1891-92. | AN EPISODE IN THE PONTIAC WAR. 237 
his son. He made us all plant a few grains of corn, which we did, and 
re-embarking, proceeded on our voyage, which we ended in four days, 
arriving at a Frenchman’s house in the neighbourhood of Detroit. This 
man being my master’s , we took up our residence close to his house, 
rather than join the rest of the warriors, who were encamped five miles 
nearer the fort. We immediately set about building a large bark house, 
more convenient than those they carry about with them. The fireplace 
belonging to it was situated out of doors, where I was condemned to 
broil two hours every day, boiling their kettle, with a little fish or Indian 
corn. This new house occupied about four days in finishing, several 
parts of the work falling to my share, such as carrying home the wood 
and bark; here I must observe that I suffered inexpressible pain from 
not having any clothes on—not so much as a shirt to protect me from 
the scorching rays of the sun which burnt my back and shoulders so much 
that I was one mass of blisters, the palms of my hands being in the same 
state from the continued working of the oar. The next piece of fatigue 
I was put to was assisting my mistress in planting a large field of corn or 
maize or other vegetables. This being finished, my master carried me to 
the grand encampment about five miles from Detroit. Here I had the 
pleasure of seeing Captain Campbell and Lieutenant MacDougall of the 
60th Regiment, who came out of the fort at the commencement of the 
blockade, with proposals of peace to the Indians. To this however, they 
would not listen; but on the contrary, detained those two officers 
prisoners at a Frenchman’s house. Upon my observing to Captain 
Campbell that I thought we might escape, being so near as within sight 
of the fort, he advised me by no means to think of it, as he was well 
assured that if any one escaped, the Indians were determined to sacrifice 
those that remained. I frequently made visits to those gentlemen who 
were prisoners with the Ottawahs. Every day there were captures and 
scalps brought into the camp. The scalp is not, as commonly believed, 
the whole skin of the head, but only the uppermost part of the crown, 
and must have in it that swirl in the hair which every one has there, 
before it can be approved of asa just trophy of the warrior’s achieve- 
ments. They at this time brought in Ensign Pauli (60th Regiment) 
who commanded a small fort on Lake Erie. The Indians entered this 
fort as friends, and while some of them were smoking a pipe as a token 
of their pretended friendship, the rest were butchering their small garri- 
son till not one was left alive. This gentleman made a very good Indian, 
being of a dark complexion. He was much liked by his master, who 
soon adopted him into his family, by which he was exempted from all 
drudgery. So great an assembly of Indians being gathered together in 
a French settlement, reduced the inhabitants to great distress ; they had. 
