Wyoming

by Edward Sylvester Ellis

  They expected to be shot, and they preferred such a death to that whichawaited them if they remained.

  But the very audacity of the attempt, like that of Fred Godfrey, threwthe Indians into confusion for the moment, and instead of firing theybroke into pursuit, without discharging a weapon.

  Fortunately for the fugitives, instead of keeping together theydiverged, Hammond heading up the river. The warriors must have concludedthat they were making for Forty Fort, and shaped their course with thepurpose of shutting them off. The fort lay to the south and below, and,understanding the aim of the Indians, Hammond turned more directly upthe river.

  He was fleet-footed, and ran as never before; but, while straining everynerve, he caught his foot in a root, and was thrown headlong down thebank, rolling all in a heap underneath the bushy top of a fallen tree.

  He started to scramble to his feet, when, like a flash, it occurred tohim that there was no safer course than to stay where he was.

  Only a few seconds passed, when the Indians approached and began huntingfor him. How they failed to discover the young man passes comprehension,and it was only another of the several wonderful escapes which markedthe massacre of Wyoming.

  The savages peered here and there, drawing the bushes aside, and lookingamong the old logs. The poor fellow heard their stealthy footsteps allaround him, and caught glimpses of their coppery faces, smeared withpaint, as they uttered some exclamation and almost stepped upon him inhis concealment.

  Once he was sure he was detected, and he held his breath, fearful thatthe throbbing of his heart would betray him; but the red men moved away,and shortly after returned to Queen Esther's Rock to help in theexecutions going on there.

  Hammond stayed where he was until all was still, when he creptcautiously out, and, swimming the river, made his way to the fort atWilkesbarre, where, to his amazement, he found his companion in flight.

  The escape of this patriot was no less extraordinary than that ofHammond.

  He had also swum the river to the bar on the lower point of MonocacyIsland, going almost the entire distance under water. Whenever he threwup his head for a breath of fresh air he was fired upon, and he receiveda bad wound in the shoulder.

  Although suffering severely from it, he persevered and soon reached theopposite side, where he found a horse wandering loose and without bridleor saddle.

  With little effort Elliott succeeded in catching him, and with a bridleimprovised from the bark of a hickory sapling, he rode the animal toWilkesbarre, where the wound was dressed by a surgeon.

  The next morning he went down the river with his wife and child in acanoe managed by a boy, and joined his friends at Catawissa.

  Both Hammond and Elliott lived many years afterward, and are stillremembered by some of the old settlers in Wyoming Valley.

  CHAPTER XIII.

  In the mean time the little party consisting of Maggie and Eva Brainerd,Aunt Peggy, and the servant Gravity Gimp, and the eccentric NewEnglander Habakkuk McEwen, were improving to the utmost the advantagegained by reaching the eastern bank of the Susquehanna.

  "I don't want to go away without papa," said Eva, as she lookedlongingly across the river, where the massacre was going on, as shown inthe smoke of burning buildings, the crack of the rifles, the whoop ofthe Indians, the shouts of fugitives, and the flight of settlers,including women and children, who flocked to the river.

  Despite the danger, Maggie shared with her sister the most tendersolicitude for her parent.

  "Perhaps he is among them," said she, in a lower voice, to Gravity.

  "There's no telling where anybody is," replied the New Englander, "but Inotice that the Tories and Injins right across from us are watching ourmovements pretty sharp, and it won't do for us to loaf about here manydays, if we expect to get out with our lives."

  "What a pity that Jake Golcher was not shot when we had the chance!"exclaimed Aunt Peggy.

  "We're likely to get dat same chance agin," said Gimp, impressively,"and de next time de one dat don't took it has got to be shot for him."

  "If we could do Richard any good," added Aunt Peggy, more thoughtfully,"we ought to wait here; but can we?"

  McEwen, who was growing uneasy over this delay, shook his head.

