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History - Pioneers - Massa Harbison
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The Escape
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Then I concluded it was time to escape. I found it impossible
to injure him for my child at the breast, as I could
not effect any thing without putting the child down, and then
it would cry, and give the alarm; so I contented myself with
taking from a pillow case of plunder, taken from our house,
a short gown, handkerchief and a child's frock, and so made
my escape; the sun then being about half an hour high.
I took a direction from home, at first, being guided by the
birds before mentioned, and in order to deceive the Indians;
then took over the hill, and struck the Conequenessing Creek,
about two miles where I crossed it with the Indians, and
went down the stream till about two o'clock in the afternoon,
over rocks, precipices, thorns, briers, &c. with my bare
feet and legs. I then discovered by the sun, and the running
of the stream, that I was on the wrong course, and going
from, instead of coming nearer home. I then changed my
course, ascended a hill, and sat down till sunset, and the
evening star made its appearance, when I discovered the way I
should travel; and having marked-out the direction I intended
to take the next morning, I collected some leaves,
made up a bed, and laid myself down and slept, though my
feet being full of thorns, began to be extremely painful, and
I had nothing still to eat for myself or child.
The next morning, (Friday, 25th of May) about the
breaking of the day, I was aroused from my slumbers, by the
flock of birds before mentioned, which still continued with
me, and having them to guide me through the wilderness. As
soon as it was sufficiently light for me to find my way, I
started for the fourth day's trial, of hunger and fatigue.
There was nothing very material occurred on this day
while I was traveling, and I made the best of my way, according
to my knowledge, toward the Allegheny river. In
the evening about the going down of the sun, a moderate rain
came on, and I began to prepare for my bed, by collecting
some leaves together, as I had done the night before; but
could not collect a sufficient quantity, without setting my
little boy on the ground; but as soon as I put him out of my
arms, he began to cry. Fearful of the consequence of his
noise in this situation, I took him in my arms, and put him
to the breast immediately, and he became quiet. I then stood
and listened and distinctly heard the footsteps of a man,
coming after me, in the same direction I had come! The
ground over which I had been traveling was good, and the
mould was light; I had therefore left my foot-marks, and
thus exposed myself to a second captivity! Alarmed at my
perilous situation, I looked around for a place of safety, and
providentially discovered a large tree which had fallen;
into the tops of which I crept, with my child in my arms,
and there I hid myself securely under the limbs. The darkness
of the night greatly assisted me, and prevented me from
detection.
The footsteps I heard were those of a savage. He heard
the cry of the child, and came to the very spot where the
child cried, and there he halted, put down his gun, and was at
this time so near, that I heard the wiping stick strike against
his gun distinctly.
My getting in under the tree, and sheltering myself from
the rain, and pressing my boy to my bosom, got him warm,
and most providentially he fell asleep, and lay very still during
the time of my danger at that time. All was still and
quiet, the savage was listening, if by possibility he might
again hear the cry he had heard before. My own heart was
the only thing I feared, and that beat so loud, that I was
apprehensive it would betray me. It is almost impossible to
conceive, or to believe, the wonderful effect my situation
produced upon my whole system.
After the savage had stood and listened with nearly the
stillness of death, for two hours, the sound of a bell, and a
cry like that of a night owl, signals which were given to him
from his savage companions, induced him to answer, and
after he had given a most horrid yell, which was calculated
to harrow up my soul, he started and went off to join them.
The fifth day, Saturday, 26th of May, wet and exhausted,
hungry and wretched, I started from my resting
place in the morning, as soon as I could see my way, and on
that morning struck the head waters of Pine Creek, which
falls into the Allegheny about four miles above Pittsburgh;
though I knew not then what waters they were, but I crossed
them, and the opposite bank I found a path, and discovered
in it two mockasin tracks, fresh indented, and the
men who had made them were before me, and traveling on
the same direction that I was traveling. This alarmed me;
but as they were before me, and traveling in the same direction
as I was, I concluded I could see them as soon as
they could see me, and therefore I pressed on in that path
for about three miles, when I came to the forks where another
branch empties into the creek, and where was a
hunter's camp, where the two men, whose tracks I had before
discovered and followed, had been, and kindled a fire
and breakfasted, and had left the fire burning.
I here became more alarmed, and came to a determination
to leave the path. I then ascended a hill, and crossed a ridge
towards Squaw run, and came upon a trail or path. Here I
stopped and meditated what to do; and while I was thus
musing, I saw three deers coming towards me in full speed;
they turned around to look at their pursuers; I looked too
with all attention, and saw the flash of a gun, and then heard
the report as soon as the gun was fired. I saw some dogs
start after them, and began to look about for a shelter, and
immediately made for a large log and hid myself behind it;
but most providentially, I did not go clear to the log; had I
done so, I might have lost my life by the bites of rattle-snakes;
for as I put my hand to the ground, to raise myself
that I might see what was become of the hunters, and who
they were, I saw a large heap of rattle-snakes, and the top
one was very large and coiled up very near my face, and
quite ready to bite me. This compelled me to leave this
situation, let the consequences be what they might.
In consequence of this occurrence, I again left my course,
bearing to the left, and came upon the head waters of Squaw
Run, and kept down the run the remainder of that day.
During the day it rained, and I was in a very deplorable
situation; so cold and shivering were my limbs, that frequently
in opposition to all my struggles, I gave an involuntary
groan. I suffered intensely this day, from hunger,
though my jaws were so far recovered from the injury they
sustained from the blows of the Indians, that wherever I
could, I procured some grape vines, and chewed them for a
little sustenance. In the evening I came within one mile of
the Allegheny river, though I was ignorant of it at the time;
and there at the root of a tree, through a most tremendous
night's rain, I took up my fifth night's lodgings, and in order
to shelter my infant from the storm, as much as possible, I
placed him in my lap, and placed my head against the tree,
and thus let the rain fall upon me.
On the sixth (that was Sabbath) morning from my captivity,
I found myself unable for a very considerable time,
to raise myself from the ground; and when I had once more,
by hard struggling, got myself upon my feet, and started
upon the sixth day's encounter, nature was so nearly exhausted,
and my spirits were so completely depressed, that
my progress was amazingly slow and discouraging.
The Return
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