In the Current o'f the Revolution 53 



was so great and his wind so good that he fairly out- 

 ran his pursuers; but by ill-luck, when almost ex- 

 hausted, he came against another party of Indians. 

 After this he abandoned himself to despair. He 

 was often terribly abused by his captors; once one 

 of them cut his shoulder open with an axe, breaking 

 the bone. 



His face was painted black, the death color, and 

 he was twice sentenced to be burned alive, at the 

 Pickaway Plains and at Sandusky. But each time 

 he was saved at the last moment, once through a 

 sudden spasm of mercy on the part of the renegade 

 Girty, his old companion in arms at the time of Lord 

 Dunmore's war, and again by the powerful interces- 

 sion of the great Mingo chief, Logan. At last, after 

 having run the gantlet eight times and being thrice 

 tied to the stake, he was ransomed by some traders. 

 They hoped to get valuable information from him 

 about the border forts, and took him to Detroit. 

 Here he stayed until his battered, wounded body was 

 healed. Then he determined to escape, and formed 

 his plan in concert with two other Kentuckians, who 

 had been in Boone's party that was captured at the 

 Blue Licks. They managed to secure some guns, 

 got safely off, and came straight down through the 

 great forests to the Ohio, reaching their homes in 

 safety. 47 



47 McClung gives the exact conversations that took place 

 between Kenton, Logan, Girty, and the Indian chiefs. They 

 are very dramatic, and may possibly be true ; the old pioneer 

 would probably always remember even the words used on 



