Boys' Book of Frontier FightersSabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)
History
Boys' Book of Frontier Fighters
Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)
Frontier and pioneer life -- United States; Indians of North America -- Wars
Most of the thirty got away--made a running fight of it, from the corn,
and from tree trunks and cane clumps. Six were killed or wounded. But
Simon Girty himself was almost bagged. That would have been a
victory--and it did indeed put a stop to the fracas. Like any Indian
he was hot in chase of a young Kentuckian; at last his quarry turned,
leveled on him and fired. Down went Simon Girty, knowing now that he
had mistaken his man. The gun had been loaded!
Girty killed! Nothing could have spread greater joy. No! He was up
again. The bullet had struck a piece of leather in his shot-pouch and
had only bruised him! Pshaw! The young Kentuckian had not dared to
pause and finish his job, and ran on until he might reload.
The fall of Simon Girty had created alarm. All the Indians who saw,
stopped. When they learned the truth, the pursuit had slackened; they
let the few Long Knives go and applied themselves to the siege of the
station.
That was now a harder task, for the garrison had been increased by the
sixteen horsemen. At sunset the chiefs grew discouraged. They had
lost many warriors; reinforcements had arrived, more would be on the
way; they wished to draw off and try elsewhere.
Simon Girty addressed them.
"I will talk to the Long Knives. I will make their hearts soft. You
have seen that they cannot kill me--I turn their bullets. I will turn
their hearts also."
On hands and knees he crawled along to a large stump near a corner of
the station. From there he called. They heard.
"What do you want?"
"You are brave men and women. Listen. I bring you terms. You have
fought well, and done all that you can do. It is useless to fight
farther. We know your numbers. We have six hundred warriors and
whites, and cannon are coming. They will be here shortly. They are
not like rifles. With them we can blow your walls into the air. Then
the Indians will pour in, and nothing can protect you, your women and
children. Not a life will be spared. But surrender, and I give you my
word of honor that no hair of your heads shall be harmed."
There was a moment of silence. The mention of cannon had had its
effect. True enough, cannon had been used, of late, against other
stockades, with dire results.
A brave voice answered Simon Girty.
"You lie. Go back to your Injuns before a bullet pierces your coward
heart."
"Who says I lie?" Girty demanded, with a show of being much hurt. "Do
you know my name, sir? I am Simon Girty."
Aaron Reynolds replied to him. He was a spirited young man, and had
noticed that some of his companions were sobered by the word "cannon."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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