
Smith did not understand the design OF this
singular ceremony, but submitted very patient
lv to the mans labourS, who performed the
operation of sspicking'' him with great dex-
terity, dipping his fingers in the ashes occa-
in order to take better hold. In a
very few moments Smiths head was bald,
with the exception of a single long tuft upon
the centre of his crown, called the 'scalp lock-
This was carefully plated in such manner,
as TO stand upright, ard was ornamented with
several silver brooches. His ears and nose
were then bored with equal gravity, and orna-
mented with ear rings and nose;lewels. lie
was then ordered to strip-which being done,
his naked body was painted IN various 1antas-
tic colours, and breech-cloth fastened around
his loins. a belt of wampum was then placed
around his neck, and silver bands around his
right ARM To all this Smith submitted with
much anxiety, being totally ignorant OF their
customs and dreading lest, like the British
prisoners, he had been stripped and painted
for the stake. His alarm was Increased, when
an old chief arose, took him by the arm, and
leading him out into the open air, gave three
sbriIl whoops, and was instantly surrounded by
every inbabitant of the village-warriors, wo-
men. children The chief then addressed the
crowd in a long speech, still holding Smith by
tba bond When he had ceased speaking, he
ID cn,;tb forward and delivered him into the
ISU D"'.H rlS xyh |