THE FATE OF THE CHEW, 449 



was overtaken by his pursuers, and immediatelv despatched 

 by a blow on the head." 



Ireland and another boy named Sexton, were now left 

 awaiting their fate : the former, the narrator of this melan- 

 choly tale, thus describes his deliverance : — 



" An Indian came to me with a carving knife to cut ray 

 throat, but as he was about to do it, having seized hold of 

 me, I grasped the blade of the knife in my right hand and 

 held it fast, struggling for my life. The Indian then threw 

 me down, and placing his knee on my breast tried to 

 wrench the knife out of my hand, but I still retained it, 

 although one of my fingers was cut through to the bone. 

 At last I succeeded in getting uppermost, when I let him 

 go and ran into the sea, and swam out; but being much 

 exhausted, and the only chance of my life was to return to 

 the shore, I landed again fully expecting to be knocked 

 on the head. The same Indian then came up with an 

 infuriated gesture, and shot me in the right breast with 

 an arrow ; and then in a most unaccountable manner 

 suddenly became quite calm, and led or dragged me to 

 a little distance, and offered me some fish and water, which 

 I was unable to partake of. 



" Whilst struggling with the Indian, I observed Sexton, 

 who was held by another, bite a piece of his arm out, but 

 after that knew nothing of him, until I found his life had 

 been spared in a manner similar to my own.*' 



" At a short distance off, making the most hideous yells, 



* Upon interrogating Ireland to obtain some explanation of 

 the reason their lives were spared, he says, that he has frequently 

 seen the Indians recover themselves in a moment from a violent 

 paroxysm of fury ; and he attributes their safety to a circnrn- 

 stance of this nature. — P. P. K. 



VOL. I. 2 G 



