American Prisoners of the RevolutionDandridge, Danske
History
American Prisoners of the Revolution
Dandridge, Danske
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Prisoners and prisons
“I now continued my journey as well as the weak state of my body would
permit,--the weather being at the time extremely hot and rainy.
I frequently lay down and would wish that I might never rise
again;--despair had almost wholly possessed me; and sometimes in a
kind of delirium I would fancy I heard my mother’s voice, and my father
calling me, and I would answer them. At other times my wild imagination
would paint to my view scenes which I was acquainted with. Then
supposing myself near home I would run as fast as my legs could carry
me. Frequently I fancied that I heard dogs bark, men cutting wood, and
every noise which I have heard in my native country.
“One day as I was travelling a small dog, as I thought it to be, came
fawning round me and followed me, but I soon discovered it to be a
young lion. I supposed that its dam must be nigh, and therefore run. It
followed me some time and then left me. I proceeded on, but had not got
far from it before it began to cry. I looked round and saw a lioness
making towards it. She yelled most frightfully, which greatly terrified
me; but she laid down something from her mouth for her young one, and
then with another yell turned and went off from me.
“Some days after I was travelling by the edge of a woods, which from its
appearance had felt severely the effects of a tornado or hurricane, the
trees being all torn up by the roots, and I heard a crackling noise in
the bushes. Looking about I saw a monstrous large tiger making slowly
towards me, which frightened me exceedingly. When he had approached
within a few rods of me, in my surprise I lifted up my hands and
hollowed very loud. The sudden noise frightened him, seemingly as much
as I had been, and he immediately turned and run into the woods, and I
saw him no more.
“After this I continued to travel on without molestation, only from the
monkies who were here so plentiful that oftentimes I saw them in large
droves; sometimes I run from them, as if afraid of them, they would then
follow, grin, and chatter at me, and when they got near I would turn,
and they would run from me back into the woods, and climb the trees to
get out of my way.
“It was now 15 weeks since I had left the hospital. I had travelled most
all of the day without any water and began to be very thirsty, when I
heard the sound of running water, as it were down a fall of rocks. I
had heard it a considerable time and at last began to suspect it was
nothing, but imaginary, as many other noises I had before thought
to have heard. I however went on as fast as I could, and at length
discovered a brook. On approaching it I was not a little surprised and
rejoiced by the sight of a Female Indian, who was fishing at the
brook. She had no other dress on than that which mother nature affords
impartially to all her children, except a small cloth which she wore
round her waist.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account