The Indian Wars, 1784-1787 153 



were not, when hungry, over-scrupulous concerning 

 the right to stray live stock. Running forward, 

 the three men had almost reached the river, when 

 they heard the loud snorting of one of the horses 

 as it was forced into the water. As they came out 

 on the bank they saw the canoe, with three Indians 

 in it, and in the bottom four rifles, the dead hog, 

 and young Wetzel stretched at full length; the In 

 dian in the stern was just pushing off from the shore 

 with his paddle; the fourth Indian was swimming 

 the horses a few yards from shore. Immediately 

 the foremost white man threw up his rifle and shot 

 the paddler dead; and a second later one of his 

 companions coming up, killed in like fashion the 

 Indian in the bow of the canoe. The third Indian, 

 stunned by the sudden onslaught, sat as if numb, 

 never so much as lifting one of the rifles that lay 

 at his feet, and in a minute he too was shot and fell 

 over the side of the canoe, but grasped the gunwale 

 with one hand, keeping himself afloat. Young 

 Wetzel, in the bottom of the canoe, would have 

 shared the same fate, had he not cried out that he 

 was white and a prisoner ; wherupon they bade him 

 knock loose the Indian's hand from the side of the 

 canoe. This he did, and the Indian sank. The cur 

 rent carried the canoe on a rocky spit of land, and 

 Wetzel jumped out and waded ashore, while the lit 

 tle craft spun off and again drifted toward mid 

 stream. One of the men on shore now fired at the 

 only remaining Indian, who was still swimming 

 his horse for the opposite bank. The bullet splashed 



