Stories of Heroic Deeds for Boys and Girls

by James Johonnot

  INDIAN STORIES.

  _VI.--COLUMBUS AND THE ECLIPSE._

  1. When Columbus first landed upon the shores of the New World, andfor a long time after, the natives thought that he had come down fromheaven, and they were ready to do anything for this new friend. But, atone place, where he stayed for some months, the chiefs became jealousof him and tried to drive him away. It had been their custom to bringfood for him and his companions every morning; but now the amount theybrought was very small, and Columbus saw that he would soon be starvedunless he could make a change.

  2. Now, Columbus knew that in a few days there was to be an eclipseof the sun; so he called the chiefs around him and told them thatthe Great Spirit was angry with them for not doing as they agreed inbringing him provisions, and that, to show his anger, on such a day,he would cause the sun to be darkened. The Indians listened, but theydid not believe Columbus, and there was a still greater falling off inthe amount of the food sent in.

  3. On the morning of the day set, the sun rose clear and bright, andthe Indians shook their heads, as they thought how Columbus had triedto deceive them. Hour after hour passed, and still the sun was bright;and the Spaniards began to fear that the Indians would attack themsoon, as they seemed fully convinced that Columbus had deceived them.But at length a black shadow began to steal over the face of the sun.Little by little the light faded, and darkness spread over the land.

  4. The Indians saw that Columbus had told them the truth. They saw thatthey had offended the Great Spirit, and that he had sent a dreadfulmonster to swallow the sun. They could see the jaws of this horriblemonster slowly closing to shut off their light forever. Frantic withfear, they filled the air with cries and shrieks. Some fell prostratebefore Columbus and entreated his help; some rushed off and soonreturned laden with every kind of provisions they could lay theirhands on. Columbus then retired to his tent, and promised to save themif possible. About the time for the eclipse to pass away, he came outand told them that the Great Spirit had pardoned them this time, andhe would soon drive away the monster from the sun; but they must neveroffend in that way again.

  5. The Indians promised, and waited. As the sun began to come out fromthe shadow, their fears subsided, and, when it shone clear once more,their joy knew no bounds. They leaped, they danced, and they sang. Theythought Columbus was a god, and, while he remained on the island, theSpaniards had all the provisions they needed.

  _VII.--THE PEQUOTS._

  1. Early in 1621 the Pilgrims who settled at Plymouth, Massachusetts,made a treaty with Massasoit, the chief of the Wampanoags, whoinhabited the eastern part of the State. This treaty was observed byall the Indian tribes in the vicinity for a long time, and it was notuntil three years after the first settlers arrived in Connecticut thatan Indian war broke out.

  2. The Pequots were a small but very warlike tribe, living upon LongIsland Sound, near the border of Rhode Island. These Indians attackedthe settlers, and in 1627 they killed three men at Saybrook, and sixmen and three women at Wethersfield.

  3. These things caused great alarm, and a council was called atHartford to consider what was to be done. A force, consisting of ninetywhite men and seventy friendly Indians, under the command of CaptainMason, were sent against them.

  4. They went down the Connecticut River from Hartford to Saybrook inboats, and thence eastward along the Sound to the Indian fort Mystic,near where Stonington now stands. They reached the spot about daybreak.The Pequots had no suspicion that an enemy was near. But as theyreached the fort a dog barked, and the Indian sentinel called out,"Owanux! Owanux!" (Englishmen! Englishmen!), and the savages sprang toarms. The soldiers fired and killed many Indians, but it was a fight ofthe little army of whites against six hundred.

  5. The Indians fought bravely, and Captain Mason, fearful of beingdefeated, called out, "We must burn them!" A torch was applied to awigwam, and soon the whole fort was in flames. Seventy wigwams wereburned, and six hundred men, women, and children perished.

  6. A few Indians escaped, and, joining others of their tribe, tookrefuge in a swamp in Fairfield. Here the whites pursued them, andkilled and captured nearly the whole tribe. The prisoners and all thatremained alive of the Pequots, were divided and given to the Mohicansand the Narragansetts, two tribes friendly to the English.

  _VIII.--SCHENECTADY._

  1. In the winter of 1690 a small party of French and Indians made araid upon Albany. They concluded to destroy Schenectady first. Thepeople of Schenectady had been warned of their danger, but they wouldnot believe that men would come from Canada, a distance of two or threehundred miles, through the deep snows of winter, to molest them.

