NARRATIVE OF THE CAPTIVITY OF WILLIAM BIGGS. Part 2

The Indians discovered that something was the matter and saw me tumbling

down several times. I suppose they thought I was wounded and could run

no farther; they then set up the yell again and mended their gait

running. By the time I got my great coat loose from me, and was in the

act of pulling off my under coat, I was pulling off one sleeve I looked

back over my shoulder, but had not time to pull it off--the Indians

being within ten yards of me. I then started again to run, but could not

gain any ground on them, nor they on me; we ran about one hundred yards

farther and neither appeared to gain ground: there was a small pathway

that was a little nearer than to keep the big road,--I kept the big

road, the Indians took the path, and when we came where the path comes

into the big road the Indians were within three or four yards from

me--we ran forty or fifty steps farther and neither appeared to gain

ground. I expected every moment they would strike me with their

tomahawks--I thought it would not do to be killed running like a coward

and saw no other way to make my escape than to face about and to catch

the tomahawk from the first that attempted to strike me, and jerk it

from him, which I made no doubt but I was able to do; then I would have

a weapon to fight with as well as them, and by that means I would be

able to make my escape; they had thrown down their guns before they gave

me chase, but I had not fairly faced about before an Indian caught me by

the shoulder and held his tomahawk behind him and made no attempt to

strike me. I then thought it best for me not to make any resistance till

I would see whether he would attempt to strike me or not. He held me by

the shoulder till another came up and took hold of me, which was only

four or five moments; then a third Indian came up, the first Indian that

took hold of me took the handle of his tomahawk and rubbed it on my

shoulder and down my arm, which was a token that he would not kill me

and that I was his prisoner. Then they all took their hands off me and

stood around me. The fourth Indian came up and attempted to strike me,

but the first Indian that caught me pushed him away. He was still

determined to kill me, and tried to get around to my back; but I still

faced round as he was trying to get to my back--when he got up by my

side, he drew his tomahawk the second time to strike me, but the same

Indian pushed him off and scolded him very much--he let his tomahawk

hang by his side, but still intended to kill me if he could get an

opportunity. The other Indians watched him very closely. There were but

four Indians that gave me chase, they were all naked except their

breachcloth, leggins and moccasins. They then began to talk to me in

their own language, and said they were Kickapoos, that they were very

good Indians, and I need not be afraid, they would not hurt me, and I

was now a Kickapoo and must go with them, they would take me to the

Matocush, meaning a French trading town on the Wabash river. When the

Indians caught me I saw Mr. Vallis about one hundred yards before me on

the road--he had made a halt. They shot him in the left thigh about

seven or eight inches above the knee, the ball came out just below his

hip, his horse was not injured--he rode an elegant horse which carried

him out of all farther danger--his wound mortified, he lived six weeks

after he was wounded, then died. I understood their language, and could

speak a little. They then told me to march; an Indian took hold of each

of my arms, and led me back to where they shot at me, and then went

about half a mile further off the road, where they had encamped the

night before and left their blankets and other things. They then took

off my under coat and tied my hands behind my back, and then tied a rope

to that, tying about six or seven feet long, we then started in a great

hurry, and an Indian held one end of the rope while we were marching.

There were but eight Indians marched in company with me that morning

from the camp. The other eight took some other route, and never fell in

with us again, until some time after we got to their towns. We had

marched about three or four miles from that camp when Vallis arrived at

the fort, about six miles from where they caught me, where they fired a

swivel to alarm the people who were out of the fort--when the Indians

heard the swivel they were very much alarmed, and all looked that way

and hallowed yough, yough. They then commenced running, and run in a

pretty smart trot of a run for five or six miles before they halted, and

then walked very fast until about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when they

separated, I supposed to hunt, having nothing to eat. The old chief and

one of the other Indians kept on a straight course with me, we traveled

about three miles, when we got a little way into a small prairie and

halted about fifteen minutes, there one of the party fell in with us, he

had killed a bear and brought as much of the meat with him as he could

carry. We then crossed the prairie and came to a large run about one

mile and a half from where we had halted to rest. By this time three

Indians had joined us. We halted there, made a fire and roasted the bear

meat, the other two Indians staid behind as spies. Whilst the meat was

cooking, the Indians held a council what they would do with the Indian

that wanted to kill me. He was a young fellow about 19 years of age and

of a different nation, being a Pottowatema. They did not want him to go

to war with them; they said he was a great coward and would not go into

danger till there was no risk to run, then he would run forward and get

the best of the plunder, and that he would not be commanded; he would do

as he pleased; was very selfish and stubborn; and was determined to kill

me if he could get a chance. They determined in their council to kill

him.