Chapter VIII (3)

"The officer then desisted from his opposition, and, turning to my parents, asked them if it were with their consent that I was going to enlist. My mother burst into tears, and my sisters hung about me weeping; my father replied with a deep sigh, 'I have long experienced that it is in vain to oppose the decrees of Providence. Could my persuasions have availed, he would have remained contented in these mountains; but that is now impossible, at least till he has purchased wisdom at the price of his blood. If, therefore, sir, you do not despise his youth and mien, take him with you, and let him have the advantage of your example. I have been a soldier myself; and I can assure you, with truth, that I have never seen an officer under whom I would more gladly march than yourself.' Our guest made a polite reply to my father, and instantly agreed to receive me. He then pulled out a purse, and offering it to my father, said, 'The common price of a recruit is now five guineas; but so well am I satisfied with the appearance of your son, and the confidence you repose in me, that I must insist upon your accepting what is contained in this purse; you will dispose of it as you please for your mutual advantage. Before I depart to-morrow I will give such directions as may enable him to join the regiment, which is now preparing to march.' He then requested that he might retire to rest, and my father would have resigned the only bed he had in the house to his guest, but he absolutely refused, and said, 'Would you shame me in the eyes of my new recruit? What is a soldier good for that cannot sleep without a bed? The time will soon arrive when I shall think a comfortable roof and a little straw an enviable luxury.' I therefore raised him as convenient a couch as I was able to make with heath and straw, and wrapping himself up in his riding-coat, he threw himself down upon it and slept till morning. With the first dawn of day he rose and departed, having first given me the directions which were necessary to enable me to join the regiment. But before he went, my father, who was equally charmed with his generosity and manners, pressed him to take back part of the money he had given us; this, however, he absolutely refused, and left us, full of esteem and admiration.

"I will not, gentlemen, repeat the affecting scene I had to undergo in taking leave of my family and friends. It pierced me to the very heart; and then, for the first time, I almost repented of being so near the accomplishment of my wishes. I was, however, engaged, and determined to fulfil my engagement; I therefore tore myself from my family, having with difficulty prevailed upon my father to accept of part of the money I had received for my enrolment. I will not trespass upon your time to describe the various emotions which I felt from the crowd of new sensations that entered my mind during our march. I arrived without any accident in London, the splendid capital of this kingdom; but I could not there restrain my astonishment to see an immense people talking of wounds, of death, of battles, sieges, and conquests, in the midst of feasts, and balls, and puppet-shows, and calmly devoting thousands of their fellow-creatures to perish by famine or the sword, while they considered the loss of a dinner, or the endurance of a shower, as an exertion too great for human fortitude.

"I soon embarked, and arrived, without any other accident than a horrible sickness, at the place of our destination in America. Here I joined my gallant officer, Colonel Simmons, who had performed the voyage in another ship."--(Miss Simmons, who was present at this narration, seemed to be much interested at this mention of her own name; she, however, did not express her feelings, and the stranger proceeded with his story.)--"The gentleman was, with justice, the most beloved, and the most deserving to be so, of any officer I have ever known. Inflexible in everything that concerned the honour of the service, he never pardoned wilful misbehaviour, because he knew that it was incompatible with military discipline; yet, when obliged to punish, he did it with such reluctance that he seemed to suffer almost as much as the criminal himself. But, if his reason imposed this just and necessary severity, his heart had taught him another lesson in respect to private distresses of his men; he visited them in their sickness, relieved their miseries, and was a niggard of nothing but human blood. But I ought to correct myself in that expression, for he was rashly lavish of his own, and to that we owe his untimely loss.

"I had not been long in America before the colonel, who was perfectly acquainted with the language and manners of the savage tribes that border upon the British colonies, was sent on an embassy to one of their nations, for the purpose of soliciting their alliance with Britain. It may not, perhaps, be uninteresting to you, gentlemen, and to this my honourable little master, to hear some account of a people whose manners and customs are so much the reverse of what you see at home. As my worthy officer, therefore, contented with my assiduity and improvement in military knowledge, permitted me to have the honour of attending him, I will describe some of the most curious facts which I was witness to.

"You have, doubtless, heard many accounts of the surprising increase of the English colonies in America; and when we reflect that it is scarcely a hundred years since some of them were established, it must be confessed that they have made rapid improvements in clearing the ground of woods and bringing it to cultivation. Yet, much as they have already done, the country is yet an immense forest, except immediately on the coasts. The forests extend on every side to a distance that no human sagacity or observation has been able to determine; they abound in every species of tree which you see in England, to which may be added a great variety more which are unknown with us. Under their shade is generally found a rich luxurious herbage, which serves for pasture to a thousand herds of animals. Here are seen elks (a kind of deer of the largest size), and buffaloes (a species of wild ox), by thousands, and even horses, which, having been originally brought over by the Spaniards, have escaped from their settlements and multiplied in the woods."