  2. But they were fatally deceived. A strong stockade, of more than amile in length, was built around the houses which composed the village.This stockade had a gateway at each end, and these gateways wereusually carefully guarded at night. But, believing themselves safe,the watchman became careless and went to sleep. The enemy arrived onSaturday night, and succeeded in getting within the stockade withoutgiving any alarm. They divided themselves into small parties, so thatevery house might be attacked at the same instant. They entered theplace about eleven o'clock.

  3. The inhabitants were all asleep, and stillness rested upon theplace. With a noiseless step the enemy distributed themselves throughthe village, and, at a given signal, the savage war-whoop was sounded.What a dreadful cry was this to the startled fathers and mothers ofthis unhappy town!

  4. It is scarcely possible to describe the scene that followed. Thepeople, conscious of their danger, sprang from their beds, but were metat the door and slaughtered by the savages; and the Indians, renderedfrantic by the wild scene, ran through the place, slaying those theychanced to meet.

  5. Sixty of the people were killed, and twenty-five were madeprisoners. Some attempted to escape, but as they were in theirnight-clothes, and the night was very cold, only a part of them reachedAlbany, sixteen miles distant, the nearest point of refuge, and ofthese, twenty-five lost limbs by the cold. As the alarm was given, theIndians returned to Canada without an attack upon Albany.

  _IX.--THE STORY OF MRS. DUSTIN._

  1. In the winter of 1696 a party of Indians made an attack upon thetown of Haverhill, Massachusetts. Among the people of that town wasa Mr. Dustin. He was in a field at work, when the news of the attackreached his ears. He immediately started and ran to his house to savehis family. He had seven children, and these he collected for thepurpose of taking them to a place of safety before the Indians shouldarrive.

  2. His wife was ill, and she had an infant but a week old. He nowhurried to her, but, before she could get ready to leave the house, Mr.Dustin saw that a party of savages were already close by. Expectingthat all would be slain, he ran to the door and mounted his horse, withthe intention of taking one of his children--the one that he lovedbest--and flying with it to a place of safety.

  3. But which should he take? Which of his seven children should heleave to the savages? He could not decide, and therefore, tellingthe children to run forward, he placed himself between them and theIndians. The Indians fired at him, but they did not hit him. He had agun, too, and he fired back at them.

  4. Then he hurried his little children along, loading his gun as hewent, and firing at his pursuers. Thus he proceeded for more than amile--protecting his little family, defending himself, and keeping theenemy at a distance. At length, he reached a place of safety, wherethe children were beyond the reach of the Indians. His feelings weredivided between joy for the escape, and grief for the poor wife leftbehind.

  5. But Mrs. Dustin was destined to undergo the severest trials.Although she was very ill, the savages compelled her, with the nurseand her little infant, to go with them. They soon left the town ofHaverhill, and set out to go to the homes of the Indians. These wereat a distance of one hundred and fifty miles. It was winter, and thejourney was to be taken on foot through the wilderness.

  6. Mrs. Dustin and the nurse were soon overcome with fatigue. TheIndians, seeing that th
e little infant occupied much of theirattention, snatched it from its mother, and killed the little innocentby striking it against a tree. After a toilsome march, and the greatestsuffering, Mrs. Dustin and her companion completed the journey.

  7. But now the Indians were to remove to a distant place, and thesetwo women were forced to accompany them. When they reached the end oftheir journey, they found out that they were to be tortured. They thenresolved to make their escape.

  8. One night Mrs. Dustin, the nurse, and another woman rose secretlywhile the Indians were asleep. There were ten of them in the wigwamwhere they were. These the women killed with their own hands and thendeparted. After wandering a long time in the woods, they reachedHaverhill, and Mrs. Dustin was restored to her family.

  _X.--ROGERS'S SLIDE._

  1. Major Rogers, a brave patriot, commanded a corps of rangers in thewinter of 1758. He was stationed on Lake George. One day he startedwith a few men to spy out the position of his Indian foes.

  2. A band of Indians surprised the party, and put them to flight. MajorRogers, by the aid of his snow-shoes, was able to gain the summit of ahill overlooking the lake. At this point the lake is narrow, and therocks are piled up in huge masses. One crag rises to the height ofabout four hundred feet, with an almost perpendicular surface, slopingdown to the lake below.

