Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/110

86 HISTORY OF whites. They had not proceeded many miles on their jour- ^ney when the sound of the piercing war-whoop saluted their ears, and once during that afternoon, from an elevation they descried a company of Indians in the valley below. They encamped at night without food and without any fire, lest its glaring light should betoken to their foes the place of their concealment — they secreted themselves by crawling under the side of a huge hass-ivood tree, which had been blown down, and covered themselves with leaves, which effectually con- cealed their persons from observation. They had been in this situation but a short time, when an Indian approached and seated himself on the identical log beneath which they lay concealed, and immediately gave a ipiercing " loJioop." The two friends deeming themselves discovered, now gave up all hopes of escape, and prepared to die. Immediately the savage. Indians, who had been scouting the woods in different direc- tions, assembled and seated themselves in a row on the log. They were ignorant of the substance of this Indian council, but heard one of the party, who spoke English in broken accents, propose to build a fire against the log and encamp for the night ; but shortly after the party left, following the back track, having given up all hopes of finding them in that direction. The next day they resumed their course, and the same afternoon Sawyer ventured to shoot a buck, a piece of which they immediately roasted to satisfy the urgent demands of hunger ; and at last, after several days' fatiguing travel, during which Cowley was at times light-headed, they emerged into a frontier settlement near Minisink, where they found friends, and procured assistance, as soon as sufficiently recovered, to return to Schoharie, where they were received with exclama- tions of joyful surprise. From Schoharie, Cowley went to Albany with a letter to G-overnor Clinton, and obtained a company of forty men, who