Neck, crossing the lake where the sloop lay. When he arrived at Grimross
he saw nothing but blackened ruins, and was convinced the Indian's story
was true. He saw also the dead bodies of the three Indians, he could not
recognize them, they were so cooked by the fire. He walked about the
ruins, almost bewildered, and swearing vengeance. Not many steps from
where the house had stood were dense woods. He wandered in among the
trees scarcely knowing where he was going, when to his surprise he saw
his mother sitting down on the snow with her back resting against a
large tree, her feet and knees covered with blankets. He pulled off one
blanket, then another, and yet another, but his mother never moved. She
sat as motionless as the tree itself. Her face was covered with frozen
blood. He took hold of her shoulders and shook her when she appeared to
breathe. After rubbing her hands and beating her feet on the frozen snow
for a long time she began to move her limbs. And finally he got her to
stand on her feet. Her eyes were swollen and completely closed. He was
at a loss to know how he was to get her to the camp twelve miles
distant. Part of the journey was comparatively easy; they could go by
way of the lake. At four o'clock he started with his mother for the
camp, she could only walk slowly and with great difficulty. They made
many stops on the way and reached the camp long after midnight. About
noon the next day the old woman had gained sufficient strength to tell
her story. She said "she went first time with Indians to trade furs at
Grimross. Indians were very savage and blood-thirsty. Broke in door of
house, white woman fired gun, they all ran away. She was captured after
falling down bank. She was taken to house of English people and
afterwards treated like one of the family. A lot of Indians came back
second time about last of winter, few days ago broke into the house of
English people and set it on fire. The English woman fired two guns and
killed three Indians. The rest of Indians ran away. When gun was fired
and house burning, was afraid English woman would kill her. As soon as