In the Current of the Revolution 159 



Beyond the river stretched the frowning forest, to 

 the Indians a sure shield in battle, a secure haven 

 in disaster, an impenetrable mask from behind which 

 to plan attack. Clark, from his post at the Falls, 

 sent out spies and scouts along the banks of the riv- 

 er, and patrolled its waters with his gunboat; but it 

 was absolutely impossible to stop all the forays or 

 to tell the point likely to be next struck. A war 

 party starting from the wigwam-towns would move 

 silently down through the woods, cross the Ohio 

 at any point, and stealthily and rapidly traverse the 

 settlements, its presence undiscovered until the deeds 

 of murder and rapine were done, and its track 

 marked by charred cabins and the ghastly, muti- 

 lated bodies of men, women, and children. 



If themselves assailed, the warriors fought des- 

 perately and effectively. They sometimes attacked 

 bodies of troops, but always by ambush or surprise; 

 and they much preferred to pounce on unprepared 

 and unsuspecting surveyors, farmers, or wayfarers, 

 or to creep up to solitary, outlying cabins. They 

 valued the scalps of women and children as highly 

 as those of men. Striking a sudden blow, where 

 there was hardly any possibility of loss to them- 

 selves, they instantly moved on to the next settle- 

 ment, repeating the process again and again. Tire- 

 less, watchful, cautious, and rapid, they covered 

 great distances, and their stealth and the mystery 

 of their coming and going added to the terror pro- 

 duced by the horrible nature of their ravages. When 

 pursued they dextrously covered their trail, and 