"Dear!" said Tommy, "that must be a fine country, indeed, where horses run wild; why, a man might have one for nothing." "And yet," said Mr Merton, "it would be but of little use for a person to have a wild horse, who is not able to manage a tame one."

Tommy made no answer to his father; and the man proceeded. "But the greatest curiosity of all this country is, in my opinion, the various tribes or nations which inhabit it. Bred up from their infancy to a life of equal hardiness with the wild animals, they are almost as robust in their constitutions. These various tribes inhabit little villages, which generally are seated upon the banks of rivers; and, though they cultivate small portions of land around their towns, they seek the greater part of their subsistence from the chase. In their persons they are rather tall and slender, but admirably well-proportioned and active, and their colour is a pale red, exactly resembling copper. Thus accustomed to roam about the woods, and brave the inclemencies of the weather, as well as continually exposed to the attacks of their enemies they acquire a degree of courage and fortitude which can scarcely be conceived. It is nothing to them to pass whole days without food; to be whole nights upon the bare damp ground, and to swim the widest rivers in the depth of winter. Money, indeed, and the greatest part of what we call the conveniences of life, they are unacquainted with; nor can they conceive that one man should serve another merely because he has a few pieces of shining metal; they imagine that the only distinctions arise from superior courage and bodily perfections, and therefore these alone are able to engage their esteem. A celebrated traveller relates that, on one occasion, while he was engaged in finishing a drawing, he was suddenly interrupted by three of these curious-looking persons entering the room in which he was. At first he feared that they intended to attack him; but he soon found that he was mistaken, for, upon their seeing the representation of themselves upon a sheet which he had taken the day before, and which one of them took up, they immediately burst into a loud fit of laughter, while one of them offered to purchase it by giving some fruit in exchange.

"But if their manners are gentle in peace, they are more dreadful, when provoked, than all the wildest animals of the forest. Bred up from infancy to suffer no restraint, and to give an unbounded loose to the indulgence of their passions, they know not what it is to forgive those who have injured them. They love their tribe with a degree of affection that is totally unknown in every other country; for they are ready to suffer every hardship and danger in its defence. They scruple not in the least to experience wounds, and pain, and even death itself, as often as the interest of the country to which they are so much attached is concerned; but the same attachment renders them implacable and unforgiving to all their enemies. In short, they seem to have all the virtues and the vices of the ancient Spartans.

"To one of these tribes, called the Ottigamies, was Colonel Simmons sent ambassador, accompanied by a few more officers, and some private men, among whom I had the honour to be included. We pursued our march for several days, through forests which seemed to be of equal duration with the world itself. Sometimes we were shrouded in such obscurity, from the thickness of the covert, that we could scarcely see the light of heaven; sometimes we emerged into spacious meadows, bare of trees, and covered with the most luxuriant herbage, on which were feeding immense herds of buffaloes. These, as soon as they snuffed the approach of men, which they are capable of doing even at a considerable distance, ran with precipitation into the surrounding woods; many, however, fell beneath our attack, and served us for food during our journey. At length we came to a wide and rapid river, upon whose banks we found a party of friendly savages, with some of whom we embarked upon canoes made of the bark of trees, to proceed to the country of the Ottigamies.

"After three days' incessant rowing we entered a spacious lake, upon whose banks were encamped a considerable portion of the nation we sought. As we approached the shore they saluted us with a volley of balls from their muskets, which whistled just above our heads, without producing mischief. I and several of the soldiers instantly seized our arms, imagining it to be a hostile attack; but our leader quieted our apprehensions by informing us that this was only a friendly salute with which a nation of warriors received and welcomed their allies. We landed, and were instantly conducted to the assembly of the chiefs, who were sitting upon the ground, without external pomp or ceremony, with their arms beside them; but there was in their countenances and eyes an expression of ferocious grandeur which would have daunted the boldest European. Yes, gentlemen, I have seen the greatest and most powerful men in my own country; I have seen them adorned with every external circumstance of dress, of pomp, and equipage, to inspire respect, but never did I see anything which so completely awed the soul as the angry scowl and fiery glance of a savage American.

"As soon as our leader entered the circle, he produced the calumet, or pipe of peace. This is the universal mark of friendship and alliance among all the barbarous nations of America, and he that bears it is considered with so much respect that his person is always safe. This calumet is nothing but a long and slender pipe, ornamented with the most lively and beautiful feathers, which are ingeniously fixed along the tube; the bowl is composed of a peculiar kind of reddish marble, and filled with scented herbs and tobacco.