  "If anybody can show me the way by which we can help him I'm willing tostay, but the woods are full of people fleeing, and the savages areafter 'em. I've no doubt a lot are in Forty Fort, where they'll be safeif they've enough to keep the Injins back. There's only one thing leftfor us to do, and that's to run."

  He looked inquiringly at Maggie, and the brave girl, with a breakingheart, stifled her anguish and nodded her head to signify that she wasready.

  As courageous as the Roman maiden of old, she could walk straight alongthe line of duty, even though it led over red-hot plow-shares.

  Poor Eva put her hands to her face, and the tears streamed through herfingers, but she, too, had something of the high courage of her sister,and when the latter placed her arm about her and drew her head over uponher shoulder, the little girl sobbed for a few minutes only, and thencheered up and bent to her task.

  "Where do you go?" asked Maggie of Habakkuk.

  "I think there is an old trail leading through the mountains andwilderness to Stroudsburg, ain't there, Gimp?"

  "Dar am," was the response, "and I've been over it twice, so dat I knowsde way."

  "Does it lead through the 'Shades of Death?'"

  "It am."

  "It's a long road to Stroudsburg, for I came from out that way, andit'll be a powerful hard tramp, but I don't think we can do any better.These Iroquois have had a taste of victory, and they'll never stop, solong as there's a chance to get any more. They'll trail us all dayto-morrow, and it's my opinion we ain't goin' to get to Stroudsburg in ahurry, either."

  "Den let's be off," added Gravity, who could not fail to see thenecessity for such promptness.

  "If papa comes across the river," said Eva, who threatened to yieldagain; "won't he cross higher up?"

  It struck all that there was some reason in this suggestion, which wasacted upon without delay.

  They made their way up the western shore until some distance aboveMonocacy Island, every eye and ear on the alert.

  They saw plenty of fugitives, some on horseback, some wounded, allscared half out of their senses, and striving to get as far from thevalley as possible.

  Numerous neighbors and acquaintances were encountered, but naught wasseen of Mr. Brainerd, and nothing was known of Fred's presence on theother shore. He had left the Continental army directly after McEwen, whowas unaware, therefore, of his coming.

  It would not do to tarry any longer. The afternoon was drawing to aclose, and the whoops and rifle-shots that every now and then were heardon the eastern shore proved that the little party in whom we areinterested were only rendering their situation more perilous by everyminute's delay.

  Accordingly an abrupt turn was made to the right, and they plunged intothe woods, pushing for the mountains some distance back of the river,and aiming to strike the Stroudsburg trail, after reaching the otherside of the range, which is about a thousand feet in height.

  As Gravity Gimp was better acquainted than any one with the wilderness,he took the lead, the ladies coming next, while Habakkuk McEwen broughtup the rear--leader and rear guard each, as well as Maggie, carrying aloaded rifle, and on the alert.

  "Gravity," said Eva, when they had gone but a short distance, "Ithought you were lame a while ago?"

  "Wal, what ob it?"

  "You don't show a bit of lameness now."

  To the surprise of his friends, the African laughed heartily.

  "Dat war a joke ob mine; I warn't hurt at all, but war jes pretendin'."

  "Why did you do that?"

  "To fool the Injuns: I war thinkin' dat if dey seed I war lame, deywould think I couldn't run, and would lebe me to scoop up arter a while,and den I'd get de start on' em. Shouldn't wonder if I done it, too."

  There was no dis
cussion of this original strategy, which possibly didprove of some benefit to the sable fugitive.

  The company pressed on until they reached a point perhaps an eighth of amile from the river, when, as by common consent, a halt was made.

  No path was followed, but they had scrambled along as best they could,and now paused, where, for the time at least, they were alone.

  The sun had gone down, and the question was whether they should pausewhere they were for the night, or whether they should try to get throughthe mountainous ridge before daylight came again.

  The question would not have arisen but for the anxiety concerning themissing Mr. Brainerd. The ladies, including Eva, seated themselves onthe ground, while Gravity Gimp and Habakkuk McEwen perched themselves ona high, broad boulder, where they could detect the approach of danger.

