“Then he hears
How the fierce Indian scalped the helpless child,
And bore its shrieking mother to the wild,
Butch'ring the father, hastening to his home,
Who sought his cottage, but to find his tomb.”
BRAINARD.
The 10th of August, 1809! At the mention of that date, how the past
sweeps by me, and with it come the yells of the savage, the dying
groans of infancy and of age; and by the light of lurid flames, I
behold their bleeding bodies, and hear the last gurgling cry of a
youth, as he sinks beneath the closing waves. It was a sad night, and
fearfully wild is the tale which it tells.
The Ohio, than which no lovelier river flows beneath the sun, was
bearing on its surface, a rude boat, containing an emigrant family
destined for some point in the “far west.” Carried along by the
current, its motion was so gentle, that not a ripple indicated its
passage. The hour was midnight, there was no moon, yet the stars
emitted a soft light sufficient to show the dim outline of the lofty
hills, which skirted the river on either side, serving as landmarks to
the adventurer, by which to keep near the middle of the stream. The
country was here entirely unsettled, and the dense forests which rose
up high into the heavens, threw over the scene a sombre hue,
calculated to suggest to an excited imagination a thousand dangers.
Thus situated was the family of John Foreman, consisting of himself,
his wife, and several children; among them a sweet girl, who, like an
opening flower, was just expanding into beauty, and a son who had
already arrived at the age of manhood. Mr. Foreman was a native of
lower Virginia, whom misfortunes had reduced to poverty, and who, with
a hope of bettering his condition, had torn himself from his friends,
to become a settler of the “far off West.” Having embarked at
Pittsburg, he had already floated far upon his journey, when the
incident occurred upon which depends the interest of the following
pages.
The boat having swept a distance hard upon a thousand miles, through a
country where the vision was bounded by lofty hills, rising before
them in perpetual beauty, had now arrived at a point where the scenery
ceases to be beautiful, and at once becomes grand and sublime. This
point, the most remarkable on the Ohio River, is known to travellers,
by the name of the “Battery Rock,” being a mural precipice of
limestone, rising perpendicularly several hundred feet from the river
which laves its base, and stretching for some distance along its
northern bank. It lies within the state of Illinois, some ten or
twelve miles below Shawneetown, and a few miles above the village of
Golconda.
The hour, as we have stated, was midnight, and being such as to invite
repose, the family were all asleep, save Mr. Foreman and his son Hugh,
who were reclining upon the roof[1] of the boat, and directing its
course by a long pole, which projected from it, and served the purpose
of a rudder. An unbroken silence had for some time reigned, when the
following dialogue ensued:
[Footnote 1: See note A.]
“Do not bear so much to the left, Hugh; you will get out of the
current; see, it sets in to the bank.”
“Yes, father; but the more distant we are from the bank, the safer I
feel.”
“Afraid of the Indians, Hugh?”
“No, sir; I cannot say I am afraid.”
“I am pleased to hear you say so, my son; you should not fear, for
although they tell so many bloody tales of them, I think we shall have
no cause to add another to the number. We have now floated a long
distance, been upon the water more than twenty days and nights, and
yet no mishap has befallen us; a few days more, and, God willing, we
shall reach our place of destination.”
“I wish it were so, father; I have no fears, yet my heart has some
strange misgivings. Gay dreamed last night, we were taken captive by
the Indians. I have no faith in dreams, and I know not why it is, but
I feel sad and gloomy.”
“Hugh, this is not a time to indulge in superstitious fears, when we
are about to form a frontier settlement. Such things must be
abandoned, or you will become a laughing stock for your companions;
moreover, your sister must cease to tell her dreams, since they unman
her brother.”
At this speech, Hugh's countenance slightly coloured with indignation,
but it quickly passed away, and he said: “Father, I feel your
reproaches, yet I have not the spirit to answer them; for a
presentiment of danger has come over me, and though vague and
indefinite, I feel that there is no opposing it; indistinct and gloomy
visions flit across my mind, conveying no definite idea. To ensure our
safety, I would this hour willingly meet Tecumseh, single handed,
terrible as he is.”
At the name of Tecumseh a shade passed over the face of Mr. Foreman,
while he recollected the many daring outrages which were said to have
been committed by him; but, quickly dispelling it, he said, “Come,
come, my son, let us drop this subject; it is idle to anticipate
dangers; bad enough to meet them when they come.”
“Then let it be so. But I wish we had not ventured so far down, it has
now been nearly a week, and we have seen no living soul. Father, do
not the woods seem to you darker than usual? the hills rise higher
here than we have yet seen them; I never saw a scene so wild and
lonely—father, father, did you not see a light moving?”
“Where, where, my son?”
“On the top of that lofty bluff to our right. There, there, I see it
again.”