"Colonel Simmons lighted his pipe with great solemnity, and turning the bowl first towards the heavens, then to the earth, then in a circle round him, he began to smoke. In the mean time the whole assembly sat with mute attention, waiting to hear his proposals; for, though we call them savages, yet in some respects they well deserve to be imitated by more refined nations; in all their meetings and assemblies the greatest order and regularity prevail; whoever rises to speak is sure of being patiently heard to the end without the least interruption.

"Our leader then began to harangue them in their own language, with which he was well acquainted. I did not understand what passed, but it was afterwards explained to me that he set before their eyes the injuries they had mutually received from the French and the tribes in their alliance. He told them that their great father (for so these people call the King of Britain) had taken up the hatchet of war, and was sending an innumerable band of warriors to punish the insults of his enemies. He told them that he had ordered him to visit the Ottigamies, his dutiful children, and smoke with them the pipe of peace. He invited their young men to join the warriors that came from beyond the ocean, and who were marching to bury the bones of their brethren, who had been killed by their mutual foes. When he had concluded, he flung upon the ground a curious string of shells, which is called the belt of _Wampum_. This is a necessary circumstance in all the treaties made with these tribes. Whoever comes as an ambassador brings one with him to present to the people whose friendship is solicited, and, if the belt is accepted the proposed alliance is considered as entered into.

"As soon as our leader had finished, a chief of a stature superior to the common race of men, and of a most determined look, jumped into the middle of the assembly, and, taking up the belt, cried out in their language, 'Let us march, my brethren, with the young men of our great father! Let us dig up the hatchet of war and revenge the bones of our countrymen; they lie unburied, and cry to us for vengeance! We will not be deaf to their cries; we will shake off all delays; we will approve ourselves worthy of our ancestors; we will drink the blood of our enemies, and spread a feast of carnage for the fowls of the air and the wild beasts of the forest!' This resolution was universally approved by the whole nation, who consented to the war with a ferocious joy. The assembly was then dissolved, and the chiefs prepared for their intended march according to the manners of their country.

"All the savage tribes that inhabit America are accustomed to very little clothing. Inured to the inclemencies of the weather, and being in the constant exercise of all their limbs, they cannot bear the restraint and confinement of a European dress. The greater part of their bodies, therefore, is naked; and this they paint in various fashions, to give additional terror to their looks.

"When the chiefs were thus prepared they came from their tents; and the last solemnity I was witness to, was dancing the dance of war and singing the song of death. But what words can convey an adequate idea of the furious movements and expressions which animated them through the whole of this performance! Every man was armed with a kind of hatchet, which is their usual weapon in battle, and called a _tomahawk_. This he held in his hand, and brandished through the whole of the dreadful spectacle. As they went on, their faces kindled into an expression of anger that would daunt the boldest spectator; their gestures seemed to be inspired by frantic rage and animosity; they moved their bodies with the most violent agitations, and it was easy to see they represented all the circumstances of a real combat. They seemed to be engaged in close or distant battle, and brandished their weapons with so much fury, that you would have imagined they were going every instant to hew each other to pieces. Nor would it have been possible, even for the performers themselves of this terrific dance, to have avoided mutual wounds and slaughter, had they not been endued with that extraordinary activity which is peculiar to savage nations. By intervals they increased the horrid solemnity of the exhibition by uttering yells that would have pierced a European ear with horror. I have seen rage and fury under various forms and in different parts of the globe, but I must confess that everything I have seen elsewhere is feeble and contemptible, when compared with this day's spectacle. When the whole was finished, they entertained us at a public festival in their cabins, and, when we departed, dismissed us with these expressive wishes; they prayed that the Great Spirit would favour us with a prosperous voyage; that he would give us an unclouded sky and smooth waters by day, and that we might lie down at night on a beaver blanket, enjoying uninterrupted sleep and pleasant dreams; and that we might find continual protection under the great pipe of peace. I have been thus particular (said the Highlander) in describing the circumstances of this embassy, because you have not disdained to hear the story of my adventures; and I thought that this description of a people so totally unlike all you have been accustomed to in Europe might not prove entirely uninteresting."

"We are much obliged to you," said Mr Barlow, "for all these curious particulars, which are perfectly conformable to all I have heard and read upon the subject. Nor can I consider, without a certain degree of admiration, the savage grandeur of man in his most simple state. The passion for revenge, which marks the character of all uncivilised nations, is certainly to be condemned. But it is one of the constant prejudices of their education; and many of those that call themselves refined, have more to blush at in that respect than they are aware of. Few, I am afraid, even in the most refined state of society, have arrived at that sublime generosity which is able to forgive the injuries of his fellow-creatures, when it has the power to repay them, and I see many around me that are disgraced by the vices of uncivilised Americans, without a claim to their virtues."

