SOURCE OP ST. Peter's river. 121 



engaging manners, were such as to warrant the apprehen- 

 sions of their anxious parent. If this was the case, we 

 douht not that Dr. McLaughlin's exertions will have led 

 to their discovery. 



The hope which we had entertained of having Tanner 

 for a fellow traveller during the rest of the journey, as 

 well as the fear of increasing his pain by too much con- 

 versation, prevented Mr. Say from securing a complete 

 history of his life, but the following is believed to be ac- 

 curate : — 



John Tanner was the son of a clergyman, who removed 

 with his family to the banks of the Ohio, near the mouth of 

 the Miami river, some time previous to the year 1790. He 

 had been settled there but about ten days when apprehen- 

 sions were entertained of an attack from a party of Indians. 

 The unsettled state of that part of the country, at the 

 time, exposed its scattered inhabitants to frequent incursion.s 

 from their savage neighbours. Tanner was then about nine 

 years of age ; notwithstanding the prohibition of his father, 

 he had wandered to a short distance from the house, and 

 had just filled his hat with walnuts, picked from a neigh- 

 bouring tree, when he was seized upon by a party of In- 

 dians, who by their threats forced him to silence : they 

 carried him off. This party was commanded, it is said, 

 by an Indian who resided near Saganaw, and whose wife 

 had lately lost her son. Bereft of her only child, the mo- 

 ther appeared inconsolable, and finally begged that her 

 husband would make a prisoner of one, about the same age, 

 to whom she might transfer all the affection which she had 

 borne to her own ofispring. With this view the Indian 

 had armed a party of his friends, proceeded down towards 

 the settlements, found this child, carried him oflT, and re- 

 turned with him to liis wife, who was delighted on be- 



