ON the 15th of October 1763, as I was at work with my father, on the banks of the Susquehannah, the Indians, to the number of 135, came upon us and kil­led my father on the spot. My brother Timothy, who was at work about half a mile distant, under­went the same fate; as did likewise 14 or 15 others, who were at work in different places.

The Indians, after they had burnt and destroyed all they could, marched off, and carried me up the Susquehannah river 150 miles, to a town called by them Wethouooungque; and when we had arrived there, they tied me with a rope about my neck, and an Indian was ordered to lead me, while others beat me with their fists: This they continued to do un­til I can about a quarter of a mile. When I arrived at one of their huts, they tied me to one of the spars of the hut, where I remained all that night. The next day they let me loose, but would not let me go out of their sight.

Here I tarried about three months, in which time I underwent many hardships, and had like to have famished with hunger and cold, having nothing to cover me but an old coat and an old blanket, which was almost worn out. My employment was to [Page 3] fetch wood every day upon my back half a mile, which made me almost weary of my life.—At this place was brought a young Dutchman, who was ta­ken at the same time and place that I was; and when we had convenient opportunity, we laid our heads together to contrive an escape; to this end we stole every thing we could without being discovered, and hid it in the hollow of an old log.

It was about the latter end of March, as near as I could judge (for it rained successively three or four days, which melted away all the snow and brake up the river) when we had got together about 40 ears of corn, and six cakes of bread each, about the big­ness of an hand. The Dutchman tho't it now time for us to endeavour to make our escape, but I was very averse to his proposal, telling him it would be better for us to wait till the spring was farther ad­vanced, and the weather grew a little more warm: that we might endure the severity of the nights when we should have nothing but the cold ground to rest our limbs on, and the heavens to cover our almost uncovered bodies; but he was so stiflly bent in his opinion of going off the first opportunity, that I was obliged to come into his measures. The next day at noon we were sent after wood at the usual place, when instead of returning back, we sat out with a design to reach the nearest English settlement we could.— We ran all the afternoon till evening, when we made a stop and built a fire, where we re­mained during the night. Early next morning we set out again, but had not gone far before the cold proved so severe that it froze the ends of my toes, and my mockasins being very thin and almost worn out, my toes wore off as fast as they froze. This [Page 4] so far disabled me that it was with great difficulty I could travel, yet we continued our way until about noon, when unable to go any farther, we stopt and made a fire, and after we had warmed and refreshed ourselves, we set out again, and about sun set we arrived at a very thick swamp in which we were securely covered by the prodigious thickness of the hemlock, with which the swamp abounded. We made a large fire, and notwithstanding the fatigues of our march, and the pain that might be expected to arise from my toes being froze, and being as we aprehended out of danger of any enemy, we rested very comfortably all night. The next day very early we got on our way again; but the weather was so cold that we were unable to proceed very far before we were obliged to make a halt, and to build a fire to keep us from freezing.—We stayed in this place two days, when the weather began to moderate to such a degree that we could pursue our rout with less danger of being overcome with the severity of the season: Sometimes we travelled all day, at other times but two or three hours in a day; sometimes we stayed two or three days in a place, altho' many times we had tolerable good weather. This remis­ness began to make me very uneasy—I used all the arguments I possibly could with my companion to persuade him to expedite our escape, but all to no purpose. Sometimes I got hold of his hand, with a view to force him along, but nothing would move him—It looks to me very probable, had we made the best use of our shatter'd limbs, we might have reached some English fort or settlement before his death. In this dismal condition I knew not what to do—leave him I could not, for we had but one [Page 5] hatchet, and the nights still pretty cold, so that we could not endure them without a fire.—Thus we moved on slowly for several days, untill all our pro­visions were spent: By this time we had arrived at a small creek which extends its course about S. E. and empties itself into the Susquehannah.

