mother. He had married Elizabeth Robertson in 1745. Not much is known of Barrier, Cull or Leonard.

To William and Mary Ingles had been born two sons, Thomas, four, and George, two years of age. Mrs. Ingles was approaching her third period of maternity. To John and Elizabeth Draper had recently been born a child.

IV

THE INDIAN ATTACK

A change was in progress in the primeval forests of the West. The final contest for supremacy in the New World between the Briton and the Gaul was at hand. It was already agitating the Indians in every lodge and village in the Valley of the Ohio. But the settlers at Draper's Meadows believed themselves out of the direct path of the impending storm. Colonel Patton was an officer of Augusta County. He seems to have realized that steps of precaution were necessary, for he had but just brought to Draper's Meadows the supply of powder and lead apportioned by the county for its defense, and was still there when the attack was made.

On Tuesday, the 8th day of July, 1755, the day previous to that upon which the disastrous defeat of Braddock occurred, one of those gatherings of the people, so characteristic of frontier society, was in progress on the homestead of William Ingles. Most of the men of Draper's Meadows were gathered there to assist in harvesting a fine crop of wheat. The men carried their guns with them. But the guns were not taken to the harvest field; they were left at the Ingles house, and the reapers were unarmed.

While the men were at work in the field, the women were preparing a substantial feast for them. In the course of this work Mrs. John Draper had occasion to go from the house to the kitchen garden to procure some vegetables. There she saw several Indians skulking behind the garden fence. She screamed an alarm and, running into the house, exclaimed that Indians were about to attack them. She seized her infant and fled by the opposite door, hoping to escape; but there she was discovered and fired upon and her right arm shattered by a bullet. Her babe fell to the ground, but she seized it with her left hand and continued her flight. She was soon overtaken by two warriors, one of whom tore her child from her arms. She fought as best she could, but was wounded in the back with a tomahawk and overpowered. These savages led her back to the house, and when they arrived there the one having the child, taking hold of its feet, dashed out its brains against the end of one of the logs of the cabin and scalped it before her eyes.

The Indians had followed Mrs. Draper into the house. Before there was time to close the door they were yelling the war-whoop and swarming in. Colonel Patton had been writing. His broadsword, which he always carried, was lying on the table. He seized this and threw himself in front of the women and children, receiving the attack of the savages. He killed two of them and wounded others, and was almost succeeding in driving them from the house when he was shot and killed by some Indians beyond the reach of his sword. Mrs. George Draper was shot and Mrs. Ingles expected death. The chief, rather an old man, came forward and made her his captive and led her and her children from the house, which the savages soon looted and set on fire.

The men in the fields were startled by the war-cry. Turning in the direction whence it proceeded they saw the house of William Ingles in flames and surrounded by a band of Indians painted and decorated for war. They were about twenty-five in number and were whooping, yelp

ing and running swiftly about. As the guns had been left at the house and were now in the hands of the savages, the settlers were powerless. They could render the helpless women and children no assistance.

When William Ingles realized the deadly peril in which his wife and children stood, he would not be restrained from going to their rescue, unarmed though he was. The other men remonstrated with him, and endeavored to show him the utter folly and madness of this action, but he did not heed them. He was near the house before he was seen by the Indians. When they discovered him, two of their number were directed to capture him. He was obliged to flee. Two of their swiftest young men were sent to pursue him. When he entered the woods, one of these young warriors ran on each side of his trail, at some distance from it, to prevent him from turning aside and eluding them. They gained rapidly on him, and he was soon convinced that in speed he was no match for them. He expected to be overtaken and slain, and a circumstance transpired soon after he entered the woods which heightened this expectation. He saw before him, and directly in his course, a fallen tree-trunk of great size. It was almost concealed by bushes, brambles and wild vines. He did not discover it until almost upon it, and too late to turn aside and avoid it. His only hope of passing it lay in clearing it at a single bound. This, by a mighty effort, he succeeded in doing, but when in the midst of his leap in the air directly over the log, his foot caught in a branch or vine, and he was thrown to the ground. He fell beside the log, and was so hemmed and bound by the thicket that he felt that he could not extricate himself before his pursuers would be upon him. He resigned himself to his fate and expected every moment that the Indians would be upon him. But they did not come. It was soon evident that they had not detected his fall. They ran on, and he escaped in another direction.

By this time the conflict was ended. The men left in the harvest field had departed for their own homes, fearful lest the Indians had visited them also. Other families were attacked by small bands of Indians sent out from the main body. Some were killed and others captured and carried away.

William Preston was at this time in Draper's Meadows with his uncle, Colonel Patton. The colonel had despatched him on an errand that morning, which saved his life. He became one of the foremost men of Virginia. In 1761 he married Miss Susanna Smith, of Staunton, the daughter of a widow who had at that time acquired the site of Draper's Meadows. From her hands it passed to Colonel Preston, who changed its name to Smithfield.