"I will not fatigue your ears," continued the Highlander, "with the recital of all the events I was engaged in during the progress of the war. The description of blood and carnage is always disagreeable to a humane mind; and, though the perversity of mankind may sometimes render war a necessary evil, the remembrance of its mischiefs is always painful. I will only mention one event, continually lamented in the annals of this country, because it is connected with the untimely fate of my noble friend and gallant leader.

"It was determined by those who governed that we should march through the woods upon a distant expedition against the French. The conduct of this enterprise was given to a brave but rash commander, totally unacquainted with the people he had to oppose, and unskilled in the nature of a savage war. We therefore began our march through the same trackless wilds I have described, and proceeded for several days without any other difficulties than the nature of the country itself produced, and without seeing the face of an enemy. It was in vain that officers of the greatest experience, and particularly my worthy colonel, suggested to our commander the necessity of using every precaution against a dangerous and insidious foe.

"War is not managed, amid the forests of America, in the same manner as it is conducted upon the plains of Europe. The temper of the people there conspires with the nature of the country to render it a continual scene of stratagems and surprise. Unencumbered with tents or baggage, or numerous trains of artillery, the hostile warriors set out in small and chosen parties, with nothing but their arms, and are continually upon the watch to deceive their enemies. Long experience has taught them a degree of sagacity in traversing the woods which to us is inconceivable. Neither the widest rivers nor the most extensive forests can retard them for an instant. A march of a thousand miles is scarcely to them a greater difficulty than the passage of a European army between two neighbouring towns. The woods themselves afford them a continual supply of provisions in the various animals which they kill by the chase. When they are near their enemies they frequently lurk all day in thickets, for fear of a discovery, and pursue their march by night. Hundreds of them sometimes pursue their course in the same line, treading only in each other's steps, and the last of the party carefully covers over the impressions which his fellows have made. When they are thus upon the point of accomplishing their purpose the very necessities of nature are unheeded; they cease to fire upon the beasts of the forest, lest it should alarm the foe; they feed upon the roots or the bark of trees, or pass successive days in a perfect abstinence from food. All this our colonel represented to the general, and conjured him, with the strongest entreaties, not to hazard the safety of our army by an incautious progress. He advised him to send out numerous detachments to beat the bushes and examine the woods; and offered himself to secure the march of the army. But presumption is always blind; our general was unacquainted with any other than European warfare, and could not conceive that naked savages would dare to attack an army of two thousand disciplined troops.

"One morning, the way before us appeared more intricate and obscure than common; the forests did not, as usual, consist of lofty trees, which afford a tolerably clear prospect between their trunks, but were composed of creeping bushes and impervious thickets. The army marched as usual, with the vain ostentation of military discipline, but totally unprepared for the dreadful scene which followed. At length we entered a gloomy valley, surrounded on every side by the thickest shade, and rendered swampy by the overflowings of a little rivulet. In this situation it was impossible to continue our march without disordering our ranks; and part of the army extended itself beyond the rest, while another part of the line involuntarily fell behind.

"In the moment while the officers were employed in rectifying the disorder of their men, a sudden noise of musketry was heard in front, which stretched about twenty of our men upon the field. The soldiers instinctively fired towards the part whence they were attacked, and instantly fell back in disorder. But it was equally vain to retreat or go forward, for it now appeared that we were completely hemmed in. On every side resounded the fatal peals of scattering fire, that thinned our ranks and extended our bravest comrades on the earth. Figure to yourself a shoal of fishes, enclosed within the net, that circle in vain the fatal labyrinth in which they are involved; or rather, conceive what I have myself been witness to--a herd of deer, surrounded on every side by a band of active and unpitying hunters, who press and gall them on every side, and exterminate them at leisure in their flight; just such was the situation of our unfortunate countrymen. After a few unavailing discharges, which never annoyed a secret enemy that scattered death unseen, the ranks were broken and all subordination lost. The ground was covered with gasping wretches, and stained with blood; the woods resounded with cries and groans, and fruitless attempts of our gallant officers to rally their men, and check the progress of the enemy. By intervals was heard, more shrill, more dreadful than all the rest, the dismal yell of the victorious savages, who now, emboldened by their success, began to leave the covert and hew down those who fled, with unrelenting cruelty. As to myself, the description which our colonel had given me of their method of attack, and the precautions to be used against it, rendered me perhaps less disturbed than I should otherwise have been. I remarked that those who stood and those who fled were exposed to equal danger; those who kept their ranks and endeavoured to repel the enemy, exposed their persons to their fire, and were successively shot down, as happened to most of our unfortunate officers, while those who fled frequently rushed headlong upon the very death they sought to avoid.

