The terrific musketry fire was heard
at the lower landing, where a body of troops of the 60th
and 80th regiments were encamped. The soldiers hastily
armed themselves and in great disorder rushed to the aid
of the convoy. But the Indians were not now at the Devil's
Hole. The murderous work completed there, they had taken
up a position in a thick wood half a mile farther down,
where they silently waited. They had chosen well their
place of concealment; and the soldiers in their excitement
walked into the trap set for them. Suddenly the ominous
war-cries broke out, and before the troops could turn to
face the foe a storm of bullets had swept their left
flank. Then the warriors dashed from their ambush,
tomahawking the living and scalping both dead and dying.
In a few minutes five officers and seventy-six of the
rank and file were killed and eight wounded, and out of
a force of over one hundred men only twenty escaped
unhurt. The news of this second disaster brought Major
Wilkins up from Fort Niagara, with every available man,
to chastise the Indians. But when Wilkins and his men
arrived at the gruesome scene of the massacre not a red
man was to be found. The Indians had disappeared into
the forest, after having stripped their victims even of
clothing. With a heavy heart the troops marched back to
Niagara, mourning the loss of many gallant comrades. This
was the greatest disaster, in loss of life, of the Pontiac
War; but, like the defeat of Dalyell, it had little effect
on the progress of the campaign. The Indians did not
follow it up; with scalps and plunder they returned to
their villages to exult in wild orgies over the victory.

Detroit was still besieged; but the Indians were beginning
to weaken, and for the most part had given up hope of
forcing the garrison to surrender. They had been depending
almost wholly on the settlement for sustenance, and
provisions were running low. Ammunition, too, was well-nigh
exhausted. They had replenished their supply during the
summer by the captures they had made, by the plundering
of traders, and by purchase or gift from the French of
the Mississippi. Now they had little hope of capturing
more supply-boats; the traders were holding aloof; and,
since the arrival of definite news of the surrender to
Great Britain by France of the region east of the
Mississippi, supplies from the French had been stopped.
If the Indians were to escape starvation they must scatter
to their hunting