IQQ ' AUTHENTIC HISTORY 



was now increased to upwards of Three hundred men, and mostly well 

 armed though about twenty men had nothing but axes and pitchforks. 

 All unanimously agreed to die together and engage the enemy wherever 

 they should meet with them — never to enquire the number but fight 

 them, and so obstruct their marching further into the inhabited parts till 

 others of our Brethren should come up and do the same, and so save the 

 Lives of our Wives and Children. This night the Powder and Lead 

 came up that I sent for early in the morning from Eeading, and I ordered 

 it to the care of the Officers to divide it among those that wanted it most. 

 On the 28th by break of day we marched, our Company increasing all 

 along. We arrived at Adam Eead's Esqr., in Hanover Township, Lan- 

 caster County, about 10 o'clock ; there we stopped and rested till all came 

 up. Mr. Bead had just then received intelligence from Sasquehannah by 

 Express, which was as follows, to wit : 'that Justice Forster, Capt. McKee, 

 John Harris, and others, to the number of forty-nine, went up to Sham- 

 okin to bury the Dead bodies of those that had been killed by the enemy 

 on John Penn's Creek, and coming up to George Gabriel's, about five 

 miles this side Shamokin and on the West side Sasquehannah, they heard 

 that the Dead bodies had been buried already, and so they went along to 

 Shamokin, where they arrived last Friday evening, and were seemingly 

 well received, but found a great number of strange Indians, though Dela- 

 wares, all painted Black, which gave suspicion, and Thomas McKee told 

 his companions that he did not like them, and the next morning, that is 

 last Saturday, they got up early in order to go back, but they did not see 

 any of the strangers ; they were gone before them. Andrew Montour was 

 there painted as the rest, advised our people not to go the same Road they 

 came, but to keep this side Sasquehannnah and go the old Road, but when 

 they came to the parting of the Roads a majority was for going the nighest 

 and best road, and so crossed Sasquehannah contrary to Andrew Montour's 

 counsel in order to go down on the west side of that river as far as Ma- 

 honioy; when they came to John Pena's creek, in going down the bank 

 they were fired upon from this side by Indians that had way -laid them; 

 some dropped down dead, the rest fled and made towards Sasquehannah, 

 and came to this side, and so home as well as they could. Twenty-six 

 of them were missing and not heard of as yet last Monday evening. Upon 

 this we had a consultation, and as we did not come up to serve as guards 

 to Paxton people, but to fight the enemy if they were come so far as we 

 first heard, we thought best t0 return and take care of our own Town- 

 ships. After I had given the necessary caution to the People to hold 

 themselves in readiness as the enemy was certainly in the Country, to 

 keep their Arms in good order, and so on, I discharged them, and so we 

 marched back with the approbation of Mr. Read ; by the way we were 

 alarmed with a report that above five hundred Indians had come over 



