Hugh Pendexter

“ Indians and white men were intently watching the medicine-tent. In the front of this at the height of a man's head, was a small opening. Occasionally the sorcerer's head appeared here, a fearful head with its layers of paint, its terrible, grimacing features and continuous crackling of speech issuing from the frenzied lips.
Although Putnam did not know it this was a famous sorcerer who far behind the big lakes was renowned for his power. He could kill a man many sleeps away simply by making an image of the man and willing him to death. ”

“ As they came up to Putnam they cried aloud in amazement on beholding the immense bulk of the dead Indian. He was naked, oiled and painted, and armed only with a knife.
“He's a Potawatomi,” said Putnam. “Lived out beyond the big lakes. We got three that was prowling round Fort William Henry and killing the sentinels with arrows. That's their strong point; sneaking in and killing a man at a time. They was all big fellows.
“The Mission Indians are the best reds that Montcalm has. Priests keep them under control, and they're not cannibals. ”

“ There was the aged and corpulent Hendrick, mighty chief of the Mohawks, who told Johnson on the morning of the battle with Dieskau's forces that the English detachments sent into battle were “too few to fight and too many to be killed.” A brave man was Hendrick, son of the Wolf, a Mohegan man, and a Mohawk woman; for although he knew he was going to his death he harangued his warriors from a gun-carriage, and being too fat to walk to war borrowed a horse of Johnson and went out to be bayoneted to death. ”

“ It's got Putnam!” yelled a frantic voice from the post. “Here's his gun and cap!” Lights began to spring up.
“Fetch out a torch and my gun, men,” called out Putnam. “I'm still alive and kicking. That's more'n I can say of some other folks in this neighborhood.”
“A French trick!” cried a soldier.
“Is that really you, Captain Putnam?” demanded an anxious voice.
“It couldn't really be any one else,” dryly retorted Putnam. “Bring a light. I've bagged the sentinel-killer. And bring my gun and cap.” ”

“ The witchcraft delusion was threescore years behind them, but fragments of superstitions still remained, and the influence of the dark woods, stretching across the Iroquois land and hiding many mysteries, was strong upon many a pioneer. ”