s despatched
to Fort Dinwiddie, with the intelligence. Capt. Paul (who still
commanded there,) immediately commenced a pursuit with twenty of his
men; and passing out at the head of Dunlap's creek, descended Indian
creek and New river to Piney creek; without making any discovery of
the enemy. On Indian creek they met Pitman, who had been running all
the day and night before, to apprise the garrison at Fort Young of the
approach of the Indians. Pitman joined in pursuit of the party who had
killed Carpenter; but they, apprehending that they would be followed,
had escaped to Ohio, by the way of Greenbrier and Kenhawa rivers.[17]

As Capt. Paul and his men were returning, they accidently met with the
other party of Indians, who had been to Catawba, and committed some
depredations and murders there. They were discovered about midnight,
encamped on the north bank of New river, opposite an island at the
mouth of Indian creek. Excepting some few who were watching three
prisoners, (whom they had taken on Catawba, and who were sitting in
the midst of them,) they were lying around a small fire, wrapped in
skins and blankets. Paul's men not knowing that there were captives
among them, fired in the midst, killed three Indians, and wounded
several others, one of whom drowned himself to preserve his scalp--the
rest of the party fled hastily down the river and escaped.

In an instant after the firing, Capt. Paul and his men rushed forward
to secure the wounded and prevent further escapes. One of the foremost
of his party seeing, as he supposed, a squaw sitting composedly
awaiting the result, raised his tomahawk and just as it was
descending, Capt. Paul threw himself between the assailant and his
victim; and receiving the blow on his arm, exclaimed, "It is a shame
to hurt a woman, even a squaw." Recognising the voice of Paul, the
woman named him. She was Mrs. Catharine Gunn, an English lady, who had
come to the country some years before; and who, previously to her
marriage, had lived in the family of Capt. Paul's father-in-law, where
she became acquainted with that gentleman--She had been taken captive
by the Indians, on the Catawba, a few days before, when her husband
and two only children were killed by them. When questioned why she had
not cried out, or otherwise made known that she was a white prisoner,
she replied, "I had as soon be killed as not--my husband is
murdered--my children are slain--my parents are dead. I have not a
re