University of Virginia Library

19. CHAPTER XIX.

The place to which Mr. Lee was conducted by his
captors, was situated in a secluded valley, among a range
of low hills. At a spot from which the underbrush had
been cleared away, so as to form an open space, shaded
by tall trees, a number of Indian warriors, armed and
painted for war, were arranged in a circle, and seated
upon the ground. In the centre, strongly bound to
a tree, was a man of large stature, whose face was
painted black,—an indication, as Mr. Lee recollected
to have heard, that the prisoner was doomed to death.
Near the victim, was a lady, also bound, in whom the
eye of our young friend instantly recognized the companion
of his childhood, the idol of his heart, the long-loved
Virginia Pendleton!

The warriors of the newly arrived party were received
with much ceremony by their friends, with whom they
took their seats, while Mr. Lee and Hark were placed
within the circle. A conversation ensued, in which

only the older and more conspicuous of the warriors
participated. They spoke with deliberation, but with
much emphasis, and from their pointing frequently towards
the east, it was inferred that they were severally
relating to each other the incidents of the late predatory
excursion.

Their attention was then directed towards their prisoners,
and the interest with which they referred to him
who was bound to the tree, who was Colonel Hendrickson,
showed that they exulted in his capture with no
ordinary degree of triumph. One of the warriors approached
him, and addressed to him a speech, in which
he seemed to pour out a volume of eloquent hatred,
contempt, and ridicule upon the defenceless captive, often
brandishing his tomahawk as he spoke, and describing,
with gestures too significant to be mistaken, the tortures
that were proposed to be inflicted. The unfortunate
gentleman eyed him with perfect composure, and listened
to his speech without showing the least appearance of
fear or irritation. Several warriors then placed themselves
in front of the captive, and prepared to throw their
tomahawks. Mr. Lee, whose good-nature, and chivalrous
feelings, began to be warmly enlisted, now sprung
up, and rushing towards the victim, exclaimed to the
torturers, “Gentlemen! gentlemen Indians! consider
what you are about—don't murder the gentleman! If
he has done you any harm, I'll be security that he shall
make you ample satisfaction;” while poor Virginia
shrieked and buried her face in her hands. In a moment
George Lee was at her side; “Virginia! dear Virginia!”
he cried, “don't be alarmed—they shall not

touch you—I'll fight for you, while there is a drop of
blood in my veins!” But the Indians did not intend to
slay their prisoner. Paying no attention to the distress
of his friends, which only afforded them amusement,
they threw their tomahawks, one after another, in such
a manner as to strike them into the tree immediately
over his head, each striving to come as near as possible
to the mark without actually hitting it. Others came,
and threw spears in the same mode, and a variety of
other means were used to torture and intimidate their
victim, and to induce him to degrade himself by showing
some symptom of alarm. But all to no purpose: Colonel
Hendrickson was well acquainted with the habits of his
enemies; he had prepared himself to die, and faced his
savage persecutors with the composure of intrepid resignation.

The feelings of his companions in misfortune may be
better imagined than described. The unhappy Virginia,
though her high spirit enabled her to display a show of
resignation, felt herself bowed down by this unexpected
calamity. The calm fortitude of her brave relative,
while it won her admiration and stimulated her courage,
made her heart bleed for the sufferings of one so worthy
of a nobler fate. Mr. Lee had ceased to entertain any
fears for his own safety, but his love for Virginia, and
his native goodness of heart, induced him to sympathize
deeply with his fellow-sufferers; while Hark, who had
withdrawn himself from observation as much as possible,
was lying on the ground, coiled up, gnawing a bone that
had been thrown to him, and hiding another which he
had stolen, casting stealthy and watchful glances around

him all the while, as if in constant dread of harm, but
lying so motionless that his eye alone afforded the slightest
indication of his apprehension.

At length the shades of night closed in, and the
warriors prepared for repose. Colonel Hendrickson remained
tied to the tree; Miss Pendleton sat not far from
him on the ground, but no intention was shown of offering
her anything to lie upon, or any covering to protect her
from the night air. Mr. Lee was more favored, for, as
the Indians happened to have several blankets among the
plunder recently taken, one of these was thrown to him.
Our friend George immediately threw his blanket over
the shoulders of Virginia, and obliging Hark to resign a
similar present that had been made to him, was enabled
effectually to protect the young lady from the cold. The
Indians interposed no objection to these arrangements;
though they look upon acts of gallantry with sovereign
contempt, they know how to estimate a humane action,
and thought none the less of Mr. George Lee, for this
sacrifice of his own comfort in favor of a woman of his
tribe.