This annunciation acted like magic upon Mr. Foreman, who grasped his
rifle, and nerving himself to meet whatever danger might present
itself, gazed long and searchingly at the place pointed out. Still
nothing was visible—the banks wore a dark and gloomy aspect, yet they
were as quiet as the unrippled surface on which they were floating—no
sign indicated the presence of a human being, no signal told that the
wild woods were tenanted. Observing this, he drew a long breath or
two, relieving himself from the high state of excitement under which
he had been labouring, then turning to his son, said, “Hugh, you must
have been mistaken.”
“I see nothing now, father,” was the reply, “but I thought I saw a
light glimmer on those cliffs for a moment and then disappear.”
The scene, desolate as it was, was so quiet and lonely that its repose
seemed a guarantee for security, and both again sunk into a dreamy
reverie. Some time elapsed, when Mr. Foreman complained of being
sleepy, and turning to his son, said, “I believe I will turn in, call
me when your watch is over, and take care to keep near the middle of
the stream.” So saying, he went below, leaving to Hugh the sole
management of the boat.
When left alone to himself, Hugh forgot danger in the deep stillness
around him, for it was of that nature, which by its sublimity hushes
up the harsher feelings, and creates a vague pleasure which cannot be
defined, and which we feel most generally, only when we look abroad
from the mountain tops, or stand above the roar of dashing torrents.
There are moments in life in which we cannot control our thoughts,
yes, there are very many, and Hugh began to ponder over scenes from
which he had been torn, to dwell upon the bright recollections of
boyhood, and to feed his heart with the called up image of one, dear
to him above all other things.
But while these things were passing in his mind, and by their power
destroying all consciousness of the present, there might have been
seen a dark and indistinct object on the surface of the water,
stealing onward with the noiseless glide of the serpent, when it draws
its doubling form along the dewy grass. No apparent motion, not a
ripple of the wave announced its passage; yet it was approaching the
boat, near, still nearer. Another moment, and it was along side. Then,
like tigers crouching for their prey, a band of Indian warriors sprung
forth, while the neighbouring hills re-echoed their savage screams.
Then were heard cries for mercy, and shrieks of horror;—then might be
seen their dark forms glancing in every part of the boat, while from
right to left, with deadly sweep, they plied the greedy tomahawk. A
moment more, and the splash of falling bodies was heard, then the
bubbling groan of the dying,—and all was quiet. Not a sound broke upon
the ear, all nature seemed asleep, and the boat still glided along as
smoothly as it did an hour before. Another moment, and there rolled
forth a volume of dense smoke, followed by lurid flames, which
bursting out, wrapped the boat in a blaze of living light, and showed
a mass of mangled bodies in its bottom. How ghastly pale are the
countenances of the slain, when seen by that bright light. See how
that mangled mother hugs her murdered babe!
At the same moment, in the back ground, yet near at hand, might be
seen a light bark canoe, filled with Indian warriors, painted and
equipped in warlike dresses, who with bright exulting faces were
gazing on the scene before them, their hatchets red with slaughter,
their hands clammy with the blood of the slain. And that nothing
should be wanting to render the scene impressive in the extreme,
stretched in one end of the boat, lay the almost lifeless form of Gay
Foreman, the sole survivor of her family, with her hands pinioned; and
her mouth gagged to silence her cries, while her head lay near a pile
of bleeding scalps which had been torn from her butchered family, and
from which, the warm blood was still trickling down into the bottom of
the boat.
The Indians remained silent spectators, until the fire began to
decline, when by its dying light they plied their paddles, and their
light canoe darted off, skimming the waves like a living thing.
The incident above described occupied but a short time; the boat,
covered with thin, dry pine boards, having burned to the water's edge,
soon sank, and the Indians having left the scene, all was again quiet.
And was an act so daring to be perpetrated, and yet remain secret?
no—on the opposite shore, within the state of Kentucky, and far in the
forest, were reposing by the embers of a dying fire, two hunters of
the “far west.” One was enured to fatigue, had often skirmished with
the Indians, and ever surrounded by danger, was as wily as the savage,
as daring, and as bold. The other had had less experience, yet they
could both look upon death and not grow pale. They were asleep. But
habit had rendered them so watchful, that the lightest step would
arouse them from the deepest slumber, and scarcely had echo ceased
repeating the first war-whoop which rang through the forest, before
they stood erect, mute as statues, with rifles ready cocked, gazing
deep into the woods. Another moment, and yet no cry—another, and
another, and still all was quiet.
“I say, Earth, that cry must have come from some boat on the Ohio; the
Indians are murdering some emigrant family.”
“It must be so, Rolfe; where else could it have come from? Gather up
our _plunder_, and let's be moving; there's no more sleep for us.”