  "Dar's one thing dat troubles me wery muchly," said the African, with aworried expression.

  "What's that?" asked Habakkuk.

  "It'll take us two or free days to reach Stroudsburg, no matter how fastwe trabbel, and whar's we gwine to got de prowisions on de road?"

  This was a serious matter indeed, and it was one which caused many adeath and much suffering among the hapless multitude that pressedthrough the "Shades of Death," in the direction of the settlements onthe upper Delaware.

  "I've got some bread and meat," said the New Englander, "which I broughtfrom a settler's cabin thirty miles away, but I ate a big lot on theroad and there ain't much left, but what there is goes to the ladies, ofcourse."

  "Dat's a wery good arrangement," said Gimp, "but I don't see dat it amgwine to do dis gemman much good."

  "You'll have to do the same as I--_sh!_"

  A crackling of the undergrowth startled every one, and Gravity andHabakkuk instantly slid off their rocky seats and crouched down, withtheir cocked guns in their hands.

  "Scrooch low!" whispered the New Englander; "it must be Injins, andthat's worse than having nothin' to eat."

  The five did their best to screen themselves from observation, for, ashas been said, the most dreaded calamity that could befall them would betheir discovery by a party of their enemies, numbers of whom, it wasknown, had crossed the river and were scouring the woods for morevictims of their cruelty.

  CHAPTER XIV.

  One of the most striking features of the massacre in Wyoming Valley, inJuly, 1778, was the number of extraordinary individual escapes on thepart of the fleeing patriots and panic-stricken settlers. There is noepisode in American history marked by so many singular, and, indeed,almost inexplainable incidents, in this respect, as was that disasterwhich swept over one of the fairest spots that sun ever shone upon.

  In the battle there were, on the patriot side, about two hundred andthirty enrolled men, and seventy old people, boys, civil magistrates,and other volunteers, embracing six companies, which were mustered atForty Fort, where the families from the east side of the Susquehanna hadtaken refuge.

  A young man, slight of frame and weak of body, was chased by severalIndians, one of whom was almost close enough to throw his tomahawk. Thefugitive, despite his fleetness, was losing ground, when Zebulon Butler,one of the last to leave the field, galloped by him on horseback. Thefugitive caught the tail of the animal, and thus helped, made goodprogress. But the warriors, knowing he could not keep his hold long,continued the chase.

  Sure enough, the poor fellow speedily lost his hold, and was about togive up, when he caught sight of a drunken soldier, lying in thewheat-fields. As Colonel Butler went by, he shouted to the stupid fellowto fire at the Indians. He roused up, rubbed his eyes, and pointing hiswabbling musket in the direction where he supposed his pursuers to be,let fly.

  The leading warrior dropped dead, and his companions, supposing therewas an ambush in front, turned and ran for life, while the exhaustedfugitive pitched forward on the ground and was saved. Unfortunately,however, this soldier was not the only intoxicated patriot at Wyoming onthat day.

  A wealthy settler, finding a party of Indians at his heels, did hisutmost to throw them off his trail, but failed, and was in despair.

  While still struggling forward he came upon the trunk of a large hollowtree, into which he crept. Knowing the red men would soon be along, heremained quiet for several hours, scarcely daring to move a limb.

  By and by he heard footsteps, and to his consternation, several warriorsactually sat down on the log itself. The murmur of their voices, as theytalked together, was audible, and he saw no way by which he could escapediscovery.

  The opening in the log through which he had crawled was in plain sightof the Indians, who stooped down and peered in.

  The fugitive saw the painted faces, as they strained their eyes topierce the gloom, and he was certain they would detect him as soon asthey became used to the darkness.

  But shortly after he crawled into the refuge a spider spun his webacross the opening, and the quick eye of the warriors noted it. Withgood reason they accepted it as a proof that no one had taken refugethere, and they accordingly left.

  The fugitives, whose history we have set out to give, crouched behindthe rocks in the woods, and tremblingly listened to the approachingfootsteps, that all believed were those of Indians.

