Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/131

DELAWARE COUNTY. 107 greater part of the night boiling sap^ but towards morning, his store becoming exhausted, he laid down in an empty store- trough and fell asleep ; he was aroused by the voices of the approaching enemy, and was in the act of springing for his gun, which stood in one corner, when an Indian came to the entrance, and perceiving the movement, instantly hurled his tomahawk, which his intended victim dodged, and it struck in a log of the hut behind him. Stevens was an athletic map^ and immediately grappled with the savage ; the contest lasted but a moment ] with almost herculean strength, in an instant he precipitated the Indian head-foremost beneath the boiler, upon the still unextinguished coals : but the fatal tragedy was not yet accomplished. The deed had scarcely been done, when a second tomahawk, hurled with unerring aim, sank deep into his brain ; he reeled and fell dead, when the Indians finished the sad picture, by scalping the unfortunate man. A second party proceeded to the clearing of Thomas Hen- dry, who, offering some resistance, he, together with his eldest son James, was immediately tomahawked and scalped, while the youngest son, J ohn, who submitted peacefully, was taken prisoner. A small detachment were sent to capture William Lamb and his son, who were at work alone some half a mile distant ; they surprised and captured the father, who was in the hut. The son, who had gone to gather some sap, was ust returning with two pails — which he carried with the aid of a yoke, a contrivance much used in sugar-making in those early times — when he perceived the Indians, and was at the same moment observed by them : he dropped his pails, and ran down the hill, closely pursued ; being lighter, however, the frozen surface of the snow sustained him, while his pur- suers broke through. He was apparently gaining on them, when he commenced ascending the opposite hill, which hap- pening to face the east, the snow had become too much soft-