But now (the next morning) I must turn my back upon the town, and
travel with them into the vast and desolate wilderness, I know 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 [_saddle_] upon the horseback, as we were
going down a steep hill, we both fell over the horse’s head, at which
they, like inhuman creatures, laughed and rejoiced to see it, though I
thought we should there have ended our days, 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 the 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.