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32. I did nor utter many words, but my heart was forely pained within me, and my mind exceedingly troubled with ftrange and awful ideas. I often imagined, for inftance, that I plainly faw the naked carcaffes of my deceafed children hanging upon the limbs of the trees, as the Indians are wont to hang the raw hides of thofe beafts which they take in hunting.

33. It was not long, however, before it was fo ordered by kind Providence, that I fhould be relieved in a good measure from thofe horrid imaginations; for as I was walking one day. upon the ice, obferving a fmoke at fome diftance upon the land, it must proceed, thought I, from the fire of fome Indian hut ;and who knows but fome of my poor children may be there.

34. My curiofity, thus excited, led me to the place, and there I found my fon Caleb, a little boy between two and three years old, whom I had lately buried, in apprehenfion at leaft; or rather imagined to have been deprived of life, and perhaps alfo denied a decent grave.

35. I found him likewife in tolerable health and circumRances, under the protection of a fond Indian mother and moreover had the happiness of lodging with him in my arms one joyful night. Again we fhifted our quarters, and when we had travelled eight or ten miles upon the fnow and ice, came to a place where the Indians manufactured fugar, which they extracted from the maple trees.

36. Here an Indian came to vifit us, whom I knew, and who could fpeak English. He asked me why I did not go to fee my fon Squire. I replied that I had lately been informed he was dead. He affured me that he was yet alive, and but two or three miles off, on the oppofite fide of the Lake.

37. At my requeft, he gave me the best directions he could' to the place of his abode. I refolved to embrace the first opportunity that offered of endeavoring to fearch it out. While I was bufy in contemplating this affair, the Indians obtained a little bread, of which they gave me a small share.

38. I did not taste a morfel of it myself, but faved it all for my poor child, if I fhould be fo lucky as to find him. At length, having obtained of my keeper leave to be absent for one day, I fet off early in the morning, and fteering, as well as I could, according to the directions which the friendly Indian had given me, I quickly found the place which he had fo accurately marked out.

39. I beheld, as I drew nigh, my little fon without the, camp; but he looked, thought I, like a ftarved and mangy puppy, that had been wallowing in the afhes. I took him in my arms, and he spoke to me these words in the Indian tongue; "Mother are you come?"

40. I took him into the wigwam with me, and observing a number of Indian children in it, I distributed all the bread which. I had referved for my own child, among them all; otherwife I should have given great offense.

41. My little boy appeared to be very fond of his new mother, kept as near me as poffible while I ftayed; and when I told him I must go, he fell as though he had been knocked down with a club.

42. But having recommended him to the care of him who made him, when the day was far spent, and the time would permit me to ftay no longer, I departed, you may well fuppofe, with a heavy load at my heart. The tidings I had received of the death of my youngest child, had a little before been confirmed to me beyond a doubt; but I could not mourn so heartily for the deceased, as for the living child.

43. When the winter broke up, we removed to St. John's; and through the enfuing fummer, our principal refidence was at no great distance from the fort at that place. In the mean time, however, my fifter's husband having been out with a fcouting party to fome of the English fettlements, had a drun ken frolic at the fort when he returned.

44. His wife, who never got drunk, but had often experienced the ill effects of her husband's intemperance, fearing what the confequence might prove, if he should come home in a morofe and turbulent humor, to avoid his infolence, propof ed that we should both retire, and keep out of the reach of it, until the storm abated.

45. We abfconded accordingly but it fo happened, that I returned, and ventured into his prefence, before his wife had prefumed to come nigh him. I found him in his wigwam and in a furly mood; and not being able to revenge upon his wife, because he was not at home, he laid hold of me, and hurried me to the fort; and, for a trifling confideration, fold me to a French gentleman, whofe name was Saccapee.

46. It is an ill wind certainly that blows nobody any good. I had been with the Indians a year lacking fourteen days; and

if not for my fifter, yet for me it was a lucky circumstance indeed, which thus in an unexpected moment, fnatched me out of their cruel hands, and placed me beyond the reach of their infolent power.

47. After my Indian mafter had difpofed of me in the manner related above, and the momen: of fober reflection had arrived, perceiving that the man who bought me had taken the advantage of him in an unguarded hour, his refentment began to kindle, and his indignation rofe fo high, that he threatened to kill me if he should meet me alone; or if he could not revenge himself thus, that he would fet fire to the fort.

48. I was therefore fecreted in an upper chamber, and the fort carefully guarded, until his wrath had time to cool. My fervice in the family, to which I was advanced, was perfect freedom, in comparison with what it had been among the barbarous Indians.

