Page:Life and astonishing adventures of Peter Williamson (2).pdf/11

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promises, rather than meet with certain death, by re- jecting them ; and, accordingly, went out of my house with my gun in my hand, not knowing what I did, or that I had it. Immediately on my approach, they rushed on me like so many tigers, and instantly disarmed me. Having me thus in their power, the mereiless villians bound me to a tree near the door ; they then went into the house, and plundered and destroyed every thing, earrying off what moveables they could ; the rest, together with the house, they set fire to, and eonsumed before my eyes. The barbar- ians, not satisfied with this, set fire to my barn, stable, and out-houses, wherein were about 200 bushels of wheat, six eows, four horses, and five sheep, which were entirely eonsumed to ashes. During the eonflagration to deseribe the thoughts, the fears, and misery that I felt, is utterly im- possible, after this, they untied me, and gave me a great load to earry on my back, under which I travelled all that night with them, full of the most terrible apprehensions, and oppressed with the greatest anxiety of mind, lest my unhappy wife should likewise have fallen a prey to those cruel monsters. At day-break, my infernal mas- ters ordered me to lay down my load, when, tie- ing my hands again round a tree with a small eord, they then foreed the blood out of my fin- ger-ends. They then kindled a fire near the