78 AMBUSCADE OF THE DEVIL'S HOLE. [1763, Sept. 



by the bullets which whistled about his head. Fly- 

 ing at full speed through the forest, he reached 

 Fort Schlosser in safety. 



The distant sound of the Indian rifles had been 

 heard by a party of soldiers, who occupied a small 

 fortified camp near the lower landing. Forming in 

 haste, they advanced eagerly to the rescue. In an- 

 ticipation of this movement, the Indians, who were 

 nearly five hundred in number, had separated into 

 two parties, one of which had stationed itself at 

 the Devil's Hole, to waylay the convoy, while the 

 other formed an ambuscade upon the road, a mile 

 nearer the landing-place. The soldiers, marching 

 precipitately, and huddled in a close body, were sud- 

 denly assailed by a volley of rifles, which stretched 

 half their number dead upon the road. Then*, 

 rushing from the forest, the Indians cut down the 

 survivors with merciless ferocity. A small remnant 

 only escaped the massacre, and fled to Fort Niag- 

 ara with the tidings. Major Wilkins, who com- 

 manded at this post, lost no time in marching to 

 the spot, with nearly the whole strength of his 

 garrison. Not an Indian was to be found. At the 

 two places of ambuscade, about seventy dead bodies 

 w^ere counted, naked, scalpless, and so horribly 

 mangled that many of them could not be recog- 

 nized. All the wagons had been broken to pieces, 

 and such of the horses as were not driven over the 

 precipice had been carried oflf, laden, doubtless, 

 with the plunder. The ambuscade of the Devil's 

 Hole has gained a traditionary immortality, adding 