Colonel Preston's son, James Patton Preston, became governor of Virginia.

V

JOURNEY TO THE INDIAN TOWNS

The Indians found the arms of the settlers in the house of William Ingles and, learning from their captives the facts in relation to the same, correctly surmised that the men of the settlement could make no immediate pursuit. With great deliberation they secured the horses of the settlers and packed upon them the household goods plundered from the cabins before they set them on fire. They took all the guns belonging to the settlers and all the ammunition allotted to Draper's Meadows. When the horses had been loaded to their utmost capacity with food and the spoil of the settlement, the Indians set out on their return to the Ohio. They kept to the ridges, and their progress was slow. The prisoners were required to walk between guards. Notwithstanding her con

The other

dition, Mrs. Ingles was compelled to carry her youngest son. soon became fatigued and could not keep pace with even the slow march then being made by the Indians. Mrs. Ingles greatly feared that the savages would put her children to death in order that she might not be compelled by their presence to hinder the progress of the march. Mrs. Draper, although severely wounded and suffering much pain, took the younger child from the arms of Mrs. Ingles and carried him. Mrs. Ingles then took the older son upon her back and thus carried him until nightfall, when the Indians halted to camp. Here they were joined by other bands carrying plunder and prisoners, but they brought no children as captives. Hale has preserved the following incidents of the march of the first day:

"About half a mile or a mile to the west on their route they stopped at the house of Mr. Phillip Barger, an old and white-haired man, cut his head off, put it in a bag, and took it with them to the house of Phillip Lybrook, on Sinking Creek, where they left it, telling Mrs. Lybrook to look in the bag and she would find an acquaintance.

"Lybrook and Preston would probably have shared the same fate as Barger if they had been found at Lybrook's house, but they had started back to Draper's Meadows on foot by a near pathway across the mountains, and thus missed meeting the Indians and saved their lives."

The next morning the Indians were on their way before it was light. They traveled some miles before a stop was made to prepare a meal. Mrs. Ingles realized by the time of this stop that it would be impossible for her to longer bear up under the burden of her son, Thomas. The wounds of Mrs. Draper were becoming more painful. Mrs. Ingles was convinced that if some different arrangement could not be made for the conveyance of her children, she would soon see them murdered by the Indians. Her good judgment was sharpened in this emergency by her anxiety for the safety of her sons. When the halt was made, she set about the preparation of the best meal to be made from the material at hand. Her success was such that the Indians were pleased. When it was finished she assisted them to manage the packs. She went about the camp without restraint and, although fearful of violence, she concealed her feelings from the Indians. When they were ready to set out again, she asked the chief for permission to ride one of the horses. He permitted her to do so and to take up her children. She requested that Mrs. Draper be allowed to ride also, but this was refused and Mrs. Draper compelled to continue the march on foot. Mrs. Ingles grew in the good favor of the Indians from this time.

After Mrs. Ingles was permitted to mount the horse in the morning there was no further halt made that day. A camping place was selected and the camp for the night was made. Mrs. Ingles clambered down from her horse. She was so cramped from the position she had been compelled to maintain throughout the day without opportunity for change or relaxation that she was unable for some minutes to stand. Mrs. Draper was suffering much pain from her wounds. She was worn with the day's march and much fatigued. Indians on the march always waded across the streams that crossed their path; these had been many this day. The continued marching with wet feet had so scalded and blistered them. that it was with pain and difficulty that Mrs. Draper could walk.

It developed on the following morning why the Indians had held to the march so steadily on this day. Before it was light they were carrying their spoil over the river in a canoe which had belonged to a settler whose deserted cabin stood in a small clearing upon the river bank. The captives were taken last; then an Indian mounted one of the horses and rode it into the stream. Two Indians drove the other horses into the river, where they followed the first horse to the opposite shore. The Indians. themselves plunged into the stream and swam across.

Vol. I-10

After the crossing, without waiting for orders or even permission to do so, Mrs. Ingles began the preparation of a meal. She went about the camp with an air of unconcern. She did not pine nor brood over her troubles. She manifested indifference concerning her captivity. She believed such a course would be much more likely to gain the confidence of the Indians. When the march was commenced she again mounted her horse; this she did with a confident manner and as though it had been definitely determined that she was to ride the whole of the journey, and the Indians seemed to regard the matter in just this light, for they made no objection to her riding that day.

There was no cheerfulness in the heart of Mrs. Ingles. There was almost despair. She felt that her powers of endurance would soon be subjected to trial which she feared she could not survive. She knew that the hour was approaching—was in fact upon her. During this, the third night of her captivity, she gave birth to an infant daughter. Strong and hopeful as she was, she feared her case was now beyond endurance. How could she go on tomorrow? And if she could not go on, she knew what would be the consequences. In such cases the Indians do not wait. For their own women it is not necessary, and white women could not have more consideration than Indian women. Mrs. Ingles went on.