"Pierced to the heart at the sight of such a carnage of my gallant comrades, I grew indifferent to life, and abandoned myself to despair; but it was a despair that neither impaired my exertions nor robbed me of the faculties of my mind. 'Imitate me,' I cried, 'my gallant countrymen, and we shall yet be safe.' I then directly ran to the nearest tree, and sheltered myself behind its stem--convinced that this precaution alone could secure me from the incessant volleys which darted on every side. A small number of Highlanders followed my example; and, thus secured, we began to fire with more success at the enemy, who now exposed themselves with less reserve. This check seemed to astonish and confound them; and had not the panic been so general, it is possible that this successful effort might have changed the fortune of the fight; for, in another quarter, the provincial troops that accompanied us behaved with the greatest bravery, and, though deserted by the European forces, effected their own retreat.

"But it was now too late to hope for victory or even safety; the ranks were broken on every side, the greater part of our officers slain or wounded, and our unfortunate general himself had expiated with his life his fatal rashness. I cast my eyes around, and saw nothing but images of death, and horror, and frantic rage. Yet even then the safety of my noble colonel was dearer to me than my own. I sought him for some time in vain, amid the various scenes of carnage which surrounded me. At length I discovered him at a distance, almost deserted by his men, yet still attempting to renew the fight, and heedless of the wounds which covered him. Transported with grief and passion, I immediately darted forward to offer him my feeble support; but, in the very instant of my arrival, he received a straggling ball in his bosom, and, tottering to a tree, supported his fainting limbs against the trunk. Just in that moment three of our savage enemies observed his situation, and marked him for their prey; they raised their hideous yell, and darted upon him with the speed and fierceness of wolves. Fury then took possession of my soul; had I possessed a thousand lives, I should have held them cheap in the balance. I fired with so unerring an aim that I stretched the foremost on the earth; the second received the point of my bayonet in his breast, and fell in the pangs of death; the third, daunted with the fate of his companions, turned his steps another way.

"Just then a horse, that had lost his rider, was galloping along the wood; I bounded across the path, and, seizing him by the bridle, instantly led him to my leader, and conjured him to preserve his glorious life. He thanked me in the most affectionate manner for my friendship, but bade me preserve my own life. 'As to myself,' said he, 'I do not wish to survive my country's dishonour; and even had I such a wish, the wounds I have received would render all escape impossible.' 'If that is your resolution,' said I, 'we will die together; for I swear by the eternal majesty of my Creator that I will not leave you.' When he saw me thus resolved, he consented to use my assistance, and with infinite difficulty I seated him upon the horse, which, holding by the reins, as I was then light and active, I guided along the wood with no inconsiderable speed.

"Fortunately for me, we were not observed by any of our savage enemies, so that, flying through the thickest part of the forest, we left the danger behind, and were soon removed beyond the sight or hearing of the battle. 'Courage,' said I, 'my noble leader! you are now almost in safety; and I trust you will yet preserve a life so necessary to your friends and country.' He answered me with the kindest expressions, but with a feeble voice, 'Campbell, I have consented to fly, more for the sake of preserving your life than from any hopes of my own; but since we are at a distance from yonder dreadful scene, permit me to alight; I have consumed my small remaining forces in the way, and now I am faint from loss of blood.' He sunk down at this, and would have fallen, but I received him in my arms; I bore him to the next thicket, and, strewing grass and leaves upon the ground, endeavoured to prepare him a bed. He thanked me again with gratitude and tenderness, and grasped my hand as he lay in the very agonies of death, for such it was, although I believed he had only fainted, and long tried every ineffectual method to restore departed life. Thus was I deprived of the noblest officer and kindest friend that ever deserved the attachment of a soldier. Twenty years have now rolled over me since that inauspicious day, yet it lives for ever in my remembrance, and never shall be blotted from my soul. (The Highlander then turned away to hide a tear, which did not misbecome his manly countenance; the company seemed all to share his griefs, but Miss Simmons above the rest. However, as the natural gentleness of her temper was sufficiently known, no one suspected that she had any particular interest in the relation.)

"I sat till night (continued the stranger) supporting the breathless body of my colonel, and vainly hoping he might return to life. At length I perceived that his noble soul was fled for ever. My own wounds grew stiff and painful, and exhausted nature required a supply of food; I therefore arose, and finding a spring that trickled down a hill at no great distance, I refreshed myself by a copious draught, and washed the clotted blood away from the hurts I had received. I then crushed some leaves, which the inhabitants of that country imagine salutary, and bound them on with bandages which I tore from my linen; I also found a few wild fruits, which past experience had taught me were innocent, and with them I allayed the pains of hunger. I then returned to the thicket, and, creeping into the thickest part, endeavoured to compose myself to rest.

