But now, the next morning, I must turn my back upon the town, and travel
with them into the vast and desolate wilderness, I knew not whither.
It is not my tongue, or pen, can express the sorrows of my heart, and
bitterness of my spirit that I had at this departure: but God was with
me in a wonderful manner, carrying me along, and bearing up my spirit,
that it did not quite fail. One of the Indians carried my poor wounded
babe upon a horse; it went moaning all along, "I shall die, I shall
die." I went on foot after it, with sorrow that cannot be expressed.
At length I took it off the horse, and carried it in my arms till my
strength failed, and I fell down with it. Then they set me upon a horse
with my wounded child in my lap, and there being no furniture upon the
horse's back, as we were going down a steep hill we both fell over
the horse's head, at which they, like inhumane creatures, laughed, and
rejoiced to see it, though I thought we should there have ended our
days, as overcome with so many difficulties. But the Lord renewed my
strength still, and carried me along, that I might see more of His
power; yea, so much that I could never have thought of, had I not
experienced it.
After this it quickly began to snow, and when night came on, they
stopped, and now down I must sit in the snow, by a little fire, and a
few boughs behind me, with my sick child in my lap; and calling much for
water, being now (through the wound) fallen into a violent fever. My own
wound also growing so stiff that I could scarce sit down or rise up; yet
so it must be, that I must sit all this cold winter night upon the cold
snowy ground, with my sick child in my arms, looking that every hour
would be the last of its life; and having no Christian friend near me,
either to comfort or help me. Oh, I may see the wonderful power of God,
that my Spirit did not utterly sink under my affliction: still the Lord
upheld me with His gracious and merciful spirit, and we were both alive
to see the light of the next morning.