“Not an inch, unless it be in search of those Indians,” said Rolfe.
“You must be a blockhead,” answered his companion; “where do you
'spose I am going? If what we suspect be true, I must make a hole
through one of 'em—yes, I am obliged to do it. Now did you ever hear
of my backing out from a fight, when there was the least chance of
getting into it decently?”
“Come, then,” said Rolfe, “haste, haste, we may yet save the life of a
fellow-creature. Oh God! will there never be an end to this
cold-blooded butchering?”
“No—no end till we use 'em all up—but it's no use to hurry after
Ingens; to beat 'em we must fight as they do. Rolfe, you are always
too eager—an eel does not move through the water with less noise than
we should through the forest, if we wish to do any thing.” So saying,
and repressing the ardour of his companion, they began to move
silently along to the bank of the river, groping their way as
stealthily as the wild tenants of the woods.
“Earth, is it not strange that we hear no more of them?”
“No; they do their work very silently; you will not hear any more of
'em, until they think themselves safe; then, if they have had much
luck, they will kick up the very devil. Rolfe, you can fight as well
as any body when you see an Ingen, but you know mighty little about
their ways.”
“Earth, I am rather a novice at the business you know, and confess I
have much to learn; tell me why they whooped only once, and then
ceased.”
“As a signal for attack, and in order to frighten,—they ceased,
because they fear discovery—but hush, we'll come upon them, may be,
'fore we know it.”
“Earth, come this way, come, come, it is the nearest to the river.”
“Now, Rolfe, there it is again; does a 'coon, when he wishes to avoid
the dogs, run a straight course, or take the nearest way to his
hollow?—You, I suppose, would like to meet some dozen of 'em on the
bank. Now take my advice; I am an older hunter than you are, and if
hereafter you should meet an Ingen who knows me, just ask him if ever
he fooled Earthquake.”
Then turning off a little from the river, he proceeded a short
distance parallel to it, when he began to climb a hill, the top of
which having with some difficulty reached, he motioned his companion
to be seated; and in silence searched on every side for the spot where
the tragedy had been acted. Yet no clue remained—no noise broke upon
the ear—there was no light, the burning boat having sunk.
“Well, Earth, what do you think of this?”
“Why, that the Ingens are somewhere under the bank, perhaps in
Cave-Inn Rock; the only thing we can do, is to remain here; if they
have taken any prisoners, we shall hear them when they set off on
their journey.”
“Where is Cave-Inn Rock; I do not think I have ever seen it?”
“It is so dark now that I cannot point it out to you, nor do I exactly
know its situation; it is either in the ledge before us, or, if we are
opposite the Battery Rocks, I believe it is lower down; but if that
cave could speak it would tell many a bloody story.”
“How, for what is it remarkable?”
“Why, for years it has been, and now is, a place of concealment for
those red devils from which to make their attacks on emigrant
families. The entrance is scarcely larger than a door, although the
cave, I am told, runs far into the rocks, and is situated so near to
the river, that, if there be a smart rise, you can paddle a canoe into
it. So, you see, no place could better suit their purpose.”
“There is a smart rise in the river at this time, and they may have
gone into it; now, Earth, if the entrance be no larger than you say,
can we not keep them in, and starve them into our own terms?”
“No; that is impossible, the rock rises straight up from the river,
and there is no chance to get a foothold, besides there are some
stories told of the Shawanees and that cave, which I don't even like
to think of. But come, another time we will talk of this, for the
present be quiet;” and they mutually sunk into a meditative silence
which was first interrupted by a glare of light, accompanied with the
wild revelry of savage triumph. Jumping up, they gazed around them on
every side, yet nothing could they see; still the revelry continued.
Again, and again they searched, but without effect, until Earthquake
looking far above him on the opposite bank, beheld the cause, and
calling the attention of Rolfe, he merely pointed his finger; not a
word was spoken, but in silence they gazed with eyes riveted on the
spot.
Nothing could be more striking than the scene before them. Lighted up
by the glare of torches, which gave to the surrounding objects a
darker hue, stood forth in bold relief a bare ledge of lofty rocks,
upon whose summit were seen carousing a band of Indian warriors warm
with slaughter, while several hundred feet beneath them, swept along
the most beautiful and gentle river in the world.
Although separated by the stream, the fire threw abroad so bright a
light, that to the hunters every object was distinctly visible. As the
revelry continued, wild with ecstasy, the Indians were seen to pass
round the scalps and examine each with many a jest. They then rose,
and forming themselves into a line, commenced a war dance, merely
following each other with measured steps in a slow trot within a
circle, while at the same time they sang a wild melody narrating the
events of the evening, which translated might run as follows:—
“Red, red, is my hatchet,
The long knives have gone home;
Red men, yes red men,
The pale face is laid low.