"Strange, gentlemen, as it may appear, neither the forlorn nature of my situation, nor the dangers with which I was beset, were sufficient to keep me awake; my wearied and exhausted body seemed to triumph over all the agitations of my mind, and I sunk into a sleep as deep and profound as that of death itself. I awoke next morning with the first rays of the sun, but, more composed, I better understood the difficulties in which I was involved, and the uncertainty of my escape. I was in the midst of an immense desert, totally destitute of human assistance or support. Should I meet with any of my fellow-creatures, I could expect nothing but implacable cruelty; and even if I escaped their vigilance, what method of finding subsistence, or of measuring back, without a guide, the long and tedious march I had trodden? Hope, however, and the vigour of my constitution, still supported me. I reflected that it is the common lot of man to struggle with misfortunes; that it is cowardice to yield to evils, when present, the representation of which had not deterred me from voluntarily embracing the profession of a soldier; and that the providence of Heaven was as capable of protecting me in the forests of America as upon my native mountains. I therefore determined to struggle till the last with the difficulties which surrounded me, and to meet my fortune like a man. Yet, as I still by intervals heard the dismal cries of the enemy, and saw their fires at a distance, I lay close till night in the obscurity of my thicket. When all was dark and still, I ventured abroad, and laid in my scanty provisions of fruits and herbs, and drank again at the spring. The pain of my wounds now began to abate a little, though I suffered extremely from the cold, as I did not dare to kindle a fire, from the fear of discovering myself by its light.

"Three nights and days did I lead this solitary life, in continual dread of the savage parties which scoured all the woods in pursuit of stragglers, and often passed so near my place of retreat that I gave myself over for lost. At length, on the fourth evening, fancying myself a little restored, and that the activity of the enemy might be abated, I ventured out and pursued my march. I scarcely need describe the various difficulties and dangers to which I was exposed in such a journey; however, I still had with me my musket, and as my ammunition was not quite exhausted, I depended upon the woods themselves to supply me with food. I travelled the greater part of the night, involving myself still deeper in these inextricable forests, for I was afraid to pursue the direction of our former march, as I imagined the savages were dispersed along the country in pursuit of the fugitives. I therefore took a direction as nearly as I could judge parallel to the English settlements, and inclining to the south. In this manner I forced my way along the woods all night, and with the morning had reason to think that I had advanced a considerable distance.

"My wounds began now to pain me afresh with this exertion, and compelled me to allow myself some repose. I chose out the thickest covert I could find, and, shrouding myself as well as I was able, was soon overpowered by sleep. I did not awake till the sun had gained the meridian, and, creeping from my retreat, beheld, with some degree of terror, an enormous rattlesnake that was coiled up full in my way, and seemed determined to oppose my passage. This animal is frequent in the southern colonies, and is the most poisonous of all the reptiles that haunt the woods. He is in length from two to six feet, beautifully variegated with different colours, but the most remarkable circumstance attending him is a natural noise that he produces with every motion of his tail, and which, too, occasions his name. I soon destroyed my hissing foe, and, taking courage for the first time to kindle a fire, I roasted him upon the embers, and made the most delicious meal I ever remember upon his flesh."

"What!" exclaimed Tommy, "is it possible to eat snakes? I thought they had been all over poison." "Master," replied the Highlander, "the want of food will reconcile us to many meats which we should scarcely think eatable. Nothing has surprised me more than to see the poor, in various countries, complaining of the scarcity of food, yet throwing away every year thousands of the carcases of horses, which are full as wholesome and nourishing as beef, and are in many countries preferred to it; but, in general, every animal may be eaten, and affords a salutary food. As to snakes, the poison of them is contained in the hollow of their teeth. When they bite, they instil their venom into the wound, which mixes with the blood, and, without a timely remedy, destroys the sufferer; but if you cut off the head, the rest of the body is not only wholesome but palatable, and I have known it eaten as a delicacy by many inhabitants of the colonies.

"Thus refreshed, therefore, I pursued my march through the same thick, gloomy country, without meeting the least appearance of a human creature, and at night I cut, with a hatchet that I had about me, some boughs, with which I erected a temporary shelter. The next day, as I was pursuing my march, I saw a deer bound by me, upon whose shoulders was fixed a fierce and destructive animal resembling a tiger. This creature, which is about the size of a moderate dog, ascends the trees and hides himself among the branches till a deer, or any other animal that he can master, passes within his reach. He then darts himself with a sudden spring full upon the neck or shoulder of the unfortunate animal, which he continues tearing with so much violence that he soon despatches him. This was actually the case with the poor deer that passed me; for he had not run a hundred yards before he fell down in the agonies of death, and his destroyer began to regale himself upon the prey. I instantly saw that this was a lucky opportunity of supplying myself with food for several days. I therefore ran towards the animal, and by a violent shout made him abandon his victim and retire growling into the woods. I then kindled a fire with leaves and sticks, and, cutting off a large slice of venison, I plentifully refreshed myself for my journey. I then packed up as much of the most fleshy parts of the body as I could conveniently carry, and abandoned the rest to wild beasts.

