Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/146

122 HISTORY OF themselves as before described. However, one old squaw coming up in a very friendly manner, saluted me, by saying, ^ poor shild ! poor shild /' when she gave me a blow which, as I was tied, could not be parried, that nearly split my head in two. But now the desired fort, although it was to be our prison- house, was seen through the opening woods. I had come to within about five rods of the gateway, still agonizing under the effect of the old squaw's blow, when a young savage, about twelve years old, came running, with a hatchet in his hand, directly up to me, and seizing hold of the petumh hi, or cord by which I was tied, twitched me around so that we faced each other, when he gave me a blow exactly between my eyes on the forehead, that nearly dropped me dead, as I was weak and faint. The blood spouted out at a dreadful rate, when a sol- dier snatched the little demon's hatchet, and flung it into the lake. Whether Brant was rewarded over and above the eight dollars (which was the stipulated price per head) for Harper, or not, I cannot tell ; but, as was most natural to suppose, there was, on the part of himself and niece, great joy on so unex- pectedly falling in with friends and relations in the midst of enemies ; and on the part of Powell, respect and kindness was shown to Harper, on account of the lovely Jane, who had be- come a talisman of peace between them. We had scarcely arrived, when we were brought to the presence of a number of British officers of the crown, who blazed in all the glory of military habiliments ; and among them, as a chief, was the bloated, insolent, unprincipled, cruel, infamous Butler, whose name will stink in the recollections of men to the latest page of American history ; because it was him who directed, rewarded, and encouraged the operations of the Indians and tories all along from Canada to the State of Delaware. This man commenced to question us in a very abusive manner, respecting the state of American affairs, and.