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104 HISTORY or CHAPTEE YL Repose of the frontier settlements — Scout under Colonel Alexander Harper — Sent out to Harpersfield — Harper returns to Schoharie — His return to Harpersfield — Capture of the party by Brant — Recog- nition between Brant and Harper — Death of several of the party- Inscription on the Hendrys' tombstones in the Harpersfield burying- ground — Young Lamb attempts to escape — Is overtaken and cap- tured — Questions put by Brant to Harper — Harper's shrewd reply — Indian Council — Debate in regard to the fate of the prisoners — Party decamp for Niagara — Obtain provisions of a miller on the Delaware — Inhumanity of this man and his daughters to the pri- soners — Incidents of the journey— Murder of Mr. Brown — Arrival of the party at Fort Niagara — Harper finds friends — Prisoners run the gauntlet — Expedient of Brant to alleviate their sufferings — Reception of the party at the Fort — Imprisonment in Canada — Return of the survivors of the party to Harpersfield. Punishment afterward in- flicted on Beacraft, a tory — Bennett family — Early settlers — Capture of by a party of Indians — Incursion of the Indians into Colchester — Capture of Rose — Interesting incident — Correspondence in relation to the war — Indians capture Beach and family — Encounter a scout below Hobert — John Hagidore wounded — Company of troops pursue the Indians — Overtake and release the captives. The expedition of Sullivan into the depths of the Indian territory the preceding year, and the desolation which had marked his course, had had the eifect to lull the frontiers into a precarious repose. It was not deemed probable, or even pos- sible, that the Indians could recover from the severe but just retribution that had been inflicted upon them, in order to pro- secute an offensive part during the year 1780 ; but in what manner their hopes were to be realized will, in a measure, ap- pear from the forthcoming chapter. On the 2d day of April, 1780, a scout, under the command