"In this manner did I march for several days without wanting food, or seeing any probable end of my fatigues. At length I found a lofty mountain before me, which I determined to ascend, imagining that such an elevation might enable me to make some useful discoveries in respect to the nature of the country I had to traverse, and perhaps present me with some appearances of cultivation or inhabitants. I therefore ascended with infinite fatigue a rough and stony ascent of several miles, in which I was frequently obliged to clamber up pointed rocks, and work my way along the edge of dangerous precipices. I, however, arrived without any accident at the top, which was entirely bare of trees, and, looking round me, I beheld a wild and desert country, extending to a prodigious distance. Far as my eye could reach I discovered nothing but forests on every side but one; there the country seemed to be more open, though equally uncultivated, and I saw meadows and savannahs opening one beyond another, bounded at length by a spacious river, whose end and beginning were equally concealed from my eye. I was now so weary of this solitary kind of life, that I began to consider the inhabitants themselves with less apprehension; besides, I thought myself out of danger of meeting with the hostile tribes; and all these people, unless irritated by injuries or stimulated by revenge, are perhaps less strangers to the rights of hospitality than any civilised nation. I therefore reflected, that by directing my course to the river, and following the direction of its waters, I should have the greatest probability of meeting with some of my fellow-creatures, as the natives build their villages near lakes and streams, and choose their banks as a residence when they are employed in hunting. I therefore descended the mountain, and entered the level district which I saw before me; and then marched along an open champaign country for several hours, covered over with a species of rank grass, and beheld numerous herds of buffaloes grazing all around.

"It was here that an accident befel me, which I will relate for its singularity, both in respect to the dangers I incurred and my method of escape. As I was thus journeying on, I discovered a prodigious light that seemed to efface the sun itself, and streak the skies with an angry kind of illumination. I looked round me to discover the cause of this strange appearance, and beheld, with equal horror and astonishment, that the whole country behind was in flames. In order to explain this event, I must observe, that all the plains in America produce a rank, luxuriant vegetation, the juices of which are exhausted by the heat of the summer's sun; it is then as inflammable as straw or fodder, and when a casual spark of fire communicates with it, the flame frequently drives before the wind for miles together, and consumes everything it meets. This was actually the case at present; far as my eye could reach, the country was all in flames, a powerful wind added fresh fury to the fire, and drove it on with a degree of swiftness which precluded all possibility of flight. I must confess that I was struck with horror at the sudden approach of a death so new, so dreadful, so unexpected! I saw it was in vain to fly, the flaming line extended for several miles on every side, and advanced with such velocity that I considered my fate as inevitable. I looked round me with a kind of mute despair, and began to envy the fate of my comrades who had fallen by honourable wounds in battle. Already did the conflagration scorch me in its approach, accompanied by clouds of smoke that almost suffocated me with their baneful vapour. In this extremity Providence presented to my mind an instantaneous thought, which perhaps was the only possible method of escape. I considered that nothing could stop the conflagration but an actual want of matter to continue it, and therefore by setting fire to the vegetables before me, I might follow my own path in safety. (I hope, gentlemen, that during the course of a long life, you will never have occasion to experience the pleasure which the first glance of this expedient afforded to my mind.) I saw myself snatched, beyond expectation, from a strange and painful death, and instantly pulled out, with a trembling hand, the flint and steel upon which my preservation was to depend. I struck a light, and presently kindled the driest grass before me; the conflagration spread along the country, the wind drove it on with inconceivable fury, and I saw the path of my deliverance open before my eyes. In a few seconds a considerable vacancy was burnt before me, which I traversed with the speed of a man that flies from instant death. My feet were scorched with the glowing soil, and several times had I been nearly suffocated with the drift of the pursuing smoke, but every step I made convinced me of the certainty of my escape, and in a little time I stopped to consider at leisure the conflagration I had avoided, which, after proceeding to the point whence I set out, was extinguished as I had foreseen, and delivered me from all apprehension."

"I declare," said Tommy, "this is the most extraordinary thing I ever heard, and yet I can easily conceive it, for once I saw some men set fire to the heath and furzes upon the common, and they burnt so furiously that I was quite afraid to come near the flame."

"I pursued my way," continued the Highlander, "over the smoking soil, which I had rendered bare to a considerable extent, and lodged at night, as usual, under some boughs which I stuck up to defend me. In the morning I set out again, and soon arrived at a spacious lake, upon whose banks I could plainly discern the signs of an American encampment. I hesitated some time whether I should again conceal myself in the woods or deliver myself up to their mercy. But I considered that it was impossible long to continue this wandering life, and that in the end I must have recourse to some of these savage tribes for assistance. What, therefore, must be done at last, it was fruitless to delay. I had every reason to imagine that the people before me must either be favourable to Great Britain, or at least indifferent to the war; and in either case, from the experience I possessed of the manners of the natives, I did not think I had much to fear. I therefore determined to hazard everything upon the probability of a favourable reception, and, collecting all my resolution, I marched boldly forward, and soon arrived at the encampment.

