214 THe Winning of the West 



panions, as well as other white prisoners, toma- 

 hawked or tortured to death. He was examined 

 publicly about many matters at several Great Coun- 

 cils for he spoke two or three different Indian lan- 

 guages fluently. At one of the councils he heard 

 the Indians solemnly resolve to take no more 

 prisoners thereafter, but to kill all Americans, of 

 whatever sex and age; some of the British agents 

 from Detroit signifying their approval of the 

 resolution. 28 



At last he was condemned to be burned, and was 

 actually tied to the stake. But a heavy shower 

 came on, so wetting the wood that it was deter- 

 mined to reprieve him till the morrow. That night 

 he was bound and put in a wigwam under the care 

 of three warriors. They laughed and chatted with 

 the prisoner, mocking him, and describing to him 

 with relish all the torments that he was to suffer. 

 At last they fell asleep, and, just before daybreak, 



28 Slover asserts that it was taken in consequence of a mes- 

 sage sent advising it by the commandant at Detroit. This is 

 doubtless untrue; the commandant at Detroit did what he 

 could to stop such outrages, although many of his more reck- 

 less and uncontrollable subordinates very probably pursued 

 an opposite course. The ignorant and violently prejudiced 

 backwoodsmen naturally believed all manner of evil of their 

 British foes; but it is singular that writers who ought to be 

 well informed should even now continue to accept all their 

 wild assertions as unquestioned facts. The conduct of the 

 British was very bad; but it is silly to describe it in the 

 terms often used. The year after their escape Slover dic- 

 tated, and Knight wrote, narratives of their adventures, 

 which were together published in book form at Philadelphia 

 in 1783. They are very interesting. 



