Legends of the Skyline Drive and the Great Valley of VirginiaWillis, Carrie Hunter
History
Legends of the Skyline Drive and the Great Valley of Virginia
Willis, Carrie Hunter
Shenandoah National Park (Va.); Shenandoah River Valley (Va. and W. Va.) -- History
While the Indian was aiming at the boys, one of them ran up a rough path
which had been made by the animals as they went back and forth to drink.
The boy scrambled up this path and darted by the Indian who tried his
best to catch him. The Indian gave pursuit and the boy ran until he came
to a wide gulley about ten feet wide. This the boy easily jumped, but
the Indian hesitated and threw a buffalo tug which struck his head and
hurt his back. But he never stopped running until he reached his
father's home and slipped into the fort where he told the parents of the
attack.
In the meantime, five of the children who were playing in the river
climbed into the canoe. The Indians waded out, then swimming to the side
of it, pulled out the children, killed them, and took their scalps.
An older girl, about thirteen years old, turned over the canoe and swam
downstream, then jumped to the opposite bank. One of the Indians pursued
her and she screamed loudly for help. A faithful guard dog came to her
rescue and as the Indian reached out to grab her, the dog jumped at the
Indian, tearing the flesh in his thigh, and threw him down. This gave
the girl time to make her escape.
The Indian struck the dog a blow with his club which finally made him
let up on the man. The faithful dog went to the canoe and stood guard
over the five scalped children until their people came to take them away
for burial. Then the dog refused to leave the spot and began to howl in
a most pitiful way. He ran into the woods and back again, keeping up his
cries until one of the men followed him to see what was troubling him.
There near a tree, he found a little boy of six years, bleeding to death
from a scalp wound.
In 1760 two Indians were seen hiding around Mill Creek. Mr. Painter, his
brother John and William Moore went in search of them. After some time
they came to a newly fallen pine tree which had a very bushy top.
"We had better be careful," Mathias Painter said as they neared the
fallen tree. "There may be Indians hidden in it." As he spoke, an Indian
fired from the tree. His bullet grazed John's temple not injuring him.
Then the other two white men fired at the Indians, striking one of them
who fell to the ground. They supposed him to be dead, so they pursued
the one who had fled, leaving his gun and loot behind him.
But the Indian was strong and he outran the two men. Imagine their
surprise when they returned, and found the Indian gone whom they had
supposed dead, taking the guns and pack of skins with him. The white men
picked up his trail and followed him. He hid himself in a sink-hole and
when the men came near he opened fire on them. He poured out his powder
on the dry grass in front of him so he could reload his gun more
quickly. He fired at least thirty times before the two men finally were
able to kill him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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