1 66 The Winning of the West 



mer of '81 a party of seven Wyandots or Hurons 

 came into their settlement, burned some cabins, 

 and killed one of the settlers. Immediately eight 

 backwoodsmen started in chase of the marauders; 

 among them were the two Poes. 



The Wyandots were the bravest of all the Indian 

 tribes, the most dangerous in battle, and the most 

 merciful in victory, rarely torturing their prisoners ; 

 the backwoodsmen respected them for their prowess 

 more than they did any other tribe, and if captured 

 esteemed themselves fortunate to fall into Wyandot 

 hands. These seven warriors were the most fa- 

 mous and dreaded of the whole tribe. They in- 

 cluded four brothers, one being the chief Bigfoot, 

 who was of gigantic strength and stature, the cham- 

 pion of all, their most fearless and redoubtable fight- 

 er, yet their very confidence ruined them, for they 

 retreated in a leisurely manner, caring little whether 

 they were overtaken or not, as they had many times 

 worsted the whites, and did not deem them their 

 equals in battle. 



The backwoodsmen followed the trail swiftly all 

 day long, and, by the help of the moon, late into the 

 night. Early next morning they again started and 

 found themselves so near the Wyandots that An- 

 drew Poe turned aside and went down to the bed 

 of a neighboring stream, thinking to come up behind 

 the Indians while they were menaced by his com- 

 rades in front. Hearing a low murmur, he crept up 

 through the bushes to a jutting rock on the brink 

 of the watercourse, and, peering cautiously over, he 