  The gathering twilight was already strong enough in the wilderness tohide them from the observation of any who might stray to that section,and a fight was almost certain to be the result of detection.

  It was noticeable that Habakkuk McEwen took more precaution againstdiscovery than the African, or even the ladies. He lay flat on his face,where no one could see him unless he passed directly by the spot.

  He kept whispering to the others to be quiet, and to "scrooch" lower,for the Indians are proverbial for their keen sightedness.

  The curiosity of the ladies got the better of their prudence, and eachone peered cautiously from behind the sheltering rock. Aunt Peggybesought Maggie and Eva to keep out of sight, but all the time she wasthrusting her own head forward and drawing it back again in a way thatwas more likely to attract attention to herself than if she remainedstationary.

  "If you girls ain't more careful, some of the scand'lous villains--"

  At that instant Eva Brainerd sprang to her feet with a faint scream,and, to the horror of her friends, leaped nimbly upon the rock, thendown to the ground, and ran like a fawn in the direction whence came thedisturbance, and where the outlines of a dark figure were dimlyobserved.

  "Oh, it's papa! my own papa!" exclaimed the joyful girl, who was caughtin the arms of her no less delighted parent, and pressed to his breast.

  "Heaven be thanked!" exclaimed Mr. Brainerd, kissing and embracing thefond child again and again, and then, holding her hand in his, he fairlyran toward the bewildered fugitives, who had sprung to their feet asthey recognized him.

  Then the laughing, happy Maggie's white arms were thrown around herfather's neck, and both cried for joy.

  Mr. Brainerd was in a sorry plight. His coat, vest, and hat were gone,and his draggling garments were dripping with river water, but it washis own genial self who stood before them. And when he released hisdaughter, he shook the hand of Aunt Peggy warmly, as he did that ofHabakkuk McEwen, who was an old acquaintance, and at whose Indian-likedisguise he laughed.

  All were talking, smiling, and congratulating each other for the nextfew minutes, and nothing was thought of the peril incurred in giving wayto their feelings at such a time, and in such a place.

  But there was one still missing--the loved brother, who had gone sovaliantly in search of his parent. When the latter had told his story,Maggie asked:

  "Papa, where can Fred be?"

  "I hope he is safe; but we cannot be sure of it for some time yet. He isa brave, noble boy. I will never cease to be grateful, if he is sparedto join us."

  The father, hiding his own misgivings as best he could, only said thathe and his son (as he always regarded his step-son), were compelled toseparate a short time before, on the other side of the river, and sincea man of his age was able to rejoi
n his friends, there surely must bereason to believe that one so young and active as Fred would soon showhimself. So all resolved to hope, though their fears made the hope morepainful than cheering.

  "It won't do to stay here," said Mr. Brainerd, when told that theythought of camping where they were till morning.

  "Is the danger imminent?" asked McEwen.

  "The Tories and Indians are continually crossing the river, and theremust be at least a hundred on this side; their whole purpose ismassacre. I do not think it possible for us to escape discovery if wewait another hour."

  "Then let's be off!" said Habakkuk, throwing his rifle over hisshoulder, and starting in the direction of the mountains.

  "Hold on!" interposed Gimp; "Ise de guide ob dis procession, and if youtakes my place you'll be lost sartin sure."

  "All right, go ahead!" assented the other; "only don't be so slow aboutit."

  "Many of the poor people," explained Mr. Brainerd, as the party madeready to start, "are following the trails through the woods andmountains, and they are suffering frightfully--hark!"

  As he spoke, the sharp crack of two guns was heard, so close at handthat all started and looked behind them.

  Nothing however was seen, and the elder added, as they resumed theirflight, "Others of our friends have done like us and left the trails,but without avoiding danger, though they may lessen it."

  "But we can't tramp all the way through the woods in this fashion,"protested Aunt Peggy, as she caught her foot in a root and narrowlysaved herself from falling forward on her hands.