19 



EITHER KILLED OR WOUNDED. 



Captain Rogers, having fallen, rose up and came towards me, 

 when, not seeing one of our party who was not either killed 

 or disabled, I called out to him, ' For God's sake give yourself 

 up !' He ran towards the enemy for that purpose, myself 

 following him. He raised up his hands and, and in English 

 and broken French, called for mercy. A half-breed (son of 

 Col. William McKay) shot him through the head, and another 

 cut open his belly with a knife with the most horrid impreca- 

 tions. Fortunately for me, a Canadian (named Lavigne), 

 joining his entreaties to mine, saved me (though with the 

 greatest difficulty) from sharing the fate of my friend at that 

 moment. After this I was reserved from death, in the most 

 providential manner, no less than six different times on my 

 way to and at the Frog Plain (the headquarters of these cruel 

 murderers). I there saw Alexander Murray and his wife, 

 two of William Bannerman's children and Alexander Suther- 

 land, settlers, and likewise Antony McDonnell, a servant, 

 were prisoners, having been taken before the action took 

 place. With the exception of myself, no quarter was given to 

 any of us. The knife, axe or ball, put a period to the exist- 

 ence of the wounded ; and on the bodies of the dead were 

 practised all those barbarities which characterize the inhuman 

 heart of the sav^age. The amiable and mild Mr. Semple, lying 

 on his side (his thigh having been broken) and supporting 

 his head upon his hand, addressed the commander of our 

 enemies, by inquiring if he was Mr. Grant; anl being 

 answered in the affirmative, ' I am not mortally wounded,' 

 said Mr. Semple ; ' and if you get me conveyed to the fort, I 

 think I should live.' Grant promised he would do so, and 

 immediately left him in the care of a Canadian, who after- 

 wards told that an Indian of their party came up and shot 

 Mr. Semple in the breast. I entreated Grant to procure me 

 the watch, or even the seals, of Mr. Semple, for the purpose 

 of transmitting them to his friends, but I did not succeed. 

 Our force amounted to twenty-eight persons, of whom twenty- 

 one were killed and one wounded. The governor. Captain 



