Here a landing was made, and while tents
were being pitched a band of painted savages suddenly
darted out of the forest and attacked a man and a boy
who were gathering wood. The man escaped, but the boy
was tomahawked and scalped. Cuyler drew up his men in
front of the boats, and a sharp musketry fire followed
between the Indians, who were sheltered by a thick wood,
and the white men on the exposed shore. The raiders were
Wyandots from Detroit, the most courageous and intelligent
savages in the region. Seeing that Cuyler's men were
panic-stricken, they broke from their cover, with unusual
boldness for Indians, and made a mad charge. The soldiers,
completely unnerved by the savage yells and hurtling
tomahawks, threw down their arms and dashed in confusion
to the boats. Five they succeeded in pushing off, and
into these they tumbled without weapons of defence. Cuyler
himself was left behind wounded; but he waded out, and
was taken aboard under a brisk fire from the shore. The
Indians then launched two of the abandoned boats, rushed
in pursuit of the fleeing soldiers, speedily captured
three of the boats, and brought them ashore in triumph.
The two others, in one of which was Cuyler, hoisted sail
and escaped. The Indians, as we have seen, brought the
captured boats and their prisoners to Detroit.
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