however, lived several days and related the circumstances above
detailed.

After the murder of John Thomas and his family in 1781, the settlement
on Booth's creek was forsaken, and its inhabitants went to Simpson's
creek, for greater security. In the Spring John Owens procured the
assistance of some young men about Simpson's creek, and proceeded to
Booth's creek for the purpose of threshing some wheat at his farm
there.--While on a stack throwing down sheaves, several guns were
fired at him by a party of twelve Indians, concealed not far off.
Owens leapt from the stack, and the men caught up their guns. They
could not, however, discover any one of the savages in their covert
and thought it best to retreat to Simpson's creek and strengthen their
force before they ventured in pursuit of their enemy. They accordingly
did so, and when they came again to Booth's creek, the Indians had
decamped, taking with them the horses left at Owens'. The men however
found their trail and followed it until night.--Early next morning,
crossing the West Fork at Shinnston, they went on in pursuit and came
within sight of the Indian camp, and seeing some of the savages lying
near their fires, fired at them, but, as was believed without effect.
The Indians again took to flight; and as they were hastening on, one
of them suddenly wheeled and fired upon his pursuers. The ball passed
through the hunting-shirt of one of the men, & Benjamin Coplin (then
an active, enterprising young man) returning the shot, an Indian was
seen suddenly to spring into a laurel thicket. Not supposing that
Coplin's ball had taken effect, they followed the other savages some
distance farther, and as they returned got the horses and plunder left
at the camp. Some time afterwards a gun was found in the thicket, into
which the Indian sprang, and it was then believed that Coplin's shot
had done execution.

In the same spring the Indians made their appearance on Crooked run,
in Monongalia county. Mr. Thomas Pindall, having been one day at
Harrison's fort, at a time when a greater part of the neighbourhood
had gone thither for safety, prevailed on three young men, (Harrison,
Crawford and Wright, to return and spend the night with him.) Some
time after they had been abed, the females waked Mr. Pindall, and
telling him that they had heard several times a noise very much [254]
resembling the whistling on a charger, insisted on going directly to
the fort. The men heard nothing,