49. My new master and mistress were both as kind and generous towards me as I could reasonably expect. I feldom afked a favor of either of them, but it was readily granted. In confequence of which I had it in my power, in many inftances, to administer aid and refreshment to the poor prifoners of my own nation, who were brought into St. John's during my abode in the family of the above mentioned benevolent and hofpitable Saccapee.

50. Yet even in this family, fuch trials awaited me as I had little reason to expect; but ftood in need of a large stock of prudence, to enable me to encounter them. In this I was greatly affifted by the governor, and Col. Schuyler, who was then a prifoner.

51. I was moreover under unspeakable obligations to the governor on another account. had received intelligence from my daughter Mary, the purport of which was, that there was a profpect of her being fhortly married to a young Indian of the tribe of St. Francois with which tribe fhe had continued from the beginning of her captivity. Thefe were heavy tidings, and added greatly to the poignancy of my other af fictions.

52. However, not long after I had heard this melancholy news, an opportunity prefented of acquainting that humane and generous gentleman, the conimander in chief, and my illuftrious benefactor, with this affair alfo, who in compaffion

for my fufferings, and to mitigate my forrows, iffued his orders in good time, and had my daughter taken away from the Indians, and conveyed to the fame nunnery where her fifter was then lodged, with his exprefs injunction, that they fhould both of them together be well looked after, and carefully educated, as his adopted children.

53. In this fchool of fuperftition and bigotry, they continued while the war in thofe days between France and Great Britain lafted. At the conclufion of which war, the governor went home to France, took my oldest daughter along with him, and married her there to a French gentleman, whofe name is Cron Lewis.

54. He was at Boston with the fleet under Count d'Estaing, (1778) and one of his clerks. My other daughter ftill continuing in the nunnery, a confiderable time had elapfed after my return from captivity, when I made a journey to Canada, refolving to ufe my beft endeavors not to return without her.

55. I arrived juft in time to prevent her being fent to France. She was to have gone in the next veffel that failed for that place. And I found it extremely difficult to prevail with her to quit the nunnery and go home with me.

56. Yea, fhe abfolutely refuted; and all the perfuafions and arguments I could ufe with her were to no effect, until af ter I had been to the governor, and obtained a letter from him to the fuperintendant of the nuns, in which he threatened, if my daughter fhould not be delivered immediately into my hands, or could not be prevailed with to fubmit to my paren tal authority, that he would fend a band of foldiers to aflift me in bringing her away.

57. But fo extremely bigoted was fhe to the customs and religion of the place, that after all, fhe left it with the greatest reluctance, and the most bitter lamentations, which the continued as we paffed the streets, and wholly refused to be com'forted. My good friend Major Small, whom we met with on the way, tried all he could to confole her; and was fo very kind and obliging as to bear us company, and carry my daugh ter behind him on horfeback.

58: But I have run on a little before my story; for I have not yet informed you of the means and manner of my own redemption; to the accomplishing of which, the recovery of my daughter just mentioned, and the ranfoming of fome of

my other children, feveral gentlemen of note contributed not a little; to whofe goodness, therefore, I am greatly indebted, and fincerely hope I fhall never be fo ungrateful as to forget it.

59. Col. Schuyler, in particular, was fo very kind and generous as to advance 2700 livers to procure a ransom for myself and three of my children. He accompanied and conducted us from Montreal to Albany, and entertained us in the most friendly and hofpitable manner a confiderable time, at his own house, and I believe, entirely at his own expense. THE WHISTLE.

I.

1. WHEN I was a child at feven years old, fays Dr. Franklin, my friends on an holiday filled my little pockets with coppers. I went directly to a fhop where they fold toys for children; and being charmed with the found of a Whistle, which I met by the way in the hands of another boy, I voluntarily offered, and gave all my money for one.

2. I then came home, and went whistling all over the houfe, much pleased with my Whistle; but difturbing all the family. My brothers and fifters and coufins, understanding the bargain I had made, told me, I had given four times as much for it as it was worth.

.3. This put me in mind of what good things I might have bought with the reft of the money. And they laughed at nie fo much for my folly, that I cried with vexation; and the reflection gave me more chagrin than the Whistle gave me pleafure.

4. This, however was afterwards of ufe to me; the impreflion continuing on my mind, fo that often when I was tempted to buy fome unneceffary thing, I said to myself, Don't give too much for the Whistle. And fo I faved my money.

5. As I grew up and came into the world, and obferved the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, who gave too much for the Whistle.

6. When I faw one too ambitious of court favors, facrifi cing his time in attendance at levees, his repofe, his liberty, his virtue, and perhaps his friends to obtain it, 1 have faid to myfelf, This man gives too much for his Whifle.

7. When I faw another fond of popularity, conftantly em ploying himself in political buftles, neglecting his own affairs, and ruining them by that neglect, He pays, faid I, too much for his Whiftle.

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