elves by the side of the path, along which
those engaged at work had to go. Mr. Brain and one of his sons being
at a little distance in front of them, they fired and Brain fell. He
was then tomahawked and scalped, while another of the party followed
and caught the son as he was attempting to escape by flight.

Three other boys were then some distance behind and out of sight, and
hearing the report of the gun which killed Brain, for an instant
supposed that it proceeded from the rifle of some hunter in quest of
deer. They were soon satisfied that this supposition was unfounded.
Three Indians came running towards them, bearing their guns in one
hand, and tomahawks in the other. One of the boys stupefied by
terror,--and unable to stir from the spot, was immediately made
prisoner. Another, the son of Powell, was also soon caught; but the
third, finding himself out of sight of his pursuer, ran to one side
and concealed himself in a bunch of alders, where he remained until
the Indian passed the spot where he lay, when he arose, and taking a
different direction, ran with all his speed, and effected an escape.
The little prisoners were then brought together; and one of Mr.
Powell's sons, being discovered to have but one eye, was stripped
naked, had a tomahawk sunk into his head, a spear ran through his
body, and the scalp then removed from his bleeding head.

The little Powell who had escaped from the savages, being forced to go
a direction opposite to the house, proceeded to a station about eight
miles off, & communicated intelligence of what had been done at
Brain's. A party of men equipped themselves and went immediately to
the scene of action; but the Indians had hastened homeward, as soon as
they perpetrated their horrid cruelties. One of their little captives,
(Benjamin Brain) being asked by them, "how many men were at the
house," replied "twelve." To the question, "how far from thence was
the nearest fort," he answered "two miles." Yet he well knew that
there was no fort, nearer than eight miles, and that there was not a
man at the house,--Mr. Powell being from home, and the twelve
travellers having departed, before his father and he had gone out to
[204] work. His object was to save his mother and the other women and
children, from captivity or death, by inducing them to believe that it
would be extremely dangerous to venture near the house. He succeeded
in the attainment of his object. Deterred by the prospect of bein