  3. The major knew that the Indians would follow rapidly on his track.When he reached the brow of the cliff he quickly cast off his knapsackand haversack, and sent them sliding down the icy path. He then tookoff his snow-shoes, and, without moving them, turned himself about andput them on his feet again. He retreated along the brow of the hill forseveral rods, and down a ravine he made his way to the lake, found hispack, and fled on the ice to Fort George.

  Rogers's Slide, Lake George]

  4. The Indians arrived at the spot, saw the two tracks, and supposedthat two people had cast themselves off the rock rather than becaptured. Just then they saw the bold ranger making his way across theice, and believed that he had safely slid down the steep face of therock. They thought that the pale-face must be protected by the GreatSpirit, and made no attempt at pursuit. The rock has ever since beenknown as Rogers's Slide.

  _XI.--GENERAL CLINTON'S MARCH._

  1. In the War of the Revolution, the Indians belonging to the SixNations, living in Central and Western New York, mostly joined theBritish. For several years parties of Tories and Indians, every littlewhile, would attack the frontier settlements and murder the settlers.In 1778 General Sullivan was sent into the country around Seneca Laketo break up the hostile force, and, if possible, to drive the Indiansout of the country. A part of this force, under the American GeneralClinton, started from the Mohawk Valley to join Sullivan in SouthernNew York.

  2. The march was through an unbroken wilderness. As there were noroads, their provisions were loaded into boats and floated up the smallstreams, and there the freight, boats, and all, were carried by the mento the head-waters of another stream. They had little trouble untilthey reached Otsego Lake, and from this point they expected less, asthe outlet of the lake formed the Susquehanna River, and on this river,far below, they expected to join Sullivan. But the weather was hot, andfor many weeks there had been no rain. The river had not water enoughto float the boats, and for a time Clinton thought he would be obligedto turn back.

  3. But at last he hit upon a scheme that promised success. He built adam across the river just where it flows out of the lake. His soldiersrolled in great bowlders from the fields, and filled the spaces betweenwith brush and clay. The water could not flow out freely, and the lakebegan to rise. In three weeks it was six feet above its summer level.The boats were then made ready, with the provisions and men on board,and the dam was torn down. The waters flooded the banks of the narrowstream, and the whole party were carried down to the place of meetingwith Sullivan in safety.

  4. The Indians along the stream saw this sudden rise of waters, andthey were much frightened. No rain had fallen, and the only way theycould account for it was that the Great Spirit had sent the waters tohelp the white men, and they everywhere fled in the greatest alarm.General Clinton did not meet one armed enemy until he joined Sullivan,and the combined army met no opposition until they reached the spotwhere Elmira now stands. Here a battle took place, in which the Indianswere defeated. Upon the return of Sullivan from his successful raidinto the Indian country, he was obliged to kill his horses for want offorage, and the place where the horses' skulls lay for a long time hassince been called Horseheads.

  _XII.--FRANCES SLOCUM._

  1. In 1778 the Tories and Indians made an attack upon the littlesettlement of Wyoming, on the Susquehanna River, in Pennsylvania.The fort was captured, and nearly all the prisoners--men, women, andchildren--were murdered in cold blood. Every house was burned, and thefew people who escaped into the woods, went through terrible trialsbefore they reached a place of safety. Most of the savages had bloodyscalps hung to their belts, to show that they had taken part in thebattle and the murder that followed.

  2. Near the scene of the Wyoming battle lived a Quaker, named Slocum,who had been a great friend of the Indians. For a time no one troubledhim; but early one morning some Indians came down, scalped a boy, namedKingsley, and carried away Frances, Mrs. Slocum's little daughter, fiveyears old. Soon after, Mr. Slocum was also murdered. The mother stayedin the valley, hoping to hear of her lost child. When peace came, twobrothers of the lost one went to Canada in search of her, but all theirinquiries were in vain, and they gave her up as dead.

  3. But the mother still hoped on. She was certain that Frances wasstill alive. Other captives were found, but the mother went down to hergrave without any tidings of the child that had been so cruelly takenfrom her. The brothers became aged men, and little Frances was almostforgotten.

