The work being done, we thought of steering homewards triumphant with the fifty scalps; but how to get the lady forwards, who was in such a condition as rendered her incapable of walking further, gave us some pain, and retarded us a little, until we made a sort of carriage to seat her on; and then, with the greatest readiness, we took our turns, four at a time, and carried her along. This, in some measure, made the captain cheerful, who all the way endeavoured to comfort and revive his desponding afflicted mistress: but, alas! In vain, for the miseries she had lately felt, and the terrible fate of her poor brother, of whom I doubt not but the tender-hearted reader is anxious to hear, rendered even her most pleasing thoughts, notwithstanding his soothing words, corroding and insufferable.
The account she gave of their disastrous fate and dire catastrophe, besides what I have already mentioned, was, that the savages had no sooner seen all consumed, but they hurried off with her and her brother, pushing, and sometimes dragging them on, for four or five miles, when they stopt; and stripping her naked, treated her in a shocking manner, whilst others were stripping and cruelly whipping her unhappy brother. After which, they, in the same manner, pursued their journey, regardless of the tears, prayers, or entreaties of this wretched pair; but with the most infernal pleasure, laughed and rejoiced at the calamities and distresses they had brought them to, and saw them suffer, until they arrived at the place we found them; where they had that day butchered her beloved brother in the following execrable and cruel manner: they first scalped him alive, and after mocking his agonizing groans and torments, for some hours, ripped open his belly, into which they put splinters and chips of pine trees, and set lire thereto; the same (on account of the turpentine wherewith these trees abound) burnt with great quickness and fury for a little time, during which, he remained in a manner alive, as she could sometimes perceive him to move his head, and groan.— They then piled a great quantity of wood all around his body, and consumed it to ashes.
Thus did these barbarians put an end to the being of this unhappy young gentleman, who was only 22 years of age when he met his calamitous fate. She continued her relation, by acquainting us that the next day was to have seen her perish in the like manner, after suffering worse than even such a terrible death, the satisfying these diabolical miscreants in their brutal lust. But it pleased the Almighty to permit us to rescue her, and entirely to extirpate this crew of devils!
Marching easily on her account, we returned to the captain's plantation the 6th of May, where, as well as at Boston, we were joyfully received, and rewarded handsomely for the scalps of those savages we had brought with us. Mr Crawford and Miss Long were soon after married; and, in gratitude to the services we had done them, the whole party was invited to the wedding, and nobly entertained; but no riotous or noisy mirth was allowed, the young lady we may well imagine, being still under great affliction, and in a weak state of health.
Nothing further material, that I now remember, happened during my stay at Boston; to proceed, therefore, with the continuation of our intended expedition.