The Indian trail on the west side of the Great Kanawha ascended Paint Creek, crossed the Green Flat Top Mountain, and descended the Bluestone River to the New River. This route was followed by the Shawnees after they had crossed to the west side of the New River. When they again arrived at the Great Kanawha they crossed over to the east side for the purpose of manufacturing some salt to carry with them to their towns. This salt was made at the salt spring immediately above the mouth of Campbell's Creek.

During this halt Mrs. Ingles seems to have recovered entirely from the effects of her confinement. Mrs. Draper's arm was prevented from healing by the hot weather. It became inflamed to a fearful extent. At one time it threatened her life. Mrs. Ingles was permitted to go into the woods to search for herbs and roots from which to compound remedies to relieve her.

In her search for the plants she wished to use in her treatment of Mrs. Draper, Mrs. Ingles was compelled to go considerable distances. into the woods. Her prompt return from these rambles caused the Indians to treat her with a greater degree of leniency and more consideration. Her whole demeanor during her captivity had been such as to meet with their approval. In a few days she was allowed to go and come at will. No day passed but that she could have escaped. Long and fierce were the struggles in her breast on this subject. She always left the Indian camp with the purpose of effecting her escape firmly fixed in her mind. But when alone in the woods reflection upon the sad plight of her children so aroused her maternal love that she wavered in her resolution to go away and leave them to the fury of the savages. Visions of the horrible fate that might befall them always brought her back to camp. Afterwards, when it was too late she reproached herself bitterly for not having availed herself of one of these opportunities to returned to her home and friends.

The Indians remained at the salt spring more than two weeks. At the end of this period Mrs. Draper was much improved. The effect of the "medicine" upon her had raised Mrs. Ingles still higher in the estimation of the Indians. She came to have her own way in all things affecting herself and her children. And she was not denied a sort of negative authority in other matters. One instance of this was her putting Mrs. Draper on horseback when the march was resumed to the Indian villages. The chief did not consent but did not refuse when Mrs. Ingles said to him that Mrs. Draper must ride.

The Indians crossed the Ohio River at the mouth of the Kanawha. They seemed in no haste to get home. They loitered in the woods and by the stream. On the twenty-ninth day of the journey the Indians set up a horrible yell, the scalp halloo, which announced their arrival at their towns at the mouth of the Scioto.

VI

AT THE INDIAN TOWNS

The Indian villages stood upon both sides of the Ohio River. They were the famous Lower Towns of the Shawnees. On December 29th of that year they were visited by Christopher Gist, agent of the Ohio Company. He has left us this description of it:

"The Shannoah Town is situated upon both sides of the River Ohio, just below the mouth of Sciodoe Creek, and contains about 300 men. There are about 40 houses on the South side of the River and about 100 on the North side, with a kind of State-House of about 90 feet long with a light Cover of bark in which they hold their Councils."

Their Upper Town was thirty-nine miles above the mouth of the Great Kanawha, on the north side of the Ohio River. At that time they had other towns in what is now the State of Ohio.

The victorious scalp halloo of the returning warriors was immediately answered by a tumultuous uproar in the village. There issued forth to greet the victorious warriors and terrified captives a motley throng of warriors, squaws, children, and myriads of wolfish dogs. Warriors gave cry to the quavering war-whoop of the Shawnees, which no enemy can hear without feeling his flesh creep and his blood run cold. They brandished knives and tomahawks and fired their guns. Men too old for the chase and the war-path felt again the intoxication of swiftly coursing blood. Neglected and withered old hags, more cruel and bloodthirsty than the warriors, hideous from the contortions of rage, gave utterance to shrieks and howls more ferocious than those of the wolf or the panther.

The captives, helpless and ignorant of the fate which awaited them, quailed before this storm of Indian fury. Unaccustomed to such scenes and unfamiliar with such manifestations of anger, they believed the hour of death at hand. The fearful apprehensions of Mrs. Ingles were soon allayed. The good favor in which she stood with the Indians was her Ishield in this hour of peril. The chief informed her that she and her children were safe from present harm and that they would not be required to run the gauntlet. But this clemency and exemption extended no further. Her request that Mrs. Draper be spared this dangerous and cruel ceremony was denied. Mrs. Draper for herself would never have made the request. When ordered to begin the race to the council house she had recovered from her momentary confusion. Her eyes blazed defiance on the murderous rabble. At the word of the chief she sprang forward on the course between the lines and was immediately assailed by the merciless mob. Wounded as she was she fought fiercely. She snatched weapons from her assailants. She overthrew warriors, beat down squaws, and brushed aside youths and dogs. How she reached the council house she never remembered. When she arrived there she was suffering from many additional wounds, and her arm had been again. broken.

On the third day after reaching the Indian towns the chiefs met in council to deliberate upon the disposition to be made of the captives. It was the policy of the Indian tribes to break family ties when such existed between their prisoners. This was the invariable custom of the Shawnees. From the Indian standpoint this was a wise provision. One