Then pass round the scalps,
And loud let us yell
The cry which will tell our friends
We are avenged.
They come across the big lake,
They say we are friends,
They get strong, they rise up,
They take away our lands.
Then pass round the scalps,
And loud let us yell
The cry which will tell our friends
We are avenged.
And never while sun shines,
Or river runs here,
Will we bury the hatchet,
Till the long knives are gone.
Then pass round the scalps,
And loud let us yell
The cry which will tell our friends
We are avenged.
By the bones of our fathers,
We swear to this oath;
And die at the stake,
Let him who recants.
_Chorus_—Then pass round the scalps,
And loud let us yell
The cry which will tell our friends
We are avenged.”
While this was acting, Rolfe and Earthquake had remained passive
spectators, yet so vivid was the scene, that they had already become
perfectly acquainted with the extent of the massacre, for the wild
dance, the bleeding scalps, and even the condition of Gay Foreman were
but too visible. Still pinioned, and gagged, and bruised by being
dragged up the rocks, with her hair dishevelled, and eyes streaming
with scalding tears, she lay spectatress of the scene before her,
unable to speak or move.
Is there a human bosom callous to the appeals of pity? Yes, even in
civilized life we meet them every day, then do not wonder that Gay
Foreman, though a child whose every thought was innocence, and whose
beauty was as variable, yet striking, as the ever changing hues of our
own summer sunsets, should in the breasts of the savages, have
awakened no feelings of compassion.
Her agony was so intense, that she was nearly insensible, and it
seemed that her sufferings were about to be ended, for one of the
Indians, tall, thin, and of gaunt visage, excited above his
companions, stepped from the ring and tangled his fingers in her long
dark hair. She shuddered, and looked imploringly in his face.
At this sight, Rolfe forgetting himself, distance, and every thing
else, threw up his rifle, cocked it, and was in the act of firing,
when Earthquake rudely caught his arm, crying, “hold, are you mad?”
The fiend now shone in the face of the savage, the tomahawk was
raised, but, ere it fell, another warrior rushed to her rescue, and
Gay was preserved, whether for a better or worse fate, will be learned
in the sequel.
Having witnessed the escape of the captive from immediate death, Earth
observed, “now, Rolfe, had you fired, your ball would never have
reached those cliffs, and its report would have been a signal for
their flight, and her certain destruction.”
“But, my dear Earth,” said Rolfe, “how could I look on unmoved.”
“My good fellow, the best intentions often produce the worst effects,
when acted upon in the heat of zeal. Remember, keep cool if you can,
and let your judgment act in the hour of danger.” He then pressed his
head with his hands, as if suffering under intensity of thought, and
continued “it is not an entirely hopeless case; we must go in pursuit
of them; so fair and young a creature must not writhe at the stake.”
“With all my heart,” said Rolfe, “let us go; quick, how?”
“It matters not how, we must go,—poor girl, were I to leave her alone
in her present situation”—here he could say no more, for the tears
flowed in a stream, down his rugged and weather beaten face. Is was a
lovely sight to see a rough hunter of the west, whose appearance
indicated him a stranger to feeling, thus overcome by sympathy for the
distressed.
Rolfe, who had hitherto looked on his companion simply as a hunter,
bold, frank, and daring, when he saw him thus affected, knew not what
to think; and was about to inquire the cause of his emotion, when
Earthquake requested him to be silent. His grief was of too holy a
nature to be disturbed. Oh! what a flood of recollections must have
called forth that gush of feeling.
Descending the hill, they pursued their way to the river, still
keeping an eye upon the Indians. Earthquake wiping the tears from his
eyes with the cuff of his jacket, observed, “my conduct must seem
strange to you, Rolfe. I have been in these woods a long time, and I
have seen more than I ever tell of—I once had a father, and a mother,
and sis”—but the tears again started, and he added, “let us drop it;
perhaps another time,” and in silence they threaded the woods until
they stood on the river bank.
Earthquake was now himself again, and he said, “come, Rolfe, their
frolic is nearly over; see, they are loosing their captive, and will
soon be moving. We must intercept them when they come down from the
cliffs, and follow on, watching our chance. Will you venture?”
“How, swim it?”
“Yes, we can do nothing else; we can lash together a couple of logs to
lay our rifles and clothes on; they will keep dry, and we must swim
along, resting upon them. This is the only hope, for we might search
for a week, and not find a boat.”
“Then let us go to work; I willingly risk my life in such a cause.”
A short time sufficed to prepare the rude raft, and the hunters having
stripped, and placed upon it their rifles and clothes, it was seen
gliding noiselessly forward to the opposite bank.