  4. In 1837, fifty-nine years after her capture, an Indian agent andtrader gave an account of a white woman living with the Indians nearLogansport, Indiana. Joseph Slocum and a sister at once set out forOhio, where they met their younger brother, Isaac. The three thenwent on to Logansport, where they learned that the white woman livedabout twelve miles distant. She was sent for, and the next morning shecame riding into town upon a spirited young horse, and accompaniedby her two daughters. She could not speak English, and an interpreterwas found. She listened to what her brothers had to say, but did notanswer. At sunset she started for her home, but promised to be back inthe morning.

  5. She came, true to her promise. The mother had told Joseph yearsbefore of one sure test. When they were little children Joseph, thena child two and a half years old, while playing with a hammer gaveFrances a blow upon the middle finger of the left hand, which crushedthe bone and deprived the finger of the nail. When Joseph told thisincident the aged woman was greatly agitated, and, while tears streameddown her face, she held out the wounded finger. There was no longer adoubt. The love for her kindred which had slept for more than fiftyyears was aroused, and she eagerly inquired after her father, mother,brothers, and sisters.

  6. Her full heart was opened, and she freely gave the story of herlife. She said the savages took her to a cave in the mountains thefirst night. She was kindly treated, and was tenderly carried in theirarms when she was weary. She was adopted by an Indian family, andbrought up as their daughter. For years she had led a roving life, andshe liked it. She was taught the use of the bow, and soon learned allthe arts of the Indian household. When she grew up, her Indian parentsdied, and she soon afterward married a young chief of the nation.

  7. She was treated with more respect than Indian women generally are;and she was so happy in her life that the greatest evil she feared wasthat she should be obliged to go back to the whites, whom she regardedas the Indians' worst enemies. Her husband was dead, and she had been awidow many years. Children and grandchildren were around her, and lifewas passing pleasantly away. When she finished her story, she liftedher right hand in a solemn manner and said, "All this is as true asthat there is a Great Spirit in the heavens!"


  8. The next day her brothers and sister went out to visit her at herhome. She was living in a well-built log-house, which was surroundedby cultivated fields. She had a large herd of cattle and sixty horses.She had saved her share of the annuity which the Government paid theIndians, and had about one thousand dollars in specie. Her whitefriends stayed with her several days, and had a delightful visit.Afterward Joseph, his wife, and daughter paid her another visit, andthen bade her a last farewell. She died about 1844, and was buried withgreat honors, as she was regarded as a queen by her tribe.

  _XIII.--OBED'S PUMPKINS._

  1. Moving was serious business ninety years ago, when the Moore familymigrated to Ohio, for everything had to be carried hundreds of miles ina wagon, and there was no sending back for anything forgotten. So Obedprudently secured passage for some pumpkin-seeds, lest a failure ofpumpkin-pies for Thanksgiving might annul that festival altogether inthe unknown wilderness.

  2. There was only one room in their new house, and no regular up-stairsat all--only a loft where the boys slept, and to which they had toclimb on a ladder when they went to bed. Ruth and Dolly slept in thetrundle-bed down-stairs.

  3. That first winter was a hard one, but nobody really suffered. Mr.Moore was clearing up his land, so they had an abundance of fuel; theboys trapped rabbits, and their father's musket kept them suppliedwith other game, but Mrs. Moore had to measure the flour and meal verycarefully, and as for other things, they went without, only once, whenObed found a squirrel's nest in a hollow tree, and came in with hispockets full of nuts.

  4. "Little did that rascal know who he was gathering these for," heremarked, as they cracked them on the hearth that evening. "Yes, andmaybe it's little you know who you'll raise your pumpkins for. Injuns,like as not," said Joe.

  5. One morning Dolly declared that she had been wakened in the night bymice in the chimney-cupboard. "It _can't_ be mice; we're too far fromneighbors," said Mrs. Moore, opening the cupboard. Joe climbed upona chair behind her, and there on the topmost shelf were some nibbledscraps of cloth and paper.

  6. "O Obed!" he exclaimed, in dismay, "your pumpkin-seeds are allgone!" Just then there was a rustle, and he caught sight of two bright,black eyes. They saw him, too, and another rustle gave him a vanishingglimpse of a bushy tail. "It's squirrels!" he shouted; "Obed, they'vecome to get their pay for the nuts you stole." "Oh, dear!" said Obed,"I'd rather have my pumpkin-seeds than all the nuts that ever grew. Wenever shall taste pumpkin-pies again, now."

