In this moment of despair, a Pawnee woman, a servant of the family, beckoned to Henry to follow her. He passed softly through the door, and, on the outside, she opened another door, whispering that it led to the garret where he should hide himself. He quickly did so, and she, keeping at his heels, locked the upper door behind him, and came down stairs, taking the key with her. The room was so loosely built that the fugitive could peer through between the cracks and watch the massacre on the open plain in front. While he was doing so, several of the savages, seeing that no more victims were left, ran to the building in which the trader was hiding. He peered through the crevices in the floor, and heard the visitors ask the head of the house whether any Englishmen were inside. "I do not know of any," replied the Canadian, speaking the truth, for he had not seen what his servant did. "If you have any doubts, search for yourselves." Acting on the hint, the warriors went up the stairs, and who shall picture the feelings of the poor man, when he heard their footsteps and the next moment their hands trying the door? The absence of the key caused delay, which he quickly turned to account. In the corner of the room was a heap of birch vessels used in making maple sugar. He crawled under these, covering himself as best he could. He had barely time to do so, when four Indians, covered with the blood of their victims, stalked into the room. They walked about the garret, peering here and there, one of them coming so close that the trembling white man could have touched his moccasin. But the twilight of the room (it had no windows) and the dark clothing of Henry helped him, and the Indians went down stairs without finding him. In the end, he made his escape, as has been stated, and we are indebted to him for the story of the fall of Mackinaw. CHAPTER VII A BESIEGED GARRISON THE ATTACK ON DETROIT Let us now return to Detroit. Its experience is without a parallel in the history of our country. Never before was a town of importance held in a state of siege for more than a year by Indians. That such a remarkable thing took place was due to the genius of the master mind, who held the turbulent savages to their work, when the task of waiting is the most distasteful that can befall their race. Pontiac had to foresee the means of providing his forces with food, and he did it. He was the first American savage--so far as we have been able to learn--who gave promissory notes for the supplies he had to take from the neutral French residents outside of Detroit. Whenever he did this, he handed a memorandum of what had been taken, marked on the inside of a piece of bark, to which was added his totum, the sign of an otter. Moreover, this aboriginal financier redeemed every one of those notes, thereby setting a good example to his white brethren.