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452 The ROYAL AMERICAN MAGAZINE

all the prifoners to dance and fing. Many complied, but Eaftburn ftill refufed; he could not, however, avoid very difagreable ceremony, which was performed immediately after the dance and fong were ended.

The dancing and finging was as ufual performed in the middle of a large circle of Indians, at a confiderable diftance from an Indian houfe, the door of which was fet open. As foon as the fong was ended, the circle opened, and the prifoners were to run the ganutlet to this houfe; while they were running, the Indians continued a moft vociferous fhout, and beat them fo violently upon the head, that, many dropped down ; but when they had entered the houfe they were to be beaten no more. Eaftburn received feveral blows in this diabolical race, which he felt long afterwards ; but he was notwithftanding one of the firft that entered the afylium : he was treated with great kindnefs by the women, who gave him and his companions boiled corn and beans, and warmed them at a good fire, though ftill he was without cloaths.

After he had continued ten days at this place, he was fent by water with a fmall party of Indians to another town called Cohnewago, and obliged to leave all his companions behind him. When the party that efcorted him came near the town, they fhouted to give notice that they had a prifoner, upon which the whole town came out to meet him ; as the batteau in which he was fitting came near the fhore, a young Indian rudely hauled him out of it into the water, which was knee deep, and very cold. As foon as he had got on fhore he was surrounded by a - of Indians to the number of 500, who ordered him again to perform the ceremony of the fong and dance, which was to be followed by the fame race which he had run at his former lodging ; he did not, he fays indulge this party by dancing any more than the others ; but he acknowledged that he ftamped, which, as he fays, was to prepare him for his race ; and after fome time, the Indians, either miftaking this ftamping for dancing, or difpenfing with their command, made way for him to run. When he fer off, about 150 boys, who had been prepared for that purpofe, pelted him with ftones and dirt; but he would not have received much damage from this volley, if an Indian, grudging him his good fortune, has not ftoped him as he was running, and held him till the boys had armed themselves with more dirt and ftones. By this fecond volley he was wounded in the right eye, and his head and face were so covered in dirt that he could not fee his way; he was however again delivered by some women, who took pity on him, washed his wounds, and gave him food.

The next day he was brought to the center of the town, and there delivered to three young Indians to be adopted, and fent 200 miles farther up the ftream to a town called Ofwegotchy.

Thefe young men, as foon as they had received him, told him he was their brother, and fet out with him for the place of their deftination. 

When he arrived at Ofwegotchy he was adopted by an old Indian


For DECEMBER, 1774. 453

Indian and his wife, who, becaufe he refufed to go to mafs, employed him in hard labour, and treated him with great unkindnefs. As he confidered himfelf to be fuffering for confcience fake, he fubmitted without murmuring, and fulfilled his tafk, however fevere, with fuch diligence and affiduity, that the refentment of his new parents fubfided, and they treated him like their fon.

After he had continued fome time in this fituation, he faw at Montreal fome Indians who were in friendfhip with the Englifh, and had come thither with fome complaint to the governor ; and he found means by fome of thefe Indians to fend a letter to his friends, informing them where he was, and in what fituation.

It happened, however, that having been foon after detected in a project to efcape, he was removed from this place to Cohnewago, under a ftrong guard : but at Cohnewago he was in a better fituation than before, for he worked at his trade with a French fmith, who paid him fix livres five fous per waek, and he alfo obtained leave of the captain of the guard to walk where he would.

After having worked fome time at this place, he obtained leave to go to Montreal, where he hoped to get higher wages ; and foon after his arrival there, he entered into partnerfhip with an English fmith, and continued to work with him till he heard that the French had made themfelves mafters of Ofwego, and foon after faw the Britifh ftandards and prifoners brought into the town.

Eaftburn looked upon thefe trophies of his enemies with a heavy heart, and as he was mufing on the misfortunes of himfelf and his countrymen, he difcovered among the prifoners his own fon, a lad about 17 years of age ; the fon at the fame time fixed his eyes on his father and the emotions of both were fuch as can be better conceived than defcribed, efpecially as it was impoffible for them at that time to come near enough to fpeak to each other, and in fome degree uncertain whether they fhould ever meet again.

Eaftburn, however foon after had the good fortune to obtain his fon's liberty. The officers belonging to Ofwego would fain have had them both with them, for they were to be fent to Philadelphia ; but this was not permitted to the father, becaufe he was an Indian prifoner, and the fon refufed to be releafed without him. From thefe gentlemen, however, he received many gifts of kindnefs, fome giving him money, and others cloaths ; which were yet more welcome.

Eaftburn having continued with his fon among the French, and the French Indians, till the 22d of July, 1757, was then releafed on a cartel, and arrived at Philadelphia after many hardfhips and delays for want of money, on the 26 h of November following, where he was relieved with great liberality by thofe to whom his merit and his fufferings were known ; for, though he was poor, he was a man of good repute, and much refpected by his fuperiors, particularly the reverend Mr. Tennant, who has written a recommendatory preface to the narrative of his fufferings,

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