ment's delay, to reload his gun. Five of the
Indians fired at the resolute father, as he rode away after his flying
children.

"Run! run! run for your lives!" he shouted.

The Indians, with a whoop of vengeance followed the father. He had four
balls in his gun, and, wheeling his horse about, he fired this terrible
charge at them. Though none were killed instantly at this shot, three
were wounded, two so severely that they died next day. The Indians
abandoned the pursuit of the resolute father, who continued to fight as
he retreated, and turned their attention to less dangerous victories, so
Mr. Dustin escaped with his children.

Mrs. Neff, the nurse in attendance on Mrs. Dustin, heroically resolved
to share the fate of her patient, even when she could have escaped. The
Indians entered the house, and, having made the sick woman rise and sit
quietly in the corner of the fire-place, they pillaged the dwelling, and
set it on fire, taking the occupants out of it. At the approach of
night, Mrs. Dustin was forced to march into the wilderness and seek
repose on the hard, cold ground. Mrs. Neff attempted to escape with the
baby, but was intercepted. The infant had its brains beaten out against
a tree, and the body was thrown into the bushes. The captives of
Haverhill, when collected, were thirteen miserable, wretched people.
That same day they were marched twelve miles before camping, although it
was nearly night before they set out. Succeeding this, for several days
they were compelled to keep up with the savage captors, over an extent
of country of not less than one hundred and forty or fifty miles.
Feeble as she was, it seems wonderful that Mrs. Dustin should have borne
up under the trials and fatigues of the journey; but she did.

[Illustration: The resolute father continued to fire as he retreated.]

After this, the Indians, according to their custom, divided their
prisoners. Mrs. Dustin, Mrs. Neff and a captive lad from Worcester fell
to the share of an Indian family consisting of twelve persons. These now
took charge of the captives and treated them with no particular
unkindness, save that of forcing them to extend their journey still
further toward an Indian settlement. One day they told the prisoners
that there was one ceremony to which they must submit after their
arrival at their destination, and that was running the gauntlet between
two files of Indians. This announcement filled Mrs. Dustin and her
companions wi