icious. Of
their four sons, two, who were taken prisoner by the Indian
at Braddock's defeat, developed into monsters of wickedness.
James was adopted by the Delawares, and became the fiercest
savage of the tribe. Simon grew into a great hunter among
the Senecas,--unfortunately a hunter of helpless human
beings as much as of game,--and for twenty years his name
was a terror in every white household of the Ohio country.
He is spoken of as honest. It was his one virtue, the sole
redeeming leaven in a life of vice, savagery, and cruelty.

[Illustration: INDIAN ATTACK AND GALLANT DEFENCE.]

In the summer of 1777 this evil product of frontier life
collected a force of four hundred Indians for an assault on
the white. His place of rendezvous was Sandusky; his
ostensible purpose to cross the Ohio and attack the Kentucky
frontier settlements. On reaching the river, however, he
suddenly turned up its course, and made all haste towards
Fort Henry, then garrisoned by Colonel Sheppard, with about
forty men.

The movements of Girty were known, and alarm as to their
purpose was widely felt. Sheppard had his scouts out, but
the shrewd renegade managed to deceive them, and to appear
before Fort Henry almost unannounced. Happily, the coming of
this storm of savagery was discovered in time enough to
permit the inhabitants of Wheeling, then composed of some
twenty-five log huts, to fly for refuge to the fort.

A reconnoitring party had been sent out under Captain Mason.
These were ambushed by the cunning leader of the Indians,
and more than half of them fell victims to the rifle and the
tomahawk. Their perilous position being perceived, a party
of twelve more, under Captain Ogle, sallied to their rescue.
They found themselves overwhelmingly outnumbered, and eight
of the twelve fell. These untowards events frightfully
reduced the garrison. Of the original forty only twelve
remained, some of them little more than boys. Within the
fort were this little garrison and the women and children of
the settlement. Outside raged four hundred savage warriors,
under a skilful commander. It seemed absolute madness to
attempt a defence. Yet Colonel Sheppard was not one of the
men who lightly surrender. Death by the rifle was, in his
view, better than death at the stake. With him were two men,
Ebenezer and Silas Zane, of his own calibre, while the whole
garrison was made up of hearts of oak.

As for the women in the fort, though they were of lit