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450 The ROYAL AMERICAN MAGAZINE,

wise been made prisoners by this party, which consisted of about 100 men: they did not pursue their route towards captain William's fort because Eastburn, being asked by them concerning its strength, gave them such an answer as discouraged them from attempting it. They determined however, to destroy another fort, called Bull's fort, situated at the head of Wood's Creek; which they soon effected, and except five persons, put every soul they found in it to the sword. 

After this exploit they retired to the woods and joined their main body, which consisted of 400 French and 500 Indians, commanded by one of the principal gentlemen of Quebec. As soon as they got together they themselves upon their knees, and returned thanks to God for their victory; an example, says Eastburn, well worthy of imitation.

They continued their march through the woods about four miles, and then, it being dark and several of the Indians being drunk, they encamped.

The Indians, according to their custom, soon made a fire, strewed round it some branches of green hemlock to sit upon, they then went up to Eastburn, and untied his arms; after which they tied the two ends of a string that was fastened to the hand which went round his middle to two trees; two of them then sat down on the green boughs, one on each side of him, with the string that was fastened to his band under them, to prevent his escape; and having covered him with an old blanket they went to sleep.

They encamped, and rested much in the same manner the night following, and the next morning, Sunday the 28th, they rose very early and retreated hastily towards Canada, for fear of general Johnson, who, as they were informed, was on his march against them.

Eastburn having on this occasion been sent for by the commanding officer, and asked many questions, the officer at length discovered that he was a smith, a circumstance which probably induced his enemies to spare his life, in hopes that he might be useful to them; and he was advised to settle at Canade and send for his wife, with promises of great advantages, which however he refused. In his march he suffered incredible fatigue and hardship, travelling almost naked through deep snow and being frequently obliged to wade through rives, the water of which wanted by little of being as cold as ice. Under these severities he fell sick, and had the mortification to see one of his friends, who was in same circumstances, killed and scalped by the Indians, because he was no longer able to keep pace with them: to him, however, they were more merciful; for perceiving that he could not swallow their coarse food, they boiled him some chocolate, and seemed pleased when they perceived that he ate it.

But there were other circumstances, besides cold and nakedness, and sickness, and fatigue, which made this march still more dreadful to poor Eastburn. he was appointed to march behind an Indian, who had a large bunch of

For DECEMBER, 1774

of green scalps hanging at his back, which were increased as often as some straggling wretch was over taken, whose scalp was immediately added to the rest. This object being perpetually before his eyes, while his ears were frequently wounded with the infernal yell which they called the dead shout, and which they never fail to utter when a victim falls into their hands, filled him at once with grief and horror, and aggravated the suffering of his body by such anguish of mind as those only can conceive who have felt.

After a march of seven days they arrived at Lake Ontario, where they were met by some French batteaus with a large supply of provisions, of which they had subsisted during some part of their march upon horse flesh, and had even devoured a porcupine, without any other dressing than sufficed just to scorch off the hair and quills.

Eastburn, after a tedious voyage with part of this company, arrived as Oswegotchy, an Indian town where he hoped to continue till warm weather; but to his inexpressible disappointment, he was ordered the next day to proceed 300 Miles farther down the stream.

To aggravate this misfortune, he was appointed to go in a batteau with eight Indians, one of whom was the very man he had wounded, when he fired from behind the pine that day he was taken. He contrived to escape the notice of this man by wrapping himself up in the old blanket that had been given him to sleep under while they were in the boat; but when they went on shore he was discovered. The Indian cast his eyes upon him with a kind of malignant joy, and immediately taking away his blanket ordered him to dance round the fire barefoot and sing the prisoners song. With this order Eastburn absolutely refused to comply, because he says he thought the compliance sinful. this so enraged the Indian, that he endeavoured many times to push him alive into the fire, which he avoided by jumping over it, and his enemy being weak with his wound, and not being seconded by his associates, at length desisted from his attempts; and after painful jorney, sometimes on the water, and sometimes on the snow, they came at length to the upperpart of Canada. Here it was Eastburn's hard fortune to be quartered at a Frenchman's house, where his only enemy, the wounded Indian, again appeared, and related to the Frenchman the circumstances of his refusing to dance and sing. Upon this the good Frenchman assisted his friend the Indian to strip poor Eastburn of his flannel vest without sleeves, the only garment that was then left him. It was insisted both by the Frenchman and Indian, that he should absolutely dance and sing; and upon his refusal they used him with great cruelty, and would probably have murdered him, if he had not been rescued from his persecutors by the compassion of some women who had been witnesses of his ill-treatment. 

On the 11th of April they came within sight of the town of Conasadanga, where they were soon surrounded by a large company of Indians who ordered all