  7. Weeks afterward they were burning out some stumps in the clearing,when out from a hollow one popped a squirrel. Obed ran to investigate,and, poking around and pulling away the rotten wood, brought to lightsome rags and bits of paper. "Hello!" he exclaimed, "the identicalchap that carried off my pumpkin-seeds!" And sure enough, there werethe empty shells, and among them--oh, for a vision of the smile thatlighted Obed's freckled face!--three whole, sound seeds.

  8. All their crops did well that first year, and the way thosepumpkin-vines bore was a marvel; but no abundance could shake Obed'sresolve to reserve the first pumpkin-pies for Thanksgiving.

  9. On the preceding Monday, Mr. Moore started for the nearest villageto purchase winter supplies. With many brave assurances and secretmisgivings, his family saw him set out, for the journey required twodays, and the Indians were growing threatening of late. But when thefirst night had worn away in safety, they began to feel easier, andgave themselves up to the Thanksgiving preparations.

  10. "O Obed!" said Joe, as late in the afternoon he staggered into thehouse under a huge yellow pumpkin, "let's make some jack-lanterns;'twon't hurt the pumpkins for pies." Obed assented, and they had justcompleted those grotesque horrors, and were going out to do the chores,when a man galloped up, and everybody rushed to the door.

  11. "Get ready for the redskins!" he shouted, springing from thesaddle, "and give me a fresh horse. They killed a family down the riverlast night, and nobody knows where they'll turn up next! Husband away?Whew! that's bad! Well, shut up as tight as you can. Cover up yourfire, and don't strike a light to-night." And, leaping upon the horsethe boys led around, he flew away to warn the next settler.

  12. They made what hasty preparations they were able, and Mrs. Moorereluctantly yielded to Obed's urgent plea that she would keep theyounger children quiet in the loft, while he and Joe watched below.

  13. The two boys crouched beside the hearth listening to every sound.At last Obed crept to the window. A snow-flurry had whitened the groundearly in the evening, and, as he peered out, the boy descried shadowsmoving across the fields. "They're coming, Joe!" he whispered; "standby that window with the axe, while I get the rifle pointed at this one."

  14. Joe noiselessly stationed himself, and Obed opened thebullet-pouch. As his fingers came in contact with the leaden balls,his heart chilled. They were too large for his rifle! They belongedto the musket, and his father had taken the wrong pouch. With a lastdespairing hope he was feeling in the cupboard for any chance ballsthat might have been left behind, when he stumbled over something thatnearly threw him headlong. It was the forgotten jack-lantern. With asudden thought he pulled off his coat and flung it over the face ofthe lantern, then searching in the ashes for a live coal, cautiouslylighted the candle within and closed the opening. With every sensesharpened to its utmost, he lifted the pumpkin and went softly towardthe window. Ten or twelve dusky figures were stealthily nearing thehouse, and at the same instant he detected a slight noise at the door.

  15. "They'll sound the war-whoop in a minute, if I give them time," hesaid to himself. "Now for it!" And he dropped the coat, leaving thegrinning monster exposed to view. Mrs. Moore, listening with batedbreath in the room above, just then heard an unearthly yell and fainteddead away. "Quick, Joe! Light up the other one!" exclaimed Obed,excitedly, as he saw the savages flying wildly back to the woods.

  16. Joe, with every hair on end, was still standing valiantly at hispost, his uplifted axe ready to fall on the first head that should riskan entrance. He had paid no attention to Obed's movements, and wasmomentarily expecting to hear the roar of the old rifle.

  17. "The other jack-lantern! Don't you see that's what scar't 'em so?"demanded Obed as, emboldened by his success, he bobbed the hideousthing up and down before the window. Joe finally comprehended, and,speedily lighting the second one, imitated Obed's lively evolutionswith such effect that, when Mrs. Moore came-to, the yells were dyingaway in the distance, and she heard Obed climbing the ladder.

  18. The anxious mother now gathered her family in the room below, andwatched patiently for daylight and her husband. They came together, andthe story had to be told all over again. "And so," added Joe, "Obed didraise his pumpkins for the Injuns, after all."