CAPTURED BY THE INDIANS. 49 



prominent muscular power displayed itself in 

 every limb, while the expression of his counte- 

 nance, which was bold and ingenuous, indicated 

 courage, enterprise, and strength. Audubon, 

 who occupied the same sleeping apartment with 

 him, was indefatigable in his questionings, in 

 order to elicit some account of his companion's 

 exploits. The Colonel, after merely laying aside 

 his hunting shirt, and arranging a few folds of a 

 blanket on the floor, remarked that " he would 

 rather lie there than on the softest bed." He then 

 assented to Audubon's request, by relating an 

 occurrence which befell him while on an expe- 

 dition to the Grreen river in Kentucky, where 

 none but sons of the soil were looked upon as 

 lawful proprietors of that State. 



He had extinguished one night the fire of his 

 camp, and lain down to rest in security, as he 

 imagined, when seized by an indistinguishable 

 number of hands, he was immediately pinioned, 

 as if about to be led to execution. To have re- 

 sisted, when in the power of the crafty Redskins 

 would have been dangerous as useless. By 

 suffering himself to be quietly removed, the In- 

 dians were convinced of his fearlessness. Mean- 

 while, his mental ingenuity was incessantly exer- 

 cised for some stratagem of escape. On his ar- 

 rival at the camp, great rejoicings were shown, 

 and he was warned by unequivocal gestures, that 



5 D 