"As soon as I entered the village the women and children gathered round me, with the curiosity natural to mankind at the sight of an unaccustomed object. I formed a favourable conjecture from this apparent ignorance of Europeans, and walking on with a composed step and steady countenance, I at length entered into one of the largest cabins I could find. When I was within, I saw a venerable old man whom I took to be a chief from his appearance, sitting at his ease upon the ground, and smoking. I saluted him with all the courtesy I was able, and placed myself upon the ground, at some little distance, waiting with inward anxiety, but external composure, for him to begin the conversation. After he had eyed me for some time with fixed attention, but without either sternness or anger, he took the pipe from his mouth and presented it to me. I received it with infinite satisfaction; for, as I have before remarked, this is always with the American tribes the firmest pledge of peace and a friendly reception.

"When we had thus been seated for some time in mutual contemplation of each other, he asked me in a dialect which I understood tolerably well, to eat. I did not think it prudent to refuse any offered civility, and therefore accepted the offer; and in a little time, a young woman who was in the back part of the hut, set before me some broiled fish and parched maize. After I had eaten, my friendly host inquired into my country and the reasons of my visit. I was just enough acquainted with the language he spoke to be able to understand him, and to give an intelligible though imperfect answer. I therefore explained to him, as well as I was able, that I had crossed the great water with the warriors of the king of Britain; that we had been compelled to take up the hatchet against the French and their allies, and that we had actually set out upon an expedition against their colonies, but that we had been surprised by a lurking party in the woods; that, in the confusion of the fight, I had been separated from the rest, and had wandered several days through the woods in search of my comrades; and that now, seeing the tents of my brethren, the red men, I had come to visit them, and smoke the pipe of peace in their company. All this I with some difficulty explained to my entertainer, who listened to me with great attention, and then bade me welcome in the name of his nation, which he told me was called the _Saukies_; he added, 'that their young men were dispersed through the woods, hunting the deer and buffalo, but they would soon return loaded with provisions, and in the meantime I might share his cabin and such provisions as he could command.' I thanked him for his offer, and remained several days in his hut, always entertained with the same hospitality, until the return of the young men from hunting. They came at last in several boats, along the lake, bringing with them a considerable quantity of wild beasts, which they had killed. I was received by all the tribe with the same hospitality I had experienced from the old chief; and as it was necessary to gain their friendship as much as possible, I joined them in all their hunting and fishing parties, and soon acquired a considerable degree of skill in both.

"Hunting itself has something cruel in the practice; it is a species of war which we wage with brute animals for their spoils; but if ever it can be considered as excusable, it is in these savage nations, who have recourse to it for their subsistence. They are active, bold, and dexterous in all these exercises, to such a degree, that none of the wild animals they attack have the smallest chance of escape. Their parties generally consist of almost all the youth of their nation, who go in a body to particular districts where they know game is plentiful. Their common method is, when they are arrived at a spot which abounds in deer or buffaloes, to disperse themselves through the woods; and then, alarming the beasts in the neighbourhood, they drive them with shouts and dogs towards some common place, which was always in the middle of all their parties. When they have thus roused their prey, the various squadrons gradually advance towards the centre, till they unite in a circle, and enclose a prodigious number of frightened animals; they then attack them either with fire-arms or arrows, and shoot them down successively. By these means they are sure, in a single day, to destroy a prodigious number of different beasts. But it sometimes happens that, while they are engaged in the chase of other animals, they become a prey themselves to their enemies, who take this method of surprising them in the woods, and gratifying their resentment. This was actually the case with my friends the Saukies, and produced a surprising event, the consequence of which was my return to the English colonies in safety.

"The Saukies had been long at war with the Iroquese, a powerful tribe of North Americans, in the interest of the French. The Iroquese had received intelligence of the situation of the Saukies' encampment, and determined to surprise them. For this purpose a thousand warriors set out by a secret march through the woods, and travelled with silence and celerity, which are peculiar to all these nations. When they had nearly approached the hunting-grounds of their enemies, they happened to be discovered upon their march by four warriors of another nation, who instantly suspected their design, and, running with greater diligence than it was possible so large a body could make, arrived at the encampment of the Saukies, and informed them of the near approach of their enemies. A great council was instantly assembled to deliberate upon the choice of proper measures for their defence. As they were encumbered with their families, it was impracticable to retreat with safety, and it seemed equally difficult to resist so large a force with inferior numbers.