We had not gone far down this creek before we stopt, and built a fire, and sat down, but were soon surprized at the appearance of an Indian, who came very near before we discovered each other. He no sooner saw us but he turn'd short about, and ran down by the creek; and as soon as he was out of sight, we made all the haste we could to a hill which lay a little before us, on the south side of which the snow was all gone and the ground dry, by which means we made our escape.—The Indian soon alar­med his companions who lay at a little distance and pursued us, but the ground being so dry and hard, it was impossible for them to track us, which made them soon give over pursuing.—After tarrying on this hill two days, we proceeded on our way, but had nothing to eat but the bark of trees, on which alone we lived to days, without eating any thing else. The fourth day after we left this hill we be­gan to grow weary and faint, but the fear of an ene­my banished all hunger from us. We continued travelling till the seventh day, when we stopped again, when my companion, as I suppose was over­come with fasting (tho' he never complained) and began to be unable to help himself. I nursed him as well as I could. The second day he made an at­tempt to go to a spring at a small distance, but was so weak he fell down several times before he could get there, it was with difficulty he got back [Page 6] again; after this he never was able to walk any more.—I know whether he apprehended his end to be so near, but the third night he died. The af­ternoon before his death he said but few words, tho' I often tried to discourse with him. In the evening he told me, that if he died first, he would not have me afraid to eat of his flesh, for I am determin'd, says he, to eat of yours, if you should die before me.

And now I was left all alone, stript of every comfort of life, and knew not which way to turn myself. I thought the absolute necessity I was in, would excuse my pursuing the advice he gave me, of eating his flesh as soon as dead: I went immedi­ately about performing the disagreeable operation, and cut off 5 or 6 pounds of his legs and thighs:—I left the rest, and made the best way I could down the Creek. I had not travelled but four days before I arrived at an Indian town, where I was soon dis­covered; and being taken up by them, they con­veyed me to one of their huts.

They demanded of me from whence I came? and after I had answered their demands, they gave me some parched corn to eat.

The next day all the Indians left their habitati­ons, and carried me directly back to the place from whence I had made my escape.

My old masters being so vexed at my leaving them, that they were resolutely bent to have me burnt: But a counsel being called upon the occa­sion, they thought death too severe a punishment, considering I was but young, and concluding that I should not have attempted an escape, had not the Dutchman enticed me away. Therefore they contented themselves with ordering me to be whipt on the naked body.

[Page 7] Accordingly, next day I was brought forth, strip'd stark naked, and ordered to run; while the Indians, who were ranged in a row, at certain dist­ances, in a most cruel and barbarous manner, bela­boured me with their whips,—by which they sometimes laid me level with the ground, by their blows.— Thus they continued to lash me, until I had run about 40 rods, when I received a prodigi­ous blow from one of them, which settled me to the ground as quick as if I had been shot through the heart. I was so stunned by the blow, that it seems I should never have recovered again, had not an old squaw run immediately to my relief, and helped me into her hut. By this time my whole body was covered with gore and blood.

I tarried here after this about 14 days, and then they sent me up to the Senecas about 150 miles off. I lived here one year, in which time I suffered al­most insurmountable hardships: being some times almost famished to death with hunger, at othertimes greatly suffering from the cold, and some times near perishing with both. For the most part of the time we had nothing but ground nuts and herbs to subsist upon in the summer, and red plums in the winter. Several of the Indians actually starv­ed to death.

From this place they carried me to Alaganey, a branch of the River Ohio, and from^§Alaganey down the river to the place where it empties itself into the Ohio. After staying here about a month, they carried me down the Ohio three hundred miles.— Here I found my indian father and mother [Page 8] and was very kindly received by them, and all the other indians. They supplied me with a good blanket and other necessary cloathings and provisi­ons in great plenty.

And now the happy time began to draw near, when I should be released, for after I had been in this place three or four months, to my great joy an Indian came from Sir William Johnson, with orders that all the prisoners should be released.

And after they had striped me of almost every thing I had about me, I was conducted by my guide to Fort Du-Quesne, where I was delivered up to the command­ing officer, and clothing was ordered for me.

But having undergone so many hardships during my stay among the savages, I looked like a mere skeleton.—I remained here about eleven months; at the end of which I was sent to Philadelphia, where I tarried about three months, from thence I went to New Borough, where I arrived the [...] Day of April, 1767, to the great joy of my mother, brothers and sisters. Being absent three years and six months.

I would take this opportunity to return my most unfeigned thanks to all those gentlemen and ladies who were so generous as to contribute a considera­ble sum of money on my behalf.