Silence reigned throughout the camp. Not a sound
was heard but the footstep of the armed sentinels, who
moved incessantly about, watching the prisoners with
jealous eye, and listening with intense eagerness to catch
the most distant sound which might announce the approach
of an enemy. As they glided slowly in the shade
of night, rendered still deeper by the thick shadows
of the overhanging forest, and but slightly relieved by
the faint glow of an expiring fire, they seemed more
like spectres than human beings. Colonel Hendrickson

remained in a standing posture, bound securely and painfully
to a great tree, which was probably destined to be
his place of execution. He knew that the Indians more
frequently carry to their villages the prisoners destined
to death by torture, in order that the women, the
children, and the whole tribe, may participate in the
horrid entertainment, and derive instruction in the dreadful
rites of cruelty. A conformity with that custom
might procure him a reprieve for a few days, though it
would enhance the tortures that inevitably awaited him;
while a more speedy death on the spot they then occupied,
would cut off all hope of rescue. Occupied with
such reflections, it was impossible to sleep; but though
denied repose, he was not without consolation. Colonel
Hendrickson was a Christian; and, in this trying hour,
when enduring torture, and anticipating a lingering and
excruciating death, he submitted with the most perfect
composure to the will of the great Disposer of all
events. He prayed silently, but with fervor and sincerity,
in the full belief that he was heard, and that his was
“the fervent effectual prayer of the righteous,” which
availeth much to the humble petitioner. His devotional
feelings became quickened and elevated by this exercise,
until at last the overflowings of his heart burst from his
lips in audible and eloquent language.

Virginia, who dozed, but did not sleep, raised her head
when these solemn accents struck her ear. The embers
of a nearly extinguished fire threw a faint glare over
the figure of Colonel Hendrickson, and rendered his
features distinctly visible, while an impenetrable veil of
darkness hung around. The forms of the Indian warriors

could be barely distinguished, as they reposed on
the ground, and raised their heads at this unexpected
interruption. Their dim outlines only could be faintly
traced in the uncertain light, except where, here and
there, a scattered ray fell upon the harsh visage of a
savage warrior, and for a moment lighted up the ferocious
lineaments. The only object upon which the
expiring blaze threw its beams directly, was the victim
prisoner, whose person resembled the prominent figure
in a gloomy and deeply shaded picture. His appearance
was strikingly sublime. His large frame, placed thus
in bold relief, and dimly illuminated, assumed gigantic
dimensions to the fancy of the beholder. His face was
serene and tranquil; his full, bold eye, meekly raised
towards Heaven. Neither fear, nor resentment, marked
his features; all was hope, confidence, and calm self-possession.
His voice was full and manly; his enunciation
deliberate, though impassioned; his language, the
bold, the beautiful, the affecting phraseology of the holy
scriptures. Even the eye of the savage was attracted
by this picturesque and striking spectacle, exhibited in
the lone wilderness, and at the midnight hour; and all
gazed upon it in wonder and in silence. They knew their
prisoner to be a distinguished warrior, before whose arm
some of the most renowned of their tribe had fallen;
and when they heard his solemn voice, beheld his dignified
composure, and saw him in the act of holding converse
with the Master of life, under circumstances so calculated
to impress the imagination, they regarded him as a being
under supernatural protection, and were filled with awe.
And although they would have felt a dread in approaching
him at that moment, they were the more determined
to rid themselves as soon as possible of so hated, and so
powerful a foe.

Gradually the fire became extinguished, a thick cloud
gathered over the camp, and total darkness shrouded
the spot. The voice of the prisoner ceased, the warriors
sunk again to their slumbers, and all was silent. The
sentinels renewed their vigilance, and as their eye-sight
could now avail nothing, other precautions were used to
prevent any attempt to escape on the part of the prisoners.
It was near day-break, when Colonel Hendrickson
felt a hand passing slowly from his feet upward along his
person—and then another hand which evidently grasped
a knife. He knew that almost every Indian has some
individual quarrel to avenge upon the white men, which
he broods over in secret, until a favorable opportunity
enables him to satiate his appetite for vengeance; and he
supposed that some warrior who had lost a relative in
battle, was now about to take that revenge which is so
grateful to their lust of blood. Brave as he was, a chill
crept over him, and the blood almost ceased to flow in
his veins, as he felt the hand of the murderer, cautiously
seeking out, as he supposed, the vital spot, into which he
might plunge his weapon with the certainty of reaching
the life of his victim. The point of the knife was pressed
to his back, and he expected to feel the steel passing
through from that direction, when the cord that bound
his hands was suddenly cut, and in a moment he stood
free from his bonds. His unknown friend glided away
with a step as noiseless as that with which he had

approached; and the released prisoner had now to exert
his own ingenuity in effecting his escape.

His determination was soon made. To attempt to
release his companions would jeopard all their lives; and
should he succeed in escaping with them from the camp,
it was next to impossible that such a party could elude
the pursuit of a large number of skilful warriors, who
would follow them at the break of day, which could be
little more than an hour distant. But he was himself a
woodsman; hardy, cunning, and swift of foot: with a
start of an hour, he believed he could outstrip the fleetest
of the savage warriors, and bring a rescue to his friends,
whose lives were probably not in immediate danger. He
stole silently from the camp, passed the sentinels, and in
a few minutes was rapidly making his way through the
forest, with unerring skill, towards the waters of the Ohio.

Great was the astonishment, and bitter the imprecations,
of the savages, when they discovered, at the first
dawn of day, the escape of their prisoner. They were
almost frantic with disappointment and fury, and were
ready to sacrifice their remaining prisoners to their
rage. Suspicion very naturally fell upon them as having
been instrumental in the escape of Colonel Hendrickson;
but after a close examination it did not appear that Mr.
Lee or Miss Pendleton had moved. At length a track,
different from that of an Indian, was discovered near
the tree to which the victim had been tied, and a yell of
rage was uttered by the whole gang. It was the track
of Hark Short, the snake-killer, who, it was now perceived,
was also missing.